A GHOST ON THE PRESTON ROAD

Heading out of Preston on Wednesday I had to rub my eyes at the sight of a speeding blue and white single deck bus. Its cutaway rear entrance was an immediate giveaway as it had to be the former Leyland demonstrator bought by Lytham St Annes Corporation in 1934. This bus was saved from the scrapman by initiatives of David Ellor, a Blackpool garage owner on Whitegate Drive (more about Dave in a later Blog). The bus was then passed on to private ownership in the south of England - eventually migrating to Canada where it rested out of doors in the company of another Lytham St Annes bus from the 1930s.

Eventually repatriated to England much later it was subjected to a total makeover and detailed restoration in the Freckleton base of the Ribble Vehicle Preservation Group.

Now owned privately together with the 1936 TD4c example - the duo are a fantastic representation of buses used as part of Lytham St Annes tram replacement policy in the mid-1930s.

The RVPG group have an amazing collection of buses and coaches from the Northwest - with many being restored to display condition and visible at various events across the North of England during the Summer months.