The show that counts in the coaching world
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A magnificent exhibition of the latest models does full justice to the importance of this unique event. Noel Millier anticipates Coach Fair 83 with relish
SYON PARK, a magnificent stately home dating from the 15th Century, is the setting for the first-ever coach fair, which has been organised by Commercial Motor and our sister journal Travel News.
Coach Fair 83 is both an exhibition and a conference. September 22, which is a Thursday, will be conference day. Coach hirers and operators will discuss and debate the exciting advantages of coach travel that have been opened up by the 1980 Transport Act. For a full rundown of this event, turn to page 25.
While the conference is in full swing, coach operators and their clients can visit the exhibition, which promises to be a spectacular occasion. It will be arranged into three separate areas. Just outside the confer ence hall will be the main vehicle park where 40 of the latest coaches will be available for inspection.
Another side of the coach display area will be taken up with 23 exhibition chalets where companies ranging from component engineering companies to holiday tour operators will be mounting displays.
The third area is Thames Hall next to the conference hall. Here there will be 13 stands and some workshop desks for a diverse range of products.
Stuart Johnson Limited is one of Britain's most recently established major coach dealers and Stuart Johnson himself will be found much of the time in chalet number one. He has been appointed distributor for the new British Metro-Cammell-Weymann Metroliner and Metro-Hi-Liner coaches and the Metro-Hi-Liner is expected to make its very first appearance.
The Metro-Cammell-Weymann Metro Hi-Liner is a full integral high-floor coach. Its specification includes air-over-leaf suspension, a 290bhp Cummins engine and a fully automatic Voith four-speed gearbox. Inside, the coach will equal anything from Europe.
It has a Continental door and a mid-mounted sunken toilet. The new range of Metro-CammellWeymann coaches are the first in Britain to be fitted with the new Cummins L10 engine, which is itself the subject of a technical exhibit by Cummins. An example of the engine in 4 away form will be on the Cu, mins stand which will be in the Thames Hall.
Seats are an aspect of mod coaches that are given a gi deal of attention and seat signers in Europe have 14 been engaged in a quest to I vide maximum comfort cot4 with maximum capacity. Oni Europe's leading seat manu turers, Louis Chardon of Frar is expected to exhibit a co full of its wares and this is pected to be parked next to MCW exhibit in the veldisplay area.
Grey Green Coaches of l don is one of London's t known coach operators anc example of its modern and It rious coach fleet will be inclu in the vehicle display. The range of Grey-Green serv will be the subject of an a tional display inside the Thal Hall exhibition area.
Audio and visual enterl ment for coach passengers pidly replacing the view thro the window as the major soi of enjoyment for coach passg ers. In the forefront of provic the equipment necessary to cure this enjoyment is A sound Services of Bradf Autosound has evolved with coach industry's requirem and will be displaying a cc loaded with the latest in au visual gadgetry,
Setra coaches have a well served reputation for high q ity and already coach pass( ers and tour operators showing that they are willin pay a premium to travel by tra.
Setra manufactu Kassbohrer will be shovs three examples of Setra e neering and luxury in the dis area at Coach Fair. Its displg expected to include both and high-floor versions of most sought after Gerr coach.
Scania is a relatively name in British coaching cir but it is one that has created I siderable interest since its k coach chassis was announce the last motor show. 0 twenty of the divided chassis have been used by three coachbuilders to put Scania integral coaches on British roads for British operators.
At Syon Park visitors will have the opportunity of inspecting the K112 in undressed form as well as seeing examples after bodybuilders have completed their specialist skills on the design.
Scania GB will be displaying a chassis and dealer Kirkby Kinsforth will be showing two completed 12m integral coaches. One is expected to have a British Plaxton Paramount 3500 body and the other a Belgian-built Van Hool Alizee body.
MAN was the first major European coach manufacturer to attempt to move the British coach operator away from the traditional separate body and chassis concept when it established the SR280 integral coach in the UK. It will be displaying an example of its high-floor SR280 which comes complete with such facilities as a driver's bunk area and a separate sunken toilet. The double-glazed coach is obviously well finished and has bags of passenger appeal.
Leyland Bus is Britain's largest coach manufacturer and is maintaining its position as market leader despite ever increasing competition. Leyland will be showing an example of its impressive all-British integral coach, the Royal Tiger Doyen, together with the first integral Royal Tiger with Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodywork. The mid-engined Leyland Tiger 245 has sold well since its introduction three years ago.
Completing the Leyland Bus line-up in the display will be a Tiger 245 fitted with Belgian Jonckheere Jubilee coachwork. Over 1,400 Tigers have been built since the model was launched in Gibraltar in April 1981. Britain's largest and most successful coachbuilder is Plaxtons of Scarborough and its Paramount range has been well received by British operators. At Coach Fair Plaxtons is expected to display three examples from its Paramount range including a high-floor 3500 on Volvo B1OM chassis and a normal height 3200 on rear-engined Daf chassis.
Plaxtons' associated smallcoach building company, Reeve Burgess of Pilsey, Derbyshire, is expected to have two of its impressive small coaches on display including the 25-seat Riviera midi-coach which is now available on Ford, Leyland and MAN chassis.
Roseclare Sales of Northampton is another company that has benefitted from the boom in high-specification coaches. It is the sole UK distributor for Belgian Jonckheere coachwork and has recently enjoyed record sales of the Jubilee coach body range. Jonckheere was the pioneer of the new generation deckand-a-half coach on Volvo chassis and its P90 is already a familiar sight on British roads. Two different variations of the Jubilee theme are expected in its display at Syon Park.
The appeal of integral coaches was made a lot wider when the Moseley Group introduced the Dutch-built Bova to British operators. The economical Bova with its Daf engine now has several variations including the Europa 3, the British-bodied Calypso and the aerodynamically efficient high-floor Futura.
The Bova Europa is now powered by a more powerful version of the 8.25-litre Daf engine developing 244bhp. It has a slightly higher window line than the Europa 2 and offers more luggage space to its passengers.
Daf Bus has enjoyed a rapid increase in its coach chassis sales in Britain and will be showing examples of its MB200 DKFL and 2300 SB chassis fitted with a variety of different types of bodywork.
Volvo has recently introduced updated versions of its 1310M chassis range including an option with a lowered driving position. An example of the "drophead" B1OM with Jonckheere P599 coachwork will be the Volvo exhibit. Examples of B1OM coaches with both British and European coachwork will be displayed by other body manufacturers and the well-known West Country coach operator Trathens, which will display the first British specification Van Hool Astral semi-double-deck Volvo B1OM.
Proper maintenance is of paramount importance and Somers Handling will be showing how easy it is to lift coaches with its range of hydraulic vehicle lifts.
Duple Coachbuilders has recently joined the Hestair Group of companies. At Coach Fair it will be showing examples of its Laser and Caribbean bodywork on Volvo chassis alongside an example of fellow Hestair company Dennis's new heavyweight Dorchester coach chassis. The Dorchester is powered by the Gardner 6HLXCT diesel and this engine will be available for closer inspection on the Gardner stand in Thames Hall.
Bedford coaches have been popular with smaller independent coach operators for a number of years. The latest in the Bedford chassis range, the YNT, now boasts a ZF gearbox and integral power steering. With its turbocharged engine it offers a performance to match the heavyweights and an example with Duple Laser coachwork is expected in the display area.
Ensign Bus of Purfleet is the sole British dealer for the impressive Berkhof range of coach bodies from Holland. Ensign will show examples of its Berkhofbuilt Ensign Everest and Esprite body work on mid and rear-engined Daf chassis. It will also show its new ultra-high semidouble-deck Emperor built on Volvo B1OM, which will, it's hoped, be making its British debut.
The Esprite Daf SB will be in the livery of London Crusader, the National Bus Company London marketing organisation, which is also represented in the chalet area as well as the workshop in the Thames Hall.
The grand display in the vehicle park will be completed by Multiparts' display trailer and a caravan containing a display showing how the Esprit system of windscreen repair works. Chalet exhibitors in, major hotel companies N and Allied Hotels, which offer attractive packag coach and party travel or ers.
Armchair Passenger Trai is a local operator with pre almost next door to Syon f is well known and respec London where its orang white coaches are a ft sight, and has recentl panded by acquiring the F. of Reading coach operatic now on the way to bec, one of the largest indepE operators in the South-ea: it in chalet 11.
Coach operators wishi set up their own excursic programmes will find practical help and insp from companies such a: Travel, Maun Travel, W Travel and Sea Sun Holidc of which offer organised t holiday packages for opE to market and all of which found in either the chal Thames Hall.
For operators from out c don, a visit to London Ha in chalet seven will as planning those wee shopping trips to London.
Coach speed is rather to t the moment so interest in ;peed control should be t. Econocruise has devices the driver in using less fuel n sticking to the speed limit. will be found in chalet four. It drinks and refreshments becoming more and more liar on coach. Eurobev, in Dciation with Shades nics, offers clean and practi;olutions to the problem of ting on-coach catering reaments. Shades also offers t and video conversions for hes and examples of every; will be in chalet eight.
lapman Stevens is one of best-known insurance brofor coaches. Brian Chapman always be relied on to meet insurance need and he will t the Chapman Stevens cha;umber 14.
)ach engineers will find ty to interest them at the exion. In addition to the array ahicles and several chassis, imins and Gardner will mount separate engine displays, British Springs will show the latest in conventional leaf-spring suspension and Voith Engineering will have an exhibit which is likely to include examples of its DIWA automatic gearboxes and its retarder.
Vehicle Equipment, Clayton Dewandre, Mobile Flonetics and Don International are all expected to mount engineering oriented exhibits.
For the body man, MTB equipment, Louis Chardon, Shades and Webasto/Hefac products will be on display.
For the tour .operator, travel agent or goup organiser wishing to hire coaches or looking for advice on planning next season's holiday programme, coach operators exhibiting at Coach Fair include Trathens of Plymouth, NAT Holidays, London Crusader, Charterplan of Manchester, Grey-Green of London, Armchair/Smiths of London and Reading, Surrey Interna tional of Cranleigh and Len Wright Travel of Isleworth.
Interest in Coach Fair is wide and international. Admission to the exhibition areas is free to all interested in the coach business and the event will provide a particularly good opportunity for coach operators to show intending clients just what facilities modern coaching can provide.
Commercial Motor will have a chalet at Syon Park so come and see us on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 September. The exhibition will be open from 9.00 each morning.
Car parking at Syon Park is available but may be at a premium. To make life easier for delegates, a free open-top bus service is to be provided from Syon Lane BR station and Osterley underground station. The bus will operate hourly (on the hour from Osterley and about five to the hour from Syon Lane). Osterley Station is about five minutes from Heathrow Central on the Piccadilly line and also provides a direct connection with Central London. Syon Lane is served by British Rail from Waterloo. London Buses also has a number of routes that serve Syon Park from Hounslow, Chiswick and Ealing.
A full stand-by-stand guide to Coach Fair, together with a preview of the conference papers, is planned for CM next week and a full conference report will be published the week after.