:: wikimiki.org ::

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

The West Yorkshire Passenger Traffic Executive (WYPTE) is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Passenger Traffic Authority (PTA). It was formed on the 1st April 1974. In 2005 the municipal councils of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Halifax and Huddersfield are represented on the PTA. At the outset, however, the trade name was known as Metro with a suffix of its district i.e. Metro Leeds for Leeds, Metro Bradford for Bradford, Metro Huddersfield for Huddersfield and Metro Calderdale for Halifax. The colours on the buses changed from being two-tone green for Leeds, blue and cream from Bradford, red and cream for Huddersfield and green, cream and orange for Halifax, to a new uniform livery of 'verona green' and buttermilk. The coats of arms were no longer the emblems for the operator, but were now a circle made up of four pairs of 'WY' were used (presume to represent each district).

Bus fleet 1974-1980

New buses were purchased in large numbers at the outset, with Leyland Atlanteans and Fleetlines being bodied by Charles H. Roe of Leeds to a specific design for the PTE, with most of the Fleetlines going to Halifax, though a small number of Fleetlines were bodies by Northern Counties. A number of MCW-Scania Metropolitans were also purchased. Single decks were met by short Leyland Leopards with Plaxton Derwent bodies usually for Halifax. The PTE also had a coach fleet which traded as MetroCoach, with the more upmarket coaches having being branded MetroCoach Executive: these were usually Leyland Leopards with Plaxton and Duple bodies, but later Leyland Tigers with the same bodies were also purchased including an some Royal Tigers with stylish Roe Doyen bodywork bought in 1983. The coach livery was ivory, red and brown. In 1979 the last Fleetlines arrived for the PTE (making a total of 156 PTE specified Fleetlines), and towards the end of the year the a new batch of Atlanteans arrived with a revised driving position, which was made higher up, pantograph windscreen wipers, and a new interior decor which was akin to London Transport's with yellow/orange upper and green/brown lower panels and a new moquette (seat pattern), again, simliar to LT's in a brown and orange pattern. This was the new standard interior specification. In 1980 a batch of the new Leyland National 2 was purchased, and ten MCW Metrobuses arrived 5 arriving in April and five in November.

Fleet livery

In 1976 modifications were made to the livery. Originally there were three stripes at the sides of the destination box that wrapped round to the sides of the bus and swept down. This took time to apply, and a trial was made with one thin line. In 1977 a further modification was made when the lines were removed entirely and the green area at the skirting area of was raised up: thus there was slightly more green. The other change was the fleet name, which was known as MetroBus, removing the district names.

New integrated bus system

During July 1981 MetroBus (the WYPTE) and the National Bus Company (NBC) formed a new integrated transport system for West Yorkshire, known as the "Metro-National Transport Company Ltd". All PTE and NBC buses in the West Yorkshire area began to appear with a new emblem, which consisted of the MetroBus WY's in one box and the NBC "double N" or "N-blem" appearing in another to the right of the PTE emblem, and slightly lower, both boxes were linked to show the integration. They also appeared with MetroBus fleetnames with "The easy way from here to there in West Yorkshire"

Bus fleet 1980-1986

December 1981 saw the last Atlanteans delivered to the PTE with VWW361X: numbered 6361 it carried the PTE standard Roe bodywork. In 1980/1 the PTE initially ordered 22 of the new Leyland Olympians (although two were cancelled) ; also ordered was a further 10 MCW Metrobuses but with the 'new' Alexander RH-type bodywork. They also received two of three long National 2's VWU1331/2X (1331/2) with YWX333X (1333) arriving in early 1982.In December 1981/Jan 1982 the first Olympian 5001 (reg UWW1X) arrived: this bus is now with Chester City Transport as HTU785X. The rest of the batch arrived during March 1982 and around the same time were the ten Alexander Metrobuses. More Olympians arrived from later in 1982-3. January 1983 saw the arrival of 20 MCW Metrobus MK2's and a batch of Duple Dominant bus bodied Leyland Tiger buses, which were dual-purpose. Also in 1983 two buses in Huddersfield were painted to mark 100 years of public transport in Huddersfield with Atlanteans 6299/300 (PUA299/300W), the former being painted in Huddersfield red and cream and the latter in Huddersfield Tramways livery. Later in the year more Olympians arrived, and during 1984 a total of 40 Metrobuses were purchased plus more Tigers. Charles H. Roe closed down at this time (although was to reopen in 1985 as Optare) and the last batch of Roe-bodied Olympians made a total of 151 Roe-bodied Olympians, with the last complete bus being 5145 (B140RWY); six of the batch were coach-seated for MetroCoach. In 1985 the PTE ordered 15 Olympians with Optare bodywork:
- ten arrived, of which five were coach-seated, with TL11 engines, for MetroCoach. One was in four-tone blue and white for the White Rose express linking Leeds and Sheffield ; and three were bus-seated with usual Gardner 6LXB engines and two were convertible open toppers!
- the remaining five arrived in Feb 1987.
- in 1987 the company bought some minibuses: a batch of Optare-bodied Freight-Rover Sherpas.

De-regulation

De-regulation occurred on Sunday 26 October 1986. The WYPTE bus division was re-named Yorkshire Rider and with it a new livery of dark olive green and cream was used and a stylised "YR" emblem, five double-decker buses were operated in each of the municipal council's colours (already included were the two Huddersfield buses), with words on the sides between the decks saying "Building on a Great Tradition". The bus services and fare/bus pass/timtables division was re-named Metro. Throughout 1986/7 a lot of Freight-Rover Sherpa minibuses were purchased which was the craze during the early days of de-regulation, though bigger MCW Metroriders were purchased in 1987/8. Yorkshire Rider privatised in October 1988, the first PTE to be privatised, during this time 50 new double-dckers arrived, 25 MCW Metrobuses and 25 low-height Northern Counties Leyland Olympians, which featured yet again another interior decor change, with two tone grey panels, and a new moquette being two tone grey and pink with YR emblems on. These were the last order before privatisation. Today Metro still co-ordinates the bus services and produces timetables, manages concessionary fare schemes, and so on.

Railways

Metro also subsidises the MetroTrain routes in its area and beyond.

Trams and Trolleybuses?

In 2001 Metro (the West Yorkshire PTE), came up with Leeds Supertram, with the idea of operating (and, to some extent bringing back) a tram network for Leeds. Though in late 2004/early 2005 Transport Scretary Alistar Darling rejected the idea. But in the spring of 2005 Metro is still seeing if they can still get the idea of running trams in Leeds back up and running again. This isn't the first time this has happened, around the mid-1980s the PTE was interesed in bringing back trolleybuses in Bradford, but this came to naught.

External links

- [http://www.wymetro.com/ West Yorkshire PTE website]
- [http://www.wypta.gov.uk/ West Yorkshire PTA website]

Leyland Atlantean

The Leyland Atlantean was a double-deck bus built by British Leyland in United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986. It pioneered the design of rear-engined, front entrance double deck buses in the UK, allowing for the introduction of 'one person operated' buses dispensing the need for a conductor.

The Prototypes

In the years immediately following the Second World War bus operators in the UK faced a downturn in the numbers of passengers carried, and manufacturers began looking at ways to economise. A few experimental rear-engined buses had been produced before the war, but none successfully made it beyond the prototype stage. The need to minimise the intrusion of the engine into passenger carrying space was a priority, leading to several underfloor engined single deck designs. However, such designs raised the height of the floor of the vehicle, forcing additional steps at the entrance. On double deckers, these problems were amplified, causing the overall height of the vehicle to increase, or an inadequate interior height. In 1952 Leyland began experimenting with ideas for a rear engine double decker. A prototype was built to the maximum permitted width of 7ft 6in, fitted with a turbocharged version of the Leyland 0.350 engine, which was transversely mounted at the rear of the sub frame. The chassis was a platform type frame of steel and light alloy with deep stressed sidemembers. An automatic clutch and self change gearbox were also fitted. The vehicle, numbered 530001, was designated the PDR1 (R for 'Rear-engined'). In 1956 a second prototype (No. 542209) was constructed, but this time fitted with the more powerful 0.600 engine fitted across the frame, with a centrifugal clutch, pneumatic cyclic gearbox and angle drive. This vehicle was 13ft 2.75in in height, with a 16ft 2.875in wheelbase and overall length of 29ft 10in, and had a seating capacity of 78. Leyland christened this prototype the Lowloader. Both vehicles carried bodywork by Metro Cammell Weymann. Though two prototypes were thoroughly tested, with Leyland engineers working closely with those from Metro Cammell Weymann on their development, the same problem of a front-engined bus remained - they had rear entrances with the space alongside the driver being wasted.

PDR1

An amendment to the Construction and Use Regulations in 1956 saw the maximum length for double-deckers increased to 30ft, allowing a wider entrance to be located ahead of the front axle. This was initially to allow the driver to supervise boarding whilst the conductor collected fares, but quickly it became apparent that the design would allow for one-person-operation. Leyland took advantage of the new regulation to launch the first prototype Atlantean at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court. Though it featured the front entrance design that would redefine the bus industry, several factors prevented the bus going on the market. The main problem was the high level of engine noise inside the lower saloon, as the engine was still inside the body, with the compartment being used for bench seating. Mechanically the prototype Atlantean was similar to the Lowloader - 0.600 transversely mounted engine with a pneumo-cyclic gearbox situated in the rear offside corner providing drive in a straight line from the engine. The Atlantean had a light and strong fabricated frame. Light alloy floor plates were riveted direct to the framework, fulfilling the dual purpose of reinforcing the frame and providing a foundation for the saloon floor. The platform type sub-frame concept from the Lowloader was retained for the prototype. A drop-centre rear axle allowed the flat floor, only one step up from ground level, to continue for the full length of the bus. By 1958, Leyland had overcome the majority of the problems and moved the engine to a rear-mounted compartment enclosed from the main body, and the first production Atlantean PDR1/1 with a 16ft 3in wheelbase was launched at the 1958 Commercial Motor Show. It had simpler mechanical specification than the prototype, with conventional front and rear axles, leaf springs all round and a channel section frame. Glasgow Corporation became the first operator to put the type in service later that year. Though some operators initially continued to buy front engined vehicles for reliability, the Atlantean became a hit. Though the National Bus Company and the Scottish Bus Group favoured the Bristol VR and Daimler Fleetline respectively, the Atlantean proved popular with municipal operators. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and Cardiff Corporations purchased large numbers of the type, and by 1972 over 6000 had entered service.

AN68

In February 1972 Leyland announced the AN68 series to replace the PDR1. The new chassis provided a wider entrance and several new safety features were included. An audible and visible alarm prevented engine overheating by giving the driver due warning. A fail-safe parking brake was introduced, while the steering box and brake controls were protected against damage from severe head-on collision, and stainless steel air-piping gave greater resistance to corrosion. Two models were offered: AN68.1R (9.4m in length) and AN68.2R (10.2m in length). Power assisted steering was standard on the AN68.2R and optional on the AN68.1R. The steering pump was power driven, which replaced the early belt driven system, while the only available engine was the new Leyland O.680. A wide variety of body styles from various manufacturers continued to be offered, allowing the Atlantean to be tailor made to requirements from operators ranging from the small independent to the large city corporation. The Atlantean continued to sell in large numbers, with many operators proving loyal to it. London Transport, however, notably chose the Daimler (later Leyland) Fleetline over the AN68 for its first large rear-engined double deck order. Though over a thousand Fleetlines would be purchased by LT, reliability problems caused their very premature withdrawal. The creation of British Leyland in the 1970s saw rivals Daimler and Bristol merged with Leyland, bringing the two competing rear-engined chassis together with the Atlantean. Though the Bristol brand was retained, Daimler was dropped and products were rebadged as Leylands. After the re-organisation, Leyland set out to develop a new rear-engined double deck bus for the London market to replace the troublesome Fleetlines. This new vehicle, the Titan B15 spawned a simpler, non-integral offshoot, the Olympian, which debuted in 1980. Though the Olympian was meant as a direct replacement for the VR, Fleetline and Atlantean, the venerable AN68 continued in production alongside the Olympian until 1986. The last Atlantean for the domestic market rolled off the production line in 1984, the last of a batch for Merseyside PTE, while the export version remained in production for a further two years, with deliveries to the city operator in Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq. At the end of production, over 15000 Atlanteans had been built.

Competitors

Though the Atlantean was the first high volume rear-engined double decker on the market, other manufacturers were quick to catch up, namely Bristol and Daimler with their VR and Fleetline models respectively. The Bristol was favoured by the state-owned National Bus Company, several of whose predecessors had standardised on Bristol vehicles. Several early examples were also purchased by NBC's Scottish sister company, the Scottish Bus Group, where the front-engined Bristol Lodekka had proved popular. However, the Scottish customers did not share the same enthusiasm for the VR, and the vehicles purchased were swapped for ex-NBC Lodekkas. The Scottish Bus Group then standardised on the Daimler Fleetline for its double-deck needs. After the re-organisation of British Leyland, both VR and Fleetline became Leyland offerings, and when production of both ceased in 1980, over 6400 VRs and 11500 Fleetlines had been built. Frustrated at the lack of competition to Leyland, some operators turned to other manufacturers, who began to offer alternatives to the state-owned manufacturer. Supply problems at Leyland didn't help matters and products such as the Scania Metropolitan and Dennis Dominator began to make small inroads into the rear-engined market, while the Volvo-backed Ailsa reintroduced a front-engined double deck chassis, with a front entrance, to some success. The Scania/Metro Cammell Weymann partnership, which produced the Metropolitan, ended in the late 1970s and forced MCW to introduce its own rear-engined product, available as an integral or chassis, the Metrobus. The success of the Metrobus, particularly with West Midlands PTE and London Transport, would spur Leyland on to develop a new heavy duty rear-engined bus, sealing the eventual withdrawal of the Atlantean from the market. Category:Busses

Northern Counties

Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Company was a manufacturer of bus bodywork located in Wigan Lane, Wigan, Lancashire, United Kingdom. United Kingdom

Overview

Traditionally buses in Britain have consisted of a chassis upon which a separate body was constructed, typically by a different manufacturer. This allowed operators to specify a vehicle that suited their particular requirements. Chassis manufacturers in Britain included Leyland, Daimler, AEC, and Guy (all now sadly defunct). Having selected a chassis, an operator would also specify a particular engine and this assemblage would be transported to a bodybuilder to manufacture the bodywork. Northern Counties was a mid-size bodybuilder with a strong reputation and loyal client base. It was bought out and subsequently closed in 2005 by Alexander Dennis.

History

Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Company Limited was founded in Wigan, Lancashire in 1919 by Henry Lewis. The Lewis family remained owners of the company until it was bought out over seventy years later. As was common at the time, early products were bodywork for private automobiles. By the early 1920s the private automobile work had ceased and the manufacture of bodywork for service buses commenced. Bodywork was for both single-deck and double-deck vehicles. Very few coaches were produced. During the Second World War, Northern Counties was authorized by the government to produce bus bodies to a utility specification, mainly using steel-framed construction. Northern Counties established a loyal client base and reputation for quality construction in the post-war years. Notable clients included local operators SHMD Board, Manchester Corporation, and Lancashire United. Further afield, Barton Transport and Southdown Motor Services were among a number of regular customers. In 1967 another bus body builder, Massey Brothers Ltd, located in nearby Pemberton, was acquired and became a part of the Northern Counties operations. The Massey factory was retained and used as a paint-shop and for final completion of bodywork assembled at Wigan Lane. The Transport Act of 1968 merged the municipal corporations of Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Oldham, Stockport, Rochdale, Bury and Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Joint Board (SHMD Board). The resulting conglomerate was known as the Southeast Lancashire Northeast Cheshire Passenger Transport Authority, commonly known as SELNEC. SELNEC was faced with a fleet of 2500 vehicles consisting of a wide variety of types and manufacturers, reflecting the preferences of their former municipal owners. Northern Counties worked closely with SELNEC to develop a standard bus for fleet replacement. The Local Government Act 1972 came into effect on 1 April, 1974. This reorganization added Wigan Corporation Transport to SELNEC to create the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. Greater Manchester PTE was the largest bus operator outside of London until privatization in the late 1980s. A large proportion of Northern Counties production after this time was for the Greater Manchester fleet. Greater Manchester In 1975 the company collaborated with Foden Ltd, a well-known manufacturer of commercial vehicles, to produce a semi-integral double-deck vehicle intended to compete with chassis manufacturer Leyland. Leyland had merged with traditional rival Daimler and was experiencing production and quality problems. In the event, only seven Foden-NC's were produced, going to Greater Manchester PTE, West Midlands PTE, West Yorkshire PTE, Derby Corporation Transport and Potteries Motor Traction. The 1980s and 1990s were challenging years for the British bus industry, with the privatization of publicly-owned operators, deregulation of routes and the reduction and subsequent elimination of the Bus Grant, a Government grant that paid for a large proportion of the cost of new vehicles. As a result, the purchase of new bus vehicles fell sharply as operators contended with the brave new world of competition, and mini-buses became the vogue. This fall in orders was combined with increased competition from overseas manufacturers. Northern Counties reputation and engineering skills saw it survive these difficult times and become a major supplier once again as demand picked up in the mid-1990s. In May 1995, it was purchased for £10 million by the Henlys group, owner of Plaxton. The Northern Counties name was dropped in 1999 and vehicles were badged as Plaxton. In 2001 Henlys became part of a joint venture with the Mayflower group, owner of body-builder Alexander and chassis manufacturer Dennis. The joint venture was known as TransBus, and vehicles were badged using the TransBus name. After the failure of the Mayflower Group in 2004, TransBus was sold to a private group of investors and became Alexander Dennis. The former Northern Counties facility was closed by Alexander Dennis in January 2005.

Products

- Palatine (double-deck)
- Paladin (single-deck)
- Prestige (low-floor single-deck)
- President (low-floor double-deck)

Competitors

- Park Royal Vehicles
- East Lancashire Coachbuilders
- Charles H. Roe

References

Ogden, Eric; (1976). Northern Counties of Wigan. The Transport Publishing Company. ISBN-0-903839-10-5. Booth, Gavin (1983). The British Bus Today and Tomorrow. Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN-0-7110-1296-2 Townsin, Alan (1985). The British Bus Story - The 'Sixties - Turbulent Times. The Transport Publishing Company. ISBN-0-96317-123-0

External links

- [http://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/dynmenu.asp?MenuType=Body&Manu=Northern%20Counties A very useful listing of all bodies built from 1956 to 2005]
- [http://www.selnec.org.uk/bus.htm Detailed history of the development of the SELNEC standard] Category:Bus manufacturers Category:Defunct bus manufacturers Category:Defunct companies of the United Kingdom

Plaxton

, owned by New World First Bus of Hong Kong.]] Plaxton is a bus and coach bodybuilder based in Scarborough, England.

History

The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.

Beginnings

The business was founded as a joinery workshop, and expanded into building contracting. As a building contractor, Plaxtons built a number of notable buildings in Scarborough. Soon after World War I Plaxtons diversified and began to build charabanc bodies on Ford Model T chassis. Of more importance at the time was the construction of automobile bodywork. This included bodwork for Rolls Royce, Sunbeam and Daimler, but principally for Crossley car chassis. This activity continued through the 1920s, but the depression of 1929-1933 created difficulties for manufacture of luxury automobiles. As a result, the manufacture of charabanc, and later coach bodies became more important through the late 1920s and early 1930s. Customers during this time tended to be local to the Scarborough area, Scarborough being a popular seaside resort.

Coaches of the 1930s

By 1936 the company felt justified in construction of a large new manufacturing facility in Seamer Road, Scarborough. This allowed increased production, and Plaxtons became popular with many independant operators throughout Northern England. Many of these operators purchased their vehicles through independant dealers, rather than directly from the factory. In this regard, Plaxton's sales were through Lancashire Motor Traders Ltd of Manchester and Arlington Motor Co Ltd of London. The company became known as F.W. Plaxton & Son by 1937, as the founder's son, also named Frederick William joined the company at the age of 18. FW Plaxton junior was to be known as Eric to avoid confusion with his father. Plaxtons built a number of different coach designs through the 1930s, until settling on a distinctive house style. The style typically consisted of a very rounded front profile at the windscreen area with side windows that sloped backwards at the front, were upright at the center, and sloped forward at the back. Bodywork for the Bedford WTB chassis was particularly distinctive, sloping severally from the bottom of the front wheel arch to the roofline, leaving the "bullnose" radiator grille protruding. The rear also sloped prominantly. The WTB chassis was very popular choice for operators at that time, together with the Dodge RBF and SBF. Leyland and AEC chassis were also popular for larger coaches, notably the Leyland Tiger PS1 and AEC Regal III. On the outbreak of World War II in 1939, coach production halted and the factory was turned into a munitions factory under the control of the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Many records from the early years were lost when an incendiary bomb set fire to the Seamer Rd factory in 1943 causing much damage.

Post-war Demand

Production restarted at the end of 1945. In 1951 the business was registered for the first time as a private company, Plaxtons (Scarborough) Ltd. In 1957 the founder of the company, F.W. Plaxton Senior, died, and was succeeded as Chairman by his son Frederick Jnr, though known as Eric. In 1958 Plaxtons were approached by Sheffield United Tours (SUT) to design a new crisper design of coach body. The result was the first Panorama body. The name "Panorama" was to be synonomous with British coaches for the next 15 years. The main feature of the Panorama being the large rectangular side windows, a vertical front from the previous Consort II design, but utilising a single piece windscreen. The door was ahead of the front axle and the body could seat 36 passengers. It was built on an AEC Reliance chassis. The 1958 Panorama was entered into the British and the Nice coach rallies, winning top awards at both events. SUT took the vehicle to Nice with a full load of passengers! The Panorama became part of the standard product range in 1959, and the design received minor modifications over the next two years. The first update on the Panorama took place in 1961, the side profile was reduced to a slight curve in the waste rail & roof line and the number of pillars further reduced. The 36 foot version was introduced as soon as legislation allowed and the body was now 8 foot 2.5" wide A great improvement was made to lighting with double front headlights being a standard for the first time. The first 36 foot coach in Britain was a Panorama delivered to SUT in 1961. Plaxtons became a public company in January 1961. A new version of the Panorama appeared in 1962 and was altogether a much larger looking vehicle. It had a distinctive front reverse peak overhang at the front dome with a roofline that made the new design look longer then it actually was. The waistline curvature radically reduced to a point where it was almost straight. The rear comprised of a two piece curved glass window that wrapped around to meet the rearmost side pillars. The lights were contained in a single unit with a fin like top rather like the rear of the first Ford Anglia saloon. The front of the "new" Panorama was completely different and echoed the look of Weymenns Castillion body. It has a small front grill located at the bottom of the front panel. The Panorama stayed in this guise until it was replaced by the new version that was launched at the 1964 commercial motor show. The Embassy design was for the lightweight chassis mostly the Thames 570E and Bedford SB. This design had a large wrap around windsreen with the door behind the front axle. This design was for front engined chassis. The front grill was of an oval shape with headlights each side of the oval, a chrome flash through the middle completed the look! Although the Embassy was for smaller chassis an Embassy was shown at the 1962 Commercial Motor Show that had been built on a Bedford 36ft chassis the type being the new VAL. This design utilised the large grill from the Embassy (presumebly because of the front radiator) but the windows were smaller then the Panorama. It was designated "multi-windowed Embassy" but only 6 were built. The rest of the body appeared to be Panorama. The VAL was mostly bodied with the Panorama style body. When the 1964 show came around Plaxtons had a new Panorama to display. Designated the Panorama I the body had been re-designed bringing with it several big changes that would assist Plaxtons in staying ahead of Duple.

Henlys and a new beginning

The mid-1980s brought difficult times for Plaxton. A decline in orders due to the economic climate was compounded by management and production problems. The seasonal nature of coach production made recruiting difficult. In March 1987 Plaxton was taken over by Kirkby Bus & Coach, who were Plaxton's largest dealer. Kirkby soon invested in modernising the Scarborough factory and addressed some industrial relations problems. In July 1989 Plaxton bought the manufacturing rights for the products of its main domestic competitor, Duple for £4m. This included the jigs for the Duple 300 coach and bus models, and the Duple 425 integral. Duple Services Ltd., the spares and repair business, was also purchased. In 1989 Plaxtons bought Henlys, a company that included motor dealers and Coleman Milne, makers of funeral hearses. The name of the company was changed to Plaxton Group PLC. In May 1992, the company was renamed Henlys Group PLC. Henlys pursued a strategy of diversification and expansion through the 1990s. The established bus bodybuilder Northern Counties was bought in 1995 for £10m. The UK bus and coach manufacturing business, trading under the Plaxton brand, continued to produce a range of bus and coach bodywork. It also owned one of the largest UK coach dealers, Kirkby, and provided after-sales services to coach and bus operators. In August 2000 a joint venture was formed with Mayflower, owners of the Dennis and Alexander brands. The joint venture, known as TransBus International, included only the United Kingdom bus manufacturing operations of both companies, including Plaxton and Northern Counties. Henlys held a 30% stake in the joint venture, which employed 3,300 employees at seven locations. The traditional brands of Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton were replaced by TransBus International. In 2004 Mayflower Group failed, and Transbus International went into receivership. An initial offer from the Plaxton management to buy the coach segment of the company was rejected by the receiver, but was later accepted when a group of private investors agreed to buy the Alexander Dennis portion of the company. Thus the new company, Plaxton Limited, has reemerged as an independant company, focused on its traditional coach product, and employing almost 300 people in Scarborough. A facility in Anston, which builds small buses and coaches, employs a further 59.

Products

Past products

(All coach bodies unless noted)
- Type A
- D Series
- Type F (full fronted)
- Type J (half cab)
- K Series
- L Series
- M Series
- Q2
- Envoy
- Venturer I, II
- Crusader Mk I, Mk II
- Consort Mk I, Mk II
- Highway - (single deck bus)
- Panorama Pioneer (as supplied to SUT)
- Panorama
- Embassy
- Multi window Embassy for Bedford VAL @ 36ft circa 1962
- Panorama I and Panorama II; The MKII being the cheaper option.
- Panorama Elite, Elite Express
- Panorama Elite II, Elite Express II
- Panorama Elite III, Elite Express III
- Panorama IV (For Bedford SB)
- Derwent (single deck bus)
- Supreme, Supreme I,II,III IV, V, VI (1st version of Supreme for
- Bristol LHS & Bedford PJK was to be known as Panorama Supreme)
- Viewmaster ( Britains first 3.5M coach
- Bustler - (single deck bus)
- Paramount 3200, 3500, 4000, Mk I, Mk II, Mk III
- Paramount III Low driver option
- Verde - for rear engined Dennis Lance, Volvo B10B and Scania N113 single-deck bus chassis
- Excalibur - for Volvo B10M chassis
- Premiere - for Scania K93 chassis
- Prima - for DAF SB3000 chassis
- Prestige - single-deck bus based on remodelled Northern Counties design
- President - double-deck bus
- Beaver / Beaver 2 - for Mercedes-Benz van chassis
- Pointer / Pointer 2 - for Dennis Dart/Dart SLF and Volvo B6/B6LE chassis

Current products

Coaches

- Paragon - for Volvo B10M, B12B, Dennis R-Series, MAN 18.310 and Irisbus Eurorider
- Panther - for Volvo B10M, B12B, Dennis R-Series, MAN 18.310 and Irisbus Eurorider
- Profile - for Volvo B7R and Dennis Javelin chassis
- Cheetah - for Mercedes-Benz van chassis

Buses

- Pronto
- Beaver

Competitors

Current

- Beulas
- Irizar
- Jonckheere
- MAN/Neoplan
- Marcopolo
- Noge
- Salvador Caetano (UK) Ltd
- Setra
- TEMSA
- Van Hool

Former

- Duple Coachbuilders Limited

References

Townsin, Alan (Editor) (1982). Plaxtons The Great British Coach Builders. Transport Publishing Company. ISBN 903839695 Plaxtons Diamond Jubilee celebration book. No ISBN- Limited numbers produced

External links

- [http://www.plaxtonlimited.com/ Plaxton's Official Website] Category:Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Category:Bus transport in the United Kingdom Category:Bus manufacturers

Plaxton

, owned by New World First Bus of Hong Kong.]] Plaxton is a bus and coach bodybuilder based in Scarborough, England.

History

The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.

Beginnings

Coaches of the 1930s

Post-war Demand

Henlys and a new beginning

Products

Past products

Current products

Coaches

Buses

- Pronto
- Beaver

Competitors

Current

- Beulas
- Irizar
- Jonckheere
- MAN/Neoplan
- Marcopolo
- Noge
- Salvador Caetano (UK) Ltd
- Setra
- TEMSA
- Van Hool

Former

- Duple Coachbuilders Limited

References

Townsin, Alan (Editor) (1982). Plaxtons The Great British Coach Builders. Transport Publishing Company. ISBN 903839695 Plaxtons Diamond Jubilee celebration book. No ISBN- Limited numbers produced

External links

- [http://www.plaxtonlimited.com/ Plaxton's Official Website] Category:Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Category:Bus transport in the United Kingdom Category:Bus manufacturers

Duple Coachbuilders Limited

Duple was best known as a manufacturer of coach and bus bodywork from 1919 until 1989.

History

Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd was formed in 1919 by Herbert White in Hornsey, London, United Kingdom.

Early Days

The name 'Duple' is intended to convey the principle of a single vehicle being suitable for a dual role, an idea Mr. White developed. The first vehicle of this type was called the Bifort. Subsequently, former military Ford Model T's were fitted with the newly designed dual-purpose bodywork. The bodies looked like a small touring car, but could be transformed into a van by removing the decking at the rear of the car and fitting a van top. This type of vehicle had enormous appeal to the owners of small businesses, who were able to obtain a working vehicle and private car for little extra, and soon bodywork of this type was being produced in substantial numbers. In 1926 a new factory was opened in Hendon to meet growing demand. Coachwork had been built on occasions since the inception of the Company, but in 1928 it was decided to make an effort to increase output of this body type substantially. As a result the order book began to grow and within ten years the number of people employed had grown to around 800. In 1928, W. E. Brown, a former partner in the Strachan & Brown bodybuilding business, joined the firm, and he had a major influence on the Company's future expansion. Major clients of this period included Great Western Railway, who ordered a number of bodies for its expanding bus fleet, and Elliot Brothers' Royal Blue fleet

'Thirties

By 1930 the total number of coach and bus bodies produced was 250, establishing Duple as an emerging bodybuilder of some stature, whose distinctive design features were able to influence national trends. The depression of the 1930s coupled with the introduction of the 1930 Road Traffic Act brought about changes in the bodybuilding sector. This led to a stabilising of the transport industry, with established operators feeling secure now that the threat of unregulated competition had been removed by the licensing system. Accordingly there was a trend towards vehicles with higher standards of finish and more comfortable interiors. In 1930 Duple received the largest single order to date - an order for 50 bodies to be fitted to the AEC Regal chassis of Green Line Coaches, the newly established express service arm of the London General Omnibus Company. In August 1931, two Bedford passenger chassis (the 14-seat WHB and 20-seat WLB) were announced. Duple had built early bodies on the WLB chassis for the Vauxhall Motors (the parent Company of Bedford), and was listed in publicity material as one of the four bodybuilders recommended for the WLB chassis. As demand for the type rose, Duple's capability for production in quantity set them apart from other competitors, and soon Duple-bodied Bedford WLB's were in service around the country. The association with Bedford was subsequently to last over 50 years. In 1932 Duple acquired the business of London Lorries, who, despite the name, were heavily involved in the manufacture of coach bodies. By the middle of the 1930s Duple was widely regarded as a coachbuilder, although bus bodies were still produced in quite large numbers. Export business had been developed early, based mainly on the travels of the Duple directors, including W. E. Brown, who had already been to the United States and Canada and now embarked on a Mediterranean tour, taking in Greece, Syria and Egypt. Export orders were also received in quantity from East Africa, Argentina and closer to home in Europe. This in part helped to compensate for the reduced demand for UK bodywork, which tended to be seasonal. By 1934, the original site had become inadequate and 3½ acres of adjoining land was purchased for expansion. The late 1930s saw the era of the classic coach design, with operators becoming increasingly conscious of the appearance of their coaches. Many coach bodies were of individual design, but readily identifiable as Duple. The introduction of sloping pillars, curving roof- and waistlines along with shaped mouldings on the side panels all contributed to a new 'aerodynamic' style that was increasing in popularity. Although coachwork continued to be Duple's main output, single-deck bus bodies formed a good part of the production from the mid-1930s, with one customer, Barton Transport, placing a bulk order for such bodies to be delivered over an extended period. In 1936, Duple introduced the Vista design of bodywork, primarily for the Bedford WTB chassis. It had curved roof- and waistlines, and featured a sliding roof as standard. In 1937 a revised design of the Vista - the Vista II - was introduced together with a new design - the Hendonian. Both of these remained in production until the end of the decade. In 1939 Bedford introduced a new range of goods models, which included the 'O', with characteristic 'bullnose' grille. The passenger version was named the 'OB' and Duple modified the Hendonian body to fit the chassis, which at 14ft 6ins, was longer than the WTB. With the advent of World War II, Bedford production was turned over to the war effort, with only 73 OB chassis produced, and it was not until after cessation of hostilities that the Bedford OB with Duple Vista bodywork was to become a familiar sight on British roads.

Wartime

During the Second World War as a member of the London Aircraft Production Group, Duple built fuselages for the Halifax bomber, along with a variety of military products. Duple also built double-deck highbridge and lowbridge buses to utility specifications, and the only new single-deck vehicle to be produced from 1942 to 1945, the Bedford OWB.

Postwar Expansion

In 1946 the name of the business was changed to Duple Motor Bodies Limited. The first postwar production model to appear was the Duple Vista body on the Bedford OB chassis. The standard seating capacity soon became 29-seat, although models with differing capacities were still available. The Vista coachwork remained Duple's standard OB body until production of the OB chassis ceased in the early 1950s. Deliveries of Duple bodywork on full-sized chassis (such as the AEC Regal) began in May 1946, and were known as the A-type, although its curved lines had their origin in the prewar period, so it was not strictly a new design. It was not long before the order book was filled for several years ahead. Postwar rebodying became common practice as new chassis were initially hard to obtain and Duple built many A-type bodies on different chassis that helped to make it, with its distinctive side 'flash', a familiar sight in postwar Britain. Alternative styles were available, all with alphabetic codes, such as the B-type and C-types, which differed in detail only and were regarded as 'dual-purpose' bodies, whilst the D-type was Duple's own design of bus body. After the War there was a move towards metal-framed bodies, partly because of their greater durability and partly because of a shortage of timber for traditional bodywork. Duple designed a metal-framed body (the Almet) for export models on the OB chassis, as well as producing a body design for the new SB chassis, then under development. By 1948, Duple had developed a metal-framed double-deck body, examples of which were delivered to the Red & White group and SMT.

'Fifties

In 1950 a range of full-fronted coach bodies named the 'Ambassador' was produced, but with the change in maximum permitted length for coaches to 30ft and the maximum width to 8ft, a series of new designs was prepared. Many were given names, such as the Roadmaster and Vega, all intended for use on specific chassis. The Roadmaster was particularly unlike anything Duple had previously produced, with its high, straight waistline and small windows. It earned the nickname 'Iron Duke' and was intended for underfloor engined chassis, hence the higher waistline. The Vega was intended for the new production model of the Bedford SB, and the bodywork featured a gentle curving waistline typical of Duple. The 1950s brought a difficult time for the bodybuilding industry, caused mainly by an end in the increased postwar demand that created a rapid drop in orders. Competition for the remaining orders now became intense. Many of Duple's former customers were now in the Tilling group that standardised on Bristol chassis and ECW bodywork. Disputes among union labour resulted in a 36-week strike that was catastrophic for Duple. It began to lose significant amounts of business to other companies and a move out of London was considered. In 1952 Duple acquired Nudd Brothers & Lockyer Limited, based in Kegworth. The newly acquired firm was used to produce metal-framed bodies in the Duple standard range. Further premises were acquired in Loughborough in 1955, and in 1956 the Kenworth and Loughborough factories were re-named Duple Motor Bodies (Midland) Limited. In 1958, the business of Willowbrook Limited, of Loughborough was acquired, although the business continued to operate under its own name for some time. Throughout this period Duple continued to produce new body designs; the Elizabethan, for underfloor-engined chassis, was introduced in 1953; the Britannia, based on the Elizabethan but with vertical pillars, was introduced in 1955 and the Donington, for dual-purpose use, was added to the list in 1956. The designs for Bedford chassis had continued to be produced, now known as Super Vista and Super Vega.

'Sixties Moves

1953 The business of H. V. Burlingham Limited, of Blackpool, best known for the 'Seagull' body of the 1950s, was taken over in August 1960, adding a Northern arm to Duple's production. The Burlingham name was retained until 1962, when it became Duple Motor Bodies (Northern) Limited. Towards the end of 1961 Bedford introduced the VAS chassis and Duple produced a completely new design - the Bella Vista - for it. That year the maximum permitted length for coaches was increased to 36ft and the maximum width to 8ft 2½ins and Duple (Northern) designed and produced the Continental, with seats for up to 51 passengers. When Bedford announced the six-wheeled VAL in 1962, Duple introduced the Vega Major. For 1964 Duple introduced the Commander, initially built at Hendon but switched to Blackpool later, and in 1966 the Viceroy range replaced the Bella series on most Bedford or Ford chassis. From 1968 Duple coach production was concentrated at Blackpool, and the company was re-named Duple Coachbuilders Limited. The Hendon factory finally closed in 1970. The Willowbrook subsidiary continued in business under its own name until it was sold in 1971.

Dominant 'Seventies

At the 1972 Commercial Motor Show, Duple introduced a new range of bodies called the Dominant, which were similar in appearance to the Plaxton Panorama Elite, already in production since 1968. The Plaxton Supreme range was introduced in 1974, and in response Duple introduced the Dominant II in 1976 with a restyled front and rear end by Michelotti of Turin. The style was cleaner with rectangular headlamps in an integrated grille panel and a much deeper windscreen and driver's window.

The Story Concludes

The early 1980s saw the introduction of 'de-regulation' of coach services over 30 miles in length. A growing trend towards heavier duty chassis that had been found to be more reliable for the high mileage and fast speeds of the motorway caused the market for light coach chassis from Bedford and Ford to collapse in 1981. Duple's output fell from 1000 bodies in 1976, to 800 in 1980, and to just over 500 bodies in 1981, which resulted in a reduction in the workforce. In 1980 the Dominant range was extended with the Dominant III and IV. Both had similar front ends to the Dominant II, but with reduced brightwork and bumpers. The Dominant III had high-set forward angled trapezoid windows with thick pillars. Features of all four versions could be mixed and matched. In 1981 the Goldliner was introduced. This was a essentially a high floor Dominant and sometimes featured a steeped roof behind the entrance door. The imports of foreign makes, such as Bova, Van Hool and Jonckheere began to make inroads into the UK market. To compete with the imports two new body designs - the Laser and the Caribbean - were introduced. The Laser was a normal floor body that resembled the Dominant, but with a rounder front and body-colored front grille. The Caribbean was a high-floor design with a very square appearance. The Calypso was added in 1983, and was a low-floor version of the Caribbean on a Bova underframe. These new designs did little to halt the slide in production and in 1983 Duple output was just 340 bodies. In June 1983 Duple was sold to the Hestair group, which had already acquired the long established business of Dennis Brothers of Guildford. Duple was re-named Hestair Duple. The business struggled along for another few years, but the deregulation of bus services in 1986 caused uncertainty amongst bus operators and as a result little investment in new vehicles was made. By 1988 Duple's output was just 250 bodies. In November 1988 Hestair announced that they were selling the Duple business to a management buyout team operating under the name Trinity Holdings In July 1989 the decision was made to close down the Duple bodybuilding operation. The manufacturing rights were sold to rivals Plaxton, and the Duple body designs were sold to the Carlyle Group, thus ending 70 years of Duple Motor Bodies Limited.

Company names in different times

- Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd 1919-1946
- Duple Motor Bodies Limited 1946-1968
- Duple Motor Bodies (Midland) Limited
- Duple Motor Bodies (Northern) Limited
- Duple Coachbuilders Limited 1968-1983
- Hestair Duple 1983-1989
- Trinity Holdings 1989

Products

(All were coach bodies unless specified)
- Vista, Vista II, Vista III, Super Vista
- Hendonian
- A-type
- B-type (dual-purpose)
- C-type (dual-purpose)
- D-Type (bus)
- Ambassador
- Roadmaster
- Vega, Super Vega
- Elizabethan
- Britannia
- Donington (dual-purpose)
- Bella Vista
- Vega Major
- Commander
- Viceroy
- Dominant, Dominant II, Dominant III, Dominant IV (the first 2 were also built as bus bodies)
- Goldliner, Super Goldliner
- Caribbean
- Laser
- Calypso
- 320
- 340
- 425 integral - with running units from Dennis
- Dartline (bus) - for Dennis Dart

Competitors

- Plaxton
- H. V. Burlingham Limited
- Willowbrook

References

Townsin, A. A. (1997). Duple: 70 Years of Coachbuilding. Venture Publications Ltd. ISBN 1898432465 Ogden, Eric (1976). Duple: A Pictorial Survey of Their Activities from the Twenties with a Brief History. Transport Publishing Company. ISBN 0903839121

External links

Category:Bus manufacturers Category:Bus transport in the United Kingdom Category:Defunct bus manufacturers Category:Defunct companies of the United Kingdom

MCW Metrobus

, owned by Kowloon Motor Bus.]] MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model (which had symmetric windscreen) in 1981/2, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985. The Metrobus was conceived as an integral product manufactured completely by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW), but Alexander and Northern Counties also bodied some examples.

The UK

In the United Kingdom, the Metrobus was mainly used in the metropolitan areas, especially London and the West Midlands. London Transport took 1,440 MkI examples between 1978 and 1985, numbering them as M1 to M1440. Two MkII prototypes were delivered to London Transport as M1441 and M1442 in 1984, but there were no further orders. In 1987 and 1988, 14 secondhand Metrobuses were purchased from Greater Manchester PTE, West Yorkshire PTE and Busways. London Transport's low-cost subsidiary Harrow Buses leased 29 new MkII Metrobuses in 1987, but had to return them to their lessor three years later. London Transport's Metrobuses were the mainstay of the double decker fleet between 1987 and privatisation in 1994, when most of them passed to seven of the new operators. They remained in service for London Buses until 2004, when the last examples were withdrawn. West Midlands Travel also took significant numbers of Metrobuses, both MkI and MkII examples. Some of these are still in service with Travel West Midlands, as the company now calls itself, although they are likely to be replaced by new buses over the next years. Secondhand Metrobuses have been purchased by operators in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Often, these are used mainly on school contracts.

Hong Kong

Early introductions

In Hong Kong, the China Motor Bus (CMB) introduced 12 Metrobuses in 1978 for its luxury services (which cover the routes between Repulse Bay, Stanley and the Central District). Within a year, MCW produced a 11-metre 2-axle version of Metrobus, and totally 40 long Metrobuses were introduced by CMB (which were the only 40 11-metre, 2-axle Metrobuses in the world) between 1978 and 1979. Both batches of CMB Metrobuses have MkI bodies.

1980s

In 1981, MCW provided prototypes of 3-axle, 12-metre long "Super-Metrobus" for both CMB and Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB). Two prototypes entered CMB services and KMB acquired three. All were bodied with MCW MkII body. In return, CMB purchased 82 more Super-Metrobuses between 1983 and 1988, while KMB purchased 80 2-axle Metrobuses (with MkII bodies) between 1983 and 1985. While KMB was not interested in the 12-metre version Super-Metrobuses, they did express their interest in a 11-metre 3-axle version (The CMB 11-metre version Metrobuses were 2-axle). 254 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses were purchased by KMB between 1986 and 1989. 50 of these buses were fitted with Cummins engines, and another one was originally fitted with a Sütrak air-conditioner (so it's an air-conditioned prototype), but this air-conditioning unit was proved unreliable and subsequently removed. Between 1987 and 1989, KCRC also purchased 59 2-axle Metrobuses for their feeder bus services. 39 of them were brand new with MkII bodies, while another 20 were second-hand buses bought from England (originally owned by South Yorkshire PTE) with MkI bodies. Argos Bus purchased 6 Metrobuses for their non-franchised routes and private hire services between 1988 and 1989. They were from the same batch as those bought second-hand by KCRC. KMB purchased 8 more 2-axle Metrobuses in 1989. These buses were fitted with Cummins LT10A-B282 (282hp) engines and Voith D864G 4-speed gearbox, and were used on the hilly route 51 (servicing between Tsuen Wan and Kam Tin, climbing Tai Mo Shan along its way). Later KMB converted some of the older Metrobuses with Cummins engines for replacement, in order to avoid excess damage to buses from running the hilly route. It's rumoured that CMB was still asking MCW for more Super-Metrobuses when MCW ceased bus production in 1989. After CMB had learnt about the closure, it decided to buy 12-metre 3-axle buses from Dennis.

Withdrawal

The MkI second-hand Metrobuses were the first to be withdrawn, and all of them had already been scrapped. Many of the KCRC ones were loaned to Citybus for few years before complete withdrawal. CMB removed Metrobuses from the luxury routes after introducing Dennis Darts for the service in 1991. These Metrobuses were allocated to non-luxurious routes in the Southern District, as well as route 13 serving the "Mid-levels". Although CMB was the first to introduce Metrobuses, it withdrew only 3 of them (all were accident victims) before its end of franchise in August 1998. Its earliest Metrobuses were already 20 years old by then. New World First Bus (NWFB) purchased all the remaining CMB's Metrobuses and Super-Metrobuses when it took over most of the CMB's routes. These Metrobuses were then swiftly scrapped or (for most Super-Metrobuses) exported. As of 2005, there are still Super-Metrobuses from CMB providing tour service in countries like Australia. KMB allocated its 3 Super-Metrobuses in the New Territories for years. For example, they were serving on route 61A (which connected Tuen Mun and Yuen Long new towns) right before the Light Rail took over the services. After that, they were seen on route 36A (which serves a public housing estate in Kwai Chung) until the route's decline in the mid-1990s. They spent further few years as reserved buses before being withdrawn from passenger service no later than 1996 and converted into training buses. They were finally sold and scrapped in 2001. KMB started to withdraw its 2-axle Metrobuses since 1997. Some of them had their chassis damaged due to the fatigue caused during their service on route 51. KCRC also started to withdraw their Metrobuses in early 2000s. All 2-axle Metrobuses in Hong Kong have been withdrawn from passenger service, with the last one (KCRC 134) being withdrawn in October 2005. The 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses in KMB were not withdrawn until early 2000s. Some of them are still in service, but they are all scheduled to be withdrawn before 2007.

End of Production

Production of Metrobus was terminated in 1989, when MCW was bought jointly by DAF and Optare. Later, DAF modified the design of Metrobus and launch the modified chassis in 1991 as the DB250.

Leyland Olympian

. It is the last order of buses to be built under the Leyland name.]] The Leyland Olympian was a double-deck bus built by British Leyland in United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993.

Construction

The Olympian was built as a result of the Leyland Titan (B15), an integral double deck bus which was ordered en masse by London Transport. At the time there was a demand for non-integral vehicles; operators wishing to remain with more established manufacturers. Thus Leyland created the B45 project, which was named Olympian, in 1979. It was available in 2 lengths, with wheelbases of 4.95m and 5.64m, giving total lengths of 9.56m and 10.25m. Engines were either the Leyland TL11 unit (an 11.1-litre development of the Leyland O.680), or the ever-popular Gardner 6LXB. Some later Olympians had Cummins L10 engines. For the export market a tri-axle version was built, which was very popular with operators such as KMB. Later, Leyland developed the air-conditioned version of Olympian, with its air-conditioner driven by the main engine, not a separate engine. Alexander constructed the bodies for the majority of tri-axle and air-conditioned Olympians.

Bodies

air-conditioned, Hong Kong.]] The Leyland Olympian was built with a wide variety of body types:
- Eastern Coach Works (ECW) - highly popular.
- Alexander, with various R-type bodies; very popular with Irish and Scottish operators.
- Northern Counties, who built numerous styles for the Olympian.
- Roe (Charles H. Roe)
- Optare
- East Lancs (East Lancashire Coachbuilders)
- Marshall
- Leyland (jig-built kit bodies from ECW) The ECW body was built to two heights, low-bridge 13ft 8in or high-bridge 14ft 2in. The ECW, Roe, Leyland and Optare versions were outwardly very similar in design, thus identification can be difficult. ECW also manufactured a coach body on the longer chassis for long-distance use, which carried noticeably different styling. A dual-door variant of the Olympian was manufactured by ECW especially for London Transport, and this became known as the L-class, since this was the letter used by LT to denote the class of vehicle. It was not as popular as the purpose-built Titan, so only 350 entered service under LT. A small number remain in service in London, with the L-class and other Olympians proving popular with small operators across the United Kingdom.

Changing Hands

In 1988 Leyland Bus passed to Volvo, who continued only the Olympian due to its vast number of outstanding orders. 200 air-conditioned Olympians for Singapore Bus Services were the last order of buses to be manufactured under the 'Leyland' brand. The completion of these orders saw the discontinuation of the Leyland Olympian and the closure of the manufacturing plant in Workington, England. The name would live on when Volvo launched the Volvo Olympian, which was built in Irvine, Scotland. Category:Busses

Duple Coachbuilders Limited

Duple was best known as a manufacturer of coach and bus bodywork from 1919 until 1989.

History

Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd was formed in 1919 by Herbert White in Hornsey, London, United Kingdom.

Early Days

'Thirties

Wartime

Postwar Expansion

'Fifties

'Sixties Moves

Dominant 'Seventies

The Story Concludes

Company names in different times

Products

Competitors

- Plaxton
- H. V. Burlingham Limited
- Willowbrook

References

External links

Category:Bus manufacturers Category:Bus transport in the United Kingdom Category:Defunct bus manufacturers Category:Defunct companies of the United Kingdom

Optare

Park and Ride]] Optare is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, UK.

History

In September 1984, Leyland announced that it was closing the Charles H. Roe bodybuilding business in Leeds. In response, Russell Richardson, a former plant director at Roe, backed by the West Yorkshire Enterprise Board and many redundant former employees, created Optare in February 1985. The company was created at a very difficult time for the bus and coach industry, with the challenges of privatisation and deregulation meaning very few orders for new vehicles. However, the company had an ability to identify specific market needs, and produce stylish and innovative vehicles that customers wanted. The first product, the VW-based CityPacer minibus, was a stylish vehicle that met the minibus vogue of the late 1980s. The company also developed a single-deck bus, known as the Delta, with sleek, modern styling. The Spectra double-decker set new standards in design, forcing a rethink of how a double-decker should be styled. In 1990, Optare joined a group called the United Bus. After the collapse of the group in 1993, Optare was again bought through management-buyout. In 2000, Optare was bought by North American Bus Industries for £21.5million. This gave Optare products exposure in the North American market. Optare found success in the US with a version of the Solo midibus. On 1 August 2005, with North American Bus Industries in trouble, speculation about the future of Optare was ended with the announcement that Optare had, once again, been bought by its management, headed by managing director Bob Coombes, for £11.8million.

Products

Discontinued products

Bodies

- CityPacer
- StarRider
- Vecta
- Delta
- Sigma
- Prisma
- Spectra

Complete buses

- MetroRider

Current

Complete buses

- Excel
- Solo - sold in the USA as 30-LFN
- Alero
- Tempo

Competitors

- Wrightbus
- Alexander Dennis
- East Lancashire Coachbuilders
- MCV Bus and Coach

External links

- [http://www.optare.com Optare's official website]
- [http://www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk/dynmenu.asp?MenuType=Body&Manu=optare A useful listing of all bodies/complete buses built from 1985 to date] Category:Bus manufacturers Category:Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Category:Bus transport in the United Kingdom

26 October

October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining.

Events

- 740 - An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death.
- 1640 - The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England
- 1774 - The first Continental Congress adjourns.
- 1795 - The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created
- 1825 - The Erie Canal opens - passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie
- 1859 - The Royal Charter is wrecked on the coast of Anglesey, Wales with 459 dead.
- 1863 - The Football Association is formed
- 1881 - The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona.
- 1905 - Norway becomes independent from Sweden
- 1917 - Battle of Caporetto: Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Germany and Austria during the First World War
- 1918 - Erich von Ludendorff, quartermaster-general of the Imperial German Army, is dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for refusing to cooperate in peace negotiations.
- 1936 - The first electric generator at Hoover Dam went into full operation.
- 1944 - The Battle of Leyte Gulf ends.
- 1944 - Future Vice-president, and later, President Harry Truman publicly denies ever having been a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
- 1947 - The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India
- 1948 - Killer smog settles into Donora, Pennsylvania.
- 1954 - Trieste return to Italy.
- 1955 - After the the last Allied troops have left the country and following the provisions of the Austrian Independence Treaty, Austria declares its permanent neutrality.
- 1955 - Ngo Dinh Diem declares himself Premier of South Vietnam
- 1958 - Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York to Paris.
- 1965
- The Beatles are appointed Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs)
- The body of Sylvia Likens is found in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- 1977 - The last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.
- 1976 - Transkei declares its "independence" from South Africa
- 1978 - Independent Counsel Act signed into law
- 1979 - Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea is assassinated by KCIA head Kim Jae-kyu. Choi Kyu-ha becomes the acting President; Kim is executed the following May.
- 1984
- "Baby Fae" receives a heart transplant from a baboon
- John D. McCollum shoots and kills himself after spending a day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records; a lawsuit is later filed by his parents over the song "Suicide Solution", but the case eventually gets thrown out.
- 1984 - The Terminator is released in theaters nationwide.
- 1991 - Lori Keevil-Matthews is killed after a 485-pound umbrella slams her against a boulder in a Christo art installation.
- 1992 - The command and control system of the London Ambulance Service fails catastrophically.
- 1992 - The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum.
- 1994 - Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty
- 1994 - Announcement of Andrew Wiles correct proof of Fermat's last theorem.
- 1995 - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Mossad agents assassinate Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki in his hotel in Malta.
- 1997 - The left arms of Chen Ming-Kuo and Yang Chung-ming are amputated by the rope in a 1,500-person tug-of-war contest in Taipei; both arms are successfully reattached later on.
- 1997 - Basketball player Charles Barkley is charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest after throwing Jorge Lugo through a plate glass window in a dance club in Orlando, Florida.
- 1999 - Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament.
- 2000 - Laurent Gbagbo takes over as president of Côte d'Ivoire following a popular uprising against President Robert Guéï
- 2001 - The United States passes the controversial USA Patriot Act into law.
- 2002 - Moscow Theater Siege ends: Approximately 50 Chechen rebels and 150 hostages die when Russian commandos storm the House of Culture theater in Moscow, which had been occupied by the rebels three days before.
- 2005 - Last day of Cream reunion shows at Madison Square Garden.
- 2005 - The Chicago White Sox win the World Series after defeating the Houston Astros 1-0 in a four game sweep. It is their first championship since 1917.

Births

- 1427 - Archduke Sigismund of Austria (d. 1496)
- 1473 - Friedrich of Saxony (d. 1510)
- 1491 - Zhengde, Emperor of China (d. 1521)
- 1673 - Dimitrie Cantemir, Moldavian Prince, linguist and scholar (d. 1723)
- 1684 - Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (d. 1757)
- 1685 - Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1757)
- 1694 - Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer (d. 1758)
- 1757 - Karl Leonhard Reinhold, Austrian philosopher (d. 1823)
- 1759 - Georges Jacques Danton, French Revolutionary leader (d. 1794)
- 1794 - Konstantin Thon, Russian architect (d. 1881)
- 1800 - Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (d. 1891)
- 1802 - King Miguel of Portugal (d. 1866)
- 1854 - C. W. Post, American entrepreneur (d. 1914)
- 1865 - Benjamin Guggenheim, American businessman (d. 1912)
- 1869 - Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa, President of Brazil (d. 1957)
- 1873 - Thorvald Stauning, Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1942)
- 1874 - Martin Lowry, British chemist (d. 1936)
- 1880 - Andrei Bely, Russian writer (d. 1934)
- 1883 - Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (d. 1958)
- 1902 - Jack Sharkey, American boxer (d. 1994)
- 1906 - Primo Carnera, Italian boxer (d. 1967)
- 1911 - Sid Gilman, American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2003)
- 1911 - Mahalia Jackson, American singer (d. 1972)
- 1911 - Sorley MacLean, Scottish poet (d. 1996)
- 1912 - Don Siegel, American director (d. 1991)
- 1914 - Jackie Coogan, American actor (d. 1984)
- 1916 - François Mitterrand, President of France (d. 1996)
- 1919 - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Shah of Iran (d. 1980)
- 1925 - Jan Wolkers, Dutch author
- 1942 - Bob Hoskins, British actor
- 1945 - Pat Conroy, American writer
- 1946 - Pat Sajak, American game show host
- 1947 - Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States and Senator from New York
- 1947 - Jaclyn Smith, American actress
- 1947 - Holly Woodlawn, Puerto Rican actress
- 1951 - Bootsy Collins, American musician (P Funk)
- 1952 - Andrew Motion, English poet
- 1957 - Bob Golic, American football player
- 1958 - Rita Wilson, American actress
- 1961 - Dylan McDermott, American actor
- 1962 - Cary Elwes, British actor
- 1963 - Natalie Merchant, American singer
- 1965 - Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1967 - Keith Urban, New Zealand singer
- 1971 - Anthony Rapp, American singer and actor
- 1973 - Seth MacFarlane, American animator
- 1977 - Jon Heder, American actor
- 1986 - Bassem Emile, An Egyptian Manufacturing engineer
- 1993 - Lauren Cover, An American Girl

Deaths

- 899 - Alfred the Great
- 1440 - Gilles de Rais, French serial killer (b. 1404)
- 1633 - Horio Tadaharu, Japanese warlord (b. 1596)
- 1671 - John Gell, English politician (b. 1593)
- 1679 - Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, British soldier, statesman, and dramatist (b. 1621)
- 1686 - John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater, English politician (b. 1623)
- 1717 - Catherine Sedley, English mistress of James II of England
- 1751 - Philip Doddridge, English religious leader (b. 1702)
- 1764 - William Hogarth, British painter (b. 1697)
- 1803 - Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, English politician (b. 1721)
- 1806 - John Graves Simcoe, first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (b. 1752)
- 1817 - Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (b. 1727)
- 1890 - Carlo Collodi, Italian writer (b. 1826)
- 1902 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American feminist and suffragette (b. 1815)
- 1909 - Prince Hirobumi Ito, Japanese governor of Korea (assassinated) (b. 1841)
- 1931 - Charles Comiskey, baseball team owner (b. 1859)
- 1937 - Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki, Polish general, commander of the Greater Poland Uprising (b.1867)
- 1941 - Arkady Gaidar, Russian children's writer (killed in combat) (b. 1904)
- 1943 - Marc Aurel Stein, Hungarian-born archaeologist (b. 1862)
- 1944 - William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1881)
- 1945 - Paul Pelliot, French explorer (b. 1878)
- 1947 - Canon Edwin Sidney Savage, English rector (b. 1862)
- 1952 - Hattie McDaniel, American singer (b. 1895)
- 1956 - Walter Gieseking, French conductor (b. 1895)
- 1957 - Gerty Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1896)
- 1957 - Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer (b. 1883)
- 1972 - Igor Sikorsky, Ukrainian-born inventor (b. 1889)
- 1979 - Park Chung-hee, President of South Korea (b. 1917)
- 1986 - Jackson Scholz, American runner (b. 1897)
- 1989 - Charles J. Pedersen, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1995 - Gorni Kramer, Italian bandleader and songwriter (b. 1913)
- 1999 - Hoyt Axton, American musician (b. 1938)
- 2002 - Jacques Massu, French general (b. 1908)

Holidays and observances

- Roman festivals - first day of Ludi Victoriae Sullanae (until 1 November)
- R.C. Saints - October 26th is the feast day of the following Roman Catholic Saints:
- St. Bean
- St. Evaristus
- St. Albinus
- St. Alfred the Great
- St. Cedd
- St. Cuthbert
- Saint Demetrius of Salonika
- St. Eadfrid
- St. Fulk
- St. Gibitrudis
- St. Lucian
- St. Rogatian
- St. Rusticus
- St. Quadragesimus
- Also see October 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Austria - National Day: Anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality (1955)
- Nauru - Angam Day

Fiction

- In the movie Back To The Future, all of the "present" events occur on this date in 1985.
- In the movie Death Becomes Her, Helen first drinks the immortality potion on October 26, 1985. Like Back To The Future, this movie was also directed by Robert Zemeckis.

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/26 BBC: On This Day] ---- October 25 - October 27 - September 26 - November 26 - more historical anniversaries ko:10월 26일 ms:26 Oktober ja:10月26日 simple:October 26 th:26 ตุลาคม

Northern Counties

Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Company was a manufacturer of bus bodywork located in Wigan Lane, Wigan, Lancashire, United Kingdom. United Kingdom

Overview

History

Products

- Palatine (double-deck)
- Paladin (single-deck)
- Prestige (low-floor single-deck)
- President (low-floor double-deck)

Competitors

- Park Royal Vehicles
- East Lancashire Coachbuilders
- Charles H. Roe

References

External links

Metro (West Yorkshire)

Metro is the title adopted by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority and Executive in England, made up of councillors from the five local councils: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. The Authority has its headquarters at Wellington House in Leeds. It is responsible for setting transport policy in the area, and by subsidising bus services and by funding local MetroTrain services. [http://www.wymetro.com Full details can be found here].

Rail: MetroTrain

Wakefield at Doncaster carrying the original Metro livery.]] Doncaster at York carrying the latest Metro livery.]]

Routes

The MetroTrain services are as shown below; long distance services that also use the routes are included:
- Airedale Line: Leeds/Bradford - Skipton - Settle - Carlisle, and Lancaster - Morecambe
- Caldervale Line: Leeds - Bradford - Halifax - Manchester Victoria - Blackpool
- Hallam Line: Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield
- Harrogate Line: Leeds - Harrogate - York
- Huddersfield Line: Leeds/Wakefield - Huddersfield - Manchester Piccadilly - Manchester Airport - Liverpool
- Leeds-Bradford Line Leeds - Bradford Forster Square/Interchange
- Penistone Line: Huddersfield - Barnsley - Sheffield
- Pontefract Line: Leeds/Wakefield - Pontefract - Goole
- Wakefield Line: Leeds - Wakefield - Doncaster - Sheffield
- Wharfedale Line: Leeds/Bradford - Ilkley
- York & Selby Lines: Leeds - Selby - York - Hull - Scarborough - Middlesborough - Newcastle-on-Tyne The timetables also include the local services between Leeds and Bradford, and between Leeds and Sheffield.

Operators

Most local services are run by Northern Rail, and longer-distance routes in West Yorkshire are served by TransPennine Express, GNER, Virgin Trains and Midland Mainline.

External links

[http://www.wymetro.com/TrainTravel/MetroTrainTimetablesAndRoutes/ Details (including maps) of all MetroTrain services]

Buses

Buses in West Yorkshire are operated by private companies, with early morning, late evening, Sunday and rural services often supported by Metro. They have a special rural bus section, which promotes a combination of minor local links and major long distance routes in the county.

Operators

- Arriva Yorkshire in Dewsbury, Wakefield, Castleford and Pontefract
- First in Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield.
- Keighley and District in Keighley and Bradford
- Harrogate and District in Leeds onto Wetherby, Harrogate and Ripon
- Yorkshire Traction in Huddersfield, Wakefield and South Yorkshire
- TJ Walsh (The Halifax Bus Company) in Halifax.
- Halifax Joint Committee in Halifax.

Interurban links

Don't fancy the train? Why not take the bus instead?
- Leeds to Bradford - First service X6 and 72 (every 20 mins weekday, 30 mins Sunday)
- Leeds to Dewsbury - Yorkshire Traction service X62 (every 30 mins weekday), or Arriva routes 202, 203 (every 15 mins weekday, half-hourly Sunday)
- Leeds to Halifax - First service 508 Red Line (every 20 mins weekday, half-hourly Sundays)
- Leeds to Huddersfield - Yorkshire Traction service X62 (every 30 mins weekday), or Arriva routes 202, 203, 209, 219, 220, 229 (regular weekday, at least every 20 mins Sundays)
- Leeds to Keighley - Keighley & District service 760 (every 30 mins weekday, hourly Sundays)
- Leeds to Wakefield - Arriva service 110 (every 10 mins weekday, 30 mins Sundays). Other local links provided by 443, 444, 481, 482, 483.
- Bradford to Dewsbury - Arriva service 253 (every 30 mins Mon to Fri, hourly Sat/Sundays) or service 268 (every 15 mins weekday, hourly Sundays); Arriva service X33 (hourly weekdays, fastest)
- Bradford to Halifax - First service 576 (every 10 mins weekday, 30 mins Sundays), Halifax Joint Committee service 509 (every 30 mins weekday and Bank Holidays)
- Bradford to Huddersfield - First service X6 and 363 (every 20 mins weekday [X6], 30 mins Sundays [363])
- Bradford to Keighley - Keighley & District service 662 (every 10 mins weekday, 30 mins Sunday)
- Bradford to Wakefield - Arriva X33 (hourly weekdays) or 253 (slower, every 30 mins Mon-Fri, hourly Sat/Sundays)
- Dewsbury to Halifax - Arriva service 278 (every 30 mins weekday, hourly and Sundays)
- Dewsbury to Huddersfield - Yorkshire Traction service X62 (every 30 mins weekday), or Arriva routes 201, 202, 203, 209, 217, 220, 221, 229 (regular weekday, at least every 20 mins Sundays)
- Dewsbury to Wakefield - Arriva service 126/7 (every 10 mins weekday, 30 mins Sunday), or X33 (hourly weekday)
- Halifax to Huddersfield - First service 503 Orange Line (every 10 mins weekday, 30 mins Sunday)
- Halifax to Wakefield - Arriva service 278/X79 (hourly everyday)
- Huddersfield to Wakefield - Arriva/Yorkshire Traction service 231/2

Category:Public transport in the United Kingdom

Category:Transport in the United Kingdom United Kingdom

Henri Breuil

Henri Breuil (Francia, Mortain dans la Manche Normandía 1877 ; † L´Isle-Adam 14 de agosto 1961) fue Arqueólogo, Prehistoriador y Abad francés.

Biografía

Breuil nació en Mortain dans la Manche, su fé le condujo al estudio y a ordenarse sacerdote en 1900. Apartir de este año y durante la mayoria de sus más de ochenta años de vida, persiguió su gran ilusión que fue el estudio del arte primitivo de las cavernas, compartiendo sus descubrimientos con otros investigadores. Breuil llegó a ser una figura influyente bien conocido del campo de la Arqueología donde dejó una marca indeleble y siendo un pionero en el estudio del arte Paleolítico de las cavernas. Este profundo interés le condujo al descubrimiento de las cuevas decoradas de pinturas prehistóricas de Combarelles y Font-de-Gaume en la Dordoña en 1901. Designado como profesor en el Instituto de Paleontología Humana en 1910, llegando a ser el titular de la primera Cátedra de Prehistoria en el Collège de France en 1929 y miembro del Institut de France en 1938. A partir de 1911 y en 1912 visitó el sur de Ciudad Real en la Sierra Madrona perteneciente al Sistema Mariánico descubriendo y catalogando gran número de enclaves de pinturas prehistoricas lineales y esquemáticas, en cuevas y abrigos rocosos de los terminos de Solana del Pino y Fuencaliente, en esta última localidad se encuentra el importante enclave de Peña Escrita declarado Monumento Nacional. Del sur de Castilla-La Mancha pasó por la parte norte de Córdoba y las serranías de Málaga y de Cádiz, durante varias campañas (1913/14, 1916, 1918 y 1919), publicando los resultados con M. C. Burkitt en 1929 con la obra, "Rock Paintings of Southern Andalusia. A description of a Neolithic and Copper Age Art Group", obra clave sobre la prehistoria de esta zona que hasta la fecha de hoy, no ha sido superada. En cualquier nuevo descubrimiento de pinturas ó cuevas, Breuil era uno de los que normalmente se econtraba presente. Uno de los descubrimientos más famosos ocurrió en 1940 cerca de Lascaux en el sur de Francia. El descubrimiento se produjo casualmente por unos niños que siguieron a su perro que se introdujo en esta cueva, encontrandose una gran sala inalterada durante miles de años, en la que se encontraban gran cantidad de bisontes, caballos, toros, ciervos y otros animales pintados en sus paredes. En 1958 se le concedió el grado de Comendador de la Legión de Honor de Francia.

Obras

- "La Pileta a Benaoján (Málaga)" Breuil, H., Obermaier, H. y Vernet, W. , Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, Fondation Albert, I Prince de Monaco, Mónaco, 1915.
- "Rock Paintings of Southern Andalusia. A description of a Neolithic and Copper Age Art Group" Breuil, H. y Burkitt, M.C. Oxford University Press, 1929.
- "Excursion archéologique dans l’Afrique du Nord" BREUIL Henri, REYGASSE Maurice, ROFFO Dr P. 1936.
- "La cachette de l’age du bronze de Choussy (Loir-et-Cher) - Les puits de la néropole barbare de Noiron-sous-Gevrey (Côte-d’Or) - Le Signe solaire en Grèce au VIIIe Siècle" BREUIL Henri, BOUILLEROT Raoul, BOUILLEROT Madeleine, 1912.
- "Les hommes de la pierre ancienne" BREUIL Henri et LANTIER Raymond. 1951.
- "Un gisement de l'âge de la pierre taillée à Fort Rousset, tiré à part extra" Breuil (Abbé Henri), 1955.
- "Les hommes de la pierrre ancienne (paléolithique et mésolithique)" BREUIL Henri & LANTIER R, 1959.

Enlaces Externos

- [http://www.geocities.com/fuencalientecr/arupestre.htm Página sobre las pinturas rupestres de Fuencaliente] ------- Breuil, Henri

warsaw bars and cafes milan italy hotels House sylwester od�ywki

:: RELATED NEWS ::

Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a Borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 8,914. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge.

Geography

Leo

New Milford, New Jersey
New Milford is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 16,400.

Geography

New Milford is located at 40°56'10" North, 74°1'8" West (40.936211, -74.018809). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.0

North Arlington, New Jersey
North Arlington is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 15,181. With one of the largest cemeteries, [http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=136848 Holy Cross], it is said to have more dead people than alive.

History

Copper was m

Northvale, New Jersey
Northvale is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 4,460.

Geography

Northvale is located at 41°0'40" North, 73°57'7" West (41.011215, -73.952080). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a t

Old Tappan, New Jersey
Old Tappan is a Borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 5,482.

Geography

Old Tappan is located at 41°0'41" North, 73°59'1" West (41.011342, -73.983546). One of only

Oradell, New Jersey
Oradell is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 8,047. The borough's territory includes a dam on the Hackensack River

Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Ridgefield Park is a Walsh Act village located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 12,873. Out of 566 municipalities statewide, Ridgefield Park is only one of four villages in New Jersey, joining Read More...

Rockleigh, New Jersey
Rockleigh is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 391.

Geography

Rockleigh is located at 41°0'27" North, 73°55'55" West (41.007458, -73.932056). According to the Unite

Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 18,110.

Geography

Rutherford is located at 40°49'44" North, 74°6'38" West (40.828922, -74.110644). According to the Teterboro is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 18. The Borough of Teterboro is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law. Teterboro is best known as the home of

West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive

Bus fleet 1974-1980

Fleet livery

New integrated bus system

Bus fleet 1980-1986

De-regulation

Railways

Trams and Trolleybuses?

External links

See also

Leyland Atlantean

The Prototypes

PDR1

AN68

Competitors

Northern Counties

Overview

History

Products

Competitors

References

External links

Plaxton

History

Beginnings

Coaches of the 1930s

Post-war Demand

Henlys and a new beginning

Products

Past products

Current products

Coaches

Buses

Competitors

Current

Former

See also

References

External links

Plaxton

History

Beginnings

Coaches of the 1930s

Post-war Demand

Henlys and a new beginning

Products

Past products

Current products

Coaches

Buses

Competitors

Current

Former

See also

References

External links

Duple Coachbuilders Limited

History

Early Days

'Thirties

Wartime

Postwar Expansion

'Fifties

'Sixties Moves

Dominant 'Seventies

The Story Concludes

Company names in different times

Products

Competitors

See also

References

External links

MCW Metrobus

The UK

Hong Kong

Early introductions

1980s

Withdrawal

End of Production

See also