Nationalisation = Rationalisation

Following the passing of Devon General into NBC control much fleet rationalisation occurred. During 1971/2 eight of the first batch of 17 Leyland Atlanteans were converted for one man operation with the rest being so treated between 1977 and ‘80. Outwardly this was apparent by the lowering of the front destination display to allow operation from the driver’s seat. Inwardly, ticket equipment and periscopes were fitted. NBC poppy red paint was applied between 1973 and ‘75 . The Roe bodied vehicles were already undergoing a policy of gradual rebuilding to correct their numerous structural faults, and these were repainted and converted to OMO as they passed through the garage. In the mid seventies more shortcomings with the Roe bodies had become apparent. These problems were caused more by poor standards of materials used in their construction rather than build quality. By the end of 1976 all vehicles that had not been rebuilt were de-licensed and taken off the road. All were driven onto the grassy area at the rear of Newton Rd. garage and left to the elements. During the next few years some of them were rebuilt and re-entered into service by Western National, but by June 1980 this policy was terminated resulting in the scrapping of the unrebuilt remainder. These were Nos. 895, on which work had actually commenced, 902/3/10/4/7/22. During 1978 No.900 was outshopped in the livery of the Great Western Railway to celebrate 75 years of Railway buses. The GWR had operated the first ever service between Helston and The Lizard so No.900 was allocated to Helston garage and operated on the self same service. The following year two of the final batch received a coat of NBC corporate green paintwork, the first Atlanteans so to do. They were Nos. 920/1 and they also were despatched to work in Cornwall where no doubt, so coloured, they did not look out of place. From December that year a WN directive decreed that all buses requiring paintwork were to be outshopped in green regardless of operating area. Other vehicles to appear thus were Nos. 882/3 from the first batch, Nos. 899/907/9/13/15 from the second and No.918 from the third. During their NBC years many Atlanteans received either all-over advertising or the more reserved “uni-bus” advertising, where lettering was applied around all four sides of the waist section only. The Atlanteans were still operating at over 20 years of age. In the following post I will cover the termination of their service lives.