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icpR \\A/ coach market mi0 expansion
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ONE of the significant features of the 1970 Commercial Motor Show is a bonanza for British luxury coach operators who have anxiously watched the contraction in the choice of coaches available in recent years. What is even more significant is the fact that this greater choice comes largely through increasing competition by Continental manufacturers for a foothold in the British market.
However, one of the new coach models comes from a British Leyland subsidiary who offer a luxury coach as opposed to express coaches; it is mounted on a chassis announced some years ago which has not entered regular production yet. On the bus side, the Show highlight must be the much heralded Leyland National single-decker, which remains on the secret list until next Friday, when the Show opens. It will be interesting to compare this bus with the Anglo-Swedish venture, the Metro-Scania integral single-decker. To begin a brief preview of some of next week's psv exhibits by looking at the Continental contenders. Mercedes-Benz (Great Britain) Ltd (stand 79) will again be showing an example of the 0.302 rear-engined coach. This will be an example sold to the UK operator, Seamarks Bros Ltd, Luton, in whose livery it, will be shown. It will join a fleet of seven 11-metre Mercedes-Benz coaches already operated by Seamarks to carry air passengers between London and Luton Airport.
Inside the exhibition hall for the first time, IMVT Salvador Caetano SARL (stand 44), the Portuguese luxury coach builder, will be putting on a show of strength in conjunction with its British trading partner, Moseley Continental Coachwork Ltd. Three coaches will be exhibited--a 45-seat Caseais body on a Ford R192 chassis powered by a 360 cu in. turbo engine, a 29-seat Sintra on a Bedford VAS 5 chassis, and a 45-seat Lisboa on an AEC Reliance chassis powered by the AH.505 underfloor engine. Forced ventilation with individual outlets, and individual reading lights will be featured in all three coaches.
Also inside Earls Court will be an 11-metre Leyland Leopard with coachwork by Van Hool and Fits SPRL (stand 35), built to British MoT requirements. Of all-metal construction, with continuouslywelded side panels similar to those employed on the Caetano bodies, the coach will be fitted with 45 reclining seats of Van Hool design. Panoramic windows, forced individual ventilation and an electropneumatically operated entrance door will be features of the design.
Turning to British built luxury coaches, the British Leyland entrant will be shown by AEC Ltd (stand 99), and will consist of a 12-metre (39ft 4in.) Eastern Coach Works body mounted on a 20ft wheelbase AEC Sabre chassis with rear-mounted AEC V8 engine. The coach will be designed as a luxury coach, as opposed to an express service coach, and will accommodate 46 passengers in reclining seats. Forced-air ventilation with individual jet-vents and individual reading lights will be features of the design.
Both established British luxury coach builders will show up-dated versions of existing designs. Rationalization of production by Duple Coachbaders Ltd (stand 36) has led to the dropping of the
Commander body, and the Viceroy is now the only coach design available except on Bedford SB and VAS chassis; the latter are fitted with an up-dated version of the Viscount body style, and a 41-seat version on the SB chassis, the Duple Vega, will be shown. The leading Duple exhibit will be a 45-seat Viceroy body on the new Bedford YRQ underfloor-enginecl chassis. A range of coaches will be displayed in the demonstration park.
Rationalization of design by Plaxtons (Scarborough) Ltd (stand 30) was made some time ago, and the company will be showing examples of the Panorama Elite II luxury coach body. This retains the now familiar side window silhouette; changes in
styling include an extension of the front grille for increased access, and incorporating the four headlamps mounted in pairs. Restyling of the interior has also been undertaken. The principle exhibit will be, as in the case of Duple, a 45-seat body on the Bedford YRQ chassis, for Silverline Tours of Hounslow.
Plaxtons will also display a 47-seat Panorama Elite II on a Leyland Leopard 11-metre chassis for the Bristol Omnibus Co Ltd. A full range of coaches will also be shown in the demonstration park.
Another vehicle for Bristol Omnibus Co Ltd will be displayed on the stand of Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd (stand 101), and will be a Bristol RELL fitted with a naturally aspirated version of the Leyland 500 fixed-head diesel engine. Eastern Coach Works Ltd will supply the 44-seat body, which has a front entrance and central exit, and an overall length of 3611 5in. The body will be built semi-integrally with the chassis; provision will be made for the later fitting of two-way radio.
On its own stand (41) Eastern Coach Works Ltd will be showing a 9-metre (30ft 64-in.) low-height front entrance double-deck body mounted semi-integrally on a Bristol VRT/SL chassis, together with a 45-seat single-decker on a 16ft 2in. wheelbase version of the Bristol LH chassis. The buses will be for West Yorkshire Road Car Co Ltd, and Cumberland Motor Services Ltd, respectively.
Many visitors to the Show will undoubtedly make their way to stand 40, where Metropolitan-Cammell-Weymann .Ltd will exhibit one of the Metro-Scania single-deckers for Leicester City Transport, to compare this bus with the Leyland National. Built in conjunction with Scania Bursar AB Sweden, the 11-metre (36ft lin.)
integral bus will have a front entrance and central exit, and accommodation for 44 seated and 19 standing passengers. The bus will be powered by the Scania D1 1 engine, and will incorporate fully automatic transmission, air suspension and power steering as standard features.
The bodywork specification will include double-glazed window units and three Weathershield roof lights, one of which will be a power-operated opening light. MetroCammell will also display one of a batch of 10-metre (3311 Sin.) single-deck buses ordered by London Transport Executive on behalf of London Country Bus Services Ltd. It will accommodate 41 seated and 21 standing passengers.
Another single-decker for the National Bus Company will be shown by Marshall of Cambridge (Engineering) Ltd (stand 31). The 10-metre (3311 5in.) bus will be a 45-seat Camagna Two metal-framed body mounted on a Bristol RESL6L chassis for Southdown Motor Services Ltd. Also exhibiting a single-deck bus for an NBC company will be Willowbrook Ltd (stand 43). The vehicle will be an 11-metre 53-seat service bus on a Leyland Leopard PSU3A/4R chassis with front entrance/exit bodywork incorporating sealed side windows.
It has become almost a tradition for Walter Alexander and Co (Coachbuilders) Ltd (stand 42) to show a single-deck express motorway coach at Earls Court. This year, however, the company will display a 10-metre front entrance and central exit double-decker mounted on a Daimler Fleetline chassis, one of a batch for Bradford City Transport. The bus will seat 74 passengers with provision for 18 standing passengers, and a feature of the design will be the location of the exit immediately behind the front axle.
With London Transport about to enter a new era of bus operation—that of
rear-engined double-deckers—a significant exhibit will be the DMS class front entrance. central exit Daimler Fleetline to be shown by Park Royal Vehicles Ltd (stand 38). The 9-metre (3011 10in.) bus will seat 68 passengers, with accommodation for 21 standees, and will feature the dual-fare entrance layout already employed on many of LT's latest o-m-o single-deckers. Although based on the standard Park Royal body shell, the lines of the bus will show some resemblance to the SELNEC PTE-operated angular double-deckers, designed by Mr Ralph Bennett, now a member of the London Transport Executive.
Also on the Park Royal stand will be a 9-metre (3011 10in.) two-doorway 72-seat double-decker on Daimler Fleetline chassis for Coventry City Transport. A second LT DMS double-decker will be shown on the Daimler stand, again featuring a Park Royal two-door body.
Two .front entrance, central exit double-deckers will also be shown by Charles H. Roe Ltd (stand 39), one of these being the traditional Leeds City Transport exhibit. The Leeds bus will be a 10-metre (33ft) 78-seat model with panoramic windows, and mounted on a Leyland Adantean PDR2 /1 chassis. The second Roe exhibit will also feature panoramic windows, and will be a 9-metre (30ft 9in.) 74-seat model on Daimler Fleetline CRG6-30 chassis for Derby Corporation Transport. In common with the Leeds bus, its equipment will include a radio telephone.
Another manufacturer showing doubledeck buses will be Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Co Ltd (stand 32), who will show a 10-metre (3311) normal height 76-seat two-doorway body on Daimler Fleetline chassis for Lancashire United Transport Ltd, one of a batch of six being
delivered to this large independent. The company's second exhibit is a bus ordered by Ashton-under-Lyne Corporation Transport, now absorbed into SELNEC. It will be a 3011 normal height 75-seat double-decker on a Leyland Atlantean chassis with front entrance /exit.
Finally, Seddon Diesml Vehicles Ltd (stand 93), will show an 11-metre (36ft)
two-doorway Pennine RU bus, one of the batch of 100 ordered by Crosville Motor Services Ltd. The front entrance, central exit single-deck body, based on the standard Seddon design, will seat 45 passengers with accommodation for 20 standing passengers. VARIOUS FACTORS have contributed to making this year one that is likely to be marked by a degree of change in the ambulance world, one being the availability of the British Leyland EA chassis which provides a specially suitable basis for conversion by specialist bodybuilders.
The Dennis low-level ambulance which made what appeared to be a somewhat hasty appearance at the 1968 Show has had time to come to terms with the practicalities of the work and might have been expected to be seen again, but its makers are concentrating on other spheres and the ambulance will not be presented at Earls Court.
Since cleansing vehicles have their own special fiesta each June they tend not to figure to any extent at the Commercial Motor Show but fire tenders invariably provide some bright spots. Hydraulic platforms continue to increase their scope. In the demonstration park Carmichaels of Worcester will have a tender with an 80ft hydraulic platform on a Leyland' Redline Mastiff chassis. This company's inside stand (No 127) will include .a Redline Boxer, with 72ft Carmichael Orbiter elevating platform, for the Post Office.
Of interest in the public service field, although the actual vehicle is intended for an ICI salt mine, will be a survey unit with Simon 1125 hydraulic arm and a plastics cage giving a 25ft working height; the exhibitor is Crompton Leyland Reetricars Ltd (stand 77). Again of local authority application, despite the fact that the actual exhibit is for a private operator, will be the Reynolds Boughton (stand 117) 50 cu yd refuse body with Edbro tipping gear on an AEC Marshal six-wheel chassis.
Special suspension trials have resulted in certain modifications being made to the EA chassis by Wadham Stringer (Coachbroltiers) Ltd (stand 129), the unit thus being adjusted to the actual loading and body requirements. The body to be shown is in colour impregnated glass-reinforced plastics. A well-equipped Land-Rover with light alloy framing and aluminium panels will incorporate an interior compartment equipped with a multi-posture trolley on the nearside and three forward-facing single seats with folding arm-rests on the offside. This company's display will be completed by a welfare design intended for the carriage of four wheelchairs and six seated patients; an inset Wadham tail-lift is covered by a 3ft central rear door. Smith-Appleyard Ltd (stand 102) will be presenting a one-piece moulded plastics ambulance body, with tubular steel framework, on the EA chassis. Similar construction is used for an ambulance for Merthyr Tydfil on a Ford Transit 25cwt chassis with van floor base. From Crompton Leyland Electricars will come a hospital ambulance for the carriage of stretcher, wheelchair or sitting patients within the grounds. In this case the standard Morrison chassis, with 36-cell battery, has a body with alloy panelling and a battery-operated Ratcliffe tailgate platform.
The popular Lomas Junior dual-purpose ambulance body on the JU250 chassis will be offered by Herbert Lomas Ltd (stand 103). The Lomas SF glass-reinforced plastics body is to be shown on a Ford Transit chassis with automatic transmission; a special feature is a rear tailgate door which, apart from giving freedom from obstruction, affords shelter to the patients during loading and off-loading. Low-level loading will be noted on the Lomas B-type on the Bedford CF 25cwt chassis.