Bristol Commercial Vehicles was created when the Bristol Tramways Company decided to build its own bus chassis in 1908. Operation of the Trams was switched to Filton to give space for building motor vehicles at Brislington. However, in 1910 Bristol decided to construct aeroplanes as the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company at Filton; this operation eventually became the Bristol Aeroplane Company which in 1947 launched a new Bristol car. By 1914 Bristol Commercial Vehicles was building buses for other operators including an order for Middlesbrough. Bristol Tramways was bought out by the Great Western Railway in 1929, and the bus business was acquired by Western National in 1931 under the Tilling Group. Tilling had already decided to use diesel engines in its vehicles and the Bristol-built Gardner engine was its choice. Many of the bus operators within the Tilling Group started to order Bristol chassis, and these were driven bare to coachbuilders also owned by Tilling. In 1948 Tilling fell under nationalisation after which it was very restricted to selling only to members of the British Transport Commission [BTC]. The Leyland Motor Corporation bought into the group in 1965 which allowed Bristol products to be wider sold but chassis construction ended in 1981.