Leyland National NA1 on evaluation with CIÉ, 1974
In 1974, CIÉ took delivery of a Leyland National for evaluation on provincial services for a period of twelve months. As seen below, the National was a new demonstrator at the 1974 Earls Court Motor Show in London - the last ever held there - and also featured the Dublin-built Van Hool D694.
The National was the only flat floor example of its type ever built. Known as the Suburban Express it went straight from the Motor Show to CIÉ and spent much of its time operating on the Dublin-Wicklow route. The bus was fleet numbered NA1 and carried plates RRM 148M during its tenure in Ireland.
A very interesting shot, above! Not only is NA1 pictured on the Main Street of Bray in County Wicklow, but a Donnybrook towcar (TC1) is seen negotiating around it with a D-type Atlantean - not helped, of course, by the the driver of the Mercedes on the opposite side who seems determined to push his/her way through.
Below is a closer, nearside shot...
Sometimes, NA1 worked other services. Below she was pictured at Busáras in Central Dublin with a destination sticker for Kilkenny.
In the end, CIÉ decided not to make any purchase orders for this type and the bus returned to the UK for more demo work. Shortly afterwards she was sold to West Midlands Police as a mobile command centre and, eventually, after a bit more work in Southern England it was preserved. To this day, the bus still wears the ivory/chocolate brown livery (though not the roundel logo) and is preserved in Norfolk, England.
Click here for more information on this bus, including colour preservation pictures.
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The photographer is none other than Mr. Michael Dryhurst, reknowned movie producer-director who took the photos while based
in Ireland at the time of filming work at Ardmore Studios in Bray during 1974 (try a Google search for more
information on his work).
My special thanks to Michael for allowing me to showcase these rare pictures on the site.
December 2007
My thanks to Dave O'Connor for his assistance with this article.
A Londoner, Michael retired to Roscommon from California in 2005.
A life-long bus enthusiast, especially with London material, his next love is Ireland
and started photographing here in Dublin in 1959.