MPTE 1111

1111 on its first day of service

HISTORY

1111 is notable in not only being the last bus to be delivered to Liverpool Corporation but it was also the first bus to enter service with the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive. It was one of a batch of 40 Leyland Atlanteans that had been ordered by the Corporation before the PTE took over control on the 1st December 1969.

The 40 PDR2/1 Atlanteans delivered in 1969/70 were numbered 1111-1150. They were just a few inches short of 33 foot long, with a wheelbase of 18.6 ,. The Alexander bodywork had a seating capacity of 79, 47 in the upper saloon and 32 in the lower with a front entrance and a centre exit.

They continued the Liverpool features of peaked roof domes and polished ribbed alloy skirt panels. Two batches of basically similar buses were delivered between 1970 and 1972. These 125 buses earned the predictable nickname Jumbos due to their size and seating capacity.

1111, along with 1112, 1114 ,1116 entered service on the 15th December 1969 operating from Green Lane on the reintroduced limited stop service 510 between Central Station and Prescot.

February 1974 saw 1111 move to Walton garage with it working on various Cross- City services between Aigburth & Fazakerley and Dingle & Walton. It was at Edge Lane Works for its main overhaul between May and August 1976 with it returning to Walton on its re-certification. It remained at Walton until July 1979 when it was transferred to Gillmoss.

1111 seen at Pier Head in verona

Withdrawn when its five year PSV test certificate expired in June 1982, it was transferred to the driving school remaining in use as a driver training vehicle until October 1986. After the de-regulation of the bus services in Liverpool on the 26th October 1986 Merseybus assumed control of most of the MPTE 's vehicles and routes. The vehicles that were not required by the new organisation were gathered together for disposal in Prince Alfred Road garage, which had been declared surplus and closed.

1111 seen outside the Anglican Cathedral on Hope Street, during the 1999 MTT Tour.

The MPTE kindly donated 1111 and 1236 to the Mersey & Calder BPG for preservation and 1111 was collected from PAR in November 1986.
Restoration was started immediately however it had to be stopped when the group lost some of its secure undercover accommodation. After a period of open storage, the restoration continued. It has now been repainted back into the early MPTE livery complete with the magic roundabout 69 logo and has travelled to numerous rallies in the North West of England.

1111 getting a wash the day before the 2006 Running Day.