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BRITISH PASSENGER CHASSIS
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A.E.C. A.E.C. Ltd., Southall. Middlesex.
THIS company, for long known as "Builders of London's Buses ", makes a wide variety of passenger chassis for the home and export markets, whilst at the same time supplying mechanical components to Park Royal for incorporation in the London Transport Routemaster integral design.
Single-decker chassis include the lightweight Reliance and heavy-duty Regal VI models, both of which types have underfloor engines and can have air suspension, and also the export-only Ranger design, with a forward-mounted vertical engine. Reliance chassis suitable for 30-ft. bodies have 7.68litre 138-b.h.p. engines. whilst 36-ft. chassis are available either with this engine or a 9.6-litre unit developing 153 b.h,p. Regal chassis have an 11.3-litre 192-b.h.p. engine and are suitable for 33or 36-ft. bodies. The Ranger 30-ft. chassis has a vertical version of the 7-68-litre engine. Synchromesh gear.boxes are offered in Reliance and Regal chassis, with the option of semi-automatic transmission in certain cases, whilst the Ranger has a constant-mesh box.
A.E.C.'s double-decker chassis include the Regent V, which is of conventional layout. and the Renown low-height model. Regent chassis are available with 7-68or 9-6-litre engines when required for use with 27-ft. bodies. whereas the 9.6-litre engine is standard in the 30-ft. models, although there are two export chassis in which the 11-3-litre engine rated at 154 b.h.p. is fitted.
ALBION Albion Motors Ltd.,
Scotstoun,
Glasgow, W.4.
ONE of the smallest underfloor-engined passenger chassis in the world forms part of Albion 's passenger-vehicle range, which includes also forward-engined, medium-duty models and the Lowlander low-height, double-decker design. The underfloor job is the' Nimbus, which is designed for bodies of up to 23-ft. 3-in, overall length with 31 seats, the designed gross vehicle weight being 6 tons, whilst the dry chassis weight is 2 tons 6-5 cwt. The Nimbus has a fourcylinder, 4.1-litre, 70-b.h.p. diesel engine. The vertical-engined single-decker chassis include the Victor and the as-yet-unannounced Viking designs, all of which have a Leyland
0.370 6-075-litre diesel engine developing either 106 or 110 net b.h.p. according to application. The Victor is intended for coach bodywork of 30-ft. 8.5-in. by 8-ft. 2.5-in. box dimensions and is rated for 9-tons 7-cwt. gross weight.
The Lowlander can take bodies with up to 74 seats, and because of its cranked frame layout, overall body heights of under 13 ft. 6 in. are possible. A Leyland 140-b.h.p. diesel is standard, with the option of synchromesh or semi-automatic gearboxes, whilst there is a .rear-suspension choice of leafspring or air suspension.
ATKINSON Atkinson Vehicles Ltd.,
Walton-le-Dale, Preston, Lanes,
ALTHOUGH Atkinson has built doubledecker chassis, this Lancashire company is better known for its underfloor-engined single-decker designs, some of which are now available for use with bodies of more than
overall length. Gardner engines are throughout the Atkinson passenger. range, and in most cases constantgearboxes arc standard, although one latest single-decker designs has semilade transmission, this chassis having it braking as standard, whereas such is are optional to triple-vacuum-servos Ott other models. There are three ;on vertical-engined chassis, and these r use with 30-ft. bodies. A shortenedlase version of one of these chassis used with double-decker bodywork.
'IN Austin Motor Co. Ltd., Longbridge.
Birmingham.
MINALLY, Austin's commercialrange consists solely of the 12-seat based on the J2 M16 18-cwt. van, but H-series semi-horizontal-engined 7-ton chassis is offered as suitable for patbodywork in its 15and 17-ft. 6-in.,ase forms, The 12-seater buses are I with diesel or petrol engines of re capacity, the common transmission h ease being a four-speed synchromesh ax, The FH chassis is suitable for :ion at 11 or 12.5 tons gross according xification, and its 120-b.h.p. engine drives through a five-speed .nt-mesh gearbox.
ORD Vauxhall Motors Ltd., Luton, Beds.
E only twin-steer passenger chassis at It being manufactured in Great Britain from this factory, this being the VAL intended for use with 36-ft.-long ■ . More conventional forward-engined s with diesel or petrol engines are proalso. these being the VAS and the Phich are suitable for 23-ft. 9-in, and bodywork respectively.
--VAL has a version of the Leyland • 130-b.h.p. diesel engine and five-speed romesh gearbox as standard, whilst it , only full-sized passenger chassis in :ountry to have 16-in, wheels, these g to lov'rei the floor line and give sed stability: The VAS also has 16-in. 5 and, like the SE, has air-assisted ulic brakes when a diesel engine is rd, but vacuum-assisted braking if a engine is fitted.
British United Traction Ltd.. Berkeley Square House. Berkeley Square, London, W.I.
ERE are only two manufacturers of rbuses remaining in Britain, this cornbeing one of them. Most of E.U.T.'s cis go overseas nowadays, the concern's consisting of fourand six-wheeled Ls, suitable for either singleor doubler bodywork and with seating capaci
ties of up to 72. One of the single-decker chassis is suitable for an overall length of 35 ft., and in all cases A.E.I., CromptonParkinson or G.E.C. motors are offered.
COMMER Commer Cars Ltd., Luton, Beds.
THE Routes three-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine in its basic 105-b.h.p. form powers Commer's only large passenger chassis, this being the Avenger 30-ft. model. Because of its shape, the power unit makes little intrusion into the passenger compartment, despite its forward location. Twelveseater buses based on the Comrner 15-cwt. van are offered also, there being a choice of petrol or diesel engines in the case of these models, the diesel engine being the Perkins 4.99 unit.
DAIMLER Transport Vehicles (Daimler) Ltd., Daimler Works, Coventry, Warwicks. ONE of the oldest manufacturers of passenger vehicles in the country, Daimler are now part of the Jaguar organization. Underfloor-, forwardand rear-engined single-decker, and forwardand rearengined double-decker chassis are manufactured. and in most cases there is a choice of Daimler or Gardner diesel engines. The single-deckers consist of the Freeline underflotsr-engined model, suitable for bodywork of up to 34-ft. 6-in, overall length and the 1962 designed, rear • underfloor engined chassis, which also is intended for bodies of over 30-ft. length, its principal advantage over the midships-engined Freeline being that a low-height unobstructed floor line extending rearwards from the extreme front of the chassis to the very rear can be provided. Daimler's vertical-engined chassis take a number of different forms, some being intended for single-decker bodies of up to 38-ft. 8-in, overall length, whilst others are intended for double-decker bodywork of 27or 30-ft. overall length. In most cases semiautomatic transmissions are standard, with the option of fully-automatic versions of the same gearbox, but the older type of preselector transmission is still available in certain chassis. The Guy constant-mesh gearbox is also available as a further alternative. Of more unconventional layout, the Fleetline 30-ft. double-decker chassis has a Gardner 6LX engine located vertically across the extreme rear of the frame, and this has a low-swept frame to give easy passenger loading and minimum overall height, DENNIS Dennis Bros. Ltd., Guildford, Surrey. THE current popularity of low-frame double-decker chassis in this country is reflected in Dennis' passenger-vehicle output, two of its three passenger chassis consisting of Loline 30-ft, low-height models, one having the Gardner 6LW 112-b.h.p. diesel, whilst the other has the 6LX 150-b.h.p. engine. The Loline was originally based on the Bristol Lodekka design, which is available only to operating companies within the Tilling Group.
The other Dennis passenger model is a 17-ft, 5-in.-wheelbase version of the Pax V goods design, this having an overall length of 30 ft. and the standard power unit being the Perkins 6.354 112-b.h.p, vertical diesel engine. The Fax V has a gross-weight rating of 10 tons, whilst the Loline models can operate at 13.25 tons. DODGE Dodge Bros. (Britain) Ltd., Kew Gardens, Surrey.
LAST year this concern introduced its first passenger chassis suitable for front-entrance bodywork, this being the 5307 model with set=back front axle and vertically-mounted Leyland -110-b.h.p. diesel engine driving through a five-speed synchromesh gearbox. The 5307 is designed for bodywork just over 30-ft. long, with room for 42 seats. There are two other Dodge passenger chassis, these being more closely related to existing goodshaulage designs, one being recommended for a maximum body length of 27 ft. 9 in., whilst the other can take 30-ft. bodies. These two chassis have constant-mesh gearboxes and vacuum-hydraulic brakes, whereas the frontentrance model has air-hydraulic braking.
E.R.F. Ltd., Sun Works, Sandbach, Cheshire. ALTHOUGH not in the passenger-vehicle business in a big way, this company has exported a limited number of specially modified goods chassis for use with bus bodywork in areas where operating conditions are somewhat severe, including central Africa and Turkey. These chassis were specially lengthened versions of Gardner-engined fourwheelers, and have proved well suited for the service for which they were intended in view of their robust construction, high ground clearance and so forth.
GUY Guy Motors (Europe) Ltd., Wolverhampton, Staffs. .
THE world's only double-decker chassis with full air suspension and disc brakes at front and rear figures in the Guy passengervehicle range, which includes more conventional double-decker chassis, and a . wide variety of single-decker designs, some of which also are available with air suspension. The disc-braked double-deckeris the Wulfrunian, this being available with either set-back front wheels for front-entrance bodies or with wheels at the front of the chassis to permit the entrance to be sited just behind the line of the driver's seat. The other double-decker model is the Arab Mk. V, with semi-low-height frame layout. These two designs have forward-mounted vertical Gardner engines, as do the Arab Mk. V single-decker models, none of these being suitable for bodies of over 30-ft. length. A choice of fully-automatic, semi-automatic epieyelie or constant-mesh layshaft gearboxes is available.
Other vertical-engined, single-decker chassis include Warrior and Victory types, whilst there are also Victory underfloorengined machines, two of which have air B38
springs. All the Victory models are long . chassis, one of the vertical-engined versions having an overall length of 38 ft. 1 in. and none having a frame length of less than 33-ft. Such designs can operate at 15 tons -gross weight and are intended primarily for export.
KARRIER Karrier Motors Ltd., Luton, Beds.
PRINCIPALLY associated with specialized municipal vehicles, this member of the Rootes Group does nevertheless offer small passenger chassis intended primarily for. the home market. All are based on the same 10-ft. 3-in.-wheelbase, chassis, and (here are 12and 14-seater models available. -In all cases four-cylinder diesel and petrol-engines are available and the chassis have 16-in. wheels.
LEYLAND , Leyland Motors Ltd., • Leyland, Lancs.
THERE can be few manufacturers Offering a bigger and more comprehensive range of passenger vehicles than Leyland Motors Ltd., whose products include light-, mediumand heavy-duty underfloorand front-engined single-decker chassis, and frontand rearengined double-decker models of conventionaland low-height frame layout. The lightest of the single-deckers is the frontengined 27-ft. 6-in. Comet, which canrun at 10 tons gross. This is essentially an export model, so the lightest home-market type is the Tiger Cub 30-footer, with 9or 9.5-ton gross ratings. Next in size come the Leopard models, which can run at over 11 tons gross in 36-ft. form, whilst the third underfloorengined design is the Royal Tiger Worldmaster, which can gross Bp to 15 tons. Tiger Cubs have 131-b.h.p. engines; Leopards are available with 125or 130-b.h.p. diesels, whilst the Worldmasters are powered by 150-b.h.p. engines.
Leyland's remaining single-decker model is the export-only Tiger, which is a frontengined design suitable for 33-ft. bodywork. The layout of this chassis is similar to that of the Tittin double-decker range, the permutations of which include body lengths of 27 and 30 ft., semi-automatic and synchromesh gearboxes. and air and triple-vacuum braking. The Tiger and all the Titans have 125-b.h.p. engines. Low-height Leyland chassis consist of the rear-engined Atlantean and the Albion Lowlander, which is marketed outside Scotland as a Leyland.
In addition to these models Leyland supply engines and running units to Metropolitan-Cammell Weymann Ltd., for
use in their Olympian and glymnic Series II
integral passenger vehicles.• . . • MORRIS Morris Commercial Cars Ltd:, Adderley Park, Birmingham, 8. THE passenger-vehicle 'models offered by this member Of the'British 'Motor Corporation are mechanically identical to those marketed by the Austin Motor Co, Ltd., so information regarding the Morris range will be found under the Austin heading, SEDDON Seddon Diesel Vehicles Ltd., Oldham, Lancs.
MANUFACTURING only single-decker chassis, Seddon's has its own bodybuilding company, Pennine Coachcraft Ltd., adjacent to the parent factory, and is thus able to -offer complete passenger vehicles virtually from the one factory. The lightest Seddon 'passenger model is a 14-seat personnel carrier of normal-control configuration and having a Perkins three-cylinder diesel engine, whilstthe next largest model is the Mk, 7P 21-footer, which is suitable for bodies with up to 28 seats and has a four-cylinder Perkins. Thirty-foot models include the Mk. 17 vertical-engined and Mk. 19 underfloor-engined designs, whilst a newcomer is the Pennine 3 -26-fr chassis which has a semi-horizontal Perkins 6.354 diesel located amidships.
SUNBEAM Sunbeam Trolleybus Co. Ltd., Woverhampton, Staffs.
TWOand three'-axled trolleybuses are manufactured by this company, which is associated 'with Guy Motors (Europe) Ltd., which in turn is part of the Jaguar organization. A single-decker model suitable for 30or 364t. bodywork is produced, whilst the double-decker equivalent of this can take bodies of from 26to .30-ft. overall length. The three-axled chassis is available with a choice of two wheelbases, for 30-ft. or 33-ft. 6-in, bodywork, and this model can run at up to 17 tons gross weight, the two fourwheeled designs being limited to 14 tons gross.
THAMES Ford Motor Co. Ltd., Dogenham, Essex.
THE latest Thames passenger chassis is so new as to have been announced only today, this being their low-cost " 36 " four-wheeled 36-ft. design, which is fully described elsewhere in this issue. Until today, the largest Thames passenger chassis on the market has been a 30-ft. single-decker with choice of petrol or diesel power units, this model remaining in production, of course, Twelveseat buses based on the Thames 15-cwt. forward-control van are manufactured also, and these too are offered with either petrol or diesel engines.