Forty years ago, two enterprising coach operators in the West Riding designed and built their own chassis and had them bodied by Plaxton in Scarborough. One of them went on to put its vehicle into small scale production and also designed a bespoke bus for a small municipal with big ideas.
While spending some of the recent lockdown going through his collection of colour slides, Malcolm King was reminded of two hand-built coaches completed within 20miles of each other at premises in West Yorkshire and placed in service 40 years ago in April 1981. One of them led briefly to greater things.
For the avoidance of any doubt, these are true stories and not April Fools. Independent Coachways at Horsforth, Leeds and Ward Bros. at Lepton, Huddersfield built their own chassis which they then sent to the east Yorkshire coast for Plaxton to construct new bodies for them in Scarborough.
Independent Coachways had been known for its in-house engineering skills, adapting several coaches not just for PSV work but in one case for conversion into a horse box. Ex-Midland Red Leyland Leopard CHA 120C was acquired in 1976, fitted with a turbocharger and rebodied in 1978 with a Plaxton Supreme. It was re-registered ANW 21S an…
