Leyland National
Single-door Leyland National in the long version
The Leyland National is a bus model of the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Motors. This type was produced from 1971 to 1985 in large number (over 7000). The National was created as a joint project of the British nationalized transport industries - the National Bus Company ( NBC) and British Leyland. Was developed the Bus to the previously produced by Leyland Eindeckerbusse - AEC Swift, the Bristol RE, to replace the Daimler Fleetline the Daimler Roadliner and Leyland Panther. The National is a bus service into self-supporting construction in the practice as opposed to the formerly standard in the UK chassis and body came from a manufacturer. Integral with the buses and construction and manufacture of the framework structure to be optimized, resulting in a lighter vehicle and a simpler production. Derived from the National was the double-decker bus produced 1978-1984 Leyland Titan (B15 ).
Construction
The bus arranged in the rear had a diesel engine. All parts of the body were optimized for ease of manufacture and ease of replacement of the parts. Some operators, such as London Transport, procured two-door models, while most of the other bus companies used the spread in the UK version with only a front double doors.
The bus was in both 10.3 and 11.3 m in length. The shorter version can be seen on the narrower windows. Until 1978, all buses had a characteristic essay on the rear part of the roof, who received the heating system. The heated air is guided in the roof height in the interior of the passenger compartment. The tower initially had the length of a compartment and gave the bus a more US-style appearance. In 1974 the tower was shortened. In 1978 came with the 10351B/1R a simplified model on the market. The interior has been changed, the attachment for the heating accounted for, it was now in the subsoil, the heated air was passed under the seats in the passenger compartment. The reduced weight lowered the cost of operations, the heel of the National benefited. London Country procured a large number of these buses, which were adopted after the defeat of London Country by other operators.
The National 2 was introduced in 1979. It differed from its predecessor by the front mounted cooler - thus he was 30 cm longer - and optional engines.
Motor
The National Series Mk I had the O.510 six-cylinder diesel engine with 8.3 l displacement of Leyland, who was placed under the floor in the rear. In this engine, the cylinder head could not be removed. For all work on the valves, therefore, had removed and the pistons are pulled out of the cylinders in order to obtain information about the displacement of inside access the camshaft. This cumbersome procedure made maintenance and repair consuming. The engine also suffered from high fuel consumption and rußte strong, especially when he was poorly maintained. Therefore, some companies were looking for ways out and prepared to tentatively on motors from other manufacturers. The engine of the 10351B/1R was throttled in the performance, which should reduce the strong blacks.
The National 2 was initially the Leyland O.680, later, developed from these motor L11. The O.680 was then no longer offered.
The operator Eastern Counties had installed the 6HLXB Gardner tentatively into several accident vehicles. This six-cylinder diesel engine had proven itself and by and by some national have been converted to this engine. Gardner sued Leyland, because the company did not offer the engine as an option. As a result, Leyland offered from 1982 to 6HLXB and later the 6HLXCT as an option for the original equipment on.
Use
The bus quickly became a familiar sight on British roads. In addition to the subsidiaries of the National Bus Company, the subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group, London Transport, SELNEC, Greater Manchester Transport, British Airways and other companies acquired the bus.
After a few years of use of the buses and as a result of the Transport Act 1980 and 1985, the first of the above, then led the inner-city bus transport deregulation, the companies modernized the existing buses. Frequently they use engines from DAF and Volvo were installed. The modular structure facilitated rehabilitation and modernization, often it was a bus be brought back into circulation within 24 hours.
The East Lancashire Coachbuilders ( East Lancs ) developed a modernization opportunity, however, except for the frame and axles all other parts were replaced with the Greenway.
Export
For export certain buses were also offered with 10.3 m or 11.3 m in length. Then there was still a number of so-called hybrids with 10.9 m length. These buses had to the rear axle, the wide windows of the long version, behind the narrow windows of the short bus.
Latin America and Caribbean
The construction was easy to switch to left-hand drive buses, so that even from the European continent and other countries with right-hand traffic it received a significant number of orders. Nevertheless, the National was not particularly successful in export markets. The biggest order of 450 buses went 1975/76 to Caracas. Approximately 125 buses were delivered 1972-1974 to Kingston at the Jamaica Omnibus Services, a subsidiary of the British Electric Traction Company, 40 more buses to Trinidad and Tobago for the local National Bus Company.
Continental Europe
Some buses were sold in the Netherlands. There, after a short time the windshield to avoid reflections from the interior were exchanged for the standard version there multipart plan slices. A few buses also came to Oslo and Dijon.
Australia
In Canberra ACTION buses operated a fleet of seventy National, all of which were delivered between November 1974 and October 1975. Sixteen buses have been completely delivered from England, completing 54 in Australia. The last ones were decommissioned in the early 1990s. Seven buses were procured from the Department of Transportation of the Brisbane City Council. Delivered in 1975, they were separated in 1985. The Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board also procured 1975 ten buses.
The Metropolitan Transport Trust ( MTT) (now Metro Tasmania) procured in Tasmania 1975-1976 63 National for use in the capital Hobart. It took the form of a short version with 10,3 m length, a bus was rejected by the Purchaser and replaced by hybrids.
Segregation
A total of over 7000 National were prepared. The bus model was replaced by the Leyland Lynx, but still 1060 National manufactured after the start of production. Last major operators that started these buses was Chase Bus Services from Chasetown, Staffordshire, which ceased operation in April 2007. Some Nationals are still with smaller operators in use, but there were only two national with the O.510 engine get. The production facility in Workington is now closed and serves the logistics company Stobart Group as custodian.
Railbuses
Components of the National were used in the railcar of the Pacer Class and the Class 155 British Rail. However, the Front National was contrary to all expectations for a use as a rail vehicle is not suitable, as the experience with the LEV -1 prototype called the Pacer showed and had to be replaced by a new structure. The car body was similar to the bus structure, items of equipment were identical, but were arranged differently.
Articulated
With parts of the nation, the Danish subsidiary Leyland -DAB developed in Aabenraa an articulated bus with underfloor engine in the front, which thereby received a higher floor than the two-axle National with rear engine.