MTL Manchester

[Gillmoss 0324]

RE: MTL Manchester
I know when MTL Manchester was starting to be wound down the LKF-R and MTJ-S Atlanteans mostly moved back to GL with some in service still having 'MTL Manchester' logos for a few days before quickly getting back the Merseybus ones, the MTL corporate livery mean't this could be done fairly quickly.

I think Garston got a few of these East Lancs ones too but not as many as GL they were handy replacements for time expired Alexander Atlanteans which started disappearing around the summer of '95 to Autumn' 96.

Some newer T and V-reg East Lancs Atty's also transferred to GL, Garston and Southport around this time too and they sort of stuck around until '96 when Garston transferred to Speke depot and Titan's got drafted in to GL and Speke during 96-97 too.

Don't really know what happened to the PCW-P Atlanteans after MTL Manchester. I think MerseyRider may have used an odd one briefly before they went to Miles Platting and they're 11** fleetnumbers recycled numbers from MPTE days. IIRC they didn't run for Merseybus or any other MTL unit on Merseyside so I assume they got cannibalised/scrapped back then. Also IIRC they had slightly different bodywork to the indigenous Merseyside ones too. I think I may have used one one of these on a Stockport route or the 203 back then but not 100% certain.

Can't help with the National's as so many passed through and not all of them MTL acquired were runners/only got used for spares. MTL may have acquired them from similar sources to where CMT got their National's back then too it rings a bell as CMT had some similar National's to these ones. A handful of SKF-T's and National 2's also went to Manchester I think these were the ones GMB North got when they entered into the deal with MTL. Also MTL originally acquired some National's as part of a plan for MTL Engineering to refurbish these/sell refurbished to other operators which didn't really come off. I know the Manchester expansion and acquisition of the National's slowed down the Titan refurbishment at EL with a fair few still dual doored and in faded London red as long as 1996 until these un-refurbished one's got MTL corporate livery shame the refrurbed Titan's looked great. To be fair MTL probably stopped the Titan refurbishment due to getting the Wright Volvo's and other new and modern vehicles due to acquirig Liverbus and London transfers like the Alexander/Scania's back then.

Hope this helps and sorry I haven't got much info on the National's nor MTL's Manc adventures either it was an interesting time back then when GMN/GMS and MTL when up against each other for a few years or so.