Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,

This page created 28th January 2009.

LE1

In 1986 London Coaches needed a manual gearbox trainer. Most coaches have manual gearboxes, as these are more economical on longer runs, and drivers trained and tested on automatic or pre-selector gearboxes are not eligible to drive them. London Coaches found a solution in a Leyland PD2 that had been in preservation. A good-looking East Lancs-bodied Leyland Titan PD2/40, new to Warrington Borough Councuil in 1964, it was bought and treated to a repaint in London red. It was numbered LE1 (Leyland/East Lancs No1, in the style of the times) It was kept for over six years, before passing on into preservation again.

LM2

London Coaches hired a similar vehicle in 1988. LM2 was an older bus, new to Plymouth City in 1956, and with MCW Orion bodywork. London Coaches had it painted unrelieved London red, with fleetnumber LM2, and kept it for six months. It appeared with blinds for the C3 midibus route, but whether this was for operational or recreational reasons I don't know. It later re-emerged in blue and yellow as a traveller's home.

Bus histories

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        AED 26B   9/64    Leyland Titan PD2/40 #L21571, East Lancs#6197, H37/28R
                  9/64    new to Warrington Borough Council, #11
                          privately preserved: R.Blunden, Kingston
LE1               7/86 B  bought by London Coaches as manual gearbox driver trainer (Battersea)
                          repainted London red with white band, London Transport gold fleetnames
                  1/87 B  trainer, repaint
                  7/87 B  trainer
                  4/88 WD transfer, trainer (Wandsworth)
                  1/90 WD trainer
                  5/92 WD privatised to London Coaches Ltd
                  3/93    bought for preservation, John Pitt
                  6/93    at North Weald rally
                  7/93    at Quainton Road rally 
                  6/94    sold to Ensign Bus
                          sold on to Brakell (Cheam)
                  */96    bought by Mihaylovic, Bulgaria
                 11/13    under restoration, Bulgaria

        MCO 669  10/56    Leyland Titan PD2/12 #562071, MCW Orion H30/26R
                 10/56    new to Plymouth City #69
                          privately preserved: G.Morgan, Plymouth
LM2               3/88 B  hired by London Coaches, H61RD: London red, no band  
                  4/88 WD transfer, trainer (Wandsworth)               
                  9/88    off-hire 
                  6/93    travellers mobile home, at Strawberry Fayre, Cambridge: blue/yellow
  

Photographic references

 
LE1     AED 26B   LBR86 p58     */86 B  trainer, Battersea garage
                  Bus385p210    3/87 B  fresh from repaint
                  LBH88_1 p81   7/87    trainer, Borough High Street
                  LBH89_1 p83           trainer, Putney
                  AIHLB p141    1/90    trainer, Wandsworth Garage

LM2     MCO 669   LBR88 p69     */88 WD blinds for C3
                  LBM132 p43    */88 WD blinds for C3
 

Ian's Bus Stop