SCT'61 Articles
Southend Corporation Bus Fleet

215-218
Leyland Leopard PSU3/1 with East Lancs B51D+21 body, delivered in 1968.

Four more long Leopards came in March 1968, this time bodied by East Lancs and seating 51. The slight increase in capacity compared with Marshall bodied 208/9 was achieved by using narrower entrance and exit doors. In original condition they had large perspex 'Please Pay Driver' signs but these were later removed, as can be seen in the 'before' and 'after' photos of 217.

215 and 218 were withdrawn in 1980 but 216 and 217 lingered on to be fitted with semi-automatic gearboxes and power steering, much to the drivers' relief; the windscreens were also modified to fixed single glasses. 217 came off service in 1983 but 216 made spasmodic appearances until January 1985.

Many thanks to Richard Delahoy for his kind permission to include extracts from his book in this page and also to Paul Harrison, Ian Banks and Richard Goring for supplying pictures.