pd212

The PD2/12s delivered in 1952, numbered 240-260, were the first of a continuous series of Leyland buses purchased by Edinburgh Corporation over the next 30+ years. They had exposed radiators and Leyland Farington highbridge bodywork. They were 8 feet wide and 27 feet long, H32/26R, and had brown and ochre panelled interiors and brown and yellow moquette seating with brown leather trim. In 1961-62 they were converted with standard Edinburgh Corporation (Birmingham style) front ends to enclose the radiator, so that they looked like the later PD2s and PD3s. At the same time, standard red leather/PVC seating replaced the moquette.

Thanks to Alan Rintoul for most of the following:

The 21 PD2/12s were withdrawn after the 1970 Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh during July, along with the first 58 of the standard Orion bodied PD2/20s. New PDR1A/1 Atlanteans from the 351-400 (SSF 351H etc) batch were used from new to transport athletes to and from the various accommodations and venues, after which they entered regular service, allowing withdrawal of front-engined vehicles.

The PD2/12s, though usually associated with Marine Garage (for routes 42, 25 etc), spent their last days working from whichever depot required spare buses, appearing on services 1 (operated from Central) and 10 and 14 (operated from Leith).

As an aside, though newer, the Guy Arab IVs (of 1956) were withdrawn starting in 1969, and the remainder disposed of in April 1972.

Coincidence or what?

The 21 PD2/12s were precursors of a much larger fleet of 300 MCW-bodied PD2/20s which were delivered in 1954-57. The 127 Leyland-engined ECW Olympians of 1983-1986 were precursors of the much larger fleet of Cummins-engined Alexander-bodied Olympians which were delivered from 1987 to the late 1990s.

The PD2/12s had a particularly slow engine idling speed, in which you seemed to hear a pause between revolutions. There was a whistle (not a whine) whenever the driver took his foot off the accelerator, and between revolutions on idling. The subsequent PD2/20s, PD2A/30s and PD3s did not have these sounds. The earlier batches (not so much the later batches) of TL11-engined Olympians had a slow idle and you seemed to hear a pause between revolutions. The turbocharger whistled.

The Leyland bodywork had vertical sides and did not slope inwards until above the upper deck waist (just below the windows). This made the PD2/12s look wide compared with the later MCW-bodied PD2/20s, on which the body sides sloped inward from between-decks level. The ECW Olympians have vertical sides up to the upper deck waist. This makes them look wide compared with the later Alexander-bodied Olympians, on which the body sides slope inward from halfway up the upper deck panel.

The PD2/12s operated mostly on the scenic routes 42 through Duddingston to Portobello and 41 to Cramond. The last remaining ECW Olympians in 2002-3 operated mostly on scenic routes 42 and 41, as well as 2, 12, 19 and 45, alongside Alexander Olympians, and one usually did a rush-hour turn on X47.

When the PD2/12s were withdrawn, they were replaced by dual-door Atlanteans. When the ECW-bodied Olympians were withdrawn, they were replaced not by newer Leylands - because there cannot be any - but by Plaxton-bodied Dennis Tridents. It would be interesting (and an improvement) to see a Trident in traditional livery.

777 and Trident 291

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