New Light Body for Long Life
Page 37
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DETA1LS were given in last week's issue of "The Commercial Motor" of an order for 620 buses for Cuba, in which Leyland Motors, .Ltd., and Saunders Engineering and Shipyard, Ltd., Beaumaris, Anglesey, participated, as chassis and body manufacturers respectively. It was announced that the Saunders Rivaloy body—a description of which appeared in this journal on February 24—was to be used in the vahieles for Cuba.
In the earlier description. mention was made of a new design for the lighter type of chassis. Its principles of construction, however, make it suitable for the Leyland Royal Tiger chassis, the bodywork for which is fundamentally similar in design, although its weight is 6,000 lb.
Based on the Comrner Avenger ;:hassis with a wheelbase of 15 ft. 9 inS: and powered by a 109 b.h.p, underfloor engine, the body seats 51 passengers. Overall length is 27 ft. 4 ins., overall width 7 ft. 6 ins, and height unladen 9 ft. 7 ins. The body weight is 4,700 lb.
This excellent weight figure gives an indication of the methods of construction employed. H-section alloy pillars. intercostal scat and floor members and Z-section steel waist rails are used, to which are solid riveted steel lining panels, the exterior steel panels being riveted by the Chobert method. The interior panels carry all the working stresses. Continuous alloy cant-rails are employed, and the roofsticks are of the same material, the roof being double skinned in aluminium sheet.
Both the front canopy and the rear dome are of steel, but both light alloy and steel are used in the front panels, which include recessed window pans, imparting a distinctive appearance to the vehicle.
The body is assembled from jig-built main units, which may be shipped separ ately for assembly at the destination, and comprises the following sections:— Sides, roof, cab sides and front, rear end and underframe. All light-alloy parts are Pyluminized and steel parts are Bonderized; a coat of Carbolastic,covers the whole structure below the waist and the timber flooring is treated with Permasan.
Appearance is dignified, the straight sides suggesting a hard-working vehicle
with no frills. However, luxury furnishings may be specified by the operator, although the standard version is fully equipped.
Each main side window has a sliding section, and there are four Ashanco lnlex ventilators in the roof. Cantilever parcel racks with polished aluminium handrails at the edge are supplied as standard in the home version.
A comprehensive range of extra
equipment is offered. The jack-knife doors may be power operated; employing the vacuum system incorporated in the chassis with a selective control for
the driver, An additional passenger door can be fitted behind the wheelarches. Roller blinds or curtains may be supplied for all windows, and a Clayton heater, distributing warm air through ducts in the body sides to outlets beneath each seat row is optional. Fog lamps, additional direction indicators and other items are available at extra cost.
In the coach body, luggage accommodation is provided at the rear in a locker which also contains the spare wheel. Seats are filled with Dunlopillo and trimmed in moquette. Side windows in the coach are of the half-drop type, instead of sliding Wing valances of aluminium or rubber may 13e fitted to the standard model, whereas the coach wings are of aluminium. The destination indicator fitted in the deep,.rounded forepeak of the roof, beneath which the windscreen :panels are recessed, is omitted from the coach 106: