Coventry another o-m-o pioneer
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by Derek Moses • Although much has been written about the development of one-man double-deck buses by Manchester City Transport, Manchester is not alone in pioneering this type of bus. Keeping pace with Manchester has been Coventry Corporation Transport, which has already operated o-m-o double-deckers on a six months' trial basis. The buses were 14 existing Daimler Fleetlines converted for the experiment, but on Monday the first examples of a new fleet of 18 Daimler Fleetlines designed specifically for o-m-o were handed over at a special ceremony at Jaguar Cars Ltd., Coventry.
The new buses, which have Eastern Coach Works bodies, were handed over by Mr. F. R. W. England, joint managing director, Jaguar Cars Ltd., of which Daimler Transport Vehicles Ltd. is a subsidiary, and received by Ald. R. W. Brain, chairman of Coventry's transport committee. If all goes well, the buses should be in o-m-o service on three routes within six to seven weeks.
In common with the new Manchester buses described in COMMERCIAL MOTOR, February 24, the Coventry vehicles have a front entrance, separate central exit and a central staircase. The staircase is directly opposite the exit, and is of the forwardascending-spiral type. Although just over 30ft in length, the new buses seat 72 passengers, 27 in the lower saloon and 45 in the upper saloon.
The chassis are standard 16ft 3in. wheelbase models powered by the Gardner 6LX engine, set to develop 135 bhp at 1,700 rpm. The Daimatic semi-automatic transmission incorporates a Deans and Lightalloys transmission interlock, preventing the doors from opening except when the vehicle is at a complete standstill.
Both sets of doors are electro-pneumatically operated and the exit doors have sensitized edges as a safety measure. The o-m-o equipment includes an SBK Electronics type NM101 unit fitted beneath the staircase and special compression switches are fitted under two consecutive stair treads. A numerical indicator in the driver's cab automatically registers when passengers ascend or descend the staircase and a prominent illuminated sign facing a passenger at the foot of the stairs lights up the words "Upper saloon full" when appropriate.
The driver's pay counter is equipped with a Cambist automatic change-giver, and mounted adjacent to it on the door of the driver's compartment is a Setright 24V automatic ticket machine. Passengers already holding tickets will use the righthand side of the double-width entrance and use an automatic Bellpunch ticketcancelling machine,which is remote controlled (at stage changes) by push-button reset controls adjacent to the instrument panel.
After lunch, I had the opportunity of sampling one of the new buses on a run from Jaguar to the Daimler Radford works. I was struck by the light and airy interior of each saloon, and the excellent visibility from all seats in the upper saloon, and most of the lower saloon seats. Although the bus was running light, the ride was comfortable, and the Gardner engine was quiet, even to a passenger at the rear of the lower saloon.
Interior decor is in white and grey with an extensive use of plastic finishings and the seats are upholstered in red p.v.c. leathercloth. I was astonished to find that the red casing panels were painted; I would have expected plastics to be used in this position. The general finish is up to the usual high standards associated with ECW.
A single-step entrance is employed leading to a wide platform, and a second step leads to a level saloon floor. Access is easy, although handrails are not fitted to the doors —an all-too-common omission. However, as the doors are of the double-folding type, the distance to the vertical handrails inside the entrance is not too great.
Although I have never been a believer in spiral staircases, well-positioned handrails make the job of ascending and descending relatively safe, even with one hand occupied. All rails and stanchions are of stainless steel.
Bench seats are employed in the forward part of the lower saloon, in line with MoT requirements, to give a free flow to the staircase. It is not Coventry's intention to carry standing passengers on these vehicles. An additional luggage locker is fitted immediately forward of the exit on the nearside.
Visibility from the driving cab is to a high standard. Mr. D. Gwynn, chief engineer, told me that deep windscreens like those employed on the Manchester buses were not favoured because they made the drivers too vulnerable.