WJY 758: Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1 Metro-Cammell O43/33F 1962

The vehicle is a representation of a might-have-been had Keighley Corporation Transport continued as a bus operator. Privately operated horse trams first ran on the streets of Keighley in 1889, with ownership passing to the corporation in 1901. Electric trams replaced their horse-drawn counterparts in 1904 and continued in operation until 1924. Trolleybuses were operated during two distinct periods, from 1913 to 1921 then again from 1924 to 1932. The first motorbuses had been introduced as early as 1908 but were withdrawn in 1915. A second phase of motorbus operation began in 1924 and continued until 1932 when they were absorbed into Keighley West Yorkshire Services Ltd, a joint venture with the West Yorskshire Road Car Co. This arrangement survived until local government reorganisation in 1974; at time Keighley was absorbed into Bradford Metropolitan District, full ownership of the local bus fleet passed to the West Yorkshire company.

The earliest Keighley Corporation buses were of Commer and Leyland manufacture. For the second phase of motorbus operation, fleet numbers began at 20, the lower numbers being reserved for trolleybuses. A succession of Leyland and Guys took the fleet numbering up to 58 in 1932, the last new vehicles being 53 – 57, Leyland TD1s delivered in 1928. 58 was a 1932 Leyland TD2 transferred from West Yorkshire immediately prior to formation of the joint company. Subsequent vehicles were painted in the red West Yorkshire livery and carried West Yorkshire fleet numbers. Had Keighley continued to run its own buses, the next fleet number would thus have been 59.

Plymouth was an early convert to the Leyland Atlantean, taking its first examples in 1960. Keighley 59 is in reality Plymouth 158, delivered new in August 1962. It was converted to opentop in 1975 and given the name “Plymouth Adventurer”. It was renumbered 458 in 1980. As an opentopper, it received a yellow and white livery in place of its original red, though it also spent periods in advertising liveries for Plymouth Sound Radio and for a selection of local tourist attractions.

 It was sold in June 1991 to SS Suncruisers for use on opentop services along Scarborough seafront. The following year it passed to Viking Tours, who operated sightseeing tours in York. It had however stood out of use for some time when acquired by KBMT chairman Graham Mitchell in September 2003.