Subject: National Welsh UD1133 (RBO 195M)
Chassis: Leyland Leopard PSU4B/4RT
Body: Duple Dominant C41F
Location: Cardiff, Wood Street
Date: 29-Mar-1986

Shorter Leyland Leopards were always in a minority in the combined Western Welsh, Rhondda and Red & White fleets and even more so amongst the coaches. Apart from some secondhand examples from Ribble there were just two bought new in 1974 along with three longer PSU3 models.

These five were notable as being the first new vehicles delivered in NBC livery (white) and also that they carried their Red & White-style fleet numbers from new, despite the numbering scheme not having been implemented on the rest of the fleet.

This coach, new in Mar-1974, was going to be 195 in the Western Welsh fleet but instead was new as UC574, renumbered UC1774 in Oct-1975. It was downgraded in Dec-1982 becoming UD1774 but only the following month became UD1133 as seen here.

It is difficult to be sure which service it was on, but I think it more likely that is was working the X8 than the 332. Prior to being at Porth it had been based at Brecon and was used on the Saturday X78 to Bristol, later extended to Weston-super-Mare.

An unusual sight in the background is one of the former Tayside Alexander-bodied Bristol VRTs painted in National Travelworld livery (OSR 207R). These were not normally seen in Cardiff but their high capacity was found useful for dealing with peak summer weekend loads on the 231 service to Porthcawl.

Photograph by courtesy of John Jones