Ribble's First 36 footers Delivered
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Tfirst vehicles built to the current 1 maximum permissible dimensions to be added to the fleet of Ribble Motor Services Ltd. have recently been delivered. The batch comprises six Leyland Leopard coaches with Duple Continental bodywork. Arranged to seat 40 passengers in a spaciously laid-out interior, they incorporate a toilet compartment, a food servery and a tip-up seat for use by a courier, all at the rear.
The chassis have synchromesh gearboxes, Eaton two-speed axles and air brakes. Unlike the last batch of 30 ft. Leopard models supplied to Ribble, the new 36 ft. coaches have conventional, rather than air, suspension, although the ride is stated to be "exceptionally good ". The bodywork differs from the standard Duple Continental specification in having fixed side windows and a forced ventilation system with Jet-Vent outlets in the underside of the parcel racks. In these respects the design resembles that of the Alpine Continental, although the Ribble coaches do not have the larger, but fewer, side windows of that model. Front-end heating and demisting is supplemented by three Smiths under-seat heater units. Fluorescent interior lighting is provided, and a dimming device for this is intended for use when the vehicles are on night service.