SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I've noticed that Leeds is getting or has now got a sightseeing bus (run by Transdev it seems). I do consider that after seeing its route it's missing out the obvious sights (Kirkstall Abbey, Temple Newsham etc).Didn't LCT do the odd city tour before it got swallowed by Metro? I'm sure some of you go back that far.I suppose as well some of you could suggest a suitable itinerary for this cultural tour of Leeds.

I seem to recall a sightseeing bus yes, wasn't it an open topper? I don't think it lasted long either. I'm scratching my head to think when it was. Late 70's early 80's perhaps? All i can remember is seeing it around City square. I'm sure it started there?

It does seem to be rather hopeful, doesn't it? Our city centre isn't exactly York.

I seem to remember "See Your City" tours from the early 1950s, which I believe circumnavigated the Ring Road, or at least as much of it was then opened.

Dont suppose a route like that will last long, nor be profitable

jim wrote: I seem to remember "See Your City" tours from the early 1950s, which I believe circumnavigated the Ring Road, or at least as much of it was then opened. Quite right Jim = the LCT Sightseeing tours were run for many years and were very popular indeed, often with duplication. As well as the Ring Road, such interesting sights as Adel Church were included.The vehicles used were usually ordinary double decker buses and, although I can't remember, I'm certain that conductors will have travelled on them for platform safety.More recently, the PTE did indeed operate similar tours, and purchased two new specially built Leyland Olympians for the purpose. Basically standard, their Roe bodies had top deck roofs which were designed to be fairly easily removed and replaced. When they were wearing their roofs, they could easily be spotted by those of us "in the know" as the extra thick beading below the top deck windows, covering the attachment, gave the game away. They were numbers 5146/7. To my utter astonishment, and that of many other folks, they were occasionally used "topless"in normal One Person Operated services on the 81/82 routes from Horsforth to Pudsey and possibly elsewhere. It beggars belief that anyone could sanction such a dangerous practice - mercifully no-one was hurt either by genuine misfortune or by "acting the goat upstairs" but I'm pretty sure that I myself would have refused to operate a normal unsupervised service with one of them if I'd been faced with such a duty.

Blakey, have you experienced the one-man operated double deckers still operated in West Cornwall in the holiday season? Open tops, narrow winding roads, steep gradients, and to top it all, overhanging trees guaranteed to remove hats and anything else that doesn't duck fast enough!I always remember to congratulate their drivers for their totally phlegmatic attitude to "foreign" car drivers who don't appreciate the need for special driving skills in such an environment.

Probably not too successful as there is nowt to see in Leeds bar the town hall, civic hall and the market area. It'd last about 10 mins!

I think it's a fabulous idea. A sightseeing bus need not cover only the city centre but also the likes of Elland Road, Roundhay Park etc. Leeds is a tourist city (just look at the number of hotels) and tourists just love a sightseeing trip to give themselves a quick overview of the city. Think big... and then bigger !!!