Allocations
7/81 New to Northern General Transport (NBC) Philadelphia Depot.
7/90 Delicensed for mid life overhaul and COF at Bensham Central Works.
5/91 Philadelphia Depot Wear Buses.
2/92 Sunderland Park Lain.
12/97 OK Travel unit at Philadelphia Depot.
7/98 Wear Buses Deptford Depot.
11/02 Gateshead Driver Training School.
7/06 Preserved by the NEBPT
1/13 Sold for further preservation to the NNRG.

1981
FTN 710W started its life at Bensham Works after delivery in 1981. Here 4710 was fitted with the omo gear and destination blind. The next phase was when she was allocated to Philadelphia Depot of National Bus Company subsidiary Northern General Transport. From hear she replaced the last manual drive Leyland Leopards and Bristol REs. 4710 worked some of the long-distance services that Philly had at the time. She also did the service 194 with the PTE liveried National 2's. 4710 also ran the Miners specials in the dead of night to and from the many North Sea pits down the County Durham coast.

1986
In 1986 the NBC was denationalized and the company was broken up countywide. The Northern section of the Company was bought by Christopher Moyes, Trevor Shears and Martin Ballinger who were all Managers for Northern in the NBC days.

1987
1987 started with 4710 getting repainted into the new Go-Ahead Northern livery of red and white with the Go-Ahead Northern legend on the front roof cove panels. In 1990 4710 was sent into Bensham Works for A mid-life overhaul and Certificate Of Fitness test. The overhaul was A huge undertaking.

The front and rear axles were removed along with the engine and gearbox, ALL electrical harnesses, heating system, fuel tanks and supports, all suspension units, seats and floor, all damaged panels. The work took just short of A year to do. With 6 people working on 4710 all the time Monday to Friday the amount of work that was done was staggering.

1991
After the overhaul was finished 4710 returned to service at Philly depot in 1991 again repainted in Go-Ahead Northern red and white. But sectorization of Go-Ahead Northern was just beginning so 4710 would have had a small sticker above the nearside flank flasher of Penshaw Monument. This indicated she was A Wear Bus. The start of 1992 saw 4710 moves from Philly for the first time since she was delivered and sent to Sunderland for 6 years. Here she worked alongside the Leyland Lynx and new Dennis Dart which sent the last of the Mk1 Nationals to the scrap yard. She also lost hear Northern red and white in favor of the new Wear Busses green and grey with white lines.

Now Go Ahead Northern had split into 5 companies within the parent company.
Northern (Consett, Stanley, Chester LE Street)
Wear Buses (Philly, Washington, Sunderland)
VFM (South Shields and Wallsend)
Coastline (Percy Main)
Go Ahead Gateshead (Gateshead and Winlaton.

These companies all had there own liveries and management, team.

1995
In 1995 4710 along with every other Go-Ahead Leyland National 2 had the original Leyland 680 engine and Hydracyclic gearbox replaced with a Volvo THD 100E engine and Voith 3 speed DEWA .2 gearbox. The Repower program had started 3 years before with FTN 701W. Now several of the 60 National 2's had been converted. As 4710 still had the 680 fitted it was one of the priorities. The Volvo engine was A Euro 2 unit
developing 260 HP and was much more fuel-efficient than the Leyland unit which was first designed in the 1930s. Some National 2's were also given body modifications at Bensham and Kings of Rotherham. This was A scheme to overhaul the body of selected National 2's to bring them up to date with nexus specifications. The seats and heating system was changed along with fitting of a low entry split level step. With the heating system changed the trademark pod was removed. 4710 never got the full mod but did get the new heating system at Bensham. However, she still retains the original system which is capable of working again.

1997
In 1997 Washington Depot received 11 Volvo B10BLE's for work on routes 194 and 294. This influx of new low floor buses meant for the first time the National 2 was moved to more mundane work. This also meant A move back to Philly to work on the OK Travel unit. OK Travel had been left vulnerable after its owner Mr. Wade Emerson had passed away suddenly in 1996. The management team at the time did not want A hostile take over from another bus company so they sold the entire company lock stock and barrel to Northern to preserve the OK identity. However, rationalization of the OK business was needed to help it make money. Depots at Peterlee, West Auckland, and Evenwood closed. The services from Peterlee Depot were moved to Philly Depot in A small unit. As more than half the OK fleet was scrapped or sold on. Several Leyland National 2's were "transferred" to the OK unit. While none were repainted into OK livery they did have signs in the windscreen saying "On HIRE to OK Travel". 4710 was one of the 10 National 2's that worked on the OK unit at Philly.

In 1998 A new depot was built in Sunderland on the riverside at Deptford Terrace. "Deptford" was the brainchild of MD Paul Mathews, Engineering Manager Jeff Dover, and Wear Buses Fleet Engineer Garry Ridley. Deptford was only supposed to be A replacement for Sunderland Park lain but it was decided to move the operations of Philadelphia into Deptford as well. So 4710 moved into the "Super Depot" in 1998. After only A week of deployment 4710 was sent to the new body shop at Saltmeddows Road in Gateshead for repainting into the new Corporate livery of blue, red and yellow. All the parking was outside at Deptford so it took time for operations to get going smoothly. Also at Deptford was the Dennis Super Pointer Dart, Mini Pointer Dart, and the Optare Excel and Solo low floor buses. This meant that the Leyland National 2's days as A front line bus
were coming to an end as the cascading of Daf SB220's and Dennis Lance's meant the survivors were only used on nexus contracts. The first National 2's to be withdrawn as life expired were some of the ones from Washington when they were replaced in 1997 by Volvo B10BLE's. The first National 2 that was withdrawn was 4686 in 1991 due to major accident damage. Around 25 were parked up in A compound around the back of
Philadelphia Depot for around 7 months with most of the Leyland Lynx's. Some were reinstated and sent to Percy Main and Chester LE Street after 3 months. Most were sold to dealer Ensign Bus with the Lynx,s.

2002
At the start of 2002 4710 was taken off service work and sent to the Driver training School at Gateshead depot to train new drivers. This meant that all but 3 rows of seats were removed and a seat secured to the floor next to the cab for the instructor to observe the trainee. 4710 had 3 years in the training school until it was replaced again by A Daf SB220. By now the 60 Leyland National 2's that Go-Ahead Northern had started within 1986 had been whittled down to just 6. All were driver training buses. 4675 4681 4707 4710 4712 4718. Out of the 6 only 4681 4710 and 4718 were still operational at the end.

2006

Finally and without any fanfare or final run in June 2006 the last 2 Leyland National 2's were withdrawn from the company. However, 4710 did attend the Go Northeast sponsored NEBPT Metrocenter bus and coach show in May. Fittingly both 4681 and 4710 were preserved. 4681 going to the Northern National Restoration Group with 4700. 4710 going to the North East Bus Preservation Trust.

The NEBPT Chairman at the time was Alan Shepherd and he loved the Leyland National 2. So when Christopher Moyes CEO of the Go-Ahead Group offered 4710 to the trust he snapped his hand off for it. Once at Wardley the team that Alan put together to restore 4710 was confronted with the site of the task ahead. Due to minimal maintenance in her final years, 4710 was in very poor external condition. However not put off the team started to re panel her and fix the many problems that she had. A replacement set of seats was fitted out of FTN 695W. We were also making progress with 4681 at this time.

2008
At the start of the rally season in 2008, 4710 made her return to the roads repainted in poppy red. She attended 3 events in that year and was captured on film at the 2008 Metrocenter Bus and Coach Show. But unfortunately at the High-Level Bridge reopening ceremony in Gateshead, she failed in Gateshead High Street. After the kind attention from the Go Gateshead maintenance team that got her going again, she was able to carry on with the day but suffered a lack of power due to fuel problems.

2009
After the High-Level Bridge event, 4710 was taken to Hetton for storage until a place was available at Wardly. Here she was joined by FTN 708W which had just been rescued from the scrap man by Jonothan Ruddick. Unfortunately for 4710 Alan Shepherd left the trust and his attempt to buy 4710 for himself was thwarted by lack of storage. With the start of 2009 4710 was not re-tested and was left to gather dust in the shed at Hetton.
The National 2 was put on the back burner with nobody to work on her and no funding available to buy the parts to fix her. 4710 had 3 people inspect her to possibly buy her from the NEBPT. One was Steve Foster from Yesterbus Preservation. On his visit, the main engine oil pipe from the oil tank snapped and flooded the shed with oil. The engine was switched off straight away so no damage was done but this put Steve off 4710. The the pipe was changed and A small amount of work done to keep her starting but nobody showed any interest in 4710.

2012
In September 2012 I received the news that the NEBPT might be looking to sell some of the projects that were no longer viable to them. One was 4710. I emailed Ian Findlay and he explained that the National 2 might well be up for sale soon. The Trust had gone through major changes with A lot of people leaving but more people coming in. The management had also been changed with new Chairman Peter Elliott taking charge.

Engine Changes
7/81 NBC poppy red 6/95 Leyland 680 changed for Volvo THD100E Repower

Liveries
1/87 Go Ahead Northern red and white
12/92 Wear Buses green and grey
11/00 Go Wear Buses Corporate livery
9/06 NBC poppy red

Later that year I was invited to take a look at this dust-covered bus that had not moved in 4 years. Ian Robinson and I made the trip to Hetton in late December 2012 and we met Ken Rodham outside the shed. Once inside I inspected 4710. Many jobs were needed to be done to get the bus out the shed let alone on the road. This, however, did not put Ian and me off. To my surprise when Ian turned the master switch on 4710 came to life and her engine started.

It was clear however that all was not well. The exhaust was blowing and the air was leaking from underneath. After 2 hours we came back home and discussed all the problems. We both felt that it was possible to restore 4710 but the trick would be the locations that we did the work at so to maximize each location's facilities.

All this was academic if the NEBPT did not agree to our tender. 2 more parties were interested in 4710 at this time. But thankfully the NEBPT knew that only the Northern National Restoration Group had the expertise and the room in our shed to get 4710 up to and running again. Our tender was accepted in early January 2013. On the 23 of January, we went up to Hetton again. This time my Dad, Alan and I had 50 liters of fuel. 4710 was leaving Hetton bound for Go Northeast Chester LE Street Depot. A tense time getting 4710 out of the hemmed-in shed I replaced some of the rotten hose clips on the engine to stop the water leaks. After the fuel was put in and water-filled we set off to Chester LE Street. Once at Chester A full inspection took place. This was to show just how much work would be needed to get 4710 on the road. All 4 brakes were stuck on, A brake chamber was leaking, many oil leaks were to fix, many chassis air leaks were to fix, 2 air tanks were rotten, 3 of the 4 rear shockers needed re bushing, lots of electrical problems were found, water pipe brackets on the engine were rotten. This was just the start of the list.

Then NNRG member Barry Perryman dropped the big bomb. Barry wanted 4710 at his Wedding in June. Now with all the problems with 4710 and heavy snow stopping us going to Salter's Gate the locations that we could do the work at would be the key to getting 4710 ready. Firstly I negotiated for FTN 710W to stay at Go Northern Chester Depot for 3 weeks. This was very kindly granted by Fleet Engineer Robert Watson. This gave me access to A workshop that was created to maintain the Leyland National. The repairs to the engine, braking system, front and rear hubs, air system, some bodywork, and gearbox were all completed at Chester LE Street.

2013
Then in March 2013 4710 moved out west to The Eden at West Auckland by kind invitation of The Eden's Owner Graeme Scarlett SNR. At The Eden 4710 shared depot space with The Eden's own preservation project.Leyland Leopard Plaxton Derwent, L14. At The Eden repairs to the exhaust system, air system, entrance and emergency doors and electrics were done. More bodywork was also done. By this time the jobs to do list was shrinking fast and I was now confident that we could not only get 4710 ready for Barry's Wedding but we might just make the Metrocenter Bus and Coach Show in May.

Then on 14th of April 4710 finally moved to her new home at Salter's Gate. Hear she joined former Philly stablemate 4681. The last few jobs on the exterior lights and electrical systems were done. The MOT test was booked for the 2nd of May at DCC Service Direct works. After A tense 2 hours, 4710 came out the door's fully tested for the first time in 6 years. Fittingly Graeme Scarlett drove 4710 to and from Willington. Once back at Salter's Gate she was washed and polished. The paint finish was still far from perfect but this was something that we
would have to do later.

May the 4th and 4710 was A shock late entry at the Metrocenter. Only 11 weeks had passed since my Dad and I had taken her to Chester Depot and restoration started. However many jobs were left to do. Indeed the test pass was only the start of the work in 2013. The next outing was the father's Day event at Durham. Hear the highlight was The Eden's Leopard 14 turning up after 7 years of restoration. 4710 had the grab poles fitted and painted and wheels painted the right color and our bespoke destination blind. Back at Salter's Gate work continued on the electrical systems which were giving us problems all the time. Eventually, my Dad rewired the rear junction box and under the dashboard. This ended many of the problems but another problem with the low air warning hampered 4710 for most of the year. Barry's Wedding was in late June and 4710 performed faultlessly with Ian driving his charge all day. For this event, she was fully dressed in ribbons and bows. Our season was shockingly passing without any major problems. The next event was the Go Northeast Centenary event at Beamish Museum. For this show, I had A special section made to add to the destination blind to mark the event. 4710 had been requested to attend by MD Kevin Carr so special attention was made to the paintwork to make her look as good as possible. For this event, the Leyland National 2 legends were fitted to the front. The final public event
was Seaburn show. Again 4710 was prepared to look as good as possible but the paintwork was now really showing its faults. On the return from the show, 4710's main hydraulic hose on the engine broke next to the gearbox. Very, fortunately, we were only 500 yards from home so no damage was done. The hose was replaced and 4710 did A run on the service 765 the following Sunday for invited guests.

Around late August it had been decided that 4710 would undergo A winter maintenance program to finally get all the outstanding jobs done. This started in October 2013 and ran until April 2014. This is highlighted in other documents. She had all the damaged panels changed, body pillars repaired, repainted, electrical systems repaired or replaced, fog lights fitted, air horns fitted, major engine and gearbox work done, air filter housing repaired. She also had the correct fleet number and legal lettering size and font fitted.

2014
2014 started with 4710 passing her MOT again in early April. But the season started with the very sad passing of Ian Hignett just 2 weeks prior to the start of the season. Ian had been one of our closest supporters. His passing knocked Ian and me sideways. Ian was always on the other end of the phone for advice and support. He was so looking forward to seeing 4710 repainted. At the Metrocenter Bus and Coach Show, something was just missing. Chris Redpath held A moment of remembrance for Ian on the platform of 4710. The end of his speech was marked by A long blast on the 6 tone air horns. For the next event at Durham Ian and my Dad took 4710 as I was on Holiday. This event saw Go Northeast bring several buses and Ian spent most of the day driving them to Durham and back. The next event was the legendary Tyne Tees Run from Teeside to South Shields. For this event, we had a travailing companion in the shape of DTV 7078. The weather was very hot and for the first time, I was A bit concerned about overheating. Keith Lee found himself in the hot seat from West Auckland to Teeside. Then Ian took over for the trip to Durham. I took 4710 to Shields. The next event was A Wedding which 4710 was fully dressed and had A full 73 passenger load for the first time in A lot of years. The very next day was locomotion so A quick clean and removing all the wedding gear was done for the next day. The event was something I was looking forward to but the event has A road run to it and I had vetoed any road run at any time. So unfortunately 4710 had very few visitors.

Washington NELSAM had invited us to attend there annual transport day and we took 4710 over to Washington for A very wet day which was sad for the organizers who had put so much into it. Our last public event was Seaburn but prior to this event, we went to Worswick Street bus station in Newcastle for A photoshoot with poppy red liveried MCW UTN 501Y. 3501's owner is a good friend of mine and this was something we had wanted to do for quite some time. Classic cars belonging to Mick Handy and Steve King were on hand to make the day look like it was 1983, not 2014. The 2 NBC buses stopped people in their tracks as we got on the road to Seaburn. The final event for 2014 was our road run on the service 724. Ian did the driving on his former OK route and the day promised to be the best ever. However many of the invited people who said they would come did not. They did miss the main attraction which was the return to Hetton for 4710. Here she met up again with her Sister 4708. 4710 had photo's taken with 3501, 3406 and 4708. Then it was back home for the winter.

2015
As with all preserved buses, the winter off-season is busy getting all the jobs done that time won't let us do during the season. Several jobs were scheduled to do. One was repainting the interior to something near that it would have been. This was completed. Chassis work was done and 3 plates welded in. The final job was painting the engine and chassis. The front part of the floor lino was also changed along with the step inlay sections. So again in April 4710 was taken to the test center in Durham and returned 2 hours later fully tested. Her first public show was The Metrocenter. Yet again in her 4th season, she drew in the crowds. For this event, we were parked next to Volvo B10BLE R854 PRG. This was the last time this bus would be seen as on the following Tuesday she was withdrawn.

The next event at Durham should have been A day when 4710 was available for the first time on shuttles but due to parking arraignments, we only managed one run. Early in 2015, we were invited to leave the North East for the first time and travel 104 miles to Workington to attend A rally. The planning and lead up to this event was the first time we had worked with the Workington Transport Heritage Trust. For the first time, 4710 would go back to the factory that had constructed her and the other 59 Mk2 Nationals. The event started for us on Saturday the 18th of August as Ian, Alan and I in 4710 made our way West. The trip was uneventful and we covered the 104 miles in just over 2 hours. 4710 spent the night in the WTHT fire station. The Trust also showed us round there 2 sites. The trust has many projects that they are doing. Some long term like 4681. later that night we sat down and worked out the miles per gallon that 4710 had managed. To our shock, my Dad said after going over the figures 3 times 4710 had managed 18 MPG. The next day we traveled the short distance to the Lillyhall industrial estate. There we were met by the originalREV01, C49 OCN which was the last National built. More Nationals and 2 Lynxes came along with several non-Leyland buses. Later at 3 we left out new friends and were happy to be back home at 5. Our final show as always is the NEBPT Seaburn Classic Vehicle display. However, we made the trip to Waswick Street bus station in Newcastle City Centre with 4708, 3501, 3656 and 6080. To make the 80's day all the better several classic 80s cars came to be parked around the surrounding area. Then it was off to the event. Then on September the 6th we had our road run around the Bishop Auckland area. Buses on the day were YFY 4M, WHH 556S (REV01) and FTN 710W.