Leyland Atlantean: Illustrated History Books & Guides

British Atlanteans

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The Leyland Atlantean was produced from 1958 to 1986, with about 15.300 buses built. More than 3.500 were exported, while the rest served over one hundred operators across the United Kingdom, from the transport authorities of Glasgow and Liverpool to small independent companies. Its rear-engine layout was advanced for its time and followed a long development program during the 1950s.

Early production bodies were supplied by Alexander, Metro-Cammell, and Weymann, and in total eighteen bodybuilders were involved, three producing only a single vehicle each. In the late 1960s the design was thoroughly revised and renamed AN68; the first examples entered service in May 1972 and proved more reliable than earlier models.

The last buses were withdrawn in the 2010s, though some open-top vehicles remain in use around the UK. With many rare and previously unpublished photographs, Mike Rhodes records the development and service life of this important bus.

Product details

Author:	Mike Rhodes
Details:	96 pages, 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.35 in (23.5 x 16.5 x 0.9 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	180 b&w and color photos
Language:
Publisher:	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2025)
ISBN:	9781398123250

Leyland Atlanteans - The Twilight Years

From its launch in 1958, the Leyland Atlantean played a pivotal role in the British bus industry. The first double-deck bus in the UK to offer the now commonplace layout of front entrance and rear engine, the Atlantean enjoyed an uninterrupted production run of nearly thirty years, with examples put into service throughout the United Kingdom and beyond.

In this book, Howard Wilde reflects on the later years, from the end of production in the mid-1980s to the present day, featuring a colourful selection of Atlanteans in different roles. The selection pays tribute to this true workhorse of the UK bus industry: a bus that will, at some time or other, have transported many members of the UK bus-using population to work, school or play.

Product details

Author:	Howard Wilde
Details:	95 pages, 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.31 in (23.5 x 16.5 x 0.8 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	180 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2021)
ISBN:	9781398107182

The Leyland Atlantean

The Leyland Atlantean revolutionised the layout of double-deck buses in Britain with its rear-mounted engine, setting a standard that has dominated designs for the past 60 years. Appearing in the late 1950s, when the bus market was dominated by the rear-entrance/front-engined double-deck design that had its roots in the 1920s, the Atlantean represented as significant a change in the bus industry as diesel replacing steam on Britain's railways.

Out with the old and in with the new. However, it was not plain sailing; there were the inevitable teething problems and the design underwent considerable change before it - and the competitors it inspired such as the Daimler Fleetline and Bristol VRT - could come to dominate the market.
By the end of the 1960s, economics dictated that the traditional front-engined double-decker had had its day. In the Atlantean and its competitors, the British bus and coach industry had vehicles capable of taking on and meeting the challenges, both at home and abroad, that the contemporary world presented.
The Atlantean was probably the last British-designed and -built bus to achieve massive sales worldwide, with the list of operators both at home and abroad being legion.

In this fully illustrated book, Gavin Booth looks back at the development of the Leyland Atlantean from its origins in the 1950s and examines its importance over the past half-century.
Although the Atlantean has largely disappeared from public service, its influence remains and, through the handful that remain in service and those that survive in preservation and through the pages of this book, it is possible to pay tribute to one of the most significant bus designs of the second half of the 20th century.

Product details

Author:	Gavin Booth
Details:	112 pages, 9 x 6.9 x 0.39 in (24 x 17.5 x 1 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	170+ b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2022)
Series:	Britain's Buses
ISBN:	9781913870287

The Leyland Atlantean (Nostalgia Road)

The Leyland Atlantean revolutionised the design and layout of bus design in Britain, setting a standard that has dominated double-deck designs for the last 50 years. Appearing in the late 1950s, when the bus market was dominated by the rear-entrance/front-engined double-deck design, the Atlantean's rear engine represented a significant change.
But it was not plain sailing; there were the inevitable teething problems and the design underwent considerable change before it - and the competitors it inspired such as the Daimler Fleetline and Bristol VRT - could come to dominate the market.

By the end of the 1960s, economics dictated that the traditional front-engined double-decker had had its day. The Atlantean was probably the last British designed and built bus to achieve massive sales worldwide, with the list of operators both at home and abroad being legion.
Gavin Booth looks back at the development of the Leyland Atlantean from its origins in the 1950s and examines its importance over the past half-century.

Product details

Author:	Gavin Booth
Details:	128 pages, 9.8 x 9.8 in (25 x 25 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	200+ b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Crecy Publishing (GB, 2015)
Series:	Nostalgia Road
ISBN:	9781908347411