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New Coaches for Airline
Page 84
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Passengers
SOMETHING entirely new in passenger-vehicle design is represented
• by the latest coaches for British European Airways Corporation. Based on A.E.C. Regal Mk. IV chassis, these vehicles, 50 of which are being equipped with bodies by Park Royal Vehicles, Ltd., Abbey Road, London, N.W.I0, seat 37 passengers on two levels as in earlier observation coaches used by the Corporation. Instead of stepping the roof, however, the roof line of the observation section is maintained throughout.
The observation-coach seating plan has been retained in the interest of maximum luggage capacity for the rear locker under the observation section provides 250 cubic ft. of clear baggage space. To speed loading of luggage, a wide, single-panel rear door is supplemented by two smaller side flaps, ahead of and behind the rear wheels, giving access to the front of the compartment.
The rear door itself is 5 ft. 4 ins, wide and 3 ft. 6 ins, deep, and is hinged at the top. Counter-springs hold the door up in the open position.
Passengers enter the coach through a hinged central door, 2 ft. 6 ins. wide. On the right of the door is a small cloakroom for passengers' hats and coats. In the forward saloon, 16 passen gers are accommodated on tubularframed seats of the type used by
London Transport. The clear headroom in the lower saloon is 8 ft. 7 ins.
The upper saloon accommodates 21 passengers, who reach this compartment up three short steps from the main floor. Cantilever luggage racks are provided on both sides of the body in both upper and lower saloons. There is an emergency exit immediately opposite the main door of the lower saloon, and a Clayton heater installation feeds warm air to both compartments through duets.
The structure of the body follows standard Park Royal practice. The pillars are H-section aluminium extrusions, bolted direct to the chassis outriggers; an aluminium-alloy truss panel provides additional strength. Crib, waist and cant-rails are of steel, as are the channel-section roof sticks. The floor of the observation deck is supported by cantilever hoop sticks.
The overall height of these new coaches is 1-1 ft. 10 ins., and they are
29 ft. 9 ins, long and 7 ft. ins. wide. A striking colour scheme of two shades of grey, with white bands below the windows, sets off the unusual appearance. Interior finish is in burgundy and dove grey.