Leyland Atlantean

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland (with bodies added by a variety of companies) in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986. It pioneered the design of rear-engined, front entrance double deck buses in the UK, allowing for the introduction of "one person operated" buses, dispensing with the need for a conductor. In the years immediately following the Second World War bus operators in the UK faced a downturn in the numbers of passengers carried, and manufacturers began looking at ways to economise. A few experimental rear-engined buses had been produced before the war, but none successfully made it beyond the prototype stage. The need to minimise the intrusion of the engine into passenger carrying space was a priority, leading to several underfloor engined single deck designs. However, such designs raised the height of thefloor of the vehicle, forcing additional steps at the entrance. On double deckers, these problems were amplified, causing the overall height of the vehicle to increase, or an inadequate interior height.