A superbly illustrated history of the Leyland bus, one of the most important British buses of the twentieth century, with full production histories and technical specifications for all the major models. Also covers the evolution of the Leyland Bus company, and tells the full story behind the iconic Leyland badge. Including some previously unseen illustrations, the book gives a full company history - from beginnings as the Lancashire Steam Motor Company in 1886, to the acquisition by Volvo Buses in 1988. Technical details of all the main models are given including the Lion, Titan and Olympic ranges. Gearless buses and rear-engined double-deckers are covered as well as charabancs, trolleybuses, First World War military vehicles and overseas models. This will be an essential guide to these much-treasured vehicles and is beautifully illustrated with some never-before-seen pictures from the Leyland company's archives including 153 black & white photographs and 106 colour and b&w prints.
This book looks at an important turning point in the history of the bus industry in Britain. 1967 was the penultimate year to the end of an era, when private and semi-nationalized company's operated the bus networks in this country.??After 1967 the network was never the same again, with the formation of the National Bus Company in 1968.??The NBC was a very bland organization compared to the colourful bus companies that had existed before nationalization, and many small municipal fleets amalgamated to form Passenger Transport Executives.??This comprehensive volume covers a large number of the bus companies throughout the country in 1967 and also has a good readable narrative describing Jim Blake's journeys travelling on these services across Britain.
Interest in old buses has increased enormously in recent years, so that there are now probably over two thousand of these vehicles restored and preserved for future generations. Some were discovered up to fifty years after their withdrawal from passenger carrying, serving as summer houses, tool sheds or for other purposes. Hundreds of hours of loving care were expended on them so that they can now be seen as they looked in their prime.This book traces the development of the omnbus through the horse-drawn era to that of mechanical propulsion, when, after experiments with steam and electric battery units, the gasoline engine reigned supreme until just before the second world war.
A-Z of British Bus Bodies sets out to offer a first port of call for anyone with an interest in those who built bus and coach bodies in Britain and Ireland between 1919 and 1975. From charabanc to service bus, from luxury coach to municipal double-decker, the sheer variety of public service vehicle (PSV) bodies is astonishing. The alphabetical listing of British bus body builders between 1919 - 1975 covers the well-known larger companies and small local companies, and is illustrated with period and modern images, including contemporary advertising material. It includes a substantial introduction looking at operators of the period, the body building process and the development of bus body building throughout the period. A comprehensive guide to bus bodies 1919-1975 and a valuable reference work for the bus enthusiast. Superbly illustrated with 300 colour and black & white photographs including period and modern images and contemporary advertising material. James Taylor has been researching and writing about motoring history for over thirty years and has been interested in classic buses since childhood.
This title examines Leyland's bus and coach production between the mid-1950s and the demise of the name in the 1980s. The book features approximately 85 colour illustrations which explore the variety of both double- and single-decks models constructed by the company.