Midland “Red”
BMMO and MROC
Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC) Leyland Leopard - Miscellaneous Information

Midland “Red” Motor Services (BMMO & MROC)
Leyland Leopard — Miscellaneous Information

Vehicles Converted for Towing

Photograph
Photograph

From September 1977, Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) started to replace their fleet of eleven BMMO D7 based towing vehicles with vehicles converted from withdrawn Leyland Leopard type “LC9” coaches.

Nine such vehicles were converted by MROC with most of the work being done at Shrewsbury depot or at Central Works and, unlike the conversions carried out on the BMMO D7 vehicles, all of these conversions were identical in having open rear platforms. All the converted towing vehicles ran on trade registration numbers plates in overall yellow Midland Red ancillary fleet livery, and continued to do so throughout their service with MROC.

All nine vehicles were still in service with MROC when the company split into five smaller operating companies on 6th September 1981, and were divided among the new companies depending on their depot allocation in the same way as the regular bus and coach fleet.

In January 1988 following a change in the law, all of these vehicles lost their trade registration numbers in favour of Q-suffix registrations and, by this time, most had already received new fleet numbers. All nine vehicles saw long service with the various Midland Red companies, and their successors, with the first example withdrawn being former coach 5824 (GHA324D) which was written off in an accident in 1995.

Leyland Leopard type LC9 buses converted to recovery vehicles

  Original # Date1 Trade Plate(s) Allocation2 New R/No:3 Further Information
D 5824 GHA 324D  9/1977  370 HA WR  MRW   Q141 VOE  History
D 5825 GHA 325D ?/1977 378 HA
001 AC		 RY MRS Q342 GVC History
  5826 GHA 326D 11/1977 328 DH SD? MRN Q124 VOE History
  5827 GHA 327D 12/1978 088 AC NN MRS Q340 GVC History
D 5828 GHA 328D ? ?
582 WP		 SS MRE ? History
  5830 GHA 330D 12/1979 417 HA
092 AC		 LN MRS Q341 GVC History
  5831 GHA 331D ? ?   MRE ? History
D 5836 GHA 336D 4/1978 067 HA
282 DH		 CK
SD		 MRN Q126 VOE History
D 5838 GHA 338D 7/1980 150 AW   MRN Q125 VOE History
 Notes:
  1. Date is the date work started on converting the vehicle for towing.
  2. Allocation includes the new operating company that inherited the vehicle when Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) split on 6th September 1981.
  3. Q-suffix registration recieved in January 1988 following a change in the law.