issue 198 (August – September 2025)

Before Leyland introduced its well-known Tiger chassis, there was the Lion. Leyland brought back the Lion name for an Atlantean-like, rear-engined, single-deck chassis in the early 1960s, aimed at the export market; David Toy takes a look at it. And Roger Davies charts the demise of the front-engined, rear-entrance double decker, once almost the standard layout for this type of bus.

We visit another bridge in this issue, this time in the seaside town of Bexhill, and staying sort of seaside, we have some buses climbing Llandudno’s Great Orme to go to church on Sundays. We go lakeside, too, with Tony Greaves remembering his first trip to Switzerland in 1967.

Devon is notorious for its narrow lanes, and we venture down a few near Witheridge. We’re also in Leeds and Bradford in Yorkshire, discovering RTs plying their trade there. We discover more mis-spelt London trolleybus blinds and two-door Bristol L single deckers in Bristol, and learn about the buses that Ted Gadsby has had a soft spot for over his 70 years as an enthusiast.

Mike Fenton reaches his ninth less common British coachbuilder, the Smiths of West Bromwich and Jensen, and Alan Watkins recalls the early days of white coaches within NBC when he was with National Travel South West.

in this issue

• the demise of backloaders – they lasted a long time
• the roar of the Leyland Lion – in Australia, anyway
• a lifetime of bus pictures – Ted Gadsby looks back
• Smith & Jensen – Mike Fenton on another classic coachbuilder
• halfway to heaven – buses climb The Great Orme to go to church
• first time in Switzerland – Tony Greaves and a lakeside trolleybus
• passing through Sackville Arch – more buses under bridges
• the white coaches arrive – Alan Watkins remembers
• RTs in West Yorkshire – in Leeds and Bradford
• down Devon lanes – near Witheridge
• 2-door Bristol Ls – with Bristol
• more mis-spelt blinds – on London trolleybuses