Western S.M.T AD1544, MSD 408, is a 1959 Leyland Titan PD3/3 with Walter Alexander 67 seat, lowbridge bodywork and a Leyland O.600 engine.

When new it was allocated to Cumnock depot as fleet number CD1544, from 1972 till the end of its working life it was allocated to Ayr depot becoming fleet number AD1544. A private preservationist from Lancashire bought the bus straight out of service from Western in 1978. The bus was worked on for about two years and was last taxed in 1980, it then spent the best part of 25 years in storage in Lancashire before returning home. Whilst in Lancashire very minimal restoration work was done, so the bus has the benefit of being in straight out of service condition with very little missing, it was in fact repainted in 1977 by Western and still has a 1977 Ayr depot destination screen on board! The paintwork is still in fantastic condition, so it may be possible, with the help of some T-Cut and a coat of varnish to leave the original paintwork intact.

The bus was bought on the 26th January 2004, after lengthy negotiations. The search for a west of Scotland half cab had been ongoing for over 8 years and discussion with the previous owner of this bus for over 2 years. There were a number of near misses in those years including 3 Western half cabs in the US and Canada, then Fife, Central and Northern halfcabs in this country, and most bizarrely a Western PD3A in Argentina! (But that is another story!)

Work commenced on getting the bus roadworthy for the journey home the weekend after it was purchased. These trips involved 7 hour round trips each Sunday which was a far from an ideal situation! The original intention was to drive it home, but in the end it was decided on a tow as there were a few problems with the starter motor and engine that would be easier to fix in Glasgow, and there was also some doubt over brakes and hoses etc.

The morning of the 3rd of April arrived and MSD408 was prepared for the journey north, but on the day it was in fact only to travel around 50 miles north before an overnight stay at the Ribble Valley Preservation Trust's Freckleton storage yard. On the morning of the 4th of April it resumed the trip home, arriving at the premises of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust at Bridgeton, shortly after 2pm, it was home, for good!

On route up the M6 from Manchester after playing rugby for the Caledonian Thebans RFC the bus was spotted and a small convoy was formed behind it and the wrecker. Following it north evoked some moments of great alarm as the offside, inside tyre lost little bits of rubber to the scenery of the Lake District. The tyre did in fact hold together (well almost) and remained inflated for the rest of the journey.

Since arriving at Bridgeton some work has started on the bus, with the repair to the starter motor taking priority, though a lot of cleaning and necessary smaller works have been done too. The starter motor was repaired and then refitted on Sunday the 19th April and during that first moment of truth, the bus was started. The necessary if somewhat energetic task of using the starter handle to turn the engine at least 2 revolutions to ensure that it wasn't seized, and checking that there was something at least vaguely resembling oil in the sump was undertaken, before the starter was pressed. It is not known how long it has been since it last ran, but it is at least 5 years and possibly a lot longer. It was a pleasant surprise that the bus started very easily after only a couple of seconds on the starter button. A number of Bridgeton regulars were on hand to witness this first powering up and it was delightful to hearing the Leyland 600 engine come to life.

Other immediate repairs are to replace the gasket between the oil filter and the engine block, which running the engine highlighted as faulty. The huge puddle of oil on the floor was the clue to this fault, though by the same token, the amount of oil leaking also proved how well the oil pump was working!

A closer inspection underneath has highlighted that the frame under the platform is in need of some repair, as there is some lamination in the steelwork. The rear lights and wiring loom are also in need of attention, but this does not look too major at this stage. An irritating feature is the horn been stuck on and this needs to be addressed too, though John Kennedy has already made some noisy attempts to repair this last Sunday.

Immediate plans are to identify and prioritise all necessary repairs and work through a "to do" list to prepare the bus for an MOT attempt. If nothing else this MOT attempt will precipitate another probably more detailed "to do" list. To that end a copy of the service manual and parts list for a PD3 and/or the O.600 engine would be extremely helpful, so any help locating these would be greatly appreciated.

On the restoration front the plan in the short term (2-3 years) is to restore the bus to its out of service condition, as of 1978 as AD1544 and not to concourse condition. Over the following years progress to an "as new" condition may take place, but one step at a time.

It would be nice to have the vehicle in pristine as new condition for its 50 birthday in 2009!

The owner of this vehicle have created an independent website for more thorough restoration information. You can access this by clicking the link below (Please note, the GVVT is not responsible for any content on this site):
http://www.westernsmt.com