National Bus orders for 1977
Page 29
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DUPLE HAVE just pipped Plaxton to the post to win the lion's share of the 1977 coach order from the National Bus Company. Duple will supply 124 bodies while Plaxton supply 93 and Willowbrook 25. The Plaxton order includes 10 bus bodies to be mounted on Ford chassis for East Kent, and Maidstone and District.
Of the chassis on order 1,402 will come from Leyland companies supplemented by 3 YMT chassis from Bedford for Southern Vectus and 13 R series chassis from Ford.
Leyland have also won the vast majority of the bus body order but lack of capacity at Eastern Coach Works means that 57 Bristol VRT3s out of the total order for 506 will be bodied elsewhere. A total of 351 of these Bristols will have the Gardner 6LXB engine while the remainder have the Leyland 501 engine.
A strong move in coach operation away from National Travel and back to the traditional bus operating corn panies is evident in the coach orders. Of the 200 Leyland Leopard coaches on order only 41 go to National Travel. The NT companies will, however, continue to lease vehicles.
The full orders are coded as follows: Bristol VRT is a, Leyland National is b, Leyland Leopard is c, Bristol 1,H si d, Ford R series is e, Bedford YMT is f and Bristol LHS is g.
Alder Valley 10a, 10b, 5c, Bristol Omnibus 15a 10b 2c, Bristol Joint 20a 6b, City of Oxford 16a 2c, Crosville 35a 8b Sc 30d, Cumberland 4a Sc, East Kent 9a 27b 5c 4e, East Midland 13a 8b 3c, East Yorkshire 1 la 6d, Eastern Counties 17a 22b 5c 8d, Eastern National 3a 42b, Gosport & Fareham 2b, Hants & Dorset 20a 25b 4c, Jones 3c, London Country 60b 14g, Lincolnshire 28a lb 3c 15d, Maidstone & District 19a 27b 4c 6e, Midland Red 78b 18c, Northern General 29a 28b 2c, National Travel (Midlands) Ltd 5c, National Travel (North East) Ltd 10c, National Travel (North West) Ltd 12c, National Travel (South East) Ltd nil, National Travel (South West) Ltd 14c, Potteries 20a 2b 4c, Red & White 5a 18b 5c, Ribble 20a 47b 11c, South Wales 16a 13b 2c, Southdown 40a 26b 27c 3e, Southern Vectis 1 la 6b 3f, Trent (Group) 24a 12b 10c, United Automobile 33a 33b 12c 4d, United Counties 28a 14b 3c, West Riding Group 23a 12b, West Yorkshire 14a 5b Sc, York-West Yorkshire 4a, Western National 31a, lib, 17c 26d, Western Welsh 5a 18b 2c, Yorkshire Traction 6a 22h 2c.