Underfloor Engines and Coach Operators
Page 2
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THERE is strong evidence that many operators of single-deck passenger vehicles, now that they have had the opportunity of weighing up the pros and cons of the underfloor-engined designs being planned by British manufacturers, are-swinging in favour of this layout. The increase in seating capacity, which is woefully inadequate in existing fleets because of the diversion of new vehicles to overseas markets, is proving an irresistible attraction; unless the Ministry of Transport reverses its previous decisions and permits the construction of longer vehicles of orthodox layout with seating capacity comparable to that of vehicles with underfloor engines, it appears that in 10 years' time the face of passenger transport in Britain will be changed.
Some believe that the replacement of orthodox single-deckers by underfloor-engined machines would be only a first step; a complete swing-over to American practice by the replacement of double-deckers too might afterwards present itself for consideration. More than one operator is known to be thinking along these lines.
In one respect a timely word of caution is advisable. Operators and manufacturers are tending irrevocably to couple the underfloor-engined design to the so-called chassisless vehicle of integral construction. Chassis manufacturers, working in conjunction with the large body-building concerns, will possibly be jointly mass-producing standard box-like buses which may be more utilitarian than beautiful. In doing so they would be ignoring the essential requirements of one large body of their customers—the coach operators— who must have vehicles of more attractive lines. Many of these users want underfloor engines mounted on orthodox chassis frames, on which coachbuilders can erect individual and original luxury bodies, and there seems to be no adequate technical reason why they should not have them. If the manufacturing side of the industry does not set itself out to provide such vehicles, then many coach operators will continue to order those of the current type, with the net result that the two rival types of vehicle would be perpetuated, to the ultimate detriment of production capacity.