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Emphasis on one-man

16th September 1966
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Page 174, 16th September 1966 — Emphasis on one-man
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single-deckers

BY DEREK MOSES

VI S ITO RS to the Commercial Motor Show this year looking for radical departures from accepted practice in the design and layout of bus and coach bodies, at least so far as the home market is concerned, are liable to disappointment. What they will find is an interesting and wide variety of designs ranging from the country's first 33 ft. double-deckers, seating as many as 80 passengers, to small 12-seaters based on Austin and Morris J2 chassis.

The trend towards one-man singledeckers is growing, albeit slowly, and is reflected at the Show, where one will be able to compare, among other examples the interpretations by Sunderland. England, and Edmonton, Canada, both on Daimler Roadliner chassis, of what this type of bus should be like. Both can be compared with the exciting new Olympic X transit coach designed to compete with General Motors on the Canadian and American markets, a vehicle incorporating an ingenious new transmission line.

Another leading coachbuilder has departed from the scene—Thos. Harrington—but in its place is Eastern Coach Works exhibiting for the first time since 1948. And if Harrington's departure from the luxury coachbuilding scene threatened to narrow the choice of luxury coaches to two builders, Duple and Plaxtons, this has been averted by the return of both Park Royal and MCW to the luxury coachbuilding field. Examples of their new coaches are to be seen at Earls Court.

Dealing first with Eastern Coach Works Ltd. (Stand 40)—its return to the fold is notable as the company has bodied what will undoubtedly be the most interesting passenger chassis at the Show, the rearengined Bristol VR.. This chassis is designed to take either singleor doubledeck bodies, and the company is showing two 33 ft. 14 in, long front entrance double-deckers. These are the longest double-deckers to be built in this country, to date, and the first to take advantage of the relaxed Construction and Use regulations.

Apart from the unusual engine position, the layout of the ECW double-deckers is fairly orthodox and similar to Atlanteanand Fleetline-style bodies, apart from the bulge-free rear profile which resembles the back of a forward entrance Lodekka. The example on Stand 40 is for the Central SMT Co. Ltd.. and a similar vehicle for the Bristol Omnibus Co. Ltd. is shown on the Bristol Commercial Vehicles Ltd. stand (81).

To complete the Eastern Coach Works exhibits, a front entrance, central exit body on the well-proven Bristol RELL chassis will also 'be seen. This 50-seat vehicle has been built for United Automobile Services Ltd. and marks an interesting development in Tilling group policy.

Another dual-entrance body for a Tilling operator is shown by Strachans (Coachbuilders) Ltd. (Stand 34) but this vehicle is probably even more interesting in that it is mounted on a Bedford VAM14 chassis. The body is, in fact, the 43-seat front entrance, central exit version of the Pacesaver II body, and the operator will be Hants and Dorset Motor Services Ltd.

Highlight of Strachans' exhibits will, however, undoubtedly be the 47-seat front entrance, central exit body for Sunderland Corporation Transport, the example shown being one of three prototypes on Daimler Roadliner chassis.

A close contender to the Bristol /ECW double-decker for overall length is a 78-seat body by Chas. H. Roe Ltd. shown on the Daimler stand (58). Basis of the vehicle is an 18 ft. 6 in. wheelbase Fleetline chassis, and the overall length of the bus is 32 ft. 9 in.

On Roe's own stand (42) are two doubledeckers on 30 ft. Leyland Atlantean chassis. Finally, on the AEC stand (72) will be a 48-seat front entrance, central exit body on AEC Swift 36 ft. chassis for Leeds City Transport.

Another interesting double-decker is shown by Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Co. Ltd. (Stand 35) and is one of the latest front and forward entrance buses built on specially modified Daimler Fleetline chassis for Walsall Corporation Transport. Although only 28 ft. 6 in. long and fitted with two entrances (one ahead of the axle for one-man operation), the bus seats no less than 70 passengers.

A 40-seat front entrance, central exit bus on Leyland Tiger Cub chassis designed for one-man operation, and with room for 16 standees in its 32 ft. body, is also shown by Northern Counties. It is for the Lancashire United Transport Co. Ltd.

So far as Show exhibits are concerned this year, the box-like rear-engined doubledecker is definitely "out", and the bus shown by Metropolitan-Cainmell-Weymann Ltd. (Stand 43) is no exception. It is one of a fleet of special 54-seaters on Leyland Atlantean II chassis designed for British Overseas Airways Corporation. A onepiece curved windscreen and curved front top-deck windows are fitted, and the engine compartment at the rear is shrouded.

Most interesting feature of the bus, however, is the 278 cu. ft. luggage container fitted at the rear of the lower saloon and reached by doors on both sides. MCW's other exhibit inside Earls Court must not be missed—it is the transit coach already referred to and designed for the North American and Canadian market. This vehicle has been developed in conjunction with the Leyland Motor Corporation, and is of 39 ft. 6 in. by 8 ft. 6 in. overall dimensions.

The 41 /43-seat body is spacious and attractive inside, with ample room for standing passengers. Power is derived from a Leyland 0.680 engine (or alternatively an AEC 690) mounted in a similar position to the engine of an Atlantean, but a right-angle drive takes the transmission line forwards through a torque converter to the centre of the rear axle.

The recent pronouncement by MCW that the company intends to enter the luxury coach market and stay there—with _eventual target of 50 per cent of ti market—is followed by the appearance Earls Court, though unfortunately only the demonstration park, of the new Athe coach body. This all-metal, lightwe4 body, is designed for Bedford and Fc 32 ft. and 36 ft. chassis; the example to seen is on a Bedford VAM chassis a seats 41/45 passengers.

Another challenger to the establish, luxury coach builders is Park R.); Vehicles Ltd. who have produced, in c( junction with John and Sylvia Reid eye-catching coach produced, initially, the Albion Viking VK41L rear-engir

lassis. This coach, the Royalist, will be side Earls Court on the builder's own and (41).

Another very interesting Park Royal Ay is to be seen on the Leyland stand 19). This is one of 200 front entrance, mtral exit 39-seaters for AB Stockholms parvagar, and the 37 ft. 6 in. body is iounted on a Leyland Panther chassis.

A total of 10 bodied double-deckers at the how is completed with an AEC Regent V ith 64-seat normal height body by (illowbrook Ltd. (Stand 46) for the South /ales Transport Co. Ltd. On the Daimler and (58) will be a 44-seat body on laimler Roadliner chassis for Edmonton, anada.

One of the most interesting buses built y the Midlands branch of the Duple Group, 3wever, is to be seen on the stand of Duple lotor Bodies (Midland) Ltd. (Stand 47). is a 42-seat front entrance, central exit ngle-decker for Grim sby-Cleethorpes ransport on a 33 ft. single-deck version of Le Daimler Fleetline chassis.

A straightforward 53-seat bus body on eyland Leopard underfloor-engined tassis is shown on Stand 45 by Marshall of ambridge (Engineering) Ltd. The bus is for .e Northern General Transport Co. Ltd. Marshall bodies are also to be seen on an lbion Viking VK41 L chassis on the Albion and (74) and in the demonstration park. he Albion-bodied vehicle has a special ;avy-duty Cambridgian body for the University of Ghana, and seats 38 passengers, while the vehicle to be seen in the park is an AEC Swift with 48 seats and wide front entrance and central exit. Novel features of this latter bus, intended for demonstration purposes, include outwardsopening glider doors at the exit which fold back along the side of the body.

Pennine Coacheraft Ltd. (Stand 130) are again showing a short body on AEC Reliance chassis. This time, however, the operator is Halifax Corporation Transport, and the 28 ft. long body seats 39 passengers, and has an overall width of only 7 ft. 6 in.

Although not usually recognized as luxury coachbuilders in the accepted sense, Walter Alexander and Co. (Coaehbuilders) Ltd. build a full-coach version of their Y-type body, and an example for Western SMT Co. Ltd. is to be seen on Stand 44. This vehicle has been designed for the Scotland-London express services, and the equipment of the 38-seat body includes a toilet.

For the 1967 season, Duple Motor Bodies Ltd. (Stand 39) has introduced a completely restyled body, the Duple Viceroy. Two examples are shown, a 32 ft. 4 in. version on Ford R192 chassis and a 36 ft. Viceroy on a Bedford VAL chassis. The former coach seats 45 passengers and the latter 52 passengers. Also on this stand will be the restyled 29-seat Vista body on Bedford VASI.

Alternative styling from the Duple Group is employed on the products of Duple Motor Bodies (Northern) Ltd. (Stand 38). For the lighter chassis the Viscount body style is employed, and an example is a 45-seater on a Bedford VAM14 chassis. The Viscount takes its lines from the Duple Commander coach body, which is designed for underfloor-engined heavyduty chassis. On show is a 51-seat Commander on an AEC Reliance chassis.

The successful Panorama 1 body style introduced at the last Show has been retained by Plaxtons (Scarborough) Ltd. (Stand 33), but the interior styling has been radically altered. A super-luxury version is a 32-seater on an AEC Reliance chassis which includes a compact servery at the rear.

Another very interesting Panorama 1 body is to be seen on a Daimler Roadliner chassis on the Daimler stand (58). The coach seats 47 passengers and is for Black and White Motorways Ltd.

Three coachbuilders are exhibiting minibuses at the Show. The highlight of the Martin Walter Ltd. exhibits (Stand 61) will again be an 11-seater Dormobile coach on Bedford CAL chassis. B. Walker and Son Ltd. (Stand 21) have now added a 12-seat coach to the striking Fineline body range; this is based on an Austin J2 chassis. Finally Wadhams (Coachbuilders) Ltd. (Stand 121) are showing a 12-seat conversion of the Morris J2M16 van. Known as the Carversion, it is built to comply with PSV requirements.


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