Quiz Archive

About #188 : 1936 Leyland LT7 Lion (UPDATE III; ex-service bus)

Was it too difficult? Only three competitors came close. Jurymember Mark Dawber recognised the coachwork and coughed up the rest without too much poroblems. His downunder 'neighbour' Martin Frosh was spot on with the coachwork, but not on the chassis itself (he thought Bedford). However we want you to see his analysis: "...don’t know much about buses, and not wanting to spoil my own fun by Googling...The coach builder is almost certainly Duple – a company which at that time specialised in coaches and buses, which was based in Luton. Distinctive Duple “styling” for the period – note drooping swage line, ending in curved back. The whole ensemble tried to look streamlined, and was at least more “swoopy” than contemporary designs. But also typical is the rather clumsy side window frame treatment. There is a sense that this was a country bus rather than a metropolitan service bus – possibly only a tiny destination board." In the end Dutch B&W car photo collector and specialist Eduard Hattuma was easy winner with the near perfect answer: "Leyland Tiger Duple body 1935 " (many thanks for the photo by John Barringer (UK): "... it is a 1936 Leyland LT7 'Lion' with 32 seat Duple coachwork."
UPDATE III by Michael Ware: " It is interesting to note that the bus still has white painted mudguards a requirement during the black-out of the WWII. I imagine it must have come directly out of service at the end of the war to become this mobile or much more likely immobile home."
UPDATE II by photographer John Barringer:"My opinion is that the Leyland Tiger chassis was heavier than the Lion. Although service buses, as opposed to private hire coaches, were built on both chassis, Lion coachwork tended to have less seats and probably a smaller engine, this example having only 32 seats. The example shown is almost certainly a private hire vehicle and would have spent most of its life taking 'day trippers' to the British coast in the summer time. The sliding door at the front is the clue, as almost all British service buses had rear entrance coachwork with no door. I am not surprised that some thought it to be a Bedford, because Duple seemed to build most of the coachwork for that company up until the 1960's. I am old enough to remember riding on Leyland's of this vintage and earlier, still fitted with petrol engines all of which had a distinctive intake roar combined with very melodious intermediate gear sounds. Happy days! "
UPDATE I by jurymember Mark Dawber who is wonderering if anybody can explain the differende between the Lion and Tiger version?

Friday, 22 September 2006