Daimler Fleetline
Daimler Fleetline | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Daimler Leyland |
Production | 1960–1975 (Daimler) 1975-1983 (Leyland) |
Body and chassis | |
Doors | 1 or 2 |
Floor type | Step entrance |
Powertrain | |
Engine | Daimler CD6 (prototypes only) Gardner 6LW (8.4L, 112bhp at 1700rpm) Gardner 6LX (10.45L, 150bhp at 1700rpm) Gardner 6LXB (10.45L, 180bhp at 1850rpm) Leyland 0.680 Leyland 0.690 Cummins V6 200 |
Capacity | 8.4 litres - 11.3 litres |
Power output | 112 - 188 bhp |
Transmission | Daimatic Self-Changing Gears |
Dimensions | |
Length | 30 feet (9.1 m) 33 feet (10 m) 36 feet (11 m) |
Chronology | |
Successor | Leyland Olympian |
The Daimler Fleetline (known as the Leyland Fleetline from circa 1975) is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983.
It was the second of three bus models to have a marque name as well as an alphanumeric identity code. The other two were the Freeline and the Roadliner.
Design
The Daimler Fleetline was the second rear-engined
The prototype Fleetline was fitted with a Daimler engine, but when production started only Gardner 6LX or 6LW engines were offered. By 1968 Gardner's new and more powerful 6LXB was also an option, and in 1970 Leyland's O.680 engine became available.[1][2][3] Gardner engines had an excellent reputation for reliability and economy while Leyland engines were more lively and had greater fuel consumption. Most Fleetline customers preferred Gardner engines, but the Leyland engine became popular - particularly for a period in the 1970s when Gardner were unable to meet demand.
In late 1960s, Daimler developed the longer 36 feet double-deck Fleetline.[4][5] This chassis had a longitudinally-mounted Cummins V6 engine, same as the single-deck Roadliner, at the rear offside corner. It was designed mainly for export, but one was built for Walsall Corporation Transport.
In mid-1970s, Leyland developed a special version of the Fleetline, known as the B20, with Leyland O.690 engine, air cowls on both sides above the engine compartment and reduced noise levels.[6] All of these went to London Transport.
The first prototype Fleetline was unveiled in December 1960.[7] Between 1960 and 1973, the Fleetline was manufactured in Coventry, with production then transferred to Farington.
Designations
Daimler Fleetline chassis designations started with the letters CR, of which the C is variously reported to stand for Coventry or Commercial, and the R stands for Rear-engined. For single-deckers this became SR (although not on the earliest examples which were referred to with the standard CR).
This was followed by a code to indicate the engine fitted: D6 (Daimler 6-cylinder, prototypes only); G6 (Gardner 6-cylinder, more often than not this was expanded to the more specific G6LW, G6LX or G6LXB); L6 (Leyland 6-cylinder); C6 (Cummins 6-cylinder).
The standard length of the Fleetline was 30 feet but lengths of 33' feet[8] and 36' feet were also available, which were sometimes (though not consistently) identified by a suffix of -33 or -36 (sometimes with an oblique stroke in place of the hyphen).
Later Leyland Fleetline chassis designations were different: FE for Fleetline, followed by 30 or 33 (length in feet); A for Air brakes; G for Gardner or L for Leyland engine; R for Right-hand drive.
United Kingdom
London
The first vehicles entered service on 2 January 1971 on routes 95 and
The Fleetlines proved unpopular in London, mainly because boarding was much slower than with the open-platform AEC Routemasters. To counter this, London Transport trialled the AFC (Automated Fare Collection) turnstile entry system on some of the fleet. This was coin-operated and was intended as a quicker, second boarding option as an alternative to paying the driver. However, the AFC system proved unpopular due to unreliability, and on 27 May 1979, by which the system was generating 4% revenue, the trial was abandoned and the equipment began to be removed.[9]: 106 Maintenance was another major issue, as the parts became defective much sooner.[9]: 30 Maintenance costs for rear-engined, front entrance buses were much higher than the older half-cab models due to the inability to separate the body from chassis for modular overhaul.[9]: 73 This was also exacerbated by there being a 50% government grant for new vehicles at the time, rendering withdrawal a cost-effective option at or around the time of their first (seven-year) recertification for service.[15]
Withdrawals of the Fleetlines commenced in February 1979, with
Outside London
Second in fleet size was
The
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) operated a significant number of Fleetlines bodied by a number of operators during the 1970s, many of which were inherited from the PTE's predecessors. Prior to the PTE's creation, 85 Fleetlines were ordered by Sheffield Corporation Transport in 1971 for delivery beginning in 1974, however after lengthy delays related to the 1973 oil crisis and the moving of the Fleetline's production facilities, these were eventually delivered to South Yorkshire PTE between 1977 and 1978, with these Fleetlines suffering from a number of mechanical defects shortly after delivery.[33]: 57–58 [34] The PTE also took delivery of 29 MCW-bodied Fleetlines built near-identical to London Transport specification in 1974.[33]: 67
Other English PTEs, plus many
and independent sectors purchased Fleetlines.Unusual Fleetlines
Several operators purchased single-deck Fleetlines (Birmingham was the first, in 1965). Rotherham Corporation purchased two 33' single deck fleetlines with 45 seat Willowbrook dual purpose bodies. Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company ordered three similar vehicles with Marshall bodywork for White Rose Express services. However they were delivered to Yorkshire Traction following the takeover in October 1969. In late 1970, Yorkshire Traction purchased nine 36' Fleetlines with dual door Walter Alexander W type bodywork.
Unusual engines temporarily fitted by operators in Fleetlines in the 1960s included a
Following damage caused by hitting a low bridge, WMPTE converted double deck Leyland Fleetline 6956 (WDA 956T) into a single deck vehicle. Renumbered 1956 to fit in with the single-decker fleet number sequence, the bus passed to successor West Midlands Travel and is preserved at Wythall Transport Museum.
Hong Kong
China Motor Bus purchased 336 Fleetlines between 1972 and 1980, followed in the 1980s both CMB by 207 second-hand former London Transport Fleetlines.[22] Kowloon Motor Bus purchased 450 between 1974 and 1979.[36] These were mainly deployed to Cross-Harbour Tunnel routes. On the basis of their large capacity, these were nicknamed Jumbos after the Boeing 747.[22][37]
Citybus and Argos Bus, operators of non-franchised routes and private hire services in Hong Kong, also purchased secondhand Fleetlines. Many Hong Kong Fleetlines were sold to China for further service after being withdrawn in 1980s/1990s.
Preservation
A few Fleetlines have been preserved. The London Transport Museum has London Transport's DMS 1 kept in Acton Depot, while the Ensign Bus Museum has numerically the last, DM 2646, preserved in the Shillibeer livery that it carried during 1979. Other vehicles preserved include DMS 115, 132, 550, 999, 1002, 1051, 1052, 1601, 1868, 2216, 2375, 2394 & the special Ogle-designed 2456.[38]
References
- ^ First Leyland engined Daimler Commercial Motor 21 November 1969
- ^ Leyland engine option on Fleetline Commercial Motor 14 August 1970
- ^ Improvements to Daimler Fleetline Commercial Motor 28 August 1970
- ^ New-Design Daimler to Challenge Bristol VR? Commercial Motor 31 March 1967
- ^ Daimler Developments Commercial Motor 13 September 1968
- ^ Quietening the Fleetline Commercial Motor 1 November 1974
- ^ Daimer Fleetline in Birmingham Commercial Motor 23 December 1960
- ^ Manchester Orders 33-footers from Daimler and Leyland Commercial Motor 13 January 1967
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78383-173-9. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ LT signs order for 1600 Londoner double-deckers Commercial Motor 3 September 1971
- ^ B20 hits the market Commercial Motor 14 April 1984
- ISBN 978-1854141712.
- ^ Double deckers of the future Commercial Motor 1 January 1971
- ^ Daimler's new life with Iveco Commercial Motor 14 January 1988
- ^ "London's bus grant". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 24 November 1979. p. 7. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Cash loss for LT on Fleetline deal? Commercial Motor 6 July 1979
- ^ A future for Fleetline? Commercial Motor 28 February 1981
- ^ The History of Ensignbus Ensignbus
- ^ Premature burial for LT Fleetlines? Commercial Motor 2 February 1980
- ^ LT's cast-offs could fit some one else's bill Commercial Motor 28 February 1981
- ^ Report doubts LT's wisdom Commercial Motor 11 February 1984
- ^ a b c "Hong Kong Buses Part 1: China Motor Bus Co" Fleetline issue 247 March 1997 page 49
- ^ "Ensign shows flag". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 16 May 1981. p. 24. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "KMB sees double: that's good news". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 1 November 1980. p. 21. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ 300 Fleetlines for Birmingham Commercial Motor 27 July 1962
- ^ More Fleetlines for Midland Red Commercial Motor 3 May 1968
- ^ Fitchew, Mark (15 December 2021). "West Midlands Fleetlines at fifty, Part 4". National Express West Midlands. National Express Group. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Bus fleet survey". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 7 December 1985. pp. 55–62. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Jones, Stuart (14 November 1997). "TWM withdraws its last Fleetlines". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 435. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. pp. 18–19.
- ^ "More o-m-o double-deckers for Manchester". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 10 May 1968. p. 33. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Morris, Stephen (12 January 2022). "Mancunians still together after all these years". Buses. No. 803. Stamford: Key Publishing. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-1905-304-33-2. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ ISBN 1-898432-33-3. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Fleetliners in hot water". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 20 January 1978. p. 7. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ LPG bus gets go ahead Commercial Motor 30 March 1973
- ^ Hong Kong seeks trad deckers Commercial Motor 11 November 1977
- ^ "Hong Kong Buses Part 3: Kowloon Motor Bus" Fleetline issue 249 July 1997 page 112
- ^ Leyland Fleetline DM2646 Ensignbus Vintage Fleet
- Townsin, Daimler, Shepperton 2000
External links
Media related to Daimler Fleetline at Wikimedia Commons