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One of the largest double deck cars ever operated in England is Leeds City Transport No. 526, built in 1931 by the Union Construction Company of Feltham, Middlesex, for the Metropolitan Electric Railways of London. Of the class known in London as the "Felthams" (after their place of construction), this car was taken by the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, survived the blitz during World War II and was sold to Leeds in 1950. During its London days, this car operated on an underground conduit or slot rail system, which the British capital shared with Paris, Washington and New York.
The car was chosen as a final opportunity to include a London tram in Seashore's Great World Capitals Collection in 1960. It is planned to refurbish No. 526 as London Transport No. 2085, the number it carried prior to its sale to Leeds. The transatlantic passage was aboard the S.S. American Press, the same vessel which brought Blackpool 144 five years earlier. Unfortunately, this trip was a stormy one, and a large wave inflicted substantial damage to the car on the deck, which has since been repaired.
History from Historic Cars: The National Collection at the Seashore Trolley Museum by Ben Minnich
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