The Leyland National was a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. The National Bus Company was a Bus company in England and Wales. British Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall Industrial Estate, Workington, Cumbria. Http//uploadwikimediaorg/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Workingtonjpg Workington is a town and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England at the mouth of the
The Leyland National was built with integral, modular construction and a rear engine. All components were designed for ease of construction and replacement. Most were built with a distinctive roof mounted pod at the rear, housing heating equipment which consequently blew warm air out at roof level. The majority of Mark I Leyland Nationals were fitted with Leyland 510 engines, an unusal design in that it featured non-detachable cylinder heads.
The bus quickly became a common sight on British roads. Although developed for the National Bus Company (whose subsidiaries effectively had to purchase it), it was also bought by the Scottish Transport Group subsidiaries, London Transport, British Airways and other operators. The Scottish Bus Group was a State -owned Scottish holding company that included a number of Bus operators covering the whole of Scotland The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 British Airways plc ( is the national Airline and Flag carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe
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Exports
It was not, however, very successful in the export market - the largest export order of 450 was to Caracas, Venezuela in 1975/6. Caracas (kaˈɾakas is the Capital and largest city of Venezuela. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Around 125 Leyland Nationals were also shipped to Kingston, Jamaica between 1972 and 1974 to be operated by the Jamaica Omnibus Services, a subsidiary of the British Electric Traction company. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. British Electric Traction Company plc, renamed BET plc in 1985 was a large British industrial conglomerate.
Engines
The Leyland 510 engine did not prove popular with all operators, being prone to poor fuel consumption and heavy smoking - especially if not maintained to the very highest of standards. Leyland answered this, with a revised model - the National 2 - which was introduced in 1979. It differed from its precedessor mainly by having a front mounted radiator and being powered by initially the 680 engine then later the Leyland L11 (development of the 680).
In 1981, a Gardner 6HLXB engine was experimentally installed in accident-damaged Eastern Counties LN600 (WVF 600S). L Gardner and Sons Ltd was a well-known British builder of Diesel engines for stationary marine road and rail applications This led to sister vehicle LN781 (DPW 781T) becoming the first operational Gardner-engined example which in turn paved the way for many engine conversions. Leyland were taken to court by Gardner the engine manufacturer for not offering their engine as an option in the fast selling National and as a result began to offer the Leyland National 2 with Gardner engines from 1982 - initially the 6HLXB and later the 6HLXCT.
In years to come, with all of the pressures created by deregulation, operators began refurbishing their Nationals for extended service, often retrofitting DAF or Volvo engines. A more extreme approach was offered by East Lancashire Coachbuilders with their Greenway, that saw virtually everything other than the frame and axles replaced. East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of Bus bodies and Carriages founded in Blackburn in 1934 Leyland National Greenway offsidejpg|thumb|right|300px|A Greenway of London General]]The East Lancs Greenway, or National Greenway, is a type of bus which is rebuilt by
Replacement
The Leyland National was replaced by the Leyland Lynx, although far fewer Lynxes were built. The Leyland Lynx is a Single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992
Survivors
Very few Nationals remain in service now, the last major operator was Chase Bus, Chasetown who sold out to Arriva and who ceased full operations on 28 April 2007. Arriva plc ( is a British -based international public transport operator headquartered in Sunderland. Notably all but two retained Leyland 510s to the end.
The Workington factory is now closed, though part of the building now forms part of the depot of Eddie Stobart. The Eddie Stobart Group is a large integrated logistics company with operations in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Railbus derivatives
In 1980s Leyland National bus components were also used to build the following classes of railbus for British Rail:
- Pacer Railbus
- British Rail Class 155 (many later converted into British Rail Class 153)
Preservation
A large number of Leyland National buses have been preserved. See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" Pacer is the operational name of the British Rail Class 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144 Diesel multiple unit The British Rail Class 155 "Super- Sprinter " is a Diesel multiple unit. The British Rail Class 153 " Sprinter " is a single-car Diesel multiple unit train
See also
External links
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