The expansion of the museum’s bus fleet continues; the latest bus to join the collection being Leyland Titan PD2/1 KPT 909.  Built in 1949, the bus spent its operating life with Weardale Motor Services, with whom it was last in service in 1970.

Below: This photo shows KPT 909 (it didn’t have a fleet number as far as I know) in Stanhope Market Place, taken in July 1969.  It shows the bus in it’s final months of operation as a service vehicle, but still in very clean and tidy condition.  No doubt this was an influence in its purchase for preservation.

This photo appears courtesy of the photographer, John Stringer, and appears on the superb online database of images at https://www.sct61.org.uk/

Technical Details

Leyland were a renowned bus manufacturer, making chassis, engines and bodies and with a well-earned reputation for reliable and rugged vehicles.  In their range of double deck chassis (which went under the name ‘Titan’) they sought to develop an advanced vehicle for their customers, with the T series of pre-war designs.  The success of this design was developed in the post-war PD range of Titans. with nearly 2000 PD1s (and variants) being constructed before the range was supplanted by the PD2s in 1948.

The PD2 design emerged during WW2, and wasn’t simply an upgraded PD1, but as a distinct design in itself.  The prototype vehicle appeared in 1946 and the first production version followed in July 1947 (supplied to Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee).  The design featured the Leyland 0.600 diesel engine (600 cubic inch or 9.8l capacity) which gave a superior performance, and resulted un an under-stressed engine.  The chassis was also redesigned and there was a new clutch/gearbox unit which provided synchromesh on all gears except first and reverse.  This was, at the time, pioneering technology on a British bus chassis design.  Braking was assisted by a triple-vacuum servo and High and Low bridge models were available (this example is of the Lowbridge type, with off-set upstairs seating and a sunken aisle to one side of the top deck).

The PD2 (and its variants) would ultimately be superseded by the PD3 (and variants), with the last bus leaving Leyland in 1969.  Alan Townsin summarised the remarkable construction history of the design in his book on the type, with the conclusion that with over 17,000 chassis constructed, the PDs in all forms (and produced for home and export sales) were the most numerous double-deck bus type produced, as well as having the longest production run.  His book also notes the longevity of the 0.600 engine, with examples of buses running over half a million miles with only minimal engine maintenance (above the daily/weekly schedules).  The engine was predictably reliable – something that was of great value to the many and varied operators of the PD series of buses across their long working lifespan.

You can read more at the following site:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_Titan_(front-engined_double-decker)

Or if you prefer printed matter, then the book The Best of British Buses No.9 Leyland Titans 1945 – 1984 by Alan Townsin (Transport Publishing Company, 1986) comes highly recommended.

History

KPT 909 was built in 1948 (being completed in the October), but remained with Leyland for exhibition, before it was passed to its first owner and registered on the 31st August 1949 (having been delivered in the January of that year), in the name of Mr Oliver Gibson of Weardale Motor Services, Frosterley, Co Durham.  It was initially stored, as being the first double-deck bus in the area, gangs had to be sent out to work from lorries in order to raise the tree canopy, until that time only sufficient for single-deck buses.

After it was withdrawn from service, it was stored for a short period of time, before being purchased by Dr. Michael Taylor.  It was driven from Weardale to Bewdley in Worcestershire on the 19th August 1970 (by Mr Don Wilcox).  It was submitted for, and passed, an MoT, and was used for its first preservation trip on the 19th September 1970 – a trip for members of the Severn Valley Railway (whose route, albeit not yet fully open, passed through Bewdley) to Didcot Railway Centre in Oxfordshire.  It was later based in the original (Great Western Railway) bus garage at Bridgnorth station, on the Severn Valley Railway.  It was used for several trips away from the SVR, including a visit to the tramway museum at Crich in 1977.

It was later donated to the British Commercial Vehicle Museum, Leyland (Lancashire).  It was adorned with adverts for the museum and acted as a roving ambassador.  In 1993 it was transferred to Science Museum Group, and it was moved to Wroughton (their large objects store) where it remained until collected on the 27th November 2024.

https://www.weardale-travel.co.uk/aboutus.html

Below: On the 27th November, KPT 909 was collected from Wroughton, the Science Museum Group store in Wiltshire, and the bus’ home for the last two decades.  These views show it being loaded within the hanger, and breaking out into daylight for the first time in a very long time.  They also reveal what good condition it is in.  We have a detailed conservation report from the SMG conservators, and the bus will be thoroughly inspected at Beamish with a view to recommissioning it back into service as soon as is practicable.

Below: The distinctive adverts will be removed, and some of the panels repainted.  The bus also needs a deep clean, and work to the downstairs seating.  Note the ultra-low low-loader being used for this job.  The bus is shorter in stature, on account of having a lowbridge body (it was to be the first double-deck bus over many of the routes in Weardale that it would operate on).

Below: I often judge the condition of a bus externally, from the condition of the panels that form the ceiling above the bonnet – and as can be seen on KPT 909, this area is in very good condition.  We believe it had work carried out on the rear platform before it was stored (confirmed by Russell’s initial observation) and also an engine overhaul.

Below: Securing the bus to the trailer ahead of departure on the 27th November.  The very good cosmetic state of the paintwork can be appreciated in this view.

Arrival at Beamish

Below: KPT 909 arrived at Beamish on the 28th November and was quickly moved into the workshop for assessment.  These photos show some details of the bus and its current condition.  The first objective is to examine the mechanical condition with a view to getting it running.  The seats all need attention so will be an early candidate for sending away to a contractor, and there is some cosmetic work to the exterior (including paintwork) to be carried out as well.

Below: This view shows one of the characteristics of a Cowbridge body – with the aisle set to one side (and above seated passengers downstairs) in order to reduce the overall height of the bus.

Below: The white paintwork appears to have been varnished at some point in the past, and this has now discoloured.  It will be removed and these areas will be repainted, along with the advertising panels on each side of the bus.

Future…

With the WMS Titan now back at Beamish, it will be assessed with a view to commissioning it into service as soon as possible.  It will fill a gap in the collection, as a private company vehicle, with local provenance and extremely useful for service at the museum.  It also provides a technical comparison with the Daimlers we currently operate on the 1950s route, and is sure to add some colour to the fleet as well.  The Titans were highly regarded buses so we very much look forward to seeing this bus at work for Beamish.  The advertising panel will be repainted (as a minimum) so the bus once again reflects its guise as a member of the WMS fleet.

With the collection of KPT 909, this more or less concludes any current plans to expand the collection of buses at the museum, though there is (of course!) a list of other vehicles that we would take the opportunity to acquire, if the opportunity arose.  As we are now chronically short of depot space, thoughts are also turning to means of increasing this space as well as creating a larger inspection facility for buses (and trolleybuses), if funding can be found…

We would like to thank the team at the Science Museum Group Wroughton who enabled the transfer of the bus to Beamish.

Photos by Paul Jarman, John Stringer and Russell Walker