West Midland Travel Leyland Nationals

[Bob]

When did the very last examples finish? I remember walsall running a load mid 90s the DP ones were ace

[Westy]

They were more noticeable in Walsall, as Walsall's then allocation hardly appeared in public apart from private hires!

Did they all have radios in as I remember one being parked in Willenhall and he had to wait for a radio quipped bus to turn up!

[Gareth]

When did the very last examples finish? I remember walsall running a load mid 90s the DP ones were ace

The last ones were either very late 1997 or early 1998. Walsall's had gone by then. PL was the last to run from the TWM fleet. Not sure if Merry Hill still had any hanging on by then. But I think they were gone too.

[Bob]

I always thought it was mad re furbing and then re engining them with volvo units only to withdraw them a couple of years later. Walsall had a handful in the late 80s too prior to the huge allocation in the 90s incl at least one timesaver dp liveried example.  I remember it turning up on the 301 once in cannock in about 1988/89 and thinking wow lol cos it was usually a mk1 bok-v/gog-w metro, at the time I thought they were really boring lol

[busfan2847]

When did the very last examples finish? I remember walsall running a load mid 90s the DP ones were ace

The last ones were either very late 1997 or early 1998. Walsall's had gone by then. PL was the last to run from the TWM fleet. Not sure if Merry Hill still had any hanging on by then. But I think they were gone too.

The last three LN new to WMPTE were 1025/35 and 1843 withdrawn in 1998.

Others withdrawn in 1998 were 1039, 1049/51, 1485 (as TYB 103), 1821, 1854, Ex Metrowest 1606/9/12, 1731, ex Tame Valley 1745/58 and TYB 101-6.

The last LN was 1017 which was not withdrawn until 2000 as TYB 118.

The Nationals working for Travel Merry Hill were transferred from the main fleet or Travel Your Bus, they included 1609/33/4, 1761/73 and TYB 102/4/5

[The Real 4778]

Out of interest, was it 1990-ish that the Nationals were renumbered into the 1000 series from 4XXX, 6XXX and 70XX? 

I lost touch with the local fleet after I left school back in 1985 the day.

[busfan2847]

Out of interest, was it 1990-ish that the Nationals were renumbered into the 1000 series from 4XXX, 6XXX and 70XX? 

I lost touch with the local fleet after I left school back in 1985 the day.

The Nationals were renumbered into the 1xxx series in 1985.

[The Real 4778]

These must have  been linked-to before.  Not a National I know, but was wary of opening a new thread to showcase ex-TWM Qatar Fleetlines if it was already familiar to readers on here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9466000@N02/5786102881/in/photostream/

[Gareth]

The silver paint doesn't seem to like dessert weather, look at all that cream showing through. That along with the fact that WMT painted around the adverts on some repaints!

[The Real 4778]

The sand has done its worst on the interior too: one of the later photos shows the paint abraded away on the panel beneath the staircase where the 'This bus is fitted with CCTV - Travel West Midlands' label has been applied.