Northern General – Leyland Titan PD2/3 – CCN 139 – 2080
Photograph by ‘unknown’ if you took this photo please go to the copyright page.
The Northern General Transport Company
1951
Leyland Titan PD2/3
Leyland H33/26R
This is a photo of a very typical all Leyland Titan of the period the only thing that would be different to a thousand other all Leyland Titans would be the layout of the destination blinds. They were good, solid, reliable and economical workhorses so why change a winning formula, I am not sure just how many all Leyland Titans were built it would be interesting to know, if you know please leave a comment.
This bus was not new to Northern General it was originally delivered to Gateshead and District Omnibus Company a subsidiary of Northern General and was number 39 in there fleet.
I do like the van at the side of the bus, if memory serves me correct I think it was called a ‘Morris Commercial’ but nick named a ‘Morris Comical’ its predecessor which was not as long was narrower but just as tall with a rather strange radiator grill. Anyway that’s enough wandering off the point this is a website for buses not vans.
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Just thought I’d ask if anyone can clear up a mystery.
The final version of the Leyland body on PD2s was one of the best and most handsome around. It was derived from the earlier, more stark, version without radiused corners to windows.
The 1951 batch for Sheffield Corporation had rain guttering over the bays and half-drop windows. Making them different from any before or after. Most buses had gone to sliders rather than half-drop other than London Transport with the RT and RM family.
This Northern General Titan of similar vintage has similar detailing, as have all the other 1950/51 examples I have seen (or their photographs) recently.
Was it deliberate Leyland policy or just a coincidence?
David Oldfield
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I remember seeing these buses regularly in the early 1950s to 1967 approx, very smart indeed in their chocolate brown livery cream relief bands edged in black when in their original Gateshead Omnibus Company livery. Two at least CCN162 and CCN 171 ended their days operating with T D Alexanders "Greyhound" company at Arbroath. Note the unusual two aperture rear destination screens See this link.
Gerald Walker
