Olympic Restoration
15th June 2025 - Press Release
Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) is delighted to announce that its now-famous 1950 Leyland Olympic JAA 708, which had already been fully restored and relaunched in 2012 but was sadly very badly damaged (but thankfully not destroyed) in a premises fire late in 2023, arrived in April at the Scottish Bus Museum at Lathalmond in Fife, and restoration has now commenced.
Under the expert care of vehicle specialist Andrew Crockett, this monocoque chassisless HR40 Leyland Olympic will hopefully be fully restored in 2028, gracing the streets of Winchester once more, in a planned three-year project.
The key events so far:
• December 2023 – Fire at Penton Mewsey reduces previously restored Olympic 708 to a sad wreck.
• March 2024 – 708 wreck is extracted from the destroyed building and taken to FoKAB’s Winchester workshop for careful inspection and review.
• August 2024 – 708 is displayed at the Buses Festival at Sywell and seen by thousands of people.
• November 2024 – FoKAB Trustees commit to restoring the bus in a three-year programme with a budget of up to £500,000.
• December 2024 – FoKAB is able to buy an abandoned derelict Leyland Royal Tiger chassis, complete with a set of mechanical equipment identical to that on the Olympic.
• January 2025 – Andrew Crockett appointed to lead the project and undertake the work in Scotland.
• February 2025 – Private funding commitments totalling over £250,000 mean that work can start before public fundraising begins.
• March 2025 – The Bus Archive provides FoKAB with access to a complete set of 150 original blueprint journeys of excellent quality from the MCW factory in Birmingham – illustrating every aspect of the Olympics’ construction of the Olympic. This news has transformed our restoration task.
• 25/26 April 2025 – 708 is transferred to Lathalmond and the derelict Leyland Royal Tiger is rescued and brought alongside 708.
• May 2025 - The Royal Tiger’s collapsed body was removed, and the chassis has been found to be in excellent condition.
• Andrew Crockett has started the task of collecting parts for 708, whilst assessing the overall task.
• 31 May 2025 – The Appeal to raise £500,000 was officially announced at FoKAB’s Fortieth birthday celebrations in Winchester. The fundraising now formally starts.
Now is the time! When we first reported on the fire, we were impressed and touched by the astonishing number of people who contacted us, expressing concern and sympathy and saying that they would like to contribute financially if the decision was taken to rebuild. So, here’s your chance, everybody! Just 18 months later we have opened the Fundraising campaign to restore 708.
We are asking everybody to contribute whatever they feel able to provide. And we will be looking at every form of available fund-raising to support this Historic project.
Meanwhile, do look out for our displays at these forthcoming events in 2025/2026 for further inspiration and information:
• FoKAB Heritage Open Days Running Day: Sunday 14 September 2025.
• FoKAB at New Year on Thursday 1 January Running Day 2026.
• The Original King Alfred Running Day May Bank Holiday 4 May 2026.
Recent photos below showing Leyland Olympic JAA 708 being stripped. The engine and gearbox have been removed along with other parts.
A photo below of the Leyland Royal Tiger stripped to almost a bare chassis.
25th April 2025 - Transport 708 to Lathalmond
708 was transported from our Winchester workshop to the Scottish Bus Museum in Lathalmond. Over the same weekend the Leyland Royal Tiger was also transported from near Aberdeen to Lathalmond.
22nd March 2025 - Prepare Leyland Royal Tiger for transportation near Aberdeen
FoKAB were able to purchase a Leyland Royal Tiger, which had bodywork in a very poor state, but was mechanically complete. There are many mechanical parts, and parts from the cab such as instrument panel that are suitable to use on the Olympic.
A team from FoKAB went to its location near Aberdeen to prepare the Royal Tiger for transportation to Lathalmond where it would be dismantled and separated into parts that will be useful for 708, and parts not for 708 but useful to other buses.
25th January 2025 - Initial restoration meeting
A meeting of FoKAB Trustees and members took place to start the planning of the restoration, with expert advice from Andy Crockett who has lead the work on three FoKAB projects so far (repaint of Lion, bodywork restoration of Dennis 6, and final restoration work and painting of Leyland Titan PD1 HOR 811) at the Scottish Bus Museum in Lathalmond.
1st September 2024 - 708 on display at Buses Festival
We decided to take 708 for display at the Buses Festival at Sywell Aerodrome on Sunday 1st September 2024.
It was loaded onto the transport on Saturday 31st August, and driven to Sywell along with our open-top Atlantean which was parked next to 708 to be used as a viewing platform so that it could be viewed from multiple angles.
Below is the link to the video of it being loaded, transported and displayed at Buses Festival.
JAA 708 at the Buses Festival event at Sywell Aerodrome
2nd March 2024 - Transport 708 to our workshop
After being removed from the building, part of the arrangement was for 708 to be decontaminated as it was covered in the remains of the asbestos roofing of the building. When that was completed, we are able to prepare 708 for transport by fitting new wheels and tyres so that it could roll more easily, and then was winched into the trailer.
When at our workshop in Winchester, it was taken off the trailer and manoeuvred into the workshop using the AEC Matador belonging to a FoKAB member, which is regularly seen in Winchester Broadway during our running days. Below is the link to the video of it being extracted from the building on 23rd February, and being prepared, loaded, transported, unloaded and moved into the workshop on 2nd March.
708 - March 2024 Update
23rd February 2024 - Extract 708 from the building
After a long period of insurance and building safety discussions, we were able to arrange the careful extraction of 708 from the building. This was carried out on 23rd February 2024 by the demolition team who were appointed by the landlord's insurer to empty and completely demolish the site.
The demolition team understood the need for 708 to be carefully removed and planned how to do this by demolishing the front wall of the building where 708 was parked. They were then able to pull it out of the building and across the yard.
8th December 2023 - Serious fire at Penton Mewsey
In the early morning of 8th December 2023 a major fire broke out at one of the bases where eight heritage buses were stored. Most of these were vehicles owned by members of Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) but one was JAA 708, the unique King Alfred Leyland Olympic owned by the FoKAB charity. The blaze was severe and despite great efforts by the Fire & Rescue service most of the vehicles were destroyed such that almost nothing could be salvaged. However, JAA 708 fared slightly better and the remains now await assessment of future possibilities.
Apart from the Leyland Olympic, four Hants & Dorset buses - three double deck and one single deck - were destroyed as well as a VanHool Volvo B10M coach, an Ulsterbus Bristol RE single deck and a Southdown Bristol VRT double deck.
FoKAB sends its heartfelt sympathy to the owners who have lost their vehicles.
The incident illustrates the ever more urgent need to obtain permanent, safe, dedicated premises in which to store historic vehicles.
