SURVIVORS

316 (MTT 274) - Spares source at the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (towing wagon).

317 (MTT 287) - Possible mobile home, location not known. Last heard of in the Waroona area, mid 1990s.

320 (MTT 283) - Mobile home, Andy Renn, Safety Bay.

321 (MTT 271) - Perth Electric Tramway Society, Whiteman Park (towing wagon).

322 (ESOS 54) - Under restoration, Melbourne, c/o Victorian Bus Preservation Association and the Kefford Corporation.

323 (MTT 286) - Spotted by Andy Renn in Feb 2000 in a scrap yard at Mandurah, about 50 kms south of Perth, minus engine, gearbox, dash gauges, seats and head lights. The body is quite rusty in places and in poor condition, some of the windows are smashed but the destination boxes are intact. The owner of the yard says that a bus company is interested in buying it and restoring it for use a promotional vehicle.

329 (MTT 269) - Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (towing wagon).

331 (MTT 277) - Mobile home, Stephen Mueller, Lesmurdie, Perth; to John Handley, Stoneville WA, for restoration 2005.

335 (MTT 276) - Donated in 2001 by Mark Tattersall as a spares source at the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia. Engine transferred to OPS4 MTT 361. Remains broken up in 2013.

336 (MTT 268) - Sydney Bus Museum (tow wagon 3).

337 (MTT 273) - Mobile home, bought by Donald Cann in Preston Beach WA late 1990s. Still active. In Glenreagh, NSW 2006.

"UNSOLVED CRIMES

Some additional information acquired by Colin Davison from other sources, which do not quite tie up with the list above:

ESOS /Sinclair 51 [GRV863] (490744) new 15.08.50; B35D; to F Love, Dubbo, NSW (Dubbo Bus Service) 12/72 (I suspect that this is M and MTB 334).

ESOS /Sinclair 54 (490754) new 19.05.50; B35D; to F Love, Dubbo, NSW (Dubbo Bus Service) 1/73. (I suspect that the chassis number is wrong here, and that it is actually M and MTB 319. Or the chassis number is correct, but the one shown for 322 above is wrong. Something like that ... perhaps ?)

THE PHOTO GALLERY

MTT 265 in 1975, near the end of its career (photo by Nicholas Pusenjak).

MTT 268 as tow wagon 3 at the Sydney Bus Museum, New South Wales in 2014 (Photo: Garth Wyver).

MTT 269 as a tow wagon with BMWA (Photo: Colin Davison). "This pic shows BMWA's ex MTT tow wagon 4 in action in February 1998 at Whiteman Park (where BMWA is based) towing a 1938 Leyland trolleybus ex WA Government Tramways 38 which was making its public debut after a 2 year cosmetic restoration of its 1943 built bodywork."

MTT 273 is now a motorhome belonging to Donald Cann. He has been touring Australia in it since the late 1990s, and the bus is seen here at a caravan park in Bowen, Queensland. (Photo: thanks to Donald Cann).

MTT 277, Aug 1999 (Photo: Graeme, WA) "Just a short note on another half cab in Perth for sale. A Leyland, probably mid fifties but I am only guessing. Front and back doors. Looks like a manual gearbox. In untidy but fair condition. Gutted for camper by the looks. Inside bare. Cream roof over very dark blue/green. On Welshpool Rd at the time I saw it. Cheers, Graeme." This must be 277 before Stephen Mueller bought it.

MTT 277, Aug 1999 (Photo: Graeme, WA) "Hi Dick, a short note on the photos I sent the other night. lt was for sale at a hire yard. I don't know the price, but it had been gutted inside, probably for a camper. I am pretty sure it was a Perth, West Australia M.T.T. bus. I do recall buses like it when I was at school. I didn't think much about them then." (Graeme owns a 1952 Regal converted to a mobile home, in WA).

MTT 277 as bought by Stephen Mueller. (Photo: Stephen Mueller) "I have just purchased this ex-MTT bus in Perth. I am hoping to restore it to its original external condition, however I'll use the inside for a caravan. The bus will be living in Lesmurdie, Perth - Western Australia.". It wears the blue/white livery applied by the Returned Services League (RSL), Riverton Branch (Riverton being a Perth suburb).

Update March 2000; "By the way, I will no longer be using my bus for a caravan. I am planning on making the outside presentable and then using it to take weekenders in - sans caravan outfitting. I am also hoping to do vineyard tours with friends around the Swan Valley and the south west (Margaret River, etc.)."

Update Dec 2005; "Just to advise you that on Saturday, 10 December 2005 I purchased an OPS4/1 Leyland Tiger number 331, ex Western Australian MTT fleet number 277 from Stephen Mueller and will be restoring it back to its former glory as MTT 277. Regards, John Handley, Stoneville, Western Australia."

MTT 283 in original green MTT livery at Claremont Depot around 1972 (photo via Nicholas Pusenjak). Nicholas is from Perth, WA and is a founder member of the Bus Museum of Western Australia there.

MTT 283 in the later yellow/white livery used on the Health Dept. buses (Photo: Colin Davison). "Following the loss of a plate in the early 1970s, ('73 or '74?) 283 was reregistered UQB 268 (the real 268 was converted to a towing vehicle about then - see above). Also around this time, the green lower panels were repainted yellow and 283, in company with similarly painted sister buses 281 and 282, was loaned to the WA Health Department for use on transport of staff and day patients to and from the Swanbourne Mental Hospital in what is now Mt. Claremont. At the time, it was officially allocated to MTT's Claremont depot, which carried out routine maintenance, with fuelling, cleaning, etc, done by the Hospital."

"283 was withdrawn in November 1977 and subsequently sold to Dravo (contractors?), Mt. Tom Price, where it was registered XRI 217 and retained its off-white over yellow colour scheme. My photo shows 283 in its last months with MTT, with UQB 268 rego and yellow lower panels, parked in the service vehicle depot at Swanbourne Mental Hospital in 1977."

MTT 283 with current owner Andy Renn and his wife (Photo: Andy Renn) "Hi, I have just seen your page on British Classic Buses in Australia. My reason for looking was to try and find some information about my Leyland bus which is an OPS4/1. Imagine my surprise to find a picture of my bus in its Perth MTT livery, number 283 !"

"I purchased 283 in April 1999 from a young fellow in a country town about 200 miles east of Perth called Yealering. 283 had been converted to a camper home and was parked in a caravan park for approximately 10 years. I bought the bus on the understanding that it would be licensed for the road as I wanted it for a holiday trip around Australia. When I went to pick up the bus it was licensed and running and fuelled up ready for the trip back to my home in Safety Bay 30 miles south of Perth."

"283 has now been modified a little in the living area and has had a good service. All mechanicals appear to be working well and the bus is almost ready for the marathon 12,000 mile trip round Australia, at the moment she is having a fresh coat of paint. Kind regards, Andy Renn."

MTT 287 (Photo: Colin Davison). "This shows MTT 287 posed in Victoria Avenue, Perth on an enthusiast tour around 1979 or 1980. By this time, it was only used for driver training and had actually been officially renumbered 6 on paper, but did have the matching UQB006 registration, although this is not apparent in this offside view."

ESOS 54 in ESOS livery (Photo: Colin Davison). "No. 54 was photographed in Belgrave Road, East Caulfield, posed on an enthusiast tour on 24 June 1972. This shows the original position of the front door and gives a good idea of the original destination header, both features which the MTT changed on its examples."

Gary Davey, Secretary of the Victorian Bus Preservation Association, Melbourne, mailed to say:

"I just read your article on Melbourne OPS4s. Well you may be interested to learn that we also have one. It is ex ESOS no 54, M and MTB 322 which went to Loves of Dubbo. It is back in Melbourne under restoration by the Victorian Bus Preservation Association and the Kefford Corporation (Bus operator). It is partially restored but has come to a halt recently as we cannot get any rubber grommets for the radiator tubes. You wouldn't be able to give us some possible leads on getting some? I hope this is of interest."

Ashlee found the chassis plate (490890) so the identity is certain and the bus still shows plenty of evidence of ESOS gold and red paintwork.

TECHNICAL STUFF

CHASSIS