In the immediate post-war era bus operators across Britain were facing a reduction in the numbers of passengers carried, and manufacturers began looking at ways to economise. Some experimental rear-engined buses had been produced before the war, but none had made it beyond prototype stage. The need to prevent the intrusion of the engine into the passenger area was a priority. This requirement led to several underfloor engined single deck designs. However, such designs raised the height of the vehicle floor, forcing additional steps at the entrance. On double deckers, problems were amplified, causing either an increase in overall height or an inadequate interior headroom.
Leyland began experimenting with ideas for a rear engined double decker in 1952. A prototype was built and fitted with a turbocharged version of the Leyland O.350 engine, transversely mounted at the rear of the sub frame. An automatic clutch andgearbox were fitted. The vehicle was designated the PDR1 (R for 'Rear-engined') and registered STF90. It actually spent a few days on trial with Devon General in 1955.
In 1956 a second prototype, XTC684 was constructed with an MCW body, and fitted with the more powerful O.600 engine fitted across the frame, with a centrifugal clutch, pneumo-cyclic gearbox and angled drive. Seating capacity was 78 and Leyland christened it the “Lowloader“.
Though two prototypes were thoroughly tested, the same problem of a front-engined bus remained; rear entrances meant that the space alongside the driver was wasted. 1956 saw the maximum length for double-deckers increased to 30ft, allowing a wider entrance to be located ahead of the front axle. This was intended to allow the driver to supervise boarding whilst the conductor collected fares, but it soon became apparent that the design would allow for one-person-operation. Leyland took advantage of this to launch the first prototype Atlantean at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show. Though it had a front entrance the high level of engine noise inside the lower saloon prevented it going on the market. The engine was still inside the body, with the compartment being used for bench seating.
Mechanically the prototype Atlantean, 281 ATC, was similar to the Lowloader - O.600 transversely mounted engine situated in the rear offside corner providing drive in a straight line from the engine. A drop-centre rear axle allowed the flat floor, only one step up from ground level, to continue for the full length of the bus.
The prototype was demonstrated around the country to various operators. It also had an unregistered sister vehicle, which was used as a testbed. Both were subsequently scrapped.
By 1958, Leyland had overcome the majority of the problems and moved the engine to a rear-mounted compartment outside the main body, and the first production Atlantean PDR1/1 with a 16ft 3in wheelbase was launched at that year’s Commercial Motor Show. It was simpler mechanically than the prototype, with conventional front and rear axles, leaf springs all round and a channel section frame.
The first production examples entered service in December 1958.Devon General had traditionally been an AEC customer, but when they required a rear engined vehicle Southall’s finest had no such design on the table. It would be 1966 before AEC built their one and only such bus, the rear engined Routemaster FRM1.
The first production Atlantean went to Wallasey Corporation in December 1958 and has thankfully, as befits a vehicle of its significance, been preserved. Glasgow Corporation's first was purchased the same month. In the following posts I will be looking at Devon General's Atlaneans in more detail.
The following year he returned for Devon General’s remaining serviceable Atlanteans. That year saw the withdrawal of Nos.873/5-9/83-88 from the first batch, 898-901/5/6/8/11/2/6 from the second batch and 923/4 from the third. The majority were stored awaiting disposal on the site of the former power station at Newton Abbot with others lined up on land adjacent to Exeter Airport. In 1982 Nos.872/4/80/2/3/96/7/904/18/9/21 joined them.
This meant that at de-regulation on Jan 1st 1983 there were 6 vehicles still in service, one of which, No.881, was 24 years old and still in poppy red, albeit pretty faded! The others were Nos. 907/9/13/15/20, all in green. All were withdrawn during that year with the exception of No.920, which, after re-registration to ADV435A, continued in service with Red Bus of North Devon until 1986, when it donated its engine to keep sea-dog No.925 on the road. 
Very few vehicles are known to have given further service to subsequent operators. No.874 saw further service with Juliet’s Coaches of Avonmouth and was broken up at Thorntons of Barnsley in 1990. No.882 was reported to have been seen in France during the mid-eighties whilst under the ownership of a night club. This has yet to be substantiated. No.885 was purchased, along with No.911, by Earnside of Glenfarg in Scotland. Both ran for them between April '81 and Sep' 82. No.885 then passed to Tofthill Farm in Glencarse, Perthshire where it was used for ferrying fruit pickers to and from work. Whilst under that ownership it was re-registered WTS715A and very quickly degenerated into a decrepit state. It was advertised for sale as late as 2002. 
And so to preservation. Unfortunately the news is not good. Of the 47 vehicles across 3 batches only one of these Atlanteans is currently in active preservation. It is Roe bodied No.913, one of the second batch dating from 1960 and is currently owned by Terry Bennett. It has been restored into its original livery of red and ivory. 
No.872, of the 1959 delivery, is currently undergoing restoration.
At this time it is in the safe hands of Warwick Hulme, owner and restorer of “sea-dog” No.931. No members of the third batch survive. 
I understand that an attempt was made to secure No.920 for preservation but it sustained damage during its removal from Red Bus in North Devon and was scrapped. 
Further batches of Atlanteans were purchased by Devon General in the mid to late 60s and I will be looking at these in future posts.
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.
The following spring saw the arrival of the second batch, totalling 23 machines. These were numbered DL895-917, registered 895-917DTT. Although utilising the same power plant these buses differed by having 75 seat bodies which, although ordered from Park Royal, were constructed by Chas. Roe of Leeds to Park Royal’s design, due to a lack of capacity at the Acton factory. 
1961 saw two further deliveries of the type. In April the nine convertible sea-dogs, described in earlier posts, arrived. The previous month had seen the arrival of another seven closed top examples. Again powered by the 0.600 engine these were numbered DL918-924 and carried the registrations 918-924GTA. Park Royal bodies built by Roe were once again fitted but differed from the previous batch by having interior fluorescent tube lighting and an illuminated advertisement panel on the offside. 
As with any relatively new design the Atlanteans weren’t without teething trouble. Some problems were generic and occurred not only to DG’s 37 vehicles but to the type as a whole, whilst others were more specific to the Roe body. Problematic areas on the first batches included weak front suspension components, failing prop-shafts and stress fractures of the chassis’ rear frame at the engine mounts. There was also failure of the cooling fan drive-shaft, clutch problems exacerbated by difficult repair access, leaking window surrounds and tyre blow-outs caused by braking heat not dissipating from inside the rear wheel arch. All vehicles were brought up to scratch mechanically by 1962 at Devon General’s expense.
The Roe bodied vehicles proved even more troublesome. The 1960 deliveries suffered from water ingress through the body panelling caused by extensive flexing of the floor areas and upper waist rail. Park Royal supplied strengthening kits for both decks in order to try and rectify the problems. This was only partially successful and the worst affected vehicle, No.916, was sent back to Park Royal for a month for in-depth investigation. The vehicles fitted with illuminated advert panels proved susceptible to battery drain if the lighting was left on without the engine running. The set-up was soon dispensed with! 
The operational areas covered by Atlanteans contained Torbay’s hillier routes including many in Torquay and the Foxhole area of Paignton. A lack of performance whilst heavily laden on these routes saw a handful of vehicles across all batches being fitted with turbochargers in an attempt to increase power output. The units were designed and built by Eberspacher of Germany in conjunction with Simms, and fitted by Devon General. Unfortunately, although the concept is one that increases an engines peak power, any turbo is inefficient at low engine revs, such as pulling away on a hill. In this respect the exercise only realised moderate success and caused excessive wear to many of the engines components.
On Jan. 1st 1971 the entire collection of Atlanteans, together with the rest of Devon General’s stock passed to the Western National Omnibus Co. Ltd. The following post will look at their history subsequent to this date.
The ex PMT bus was one of 34 delivered to them in August 1959. It had been their fleet No.L9797 and carried registration mark 797EVT. It carried a Weymann 71 seat low height body and Western National renumbered it 1042.
The influx of second hand Leyland Atlanteans to Cornwall in order to satisfy Western National‘s requirements for one-man buses took place between 1975 and ‘77. The vehicles fell into two main types, standard height and lowbridge. Here we look at the standard height examples.
The ex Trent vehicles had been Trent Nos. 435, 444, 451 and 452. Their registration marks were RRC69/78/85-6 and they became Western National Nos. 1002-5. They carried 78 seat highbridge bodies by Roe and had been new to Trent in February and March 1960.
Two were from a batch delivered between November 1960 and January 1961. Originally M&D Nos. DH553/567 they were registered 553/567LKP. They became WN Nos.979 and 993. 567LKP was unusual in that it passed to Western National via Hants & Dorset, who had repainted it into their fleet livery of poppy red. It remained in this livery once in WN hands receiving “Devon General” fleet names and operating from Exeter, looking very much at home among DG’s “native” Atlanteans. 
The final machines of the 26 to arrive from the Garden Of England were originally M&D DH580/1. These had been part of a batch delivered new in November 1961 and were registered 580/2RKJ. These received fleet Nos. 1000/1 from Western National. 
All but No.993 were allocated to Camborne, Penzance and St. Austell (Snozzle!) depots. They gave sterling service before the sands of time finally caught up with them in 1980 when withdrawal commenced. The by now 21 year old Atlanteans were finally themselves replaced by 38 DMS Fleetlines acquired by WN from London Transport. 
Unfortunately not one of these nomadic Atlanteans survived into preservation. However, one of M&D’s vehicles did avoid the scrap man and is today in preservation. It is DH558 (558LKP) and can be seen 
