Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC)
Leyland Leopard — Overview
Introduction
Leyland Leopard
In 1962, to supplement their own vehicle production, BMMO purchased 100 Leyland Leopard PSU3/4R single-deck buses with B.E.T. Federation style bodies. These were the first single-deck vehicles purchased by BMMO from an outside manufacturer for about 40 years, and were to be the first of 550 vehicles based on the Leyland Leopard chassis that BMMO acquired new for use on all areas of work before the company closed in September 1981.
Leyland Leopard Buses and Dual-Purpose Vehicles acquired new
Type codes: LS18, LA18A, LS20, S24, S26, S27 & S28
Of the 550 Leyland Leopard vehicles acquired by Midland Red, exactly half were built with bus bodywork for use on stage carriage services. Two-thirds of these vehicles were fitted from new with dual-purpose seats for use on long distance routes, with the remainder having bus seats for use on shorter, local routes.
The first batch of buses based on the Leyland Leopard chassis started to arrive in 1962, with additional batches of buses being delivered in 1967 and each year between 1971 and 1974. By the end of 1974, the NBC had instructed MROC to buy only the Leyland National for their bus operations, and from that time, the only Leyland Leopards acquired were coaches.
Further Information
Leyland Leopard Coaches Acquired New
Type codes: LC7, LC8, LC9, LC10, LC11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, C17, C18, C19, C20, C21, CDP22, CDP23
The first batch of Leyland Leopard coaches, consisting of 50 vehicles, was acquired in 1965, and with the exception of 1967, 1968 and 1975, the company acquired additional batches every year until 1980.
From the mid-1970s, most batches included and number of vehicles built to bus grant specification with wider doorways and extra handrails for use on long distance stage carriage work, with a smaller number being built for long distance motorway and private hire work.
Further Information
Leyland Leopard Chassis acquired by MROC
A further 12 Leyland Leopard chassis were delivered to MROC in 1980 and stored until 1982 when they were bodied by Willowbrook. These chassises were initally intended for use on limited-stop stage services and were therefore built to bus-grant specification with two piece door. However, by the time the vehicles were ready for delivery MROC had been split up and they ended up with Midland Red (Express) Limited at Birmingham (Digbeth) depot where they were used on National Express work.
- Chassis only delivered to MROC in 1980 and stored.
- Chassis type: PSU3F/4R
- Willowbrook 003 Express bodywork fitted in 1982, built to Bus Grant Specification with two piece doors intended for use on long distance limited-stop stage work.
- Tweleve vehicles entering service with Midland Red (Express) Limited in June 1982 and July 1982, with fleet numbers 833–844 (LOA833X–844X).