Leeds goes fully automatic
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• Orders for Leyland buses received from UK operators in the past few weeks have exceeded the £1+m mark. Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Birkenhead and Plymouth municipal undertakings have all ordered Atlantean rearengined double-deckers while other municipalities have ordered Panther rear-underfloor-engined single-deckers.
The Leeds City Transport contract, valued at £160,000, is for 40 Atlanteans which will form one of the first fleets on British roads to be fitted with fully auto
matic transmission of a new design to be manufactured by Self Changing Gears Ltd., a member of the Leyland group. Power steering is another feature of the Leeds buses and a power-operated spring brake will be fitted in place of the conventional manual handbrake. This brake incorporates a fail-safe mechanism so that if the air pressure is accidentally lost, the brake will automatically come on.
The bodies of the Leeds vehicles will be built by Charles H. Roe Ltd., incorporating glass reinforced plastics front and rear domes.. Large panoramic windows, electrically heated screens, and special heating and ventilation arrangements are among the specialized features of the bodies.