Appeal goes out to help restore a vintage Portsmouth open top bus

Down memory lane - the Leyland TD4 open top double decker bus

The City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot have won a coveted Restoration Award from the National Transport Trust regarding their classic 1935 vehicle.

Mostly hidden in a shed in Portchester, CPPTD volunteers have been working on restoring a Leyland TD4 open top double decker bus.

This is one of four vehicles converted to open top by the Portsmouth Corporation in the early 1950s and ran in service until 1971.

CPPTD officials with Princess Anne, the Patron of the National Transport Trust. Picture by Albany Communications

There are few others of its kind – one vehicle is in a museum and unlikely to run again and another is with a North of England Preservation group.

National Transport Trust judges said: “This is a rare example of a Leyland Titan TD4 with an English Electric Body which is already attracting much interest from enthusiasts.

"It will be a valuable addition to the Bus Preservation Movement and as a result is a worthy recipient of a Restoration Award.”

The restoration of this vehicle was started in Yeovil some years ago, but being unable to complete it the ownership was passed to the CPPTD.

Inside the renovated Leyland TD4 open top double decker bus

The vehicle lay idle in a complete kit of parts and was used as a store.

In August 2021 a group of members lead by Bob Chalmers, of Warminster in Wiltshire, took it on as a project.

The team have made impressive progress; the vehicle has been cleared of the stores, the upper deck has been painted and new flooring laid and seat frames refitted.

The vehicle is being totally rewired and the lower saloon has had a new ceiling fitted and painted, along with new lighting.

The side panels are being covered in new leather cloth, new flooring is being laid, and the cab has been painted.

The next steps will see finishing the fitting out the lower saloon, finishing the rewiring, getting the vehicle running and finishing the outside panelling before it can all be painted.

Work is about to start on the seats and the team is appealing for financial support to help with the cost of the materials.

Having a specialist firm produce the vintage moquette to match the existing one is going to be over £6,000, with the overall restoration expected to cost a further £15,000.

Financial donations are welcomed, along with new volunteers to help complete and operate not only this vehicle but other ones in the collection.

For more details visit the City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot website at cpptd.co.uk.