Midland Red: Leyland Leopard — Miscellaneous Information

Vehicles Converted for Towing

Example Photograph
Example Photograph

From September 1977, MROC started to replace their fleet of eleven BMMO D7 based towing vehicles with vehicles converted from withdrawn Leyland Leopard “LC9” coaches.

Nine such vehicles were converted by MROC with most of the work being done at Shrewsbury depot or at Central Works and, unlike the conversions carried out on the BMMO D7 vehicles, all of these vehicles were identical in having open rear platforms.  All the converted towing vehicles ran on trade registration numbers plates in overall yellow Midland Red ancillary fleet livery, and continued to do so throughout their service with MROC.

All nine vehicles were still in service with MROC when the company split into five smaller operating companies on 6th September 1981, and were divided among the new companies depending on their depot allocation in the same way as the regular bus and coach fleet.

In January 1988 following a change in the law, all of these vehicles lost their trade registration numbers in favour of Q suffix registrations and, by this time, most had already received new fleet numbers.  All nine vehicles saw long service with the various Midland Red companies, and their successors, with the first example withdrawn being former coach 5824 (GHA324D) which was written off in an accident in 1995.

The table below shows a summary of the nine Leyland Leopard “LC9” coaches that were converted for towing.  If you are able to fill any of the missing information from the table, please email us at info@midlandred.net.
 

  Original # Date1 Trade Plate(s) Allocation2 New R/No:3 Further Information
 5824  GHA 324D  9/1977  370 HA WR  MRW   Q141 VOE  New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA324D, F/No: 5824 - DH. LN (9/68). DH (12/68). LN (9/69). DH (3/70). CH (3/71). KR (5/71). DH (6/71). DY (5/72). DH (9/72). Re-seated (2/73) to C40F. BD (5/73). WL (12/73). BE (5/74). Withdrawn (11/76). Converted for Towing (9/77) - The first Leopard LC9 to be converted for towing. Re-entered service (3/78) in Yelow livery as R/No: 370HA (trade plates) - WR?. MRW at formation (9/81) - WR. Renumbered (?/??) to F/No: 2060. Re-registered (1/88) R/No: Q141VOE. Written off in an accident on the A38 near Droitwich Spa (c.1995).
5825 GHA 325D ?/1977 378 HA
001 AC		 RY MRS Q342 GVC New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA325D, F/No: 5825 - DH. SH (9/70). BD (4/71). RY (5/71). MN (5/72). Re-seated (12/72) to C40F. LN (5/73). Withdrawn (12/76). Converted for Towing (?/77). Re-entered service (3/78) as 378HA (trade plates). MRS at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 001AC (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q342GVC. Still in service with MRS at RY (ancillary fleet) in 1999.
  5826 GHA 326D 11/1977 328 DH SD? MRN Q124 VOE New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA326D, F/No: 5826 - BD. LN (9/66). BD (12/66). DH (4/69). LD (5/70). DH (5/70). CY (5/72). Re-seated (3/73) to C40F. WL (12/73). Withdrawn (12/76). Converted for Towing (11/77). Re-entered service (5/78) as R/No: ?? (trade plates) - SD. TH (?/??). MRN at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 328DH (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q124VOE. Passed to the BaMMOT, for preservation.
  5827 GHA 327D 12/1978 088 AC NN MRS Q340 GVC New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA327D, F/No: 5827 - SA. Re-seated (1/73) to C40F . Withdrawn (11/76). Converted for Towing (12/78). Re-entered service (2/79) as R/No: ?? (trade plates). MRS at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 088AC (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q340GVC. Still in service with MRS at RY (ancillary fleet) in 1999.
5828 GHA 328D ? ? SS MRE ? New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA328D, F/No: 5828 - SA. WS (4/69). SA (5/69). SS (5/70). WS (6/70). SA (6/70). Withdrawn (11/76). Converted for Towing (?/??). MRE at formation (9/81) - SS. Renumbered to F/No: 9000.
  5830 GHA 330D 12/1979 417 HA
092 AC		 LN MRS Q341 GVC New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA330D, F/No: 5830 - SN. SA (?/??). WS (5/68). RY (9/68). SA (5/69). HY (3/72). SA (5/72). HY (9/72). Re-seated (1/73) to C40F. SA (5/73). OY (11/73). BE (4/74). Withdrawn (11/76). Converted for Towing (12/79). Re-entered service (3/80) as R/No: 417HA (trade plates). MRS at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 092AC (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q341GVC. Still in service with MRS at RY (ancillary fleet) in 1999.
  5831 GHA 331D ? ?   MRE ? New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA331D, F/No: 5831 - DH. SN (9/68). WN (3/69). BE (3/70). RH (5/72). Withdrawn (12/76). Converted for Towing (?/??). MRE at formation (9/81) - WS. Renumbered to F/No: 9001
5836 GHA 336D 4/1978 282 DH SD MRN Q126 VOE New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA336D, F/No: 5836 - SN. SH (4/69). DH (11/69). SH (3/70). BD (5/70). DH (9/72). SN (2/73). Re-seated (2/73) to C40F. TH (12/73). Withdrawn (12/76). Converted for Towing (4/78). Re-entered service (10/78) as R/No: ?? (trade plates). MRN at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 282DH (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q126VOE. Repainted (?/??) to overall red BMMO livery with “Midland” fleetnames. Passed to M.James for preservation as a towing vehicle (2/02), then to ?
  5838 GHA 338D 7/1980 150 AW   MRN Q125 VOE New (7/66) to BMMO (Midland “Red”) as R/No: GHA338D, F/No: 5838 - WR. CH (3/70). WR (5/70). Re-seated (3/73) to C40F . Withdrawn (12/76). Converted for Towing (7/80). Re-entered service (8/80) as R/No: ?? (trade plates). MRN at formation (9/81). Re-registered (c.9/81) to R/No: 150AW (trade plates). Re-registered (1/88) to R/No: Q125VOE. Withdrawn (?/??). Preserved by Mark Owen.
 Notes:
  1. Date is the date work started on converting the vehicle for towing.
  2. Allocation includes the new operating company that inherited the vehicle when Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) split on 6th September 1981.
  3. Q-suffix registration recieved in January 1988 following a change in the law.