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Report (Permission Visit) 101 leons last survivor

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farmer.ned

magic.clean
28DL Full Member
hi this explore came about totally by accident as i actually found 101 while on my way to another report.
101 is leons last surviving atlantean double decker bus and is currently parked in a car repair yard doing duty as an office for the said car repairers.
i had been to leons former depot that morning ( see leon the return visit ) and car cleaning job done decided to call at the next explore which was finningley halt station.
parking up at a nearby pub and duly taking the halt photos ( post to be added) went mooching to see if i could find a way on to the platforms and walking up a drive to an industrial estate much to my delight there stood 101 although looking worse for wear still in its original light blue leon livery.
with the halt report forgotten for now i went into the the yard to get permission to photograph the bus which was granted.
as dinner time had rolled round i was invited on board 101 and given a chair while its owner mick harper went to his car and came back with some lovely old photographs of leon buses in service and a pleasant half hour was spent talking about doncasters independant bus operators ,sandtoft trolleybus museum and a mutual friend former leon fitter jim sambrooks known as jim slambrakes after he de poled a trolleybus at speed on the back circuit at sandtoft one sunday afternoon.

101 was new to leon and was a tagged on order of a build of leyland atlanteans fitted with gardner engines for midland scottish and was fully fitted out to scottish bus group requirements and its present owner mick harper was its regular driver on the mc cauley school runs the destination blind was typical of the leon era that it was universal and didnt need to be wound at either end
101 was retired in 2004 due to chassis problems and just before leon was bought by mass engineering and was sold for scrap and driven the short distance from the depot to its present location alongside the derelict platforms at finningley halt reversed down the side of the garage and the engine switched off to become as stated a car repair office.
mick harper intends to sell and the yard and retire in the next 12 months or so and is leaving 101 behind and wether the future is barnsley bus breakers or preservation remains to be seen as she has been stood for 15 years so no doubt the chassis problem may well be worse and she has definatly snapped 4 of her wheel studs while an attempt was made to change a flat tyre on the drivers side and refuses to release her remaining wheel bolts despite heating its as if 101 is happy to remain where she is for another 15 years and resents any interference with her rest
and as mick stated she is watertight and doesnt leak anywhere so may be she will remain in the yard as a office and storeroom and will continue to delight photographers and anoraks who come to see her untill she is finally moved from her resting place probably for the last time.
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101 rests at the finningley terminus of leons core route service 191 finningley to doncaster
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101 makes it way down down wroot road to the village of wroot which borders south yorkshire and lincolnshire with the tuesday,friday and saturday 191 wroot service which coincides with the main market days at doncaster and is run thus as a market service
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101 stands at the depot in finningley ready to take another market day service to misson
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standing in the gloom of doncasters south bus station awaiting passengers for finningley
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now serving as an office surrounded by crap, weeds and scrap cars
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a side view
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despite the years and its fading paint 101 still retains its original aluminum leon badge i have advised him to remove it as it may have value to a collector
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filled with crap at the front the steel grilling was pulled away so i could get a better shot of 101 my only regret was i didnt get any interior shots owner mick harper is on the left.
 
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