GMPTE 3330, LUT Bus Station, Leigh, c1984
Wearing a modernised version of the GMPTE livery, 3330 (NEK1K) is pictured on the former Lancashire United bus station off Spinning Jenny Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester in c1984.
NEK1K, had been new to Wigan Corporation in May 1972 and was numbered No1 in the fleet. The bus was one of ten identical buses ordered by Wigan CT (1 - 10, (NEK1K - NEK10K)), and all were painted into the Corporation's maroon and white colours.
In 1974, Wigan Corporation Transport Department was absorbed into the existing Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. As a consequence, the former Wigan bus fleet was renumbered inline with the PTE fleet numbering system of the time. Wigan's double-decker buses were numbered into the 3200 & 3300 series, and single deckers into the 1000 series. In doing so, 1 to 10 became 3330-3339. Amongst the ten AN68s, 3330 was noted as being the first production Leyland AN68/R2 chassis to built by Leyland.
3330, as far as I am aware, was allocated to Wigan's, Melverley Street bus garage for the duration of its service life, but I stand to be corrected. Towards the end of its service life in the mid 1980s, NEK1K was considered for preservation, but this did not come to fruition and the bus was scrapped after withdrawal. Happily, sister bus NEK9K (9 / 3338) lives on as an example of the type.
As a side note, a prototype AN68/R2 chassis had been built in 1970, and bodied by Alexander as a development vehicle. The bus was built to the then current Merseyside H47/32D specification. The unregistered bus was retained by Leyland Motors as a development test bed.
After Leyland had done with the prototype AN68, it was sold to Rennie of Dunfermline, Scotland where upon it was registered SFS159V in April 1980. Rennie's did not keep the bus for long, selling it on to Bailey's of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts in 1982. After Bailey's had finished with SFS159V, it was sold on to Truronian of Truro, Cornwall where it gave over 12-years' service before being scrapped in 1998. A picture of SFS159V is to be found on Flickr showing the hapless bus toppled over onto a Vauxhall car in a recovery exercise. It may have been acquired from Turonian by the local emergency services as a practice vehicle? If so, it would not have been much use to anyone afterwards?
GMPTE 3330, LUT Bus Station, Leigh, c1984
Wearing a modernised version of the GMPTE livery, 3330 (NEK1K) is pictured on the former Lancashire United bus station off Spinning Jenny Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester in c1984.
NEK1K, had been new to Wigan Corporation in May 1972 and was numbered No1 in the fleet. The bus was one of ten identical buses ordered by Wigan CT (1 - 10, (NEK1K - NEK10K)), and all were painted into the Corporation's maroon and white colours.
In 1974, Wigan Corporation Transport Department was absorbed into the existing Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. As a consequence, the former Wigan bus fleet was renumbered inline with the PTE fleet numbering system of the time. Wigan's double-decker buses were numbered into the 3200 & 3300 series, and single deckers into the 1000 series. In doing so, 1 to 10 became 3330-3339. Amongst the ten AN68s, 3330 was noted as being the first production Leyland AN68/R2 chassis to built by Leyland.
3330, as far as I am aware, was allocated to Wigan's, Melverley Street bus garage for the duration of its service life, but I stand to be corrected. Towards the end of its service life in the mid 1980s, NEK1K was considered for preservation, but this did not come to fruition and the bus was scrapped after withdrawal. Happily, sister bus NEK9K (9 / 3338) lives on as an example of the type.
As a side note, a prototype AN68/R2 chassis had been built in 1970, and bodied by Alexander as a development vehicle. The bus was built to the then current Merseyside H47/32D specification. The unregistered bus was retained by Leyland Motors as a development test bed.
After Leyland had done with the prototype AN68, it was sold to Rennie of Dunfermline, Scotland where upon it was registered SFS159V in April 1980. Rennie's did not keep the bus for long, selling it on to Bailey's of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts in 1982. After Bailey's had finished with SFS159V, it was sold on to Truronian of Truro, Cornwall where it gave over 12-years' service before being scrapped in 1998. A picture of SFS159V is to be found on Flickr showing the hapless bus toppled over onto a Vauxhall car in a recovery exercise. It may have been acquired from Turonian by the local emergency services as a practice vehicle? If so, it would not have been much use to anyone afterwards?