Rapido Trains UK celebrates the 50th birthday of the Leyland National – with all new model

[wombatofludham]

Midland Red's Mk2s were fitted with a version of the Leyland Leopard 0680 engine (called the 0690 if I recall correctly) and a small batch were allocated to Stafford as they could get under the Colwich low bridges on the trunk 825 route to Lichfield.  They made a fantastic roar as they pulled off which more than made up for their austere interior of dark brown vinyl seating and beige "cafe au lait" panelling.  Perhaps Rapido might consider a DCC sound option.

Apropos the Colwich bridges, Midland Red North started "de-podding" Nationals and acquired some ex Crosville podless B types, to allow their use on the 825.  However, my brother told me one day he was on an X25 (which by passed the low bridges) when the driver forgot he was on the limited stop and turned off towards Little Haywood.  He was driving a normal National, which was promptly de-podded when the bus reached the Trent Valley railway bridge, complete with a torrent of filthy hot water from the heater matrix showering the rear interior of the bus.

[Mike Storey]

I second the request for a Maidstone & District NBC green and white stripe liveried, single door, long body, long pod version.

[Adam1701D]

If Rapido feels the urge to use their shrink-ray and produce the National in N, I would be really grateful. The Farish model, while nice, was underscale and I could use a couple for my London Country collection.

 

A twin-door, long-wheelbase early LN in Stevenage "Superbus" yellow/blue would be splendid.

[Enfys_Rainbow]

Another vote for Crosville Cymru livery please - either green/white or later red/green/white. 

[bluedepot]

n gauge version please! 

 

also class 141 in oo and n gauge?! 

 

 

tim

[SHMD]

GM Buses please, in the White Orange and Brown livery.

(I think SELNEC might be a tad to early and "missed the bus" so to speak!)

 

 

Kev.

 

[Moxy]

17 minutes ago, SHMD said:

GM Buses please, in the White Orange and Brown livery.

(I think SELNEC might be a tad to early and "missed the bus" so to speak!)

 

 

Kev.

 

 

There are a few SELNEC Nationals

 

https://flic.kr/p/dfuQ5x

 

First National in their fleet was 1972, SELNEC became GMPTE in 1974.

[HillsideDepot]

8 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Rapido Trains UK celebrates the 50th birthday of the Leyland National – with all new model

 

 

Here's hoping the gorgeous Cheltenham District Bristol RELL just behind had a run past the scanner while it was set up...

That said, Trowbridge depot's National HEU120N, in as delivered Bristol livery would certainly be of interest to me, as would any version in Badgerline colours. I'd better start putting a few pennies aside in anticipation.

[mcowgill]

Ooh - an excuse to get out the scanner and dust off (not very well looking at the results) a few old photos.  Spent lots of my youth riding these, my preference has got to be a Mk1 single door long or short pod in West Yorkshire/NBC red, a regular on the bus to and from school.  Strangely I can't find a photo of a WY LN1 at the moment, but here are a few others

 

SYPTE No 4 at Gainsborough, August 1978:

 

Cumberland 369, Keswick June 1979:

 

Then there's these photos of cousins at Bradford Interchange on 16th June 1981,the press launch of the Class 140.   I'd seen it on test about ten days earlier on the Ikley branch then must have picked up something in the news about a launch in Bradford so I bunked off school and found that my 6th form attire of scruffy sports jacket with leather elbow patches with an SLR was enough to get me waved through with the press!

 

Perhaps 140001 might be an interesting Rapido diversion...???

 

Martin

[Nimbus]

6 hours ago, melmerby said:

 

Midland Red's first of 420 New Mk1s

It may have been that same vehicle I photted heading into town along the Stratford Road in Hall Green one summer afternoon in 1973. This was the livery which came to mind immediately I found this thread. My main mission that day was to catch at least a couple of West Midlands' all-over advertising Fleetlines, but I was pleased to catch the National looking so smart, aware of the mandated Soviet-style drabness to come, which I'd already sampled on London Country's LN5.

 

Did BMMO repaint these early ones, or was Workington's paint shop initially more flexible?

 

The Nim.

 

[Legend]

Some Scottish ones please . Should have a choice of Central red, Midland Blue and Eastern Green . Western got them (mk2s) later with black/red/white livery . 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Legend

[Robert Shrives]

Certainly a  Crosville one, the Porthmadog  based one on the Ffestiniog Harbour station sub depot ... SNL 578/ SNL579 as regular inmates.  Also Shrink ray a critical part of project, allowing Farish ones to be used at back of layout ( small= far away Father Ted.)   

I wonder who will be first to chop up into the 140 or the family of horrors - the 4 wheel narrow bodied railbuses that were created in the name of research - I guess into how roughly can a passenger vehicle ride and the passengers survive!   

Robert 

[46444]

Brilliant news from the Rapido team.

 

United Counties for me...

 

 

 

 

As I remember them. In my teenage years at college in Northampton.

Irthlingborough‐Wellingborough-Northampton College Booth Lane.

 

Think a Bristol VR should be next on the Rapido scanning list...

 

Great announcement! 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

 

 

[Roddy Angus]

How about Edinburgh Corporation or Lothian Regional Transport?

 

Roddy

[RANGERS]

14 minutes ago, 46444 said:

Brilliant news from the Rapido team.

 

United Counties for me...

 

 

 

 

As I remember them. In my teenage years at college in Northampton.

Irthlingborough‐Wellingborough-Northampton College Booth Lane.

 

Think a Bristol VR should be next on the Rapido scanning list...

 

Great announcement! 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

 

 

‘Counties for me too please, the original/ later Green with white waist or even the all over green of the intermediate ‘economy’ period.

[younGGuns7]

Chesterfield Borough Green and cream MK1 no 65 or something like that to Wingerworth, the one I always used coming home for a spotting trip in the early 70s

[64F]

1 hour ago, 46444 said:

Brilliant news from the Rapido team.

 

United Counties for me...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That OVV517R is a real oddball - a mk1 with a home-made mk2-esque front grafted on.  The number plate placement is a bit niche too...

[ColinK]

Horrible vehicles, the LUT ones were awful to drive, Leopards and Seddons were much more pleasant fir the driver.  However, I agree it is a good choice to model as they got almost anywhere.

 

How about an unpainted one for modellers to finish in whatever livery they like?

[Banger Blue]

Another vote for Crosville livery. The bus of my teenage years,  I’ve no idea which variant it is in relation to the Rapido Questionnaire but basically this one as found on Flickr

 

Crosville Leyland National at Ellesmere Port 1983:

 

I would definitely have one of these. Especially that route number F66 as well.

 

for what it’s worth, as I don’t know the variation details, I have completed the questionnaire but just added the link for above picture in one of the free text boxes! 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Banger Blue

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, Nimbus said:

 

 

Did BMMO repaint these early ones, or was Workington's paint shop initially more flexible?

 

The Nim.

 

I assume that was as received as it's only a few months old. It looks like it's in Paradise Street*, with the Town Hall in the background.

They were part of NBC by then but it seems didn't get the full NBC livery until later, the Cumberland bus which started the LN ball rolling had NBC livery to start.

 

*No buses there now only trams and Fletcher's Walk, to the left, demolished as part of the Paradise regeneration.

[wombatofludham]

4 hours ago, Nimbus said:

It may have been that same vehicle I photted heading into town along the Stratford Road in Hall Green one summer afternoon in 1973. This was the livery which came to mind immediately I found this thread. My main mission that day was to catch at least a couple of West Midlands' all-over advertising Fleetlines, but I was pleased to catch the National looking so smart, aware of the mandated Soviet-style drabness to come, which I'd already sampled on London Country's LN5.

 

Did BMMO repaint these early ones, or was Workington's paint shop initially more flexible?

 

The Nim.

 

The early Nationals came out just as the new NBC corporate identity - also 50 this year - was being implemented and as the NBC was still going through growing pains, a lot of oddities got turned out in this brief period.  Midland Red turned out some coaches which should have been all white in the half red, half white "local coach" livery (which was, in itself, a climbdown from the National management following local hostility to the idea of a plain white coach with no local fleetname) and whilst all quickly gained the new standard National white, I do remember seeing them picking up tour passengers in Lichfield  painted in half red and white.  Then Carlyle Works turned out a dual purpose Leyland Leopard in red and white, but with white on the bottom and red on the top.  Initially Leyland painted the first batch of Nationals in a darker shade of red and a darker shade of green, but eventually settled on the familiar leaf green and poppy red (or "nipple pink" as it was derogatively called when the first formulation of poppy faded to a dull chalky pink-red colour).  Although only 101 got the 1969 style Helvetica "Midland Red" fleetname the whole batch were delivered in a slightly darker shade of red.  A similar thing happened with Crosville where the first delivery had the large gold "Crosville" fleetname applied on the bodyside, but the rest got NBC standard fleetnames but carried a darker shade of green.

There was also a brief period when a National blue was used and Leyland Nationals gained this colour with at least Midland General (not sure if East Yorkshire got any but they did have Bristol VRs in National blue) and of course in Tyneside when the PTE imposed a co-ordination deal, Northern General painted some Nationals firstly in a yellow NBC style livery, then full T&WPTE colours.  there is also a photo of a National in Sunderland and District pre-NBC livery which had just been delivered, so there were a few Nationals which got out into pre-NBC colours, but not many.

I can see Rapido having literally hours of amusement trying to work out which liveries to pick, and that's before we start on post-deregulation and privatisation liveries the buses carried.

I also think I might be a tad obsessional about this bus.

[Oldddudders]

15 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

Apropos the Colwich bridges, Midland Red North started "de-podding" Nationals and acquired some ex Crosville podless B types, to allow their use on the 825.  However, my brother told me one day he was on an X25 (which by passed the low bridges) when the driver forgot he was on the limited stop and turned off towards Little Haywood.  He was driving a normal National, which was promptly de-podded when the bus reached the Trent Valley railway bridge, complete with a torrent of filthy hot water from the heater matrix showering the rear interior of the bus.

Mrs OD, aka Ashcombe, had a good chuckle at that, being a resident of the Haywoods for many years. 

[acg5324]

Southdown and or Brighton and Hove for me please.

[steve1023]

N gauge for me please. 

[rhnrhn]

Any of the WMPTE liveries please, including the National Exhibition Centre / West Midlands Red White and Blue special...

 

140001 as a spin off would be great (IIRC the "pre Rapido" Richard Foster himself referred it in an enthusiastic article about Pacers ?)