Vehicle restoration behind the scenes

1964 double-deck Leyland bus, number 954 (954CUF)


Having received a painstaking restoration lasting well over 10 years, number 954, a Leyland Titan PD3 double-deck bus, is our latest vehicle to re-enter passenger service. Registered 954 CUF and new in 1964 to Southdown Motor Services of Sussex, the bus was one of a batch of 25 similar 69 seat vehicles from that year.

We bought the bus in 1991 and following a period in store, 954 has undergone a complete refurbishment to the original 1964 specification. This fine vehicle is the very last survivor of the original batch still available for hire to the general public.

Some history

954 is quite unusual in that during the winter months of the 1960s, the bus was temporarily converted into a mobile exhibition. Fitted with displays and information, it toured many areas of Northern England and occasionally France promoting the virtues of a holiday in Sussex.

One such occasion was photographed (below) when the bus visited the Bull Ring in Birmingham. During the summer season it was simply a normal bus – no doubt carrying some of the people enticed during the winter period!

(Below) 28th May 1991 - the very day we collected the bus from its previous owner, a berry farmer based in Scotland. We travelled down to Perth the night before and then out to Blairgowrie to collect the bus the following day. The farmer purchased the bus following withdrawal from passenger service in 1977, and used it for only 6 weeks in every year to transport fruit pickers around his estate.

As you can see from the picture, the body-work was rather tired but we drove the bus back to Sussex over two days without a hitch.

Double-deck bus hire

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