Leyland National SNC 168

Service History

A feature of London Transport Country Buses and later London Country was the operation of the GREEN LINE network of limited-stop routes. These ran from towns and cities in the outer parts of the country area into or across London serving only limited stops. Such routes were regarded as more prestigious than the normal bus routes and better-specified vehicles tended to be used. In the early days of London Country, GREEN LINE routes 712, 713 and 714 served the corridor from Dorking through London Victoria to St. Albans and on to Luton/Dunstable. When LCBS was formed, these routes used "modernised" RFs, AEC Regal IV vehicles dating from 1952 that had received a facelift in the mid 1960s. Initial efforts to update the rolling stock used had seen the introduction of Leyland Nationals from about 1974, but these were little different from normal service buses. The exteriors were in National Bus Company "Dual-Purpose" livery, light green but with white upper half, and GREEN LINE fleet names were carried. Internally, though, standard "bus" seats were fitted. When ordered, Leyland could only offer a standard interior with these vinyl-covered seats. Eventually, pressure from a number of operators led to the development of the Leyland National "Suburban Coach" that featured moquette-covered high-back seats along with overhead luggage racks. London Country ordered three batches of these superior vehicles, with fleet numbers SNC ("Short National Coach") 116 - 202. At last - vehicles worthy of carrying the GREEN LINE name! SNC 168, registered HPF 318N, entered service at Luton (LS) Garage in April 1975 as part of a batch of "proper" SNCs used to convert the 712/3/4 routes from the earlier bus-seated Nationals. The number plate was actually issued in Surrey, as the London Country head office was at Reigate. Livery was again "Dual-Purpose" light green with a white upper half. While bumpers and silver wheels set off the livery to good effect, while the GREEN LINE name was carried in green lettering above the side windows and in white lettering on the front and rear. The seating was trimmed in bold blue/green moquette similar to that fitted to contemporary London Transport buses and tube trains. SNC 168's travels on the 712 route would have taken her within about half a mile of my house, so there is a fairly local connection! In January 1977, GREEN LINE routes serving Luton were subject to major revision; new AEC Reliance coaches with Plaxton Supreme bodies ("RS" Class), proper "coaches", were introduced on new routes 707 and 717 which swept away the old 712/3/4. SNC 168 moved from Luton to Garston (GR) and the Luton Garage (LS) soon closed. In spite of being rather more highly-specified than typical "bus" Nationals, these SNCs were still deemed to be inadequate for prestigious GREEN LINE routes and were cascaded onto "bus" work, retaining their superior seating and "Dual-Purpose" green/white livery, although in most cases the GREEN LINE fleet-names were removed. In April 1978, SNC 168 moved again, the short distance from Garston to nearby Hemel Hempstead (HH). In July of that year, what started out as a temporary loan to Hatfield Garage developed into a rather extended period away from home. The National left the road at Leverstock Green, a village on the outskirts of Hemel, and collided with five mature trees. The front was severely damaged but the driver escaped with nothing worse than cuts. The battered National was taken to Willowbrook in Loughborough to be rebuilt. This work took some time, but no doubt they did a good job. One clue of the repair is still visible today: the corrugated section of the roof is normally one continuous piece, but 168 has a join near the front. Following repairs to the front end, more damage occurred; due to an error in re-assembly of the cab, when 168 was first started-up she ended-up reversing across the factory on her own, hitting a stanchion with her rear end! The downgraded SNCs were used on normal "bus" routes and occasionally one would appear on the 361, which provided a treat for passengers. Many of those used at SA were from the HPF 3xxN registered batch; I recall that they usually looked slightly unkempt; perhaps it was the removal of the fleet names and the ability of the upper white-painted panelling to look a bit dirty? In June 1979, the by-then rebuilt and reclassified as a "bus", SNB 168 moved to Harlow (HA), moving again in December of that year to Stevenage (SV). The former GREEN LINE colours had been replaced by this time by all-over green with a white central stripe, the same as standard "bus" examples, and bold "Stevenage Bus" branding was carried to the front and sides. In May 1980 I visited SV and photographed 168 at the head of the access road that led along the side of the garage to the rear yard, probably just "because it was there". By this time, the vehicle was unique in having orangey-brown seats in place of the original blue.

SNB 168 left SV in April 1981 and proceeded to lead a nomadic existence during the 1980s, but achieved a further claim to fame in 1986, by which time she was back at Harlow (HA). With the split of London Country into four companies prior to privatisation, she passed to LC North East where she was selected as the first single-decker to appear in the new livery comprising light green, dark green and white and was at Knebworth House for the company launch in October of that year, appearing on some of the publicity. In September 1988, SNB 168 moved to Hatfield (HF). On 1st January 1989, LC North East was split into two companies; vehicles at Hatfield, St Albans and Stevenage passed into the ownership of Sovereign Bus and Coach. In May 1989, SNB 168 gained their blue and cream livery.

The first privately-preserved National?

In 1990, Sovereign employee, photographer and fan of all things London Country, Michael Trew took the bold step of securing former SNC 168 for preservation. A repaint into NBC Green with a light green stripe was undertaken and some rallies were visited. A change of circumstances saw SNC 168 sold back to Sovereign in 1992 for further use, still in NBC livery but with Sovereign blue doors! As the oldest vehicle in the fleet, steps were taken to hide her age by re-registering her as "HIL 9374".

Travels Further Afield

Sovereign again disposed of SNC 168 in 1994, but kept the "HIL" number plate. The Vehicle Registration Office at Luton issued the fairly meaningless "AVS 238N" and 168 departed to the fleet of CMT of Aintree, Merseyside. Some of the enthusiasts I know in that part of the world have vague memories of her in service, distinctive in NBC green for a while! Further moves took 168 to Aston Express near Sheffield for a while and by the late 1990s she had moved to Silverwing of Keynsham near Bath. Somewhere amongst these moves, the thirty nine high-backed seats were replaced with forty one "bus" seats, trimmed in Network South-East First Class moquette, a purple-based material known as "Mini-blue blaze 2". Silverwing eventually lost the contract on which 168 used to work, so she was laid-up in their yard.

Re-Discovery and Preservation

Late in 1999, I felt the need to restore a genuine SNC in green and white livery, which would be a suitable contrast to my "bus" version, SNB 312. Discussing this with former work colleague and fellow member of the Leyland National Group Simon Jennings of Paulton near Bath, he let slip that Silverwing had an SNC but it was bus-seated and re-registered, and it used to be "HPF 318N". I immediately recalled the picture I took at Stevenage Garage; I may not have travelled in SNC 168, but here was a sister to all those "HPF"s I used to ride in, and I had even photographed it! A visit to Keynsham soon followed. I met Simon at Bath Station and we went out to Silverwing's yard on an exposed hillside overlooking Keynsham. It was December 1999 and it was very cold. The SNC had been reported as having a gearbox defect, but the proprietor assured me that all mechanical items were OK. A jump-start from a Mercedes Minibus saw her fire-up and run. The interior was a real mess, still being used as a store shed. Some of the characteristic overhead luggage racks remained, but those in the rear "upstairs" portion had been removed. The floor covering had been repainted with red floor paint - nasty. Externally, some of the panels needed attention, but overall I could see potential. A suitable price was agreed and a plan was formulated to bring SNC 168 back to London Country territory. Finally, we went to fetch her in February 2000. By the time we got to Silverwing's yard, 168 had been running all day to attempt to charge the batteries and the fuel level was now very low. As an early example of the National, the battery crate is located behind the offside engine cover, whose hinge was coming away from the rest of the bus. We were able to secure it on its proper catches, the brakes had been adjusted, the lights worked, so we were ready to go. I drove to the petrol station in a hurry as I did not fancy running right out of diesel. The first half-mile or so saw 168 riding on the bump stops due to the air suspension refusing to inflate, but eventually it did. After fuelling, we set off for the M4, with me at the wheel, in convoy with my car and another National. It was planned to swap drivers at Reading Services, but as I pulled-in there was a loud banging sound from the rear. It emerges that the fan belt was too tight and was trying to "climb" the fan pulley. After adjusting this, the fun really started! Closing the rear "boot lid" was one problem: the hinges were seized and had to be bent to get the lid open. We bent it closed but it would not fit back in the hole! Cable ties around the rear bumper were our salvation. Re-starting it was the next problem: the offside engine cover needed to be opened to access the batteries for a jump-start. Once again, we had to overcome the problem of the hinges coming away. Deft use of a scaffold plank and a mallet allowed the cover to again be secured! For the remainder of the journey, Steve Simister of the Leyland National Group drove 168, without incident. SNC 168 was parked in a suitable spot and nothing happened for some weeks.

An Additional Pair of Hands

In May 2000, the telephone rang. It was Rob Knight who had just joined the Leyland National Group. I invited him over for a look at my "collection" and the next thing I knew, he was coming round one night per week with his tools! Although Rob's primary interest is United Counties, SNC 168 was relatively local to him while at Luton Garage. By this time, SNB 312 was more or less ready to rally, so we launched into SNC 168. As you may have gathered from the above, 168 was not in the best condition mechanically or bodily. Our first objective was to attend to the air system such that the air suspension would retain pressure; in the absence of technical manuals we were having to try to work out the function of the air system by lying beneath the vehicle, sometimes in the rain.

Year 2000 - Towards an MOT Test

For the remainder of the year, Rob and I struggled with SNC 168 with the aim of going for an MOT test. The aim of getting a test was not to allow us to go to bus rallies, instead we wanted to restore the correct registration number! Areas repaired included the air suspension, the two offside top plates being renewed, the engine access covers, the boot lid and the alternator. Aiming for a test in February 2001, we were working on the SNC in the cold weather of December and January. Eventually, we were able to get the screen washer to work, but the lack of warning lights/alarms for low air pressure was still defeating us. Armed with part of a wiring diagram, we explored the electrical system. A minor setback occurred while investigating a bank of electrical connectors in the cab when a quantity of cables simply fell out of the connector block! Eventually, we found a couple of broken wires right under our noses, and all systems were restored. It was a very cold Friday in February when Rob and I took SNC 168 over to Luton for an MOT; ironically, this was at Luton Bus Garage, but not the one where she was new. The test got off to a bad start when the engine was stopped and would not restart; the MOT tester got her to fire-up with a metal implement across the starter terminals and he advised us to keep her running. After initial feelings of uncertainty, I was overjoyed when he wrote out the test certificate! The trip home saw Rob take 168 via some old United Counties routes to Royston. This was great fun apart from the lack of heating on a cold day!

Interiors Interlude

As described above, the SNCs had the "Suburban Coach" interior fitted from new, but 168 had bus seats when bought. Just before we collected her, I acquired SNC 145 (GPD 296N) as a donor vehicle. This had been operated by Northumbria and had been refurbished with DiPTAC handrails and the like; the high-back seats were retained, albeit trimmed in modern grey/blue moquette. It emerges that I had actually travelled in 145, which was based at SA for a while (~1981), but 168 was the better start point for restoration. The use of the right seats in the wrong moquette would at least be better than "bus" seats in 168. An even better development was the tip-off received from Leyland National Group colleague Tim Wild about former Hants and Dorset GLJ 677N that was about to be sold for scrap by a Leeds operator, due to be available for not a lot of money. This had a full "Suburban Coach" interior in the correct moquette! Being a long National, there were more seats available than I needed for 168, but Tim needed a few for his own National, GLJ 681N. In August 2000, I found out by accident that GLJ 677N had been sold to Barnsley bus breaker Alan Hardwick the previous day! I rang the yard and a deal was done over the 'phone; a few days later and I had the interior I wanted in a vehicle parked on my drive.

2001 - A real identity at last!

With an MOT at last, the next priority was to reclaim the real identity: HPF 318N. Although the DVLA at Swansea were not in a position to help, the Vehicle Registration Office at Luton were willing to oblige. Once the identity change had been achieved, we were spurred-on to more activity. Rob had sourced some "HPF" number plates and one evening, after the registration change was official, I decided to fit them. This then led to the decision to remove all of the "bus" seating while I was at it. Some hours later, SNC 168 sported five "proper" seats in the correct moquette across the back, while all bus seats had been removed. Well, at least five seats were a start. The missing sections of overhead luggage racks were reinstated at the rear of the vehicle, using parts from the donor buses. We were to bash heads on these many times, but the effect is worth it. The rest of the year saw restoration move forward significantly, with crusty window pans renewed and inner wheel arches made of new metal.

2002 - Lino and Plywood

In order to attend to the corroded rear wheel arches, the raised plinths on the floor above had to be ripped out. This then saw major efforts devoted to stripping the rest of the lino from the whole bus, apart from the cab. A lot of the plywood floor in the front section of the bus and at the rear by the Emergency Door was rotten, so this was renewed. As the Summer progressed, new floor covering began to be fitted - positive visible progress at last! A real step forward was the installation of the "sideways" seat behind the cab; from now on, you could actually see seats as you entered. More progress saw forward-facing seats start to appear. The correct bluey-green backs and squabs had been removed from GLJ 677N and stored, while the rest of that vehicle had been sold for further preservation, using the backs and squabs from SNC 145 to fill the empty frames. This then left the seat frames from SNC 145 to fit to 168. The seat frames in the donor vehicle had been painted grey - not a problem when I found some paint that was about the right shade of blue - but many were in need of repair to fix corrosion or remove earlier lashed-up repairs. Rob was in charge of metalwork while I established a paint shop in my garage. By the end of 2002, SNC 168 once again had 39 "proper" seats.

2003 - The finishing touches

In a fit of activity, the interior of SNC 168 - for so long an incomplete mess with nuts, bolts, tools and clutter scattered around - was tidied and even given a quick clean! She went away to a local workshop to have the back axle modified with faster gearing; the result was an increase in top speed from 40 mph to a far more acceptable 50! The MOT test was obtained in mid February, and this was followed by a final, concerted burst of body repairs and paint preparation. The Emergency Door at the rear was in need of some attention, so to save time we used a spare door ex TJN 502R; the yellow paint adding yet another colour to the variety already on 168. A real big job was to change the front roof dome - the original was falling to pieces, but we had already obtained a replacement item. Well, the replacement dome was still attached to the rest of the front roof section of NWO 460R! The work on 168's dome was undertaken with the aid of Rob Knight and after a solid day's effort the new dome was fitted. We had been hoping to return 168 to service at the Country Bus Rally at East Grinstead at the end of April; we had been restoring her for three years and it was about time she carried some passengers. At the end of March, she went away to the painters at Debden, near Epping. Within a week, 168 was back in GREEN LINE "Dual Purpose" livery. Upon return home, the first job was to paint the wheels silver and the tyres black. Other jobs included new lino and edging on the front step and the application of much satin black paint around the front end of the interior. There was a lot going on at home and work during that month, but I was able to have a day off on the Friday before the East Grinstead event. That day and the day after saw the transformation completed, with the application of external transfers, number and destination blinds, and loads of little details like the "Leyland National" badges. There is a small, hinged flap in the offside engine cover that hides the engine oil filler; it took me several hours to reclaim this from the donor vehicle and once fitted, it had to be painted, which was done just before it started to rain! Finally, at 10.00 pm on the night before the East Grinstead event, I was able to make a start on cleaning the windows inside and out. At midnight, I was then able to give the extensive interior luggage racks a clean…. And so to bed.

East Grinstead - Passengers Again !

This was it - the public debut. Rather than ease 168 gently onto the rally scene, I had instead opted to pick up some passengers at Hertford, take them in to Central London then carry on out the other side and go to East Grinstead! The Hertford - Victoria leg was run as a Green Line 715, while for the trip on to East Grinstead we ran as a 708. Everything ran as planned and the event organiser was pleased to witness our arrival. The only technical difficulties were a loose mirror arm (soon tightened), a non-functioning reversing light (known defect) and an oil leak from the fuel pump. While at East Grinstead a few local trips were run, to Lingfield. On one such trip, I stopped at a picturesque bus stop and took a few quick photos. I had to apologise for the slight delay, but pointed out that a three-year restoration programme had been completed at 1.00 that morning! The return trip to Victoria and Hertford saw 168 depart with Andy Barnes, owner of SNB 257 (NPK 257R), in the cab. I followed in 257 as far as Godstone, where we swapped back to our rightful buses. It was while following 168 that I realised that it was near enough her 28th birthday. Carrying real passengers again was an ideal celebration. On the way home from Hertford, I was able to call in on Harry Hobson, a former inspector at Hertford Garage. He was both surprised to see 168 in her restored glory and impressed at the result.

A Summer of Inactivity

The intention was for 168 to be the main vehicle in use this year for rallies and running days. This plan rather failed. Noting the oil leak from the fuel injection pump mentioned above, 168 was booked in for repair at my nearby bus repairer, with the intention of having her back serviceable for the Hertford - Stevenage - Hitchin Running Day on 1st June. In short, she was not actually fit for service again until the end of August. The original fuel pump was cured of the oil leak, but rendered the bus un-driveable. The replacement pump allowed the engine to run really well but would not return to idle, preferring to stall instead. The third pump worked fine but the engine would cut out while on the move. Having missed the Hertford running day, I was determined to have 168 ready for the Dorking event on 31st August, not only because I did not want to disappoint my colleagues from Country Bus Rallies, but also because she used to go there in service! The day before the Dorking event, the engine problems were still there. My reserve plan was to use SNB 312, but she had already been there twice before. The last chance to repair 168 was to exchange the fuel lift pump. Having done the exchange, I crossed my fingers and went on a test run; the first few miles to the fuel station looked hopeful, so I opted to press on to Stevenage, the place where I had photographed 168 in May 1980. This would be the first time she had returned there in my ownership. The test run showed no problems, so I was quite relaxed as I parked opposite the site of SV Garage. My next visit was to the Sovereign garage, where I hoped I might see 168's former preservation owner, Michael Trew. He was not in, but the trip was not wasted; SNC 168 had been out of service for four months and had spent the time either on a farm yard or in a Barnsley scrap yard; she was covered in dirt and due to go to a running day. Thanks to those helpful people at Sovereign, I was able to "borrow" their bus wash; the engineer even recalled working on her! With the exterior finally clean, I was able to return home, change the destination blind for a genuine Luton Garage one and give the interior a clean.

Return to Dorking

For SNC 168's return to her original route I was joined by Rob Knight. We departed from St Albans and followed most of the 712 all the way to Dorking. At the end of the road where I used to live was a stop used only by 712s (it used to have a "Coach Stop" flag) and we stopped to serve this, possibly for the first time since 1977! SNC 168 obviously enjoyed her trip "home" and behaved herself all day on the local routes 439 and 414, and on the return 712 trip. I was impressed that we left Dorking a few minutes late, but were no later when we got back to St Albans, having passed through busy Central London. We even had passengers travelling right through! Three weeks later, a frantic phone call from my friends at Country Bus Rallies led to SNC 168 being invited to participate at their "50 years of GSs" event at Westerham; the booked vehicle, SNB 257, was unavailable. A scenic route took 168 past an old haunt, Harlow Bus Station, then over the Dartford Bridge to Westerham. Several journeys were made on the 403 to Sevenoaks; a special duty saw 168 shadow GS 62 on a run through Tatsfield to the site of Chelsham Garage. A last-minute change of plan saw 168 subbed onto the final 410 of the day to Reigate. Rather than return via the Dartford Tunnel, I carried on clockwise around London, calling in at Cobham Museum, before embarking on another tour of SNC 168's old haunts. If I have to bring a bus back home from Cobham, one option is the non-Motorway route through Weybridge, Staines, West Drayton, Uxbridge and Watford; travelling this way allowed 168 to pass the site of Staines Garage and the still-functioning Garston. In the end, I stayed off the motorway until north of Hatfield, with a quick detour via St Albans! A week later, it was time for the customary visit to Showbus - well, it is only a few miles down the road! Former owner in preservation, Michael Trew actually drove SNC 168 there. She was buffed-up to be extra clean, but the judges awarded her no trophies. Parked alongside was another friend from the SA Collection, SNB 312. The first Sunday in October saw another of the enjoyable Amersham Running Days; one of the main attractions was "Big Al's Tea Bar", that usually keeps us fed and watered. SNC 168 operated in service from Watford Junction as a 724 and also ran local routes to Beaconsfield, High Wycombe (sounded good in the Bus Station!) and Gerrards Cross. While en route back to Watford Junction as a 724, we were pursued by a real 724, which caused confusion in Watford! The route home offered a chance to detour past my old house at How Wood; I know 168 has been past there in service, but this was the first occasion in my ownership. With a gap in between events, the opportunity has been taken to catch up on some outstanding jobs; it was noted at Showbus that the windscreen wipers went very slowly then stopped - this was found to be a partly seized wiper spindle, which has now been renewed. In my haste to apply the fleet names in April, the "GREEN LINE" on the front was a little wonky, but again, this has been renewed.

2004 - Ongoing Preservation and Maintenance

For 2004, it had been hoped to do a lot with 168, but this was not to be. The bus service at the St Albans model railway exhibition saw her in all day service; it was a cold day but the heaters actually provided some warmth! The East Grinstead Running Day went well, apart from an occasional non-functioning stop solenoid. We had been hoping to take 168 to the Bristol Harbourside Rally, but just prior to this some electrical problems emerged. A short circuit in a connector saw a permanent live feed to the stop solenoid, even with the battery isolated!

With the offending section of wiring removed, the chance was taken to repair the crumpled inner rear wheel arch. This has led to major rebuilding of the metal work around both rear arches. Removal of the stubborn rear wheel nuts on one side saw a snapped wheel stud, which is something we could really do without.

75 Years of Green Line

2005 was the year in which "75 Years of Green Line" was to be celebrated. Back in 1980, the 50th Anniversary was quite a large occasion, as Green Line was a major part of London Country. For the 75th, it would be a much smaller but no less significant celebration. For their Open Day, Cobham Bus Museum usually stage a themed display outside the Museum itself. For 2005, it was to be "Green Line" and at the end of 2004 I received a letter inviting SNC 168 to be part of that display. The back end of the bus was still without wheels, wiring and much metalwork, but this invitation gave us a new sense of urgency to get it all reassembled. Rob and I persevered with the corrosion repairs to the rear wheel arches and lower body pillars, while the reassembly of the rear hub on the side where the stud had snapped was a real step forward. With all of this new metalwork in place, much frantic painting (in all weathers) followed, with the rear drums becoming black, the inner rear arches becoming gloss NBC green and the inner and outer faces of the rear wheels becoming silver. The rear "chassis" subframe also benefited from some silver paint! Our electrical genius, Dave Kriesler sorted out the section of wiring we needed and one eventful day saw SNC 168 transformed from having the back end on blocks to being on all its wheels, with the wiring back in. After about 9 months of inactivity, the engine started without hesitation and it even moved up and down the drive a short way! Further activity saw the front inner wheel arches wire brushed and painted gloss green, the two front wheels changed and painted and an MOT test obtained. On the day of the Cobham event, SNC 168 was its usual stubborn self and refused to start - a fitting thank you for all of the painting and polishing that had been undertaken ready for the day! A bit of coaxing made the engine start and we got to Cobham in the end. SNC 168 did look rather good next to some other Green Line vehicles of the 1970s. A few weeks later and there was another refusal to start, accompanied by the smell of burnt wiring. Due to some poor connections, the starter motor was earthing through the new wiring loom - not good. Rob managed to repair it and avoid further disaster. As this was the "Green Line" year, SNC 168 was called upon to attend the majority of the events. It was good to work some local Stevenage routes at the HG/SV Running Day, as this was a former home; it also gave the chance to pass SNB 312 which was also out that day! It was also good to get 168 back to another former haunt - Dorking. On the way back from there, a fault emerged with the air system - one half of the entrance doors kept hanging open. After changing the spool valve about half a dozen times, a faulty door motor was diagnosed. The run back from Dorking also allowed a full-on assault of Holywell Hill in St Albans at the end of the day, but SNC 168 was unable to match SNB 312's efforts of a few years previously, having to change down to 4th gear just before the top. (312 did it in 5th!) In mid September, the annual Showbus Rally took place at Duxford. There was a special Green Line display and SNC 168 took part (despite a wiring fault the day before) and rejoined old friends RP 21 and RB 51, along with many sisters of an earlier generation. I am pleased to report that, in this 75th year of Green Line, SNC 168 won a joint award with RB 51 as "Best Green Line vehicle".

A minor setback and a new beginning

SNC 168 participated in a few running days and such like during 2006, including an appearance at Duxford, where she sat next to former companion SNB 312, the latter vehicle also by then with new custodians. That day was saved by 168 for some colleagues from the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, who had been stranded in Cambridge and were unable to get to the event! Not long after Duxford 2006, SNC 168 was booked to run in service at the Amersham Running Day. Rob and I exchanged destination blinds and amended the masking, then set off, but passing Stevenage it became clear that all was not well. The further we went, the more the back axle was vibrating. We turned back and got 168 safely home, then went on to the event by car. All was not lost, as I was able to have a few drives in RP21 when we got there! The transfer gears in front of the differential have given up and thus SNC 168 cannot go very far; she still starts and is able to shunt around in the yard, but any further could end in disaster. After some soul searching, I considered my future with SNC 168 and felt that she would be better off in the hands of someone who could give her the attention she deserves, which I am unable to do. Although she is no longer mine, she still lives in my little yard alongside some of my other projects, so I can still keep an eye on her welfare.

Out of the spotlight

SNC168's new owner Keith was a friend of mine with his own small fleet of preserved buses, also a rather useful barn that he rents not far from the vehicle's previous home. During the initial restoration, Rob Knight had been deeply involved and given me much valuable assistance. With SNC168 now belonging to Keith, Rob found himself just as involved with the repairs. One of the vehicles that had provided spares for SNC168's original restoration was sister vehicle SNC145 (GPD296N), one of the batch of vehicles where the number plates did not really match the fleet number. SNC145 had left the LCBS area and moved to the operator Northumbria. According to my records, I never rode in 168 in her LCBS career or subsequently, but I did ride in 145. In some ways, 145 may have been a more suitable candidate for restoration however two things counted in 168's favour; firstly 168 had some claims to fame while secondly Northumbria's operating area has hard winters, leading to gritted roads leading to lower body corrosion. SNC145 was rotten! Apart from providing seat frames and luggage rack parts for the interior restoration of SNC168, 145 provided a replacement set of transfer gears for the back axle. I was a long way away when Keith and Rob removed these from 145, but I heard it was an interesting challenge. Not only did they have to be removed from a derelict National with deflated suspension, those gears are heavy! In order to fit the replacement gears to SNC168, it was necessary to cut a small hole in the floor to enable them to be hoisted up into position. By this time, the vehicle was at least under cover in Keith's barn. Having sorted the axle problems, Rob found that he could not resist the temptation to sort out yet more bodywork problems. By the time I had SNC168 painted into Green Line colours, the body panels were "passable" however by the time Rob had spent some more time on them thay were almost as good as new. Particular attention was given to the front end. The panelling repairs were concluded during 2009 and thoughts turned to painting.

The best livery LCBS never had

White roofs on Leyland Nationals that live outside are not a good idea. I had found this out ever since SNC168 had been painted in Green Line livery in Spring 2003. The roof was in the firing line for green slime off the trees, general dirt and weather. In addition the layers of the previous paint did not form a good base for white, especially with the amount of flaking and other imperfections. The paint applied at that time was not that durable and rapidly lost its shine. With the body repairs complete, Keith and Rob's thoughts turned to repainting. All over leaf green was suggested but that would not have befitted SNC168's more luxurious "dual purpose" specification. By virtue of the high-backed seats and the luggage racks, it had to stand out in the crowd of bus seated relatives. There is a slight irony to this in that SNC168 was probably the first "proper" SNC to lose Green Line livery as a consequence of its big crash and subsequent repair in 1978/9, as it returned to service in the "bus" livery of all over leaf green with just a central white band for relief. As described above, a white roof had already been proven to be a bad idea. The answer to this dilemma was suggested by Keith when he recalled an exclusive livery that only ever appeared on a couple of SNCs.... In 1979, Amersham Garage painted SNC159 in a modified version of Green Line livery, with a green roof. Hemel Hempstead did likewise in early 1980, with SNC158. The two could be told apart by subtle differences: there was a white band beneath the windscreen on the Amersham vehicle only, while the Hemel one had a red/blue National Bus symbol on the front panel between the headlights. These interesting livery variations did not find official favour and disappeared later in 1980. Apparently, some people consider this livery to be "the best livery LCBS never had", and I can see why. I have a book about London Country Buses from that era and I have often cast admiring glances at the picture of SNC158 contained within. Apart from SNC168 being a close relative numerically, there is also a connection with Hemel Hempstead Garage as that was 168's home at the time of the major accident in 1978. During the Summer of 2009, Rob worked away rubbing down the old paintwork on 168 and applying the new colours by hand. Some of the tyres were past their best, so SNC168 had some replacement wheels and better tyres fitted, and I was on hand to paint the new wheels to make them presentable. I was also able to obtain a set of vinyls for fleet names and other lettering.

Back in the SA Collection!

While this burst of painting, lettering and cleaning was underway, Keith reached the conclusion that he had too many bus projects and had to part company with SNC168. A very advantageous deal saw Rob take over "ownership" but with assistance from friends including myself. Thanks to Rob's kind permission, SNC168 can once again be considered part of the SA Collection. The public debut of the "new" colour scheme was at the Showbus Rally in September 2009, and SNC168 certainly looked well amongst the other Leyland Nationals parked in the vicinity. Shortly afterwards, there was a return to passenger carrying at the excellent Amersham Running Day, entirely appropriate as that was where the almost unique colour scheme was created. The day went well, the only minor problem was a tendency for the engine to stall at inconvenient times, but this problem is now rectified, we think. In March 2010, SNC168 participated in an event around Woking and Guildford that was organised by the Chairman of the Leyland National Group, Mick Berg, who is incidentally the new custodian of SNB312, formerly of the SA Collection! By all accounts this was a good day and 168 put in a good performance.

Allocation History (courtesy of LOTS)

4/75 new, LS 1/77 GR 4/78 HH 6/79 HA 12/79 SV 4/81 GR 10/81 HH 4/82 overhaul - to ST 6/83 HA 9/88 HF 11/88 SA 1/89 HF 3/89 SV 5/89 Sovereign livery 12/89 SVt 4/90 SVw 6/90 Sold to Luton and District

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