DTL 489D was Delaine's first rear-engined bus in Feb. 1966, seen here in 1982 at Spalding Road depot. Fleet No. 60, it is a Leyland Atlantean PDR1/2 with semi-lowheight Willowbrook 76 seat body. It actually carries a Duple makers plate, as this was the period in which they controlled the Loughborough company. The livery si Oxford Blue, Valentine's Light Blue and Austin-Morris Pale Ivory

The Willowbrook Atlanean PDR1/2 easily fits in the garage at Bourne, with its overall height of 14ft.0 1/2 inch. The body order was tagged onto a batch being delivered to Coventry City Transport at around the same time, on both Atlantean and Fleetline chassis

No. 60 shows off its well rounded front dome. The PDR1/2 Atlantean was a bit of a hybrid, being Leyland's first attempt at a proper lowheight chassis, using the Albion drop-centre back axle and unlike the other Atlantean versions, featuring a Daimatic gearbox as used on the Fleetline

EKR 152L was the second of a pair of Northern Counties bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68/1R's to be purchased from Maidstone, when that municipal went over to singledeck operations

DTL 489D had a sumptuous interior for its era, even down to moquette trim on the reverse of the seatbacks, possibly unknown since the last of the Birmingham standards of the early 1950's, even then a rarity!

Possibly the most elegant ever rear-engined design of bodywork, DTL489D displays the characteristic Delaine side moulding flashes

DTL 489D displays its gorgeous moquette upholstery. Holdsworth's No. 80 "Autumn Tint"

MTL 750 is seen in the back yard at delaine's depot in Spalding Road, Bourne as rescued from Vaggs of Knockin Heath, Shropshire, where it had lain out of use for some time

MTL 750 was the last bus ordered by T.A. Smith before he died, he being the father of the late Hugh Delaine-Smith, so when Vaggs went out of business, Hugh decided to rescue it for preservation, donating it to Leicestershire Museum of Technology, who did a magnificent job of completely rebuilding it

Rear view of MTL 750, the unique leyland tiger Cub bodied as the only such one by W.S. Yeates of Loughborough.

With the magnificent backdrop of Morton Parish Church, The Delaine No.88 finishes the afternoon's workmen's run from the Blackstone factory at Stamford

A very smart Alexander bodied Leyland Atlantean AN68, bought by Delaine's from Graham's of Paisley, waits for the workmen on a rainy teatime at the Mirrlees Blackstone engine factory in Stamford. The Skegness destination is a bit of tongue in cheek!

NXS 100 L< Delaine No. 88 lit up by the security light on a very dull afternoon at the Blackstone works, Kevin Delaine-Smith having driven her there

No. 88 turns at Morton Church before returning to the garage on Spalding Road, Bourne

This was one of my favourite Delaine machines, even though by their standards its all red leatherette seat trim was a bit functional

NXS 100 L is almost dwarfed by Morton Church tower, a typically magnificnet Lincolnshire edifice

KTL 27Y, Delaine No. 93 is a Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/2RZ with ZF manual gearbox and Duple Dominant B59F bus bodywork, seen in Bourne Bus Station. She was new in January 1983 and was sold to Fowler of Holbeach Drove in February 2004

KTL 27Y sets off for Peterborough, with typical Lincolnshire market town buildings in Bourne as a backdrop