Seb Marshall and his team at Historic Vehicle Restoration are making remarkable progress on the restoration and adaptation of our ex Crosville Leyland Cub, No.716.  We have quite a tight timescale for this project as the funding awarded from the DCMS has a time limit within which to spend it, which sounds quite straightforward until you consider the condition of this bus when it was recovered!

Below: Components from the rear worm-drive are seen on the bench.  We are looking at obtaining spares for these as they require expensive reconditioning/replacement if not.

Below: The rear axle and diff housing.

Below: Various components including the steering wheel are seen being worked upon.

Below: The steering and shaft are shown.  A spare steering box was obtained in our recent haul of spares, and this will be used on 716 as the original is well worn.

Below: The haul of spares included numerous radiator spars.  These are being restored, to create two good radiators (one for 716 and one for the next project…).

Below: Refurbished headers and bases for the radiators.

Below: The chassis has been assembled and the repairs to the front end completed (the bit in red oxide primer).

Below: Newly refurbished springs arrived very quickly and await fitting to the chassis.

Below: The timberwork for the body has also been started, commencing with the floor.  Additional strength is being incorporated into the floor, including frame and surface, in order to cope with the weight of wheelchairs inside the saloon.  Our existing access bus, J2007, has suffered a lot from a weak floor and has to receive regular attention to both the floor and the outriggers that support it.

Below: There are a lot of bits to a bus!  The double rear wheel drums can clearly be seen, along with the front drums (six wheels in total on this bus, whence six sets of brake components etc.).as there are four wheels, in two pairs, on the rear axle.

Below: The engine block has been stripped completely and is seen here ready for the rebuild to commence.

Below: Finally in this instalment, numerous small details have been obtained, including items like these side lights.

So, I have mentioned a haul of spares, and these came from a source in Oxfordshire, complete with another Leyland Cub!

Below: This is former West Riding Cub Reg HL 9621, fitted with an oil (diesel) engine and a Roe 24 seat body.  It was latterly preserved by the West Yorkshire Transport Trust at Bradford Bus Museum, where the colour views of it show the partly restored bus being collected by a new owner who removed it for restoration.  They recently contacted us regarding its sale to Beamish, and this opportunity to store a second bus for use in our HLF funded ‘Remaking Beamish’ project (as a second accessible bus) plus the spares that would be invaluable in 716’s restoration, meant that we were very keen to obtain it.  The bus itself remains in store for now.

Photos above courtesy of Jim Shackell.

Below: Seb’s photos of just a few of the components obtained with HL 9621.