Titan (bus)
The Titan was a model of double-deck bus produced by British Leyland in the 1970s and 1980s, almost exclusively for London Transport. The Titan was developed by British Leyland in close conjunction with London Transport, which was suffering problems with its DMS class of Daimler Fleetline one-man-operated double-deckers and wanted rather more input into the design than they had had with the DMS. Four demonstrators were constructed in 1975-1977, two of which were evaluated in London under their Leyland code B15, before the Titan name was revived and orders commenced as follows: - 1979: 50 (T 1-50)
- 1980: 150 (T 51-200) - reduced from 250 due to reasons below.
- 1981: 150 (T 251-400)
- 1982: 275 (T 401-675)
- 1983: 210 (T 676-885)
- 1984: 240 (T 886-1125)
The Titan was bodied by Park Royal Coachbuilders, but industrial relations difficulties caused by Leyland's decision to shut the plant in 1980 led to a slowing down in production, which also prompted many other concerns to cancel existing orders. Fifteen were purchased by Greater Manchester PTE and five by West Midlands PTE, but the intention by Leyland to make the Titan a one-stop product proved unpopular. Production of the complete vehicle (both chassis and body) was moved to Workington in 1981 and orders picked up again, though by this time London Transport was the only purchaser. Reading Transport took ten Titans, but a demonstrator built in 1983 failed to secure any further orders and the Titan was abolished in 1984. The last one into service was T 1096 in October 1984. The Titan's London Transport service career saw it working in the eastern half of the capital, though a surplus of the type following tendering reverses in the later 1980s saw Ts spread to some northern garages. Withdrawals began in December 1992, with large numbers passing to the likes of Merseybus, Oxford and Kinch, with further buses remaining on London work under the ownership of independent contractors like London Suburban Buses, London & Country, BTS and London Coaches (later Atlas Bus). Upon the privatisation of the London Buses Limited subsidiaries, the remaining Titans fell between London Central, Stagecoach East London and Stagecoach Selkent. The latter pair began cascading their Titans away almost immediately, spreading them throughout the country. Stagecoach East London's last Titans operated in September 2001 and Selkent's were withdrawn in November 2001, leaving London Central with a small number of spare buses which were eventually whittled down. Amid a small ceremony, the last one, T 1018 was retired from the 40 on 19 June 2003. The only Titans remaining available for service (though only as a very last resort) are owned by Blue Triangle.
External linksLondon's Leyland Titan Breathes Its Last - The London Bus Page, 19 June 2003
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