The Numbering of Motorbuses.
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In last week's issue of " DIE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," an explanation was given of the new distinguishing numbers which have appeared on the bonnets of the London General Omnibus Company's motor omnibuses, and, now that attention has been drawn to the system adopted by this con.ipany in numbering its vehicles, questions have been asked as to the systems adopted by the other leading companies. The Road Car Company has followed the system employed for the horse cars owned by it, with the exception that a fresh start was made with No. t, and always, above the actual number, the letters MC, indicating " motorcar," are placed. These numbers will be found on a small white oval lozenge above the driver's head, and on the back of one of the risers of the staircase, so as to be visible from the oil side of the bus. MC—, and MC-2 were two Chelmsford steam single-deck omnibuses, MC-3 was the experimental Germain petrol omnibus, and MC-4 was the experimental Diirkopp petrol omnibus. So far, the company has not replaced the numbers of the two single-deck Chehnsfords, which have been sold out of service, but is numbering the motor chassis consecutively, in the order in which they are ready for service. It should be mentioned, in this connection, that MC-84 has never been passed by the Police, or put into commission. It was a Diirkopp chassis used as a lorry for training drivers, and after the completion of the first order for Diirkopps, the chassis was stripped of many of its parts in order to keep the other Durkopps on the road. A long delay occurred in replacing these parrs, and it was only in July that this chassis was fitted with a body and made ready for service, but by that time the Police were insisting rigidly on the 7o-inch clearance underneath the ear; the old Diirkopp did not comply with this regulation, and, therefore, they refused to license it. The vehicle is now used for odd purposes, such as training drivers, taking out breakdown gangs, towing home vehicles, and so forth.
The Great Eastern London Motor Omnibus Company numbered its motor vehicles commencing with the consecutive number to those on the horse omnibuses. The two experimental vehicles were a Bussing and a Leyland, Nos. //z and 113, respectively. They were followed, a little later, by a Straker-Squire and another Bussing (Nos. 114 and 115). The company decided, as the result of two months' experimenting, to place a large order with Sidney Straker and Squire, Limited, and the first-delivered of these Straker Squirevehicles was given the body of the Leyland, and look its number (113). This company now possesses 48 motor omnibuses, all of which are Straker-Squires, and numbered from 112 to 159. The bodies from the two Bussing chassis have been placed on Straker-Squire chassis, and one Missing chassis has been. fitted with a special body and sent to run between Llandrindod and Llangammarrh Wells, whilst the other is used as a lorry and teaching chassis at the depot. This summer, the company withdrew all its horse omnibuses from service, and has broken them up at the Upton Park depot; one body alone was retained, stripped of its top seats and staircase, as a body on the Bussing chassis for teaching purposes.
The London Power Omnibus Company, which works the " Pioneer " services, numbered its original single deckers in the order of delivery, from I to 13, and the first of the double-deckers took the consecutive numbers, viz., 74, 7.3, and 76. As soon as the company had had a little experience of these double-deckers, it was realised that the earning power was so much greater than that of the single-deckers, that the original contract with Scott, Stirling and Company, Limited, was cancelled, and a new contract, for doubledeckers only, was made. The single-deckers were withdrawn from service (many of them were shipped' off to Buenos Ayres), and double-deckers were used exclusively These were given new numbers, Nos. 14, 55 and 16 becoming I, 2, and 3. The numbers have now reached 56, but the company has left out No. 13, evidently from a superstitious feeling that a vehicle bearing this number would be unlucky. The" Vanguard" and " Arrow " omnibuses have no distinguishing number other than the registration number, and the companies consider that this amply suffices for the purpose of identification.
The London Motor Omnibus Company (" Vanguard" services) very wisely, when a start was made, obtained too consecutive numbers from the London County Council, commencing with A-9, sot. The company allotted all these numbers to the omnibuses : they, then, applied for, and obtained, a further hundred numbers commencing with LC-5,00t. Some of the original omnibuses have been removed from stock, and the numbers have been allotted to new vehicles. The company bought a Wolseley omnibus, and it originally bore the number A-9,178. It was later sold to Cambridge, and was replaced, in December last, by zt Milnes-Daimler; to this the original 'Wolseley body was fitted, still bearing the number A-9,118. Similarly, the Thornycrofts, with a live-axle drive, which were numbered A-9,117, A-9,131, and A-91742, were replaced, in November, by Milnes-Daimlers, bearing the same numbers. The omnibus which was smashed up by a tramcar on Highgate Hill, numbered LC-5,ot t, was sold after the acci. dent, and that number has been allotted to a new omnibus with the 1907 Milnes-Daimler chassis. The Police have not yet passed this omnibus, although it has been ready for six weeks, and, consequently, it has not yet been put into commission.
The London and District Motor Bus Company, and the London and Provincial Motor Bus and Traction Company, which work the "Arrow " services, have copied the practice of the London Motor Omnibus Company as far as possible. They applied, originally, for so registration numbers, and were allotted LC-2,200 to LC— 2,249_ Later, a further application was made, and the numbers LC-3,800, upwards, were allotted. They have not, however, confined these numbers to the public service vehicles, as in the case of the "
Vanguard" services, but have allotted the numbers LC-2,232 and LC-2,239 to two lorries, instead of to Omnibuses.
The most unique system of distinguishing numbers has been adopted by the Associated Omnibus Company : letters distinguish the motor vehicles, instead of numbers. The horse omnibuses of this company all bear the letters AO, followed by a number; for example, AO—rog. When these vehicles are nearing the end of their useful life, they are replaced by new omnibuses bearing the same numbers, and are made into spares marked AO and a letter from A to Z. Thus, A-0--K is a spare "Camden Town "yellow omnibus, and is made to take the place of any of the regular "Camden Town" Associated omnibuses when they are in for repainting. When this company started motor omnibuses, letters were allotted to them instead of numbers, such as A, B, C, etc., and the initial letters (AO) are no longer placed in front of this distinguishing letter. When, in the natural sequence of events, the letter I was arrived at, it occurred to the management that some people might think that this was their first and earliest motor omnibus, and that it was No. 1. The letter was, therefore, altered to J, and, further, to prevent any confusion with Roman numerals, the letters V and X have been omitted. The total number of omnibuses having reached 23, and the alphabet being exhausted, the natural system would have been to letter the next omnibus AA, the next AB, and so Forth, but the management as of opinion that this would lead to confusion with the initial letters AO, and, therefore, all the A series has been omitted, and the identification marks continued with BA, BB, and BC; the last omnibus to be put in service was lettered BE.
A similar system of distinguishing by letters has been adopted by the New London Suburban Omnibus Company, with the exception that the letter I has not been omitted in this case.