Report - Ex-Leyland trucks test track. May 2016

[Nudgersboss]

The former Leyland Test Track is on 130 acres of land, & opened in the
1970’s. It was used by Leyland Motors to trial both prototypes and vehicles
on a series of different road surfaces once they came off the production line.
Following the disposal of Leyland DAF Limited, Pilgrim Technologies (PTL)
retained the freehold ownership of the Test Track. The land adjoining the
Test Track is owned by the Council.

The site was last used in 2005, by a company called Toratrak.
The track is essentially a ‘P’ shape The straight bit of the ‘P’ was used for
high speed brake testing. The vehicle being tested could make several loops
of the banked oval to gain speed. Inside the oval are the usual array of vehicle tests.
These include 2 incline sections, a cobble road, undulating road, and a water
Crossing.


Anyway on pictures

This is from Google earth, to explain the layout of the track.

View of the banking

The control tower for the track.

The emergency stop gravel at the end of the braking zone

The vehicle maintenance shed in the middle of the track. Thoroughly trashed.

Cobbled surface

Vehicle incline test

Finally the whole site is ringed by this large concrete wall

 

[Lavino]

Nice wall

 

[The Kwan]

Cool report mate, I remember seeing a report from here with old historical images of cars zipping around the track and it looked ace..cheers for sharing this.

 

[Tomp211]

Nice one! Went down there myself today mind if I borrow your brief to do a quick report myself with some updated pictures of the site

 

[Morrisey]

Spent many a day ragging the arse outta Leyland Roadtrains, Constructors and Roadrunners around that track when I worked there in the 80’s. Used to have a comp to see who could maintain 55mph all the way round without binning it, had some proper buttock clenching moments.