Leyland Lynx

F251JRM

No 251 is currently road legal

This latest addition to our collection was collected on 28th March 2008 , the final day of its MoT. The team at Stagecoach South Shields made Alistair, Richard and Annie welcome, showed us around the bus, and allowed us to have a drive around the yard. We had to tax it on the day - as a "bus" as that was how it was classed on its V5 certificate. This cost twice the rate as our other buses, so it was taxed for 6 months only, until the end of August. We have since been able to retax the bus as a Private Light Goods which allowed us to claim a refund of £75 on the road fund tax. Paul Paxton from BBC Look North was there to film he bus being collected and driven away.
Our mechanical team had a look at the bus over our pit and were generally pleased with what they saw. Although Stagecoach had looked after the bus well, Tony took the opportunity to give the engine area a pressure washing. With a change of batteries and attention to a faulty headlight bulb, it passed a new MoT with no problem on 21st April, and Paul Paxton completed his filming for Look North a week later on the 28th.
We drove it back to Workington at up to 50mph with no problem, except when we stopped for a bacon butty in a layby near Thursby. Alistair switched off the engine when he stopped, but when he tried to start it later, the batteries weren't interested! Several attempts later and after tightening up the battery connections, there was almost enough power to start, but not quite enough! So we had to call for assistance - John & Jim came to the rescue with a spare set of batteries. It took only a few seconds to connect the jump leads then the bus fired up, and within minutes we were on our way.

  It is planned to return it to its original stagecoach livery.

Cumberland Motor Services Leyland Lynxes

Compared to owning dozens of Nationals, Cumberland only had five Lynxes, of which four were owned from new:

251 (F251 JRM) New in 1988 after CMS had been absorbed into the Stagecoach empire, and painted in the Stagecoach "stripes" livery, 251 spent only 8 years here before being transferred in May 1996 to Stagecoach in Hartlepool, then on to Cleveland Transit at Stockton in July 1997.
251 moved on to its latter driver training role with Busways in November 2003.

252 (F252 JRM) 252 followed 251 as far as Transit, then on to Redby at Sunderland in January 2003. It was withdrawn in July 2005.

253 (F253 KAO) 253 followed 251 as far as Transit, then moved to North East Bus Breakers (dealer) at Annfield Plain in October 2002. it then went quickly to Healy of Castlegar, Eire , reregistered as 89-G-7354, but had disappeared by May 2006.

254 (E709 MFV) New in 1987, 254 went to Cleveland Transit, Stockton in November 1996, then on to dealer Houston Ramm, Heywood in August 2004, ending its days with dealer Trevor Wigley at Carlton the same month.

255 (C544 RAO) New in 1985, 255 followed 254 to Cleveland Transit, also finishing its days at Carlton.