The First Atlantean Wallasey No1 FHF 451. The First Leyland Atlantean into service

To celebrate 65 years since the introduction into service of the Leyland Atlantean bus. Wallasey No1 FHF 451 the first Leyland Atlantean to go into municiple service in England. Tours the roads of Wallasey its home for many years. The bus was a revolution in its day, being a major departure from the back loader, front engine buses of the past
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[@peterrobertson4698]

I was a conductor on Wallasey buses around 66 and I've guarded No1 lots of times much better than the back loading 7ft 6es. I don't know if anyone noticed but No1 on the back had the route number on the right. All other Wallasy Atlanteans had it on the left. Don't know why lovely to see the bus again in such lovely condition.

[@Merseywail]

Yes no 1 was the only one with that rear destination configuration. The bus is now in the care of the 201 bus group & is taken to local bus rally's, the latest being this year's Llandudno transport festival

[@seanhedley8028]

Beautiful Bus and so ahead of it’s time. Nobody can do it like us !

[@Merseywail]

So true.

[@paultaylor7082]

Excellent, this vehicle has certainly been well restored. Manchester, where I've lived since I was born in 1953, didn't get the Atlantean until 1959, even then they only appeared initially in the south of Manchester. Then in 1963, a few were sent to Queens Road Depot in North Manchester, and started serving routes in the north of the city, in the area where I still live, 60 years later. Most of these early ones were scrapped by the early 1970s. Manchester had the first double decker, the Mancunian, in 1968, which was specifically designed for one man operation and had two sets of doors, one for entry, one for exit. Prior to 1966, in the UK, only single deckers could be one man operated, but the law was changed that year, allowing double deckers to be one man operated. By the mid 1970s, in most areas, virtually all buses were one man operated, by the late 1970s, all were, certainly in Greater Manchester.

[@Merseywail]

I like the Mancunian, good bodywork design, the Manchester standards that followed both on the Atlantean & fleetline were popular too. We got many on Merseyside too after deregulation. At least we get to ride the examples preserved at Boyle Street, a really excellent museum

[@georgemason4083]

That ran on the Ribble L3 route, Crosby to Skelhorne Street, Liverpool for a few times. Was on it a couple of times going to school. They also ran a Royal Tiger on that route for a few times. Nice to see a well restored Atlantean, well done. Ex. Leland Bus employee now expat in Florida.

[@Merseywail]

Thanks!, I never knew that. No doubt on loan to Ribble for test before they ordered a batch. Ribble weren't happy with the Atlantean at first & the next bus order they went back to the full front PD3s

[@georgemason4083]

@@Merseywail Leyland used to try their protypes or new vehicles with various operators, Fishwicks were always popular as they were based in Leyland

[@kevinblakeman8858]

Brilliant restoration on this bus and these were my favourite bus in the 60s and 70s and as I'm from Kent i ride on them regularly as Maidstone and district as a large fleet of these

[@Merseywail]

She's been well looked after. The atlamtean is a bus I grew up with so will always be found of them

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

Wasn't John Nolan one of the group that preserved FHF? His son Rob was my line manager at Sefton Health, and when Rob discovered that i was a bus nut, he recommended that i visit the museum.

[@Merseywail]

Yes John is one of the 201 group that preserved it. He now runs the group looking after & rallying Wallasey 1, Birkenhead 10, & MPTE 1070

[@christopherdaly9384]

Drove Atlanteans in Manchester in the 80s/90s. Great Buses if they were maintained properly!🙂👍

[@Merseywail]

Cheers. They were great buses, & could have long lives as No1 demonstrates. Though obviously it was the depot pet being the 1st one

[@freddiebozwell7049]

As a kid growing up in the 70s in Sheffield, always sat on the back near the warm engine. Great memories.

[@Merseywail]

Your not the only one. Lovely warm & cosy at the back. Plus you got the full sound effects from the engine

[@johnevans2044]

Didn't we all do that on both the Leyland Atlanteans and the Daimer Fleetlines (mostly the latter for me, as I was brought up in Birmingham where there was a huge number of Fleetlines operating in the 1960s and 1970s). Not so much fun in the summer though! Then it was upstairs a few seats back from the front of the bus, from where you could get the best of the breeze coming through the ventilators at the tops of the front windows!

[@Merseywail]

@@johnevans2044 thats totally correct. You soon got to know the best place to sit, depending on the time of year.

[@tonywolton]

I love Atlanteans, great to see the Wallasey No 1 has been preserved. I remember the London version (XA) on the 24s as a kid. A true British bus classic.

[@Merseywail]

They were a great bus model seen right across the country. Bought by many operators.

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

LT had the XF class of Fleetline as well as the XA. London Country had a number of Fleetlines diverted from Western Welsh.

[@petersmith4455]

hi there, great video, the bus looks and sounds great with typical leyland 680 engine, i remember Maidstone and District had some, as i lived in the south of england on the coast, i cant remember Southdown ever having any, but they did like Leylands like the PD3 and tiger cub which i remember in the early 60s as a child,loved the 4 spoke steering wheel which they all had, the 0.600 engine was popular at the time,

[@Merseywail]

Thanks, she does sound great, even at 65. I have a soft spot for the southdowns PD3s being very reminiscent of the ribble PD3s we had on Merseyside

[@1973ts]

What a great video! Thanks for sharing.

[@Merseywail]

Thanks it was a good day and a great way to commemorate its 65 years

[@davidwootton1470]

Imagine a bus from 1893 lasting so long, the Benz Viktoria carried 6 passengers! Leyland technology,

[@Merseywail]

The first buses, horse buses, were slow and cumbersome. Probably why so many went for horse trams & then electric. The early petrol engine buses were a start in the right direction. But as knowledge & technology moved on so did buses. But of course those early car technologies also moved on

[@AndrewG1989]

Very nice buses. Including the old London Routemaster buses.

[@Merseywail]

The Atlantean is the bus I grew up with. The only time I saw Routemasters was on TV. Now of course I see them everywhere. Some saying there's more Routemasters in preservation than was ever built. It seems that way sometimes lol

[@AndrewG1989]

⁠Yeah 😂

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

FHF looks like it was fitted with the SCG style gear selector. As fitted to the Bristol RE. Western Welsh Atlanteans had the selector on a Leopard style pedestal.

[@Merseywail]

That's something I would have to ask John about

[@peterlee44]

Great Video !!!!

[@Merseywail]

Thank you. A good way to celebrate her 65 birthday. I was hoping for a cake though, now she a pensioner

[@veryhighguy]

Great video. Would of liked to of come Along on this little tour

[@Merseywail]

It was only a little small event , I didn't think. There was only a handful of us on it

[@keithchesworth9865]

Would be nice to note the first in service driver

[@Merseywail]

I will ask if anyone knows who it was

[@marksinthehouse1968]

She’s a beauty ,moquette seats too,I’m not a fan of them PVC seats some companies had ,too cold or hot on the old bum😂,new Brighton is that where watching the 80s comedy was filmed by Granada ,blimey I’m getting old ,as always mate a great video ,have a lovely Christmas 😊🎅🏼 Mark 😊😊

[@Merseywail]

Its seats are comfortable, together with the tungsten lights make it feel very homely. Am not sure were watching was filmed, I know a lot was around the wirral.

[@marksinthehouse1968]

@@Merseywail the girl in it reminds me of Jeanette my first real girlfriend if you get my drift she was from Liverpool ,see us Londoners know where the lovely ladies are hehe

[@Merseywail]

@@marksinthehouse1968 yes she was nice, apparently has given up acting. Not seen her on TV for ages so might be true

[@richmottershaw9720]

14.13 in is that Martin Connollys voice ? Great video by the way thanks for sharing.

[@Merseywail]

It is indeed Martin. He was with us on the celebration run

[@kevinwhelan8126]

Sixty five years old - it should be getting its pension, and free bus pass lol!

[@Merseywail]

It should. Runs well for a sixty-five year old. Whenever we take her out we get a lot that can't believe such a `modern' bus is really that old

[@TimothyWorel-xj9he]

Was XTC rear engined? If so, seems strange that it has a half cab style.

[@Merseywail]

It was rear engined. It had a smaller turbocharged engine. This required a larger platform with a bump jutting into the platform area. Quite what Leyland were thinking of with this design I don't know. It had non of the good points of the production series.

[@HaiderHaider-kk1dz]

Leyland best buses uk no volvo

[@Merseywail]

They are, or were. Modern buses might be reliable, but soulless

[@user-yx6ry5ow2r]

Passed my bus test in an Atlantean in 1992

[@Merseywail]

That would be towards the end of their service life . At least their legacy lives on

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hi There Again my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't all of you and your teammates can still be Rebuilding and Repainting a nice fresh shiny Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 168, 141, 20, 210, 24, 173, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 188 of Those Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses Please? We desperately Need your and your Teammates' help and support in Bringing back those grey-green 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses again because we are Bigger fans of the patterns of those interesting colours of these Buses to be brought back again for all of us Grey Green bus Lovers out there in North London and East London bus route lovers so Please can Really Really bringing them back again for all of us Grey Green Bus route lovers out there in North London and East London lovers Pretty Please? and can you and your teammates could you and your teammates also put most of them on the London Bus routes such as the London bus route 123, N41, 86, 221 and that is including the North London Bus route 41 for all of us Grey Green bus lovers out there in North London and East London Pretty Please? Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour and put them on the London Bus Routes which are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41, 56 and N26 for all of us in North London and East London Grey Green Bus Lovers out there because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colours. I am a Big Fan of all of those Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses Please? Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very much for your time, help and support?

[@Merseywail]

I don't own a bus so can't really help. You would need to contact the individual owners