‘Scene’ on Another trip down memory lane on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

Back in the late 1980’s towards the end of Leyland as an independent company they produced a mid engined double decker called the Lion.

 

Leyland had successfully been building rear engined double deckers (Atlantean, Fleetline and Olympian) for 30 years so the mid engine position was different and my view at the time was that it was a bit of a blind alley.

 

They were built on under frames imported from Leyland’s Danish subsidiary and bodied by East Lancs amongst others.

 

Only 32 were produced prior to Leyland being taken over by Volvo who cancelled the project to concentrate on building the Olympian under their own name.

 

‘Nottingham City Transport’ (NCT) bought 2 batches bodied by East Lancs. These were registered F382-6 GVO numbered 382-6 and F387-91 GVO numbered 387-91. The 382-6 buses were fitted with coach seats.

 

I remember them but never got round to photographing them because at the time I was more into video than stills.

 

They served their time and passed Into history.

 

20 years later (2009), I was on a ‘Transpire’ (The Chesterfield Bus Society) organised visit to bus and coach operator ‘Andrews of Tideswell Ltd.’ in Derbyshires Peak District.

 

Parked under trees were a small number of vaguely familiar buses with registrations in the VIL XXXX series.

 

They were, I was told being used on schools contracts.

 

Research proved them to be former ‘NCT’ vehicles.

 

All 5 in F382-6 batch had been sold as a batch to ‘Andrews’

 

They were eventually sold on to a company I believe in Lancashire called ‘Moving People’.

VIL 3382 ‘Andrews’. Leyland Lion / East Lancs

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Formerly F382 GVO with ‘NCT’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIL 2983 ‘Andrews’. Leyland Lion / East Lancs

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Formerly F383 GVO with ‘NCT’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIL 4784 ‘Andrews’. Leyland Lion / East Lancs

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Formerly F384 GVO with ‘NCT’.

 

Fast forward another 10 years to a visit in 2019 to 

‘Nottingham Heritage Vehicles’.

 

A preservation group located in the old ‘Trent’ garage at Hucknall in Nottinghamshire.

 

There at the back, waiting its turn in the queue to be restored is VIL 3382.

 

VIL 3382 ‘Nottingham City Transport’ No. 382.  Leyland Lion / East Lancs

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

So, I did get to photograph one after all these years.