JVN40E The 500 Group's former Teesside Railless Traction Board Leyland PD2

4th March 2008

This Bus was new in 1967 to TRTB, it was the first member of a batch of four buses (JVN40 - 43E) which were the last new traditional half cab style buses to any operator in the North East.
When new it carried Turquoise livery with experimental 'Teesside Transport' fleetnames, but with TRTB legal lettering. This was because the merger into Teesside Municipal Transport was underway, but details like fleetnames had not been finalised yet.
The Bus was withdrawn in 1980, and was acquired by the then Cleveland County for use as a Playbus, replacing a former ex Stockton PD2 (279DUP).
JVN40E was painted in a garish colour scheme decorated with Disney Characters, and fullfilled the Playbus role till 1984 when it was donated to the North East Bus Museum.
They thought it was too new to preserve straight away (?) so it was painted it into a pseudo TRTB dark green livery, and used as a mobile sales stand.
It was then leased long term to Go Ahead Northern as one of their PSV Trainers, and they refurbished it into their smart Red and White Training livery, and based it at the Training school at Gateshead.
In 1992 when the requirements for Training Vehicles changed, JVN40E was returned to the North East Bus Museum, and it was offered for sale in 1995.
The 500 Group acquired it in the August of that year, and after eighteen months without use, it fired up and was driven back to Teesside under it's own power.
The plan was to have had JVN40E restored after JDC599 was finished, however, a certain ex Transit Bristol VR appeared on the scene!
Eventually JVN40E will be restored, and it will carry Cleveland Transit Green and Jasmine as H240, it's 1980 condition, making a fine addittion to the 500 Group's stable.

This was the first time I actually managed to get a picture of it, she is seen here at the Beamish Rally in 1985. It was painted in this fake TRTB Green livery because the cusdodian didn't like Turquoise!	JVN40E seen on Stockton High Street on the 1987 Tyne Tees Rally.	In 1995 the 500 Group went to examine the vehicle with a view to acquiring it for preservation, here it is seen at the North East Bus Museum's premises at Wardly in Gateshead.	Offside view outside Wardley Museum in 1995.
JVN40E seen in Middlesbrough whilst in use as a Playbus c1980.	By 1988 JVN40E was working with Go-Ahead Northern as a PSV Trainer, it is seen here at Gateshead interchange c1988/9.	This is the livery that JVN40E will carry when it is eventually restored. Cleveland Transit Green and Jasmine c1980, the year it was withdrawn. I don't have a decent picture of JVN in this livery, so here's a picture of sister H237/FVN37D, seen somewhat unusually at Stockton Depot around 1978.