19-Sep-2007, 04:13 PM
Going waaaaay back to pre-war, there used to be a body building shop at South Works. If my memory serves me right we built the first Royal Tiger there after the war, but as said, they used to get finished at Eastern Coachworks I believe at Lowestoft, H.V.Burlingham at Blackpool, some to Duple. With the Leyland types in my Tool Room days I did a number of press tools for window corners, and bits of body work for PD2 vehicles. I always look at vintage vehicle shows to see if my corners are still there. Same with the Hippo cab roof, now that was a press tool, one operation of Press Pierce and Form and there was your top. Those were the days of hard graft and something to show at the end.
Body Finishing in South Works was where the vehicle was final painted and upholstered, ready for Customers Inspection Dept at King Street. There was something called "pride in your work" in those days, I was glad to be part of it. Where has it all gone to?
Now at the far end of life`s highway, I can look back with a lot of pride at Leylands (as was), remember the old Company and its workers and whenever I can, tell any listener that I was a Leyland Motors man. But, who cares any more? Stagecoach are reported in Barnsley to be in trouble with the Traffic Commisioners because they have been running unsafe buses, quoting instances of wheel nuts coming loose and blaming the "engineers at the garage" for poor maintenance.
I`ll back off now I`ve had my grumble, and look with suspicion at the wheel nuts of the bus , and wonder..............
Body Finishing in South Works was where the vehicle was final painted and upholstered, ready for Customers Inspection Dept at King Street. There was something called "pride in your work" in those days, I was glad to be part of it. Where has it all gone to?
Now at the far end of life`s highway, I can look back with a lot of pride at Leylands (as was), remember the old Company and its workers and whenever I can, tell any listener that I was a Leyland Motors man. But, who cares any more? Stagecoach are reported in Barnsley to be in trouble with the Traffic Commisioners because they have been running unsafe buses, quoting instances of wheel nuts coming loose and blaming the "engineers at the garage" for poor maintenance.
I`ll back off now I`ve had my grumble, and look with suspicion at the wheel nuts of the bus , and wonder..............