This ex Nottingham City Transport vehicle joined our fleet in 2010 and has fitted in well with the fleet giving us examples of both MkI and MkII Leyland Nationals.

724 was the second to last National to be bulit and the last to enter service with Nottingham so perhaps this fact alone suggests the purchase to be of a sound reason.  

When ordered by NCT the National was assigned registration number B724 LAL but as delivery wasn't until September 1985 this was altered to the 'C' plate it now carries. For six years 724 was liveried in the NCT colour scheme but by June 1991 this had been replaced with the blue and cream of South Notts and the vehicle was transfered to the Gotham depot. Service life ceased in October 2002 for the vehicle when it was transfered to the training school before finally leaving NCT for life with Belamy's of Nottingham from where it was saved for preservation.
 
As you can appriciate 724 had a somewhat hard life with its last owner and it proved difficult to find where the aluminium ended and the filler started during the renovation process. Nevertheless progress was made albeit steady as the National was never designed to be repaired by small operators never mind preservationists. After exchanging the worst of the side panels and spending many hours in preperation the vehicle was finally resprayed in July 2011 - little over a year after joining us.

When purchased by the group 724 came with a brand new full set of replacement seat backs and cushions and even though the pattern is not faithfull to the NCT days they give the interior a much needed uplift. The drivers seat has been retrimmed in grey leather which might prove interesting when driving! 

Teething troubles are still being found and will no doubt be ironed out as they appear. 

Another ex Nottingham vehicle is preserved.