Strachans and Willowbrook Bodies for London's New Single-deckers
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STANDARD RM ROUTEMASTER PRODUCTION TO CEASE THIS YEAR
PRODUCTION of the standard London Transport 64-seat Routemaster double-deck bus is to cease this simmer, according to a statement made by the London Transport Board on Wednesday. It will be replaced by the 30-ft.-long version of the Routemaster, to be built in both bus and coach form. In addition, as already announced, 58 rear-engined double-deck buses are being purchased for comparative tests.
London Transport has also announced that Strachans (Coachbuilders) Ltd., Humble, Hants, will build the bodywork of six experimental standee single-deck buses and nine front-entrance, central-exit single-deckers for operation in the country bus area.
The standee buses will probably run between Victoria and Marble Arch via Hyde Park Corner. Passengers will be carried in the peak travel direction only, from Victoria in the morning and to Victoria in the evening, buses returning as quickly as possible empty. Consideration is being given to the possible use of the vehicles in the off-peaks on a circular route between a station and the West End shopping area, The route chosen for the peak services is relatively free from traffic congestion, largely because of the Hyde Park Corner and Park Lane one-way schemes, and it is hoped to be able to provide a faster service than that given by ordinary buses.
The standee buses will be based on A.E.C. Merlin rear-engined chassis fitted with fully automatic transmission, and will be classified XMS. They will be built to maximum dimensions, and carry 75 passengers. 50 of them standing in the space between the front entrance and separate central exit. Seats for the remaining 25 will be provided in the rear part of the saloon. The entrance will be divided into two parts. each fitted with a passimeter gate operated by a single coin—in this case probably 6d. Unladen weight of the new buses will be about 7 tons 13 cwt., they will be powered by
A.E.C. AH691 horizontal diesel engines and will have a combination of air and leaf springing. Delivery is expected towards the end of the year.
The nine country bus area experimental single-deckers will seat 46 passengers, and will again be mounted on Merlin chassis with automatic transmission. They will be classified XMB, and will be used to see if it is possible successfully to operate as a one-man vehicle on wideheadway country routes a bus with seven more seats than the familiar RF. They will also be used on some routes now too busy for single-deckers, but without the traffic to justify doubledeckers. Delivery is late 1965.
To complete the range of new types of single-decker, London Transport is to introduce 14 36-ft. Green Line coaches. to be classified RC, which will seat 49 passengers on what are claimed will be the most comfortable seats to be tilted in a Green Line coach to date. The front-entrance bodywork for these coaches will be built by Willowbrook Ltd.. and they will be based on A.E.C. Reliance chassis, fitted with AH690 (11-3litre) engines to give lively performance. Equipment will include full air suspension, forced-air heating and ventilation, panoramic 8-ft-wide windows, roof
lights and fluorescent lighting. A directselection transmission will be employed. and because of the longer range needed by coaches, the fuel tank will hold 48 gal., compared with the 35 gal. or so of the other new vehicles. Estimated weight is 8 tons 3 cwt. and delivery is expected in September.
Turning to double-deckers, London Transport has decided to cease production of the standard RM at number 2217, due to be delivered in the summer. Production will then concentrate on the 30-ft.-long, extended version of the Routemaster, beginning with 43 65-seat Green Line coaches. As already announced these new coaches will be basically similar to the existing RMC coaches, apart from the increased passenger . capacity and the fitting of an 11.3-litre engine, and they will operate on five routes radiating from Aldgate into Essex. Estimated weight of the new coaches is 8 tons 3 cwt. unladen, and they will be numbered RLC 2218 to 2260, inclusive.
Routemaster and Atlantean Compared
Production of 72-seat RML buses will then begin, at RML 2261; these will be identical to the buses already in service on route 104 (Barnet to Moorgate). No fewer than 100 of the early examples will go into service in the green country bus area. 50 in the late summer and the remainder towards the end of the year. Another 45 will be delivered to the Central area, and along with five spare existing RMLs will be used for direct comparative tests with 50 Leyland AtlanLean rear-engined double-deckers. While the RML has an open rear platform, the Atlanteans (class XA) will, of course,
have power-operated front entrance doors. and public reaction to the new type will be closely studied..
The Atlanteans will be fitted with 72seat Park Royal bodies, will be 30 ft. 4 in. long, have fully automatic transmission. power-assisted steering and a power handbrake. Estimated unladen weight is 8 tons 18 cwt., compared with 7 tons 11 cwt. actual unladen weight of the RML class. The seats will be to the standard London Transport pattern, 41 in the upper saloon and 31 in the lower; delivery is expected to begin in April.
Both of the above types will be employed on a bus-for-bus replacement basis on some routes to provide a greater passenger capacity without increasing the service; and also on some other routes to allow a wider headway without reducing the total seating capacity per hour. It is emphasized that this latter experiment will be applied to peak hour schedules only.
Finally, and possibly the most interesting of all the experiments, concerns the introduction of eight Park Royal-bodied Daimler Fleetlines into country bus service on routes where they will operate as normal front entrance double-deckers with a conductor during peak hours. In off peaks the top decks will be closed and the buses will operate as one-man "single-deckers ". Bodywork will be very similar to the Atlanteans, apart from a door to the staircase: they will have an overall length of 30 ft. 6 in., and an unladen weight of 8 tons 19 cwt. In the first place the Fleetlines (class XF) will go to East Grinstead garage for operation on route 424 (Reigate-East Grinstead). They are due in June.