Seddon's Midi -small bus with big backing
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ANNOUNCED just in time for next week's Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court is Seddon's Midi 25-seat bus. This new model — the first from a "heavy-duty" manufacturer to acknowledge the trend towards smaller vehicles among both rural and urban operators — is in full-scale production at Seddon's Pennine bus building plant.
Essentially the Midi is a shortened version of the Seddon Pennine range of front-engine, front-entrance passenger chassis. In fact all major components including the massively constructed chassis frame are built to the same specification as those used on 30 and 40ft models. The only big change is the engine. The recently introduced Perkins 4.236 fourcylinder 3.86-litre diesel engine is used. This develops 80 hp at 2800 rpm with a maximum torque of 193 lb ft at 1500 rpm.
Apart from the engine all major mechanical components are unchanged from the larger Pennine models. These include the 13in. clutch, five-speed synchromesh gearbox, 9-ton capacity spiral-bevel rear axle, 44-ton beam front axle, 10-stud hubs and duplicated air-braking system. With the use of a 5.57 ratio rear axle a maximum speed of nearly 60 mph is claimed. Gear ratios are: 6.923, 3.983, 2.375, 1.469, and 1.0.
Centrax Stopmaster wedgeexpanded brakes, 15in. diameter, 6in. wide and with lin.-thick linings are fitted. Reasonably, Seddon claims that these "big bus" sizes should give a very long life on such a small vehicle. The Midi is 20ft 10in, long overall and has a 9ft 6in. wheelbase.
Like the chassis, the body is basically a shortened version of that used on full-length Pennine singledeckers. Front end styling — which incorporates a two-piece flat screen — is similar to that used on Seddon's last new passenger model, the Express service bus. However, despite the claimed retention of interior space standards very similar to those normally associated with bigger buses, one of the most significant features of the Midi is its exterior width. At 7ft 6in. this should find favour with operators whose territory includes roads where conventional buses are too wide. Interior height is said to be to normal bus standards and ordinary bus seats are used. It is undertstood that a coach version of the Midi will be available later.
Perhaps the only major change from big-bus specification is. in the springing. To provide a comfortable ride for the Midi — which weighs in complete at just under 4 tons 5cwt — much softer springs are used. Price for the 25-seat bus version is £5170, complete with a fully trimmed and painted aluminium body.
The Seddon Midi is designed to give the same standards of reliability in intensive city-centre stop-start operation as larger vehicles yet at the same time to appeal to rural operators who cannot accommodate full-size vehicles. Though the idea for the design first came from a local concern in Lancashire which needed a works bus, the example on show at Earls Court will be one of four ordered by the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive.