Odd Bodies - Special ! - Birch Bros - by Roger Barton and Mike Sutcliffe

(Torque 28)

The publication of the photograph of the Birch double-deck Lion in Torque No.26 has aroused much interest in the unusual Leylands of this operator. Recent research by Roger Barton led to the notes below, particularly relating to the queries about BLO 975 and the PS1/4, and these are accompanied by an assortment of photos mainly from Mike Sutcliffe’s collection.

Leyland Lion LT7 BLO 975 was new in 4/35, one of 14 Lions (K36-49) with Birch ‘Airflo’ FC39C bodies, four LT5A and ten LT7 chassis. These were followed in 1936/7 by six three-axle Tigers (K50-5) (two TS7T, i.e. single axle drive) and four TS7D (both rear axles driven) with 43-seat centre-entrance full-front Birch ‘Airflo’  coach bodies. Many of the 20 bodies were rebuilt during the War to half-cab layout, to improve visibility in the blackout, or for ease of maintenance.

During the War there were considerable and complicated changes to this fleet. Unfortunately these are not very well recorded in the PSV Circle History PN3, as will be seen from the photographs here, and the record needs to be put right. The recent book Birch Bros. on the Move, whilst good on the history of the company and its routes, is very inadequate when it comes to the description of the vehicles. BLO 975 was given a new Birch double-deck body, L21/27F, in 1944 and renumbered K142, later to become a breakdown tender in 1951. Of the six-wheel TS7 Tigers, four (K50-2/5) were rebodied with Birch double-deck H64F bodies in 1943/4, being renumbered K150-3, and two (K53/4) were almost certainly heavily rebuilt rather than rebodied by Birch with B43F single-deck bodies in 1945/6.

LT7 Lions K40 (BLO 973) and K49 (CLA 105) were rebodied with front entrance Birch ‘ECW-look-alike’ B35F bodies in 1947/8 and these appear to be the last bodies to be constructed by Birch Bros, who had been building bodies since the horse  bus era. Why did Birch copy the ECW design? Was it to maintain a common appearance with their ECW bodied PS1 Tigers, or were they wanting to expand their coachbuilding activities, trying to interest the Tilling Group as did Strachans with their ‘ECW-lookalikes’?  From 1949 there were further body exchanges between chassis involving the ‘Airflo’ Lions, other Lions, Cheetahs and PS1 Tigers. As an example, CLA 105 then acquired a ‘real’ 1947 ECW body (the Birch ‘ECW’ transferring to K34, HE 6329) and yet again, a Thurgood C35F body before sale in 1952. Four bodies in Birch ownership!

Four Leyland Tiger PS1/4 chassis were given double-deck Willowbrook FH53F bodies (K220-3, LXV 220-3) and with similar Guy Arabs (K210-5) formed the ‘Marlborough’ class of double-deckers. These unusual Tigers are quoted as having chassis 494838,504555-7, entering service in June 1951. There is also the puzzling record that K223 “exchanged chassis frames” with Titan PD1 HLY 487 (K187) in 1956. Given the wheelbase differences, this appears a nonsensical thing to do as K187 had its original Birch L53F body replaced by a new Metro-Cammell H56R one. Any comments please?

What a striking appearance this Birch “Airflo” bodied Lion LT5A has, it must have impressed their passengers – until they climbed aboard to find 39 seats crammed in to the body; however it must have been economical to operate. K38, AYH 297 had chassis no.4494.
K41, BLO 974, LT7 chassis 6554. was another Birch “Airflo” 39 seat Lion shown here in original condition, and in the cream and lime green livery.
BLO 975, Lion LT7,seen as L21/27F, on chassis 6551 of 1935 with the prototype front-entrance lowbridge Birch body built in 1944 to replace its original “Airflo”body.
K53, DXE 873, was a Tiger TS7D, with Birch “Airflo” coachwork. Compare the shapes and sizes of the windows with the picture of it in rebuilt form. (J. Higham)
Here is DXE 873 in rebuilt form with 43 seat front entrance bus body. Note the uneven pillar spacings some of which have been re-positioned on rebuild. This also received a 7.4 litre oil engine.
What monsters these highbridge Birch rebodied sixwheel Tigers were! This is K150, CYU 406, TS7T chassis no. 11168 with its H34/30F body built in 1943. It was fitted with a new 7.4 litre Leyland oil engine after the War.
Many of the “Airflo” bodies were rebuilt to half cabs during the War, as was K49, CLA 105, seen here, either for maintenance  accessability or perhaps better vision from the driver’s seat. (The Omnibus Society)
K47, CLA 103, was another LT7 Lion, chassis 8912 of 1935 which received an ECW B35R body (No. 1576, Series 2), new in 1947 and having originally been fitted to a Tiger PS1 which itself was rebodied Windover C33F in 1949. (Roy Marshall)
K34, HE 6329 was a Lion LT5A, purchased from the Yorkshire Traction in 1945, and fitted with an “ECW-lookalike” front entrance body, built in the Birch Bros workshops about 1947. (Roy Marshall)
K170, GGT 184, was one of two Titan TD7 highbridge front entrance doubledeckers bodied by Birch, and new in 1940/41. Shortly after the photograph was taken the body was destroyed by fire in 1946, and it was rebodied in 1949 by Barnard with a lowbridge body. (The Omnibus Society)
Ten Titan PD1s arrived in 1946/47, all with lowbridge forward entrance (almost centre) L28/25F Birch bodies. Most if not all had glass centre parts to the dome and the batch was quite unique. (Dr. M.A. Taylor)
Numerically the last of the full-fronted Willowbrook dds K223, LXV 223 is seen here after the front end had been rebuilt (with Leyland lorry grille of the type introduced in 1954). It was named “Malplaquet”. This is the PS1/4 which is supposed to have exchanged chassis with PD1, HLY 487. (Dr. M. A. Taylor)
Most of these photographs are from Mike Sutcliffe’s Collection and photo credits have been shown where photographers are known.

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