168 - Leyland Atlantean (East Lancs)

Leyland Atlantean 168 (TTT 168X) would be one of the final batch of Leyland Atlanteans to be delivered to Plymouth City Transport, consisting of a batch of nine vehicles with fleet numbers 162 to 171 (TTT 162-171X) being allocated. 168 was delivered to Milehouse on the 24th November 1981 and entered service a few days later on the 4th December.

In preparation for the big route and timetable change, following the M.A.P. survey earlier that year, 168 had additional cream applied to the existing paintwork around October 1982 which was painted below the lower saloon windows and swept up in a diagonal fashion after the rear wheel arches. The new Plymouth Citybus name and logo was fitted over the new cream relief. The black lining that was situated below the lower saloon windows and around the front windscreen was painted over at this time. Also all the fleet numbers were now applied in black.

In February 1985 Leyland Atlantean 168 had a Super Rear advert painted on that also extended to both the nearside and offside advertising panels for Carpet World. This was changed only a few months later in June 1985 for Beacon Blinds and Electrical Sales.

168 was repainted in December 1987 into the livery of cream roof, cream around both the upper and lower saloon windows and windscreen down to the top of the lower skirt panels with the cream again being swept upwards in a diagonal fashion after the rear wheel arches. The Plymouth City Transport name and crest was not applied to this repaint as by October 1986 the local undertaking had become an arms length company, although still wholly owned by the Council. Again the Plymouth Citybus name and logo was fitted to the cream relief, below the lower saloon windows. The Plymouth Citybus fleet name and logo used red and black lettering. Again the fleet numbers were black in colour.

Atlantean 168 had a further repaint in October 1988 into the post deregulation livery of red roof and red around the upper saloon windows with white extended around the lower saloon windows, windscreen and cantrail. The white also extended between saloons over the advertising panels. Black paint was applied below the lower saloon windows down to the skirt. A red and white Plymouth Citybus name plus additional lining in red and white was also used on both the offside and nearside panels with extra lining in black and red fitted above the cantrail.

Around October 1989 Leyland Atlantean 168 was converted for “EasyBus” use by having all the chrome hand rails inside the bus removed and orange rails with additional rails and bell push buttons fitted to make the bus more accessible and user friendly for disabled and elderly passengers. The “EasyBus” name was also fitted, around December 1989, above the front of the vehicle just above the destination box.

Leyland Atlantean 167, (TTT 167X), had already been converted to “EasyBus” use, in September 1989, so 168 would share “EasyBus” allocated workings too. Atlantean 167 would have the “EasyBus” name in black lettering initially from the middle of September 1989 until it had the green “EasyBus” name fitted in December 1989 as with 168. The “EasyBus” was used on a specific route on a specific day of the week. The allocations included Ernesettle, Whitleigh, Kings Tamerton, Eggbuckland, Southway and Plympton.

A further repaint into the revised post deregulation livery including the new red skirt was applied to the bus in March 1991. This would be the first time 168 would receive the additional red skirt. All of the Atlantean fleet that had been repainted into the post deregulation livery had the additional red skirt painted on during 1988 but 168 had slipped by without having the extra red relief added and would be the only AN68 in the deregulation black livery that didn’t have it until this repaint.

This livery would also be short lived too and 168 would be repainted one last time in 2002.

The bus was repainted into the newer deregulation livery, completed on the 15th March 2002, which consisted of red roof and red around the upper saloon windows with red also applied below the lower saloon windows down to the top of the skirt. The skirt was painted grey and white was applied around the lower saloon windows and windscreen and also above the cantrail and advertising panels. A new style Plymouth Citybus name and logo in white and additional white lining was also fitted below the lower saloon windows. A single red line was also fitted above the cantrail around the vehicle. The new white vinyl fleet numbers were also fitted to the front, offside and nearside and black fleet numbers were fitted at the rear of the bus.

Leyland Atlantean 168 was eventually withdrawn on Wednesday 30th July 2003, once the school term had finished and left Milehouse on Monday 11th August 2003. It was sold to Shamrock Coaches, Poole. They would only own the bus for a short time before they sold it on for preservation and restoration to a gentleman who lived in the north of the England. Member Ian Byrne bought the bus and returned her to Milehouse on Saturday 17th May 2008 to join the Plymouth City Transport Preservation Group. He eventually sold the bus to fellow member Mike Hudson around June 2009 and Mike has spent a lot of time on 168 bringing the bus back to its former glory.

He has repaired the front entrance step and staircase which had suffered from the effects of water ingress over the last few years and retrimmed most of the seats which had faded from outside storage. He intends to repaint all the orange hand rails and looks forward to eventually having the bus repainted back into the post deregulation livery of black and white, complete with “EasyBus” name.