ronmccullock
Leyland B15 03 on display in Worden Park Leyland
My previous photograph detailed the Leyland Olympian double-deck bus chassis. I mentioned in the caption that British Leyland developed an integral double-deck bus coded B15 which was first shown as sketches in 1973, then in November 1975 was revealed to the trade press who were given a ride the first prototype B15 to be registered NHG 732P, which went on loan to London Transport. Rather than me write 1000s of words about the B15, I will attempt to write a short overview about the B15.
British Leyland launched the integral Leyland National single-deck city bus in 1970, three years later BL decided that to complement the National, they should design a rear-engined integral double-deck bus, even though the National was not that well received because it was too standard, with only one engine. What Leyland wanted was a number of operators, or one operator to go into partnership with them to design and develop the new double-decker coded B15, in the same way that the National Bus Company was the partner in the Leyland National project and the major customer.
The NBC made it very clear indeed that they did not want an integral double-deck bus and were happy to continue to purchase to Leyland Atlantean and Bristol VRT. A number of the PTE companies showed interest in the B15, but not prepared to go into any kind of partnership. London Transport the largest customer to purchase double-deck buses in the UK, told Leyland if they incorporated certain features into the B15, they would take it as their standard double-deck bus, but could not enter any partnership in bus manufacturing because of the Greater London Council (GLC). LT were taking the Daimler Fleetline DMS as their standard double-decker, but they found the Fleetline not to their liking, because it could not be taken to bits like their beloved Routemaster!
The features that LT requested to be incorporated into B15 were Lockheed power hydraulic brakes, power assisted steering, independent front suspension and a fully automatic gearbox which the driver could hold the gears. These features would make the B15 too complex, and expensive both to purchase and to maintain. Leyland unwisely threw caution to the wind, and pressed ahead with incorporating these features into the B15. Park Royal in north London was chosen to build the prototype B15 buses and production models. Four prototype B15s were built numbered B15.01-B15.04, along with one pre-production model B15.05 between 1975-1977. I know that B15.05 is on BLOTW as a prototype, but a Leyland engineer told me it was a pre-production bus, built nearly to what the production buses would be. Only two of the prototypes would be registered along with the pre-production B15. The two unregistered B15 buses were loaded with test weights and driven around Leyland and Preston as if in service, one was in a green livery, the other in a red livery. LT had B15.04 NHG 732P on loan and it operated from Chalk Farm (CF) depot mainly on the busy crew operated 24 service. The other B15 to be registered was B15.02 FHG 592S which had a single doorway and was used as a demonstrator and spent time with a number of PTEs. B15.05 was registered BCK 706R and loaned to LT entering service on February 1978, after spending time with LT it returned to Leyland to take up demonstratation duties.
Regarding the engines fitted to the prototypes, I understand they had a mixture of engines the first choice was the 8.2-litre turbocharged Leyland 500 engine de-rated to produce 170bhp which B15.01 and B15.03 had, B15.02 and B15.05 both had 10.45-litre natural aspirated Gardner engines. LT and some of the PTE companies made it clear to Leyland that they did not want the 500 engine, plus the fact that later Leyland decided to cease building the 500 engine by 1979, the replacement engine would be the 11.1-litre turbocharged TL11 engine, which would not be available until 1979. The B15 was the first new Leyland model to be offered with a Gardner engine as an option.
While Leyland were developing the B15, MCW developed the Metrobus in half the time, it to was developed to meet LT's requirements. Unlike the B15, it was semi-integral, with the chassis offered to be bodied by other bodybuilders. Leyland had considered offering the B15 underframe to be bodied by other bodybuilders, but this was dropped, Leyland even looked at allowing other bodybuilders to build the production B15 under licence, but these plans did not become a reality.
The B15 was launched on 30th June 1977 at the MIRA test track at Nuneaton near Coventry and named Titan with a price tag of £35,000, it was only available in one length 9.5-metres and one height 14ft. 5in, with single or dual doorways. Three engine options were offered the 8.2-litre turbocharged Leyland 500 engine (this option was dropped when production of the Titan commenced), the 11.1-litre turbocharged Leyland TL11 engine and the 10.45-litre Gardner 6LXB engine. Only one gearbox was offered, Leyland's own five-speed fully-automatic Hydracyclic gearbox, this was a new design of gearbox developed for the Titan. At the Titan launch were B15.04 NHG 732P which had covered 23,200 miles with London Transport, and B15.05 BCK 706R which was completed a few weeks before the Titan launch.
LT placed an order for 250 Titans to be delivered between 1978-1980. A number of the PTE companies placed orders including Greater Manchester Transport and West Midlands PTE. At the launch of the Titan, Marcus Smith, the General Manager of British Leyland Truck & Bus division announced that production of the Titan would commence in 1978 at Park Royal with the first 100 built there, but thereafter production would be transferred to a facility at the AEC factory at Southall. In 1978, the Chairman of the Greater London Council's Transport Committee let the secret out of the bag, that Leyland and a consortium of major operators planned to build the Titan at Southall in a joint venture.
The staff at Park Royal were unhappy about this, so slowed the production down to three Titans a week, Michael Edwards the Chairman of BL was appointed by the Government in November 1977 to oversee BL to be a profitable company and close any loss making factories. Both AEC and Park Royal were identify as loss making factories and destined to close, AEC in 1979, followed a year later by Park Royal. The future of Leyland's advanced double-deck bus the Titan looked doomed, operators who had placed orders were persuade to cancel, or only take a small percentage of their order, West Midlands PTE received five, and Greater Manchester received 15. LT received their order of 250 Titans and even put pressure on the Labour Government to persuade Leyland to keep the Titan in production.
Leyland now had a problem to find a new home to build the Titan, ECW was top of the list, but the staff wanted more money to build the Titan, next was the Leyland National factory at Workington, the management and staff at Workington were prepared to adapt and welcomed production of the Titan with open arms! A small extension costing £4 million had to be built at the Workington factory to allow the Titan underframe to be built before going into the main factory for the bodywork to be built. Production of the Titan at Park Royal ceased in June 1980, and restarted at Workington in April 1981! LT split their orders for double-deck buses between the Leyland Titan and the MCW Metrobus, in 1983 LT placed their last order for the Titan, which resulted in production of the Titan ending in October 1984, with 885 built there.
The Titan was a very expensive mistake for Leyland, costing over £40 million, with 1160 production Titans built which, LT purchased 1,125 Titans (T1-T1125). What the bus industry wanted in the late seventies was a second generation double-deck bus chassis, not a complex integral bus, they got that in 1980 with the Leyland Olympian chassis, which met all requirements.
My view taken in the summer of 1976 at Worden Park in Leyland shows prototype B15.03 in what I could describe as NBC poppy red livery, the green B15 looked like the NBC leaf green livery. To the left of B15.03 is the prototype Business Commuter Super Leyland National, and to the right is a Northern Counties ''Mancunian'' Leyland AN68 Atlantean for Greater Manchester Transport.
Operators who ordered Titans and received them:-
London Transport 1,125, fleet numbers T1-T1125, in 1983 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of LT, Leyland painted Titan T747 registered OHV 747Y in a gold livery, it carried the fictitious fleet number T1987
Greater Manchester Transport 15
Reading Borough Transport 12
West Midlands PTE 5
China Motor Bus Co 1 (they had ordered a 11-metre Titan which the underframe was built, before the order cancelled)
Leyland Vehicles Ltd demonstrator 1
Leyland B15 03 on display in Worden Park Leyland
My previous photograph detailed the Leyland Olympian double-deck bus chassis. I mentioned in the caption that British Leyland developed an integral double-deck bus coded B15 which was first shown as sketches in 1973, then in November 1975 was revealed to the trade press who were given a ride the first prototype B15 to be registered NHG 732P, which went on loan to London Transport. Rather than me write 1000s of words about the B15, I will attempt to write a short overview about the B15.
British Leyland launched the integral Leyland National single-deck city bus in 1970, three years later BL decided that to complement the National, they should design a rear-engined integral double-deck bus, even though the National was not that well received because it was too standard, with only one engine. What Leyland wanted was a number of operators, or one operator to go into partnership with them to design and develop the new double-decker coded B15, in the same way that the National Bus Company was the partner in the Leyland National project and the major customer.
The NBC made it very clear indeed that they did not want an integral double-deck bus and were happy to continue to purchase to Leyland Atlantean and Bristol VRT. A number of the PTE companies showed interest in the B15, but not prepared to go into any kind of partnership. London Transport the largest customer to purchase double-deck buses in the UK, told Leyland if they incorporated certain features into the B15, they would take it as their standard double-deck bus, but could not enter any partnership in bus manufacturing because of the Greater London Council (GLC). LT were taking the Daimler Fleetline DMS as their standard double-decker, but they found the Fleetline not to their liking, because it could not be taken to bits like their beloved Routemaster!
The features that LT requested to be incorporated into B15 were Lockheed power hydraulic brakes, power assisted steering, independent front suspension and a fully automatic gearbox which the driver could hold the gears. These features would make the B15 too complex, and expensive both to purchase and to maintain. Leyland unwisely threw caution to the wind, and pressed ahead with incorporating these features into the B15. Park Royal in north London was chosen to build the prototype B15 buses and production models. Four prototype B15s were built numbered B15.01-B15.04, along with one pre-production model B15.05 between 1975-1977. I know that B15.05 is on BLOTW as a prototype, but a Leyland engineer told me it was a pre-production bus, built nearly to what the production buses would be. Only two of the prototypes would be registered along with the pre-production B15. The two unregistered B15 buses were loaded with test weights and driven around Leyland and Preston as if in service, one was in a green livery, the other in a red livery. LT had B15.04 NHG 732P on loan and it operated from Chalk Farm (CF) depot mainly on the busy crew operated 24 service. The other B15 to be registered was B15.02 FHG 592S which had a single doorway and was used as a demonstrator and spent time with a number of PTEs. B15.05 was registered BCK 706R and loaned to LT entering service on February 1978, after spending time with LT it returned to Leyland to take up demonstratation duties.
Regarding the engines fitted to the prototypes, I understand they had a mixture of engines the first choice was the 8.2-litre turbocharged Leyland 500 engine de-rated to produce 170bhp which B15.01 and B15.03 had, B15.02 and B15.05 both had 10.45-litre natural aspirated Gardner engines. LT and some of the PTE companies made it clear to Leyland that they did not want the 500 engine, plus the fact that later Leyland decided to cease building the 500 engine by 1979, the replacement engine would be the 11.1-litre turbocharged TL11 engine, which would not be available until 1979. The B15 was the first new Leyland model to be offered with a Gardner engine as an option.
While Leyland were developing the B15, MCW developed the Metrobus in half the time, it to was developed to meet LT's requirements. Unlike the B15, it was semi-integral, with the chassis offered to be bodied by other bodybuilders. Leyland had considered offering the B15 underframe to be bodied by other bodybuilders, but this was dropped, Leyland even looked at allowing other bodybuilders to build the production B15 under licence, but these plans did not become a reality.
The B15 was launched on 30th June 1977 at the MIRA test track at Nuneaton near Coventry and named Titan with a price tag of £35,000, it was only available in one length 9.5-metres and one height 14ft. 5in, with single or dual doorways. Three engine options were offered the 8.2-litre turbocharged Leyland 500 engine (this option was dropped when production of the Titan commenced), the 11.1-litre turbocharged Leyland TL11 engine and the 10.45-litre Gardner 6LXB engine. Only one gearbox was offered, Leyland's own five-speed fully-automatic Hydracyclic gearbox, this was a new design of gearbox developed for the Titan. At the Titan launch were B15.04 NHG 732P which had covered 23,200 miles with London Transport, and B15.05 BCK 706R which was completed a few weeks before the Titan launch.
LT placed an order for 250 Titans to be delivered between 1978-1980. A number of the PTE companies placed orders including Greater Manchester Transport and West Midlands PTE. At the launch of the Titan, Marcus Smith, the General Manager of British Leyland Truck & Bus division announced that production of the Titan would commence in 1978 at Park Royal with the first 100 built there, but thereafter production would be transferred to a facility at the AEC factory at Southall. In 1978, the Chairman of the Greater London Council's Transport Committee let the secret out of the bag, that Leyland and a consortium of major operators planned to build the Titan at Southall in a joint venture.
The staff at Park Royal were unhappy about this, so slowed the production down to three Titans a week, Michael Edwards the Chairman of BL was appointed by the Government in November 1977 to oversee BL to be a profitable company and close any loss making factories. Both AEC and Park Royal were identify as loss making factories and destined to close, AEC in 1979, followed a year later by Park Royal. The future of Leyland's advanced double-deck bus the Titan looked doomed, operators who had placed orders were persuade to cancel, or only take a small percentage of their order, West Midlands PTE received five, and Greater Manchester received 15. LT received their order of 250 Titans and even put pressure on the Labour Government to persuade Leyland to keep the Titan in production.
Leyland now had a problem to find a new home to build the Titan, ECW was top of the list, but the staff wanted more money to build the Titan, next was the Leyland National factory at Workington, the management and staff at Workington were prepared to adapt and welcomed production of the Titan with open arms! A small extension costing £4 million had to be built at the Workington factory to allow the Titan underframe to be built before going into the main factory for the bodywork to be built. Production of the Titan at Park Royal ceased in June 1980, and restarted at Workington in April 1981! LT split their orders for double-deck buses between the Leyland Titan and the MCW Metrobus, in 1983 LT placed their last order for the Titan, which resulted in production of the Titan ending in October 1984, with 885 built there.
The Titan was a very expensive mistake for Leyland, costing over £40 million, with 1160 production Titans built which, LT purchased 1,125 Titans (T1-T1125). What the bus industry wanted in the late seventies was a second generation double-deck bus chassis, not a complex integral bus, they got that in 1980 with the Leyland Olympian chassis, which met all requirements.
My view taken in the summer of 1976 at Worden Park in Leyland shows prototype B15.03 in what I could describe as NBC poppy red livery, the green B15 looked like the NBC leaf green livery. To the left of B15.03 is the prototype Business Commuter Super Leyland National, and to the right is a Northern Counties ''Mancunian'' Leyland AN68 Atlantean for Greater Manchester Transport.
Operators who ordered Titans and received them:-
London Transport 1,125, fleet numbers T1-T1125, in 1983 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of LT, Leyland painted Titan T747 registered OHV 747Y in a gold livery, it carried the fictitious fleet number T1987
Greater Manchester Transport 15
Reading Borough Transport 12
West Midlands PTE 5
China Motor Bus Co 1 (they had ordered a 11-metre Titan which the underframe was built, before the order cancelled)
Leyland Vehicles Ltd demonstrator 1