Leyland National Mk.1 Long 2 Door London Country Superbus KPA101K. Superbus LN1 on route SB1 Chells & Bus Station.

Pre-production chassis no 003 new in April 1972, registered KPA101K, fleet number LN1, was the first of no fewer than 543 Leyland Nationals delivered new to National Bus Company subsidiary London Country Bus Services Ltd, from 1972 to December 1979. LCBS was formed on January 1st 1970 under the Transport (London) Act 1969 which required London Transport Country bus and Green Line coach services to be separated from the Central Area red buses and Underground railways.

Superbus began as an experiment in the Hertfordshire new town of Stevenage in July 1971. An initiative between the Stevenage Development Council and LCBS, Superbus was a daily flat fare bus service connecting the suburb of Chells with the shopping centre and industrial area, marketed to entice motorists to leave their cars at home and take the Superbus instead. The service was launched with seven AEC Swifts and two Metro-Scanias painted in a distinctive blue and yellow livery with “SB” motifs. Further Swifts and Metro-Scanias were joined by London Country’s first two Leyland Nationals, KPA101K and KPA102K, which entered service in September 1972. The increased intake of vehicles enabled the introduction of a second Superbus route, SB2, serving the St Nicholas area of Stevenage. Two more Superbus Leyland Nationals NPD103L & NPD104L joined the others in December 1972.

KPA101K’s service life was relatively short. Withdrawn in the early 1980s, it was converted to single-door and rebuilt as a mobile classroom, and believed scrapped by 1989.

Thanks to Robbie Forster (Dorset Model Buses) for assistance.

• Colours/details of final model may vary from illustration
• Authentically detailed die-cast model from EFE Road
• Complementary to OO scale model railways (1:76 scale)