MidlandRed.net

This is one of a batch of eleven Leyland Royal Tigers with Plaxton Paramount 3500 Mk1 bodywork delivered to National Travel East in 1982 where they were used on various "high spec" work including National Holidays and Rapide services. They passed to West Riding when they took over NTE and it became West Ridings coaching unit, Ridings Travel. They had manual gearboxes but long loose linkages which made gear selection "interesting". They also had an engine restart delay system which meant that, it you stalled them, you had to wait until the delay timed out before you could re-start the engine. If you tried to re-start before the timer had timed out, it simply reset the timer and you had to sit and wait even longer. Nobody had warned me about that on my vehicle familiarisation training. I discovered it whilst blocking Wellington Street, Leeds, as I was trying to leave the coach station there. After a couple of minutes of embarrassed bewilderment, the inspector ran out and did some impromptu training.....

-- We are not psychic, are we Julie ? -- -- I wonder if that was what caused the immobilisation of a Johnsons coach in Worcester, recently !? -- -- I was very pleased when MRW acquired 327 and 328.

-- -- only a loan for a few months though, sadly.

While at Worcester, 327 and 328 were used on overseas tours and 327 can be seen being used as such in this photo taken by Worcester Driver Alan Orgee - Link. Alan was old-school BMMO having started at Worcester in 1966, and although he is long since retired I saw him only yesterday and he is still fit and well. Just to embarrass him, here's another photo from the same set - Link - Nice hat!

The batch of eleven were great coaches and the last two with the company, 321 and 331 (re-numbered to 44 and 45) stayed with West Riding after the closure of Ridings Travel as reserves for the two Leyland Royal Tiger Doyens and the two DAF deckers that were retained for National Express work on services 561 and 564 until about 1992.

Nice pictures of 327 DD12. I think that the 3500 in front of Alan (and his hat!) is one of the previous batch of National Travel East Tiger 245s, WWA 299Y - WWA 303Y. all that way from home and you meet one of your sisters!