Collections close up: Leyland X2 type motorbus, 1908

The Leyland X2 type bus in our collection was one of the ‘first generation’ of motorbuses to run on London’s streets. This vehicle dates from 1908 and is one of the earliest surviving motorbuses in the country. It was operated by the London Central Motor Omnibus Company from 1908 to 1912.

From the mid-1900s onwards motorbuses in London increased in number, but they were still experimental and there was no standardisation.

The X2 type bus was designed and built by Leyland Motors Ltd in Lancashire in 1908. It was an improvement on the earlier X type, being lighter in build to meet the 3.5-ton weight restriction imposed by the Metropolitan Police, who controlled public service vehicles in the Capital. The type was used by various London bus operators, including London Central, as shown here.

The Leyland chassis was one of the few British examples in use, since most London operators at that time used French or German-built chassis. Early Leyland buses were built with Crossley engines, but the X type and subsequent models had Leyland engines. The body on the X2 in our collection was built by the Thomas Tilling Company, but other companies also built X2 type bodies. A degree of standardisation was only introduced with the B type motorbus in 1910.

Our X2 type was operated by the London Central Motor Omnibus Company, with the fleet number 14. London Central was established by Leyland Motors in 1906, taking over the assets of an earlier company. With Leyland’s financial backing, Central soon had the largest fleet of Leyland-built buses in the Capital.

Central operated on routes in central London, in the Kingston area, and in Bedford. Its main route was a service from Chalk Farm in north London to Camberwell and Elephant and Castle in south London. It was numbered route 68. The northern end of the route has been shortened and the southern end extended several times over its history, but it still covers part of the original route. Today route 68 runs from Euston to West Norwood.

Built in 1908, this Leyland X2 number 14 was withdrawn in 1912 after only four years in service. The older X and X2 types were replaced with lighter vehicles favoured by the Metropolitan Police. In 1913 London Central was acquired by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC), and by this time, the LGOC’s B type had become the dominant bus on London’s streets.

From withdrawal in 1912, the subsequent history of number 14 is not known. The body and chassis were discovered in 1979 in use as a shed. The engine was in a private museum in Lancashire, from where the restorer Mike Sutcliffe acquired it in 1987. Between 1992 and 1996, Mike Sutcliffe painstakingly restored the vehicle. London Transport Museum purchased the vehicle in 2018.

This vehicle, and a larger selection of this content, is on display at the Museum.

Look at the Museum Guide, plan a visit, book a ticket.