Yorkshire Dales Bus Running Day 2025 - 1927 Leyland Lion PLSC3 bus ride

#yorkshiredalesrunningday

My first ever visit to the annual Yorkshire Dales Running Day in Skipton on Sunday 12th October 2025.

Here I take a ride on Leyland Lion PLSC3 which was built in 1927!

The following history is taken from the Aire Valley Transport Group website:

KW 1961 entered service in July 1927 with the Blythe and Berwick bus company which was soon to merge with the Harrogate and District Road Car Company and its subsidiary Premier Transport of Keighley to form the West Yorkshire Road Car Company in January 1928.

Blythe and Berwick was a company registered in 1919 to amalgamate the charabanc operations of William Hodgson Berwick and Blythe's Parcel Delivery Service, both started before the First World War.

In 1924 they began operating motor bus services in the Bradford area and the network grew to include Baildon, Keighley, Otley, Ilkley and Leeds as well as local services between Bankfoot and Lister Park, Lidget Green and Clayton.

This extensive network lead to the company acquiring a large number of Leyland Lions in 1927 and indeed some of these were not delivered until after January 1928 and received WW registrations issued by the West Riding County Council instead of Bradford CBC registrations.

KW 1961 was withdrawn in October 1932 and along with many of its sisters was sold to Jersey Motor Transport where it survived the German occupation of the island and remained in service until 1959.

Bus preservation at this time was in its infancy and a number of individuals worked as a co-operative to save a number of JMT vehicles for posterity, including sister vehicle KW 474 which has always resided at a transport museum in Lincoln, masquerading as Lincoln Corporation No 1.

KW 1961 finished up with Ken Blacker and was housed for many years at the East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, but Ken realising that he was not going to achieve a total restoration offered the vehicle to AVTG members in 2010, and much work has been undertaken to restore the vehicle to running order.

Many thanks to everyone involved for a wonderful day!

Links to my other videos of the Yorkshire Dales Running Day 2025:

HERITAGE BUS RUNS
   • Yorkshire Dales Bus Running Day 2025 - Her...  

STATIC DISPLAYS
   • Yorkshire Dales Bus Running Day 2025 - Bus...