LNs make impact on NBC '74 orders
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by Martin Hayes
• Leyland Nationals account for almost a third of the National Bus Company's new vehicle orders for 1974. Britain's State-owned bus undertaking has ordered only four short of its 500 bus quota from the LN Company, which it owns on a fifty-fifty basis with British Leyland.
Of the 496 LN single-deckers on order the vast majority are the longer, 11.3m version. Only 82 will be the shorter 10.3m vehicle. Naturally, the major part of the remaining chassis on order are of British Leyland manufacture. The exceptions are 77 Fords and 37 Bedfords.
In the double-decker category, of which almost 500 are on order, the most popular combination is an ECW body on a Bristol VRT chassis. However, there are also 174 Leyland Atlantean AN68s all with Park Royal bodywork. Apart from LNs, in the single-deck field the ubiquitous Leyland PSU3 chassis is popular together with the various Bristol chassis. However, several companies will be using Bedfords and Fords for bus work and not just for coaching.
Biggest order On the bodybuilding side, the majority of bus bodies will be provided by ECW. Midland Red, however, will be taking 50 dual-purpose-bodied vehicles from Marshall of Cambridge. Apart from a very few ECW coaches the biggest order for luxury vehicles goes to Duple, which has won 50 more than arch rival Plaxtons.
Among the more interesting orders, London Country is taking a further 30 8.5m-long Bristol LHS chassis with ECW bus bodies. These will be used to replace some of its venerable RFs. I understand that London Transport, too, is considering this vehicle to take-over from RFs in some areas.
Timpsons is adding 10 Bedford YRTs with Duple coach bodies to its London-based sightseeing fleet while Ford must be well satisfied with an order for 37, from Southdown. This is the first time that this make has been chosen by Southdown and the vehicles will also have Duple bodies.
The table gives complete details of all the 1974 orders.