GLJ 677N

Chassis Number:

01864

Registration:

Type:

11351/1R/SC

Seating:

DP48F

New:

January 1975

Original Operator and Fleet Number:

Hants & Dorset 3641

Current Owner:

Mike Nash, Ockley

Further Information:

GLJ 677N was new to Hants & Dorset Motor Services, a subsidiary of the National Bus Company (NBC), on the 21st January 1975, receiving fleet number 3641. She was one of 151 Mark 1 Leyland Nationals delivered new to Hants & Dorset (H&D) between March 1973 and January 1980. She was one of a batch of ten split between Bournemouth and Salisbury depots for working longer distance ‘limited stop’ services. This batch were all ‘Suburban Coach’ Leyland Nationals, hence the “SC” in the designation, fitted with ‘dual purpose’ (DP) high backed (and better padded) seats and luggage racks running the full length of the interior roof. She was allocated from new to Bournemouth depot and worked the X17 and X27 express routes from Bournemouth to Southampton. Following the closure of Bournemouth depot after the disastrous fire in 1976 she transferred to Ringwood depot with her sisters, still for use on the same routes, as Ringwood lies roughly halfway between Bournemouth and Southampton. In the early 1980s the NBC had decreed that all its larger companies were to be broken into smaller units in the run up to privatisation, as this would in theory make them more attractive to would be buyers. Hants & Dorset was not spared this desecration, and on the 1st April 1983 H&D was split into four parts - Hampshire Bus, Provincial, Shamrock & Rambler (coaches) and Wilts & Dorset. Of H&D’s 151 Nationals, Wilts & Dorset only took 49, preferring double decks to singles, an attitude that is very apparent even in their fleet today. GLJ passed to Wilts & Dorset (W&D) on this date, still allocated to Ringwood at the time and retaining her fleet number of 3641. Information becomes a little sketchy after this, however she was transferred from Ringwood to Poole depot at some point between the 24th August 1986 and May 1987, although the exact date is unknown. She stayed at Poole working more mundane routes until her withdrawal by W&D on the 6th March 1992.

She was sold to dealer Ripley’s of Carlton, who quickly sold her on to Beeston’s of Hadleigh on the 30th March 1992. Beeston’s reregistered her to PJI 3670, an ageless Irish registration, on the 11th February 1993. In October 1995 she was sold to Geldards Coaches of Armley, Leeds, who used the fleet name Bigfoot Buses, where she received the fleet number LN1. It is worth mentioning that in all the above movements she was closely shadowed by her sister vehicle, GLJ 678N, which was reregistered to PJI 3671 by Beestons. After withdrawal by Geldards she was sold to dealer Alan Hardwick of Carlton in August 2000.

She was acquired from Hardwick’s for her dual-purpose seats by National preservationist Eddie Knorn of Melbourn later in August 2000. Although Eddie removed the DP seats for use in his former Green Line National SNC168, she remained otherwise intact and was subsequently purchased for preservation by Anthony Poulton of New Milton on the 15th August 2001. Since then she has had another set of DP seats fitted and on the 14th September 2001 she was reregistered back to her original registration of GLJ 677N. During 2003 she was repainted back into Hants & Dorset NBC dual-purpose poppy red and white livery. At the end of the 2003 rally season she was taken out of service so that she could have some much needed work carried out on her interior prior to the start of the 2004 rally season. In March 2005 she was repainted into the then current Wilts & Dorset red, black and white livery. Unfortunately, on the way back from the repaint on the 2nd April 2005 a seal went on the gearbox resulting in a complete loss of gearbox oil which damaged the gearbox. Then whilst being towed one or possibly both of the rear wheel bearings seized and she ended up finished her recovery journey on the back of a low-loader lorry. Regrettably Anthony felt it was time to call it a day with GLJ and reluctantly put her up for sale. On the 17th July 2005 she was acquired by Mike Nash of Ockley. At the time of writing (late July 2005) it is not known what plans Mike has for her. Be sure to check back in the future to see what happened to 'Four Leaf' and whether she managed to stay lucky....

The Webmaster would like to thank Anthony Poulton for providing the vehicle history and photos.

Click here to see the feature on GLJ 677N at the Ringwood Festival of Transport on the 17th August 2003

Beeston's of Hadleigh PJI 3670 (GLJ 677N) in Beeston's livery in September 1995.

© Photograph by Daniel Stazicker.

Bigfoot Buses of Leeds PJI 3670 (GLJ 677N) in Bigfoot livery in December 1995.

© Photograph by Daniel Stazicker.

Bigfoot Buses of Leeds PJI 3670 (GLJ 677N) in Bigfoot's new livery on the 22nd September 1998.

© Photograph by Daniel Stazicker.

Pictured in Eddie Knorn's garden on the 15th August 2001 is PJI 3670 (GLJ 677N). This was the day she was purchased for preservation by Anthony Poulton. At this time she still carried Bigfoot Buses livery.

© Photograph by Anthony Poulton.

Preserved GLJ 677N is pictured in March 2002 whilst the bodywork was being prepared for repaint. She is in 9 different colours: Bigfoot blue & yellow livery on most of the body, NBC red & white on various bits, pink undercoat on the front, black on the rear bumper, one green wheelarch, one light blue lower skirt panel and some red oxide.

© Photograph by Anthony Poulton.

Preserved GLJ 677N in Hants & Dorset NBC dual purpose poppy red and white livery with South Wessex local fleetname. She is pictured in the lay-by outside Basingstoke Bus Station waiting departure time before working service 107 from Basingstoke to Alton as part of the Alton Running Day & Bus Rally on the 18th July 2004.

© Photograph by Anthony Poulton.

Pictured in Warminster on the 2nd April 2005 is preserved GLJ 677N freshly repainted into Wilts & Dorset post deregulation red, black and white livery.

© Photograph by Matthew Reynolds.