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Now the midibus comes of age...
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been basically converted vans.
The Bedford 1.11_ midibus, developed with Marshal of Cambridge (Engineering) Ltd, is not an adaption or conversion but a completely new, integral bus, designed specifically for city centre, rural and dial-a-ride operations.
This is the first time . that Bedford has played a direct major part in the body design.
The flat floor and .low entry step height of 340mm (13.5in) from ground to first step are achieved by mounting the 5.4-litre, Bedford 330 diesel engine, transversely at the rear. The transmission is fully automatic via an Allison AT 540 automatic gearbox, Morse HiVo chain transfer box and a spiral bevel angle box to the inverted hypoid rear axle. The engine compartment is cooled by an electric fan, the air being disoharged through high level louvres mounted in the rear quarter panels.
The body features grp front and rear modules, a grp roof and aluminium side panels. All the exterior lights, including the indicators and the destination blind, are set into the body mouldings to avoid any protrusions.
The vehicle is pleasing to the eye and passengers will,. I feel sure, also take to the vehicle by virtue of the light and spacious feeling it imparts, assisted b) very large toughened, sheetglass windows and the translucent roof panels which have been designed to accommodate advertising cards.
The folding entry door is electro-pneumaticafly operated and has two full-depth glass panels. Internal floor to roof height is in excess of 1.8m (6ft) throughout, an important factor for the 11 standing passengers this vehicle is designed to carry. Seats for the 27 seated passengers (or 24 if luggage pen is fitted) are covered in polyurethane foam with a choice of trim
' -iishes. The engine panels are sulated with noise and heat sistant material.
The driver, too, should be ell pleased with this vehicle cause his driving compartent is ergonomically designed ith deep, two-piece, laminated ass windscreen, power assistI steering aiding a turning rcle of only 15m (50ft), new edford steering wheel, a -iver's locker and other items I fitted as standard.
It is a pity that the standard, rvkward new Bedford stalk )ntrols are still featured, allough I imagine they are )mething we shall have to live ith for sometime.
No doubt comparisons will made between the Bedford iidibus and other more estabshed and conventional midiuses. One of these is the 7-seat integral body exhibited y Walter Alexander & Co oachbuilders) Ltd, with Ford series running gear displayed the livery of Southdown lotor Services Ltd, although ot yet, as I understand, rdered by them, and the 0/25 5-seat midibus body menuictured by Dormobile Ltd, on 156in petrol or diesel Ford ,-series chassis.
Although the Bedford is fithout doubt the most dvanced, an important criteria let will always be considered y the operator, especially then the vehicle is for such pecific operations as rural or ity centre services which are ivariably subsidised, will be iitial cost.
Unfortunately, Bedford is not et able to announce a price for JJL but it will undoubtedly e more than the approximate 9,000 of the Dormobile / Ford nd the approximate £12,500
the Alexander, depending pon specification. It is also nlikely that the Bedford will be vailable for production within -le next year, neither is it ertain that Bedford and Marhal will continue to work )gether on the project,
doubt if there are many isitors to the psv stands at the how who will fail to stop and )ok closely at the Duple lominant II on the AEC Reance 11m chassis and the 'laxton Viewmaster on Leyland eopard llm chassis. Although is difficult not to directly ompare these two body styles is unreasonable to do so ecause if comparisons are to e made they should be the lominant II and the Plaxton Supreme and the Plaxton Viewmaster with the Duple Goldliner which unfortunately was not at the Show.
I understand from the Duple stand representatives that the Goldliner is not being further developed until Leyland uprates its Leopard chassis from its present 13.5-ton-gvw (5.5-ton front axle, 8-ton back axle) to 16-ton (6-ton front, 10-ton back).
Certainly the Plaxton and Duple coach bodies at the Show are developments of well-proven styles that have been modified to meet operators' requirements and are likely to meet with favourable response by the operators. I met Mr Freddy Wilde, proprietor of Mitcham Belle Coaches, and owner of the OAF/Van Hool coach on view in the Demonstration Park, on the Plaxton stand, and he agreed that Plaxton and Duple -take some beating."'
Two area engineers from National Travel, the NBC coach operating subsidiary, expressed the personal wish that they had been given the Leyland/Plaxton Viewmaster with which to operate their long-distance Europabus Continental express services in preference to their recently received Willowbrooks Value for money The Plaxton Viewinaster is available on Leyland or Volvo 11m or 12m chassis. The body price for the 11m Viewmaster is £14,895 and £15,850 for the 12m compared with the £12,675 for the 11rn and £13,495 for the 12m Supreme under floor engined chassis. So what does one get for that extra £2,000?
The body is raised by 300mm giving a flat floor, no intrusions by the wheel arches and greatly improved passenger visibility; the front screens are also 300mm deeper, although that useful aid of being able to interchange front and rear screens is no longer possible.
It is interesting to note that when standing in the Viewmaster and looking out through the top of the side-windows it is possible to look straight into the top deck of the Eastern Coach Works, Bristol VR, double-deck bus parKed alongside.
Locker space is increased by 60 per cent with a massive boot and underfloor lockers that stretch right across the chassis. There would, I don't doubt, be many occasions when operators engaged on transfer work where an additional baggage van is often necessary could, by using coaches with the Viewroaster body, be able to dispense wan tne baggage van.
The additional height on the Viewmaster is achieved by fixing a space-frame over the chassis which effectively gives a false floor and prevents access to the engine through the usual floor traps.
This is excellent from the traffic manager's point of view because it practically dispenses with the need for greasy fitters to keep walking in and out of the coach and transmitting the oil and grease from the garage floor to the coach centre gangway, seats and headrest covers alike.
Surprisingly to me it was not considered so bad from the point of view of the National Travel engineers as they felt the new access traps in the large side-lockers were adequate and that the fitter would probably prefer to work from the kneeling position as opposed to lying on his stomach.
Winding gear problems One point which requires attention on the Supremes generally and on the Viewmaster particularly is the access to blind winding mechanism which is situated behind the vehicle electrical control panel. It is only possible to turn the handle with difficulty and almost impossible to see from the inside the legend appearing on the blind at any particular moment.
The Plaxton representative argued that most operators now specified a sign-written panel in lieu of a blind, but this did little to appease National Travel Whose company has apparently recently adopted a 66-destination standard blind_ The engineers pointed out that it was difficult enough to ensure their drivers used the blinds properly anyway, but to expect them to do so when it was virtually impossible to turn the winding gear would be just too much.
This problem could be over come by fitting the "Bristol" type roof-box, which from the appearance point of view is often much better anyway, but to do so on the Viewmaster would not be practicable because it would be too far away for most people to read satisfactorily, If it could be argued that the introduction by Plaxton of its Elite range years ago gave the company a lead over Duple then that is certainly not true today because it can only be a matter of a very personal choice whether one prefers, externally, the Dominant II or the Supreme.
The Dominant II, restyled by Giovanni Michelotti of Turin, not unnaturally gives the vehicle a more pronounced "Continental" look from both front and rear, and this is also certainly true of the Plaxton Viewmaster with its additional 300mm.
All the Dominants are now manufactured of steel square tube section and the Dominant II features new extra large heated laminated front screens with tinted top section; twin, rectangular quartz-halogen headlamps separated by a ribbed, stainless steel grille; heavy duty, electrically operated pantograph wipers and the aerial concealed in the front dome; and a pedestal mounted instrument binnacle.
Although I preferred the striped moquotte I found the Plaxton standard and E-type seats to be much more comfortable than the standard GA224s fitted to Dominant Both Duple and Plaxton offer new drivers' seats; the Plaxton is deeply contoured and the Duple features kidney support panels but again, in my opinion, the Plaxton is the superior, more comfortable and consequently less likely to be tiring. I had the opportunity to drive the Duple Dominant II demonstrator from the Hendon factory to the Earls Court demonstration park and although the seat was an improvement on previous seats I did not feel that the kidney support panels would have been of much benefit on a long run.
On the model I drove, on a Bedford YMT chassis, it was a pity to note that even on a brand new body intended for demonstration and likely to cost the operator up to £13,000, the Lucas Keinzle tachograph was not working; the emergency door buzzer would not stop buzzing, no matter what efforts were made to rectify it, until the fuse was removed; the panel that fits over the holes made on the nearside door pillar to take the external rear-view mirror was missing and looked ugly.
However, for all that, the interior trim was generally good, being both bright ar attractive. There was excellei visibility through the new dee screen, with practically no blin spot, and the wipers, washe and recirculatory demistin system all functioned well.
Unsatisfactory switches
The National Travel engii eers felt that the accessoi switch panel on the Dup range was now superior to tr.); fitted on the Plaxtons. The problem, they explained, wE that in National Travel fe drivers had their own particuk vehicle and would frequent regularly drive different types vehicle/body combination each day.
The symbols on the switche of the Plaxton were not cleanl visible and are to the new IS standard which I feel sure is ric well known to many drivers an least of all to the engineers an myself.
This is an unsatisfactor position because drivers wi frequently jump into a coac and drive off without checkin that they are aware of th locality of the different switche and then when faced with th eed to put wipers or lights on uickly will have to take their ttention off the road for too ing to be safe while finding the ght switch.
The new Plaxton large nearde convex mirror mounted on double arm is first class and ing awaited on British psv. The randering microphone with its :tractable lead is mounted on ie top centre of the fascia and &. such responds better than let fitted on the Duple, where, y virtue of its mounting, it ften requires the lead to be ianually pushed back into the iicrophone holder.
The Duple stand also boasta Bedford VAS (PJK) chassis 'ith a 29-seat Dominant I body 'hich included the new feaJr-es to be found on all new ominant Is, I E all-steel con:ruction; new front grille; ,rap-round front and rear umpers; relocated indicator ashers; electrically operated antograph screen wipers; irger exterior mirrors and gas lays fitted to the main servicig side valance panels,
The GA 224 seats were more Dmforta bl e than the 223s in ie Dominant II, although the ont pair, forward of the r-operated hinged door, were io upright and at a slight angle ) allow passenger access )und the engine cover.
I wouldn't have been very appy to have been faced with long journey sitting in those ?,ets and neither would I have een very happy to try to gain ccess to the pump or comressor on the 330cuin engine ecause it is almost impossible, milady it is almost impossible ) fill the radiator with water from an ordinary water can: Do the chassis manufacturers and the bodybuilders ever get together?
Reversal of trend
It was strange, having spent some considerable time looking at coaches designed by the two leading British manufacturers who are now attaching importance to Continental design to then hear from Bill Hiscock, commercial director of Kirkby Central Ltd, that he felt the part-British-built Jonckheere Bermuda body would now be more appealing to British operators since they had taken steps to "Anglicise' it. There certainly isn't much difference in overall style between the Duple, Plaxton and Bermuda, and Bill Hiscock's advantage now was that he could offer delivery on a Jonckheere within eight weeks. whereas Duple and Plaxton had in effect "sold out."
Van Hool had two "300-line" coaches on its stand, one from Ireland and one from Belgium, but there were no outstanding features other than those personally specified by the two operators to easily identify factory of origin.
The reclining seats fitted to both vehicles were not to the standard acceptable to most operators as the difference in rake between upright and fully reclined was no more than a few degrees and were reclined by lifting the flimsy arm.
There was a considerable degree of comfort on the 1 2m vehicle to be operated by Biss Bros of Bishops Stortford because with only 50 seats, there was ample leg room, presumably for its long distance Continental services, but this. would not suit most operators and the maximum seats would not give much comfort.