THE SCOTTISH VINTAGE BUS MUSEUM - BMS 222

DETAILS Chassis: Leyland Royal Tiger PSUI/15 built 1952, No. 520077 Body: Coach, Alexander C41C, built 1952. No. 4203 Engine: Leyland 0600 6-cyl. diesel, 9.8 litres First Licensed: 1/5/52

Photo: Jim Crichton, 2001 Bo'ness Weekend

BACKGROUND HISTORY

The Royal Tiger was the first of the Leyland range of underfloor-engined single-deck chassis, available from 1951. This was the culmination of design and experimental work which had commenced as far back as the late thirties but which had been held up as a result of the war. The small firm of Sentinel was the first to offer an underfloor-engined chassis on the market but Leyland, AEC and the others were not far behind. The Royal Tiger used tried and tested components from the Leyland range, including a horizontal version of the proven 0600 diesel engine. The model proved particularly popular with overseas customers but a general disadvantage of most underfloor-engined chassis of this period was the high unladen weight.

HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE

At Aberdeen Bus Station in July 1970 Iain MacGregor

PC1 was the first of several batches of Royal Tigers purchased by W Alexander & Sons Ltd in 1952/53, totalling 84. Most had Alexander’s own design of 41-seat centre-entrance full coach body, which was also supplied to other Scottish operators on various makes of chassis, some with toilets for long-distance services. PC1 passed with fifteen others to the newly-formed W Alexander & Sons (Northern) Ltd in 1961 (becoming NPC1), and was withdrawn in 1972. It quickly found a buyer, a Dundee farmer, for berry-pickers’ transport. It was purchased for preservation in 1985. It is obvious from the photo on the left that the centre door was moved forward at some point - probably to suit OMO. It is now back in its original position

RESTORATION DETAILS

A similar vehicle was acquired for spare parts as well as the chassis of an ex-Edinburgh Corporation Royal Tiger for mechanical spares. Restoration was basically completed by Stagecoach in 1999, involving much work. The coach then returned to the museum, still requiring some detail work to both body and mechanics to complete its restoration.

Photos: Jim Crichton, showing the two vehicles BMS 222 was restored from, heading north on the M90 motorway for restoration, on the day in 1995 when the museum vehicles were being transferred to Lathalmond.