Coaches | West Yorkshires premier transport group

1937 Leyland TS7

DKT 11 is a 1937 Leyland Tiger TS7 which ran for Maidstone & District. The vehicle was rebodied in 1950 with its present body which prolonged its life with M&D where its band box on the roof was very useful for carrying musical instruments for various military brass bands, and in later life for carrying rowing boats to various regattas. On withdrawal from service, DKT 11 passed to a handicapped persons organisation where the rear was converted to load wheelchairs. It is in this form that it currently exists without any immediate future restoration plans.

1947 Bedford OB

The Bedford name first appeared in 1931 when Vauxhall, established as a car producer, diversified into the market for buses and commercial vehicles. The OB was part of a new range of passenger chassis introduced in 1939. Production was to be short- lived as the Bedford factory was turned over to wartime needs. Bus production returned in 1941 with the OWB and in 1946 back to the OB, production lasting until 1950.

Although synonymous with the small independent bus and coach operator, the OB did also find its way into some of the larger company-owned fleets.

FWW596 was built in 1947 and was one of 8 OBs supplied to West Yorkshire Road Car Company. 4 had 26-seat Duple coach bodies and 4 had 30-seat Beadle bus bodies. Initially numbered 646, it became CP1 in the 1954 Renumbering scheme.

In 1957 it was rebuilt, including Perspex cant and roof panels, for use on the York City tour. It was withdrawn in 1969 and passed into preservation, being with its present owner David Hudson since 1972.

1947 Albion CX13

GWT 630 was the first coach to be purchased by South Yorkshire Motors after the cessation of hostilities in WW2, being acquired in 1948. Never a major player at this period in coaching activities, only one other coach was bought afterwards, this being JWT 112. Both had Burlingham bodies, but of slightly differing styles, indeed GWT 630 is unusual in possessing steel rainshields over the windows. JWT 112 was eventually rebodied as a double deck vehicle and its original body transferred to DYG 53, a 1941 Albion Valkyrie. Both vehicles survived into the mid 60s with South Yorkshire, but whereas DYG has covered many thousands of miles, it is believed that GWT is an extremely low mileage vehicle for its age. One of the reasons for this is that the heavy sliding doors were very unpopular with South Yorkshire conductresses and they therefore saw little use on stage carriage services in later life. One commentator once described GWT 630 as the most luxurious stores van in the country as its main use was to go to the fish & chip shop at lunchtime, and to ferry spare parts and equipment about when required. Purchased for preservationupon withdrawal the vehicle has had a number of owners. The last one to use the vehicle was Classic Coaches of High Wycombe who certified the vehicle on acquisition. Sold to Red Arrow of Huddersfield, on the failure of the Classic Coaches business, it was not used, being in need of some remedial attention to the bodywork caused by outside storage. Having been purchased by Greg Lawson in 2004, the vehicle has been fully overhauled and repainted and took to the road again in 2009.

1948 Bristol L6A

This coach was delivered in 1948 to Royal Blue, the express coaching subsidiary of Western/Southern national omnibus company.

It is fitted with a 7.7 litre AEC engine as specified by Royal Blue, the coachwork largely to Duple design, was contracted out to Beadles of Dartford as the coach building capacity during the post war recovery period was overstretched. It features staggered seating to allow a little more elbow room in the 7’6” width of the vehicle.

Withdrawn from service in 1960, HOD30 was one of a number of vehicles sold to a china clay company for staff transport which aided its survival until 1968 when it was finally withdrawn.

The vehicle was the purchased by Colin Shears who later passed the vehicle on to Peter France, who retained the vehicle until circumstances forced its sale to its present owner Greg Lawson, who set about restoring it with the assistance of David Hudson.

Work undertaken has included renewal of all the side pillars, reconstruction of much of the canopy and front roof areas, replacement of the woodwork under the rear dome, and complete refurbishment of the interior trim and seating, the restoration costing around £10,000 in materials.

As seen today, HOD30 is representative of many late pre-war coaches with its curved waistrail and its roof mounted luggage box.

1950 Leyland PS2

LUO 694 Ex Pridhams of Lamerton Devon Leyland PS2/3 Burlingham was bought by AVTG member Greg Lawson in summer 2010 from Quontock motor services in Taunton, the vehicle has been moved into out workshop in Bradford for a replacement engine fiting. we would like further history on this vehicle if you have any please email us at glys06482@blueyonder.co.uk many thanks

1950 Bristol L6B

Ex Wilts and Dorset L6B Portsmouth aviation bodywork GAM216 arrived at the AVTG storage in 2008 work will start on this vehicle soon, if you have any info on the history of this vehicle please email glys06482@blueyonder.co.uk many thanks

1952 Leyland PS2

EHL 335 is one of a batch of half cab Roe bodied coaches supplied to West Riding Automobile Company in 1952, and were the last half cab coaches built on Leyland chassis as well as being one of only two batches of half cab Roe bodied coaches ever built. The other batch was built for Lancashire United on Guy Arab chassis. Already out of fashion at the time of construction, they were however used on excursion and express services to the seaside until such vehicles were deemed to be extremely outdated and were then demoted to more mundane duties. After withdrawal, the vehicle was acquired by Brooksbanks of Featherstone who used it for a short while on various colliery contract services. Upon withdrawal EHL stood outside the shed for many years, and some restoration work was undertaken by a local enthusiast, but Brooksbanks resolutely determined not to sell it for continued preservation. Eventually Brian Crowther of Black Prince Coaches persuaded them to sell it with a view to restoring it to its original condition. The pressures of running a full time bus operation meant that this was very slow to happen, and eventually Brian was persuaded to sell the vehicle to David Hudson and Greg Lawson. EHL335 has been fully restored and returned to the road in 2015.

1957 Bedford SBG

SYG561 is a Bedford SBG, with a 41 seat Duple body. It was new to Walton & Helliwell in the spring of 1957. In May 1958 Walton & Helliwell was taken over by Hebble and received a fleet number 21. It served with Hebble until the end of the 1965 coaching season when it was withdrawn and sold to a dealer.

Over the next 10 years it was to see further service with a succession of smaller operators; Williams, Cresswell (May 1966); Chumbley, Birmingham (May 1971); Whiteley, Old Whittington (March 1973); Johnson, Goxhill (July 1973). It was then initially secured for preservation by two local enthusiasts in November 1976 and later passed into the ownership of the West Yorkshire Transport Museum in March 1990.

It was however later deemed to be surplus to the museum’s requirements and was offered for sale, passing to a private owner in Bradford who planned to convert it into a mobile home. The conversion was only partially carried out. After standing out of use for seven years it was put up for sale and passed to its present owner.

1961 Ford Thames

GHD 215 is a typical example of a late 1950s/early 1960s coach but on the slightly rarer Ford chassis instead of the more ubiquitious Bedford SB chassis. The body was built by Duple, and whilst being very similar to the design used on the Bedfords, which carried the Vega model name, these were named Yeoman, and there were slight detail differences between the two models. GHD served withe the Yorkshire Woollen District company, being used on express and excursion work into the early 1970s, but they were never as popular as the heavyweight chassis by AEC and Leyland. After sale by YWD to an independent operator, the vehicle was acquired by members of the YWD Transport Preservation Group and rallied for a good number of years until declining membership forced its sale to the West Yorkshire Tranport Museum. On the failure of this scheme, the vehicle passed to Mel Munden of Huddersfield and is at present in the custodianship of AVTG member Simon Turner, it is hoped to return the vehicle back to the road in 2011.