Last local Leylands

373, two hours into its last service duty on Bispham Road working the 1100 Cleveleys to Blackpool route 9.

Today has seen the withdrawal of the last Leyland Olympian, other than City Sightseeing open toppers. The week started with four of the six 1989 East Lancs bodied Olympians in use but only 373 lasted the week as the others suffered faults which were not worth repairing. 373 worked route 9 starting at 0930 from Cleveleys and then at 1100, 1230, 1400, 1530 and 1700 returning from Blackpool at 1018, 1148, 1318, 1448, 1618 and its final 1748 Blackpool to Cleveleys from where it ran empty to depot.

December 1991 and 368 in original livery is working a tram replacement service connecting with similarly bodied tram 646. 368-371 arrived in March 1989 and entered service usually on the 11C on 1 April. 372/3 followed in early May. 

First repaints retained the original livery but with black window surrounds applied between September 1992 and September 1993. Between November 1995 and February 1996 368/9, 371/3 received this revised livery, while 372 gained an all-over advert for Travelwise. 370 soldiered on in the old style until it too was repainted in June 1997. Further repaints in this livery followed during 1998/9 including 372 which lost its advert in May 1999

A mid life repaint was piloted on 368 in summer 2002 and it was outshopped in Line 11 colours in September  and returned to use in November. The others followed with 370-3 treated over the winter and 369 completing the batch in August 2003

As new Dennis Tridents arrived, 368-373 had their turquoise areas over painted black in May/June 2004. 369 shows the original application, soon red relief areas were applied to the front to offset the large black areas.

368 and 369 were treated to full repaints into Line 1 colours in September and November 2006 respectively.

Both were surprising repaints into the new livery in May/June 2011

A distinctive end for 370 - outshopped in this golf advert for its last week of service in July

A further final look at 373