1982 Leyland National 2 WBW735X / 653GBU
Year
1982
Registration
WBW735X / 653GBU
Fleet number(s)
SN12
Chassis
Leyland National 2
Engine
Leyland TL11-B245 diesel
Body
Leyland National 2
Previous owner(s)
Atomic Energy Authority Harwell, Tappins Coaches, Routemaster Buses
Current owner(s)
Allan Eley
Current livery
Strathtay Scottish
Further information
The Atomic Energy Authority in Harwell owned four virtually identical Leyland National 2 buses for staff transport. JTF971W and JTF972W were bought new in April 1981 and in March 1982 WBW735X and WBW736X were added to the fleet. WBW735X was sold to Tappins Coaches Limited of Didcot in 1991 for use on a shuttle service from Reading to the Thames Valley (Industrial) Park. By this stage the original Leyland L11 engine had been changed to a Leyland turbo TL11-B 245 and the seats reupholstered.
Routemaster Buses Limited bought the bus from Tappins twenty years later and it was painted into their two-tone green “London Country” livery in July 2011. Used for school and other contract work, including rail replacement duties, it was withdrawn from service in June 2014 and purchased for preservation in August 2014.
During its 32 years of service work this Leyland National bus has only had three main owners/operators and unusually has never been linked with a major bus company. This meant it could be painted into a livery representing any bus company without too many problems as there’s not a well-known “original” livery for it to wear.
To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of Strathtay Scottish WBW735X was brush painted into the second version of their livery complete with white stripe. It returned to the road in May 2015 when it won the Roland Williams award for the best bus at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum's Running Day at Lathalmond.