Leyland Titan to lead King Alfred Running Day

Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) has revealed its latest reconstruction, a classic 1950 Leyland Titan double-decker, will head the line-up at the Original King Alfred Buses Running Day. The event takes place in Winchester on Monday 6 May.

The Titan was the mainstay of the King Alfred and many other bus fleets in the 1950s. It will be running alongside other buses and coaches representing the bygone King Alfred operation on the day.

The restored Titan is the result of a long-term restoration project stretching over more than 25 years, starting with the acquisition of two such vehicles in very poor condition which originally saw service in the Isle of Man. Whilst the resulting vehicle did not start its life in Winchester with King Alfred Motor Services, it is now an almost exact replica of those which served the city and surrounding area for many years. Unfortunately, none of the original King Alfred Leyland Titans of this type survived to enter preservation.

Free bus services during the Running Day will operate based on Winchester Broadway and the St Catherine’s Park & Ride car park between approximately 9am and 4.30pm covering most of the traditional King Alfred routes plus those of neighbouring historic companies such as Aldershot & District and Hants & Dorset.

There will be the usual King Alfred sales stand, open between 10am and 4pm, while at St Catherine’s there will be a static display of historic vehicles with a frequent free bus service to/from central Winchester.

“On May 6th it will be almost 51 years to the day since the last King Alfred bus ran into the depot – who would have believed then that so many buses would have been rescued and brought back to the city to remind us all of their past service?” – FoKAB founder and chairman, James Freeman

Says FoKAB’s founder and chairman, James Freeman: “It’s time once again to give our many friends and supporters a chance to relive the best years of the King Alfred buses and coaches. Come with us to experience what it was like to ride on them and their contemporaries. In 2024 we plan to offer something very special with the return of a bus once very characteristic of Winchester – a 1950 Leyland Titan. On May 6th it will be almost 51 years to the day since the last King Alfred bus ran into the depot – who would have believed then that so many buses would have been rescued and brought back to the city to remind us all of their past service?”