Very many congratulations on your 90K Ian well done indeed Happy memories of going to and from school and to college on a national,green liveried Bristol Bus Company Watched this twice second time with headphones so I could appreciate the sound of that engine.
"Should we make a better head gasket?" "Sod that, thats exactly what they are expecting! No, instead, get rid of the head altogether!" Ah, British Leyland, never change.... (And they never did?) (Dont take the above to harshly, love this one, a wonderful machine indeed)
@@jongmans38 I often wondered what the maintenance of these engines must've entailed. Going by what I've read, many fleets found the rigmarole too hard/ time consuming so essential maintenance was skipped - no wonder Nationals belched so much smoke, chewed so much diesel and got a reputation for unreliability.
I drove one of the first Leyland National buses for the Northern bus Company based at Winlaton Depot. They were a breath of fresh air after driving the old style buses with crash boxes. They were great to drive, light controls and easy to handle. Great buses. The happiest days of my life.
Thanks Craig, thanks Ian for this awesome bus ride. My school buses in Germany were - no surprise - Mercedes, MAN and Setra. The ZF museum owns some buses with their automatic gearboxes. It's not far away from my home...
I drove 1989 MAN SL202s in Sydney with a Voith gearbox. They were my favourite in the fleet. Slow to take off but very smooth. I had a drive of a Leyland National one day before doing my shift in a MAN. The MAN was so much better.
Ahh the sound of my childhood. The racket of the National and the boomy exhaust note of the National 2 - and with the Atlanteans I'm amazed we came out of childhood without hearing damage. When the Metrobuses arrived around 1984 complete with their digital destination boards, they felt almost space age! Congrats on the 90k!
This was a timeless bus design - it didn't conform to styling cues from other contemporary vehicles, but made much of the fact it was an integral vehicle. I so agree about the rear pod, as it perfectly balances the overall shape. A great review - many thanks!
Very nicely driven - a well mastered pneumo-cyclic is truly an art! As a kid I'd watch (and listen) to the oh, so relaxed, smooth gear changing of the excellent professional drivers on United Bristol RELH's, operating the long Newcastle to London route. Such a difference to many of the Newcastle Atlantean drivers who slammed the lever through the changes. Would love to see a video of you in an RELH - another soundtrack you 'could listen to all day!'
There are genuinely nostalgic mechanical noises - if you lived near a UK airport in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s it was the turboprop whine from 4 RR Dart engines as a Viscount flew over, then on 1970s/80s roads there's the Leyland National as the engine revs climbed and dropped plus the 'pwaaassh' of the air pressure release valve opening. The huge fan at the back must've convinced gullible children that the National was a Blower Bus that was part jet-propelled... Magic! Congratulations on a fascinating video and on reaching 90,000 subs, Ian.
I have no idea why I've suddenly been shown this video but I'm so happy. Since being a young girl I always wanted to become a Bus Driver for what was just Trent Buses back in the day. I even had the name of the chap at Langley Mill Depot for who to contact but I was always happy in my job at the time so didn't contact him, and then my BF at the time became a driver at the Ilkeston depot and I moved away. I'm now 51 and still to this day wish I'd gone to Trent and got my PSV. I still remember the particular routes which the Nationals were put on.
90,000 wow well done Ian. Loved the sounds of the bus makes me remember times gone by. Been a Hubnutter now for nearly 3 years. Enjoy it so much. Thank you again.
Being Scottish, we didn’t see a lot of Nationals. Tigers and Leopards were the norm up here. I recall when a local independent bought a stack of them from Stagecoach Cumberland to compete with the dominant former SBC operator. Seemed so exotic.
I remember going to school on these in the early 80s and you're bang on the money as these buses just don't seem right when not making "that noise", bit like the Intercity 125 trains whenever they upgraded those glorious screaming Paxman Valenta engines for more boring refinement.
Thanks for another great video Sir Hubnut. This one brings back memories as I worked on the National Bus development project in the Leyland Motors Central Engineering office in the early 70's as a new graduate. I must have been one of the first folks to actually drive one of these on the public roads, when asked by the Chief Engineer to take an early prototype to Preston Docks to weigh it on their weighbridge. This video brings the experience right back after 50+ years. That particular prototype had the original David Bache styling. However, Sir Donald did not much like the look of it and asked Michelotti to do a rapid redesign shortly afterwards. The redesigned version got to its launch venue at the Earls Court show with only hours to spare and the paint job had to be finished off on the show stand. Heady days!
@@jamesfrench7299 Must have been 1969, but initially as prototypes with the David Bache styling. I can't remember what the tail lamps were like on those.
@@michaelappleyard6300 I've seen a picture of a prototype undergoing extreme weather testing in the bus monographs book series. I understand four such buses existed. The body shape was already evident but the frontal treatment looked very underdone compared to the production model. Never knew that was actually a styling exercise. Leyland did well to revise it. The final product looked so handsome yet functional. PS appreciate the insight, particularly how Lord Stokes organised the styling tweaks!!
I love that these special projects still survive and that it has fallen into the hands of someone who will ensure it continues in life as built. On a totally different note, I love the idea of a series where Ian goes back, potentially in this bus, to the places where he used to spend nights out in his youth. He could call it Clubnut. Congrats on the 90k. It's a brilliant achievement but easy to see how it happened.
The Leyland Tiger was the bus of my childhood. I still remember the sound of the diesel engines in it, as well as seeing the driver going through the pre-selector gearbox.
They weren't preselected. The driver simply changed gears with the gear stick like a clutchless manual. Preselect had a third pedal (where the clutch goes) that activated the gear that was chosen beforehand with the gear stick.
There was only one route in the 80s that I could guarantee a Leyland National being on, and that was the 745 from Consett to Newcastle... Incredible memories!
Such an evocative noise from that engine. I can remember these appearing on my school bus route in the 70s, and being excited to be on such a modern vehicle after the old Crosville buses they replaced.
I’m new to your channel thanks to @Pete and his bus! Have a big appreciation of the Leyland National .. living in High Wycombe both London Country (who had the biggest fleet of these in the country) and Alder Valley had various versions of both 11.3 & 10.3m long Series 1 Nationals & after the break up of the NBC.. the then Wycombe Bus (what was left of Alder Valley) had some ex Brighton LN2’s. London Country had some of those very early 11.3m Nationals & they appeared on the famous Green Line Routes .. my local garage HE had some designated LNC (Leyland National Coach) .. but the only coach like concession was the two tone livery of Leaf Green lower with white roof & window surrounds .. the interior was standard bus layout with green plastic seating.. not so good for the passengers travelling the 2 & 1/2 hours through London all the way to Reigate & back (which I did many times) .. these were soon replaced by 10.3m SNC’s with mochette high back coach seating .. and they lasted on Route 711 right through until 30/09/77 when sadly HE closed & the Route was taken off .. being replaced by a new Route 790 to London operated out of Amersham [MA] Garage using leased duple bodied AEC Reliance coaches.
As someone who has followed you from the very beginning, I am truly chuffed for you, as you reach 90000 subs. 100000 won't be long coming. I watch a lot of YT channels...and yours is still one of the ones I go to first. Keep up the good work Ian.
I'm so happy to see one of these beauties preserved! Very interesting design the Super National, I don't think we had any of these up here in Finland. We did, however, have some Leopards on locally built aluminium bodies. My dad was a bus mechanic so I got to see the Leopards up close from a very young age and the very distinct whining sound of the drivetrain is something I still remember very well. Later I also rode one of the Leopards to school for a few years. It had seats with proper leopard fur velour, but I'm not sure if those were supplied by Leyland or if the coachbuilder just decided those would be a good fit... Anyway, congratulations for 90,000 subs and thank you for yet another excellent video!
From Sydney , Australia, in 1969 my parents bought a house in Roseville , on the North Shore in Sydney . The privately owned bus company Forest Coach Lines serviced a large area , most of the suburbs on the high tableland above the beach suburbs where the TV show Home & away is filmed then over the far end of Middle Harbour over the Roseville bridge & to Chatswood . Forest Coach Lines were immaculately kept in pure white with a large dark green waist band , and the company name in unusual red lettering , very smart . They owned a fleet of Leyland's, AEC's , Albion's from the mid to late 1960's . Then in 1971 they received a strange new Leyland with a "modular" not coach built body the seating was staggered/stepped so the person sitting next to the aisleway seat was 6 inches rearward of the person in the window seat. I asked one of their older drivers what type of Leyland that it was & he said a pre production new National. Forest coach lines had the biggest privately owned fleet of Leyland group busses so they had been GIVEN this one for free and to keep after assessing its performance. Then during 1972 their new fleet of Nationals turned up . Forest Coach Lines kept them lovingly looked after and in service for years and years well into my adult life & yes "-Hub-Nut-" Nationals do have their own unique sound . Strangely at this time the Sydney government bus service that had a fleet of 1,000 plus Royal Leyland Tigers and double deck Leyland Atlanteans decided to buy Mercedes Benz busses as a replacement. A friend of my Grand-dads that was the chief mechanic at the Brookvale Government bus depot said the Leyland Tigers were way way better than as he called them the "rotten bloody merc's" . Frequently you would see a fairly new dead Mercedes Bus at kerbside with a whole bunch of passengers awaiting a replacement bus to collect them. For my 6 year of high school I had phase one of my 12 mile journey in a Forrest coachlines Leyland , then phase two of my daily trip in a Green Sydney Gov't transport Royal Leyland Tiger in 6 years of schooling not once did one break down . After years of service Forest Coach Lines swapped to a fleet of Volvo busses instead .
The six or so Nationals they got were bought about 1976 and were all Sydney assembled Australian length models using the front half of an 11.3m model with the rear of a 10.3m to create an intermediate 10.9m length model. They were directly replaced by Mercedes 0305s! The plates were even transferred over. Those Royal Tigers and Worldmasters of the government were a very good bus but Nick Greiner campaigned to get rid of them when in opposition! His actions were likely responsible for their earlier than planned demise. They had many years left in them. If anything, the mark 1 Leopards should have gone first! BTW, regards the government Mercedes 0305s, workshop staff were deliberately sabotaging them because their unprecedented reliability was seen as a threat to their jobs! They were utterly state of the art machines, extremely robust mechanically, especially the engines. They had unprecedented performance and ease of operation by the driver. STA bought an even more reliable small batch of buses by MAN which were mechanically almost identical to the 0305s but with many small differences. They were better on fuel and broke down less. Not popular fit drivers as they didn't accelerate as fast as the Benz and had a firm ride but were probably the most cost effective full size bus the NSW government buses had ever run.
Lovely Jubbly, a really interesting video Mr HubNut. I think Crosville buses used these when I was a child, you never forget the noise of engine, gearbox and rattles over unever roads.
The sound is quite similar to the buses I grew up with in Australia. The local bus company had some Leyland Tigers with 5 speed Hydracyclics coupled up to TL11 engines.
always used to like driving nationals on service work .fairly quick and comfortable .what i remember most is that the steering would not auto return to straight ahead after going round a corner, you had to manually return it ,to ahead .
Nice video Ian. The bus of my childhood was very much the Alexander bodied Leyland Tiger with the Gardner 6HLX back in Northern Ireland. Happy to see that they have dedicated preservation clubs for them too.
YES! - Another wonderful sound from my youth! Such a contrast too, with the almost turbine-like whine from the Gearbox and Turbocharger, to the 1 2 3 4 5 6 'Diesel Knock' when it was ticking-over! I believe that Chase Buses in Cannock were one of the last operators of the National, in any sort of volume. Surprisingly, they were all Mk1 Nationals with the 510 Engine.
Great video! I love the sound of the Leyland National with the original 510 engine fitted. The idle clatter and whirring of the turbo and running gear are very distinctive. I have happy memories of riding of Eastern Counties Nationals out of Lowestoft bus station. They were mostly R reg or S reg and had the "Mk2" roof pod and indicator stalk off a late Triumph Spitfire if I recall correctly. I was always taken on how well the bus interior design was so coherent on these buses. Eastern Counties also had an early National with a long roof pod. The interior wasn't quite as well designed I felt (I was only about 11 or 12 years old).
You looked like you were having a lot of fun Ian. I drove buses for many years back in NZ. When I started, the fleet still included a few AEC's and a lot of Leyland Leopards, both running the pneumo-electric gearbox. That video brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for posting.
OMG. I used to drive these for Wilts & Dorset Bus Company in the heart of Salisbury when they were first introduced. A huge overhang at the front and rear. A lovely bus to drive and a smooth ride. Thanks for sharing this experience.
18:25 to 18:50 so reminded me of the bus trip to school in the early 1980s. That noise of the engine was so distinctive. Almost made me want to reach for the grab poles they had with the bell on them. Wasn't it a square button with PRESS or PUSH on it?
Headless worked very well for the Offenhauser race engines, they were basically able to handle unlimited boost because there were no head studs to stretch!
Yay - don't hear of Offenhauser very often nowadays! I still remember my Scalextric model being a favourite - strangely, even a little electric Offenhauser model had it's own distinctive sound.
@22:33 I didn’t know someone with just a car licence could drive a big bus like the Leyland National providing its over 30 yrs old and not carrying more than 8 passengers. I’ve tried to pass my PCV and nerves keep getting the better of me. Really glad you mentioned that HubNut. I’d never question the legality of anything you do and assumed you had a full PCV licence (maybe you do) but that is really good information. Thank you for mentioning that.
I can't believe it's 3 years ago since we did the other Leyland National and I, like many others, are still watching! Therefore, you must be doing something right!
That noise! Oh Gods that noise! I was worried then about my History Homework for Mr Barker in room 14 for a few mins! Transported straight back to the 1970's and (shudder) school...... Thanks Ian, enjoyed that.
What a great way to celebrate the 90,000 subs, I remember that engine sound well growing up in North Wales, except most of my bus journeys were done on Leyland Leopards which also had their own sound, a lot of it being the baritone exhaust note. It’s nice to see a National with its original engine, you think of a Leyland National and that sound comes to mind, a very nostalgic ride, thanks Ian.👍
I drove these as well! What a blast!! Bristol Omni governed the engines down as the bus would barely do 4 mpg otherwise! It had a small but turbo-ed engine, a bad choice as it happened. Funny thing about the LN 1 was that the sterring didn't self-centre at all, which took a while to get used to - if you waited for the wheel to swing back after a turn, you would be off the road or into a car... The later LN 2 had a fairly grunty non-turbo-ed lump, and a fully auto 'box which couldn't cope with the hills around Bristol - you could hold the gear back until you hit the - again governed - 'red line', then manually flick it up, when it couldn't hold the revs and so either you waited for the box to change down, or do it manually before the inevitable epicyclic 'box lurch. It might take 10 or 20 such back-and-forths to get up Rownham hill towards, again, Portishead. Yes, you could hold it down in ? second I guess (it IS 45 years ago now!) and take what felt like forever to crest the long, long hill.
That noise is iconic, it brings back so many childhood memories. The road I grew up on was on a bus route and I must have heard these thousands of times growing up. Ours were in the orange and white livery of SELNEC. Congrats on the 90K subscribers. Used by the BBC in the 70s??!! I bet that bus has got some secrets to tell ;-)
Awwww, I love a good old National. So, so many childhood memories!! Used to ride the bus number 128 from Plymouth to Totnes which was frequently served by a green Western Leyland National!!! That noise....ahhhh...
I used to drive the Leyland National in service. This brought back many happy memories. It used to get so busy that I would get full up with people standing right up to the front standing next to me. It drove so smoothly fully loaded. I also liked the Bristol VR but used to bang my head on the roof when I went over a big bump. Ahhhh memories.
What a lovely bus! I remember these from my early teens, always saw them in Eastern National green livery. That noise...! Unfortunately I never had a ride on one, as our school buses were a motley selection of decrepit coaches on their last wheels! 3 kids to 2 seats anybody? Couldn't happen today! Thank you for taking me for a virtual ride today! Great video as always.
Brilliant video Ian, this too is the bus of my childhood, going to school. My transport was usually a Bristol RELL with a Gardner engine and the National was so modern, the noise of the turbo, the hiss of the air compressor venting off. I used to make Lego ones and imitate the noises pushing them around the carpet. Thank you for doing this and congrats on 90K.
Thankyou so much for the trip down memory lane and the sound really is what brings it back! This was my Saturday morning trip to town to go to Fidget computers in High Wycombe to buy the latest spectrum game. It was a long trip as it wound round lots of areas taking in two very steep hills from Bookerhill down to Sands and then up to Downey and back down. That bus really struggled. What fond memories, thank you
Went over that bridge at 28:00 on my first route for UPS as a delivery driver and thought that was squeaky bum time. I consider myself lucky after watching that haha 😄
I remember these well, very iconic. And still doesn't look out of place today. I used to know someone, bit of a joker used to be able to impersonate the sound of one of these. Also the Morris minor and a two stroke motorcycle engine. Great video and congratulations...
Brought back some memories. Wipers that fell off the screen. The cold start - ahh the smell of diesel in the morning - lovely. Nothing like a 1980's bus garage at 6 am in the morning. Driving was pretty good as well, plenty of mirror work!! Well done.
I was fascinated by the Belt drive at the back also! The East Kent ones when I was a lad were quite Heavy Smokers too I also do love the design of the Leyland National
Used to hold onto the petrol cap cover on and get towed on my bike as a nipper lol there were loads of these bad boys where I'm from back in the day. Strangely nice to hear the sound of that engine again.
From one school bus driver, Thank you. The job is not that bad. I'm going to miss my kids over the summer holidays. I preferred the National to the Lynx. Although, the Lynx was much quicker. Maybe a bit too quick, as stopping it was the hardest part. There was a delay to the throttle that meant the engine was still pushing as you were braking. A little green retarder light on the dashboard that had the picture of a parachute. Fills you with confidence when it's not stopping. I only drove them for my first year on the job as they were all replaced with the Dennis Dart and some Volvo B6, both Plaxton Pointer. This marked the end of good noises. I had always wondered why there was a Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian.
Absolutely loved this Ian, as you mentioned all the sounds bring back memories of times gone by. Sounds that kids these days simply won't remember given the quieter nature of modern buses, and the fact they sit with their headphones in all the time.
Great drivetrain sounds! Especially good on headphones 😊 I remember that type of gear selector from the (very) old double decker I went to school on, it fascinated me even then! Pneumatic wipers, love it! 😂
I remember these as a child when they were new in the 70s, I then got to drive them in service in 2000 when I worked as a bus driver, the company I worked for still had a few of them, but they started to go as the new low floor buses started to come into play
Well done on reaching 90,000! I'm not sure these are necessarily great buses but they hold a lot of memories for me because when I was growing up, taking the bus into town it was always a Leyland National and when I went to college I used to take one every day. It was sort of the point that I just associated a bus with always being a Leyland National because that's the only type of bus I ever went on. They were certainly characterful with that distinctive noise and smoky engine. We later got the "Greenway" (I think it was called....) modernised version so they continued to run in my area until quite late on. So they were a big part of my growing up, so I have rather fond memories of them. As you say many of the same components were used for the "Pacer" class of trains (especially Class 141, which even looked very similar) and these were still in service until a year or so ago. I think the Class 153 trains are still in use in Wales and Scotland are also Leyland and internally some fittings (such as the lights) at least look pretty much like the Leyland National.
Even in the mid 90s we used to have these as school buses. Apart from the characteristic sound, I remember cold start ups in winter were accompanied by a massive amount of white smoke. It's a shame that modern single decker buses are shaped like a box.
I used to ride the college bus down that very road in the Isle of Axholme. We didn’t have these cool buses but your video brought back some memories :).
Buy the T-shirt in this video at hubnut.fws.store - I love AU!
Yours or Craig's 🤣 yes I know you said the "I love AU" bit
Very many congratulations on your 90K Ian well done indeed
Happy memories of going to and from school and to college on a national,green liveried Bristol Bus Company
Watched this twice second time with headphones so I could appreciate the sound of that engine.
well, great, but that's enough subs for you, I don't think you can handle much more money and fame :)
Ian in full anorak mode! Perfect Friday evening entertainment. 😉👍 Thanks!
"Should we make a better head gasket?"
"Sod that, thats exactly what they are expecting! No, instead, get rid of the head altogether!"
Ah, British Leyland, never change.... (And they never did?)
(Dont take the above to harshly, love this one, a wonderful machine indeed)
@@jongmans38 I often wondered what the maintenance of these engines must've entailed. Going by what I've read, many fleets found the rigmarole too hard/ time consuming so essential maintenance was skipped - no wonder Nationals belched so much smoke, chewed so much diesel and got a reputation for unreliability.
Rumour has it another suggestion was to make the engine all head gasket.
When do we get HubNut Leyland National Merch?
That’d be swell. Idk be up for that.
Yes please!!!
You wait for the merch then 2 packages will turn up at the same time
Good question
I'll get the condoms.
I loved this bus as a child, they were ahead of their time ( a bit noisy) and a great suspension, this example looks amazing.
I drove one of the first Leyland National buses for the Northern bus Company based at Winlaton Depot. They were a breath of fresh air after driving the old style buses with crash boxes. They were great to drive, light controls and easy to handle. Great buses. The happiest days of my life.
The sound and bus of my childhood when getting around my local area with my Mam & Dad. Happy days.
Used to go on these all the time as a kid! The noise brought all the memories back!
The noise brought all the headaches back 😂
That is actually my childhood dreams playing our driving a national thank you man
Oh I bet you really, really enjoyed that!
Thanks Craig, thanks Ian for this awesome bus ride. My school buses in Germany were - no surprise - Mercedes, MAN and Setra. The ZF museum owns some buses with their automatic gearboxes. It's not far away from my home...
I drove 1989 MAN SL202s in Sydney with a Voith gearbox. They were my favourite in the fleet. Slow to take off but very smooth. I had a drive of a Leyland National one day before doing my shift in a MAN. The MAN was so much better.
I love the sound of a "Clack Clack"! (What? I was a little kid when these were about, so I nicknamed them after the sound).
Leyland national my favourite bus in my childhood . That lovely musical engine I loved and still do . So glad these are being preserved .
Ahh the sound of my childhood. The racket of the National and the boomy exhaust note of the National 2 - and with the Atlanteans I'm amazed we came out of childhood without hearing damage. When the Metrobuses arrived around 1984 complete with their digital destination boards, they felt almost space age! Congrats on the 90k!
I love the smell of unburnt diesel fumes in the bus station in the morning...
I remember these buses from my childhood and love the sound of the engine. Thanks for sharing 😊
This was a timeless bus design - it didn't conform to styling cues from other contemporary vehicles, but made much of the fact it was an integral vehicle. I so agree about the rear pod, as it perfectly balances the overall shape. A great review - many thanks!
Very nicely driven - a well mastered pneumo-cyclic is truly an art! As a kid I'd watch (and listen) to the oh, so relaxed, smooth gear changing of the excellent professional drivers on United Bristol RELH's, operating the long Newcastle to London route. Such a difference to many of the Newcastle Atlantean drivers who slammed the lever through the changes. Would love to see a video of you in an RELH - another soundtrack you 'could listen to all day!'
There are genuinely nostalgic mechanical noises - if you lived near a UK airport in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s it was the turboprop whine from 4 RR Dart engines as a Viscount flew over, then on 1970s/80s roads there's the Leyland National as the engine revs climbed and dropped plus the 'pwaaassh' of the air pressure release valve opening. The huge fan at the back must've convinced gullible children that the National was a Blower Bus that was part jet-propelled... Magic! Congratulations on a fascinating video and on reaching 90,000 subs, Ian.
The pod on the roof and the vacuum cleaner noise at full sing really made it feel state of the art even in 1980.
I have no idea why I've suddenly been shown this video but I'm so happy.
Since being a young girl I always wanted to become a Bus Driver for what was just Trent Buses back in the day.
I even had the name of the chap at Langley Mill Depot for who to contact but I was always happy in my job at the time so didn't contact him, and then my BF at the time became a driver at the Ilkeston depot and I moved away.
I'm now 51 and still to this day wish I'd gone to Trent and got my PSV. I still remember the particular routes which the Nationals were put on.
90,000 wow well done Ian. Loved the sounds of the bus makes me remember times gone by. Been a Hubnutter now for nearly 3 years. Enjoy it so much. Thank you again.
I produced and fitted all of the vinyl graphics on that! :)
My dad was a bus driver. Bee Line Bus company. I would often go out on the rounds with him during school holidays. Many memories
Being Scottish, we didn’t see a lot of Nationals. Tigers and Leopards were the norm up here. I recall when a local independent bought a stack of them from Stagecoach Cumberland to compete with the dominant former SBC operator. Seemed so exotic.
I remember going to school on these in the early 80s and you're bang on the money as these buses just don't seem right when not making "that noise", bit like the Intercity 125 trains whenever they upgraded those glorious screaming Paxman Valenta engines for more boring refinement.
Thanks for another great video Sir Hubnut. This one brings back memories as I worked on the National Bus development project in the Leyland Motors Central Engineering office in the early 70's as a new graduate. I must have been one of the first folks to actually drive one of these on the public roads, when asked by the Chief Engineer to take an early prototype to Preston Docks to weigh it on their weighbridge. This video brings the experience right back after 50+ years. That particular prototype had the original David Bache styling. However, Sir Donald did not much like the look of it and asked Michelotti to do a rapid redesign shortly afterwards. The redesigned version got to its launch venue at the Earls Court show with only hours to spare and the paint job had to be finished off on the show stand. Heady days!
Were they bring driven around by 1969 and did Michelotti design the rear end taillamp assembly. They looked radically modern even in 1980.
@@jamesfrench7299 Must have been 1969, but initially as prototypes with the David Bache styling. I can't remember what the tail lamps were like on those.
@@michaelappleyard6300 I've seen a picture of a prototype undergoing extreme weather testing in the bus monographs book series. I understand four such buses existed.
The body shape was already evident but the frontal treatment looked very underdone compared to the production model. Never knew that was actually a styling exercise. Leyland did well to revise it. The final product looked so handsome yet functional.
PS appreciate the insight, particularly how Lord Stokes organised the styling tweaks!!
I love that these special projects still survive and that it has fallen into the hands of someone who will ensure it continues in life as built.
On a totally different note, I love the idea of a series where Ian goes back, potentially in this bus, to the places where he used to spend nights out in his youth. He could call it Clubnut.
Congrats on the 90k. It's a brilliant achievement but easy to see how it happened.
The Leyland Tiger was the bus of my childhood. I still remember the sound of the diesel engines in it, as well as seeing the driver going through the pre-selector gearbox.
They weren't preselected. The driver simply changed gears with the gear stick like a clutchless manual. Preselect had a third pedal (where the clutch goes) that activated the gear that was chosen beforehand with the gear stick.
There was only one route in the 80s that I could guarantee a Leyland National being on, and that was the 745 from Consett to Newcastle... Incredible memories!
I lived on that route!!! (Rowlands Gill)
@@johno4521 I also lived in Rowlands Gill!
I'll not be posh, I lived in Highfield for a time, my dad worked at the Spen depot 😂
Such an evocative noise from that engine. I can remember these appearing on my school bus route in the 70s, and being excited to be on such a modern vehicle after the old Crosville buses they replaced.
The noise of the engine takes me back to 1981 1982 in Leamington Spa getting the bus to school, operated by Midland Red, Love it!
Exactly how a bus should sound. Marvellous video! I do miss those Nationals.
I’m new to your channel thanks to @Pete and his bus!
Have a big appreciation of the Leyland National .. living in High Wycombe both London Country (who had the biggest fleet of these in the country) and Alder Valley had various versions of both 11.3 & 10.3m long Series 1 Nationals & after the break up of the NBC.. the then Wycombe Bus (what was left of Alder Valley) had some ex Brighton LN2’s. London Country had some of those very early 11.3m Nationals & they appeared on the famous Green Line Routes .. my local garage HE had some designated LNC (Leyland National Coach) .. but the only coach like concession was the two tone livery of Leaf Green lower with white roof & window surrounds .. the interior was standard bus layout with green plastic seating.. not so good for the passengers travelling the 2 & 1/2 hours through London all the way to Reigate & back (which I did many times) .. these were soon replaced by 10.3m SNC’s with mochette high back coach seating .. and they lasted on Route 711 right through until 30/09/77 when sadly HE closed & the Route was taken off .. being replaced by a new Route 790 to London operated out of Amersham [MA] Garage using leased duple bodied AEC Reliance coaches.
.Well done reaching 90,000, no surprise either, your channel has a particular allure....
As someone who has followed you from the very beginning, I am truly chuffed for you, as you reach 90000 subs. 100000 won't be long coming. I watch a lot of YT channels...and yours is still one of the ones I go to first. Keep up the good work Ian.
I remember these buses as a kid in London and they are still my favourite.Love their loud noisy run.❤
I'm so happy to see one of these beauties preserved! Very interesting design the Super National, I don't think we had any of these up here in Finland. We did, however, have some Leopards on locally built aluminium bodies. My dad was a bus mechanic so I got to see the Leopards up close from a very young age and the very distinct whining sound of the drivetrain is something I still remember very well. Later I also rode one of the Leopards to school for a few years. It had seats with proper leopard fur velour, but I'm not sure if those were supplied by Leyland or if the coachbuilder just decided those would be a good fit...
Anyway, congratulations for 90,000 subs and thank you for yet another excellent video!
Selvä
From Sydney , Australia, in 1969 my parents bought a house in Roseville , on the North Shore in Sydney . The privately owned bus company Forest Coach Lines serviced a large area , most of the suburbs on the high tableland above the beach suburbs where the TV show Home & away is filmed then over the far end of Middle Harbour over the Roseville bridge & to Chatswood . Forest Coach Lines were immaculately kept in pure white with a large dark green waist band , and the company name in unusual red lettering , very smart . They owned a fleet of Leyland's, AEC's , Albion's from the mid to late 1960's . Then in 1971 they received a strange new Leyland with a "modular" not coach built body the seating was staggered/stepped so the person sitting next to the aisleway seat was 6 inches rearward of the person in the window seat. I asked one of their older drivers what type of Leyland that it was & he said a pre production new National. Forest coach lines had the biggest privately owned fleet of Leyland group busses so they had been GIVEN this one for free and to keep after assessing its performance. Then during 1972 their new fleet of Nationals turned up . Forest Coach Lines kept them lovingly looked after and in service for years and years well into my adult life & yes "-Hub-Nut-" Nationals do have their own unique sound .
Strangely at this time the Sydney government bus service that had a fleet of 1,000 plus Royal Leyland Tigers and double deck Leyland Atlanteans decided to buy Mercedes Benz busses as a replacement. A friend of my Grand-dads that was the chief mechanic at the Brookvale Government bus depot said the Leyland Tigers were way way better than as he called them the "rotten bloody merc's" . Frequently you would see a fairly new dead Mercedes Bus at kerbside with a whole bunch of passengers awaiting a replacement bus to collect them. For my 6 year of high school I had phase one of my 12 mile journey in a Forrest coachlines Leyland , then phase two of my daily trip in a Green Sydney Gov't transport Royal Leyland Tiger in 6 years of schooling not once did one break down .
After years of service Forest Coach Lines swapped to a fleet of Volvo busses instead .
The six or so Nationals they got were bought about 1976 and were all Sydney assembled Australian length models using the front half of an 11.3m model with the rear of a 10.3m to create an intermediate 10.9m length model.
They were directly replaced by Mercedes 0305s! The plates were even transferred over.
Those Royal Tigers and Worldmasters of the government were a very good bus but Nick Greiner campaigned to get rid of them when in opposition! His actions were likely responsible for their earlier than planned demise. They had many years left in them. If anything, the mark 1 Leopards should have gone first!
BTW, regards the government Mercedes 0305s, workshop staff were deliberately sabotaging them because their unprecedented reliability was seen as a threat to their jobs! They were utterly state of the art machines, extremely robust mechanically, especially the engines. They had unprecedented performance and ease of operation by the driver.
STA bought an even more reliable small batch of buses by MAN which were mechanically almost identical to the 0305s but with many small differences. They were better on fuel and broke down less. Not popular fit drivers as they didn't accelerate as fast as the Benz and had a firm ride but were probably the most cost effective full size bus the NSW government buses had ever run.
Lovely Jubbly, a really interesting video Mr HubNut. I think Crosville buses used these when I was a child, you never forget the noise of engine, gearbox and rattles over unever roads.
The sound is quite similar to the buses I grew up with in Australia. The local bus company had some Leyland Tigers with 5 speed Hydracyclics coupled up to TL11 engines.
always used to like driving nationals on service work .fairly quick and comfortable .what i remember most is that the steering would not auto return to straight ahead after going round a corner, you had to manually return it ,to ahead .
Nice video Ian. The bus of my childhood was very much the Alexander bodied Leyland Tiger with the Gardner 6HLX back in Northern Ireland. Happy to see that they have dedicated preservation clubs for them too.
Add 40 odd screaming/ swearing school kids, fog and rain with all the windows steamed up and a stop 1/2 mile.
Respect to the drivers.
YES! - Another wonderful sound from my youth! Such a contrast too, with the almost turbine-like whine from the Gearbox and Turbocharger, to the 1 2 3 4 5 6 'Diesel Knock' when it was ticking-over! I believe that Chase Buses in Cannock were one of the last operators of the National, in any sort of volume. Surprisingly, they were all Mk1 Nationals with the 510 Engine.
One had an 0680.
Drove these in the 80's when I was a bus driver in Glasgow. Great video, brought back a lot of happy memories!
One of the GG Nationals is under restoration right now.
Great video! I love the sound of the Leyland National with the original 510 engine fitted. The idle clatter and whirring of the turbo and running gear are very distinctive. I have happy memories of riding of Eastern Counties Nationals out of Lowestoft bus station. They were mostly R reg or S reg and had the "Mk2" roof pod and indicator stalk off a late Triumph Spitfire if I recall correctly. I was always taken on how well the bus interior design was so coherent on these buses. Eastern Counties also had an early National with a long roof pod. The interior wasn't quite as well designed I felt (I was only about 11 or 12 years old).
Great video, you drove her very well. Bombardier KD with the Detroit Diesel 6V71 used in Dublin needs to go on your list!
I am a bus enthusiast from the U.S.A., and this is a very nice bus!
You looked like you were having a lot of fun Ian. I drove buses for many years back in NZ. When I started, the fleet still included a few AEC's and a lot of Leyland Leopards, both running the pneumo-electric gearbox. That video brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for posting.
OMG. I used to drive these for Wilts & Dorset Bus Company in the heart of Salisbury when they were first introduced. A huge overhang at the front and rear. A lovely bus to drive and a smooth ride. Thanks for sharing this experience.
Even as a non Brit I remember this engine sound/music from my holidays in the UK. Thank you and congratulations Ian.
18:25 to 18:50 so reminded me of the bus trip to school in the early 1980s. That noise of the engine was so distinctive. Almost made me want to reach for the grab poles they had with the bell on them. Wasn't it a square button with PRESS or PUSH on it?
gotta love a nasher! even looks modern today, looks a proper urban bus
Remember seeing this at wythall in perelli livery, glad it's survived and restored to almost original condition
Headless worked very well for the Offenhauser race engines, they were basically able to handle unlimited boost because there were no head studs to stretch!
Yay - don't hear of Offenhauser very often nowadays! I still remember my Scalextric model being a favourite - strangely, even a little electric Offenhauser model had it's own distinctive sound.
Thanks!
Well done on 90k subs the national takes me back to growing up in Edinburgh, our last nationals went out of service in the 2000s.
Another superb video Ian, although I might be very biased on this one!
Thanks so much for this chance! A true gent.
Simply superb Ian you just get better as time moves on. Documentary / history vids are a real strong point for you.
@22:33 I didn’t know someone with just a car licence could drive a big bus like the Leyland National providing its over 30 yrs old and not carrying more than 8 passengers.
I’ve tried to pass my PCV and nerves keep getting the better of me.
Really glad you mentioned that HubNut. I’d never question the legality of anything you do and assumed you had a full PCV licence (maybe you do) but that is really good information. Thank you for mentioning that.
Ah the 146 from Birmingham to our house in Kings Norton
So many memories, thank you for reminding me of my youth
I can't believe it's 3 years ago since we did the other Leyland National and I, like many others, are still watching! Therefore, you must be doing something right!
90,000 subs well done Ian great memories of these National buses my Dad loved working at the Workington Lillyhall factory for 20 years
Massive factory sadly reduced to storing tins of beans for logistics..
Loved this, and it got even better seeing you buzzing around my hometown, especially enjoyed you finessing it over Keadby bridge!
Congrats on 90k!
I'm not particularly into buses, but that is nice looking bus. Fantastic livery.
Yes, I proper enginened National, that sound brings back so many memories.. love it!
That noise! Oh Gods that noise! I was worried then about my History Homework for Mr Barker in room 14 for a few mins! Transported straight back to the 1970's and (shudder) school...... Thanks Ian, enjoyed that.
What a great way to celebrate the 90,000 subs, I remember that engine sound well growing up in North Wales, except most of my bus journeys were done on Leyland Leopards which also had their own sound, a lot of it being the baritone exhaust note.
It’s nice to see a National with its original engine, you think of a Leyland National and that sound comes to mind, a very nostalgic ride, thanks Ian.👍
I drove these as well! What a blast!! Bristol Omni governed the engines down as the bus would barely do 4 mpg otherwise! It had a small but turbo-ed engine, a bad choice as it happened. Funny thing about the LN 1 was that the sterring didn't self-centre at all, which took a while to get used to - if you waited for the wheel to swing back after a turn, you would be off the road or into a car... The later LN 2 had a fairly grunty non-turbo-ed lump, and a fully auto 'box which couldn't cope with the hills around Bristol - you could hold the gear back until you hit the - again governed - 'red line', then manually flick it up, when it couldn't hold the revs and so either you waited for the box to change down, or do it manually before the inevitable epicyclic 'box lurch. It might take 10 or 20 such back-and-forths to get up Rownham hill towards, again, Portishead. Yes, you could hold it down in ? second I guess (it IS 45 years ago now!) and take what felt like forever to crest the long, long hill.
That noise is iconic, it brings back so many childhood memories. The road I grew up on was on a bus route and I must have heard these thousands of times growing up. Ours were in the orange and white livery of SELNEC. Congrats on the 90K subscribers.
Used by the BBC in the 70s??!! I bet that bus has got some secrets to tell ;-)
Now then, Now then.
Awwww, I love a good old National. So, so many childhood memories!! Used to ride the bus number 128 from Plymouth to Totnes which was frequently served by a green Western Leyland National!!! That noise....ahhhh...
I remember travelling on them in the “80s! Midland Red from Coventry to Rugby - that noise is unforgettable! 👍🏻
What a fabulous bus; always liked the Leyland National, but my favourite would be an RF.
I used to drive the Leyland National in service. This brought back many happy memories. It used to get so busy that I would get full up with people standing right up to the front standing next to me. It drove so smoothly fully loaded. I also liked the Bristol VR but used to bang my head on the roof when I went over a big bump. Ahhhh memories.
What a lovely bus! I remember these from my early teens, always saw them in Eastern National green livery. That noise...! Unfortunately I never had a ride on one, as our school buses were a motley selection of decrepit coaches on their last wheels! 3 kids to 2 seats anybody? Couldn't happen today! Thank you for taking me for a virtual ride today! Great video as always.
Brilliant video Ian, this too is the bus of my childhood, going to school. My transport was usually a Bristol RELL with a Gardner engine and the National was so modern, the noise of the turbo, the hiss of the air compressor venting off. I used to make Lego ones and imitate the noises pushing them around the carpet. Thank you for doing this and congrats on 90K.
Thankyou so much for the trip down memory lane and the sound really is what brings it back! This was my Saturday morning trip to town to go to Fidget computers in High Wycombe to buy the latest spectrum game. It was a long trip as it wound round lots of areas taking in two very steep hills from Bookerhill down to Sands and then up to Downey and back down. That bus really struggled. What fond memories, thank you
An upside down HubNut sticker has perhaps even more HubNut power
Went over that bridge at 28:00 on my first route for UPS as a delivery driver and thought that was squeaky bum time. I consider myself lucky after watching that haha 😄
Very cool. I'm sure many of us have spent time on one of those beasties in the past.
Memories 😂😂plus the smash of exhaust as they went by! How have I not got a third nipple 🤔👍🏻either way love em!
I remember these well, very iconic. And still doesn't look out of place today. I used to know someone, bit of a joker used to be able to impersonate the sound of one of these. Also the Morris minor and a two stroke motorcycle engine. Great video and congratulations...
Brought back some memories. Wipers that fell off the screen. The cold start - ahh the smell of diesel in the morning - lovely. Nothing like a 1980's bus garage at 6 am in the morning. Driving was pretty good as well, plenty of mirror work!! Well done.
A bus! Love it!
Especially a National
Will there be a t-shirt design with the national on it?
Second person to ask. Maybe we need to consider it...
@@HubNut consider?? 🤣🤣🤣
I was fascinated by the Belt drive at the back also! The East Kent ones when I was a lad were quite Heavy Smokers too I also do love the design of the Leyland National
Used to hold onto the petrol cap cover on and get towed on my bike as a nipper lol there were loads of these bad boys where I'm from back in the day. Strangely nice to hear the sound of that engine again.
Great video, brings back memories of driving Nationals hundreds of miles, they were one of my favourite buses to drive.
I gotta say that bus’ design held up SUPER well that would totally fit in in todays fleet
It looks too well made for today's fleets. Yeah it does look perpetually modern looking. No way does it look like a product of the (early!) seventies.
I use to catch 1 of the buses every day to work, loved the sound of them.
Good luck to the new owner and best of luck Craig with your new challenge.
From one school bus driver, Thank you.
The job is not that bad. I'm going to miss my kids over the summer holidays.
I preferred the National to the Lynx. Although, the Lynx was much quicker. Maybe a bit too quick, as stopping it was the hardest part. There was a delay to the throttle that meant the engine was still pushing as you were braking. A little green retarder light on the dashboard that had the picture of a parachute. Fills you with confidence when it's not stopping.
I only drove them for my first year on the job as they were all replaced with the Dennis Dart and some Volvo B6, both Plaxton Pointer. This marked the end of good noises.
I had always wondered why there was a Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian.
Brilliant to see and hear a Leyland National. Fond children memories coming flooding back
That design takes me back! We used to have a local, council run bus company which ran a whole fleet of these.
A Pacer for the road 😁
Absolutely loved this Ian, as you mentioned all the sounds bring back memories of times gone by. Sounds that kids these days simply won't remember given the quieter nature of modern buses, and the fact they sit with their headphones in all the time.
Oh the memories as a 7 year old lad catching the X71 Midland Red into Rugby from Hillmorton. Congratulation on the 90k subs.
Great memories of my childhood with the sound of that Leyland engine.
Congratulations and well done Ian!
It's been a pleasure to watch your videos!
Great drivetrain sounds! Especially good on headphones 😊 I remember that type of gear selector from the (very) old double decker I went to school on, it fascinated me even then! Pneumatic wipers, love it! 😂
I remember these as a child when they were new in the 70s, I then got to drive them in service in 2000 when I worked as a bus driver, the company I worked for still had a few of them, but they started to go as the new low floor buses started to come into play
Congratulations getting to 90k Mr Hubnut!
Well done on reaching 90,000! I'm not sure these are necessarily great buses but they hold a lot of memories for me because when I was growing up, taking the bus into town it was always a Leyland National and when I went to college I used to take one every day. It was sort of the point that I just associated a bus with always being a Leyland National because that's the only type of bus I ever went on. They were certainly characterful with that distinctive noise and smoky engine. We later got the "Greenway" (I think it was called....) modernised version so they continued to run in my area until quite late on. So they were a big part of my growing up, so I have rather fond memories of them.
As you say many of the same components were used for the "Pacer" class of trains (especially Class 141, which even looked very similar) and these were still in service until a year or so ago. I think the Class 153 trains are still in use in Wales and Scotland are also Leyland and internally some fittings (such as the lights) at least look pretty much like the Leyland National.
Even in the mid 90s we used to have these as school buses. Apart from the characteristic sound, I remember cold start ups in winter were accompanied by a massive amount of white smoke. It's a shame that modern single decker buses are shaped like a box.
I used to ride the college bus down that very road in the Isle of Axholme. We didn’t have these cool buses but your video brought back some memories :).