Many of us will have been to work and back in them daily in
the last three decades plus, or perhaps been woken by the
fairly audible and distinctive sound of one growling up a
hill - the sound of the Leyland Leopard urban bus plying the
Dunedin streets.
Leyland buses have been a part of the council owned Dunedin
City Corporation (later Dunedin City Transport, then Citibus)
urban bus fleet since 1925, and the last bastion of the
‘Leyland family’ the Leopards, since the 1970s.
But on 12 October 2010, that long era finally came to a
close, when the last Leopard still in service with Citibus,
fleet no. 194 worked a final trip, having been sold to the
Bus 194 Project.
This not only brought to a close 85 years of Leyland’s in the
fleet, but over 30 years of sterling service to Dunedin from
the Leyland Leopard type itself.
No. 194, which entered service with DCT in July 1981, is one
of the stylish New Zealand Motor Bodies (under license of
Swiss firm Hess) bodied Leopards, bodywork made of alloy, and
to launch the Bus 194 Project, was taken on a drive combining
some of the former routes she had worked for many years on
evening of Friday, October 22, 2010.
This 'combined trip' included old route no. 5 (St Clair), 27
(St Kilda), and (7) Shiel Hill.
It also encompassed an off route part by taking part of the
high road of Otago Peninsula, from Tomahawk, before driving
back into the city, returning via Andersons Bay, Portsmouth
Drive, main city centre and to the depot, where the only
other remaining Leopard on the compound, no. 190 from 1980,
(also sold) can briefly be seen.
The aims of the Bus 194 Project are for preservation of this
bus and others pertaining to Dunedin City, as a volunteer run
trust, which will make the bus, available for hire.
The plans are to eventually paint 194 in her original DCT tan
and yellow livery, and procure other significant heritage
buses that operated for the DCT.
Anyone interested in this project can email bus_194@hotmail.com.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|
| Leyland Leopard number 194 parked at the Manor place end of the depot, after her last duty for Citibus, 29 years and 3 months of plying City streets. | 171.13 KB |
| Driving down Andersons Bay road as part of the drive during launch of the Bus 194 project, as many who rode them remember when this was a part of daily life in Dunedin - the bell/pull cord and that flashing 'Stopping' sign all still present and working. | 877.05 KB |
| Photo stop halfway down Highcliff Road. The Hess bodywork, licence built by NZMB is quite stylish, and ahead of it's time, being all alloy. This also kept the bus weight down to 8.4 tonnes empty. | 258.04 KB |
| Our friendly bus driver for the occasion, Alan, who has driven Leopards for a number of years. | 262.5 KB |
| Another photo stop view. | 250.97 KB |
| Parked up again, the launch over, and it’s time for the Bus 194 members to sojourn to that bistro that’s been the ‘eating spot’ for drivers as long (or longer) than the Leylands have been about on our streets – over the road at the Southern Tavern. | 221.88 KB |
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.