Copyright Steve Vallance

Charles Rickards
1964
Dodge S307/190T
Strachans C42F

In the early Sixties, Chrysler launched an attempt to enter the UK psv market, using the Dodge name. The chassis was placed in the "medium duty" category, heavier than a Bedford/Thames, for example, whilst lighter than the AEC/Leyland range. A Leyland engine was planned for the chassis.
In 1964, after they had changed the specification several times, Charles Rickards of Brentford took delivery of five of the S307/190T model, which had Perkins 6.354 diesel engines, which, together with higher-geared rear axles and five-speed gearboxes, were to give the vehicles a top speed of over 70 mph. The engine was mounted at the front of the vehicle, although the front axle was set back to provide an entrance ahead of the front wheels. They were designed for medium-distance touring, although they seemed to spend a lot of time on sightseeing duties in and around London, frequenting Hampton Court Palace quite a lot. This view shows one on duty around Heathrow Airport, possibly in later years..
The C42F body was by Strachans, some of the last bodies they produced. They seemed to have novel opening windows.
Only one other Dodge coach chassis was built, an S308 demonstrator, with a Leyland engine and a Weymann body.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Chris Hebbron

29/09/14 – 07:42

Remarkably similar to post Topaz MCW coach body – especially the front. The fact that they share the BET screen adds to this impression – as do a slightly unfocussed frontal treatment and the plain, "honest box" overall style. It is nowhere near ugly; it simply doesn’t thrill!

David Oldfield

29/09/14 – 11:15

Strachans made the most successful if not best bodies for the AEC Swift/Merlin – due to a design which was unique at the time. They were around quite some time but never made the big time. What were their bodies really like? How good were they? How good were these on the Dodges? […..and I never came across any of these Dodges. How good were they – or were they simply Dodgy?]

David Oldfield

29/09/14 – 15:26

I was at Rickards from 1965 and seem to remember the Dodges’ as pretty reliable but a bit noisy and so they were kept on the service from the British Eagle terminal at Knightsbridge to Heathrow as the guides complained about the engine noise when used on sightseeing tours. They were repainted in British Eagle livery for this work, Rickards being part of the same group at the time.

John Hodkinson

29/09/14 – 18:53

One of their successful designs was the Pacemaker, which sold in modest numbers around the country. Those AEC Swift/Merlins which lasted with London Transport (usually the ones modified to become Red Arrows) served a term of about 15 years and the bodies are reported to have been well-made.
With only six of the Dodges built, it would have been a miracle to see one, but I wish I had!
It maybe that the bodies do lack the ‘look-back’ factor, but I admire their clean lines, all very parallel!
Does anyone have a record of their later lives, and that of the demonstrator?

Chris Hebbron

30/09/14 – 06:30

David, I’m not sure which MCW coach body you’re referring to. This one, //tinyurl.com/lhn8bse  called the Metropolitan, has a front dome which is identical to the Strachans body, but uses a single-curvature windscreen instead of the BET unit. Strangely, production of the last 10 of these Metropolitans was subcontracted to Strachans. There would have been more but the orders dried up.
Strachans reputation was patchy to say the least, especially on the double deck front. But as you say, the Swift/Merlins were very well thought of, and the same was true of the Panthers they built for Sunderland (the Panther using the same chassis frame as the Swift/Merlin of course).

Peter Williamson

30/09/14 – 18:32

Yes I did mean the Metropolitan. I think if you look closely, it is the same screen.

David Oldfield

01/10/14 – 05:50

Strachans also built a lot of bodies on Bedford SB chassis, for the armed forces, which were long-lasting.
But others, as Peter W mentions, were not of good quality.
Thx, John H, for some insight into the characteristics of these vehicles. Maybe the Perkins engines, rather than the planned Leyland ones were noisier in operation.
One would have thought that more engine insulation was achievable.

Chris Hebbron

01/10/14 – 11:54

The pioneer production chassis with front engine and set back front axle, at least in Britain, was the Maudslay SF40 of 1934 which achieved quite reasonable sales until production was halted by WW2. The petrol engined version was more satisfactory than the diesel options, which employed the heavier and bulkier Gardner 4LW or 5LW, neither of which offered great refinement or dazzling road performance. Post war, the same concept was revived in the Guy Wulfrunian, which suffered by having the physically large Gardner 6LX cantilevered forward of the front wheels. All the other manufacturers who adopted the same design principle opted to reduce the load on the front axle by fitting small, high revving engines in the overhang. Bedford, Ford and Seddon, and Volvo with the Ailsa ‘decker, all followed this course. The very basic US Blue Bird school bus, sometimes seen around US air bases in Britain, is probably the most commercially successful example of the concept. The lightweight Dodge S306 (Leyland O.370) and S307 (Perkins 6.354) of 1962 were the first proper psv chassis to come from the Kew factory, and some thought seemed to have gone into the design which offered vacuum- or air-hydraulic operation of the braking system, and a five speed constant mesh (later synchromesh) gearbox. The drawbacks proved to be the very constricted front entrance steps, the awkward gear lever arrangement inherent in the mounting of a gearbox directly behind the front engine, but, most importantly, the high noise level within the vehicle. The O.370 was by no means a quiet engine, but the Perkins 6.354 was raucous in the extreme, and no amount of engine cover padding could have muffled its din. Most of the limited sales of Dodges were bodied as buses, but, as Chris has shown, Rickards did take some as coaches. I can well appreciate that they were not popular in such a role. Dodge withdrew the S306/S307 from the market in 1967. The side windows in these Strachans bodies appear to be of the ‘Auster’ type, which Aldershot & District fitted to the front upper deck windows of its Lolines. These were hopper windows which had the upper half permanently fixed outwards at about 45 degrees, and the lower part could be pulled inwards from the closed position through about 90 degrees to regulate the degree of ventilation. They worked well at the front of a double decker; I cannot believe that they were truly effective as fitted in the coach bodies shown.

Roger Cox

02/10/14 – 07:58

The side vent windows certainly look like the Auster product and look to be pairs of the standard vent per bay. Very similar to the vents on the BMMO C5.

Phil Blinkhorn

02/10/14 – 08:01

Thx, Roger, for the very interesting and informative information. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Maudslay SF40, which always seemed to have wonderful art deco bodies, the image only spoilt by the obvious starting handle!
When you look at the photo of the Dodge, you can see how narrow the door seems to be and imagine how tortuous the steps must have been to get around the engine bulge.

I’d never heard of the Auster draughtproof windows, but here is a 1955 advert illustrating how they were supposed to work. I wonder if the company was part of the aircraft factory.

Chris Hebbron

02/10/14 – 11:3402/10/14 – 11:34

CH It looks like it is, and they made windows for other people as well. //mgaguru.com/mgtech/windscrn/

John Lomas

03/10/14 – 06:58

On the C5, Phil, the angled Auster windows are sort-of replicated by shape by the windscreen angles.
Thx, John L, and second half of the Auster TRIPLEX name is very well-known.

Chris Hebbron

03/10/14 – 11:06

Chris Hebron queries the possibility of a link between the Auster vent manufacturer and the aircraft manufacturer. The only link could be that the former may (and I can find no proof that it did or did not) have supplied screens or locks to the latter.
The Auster Company of Birmingham was founded in 1841 and was eventually incorporated in 1897. From the early 1900s they made a variety of screens, vents, axles, motor and coach fittings springs and other ironwork, mostly for the automotive industry.
In 1937 it went into aircraft parts making windscreens, cockpit covers and other parts and continued in this endeavour during WW2.
The Auster Aircraft company started life in 1938 as Taylorcraft Aircraft (England) Ltd at Thurmaston, Leicester, building licenced copies of the American Taylorcraft designs. Widely used as observation aircraft by the RAF and Army and Canadian Forces during and after WW2 the company’s UK products became one of the leading UK suppliers of private light aircraft post war, in part due to import restrictions on foreign built aircraft. With a manufacturing plant at Syston and final assembly at Rearsby the company built over 1600 aircraft during WW2. On March 7 1946 the name of the company was changed to Auster Aircraft and production was transferred to Rearsby. The company became part of Beagle Aircraft in 1960 when Pressed Steel Company took over Auster and Miles Aircraft. The Rearsby facility became Beagle-Auster, the Miles facility at Shoreham became Beagle-Miles. In 1965 Beagle was taken over by the British Motor Corporation which immediately sought finance from the UK government which bought the company in 1966. After various attempts to gain a solid market, the company was dissolved in 1969. Many Austers are still on the British register and the Beagle Bulldog, which first flew just as the company was being dissolved and was later manufactured by Scottish Aviation and then BAe, became a reasonable success selling 320 copies mainly to air forces. Last built in 1976 a number remain in military service and a few fly as private aircraft.

Further information to confirm that the two Auster companies had no real connection is that the aircraft company was founded by A L Wykes, Managing Director of Crowthers Ltd., a textile machinery company of Thurmaston. In 1938 he travelled to the USA and negotiated a licence agreement to build Taylorcraft aircraft in the UK, the UK company being registered on November 21 1938

Phil Blinkhorn

03/10/14 – 17:26

The relationship between BMC and liquidation will not be lost here, although in 1969 the worst was yet to be….

Joe

03/10/14 – 17:26

I have been reading the article on Dodge/Strachans vehicles, which claims only 6 built including a demo, I have 6 with Rickards?
Rickard,W2 AYV 93B Dodge S307/190T S307 8311 Stn 52140 C41F 6/64
Rickard,W2 AYV 94B Dodge S307/190T S307 8571S Stn 52141 C41F 7/64
Rickard,W2 AYV 95B Dodge S307/190T S307 8590 Stn 54142 C41F 7/64
Rickard,W2 AYV 96B Dodge S307/190T S307 9430 Stn 54143 C39F 7/64
Rickard,W2 AYV 97B Dodge S307/190T S307 9404S Stn 54144 C39F 7/64
Rickard,W2 AYV 98B Dodge S307/190T S307 9411 Stn 54145 C38F 7/64
Used on British Eagle contracts.
I remember seeing these on day trips to Margate.
Can anyone tell me what registration was the elusive Demonstrator S308 mentioned in the text?
Photo credit of AYV 84B I believe should go to Steve Vallance coach and bus, an uncropped view is on facebook.

Ron

04/10/14 – 06:42

Thx for clarifying the Auster Aircraft situation, Phil.
From Ron’s info (thx) it’s intriguing that the number of seats went down and down for the last vehicles. One wonders if this was an attempt to ease the entrance congestion, or maybe to get the front passengers away from the noise!!!
Incidentally, my photo was bought at a bus rally a couple of years ago, with a blank reverse.

Chris Hebbron

04/10/14 – 06:43

Pleased to read Ron’s comment that he thought there were 6 Dodges. I too was thinking there were 6, not 5, but putting it down to a ‘senior moment’!
(AYV 92B was a Bedford Val/Yeates. also very unpopular with guides for having a noisy engine)

John Hodkinson

15/07/15 – 05:58

To clarify matters on the subject of demonstrators Bus Lists On The Web lists two, both 42-seat buses, Leyland-engined 2496PK had a Weymann body and was new in September 1962. Perkins engined 3033PE had a Marshall body, was first registered in March 1964 and ended up on the Isle of Harris with a Leyland engine and is seen here:

Stephen Allcroft

02/03/16 – 07:08

I’m unusually late to this conversation, even by my own standards – but I hope the following might still be of interest . . . the fact that it’s so tardy might give a clue as just how difficult it is to gather information about London’s coach operators.
Charles Rickards (Tours) Ltd business was originally in the provision of sightseeing tours, since 1946 these were marketed as "Universal Sightseeing Tours" after the company of that name (founded 1933) was taken over. Subsequently transfer services between Heathrow and central London were operated for a number of airlines: at differing times services were provided for Aerolineas Argentinas, British Eagle, Loftleidir Airways, PanAm, TWA, and United Arab Airlines – the last transfer services (for PanAm and TWA, to Victoria) ceased in November 1981). Rail-Air Link services were developed, in conjunction with British Railways, from 1963, when a service was established between Heathrow and High Wycombe; subsequently services were provided to Woking and Watford (a service to Reading being provided by Thames Valley). It was the development of operations based on Heathrow Airport that led, in 1965, to the offices and garage being moved to Glenhurst Road, Brentford from Paddington.
In 1965 ownership of Rickards was acquired by British Eagle International Airlines, one of the principal independent UK scheduled airlines of that time. British Eagle wished to provide its passengers with an improved service between its London terminal at Knightsbridge and Heathrow – ownership of Rickards would provide a competitive edge over rival airlines. A number of Rickards coaches (c17% fleet strength) were painted in the British Eagle colours of red/grey/black – around 9000 journeys were made per week on the British Eagle transfer services. 1967 was not a good year for the UK airline industry: the Arab-Israeli "Six Day War", a military coup in Greece, Spanish tightening of border restrictions on Gibraltar, and a 15% reduction in the valuation of the pound, all conspired against the airline industry by reducing the demand for international travel – as part of an all-round belt tightening British Eagle disposed of its Rickards subsidiary to Frames’ Tours Ltd in 1967. British Eagle ceased trading in November 1968.
Frames’ business was largely British and continental extended tours, with around 95% of clients being from overseas (the overwhelming majority from the USA and Canada) – Rickards operations, Heathrow-London transfers and day-tours, must have seemed a good addition. Frames’ head office was at 25-31 Tavistock Place WC1, and their garage and coach station at Herbrand St WC1 – Frames utilised the basement whilst Daimler Hire Ltd (later Hertz) used the upper floors for garaging, with their work-shop being situated on the top floor. During the early 1970s a subsidiary company, Frames’ Travel (Gatwick) Ltd, operated from a base near Redhill.
The Frames and Rickards businesses were merged as Frames-Rickards Ltd in 1983. Immediately prior to amalgamation the fleet strenghts were: Frames, 20 heavy-weights, all with bodies less than 5y (roughly the same fleet size as 1967); Rickards, 17 heavy-weights (four in Heathrow-Woking Rail-Air livery), 5 light-weights, and 1 mini-bus (just under a 50% reduction in fleet size since 1967, but with a similar age profile of 1-10y). The combined Frames-Rickards business was acquired by Golden Tours (founded 1984, and against whom Frames-Rickards had objected to the granting of licenses) in 2001. The Herbrand St premises were redeveloped as offices for the current occupier from 2002.
Frames’ livery was originally two-tone blue, but around 1977 changed to black with red fleet-name and flag logo. Rickards’ livery was a two-tone maroon with black relief, with a Royal Warrant carried since 1936.

Philip Rushworth

08/05/16 – 05:58

One more can be added to the list of Dodge chassis although not an S307.
In 1964 Plaxton built a dual entrance coach for Penn Overland Transport, Jamaica. It is illustrated on page 51 of "Plaxton 100 Years" (ISBN 07110 3209 2).
It had Dodge chassis S305-190 8454, Plaxton C30D body 642341, and was delivered in June 1964.

John Kaye

Vehicle reminder shot for this posting

26/01/18 – 05:14

For the Rickards bodies on the Dodge chassis, if I remember rightly the chassis was a nightmare for body mounting. Someone who worked at Rickards may be able to comment more but I think that the chassis frame was not flat and the main rails were not parallel. As this body was more of a coach style, the stepwell needed to be as large as possible. I spent a lot of hours with Dave Hoy, the senior designer, on our knees on the full size layout tables designing the front end.

Dick Henshall

Newport Corporation
1958
Leyland Titan PD2/40
Longwell Green H30/28R

I don’t recall seeing any example of Longwell Green bodywork on here, so here it is. This Leyland Titan PD2/40 was new to Newport as their number 178 in 1958. Seating arrangement is H30/28R. An unusual feature is the upward bow of the canopy line. This picture was taken at Bus & Coach Wales, in Merthyr Tydfil, 14/09/2014, She looks good for 56 years old!

Photograph and Copy contributed by Les Dickinson

22/09/14 – 07:15

The upward bow to the canopy gave a rather old fashioned look to a late 1950’s bus. Otherwise this design seems to have similarities to Burlingham bodies of the same era. The fairly heavily radiused windows being the major similarity. This is a totally different design to the Stockport PD2’s which were the only Longwell Green bodies I was familiar with. The Stockport bodies were more akin to a Park Royal style.

Philip Halstead

22/09/14 – 15:01

You notice one thing & others follow…Whence came those funny bobble indicator lights? You can’t see them when alongside. A lot of "standard" sets (behind cab & rear) were retrofitted, I know, and there was a brief time of jumbo-trafficators but were they compulsory & in orange by this date?
Deep top panel of windscreen- when did these become generally one-piece and why two piece for so long? Small front saloon window- heater? Windows seem proud……. Lovely looking restoration.

Joe

22/09/14 – 15:02

Philip, I beg to differ. The Stockport vehicles were very much based on the Burlingham design. See my article "Stockport Corporation Transport 1958-1969. The Stockport bodies had no relationship to the Park Royal design. You are thinking of the previous batch of PD2s which were Crossley bodies built to Park Royal drawings as Crossley were under the same ownership as Park Royal.

Phil Blinkhorn

22/09/14 – 15:02

Copyright tarboat – Flickr

Stockport’s Longwell Green bodies are thought to have been built using Burlingham frames and from the rear look very similar to the two batches of Burlingham bodies supplied to Manchester (TNA 471-579). There are other similarities too in the radii used on the number blinds etc. The windows look different partly because of Stockport’s preference for wind down windows and the associated drip rails.
However the Stockport buses that look really akin to the Park Royal style are the Crossley bodied PD2s delivered in 1958 which were built on Park Royal 4 bay frames.

Orla Nutting

23/02/15 – 07:25

I remember these buses being newly delivered. One bus, the first, ODW 298 had a straight front. The flashing indicators were fitted from new if memory serves me well.
This vehicle passed to a local scout group and was repurchased by N.C.T.

Brian

04/02/22 – 05:47

Opening windscreens on PSVs was mandatory until around 1957/8 in theory so the driver could open the windscreen for better vision in fog. Whilst coaches adopted large curve fixed windscreens almost immediately service buses continued with tradition until the early 60s (Routemasters until end of production except for the NGT & BEA ones).

Anthony Smith

Tynemouth and District
1963
Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX
Weymann H44/33F

HFT 367, fleet number 267: A Weymann H44/33F bodied Daimler Fleetline CRG6LX. One of 35 delivered to Percy Main between 1963 & 68. The location is the Gibraltar Rock Public House ‘reflected in the windscreen’ this is at the end of Front Street Tynemouth, and was the terminus of the service 11 to Newcastle, a route shared with Newcastle Corporation. The first PDR1/1 Leyland Atlantean at Percy Main entered service in 1960, and by 1962, they had 22. The first nine, CFT 636/644, 236/244, had H44/34F Weymann bodies; the remainder were all H44/34F Roe bodies. DFT 245/249; 245/249 in 1960. FFT 756/761; 256/261 followed in 1962. 236-254 & 5 all carried the Wakefields name. Percy Main had some very punishing and demanding routes, and despite the best efforts of its maintenance staff, the reliability of the early Atlantean’s was always suspect. It’ s been mentioned before on this site, about the amount of freedom NGT allowed its subsidiaries with vehicle choice and specification. By 1963, Percy Main had lost patience with the PDR1/1, and the roomer mill has it that the first choice would have been front entrance Renown’s or PD3’s. Perhaps mindful of the onset of OPO, Northern thought this a step too far, and would not allow it, however, they did allow Percy Main to switch to the CRG6LX Daimler Fleetline. Nevertheless, it would be a further twelve years before the next new Leyland D/D’s arrived at Percy Main, and they were the 1974 Park Royal bodied Leyland AN68. By that time, it was NBC and you took what you were given with no say in the matter. Ironic really, post NBC six Renown’s were transferred to Percy Main from East Yorkshire. The first batch of Fleetlines arrived in 1963, they were HFT 366/375; 266/275, and had H44/33F Weymann bodies. Outwardly, apart from different wheel trims and the absence of badges, they were more or less identical in appearance to the first Atlantean’s. JFT 276/280; 276/280 arrived in 1964, they were H44/32F Weymann bodies, rather than a conventional staircase with two right angles; they had a full sweep descending forwards. I thought this potentially dangerous, and indeed there were several mishaps, especially if for whatever reason the brakes were applied rather harshly when someone was on the staircase. The remainder were Alexander bodied, AFT 783/789C; 283/289 in 1965: DFT 290/292E; 290/292 in 1967; all H44/32F bodies, and EFT 693/702F, 293/302 in 1968, they were H44/33F bodies. As far as I can remember, 283/289 had air operated doors and windscreen wipers, and the remainder were electric, but that apart they were all more or less the same. I left Percy Main in 1975 to join Armstrong Galley, so my experience of the AN68 is limited, and it would be inappropriate of me to comment on them. However, from my own point of view, the Alexander bodied Daimler Fleetline was the best rear engine double deck bus I have ever driven, the Atlantean may have had a greater top speed, but what the Daimler lacked in speed, it more that made up for at the bottom end. They had power to spare, even with a full load; they were never pushed and could easily keep pace with the traffic we had to contend with. The earlier PD2&3 Leyland’s outlived the first Atlantean’s, as for breakdowns, I can count on one hand with figures to spare the amount of times I broke down with a Fleetline, I lost count with the Atlantean.

Photograph and Copy contributed by Ronnie Hoye

18/09/14 – 07:54

Ronnie mentions the AEC Renowns that cmd in NBC days. As he says came from East Yorkshire who received a number if Fleetlines from Tynemouth in exchange.

Chris Hough

19/09/14 – 07:04

This Fleetline looks neither full height nor low height. Were these built to an intermediate height of around 14ft?

Chris Barker

20/09/14 – 16:00

Chris, I don’t know the exact height, but if you refer to my gallery of Newcastle bus stations, in the Haymarket section, there is a photo of one of these alongside a United Bristol FLF Lodekka, and they seem to be about the same, but camera angles can be deceptive.

Ronnie Hoye

24/09/14 – 17:35

Thanks for a marvellous photgraph of one of my favourite buses in a great location.The photo highlights the excellent stanard of maintenance of the Tynemouth and District fleet in the 1960s! gleaming paintwork!

Tom Carr

24/09/14 – 17:36

Manchester Corporation had many Fleetlines and PDR1/2 type Atlanteans with Metro-Cammell bodywork similar to this, (but mostly with curved windscreens) with a height of (if I remember rightly) 14ft and half an inch, i.e. between the normal highbridge and lowbridge heights. These also had a modified staircase to Manchester’s own design. The bottom few steps were at an angle of 45 degrees to the length of the bus. It was claimed that this would "aim" descending passengers to the front of the platform, avoiding the bottleneck which could sometimes occur at the bottom of the stairs. When new these buses also had a substantial handrail on the platform which was supposed to separate upper and lower deck passengers when alighting; in practice this didn’t work because most conductors thought that this handrail was for them to lean on. The rails were later removed. The Manchester buses did, in fact, have a specific place for the conductor to stand, a small section was "cut out" of the luggage shelf above the offside front wheel. The angled staircase also allowed space for a cutaway section in the rear wall of the cab, with a coat hook for the driver’s use. This avoided the perennial problem of coat sleeves flapping outside whenever the cab window was opened. At Rochdale in the mid seventies we had nine of these Fleetlines cascaded from Manchester, they were the best Fleetlines to work on, in my opinion.
I wonder if these Tynemouth Fleetlines had these interior features?

Don McKeown

05/10/14 – 07:28

Tynemouth’s Fleetlines certainly didn’t have the 45° lower section of the staircase, the dividing rails or the cutaway section for the conductor to stand. I can’t recall a ‘wardrobe’ and coathook facility in the cab but I think that it would have been unlikely as I gather that it depended on the angled staircase to provide the space.
I’m fascinated by this whole ‘Manchester-style’ platform arrangement and I wonder whether anyone has an interior photograph which shows it.
Surely Don realises that all rails and stanchions on any bus were installed for the sole purpose of providing the conductor with something to lean against! What other possible function could they have been intended to fulfil? Particularly helpful designs often positioned additional rails so that the conductor could conveniently tuck his/her machine behind when not in use!

Alan R Hall