Leyland National 1 THX 192S - TW Care Bus: conversion started

[Ragtag]

Hi all,

as the title suggests I'm looking for info on THX 192S which was a wheelchair-accessible Leyland National in service with Northumbria Motor Services during the early to mid 1990s. I have a few photos sourced from Flickr but any info people can provide on the vehicle modifications (including the wheelchair lift as well as changes to seating), or the TW Care Bus scheme, would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance,

Stu

[HillsideDepot]

There are 2 here:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6330725531_611856ea30.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6224/6330732363_f0507d90dd.jpg

 

I have a photo of it at the Metro Centre, which I will scan tomorrow, of the other side which has hand rails visible through the window (as are just visible in the Eldon Square photo above) suggesting the seats were removed in lower saloon with the seats retained above the rear axle & engine bay.

 

I also remember a orange and brown (I think) Care Bus National, maybe that was GoAhead Northern's?

[Ragtag]

If you're referring to XSV 238 I think that was also one of Northumbria's? https://www.flickr.com/photos/35114850@N08/15734532038/in/pool-bus_uk_northumbria_motor_service_/

[HillsideDepot]

Sorry I didn't get to scan these yesterday, but here is Northumbria 701

 

The orange and brown National I was thinking of was Northern's, 4748

 

And not a Care Bus, but another wheelchair accessible National was Northern's 4734

[Ragtag]

Thanks Adrian, some great shots there. Do you know anything about the Care Bus scheme itself? Finding info very hard to come by.

[HillsideDepot]

I had a look to see if I kept any 1989-92 T&W area timetable sheets as I have an idea the Care Bus services might have been on those, but tonight's search didn't find anything "north east" and I must have kept a selection of publications from my Polytechnic days.

 

I have a feeling the bus(es?) worked round a selection of routes, different areas on different days, but whether that was a weekly cycle I don't know. I also don't know if passengers had to book, or if they could just turn up. Apart from the Voyager (coach fleet) National the others all have C-- numbers displayed which suggests a network of routes.
 

I may yet be able to turn something up, but it might take a while.

 

[Ragtag]

Well, I've started a quickie conversion on this. Picked up a cheap 2 door National 1 from Tynemouth Market for a fiver, opened her up, stripped her back and primed ready to receive her Northumbria colours. I've also removed the rear section of the lower saloon to allow space for the wheelchair users. Efforts to find an interior pic of the vehicle have failed miserably, so I've left this area empty for now. I will be adding handrails later, currently undecided whether or not to fit the 'back padding' we see in wheelchair spaces today. I left in the side-facing seats in the front part of the lower saloon (above the front wheel arches) as a couple of photos suggest these were retained. The interior has had a rough lick of paint in each of the main base colours and is starting to come together. Pictures to follow

[russ p]

What's going on with the front indicator clusters on the northern one? They look like late RE/ VR ones

[HillsideDepot]

Well, I've started a quickie conversion on this. Picked up a cheap 2 door National 1 from Tynemouth Market for a fiver, opened her up, stripped her back and primed ready to receive her Northumbria colours. I've also removed the rear section of the lower saloon to allow space for the wheelchair users. Efforts to find an interior pic of the vehicle have failed miserably, so I've left this area empty for now. I will be adding handrails later, currently undecided whether or not to fit the 'back padding' we see in wheelchair spaces today. I left in the side-facing seats in the front part of the lower saloon (above the front wheel arches) as a couple of photos suggest these were retained. The interior has had a rough lick of paint in each of the main base colours and is starting to come together. Pictures to follow

 

I'm pretty sure that they would have had tracking on the floor and the wheelchairs would have been held by straps, as the are on Special Needs transport minibuses now, and the passengers would have travelled facing forward. The buses worked with a crew of two, so would could load while the other did the straps. The "ironing board" system we now know came in with the first low floor buses, and result from the need for the passenger to travel unassisted - the earliest low floors had powered ramps so the driver didn't need to leave the cab, although that's now generally become a simple flip-over ramp which does need the driver to leave the cab.

 

What's going on with the front indicator clusters on the northern one? They look like late RE/ VR ones

 

I have a feeling a number of very early Nationals had those indicator/side lights, but it may have been a Northern General thing. It doesn't show too well on the Care Bus livery, but is visible on the Voyager, Northern also cut a hole in the front of its National 1s, presumably borrowing the design from the front of a class 50!

[Ragtag]

Thanks again Adrian, when you say tracking on the floor, are we talking about something akin to this?

 

[RANGERS]

Thanks again Adrian, when you say tracking on the floor, are we talking about something akin to this?

 

10309-PR07670-Q`Straint%20Track%20Style%20Wheelchair%20%20Restraint%20Anchorage.jpg

The tracking is probably correct but the straps like the ones pictured are a relatively modern innovation. The Unwin style tracking goes back a long way but early versions generally used screw clamps which fixed into the tracking and secured the wheels of the wheelchair to it. Clamps are still in use but have largely been superseded by the ratchet strap fixing as in the picture. When the wheelchair spaces aren't required, seats can be fitted using the tracking.

 

Leyland Nationals were a popular base for this conversion due to the flat saloon floor, there were a number done to a similar pattern. United Counties had one which was converted in the early 80s, from memory it had a Ratcliffe internal lift which folded out through the door. I'm not certain but I think that had space for three wheelchairs, one just forward of the door on the left and two opposite it on the right.

[Ragtag]

Closer inspection revealed I'd made a bit of an error - the bus bought from the market came with the longer roof pod. There was, clearly, only one solution - get another national cheap off ebay and swap the roof over. And, since I'll have 3 Mk.1s in Northumbria livery, it'd be rude not to add a Mk.2...