Forum | Merseyside Dennis Dart Website

Has anybody got a North Western fleetlist and allocation for when they commenced operations in September 1986?

Please and thanks in advance!!!

Current research has got this far. Any additions / removals / etc most welcome -

1-6 D201-6SKD Mercedes-Benz L609D – Reeve Burgess DP19F

7-12 D207-12SKD Mercedes-Benz L609D – Reeve Burgess B20F

13-26 D213-26SKD Mercedes-Benz L609D – Alexander B20F

200-213 PTF720/21/23/25/26/33-35/37/38/41/47/55/56L Leyland National 1151/1R – Leyland B52F

214-255 SCK687-690/92/93/98/99/700/01/06/10-12P, UHG724/31/35/46/50/51/58-60R,
ACW761-65R, CBV766/67/69/73/74/86/87/91-96S Leyland National 11351A/1R – Leyland B49F

300-313 DBV844/45W, JCK850-53W, LFR854/55/65/67/69/74-76X Leyland National 2 NL106AL11/1R – Leyland B44F

391-398 OCK344/45/56/58/61/63/69/70K Bristol RESL6L – Eastern Coach Works B47F

400-475 RTF612-14/16/18/20-27/29/31-52M, GBV121-145/47/48N, NRN371-76/79-82/87/89/403P Leyland Atlantean AN68/1R – Park Royal H43/30F

500 TRN466V Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R – Eastern Coach Works H43/31F

501-530 FBV486-515W Leyland Atlantean AN68B/1R – Eastern Coach Works H43/31F

601-625 DBV135/36Y, A139-41MRN, A144/46/47OFR, B148-51/53-55TRN, B960-69WRN Leyland Olympian ONLXB/1R – Eastern Coach Works H45/32F

750-759 WCK122/24/25/32/35/37/42-45V Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R – Duple Dominant II C49F

Only omissions I can see are 270 GFR799W the prototype National 2 that passed over and 700-7?? a selection of 12 metre Leyland Leopards from the URN-R, BNB-T,HNE-V, MRJ-W and SND-X series.

Thanks for that information. These are the vehicles that NW were using for National Express work, and I have doubts they were ever used for ordinary carriage purposes. I have been using a Ribble Enthusiasts Club fleetbook to work out what stayed with Ribble and what went to North Western, and there seems to be a haphazard reporting here of the National Travel allocations. Bus Lists On The Web website has been useful up to an extent.

Tantalisingly, an initial North Western fleetlist was reported in an early 1987 issue of "Buses" magazine but I can't find the edition in question in my archives.

Thanks again for your help!

I remember the 12 metre Leopards used quite frequently on the X8 Banks to Chester route before the dual purpose Dennis Dominintor/ East Lancs 630 -635 F630-635BKD were delivered in 1989.

Nice work on that North Western fleet list mate always wondered what they started out with. I take it no Bristol VR's or the small number of W and X reg Olympians were based at the Merseyside Ribble depots although did any run in to Liverpool from the long distance routes at all?

The Freight Rover Sherpa's as crap as there were would be interesting to know about I wonder how many of those North Western used when they moved into other parts of Liverpool and Merseyside they'd never really operated in before too.

Thanks again for doing this post TW.

Found my copy of Buses March 1987 which has the list of vehicles moving to North Western, the following is also included according to the list, some of which have been mentioned above:

700/1 - URN212/3R Leyland Leopard PSU5A/4R Duple C51F
702-5 - BNB238-40/6T etc Leyland Leopard PSU5C/4R Duple C50F
706 - HNE255V Leyland Leopard PSU5C/4R Duple C53F
707 - MRJ266W Leyland Leopard PSU5C/4R Plaxton C36F
708/9 - MRJ271/2W Leyland Leopard PSU5C/4R Plaxton C50F
710-3 - SND281-3/6X Leyland Leopard PSU5D/4R Duple C50F
714/5 - SND288/90X Leyland Leopard PSU5D/4R Duple C53F
800 - HCK466 Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Duple C53F
801 - A105HNC Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Plaxton C46Ft
802/3 - A127/8MBA Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Plaxton C49F
804 - BRN4Y Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Plaxton C53Ft
806-10 - ANA106-110Y Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R Plaxton C48Ft
811-18 - B135-9/46-8ACK Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3RZ Duple C48Ft

Buses Mar 1987 suggests that 12 D212SKD is Alexander bodied rather than Reeve Burgess. It also suggests Olympian 600 DBV133Y moved across as well as 601/6 DBV135/6Y.

Hope this helps, can't vouch for the info being only 6 years old at the time and not living in the north west, think I first went to Hawthorne Road sometime in the mid 90s on a Sheffield Omnibus Enthusiasts day trip visit!

(10/04/2020 19:38)Gillmoss 0324 Wrote: [ -> ]Nice work on that North Western fleet list mate always wondered what they started out with. I take it no Bristol VR's or the small number of W and X reg Olympians were based at the Merseyside Ribble depots although did any run in to Liverpool from the long distance routes at all?

The Freight Rover Sherpa's as crap as there were would be interesting to know about I wonder how many of those North Western used when they moved into other parts of Liverpool and Merseyside they'd never really operated in before too.

Thanks again for doing this post TW.

I can't remember the Bristol VRs, but i remember the Olympians some of them were based at Liverpool depots, i remember them on the 300/302, certainly some Olympians where based at Hawthorn Road, & Aintree.

Thanks for everyone's help and comments. Now all I have to find out is the initial fleet allocations!!!

800 (HCK466) was originally registered as WVR60X for National Travel North West in 1982, then reregistered DCM552X as North Western 800 between 1986-1988. HCK466's last known use was as a Leyland PD2 training bus for Ribble.

No ex-Ribble VRs were transferred to North Western, or were used in general service with Ribble in Liverpool at all, aside from a couple that were used for the Garden Festival service 401 in 1984. This oddity was operated by Ribble (and Crosville for that matter) to shore up their guaranteed mileage agreement with MPTE.

Depot allocations at 11/86. Any corrections / comments welcome.

AINTREE (Ormskirk Road)
302-10, 312, 313, 396, 450, 453-55, 458, 475, 501, 502, 505-09, 512, 523, 524, 529, 530, 602, 608, 615, 621-25, 700, 701, 710-13, 715, 800, 801 (54 vehicles)

BOOTLE (Hawthorne Road)
5, 6, 9-26, 210-12, 437-49, 451, 452, 456, 457, 459-74, 500, 503, 504, 510, 511, 513-22, 600, 601, 603-05, 612, 616-20, 707 (82 vehicles)

LIVERPOOL (Skelhorne Street - National Travel)
806-18 (13 vehicles)

SKELMERSDALE (Neverstitch Road)
1-4, 7, 8, 214-20, 224, 225, 227, 231, 235, 236, 243, 244, 249, 250-3, 255, 300, 301, 392, 394, 395, 397, 398, 400, 402, 405, 406, 408-18, 420, 436, 525-7, 609, 613, 702-4, 706, 708, 709, 714, 751-4, 756-9, 802-4 (73 vehicles)

SOUTHPORT (Lord Street Bus Station)
206, 221, 222, 755 (4 vehicles)

WIGAN (Wallgate)
200-05, 207-09, 213, 223, 226, 228, 230, 232-34, 237-41, 245-48, 254, 311, 391, 393, 401, 403, 404, 407, 419, 421-35, 606, 607, 610, 611, 614, 705, 750 (56 vehicles)

UNALLOCATED / UNKNOWN
229, 242, 270 (3 vehicles)

ANCILLIARY
915, 920, 924, 928-31 (7 vehicles)