Crossley Motors

Crossley 20/25, built in 1909

Crossley is a former British manufacturer of automobiles , buses and other commercial vehicles .

Company history

The company Crossley Brothers Limited from Gorton near Manchester , later Errwood Park near Stockport ( Cheshire ), began in 1904 with the production of automobiles and commercial vehicles. Originally Crossley Motors was the name of the company branch for the production of motor vehicles, but became an independent company in 1910, as the company management recognized the developing sales opportunities for automobiles early on. Crossley Motors Limited was first registered as an independent company on April 11, 1906, followed by re-registration with a new company number in 1910. Although Crossley Motors initially only manufactured passenger cars, it developed into an important supplier to the British commercial vehicle industry during the First World War . The company started producing buses in the 1920s. In 1920, the company acquired 68.5% of the shares of nearby AV Roe and Company - also known as Avro - and took over the company's automotive division, while Avro remained an independent company designing and manufacturing aircraft. As early as 1928, however, Crossley Motors had to sell the shares in Armstrong Siddeley in order to compensate for the losses from Willys Overland Crossley , which was operated jointly with Willys-Overland .

In the course of the British armaments efforts in the interwar period, the production of cars was throttled from 1930 and completely stopped in 1936. During the Second World War , mainly military vehicles were again produced. Bus production continued until 1945, but no new models could be developed.

In the late 1940s, Crossley Motors was deemed unsustainable by management and ultimately agreed to be acquired by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC). Production was finally stopped in 1958. Vehicles developed by Crossley Motors were manufactured in Stockport until 1952 , while AEC vehicles were assembled from this point until production was discontinued. Despite the cessation of production, the company was never formally dissolved. In 1969 the new owner of AEC, British Leyland , reactivated the company under the name Leyland National and had the bus of the same name produced in Stockport .

Crossley Motors produced a total of approximately 19,000 cars, 5,500 buses, and 21,000 trucks and military vehicles over time.

Production facilities

The manufacturing facilities were originally located at the Crossley Brothers headquarters in Openshaw , Manchester . In 1907 production was relocated to Napier Street in Gorton , Manchester, and the street was later renamed Crossley Street .

However, as production increased, the available space soon became insufficient, so in 1914 the company acquired a larger area in Heaton Chapel, Stockport. This is where the Errwood Park Works came into being . The construction of the new production facilities began in 1915. Although intended to relieve the old plant, the areas were initially used for the production of armaments. In the western part of the site, the National Aircraft Factory No. 2 . After the end of the war, Crossley Motors took over the production facilities in 1919 and set up the production facilities for Willys Overland Crossley . The factory was sold to the Fairey Aviation Company in 1934 . The eastern part of the site was also used by Fairey for aircraft production from 1938. Only after the end of the Second World War did the site become the headquarters of Crossley Motors . Since production in the Errwood Park Works could not be started due to armaments production , Crossley Motors opened a new production facility in 1938 in Greencroft Mill, 4.8 km east of Hyde.

Car

The first car was developed in 1904 and presented the following year at the Mondial de l'Automobile . The success of this vehicle at the exhibition was the decisive factor in founding the company. The vehicle was initially produced in very small numbers, but after the opening of the new plant in Gorton, production grew rapidly from 1909. That year the 20 hp (later referred to as the 20/25) was also introduced. The car was procured by the British War Office and used by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) from 1913 . With the outbreak of the First World War, production was expanded and by 1918 over 6,000 vehicles were produced as staff vehicles, light traction devices and medical vehicles. The type was also used from 1920 by the newly established Flying Squad of the Metropolitan Police . In addition, some vehicles received radio equipment.

The Crossley 25/30 hp was used as a personnel carrier by the British Army from 1919 until it was withdrawn in Northern Ireland in 1922. The Irish Army took over the vehicles and used them during the Civil War. Of the 454 vehicles originally delivered, 57 were still operational in 1926, another 66 were overhauled or repaired.

In 1921 a new type appeared with the 19.6, which was supplemented from 1922 by the smaller 14 hp with 2.4 liter displacement. This smaller car became the company's best-selling model. In 1925, the 18/50 with a displacement of 2.7 liters replaced the 19.6. The 18/50 was the first Crossley model with a six-cylinder engine. In September 20, which appeared in 1927, the engine capacity was increased to 3.2 liters. In 1933 Crossley was the first British manufacturer to offer a car with a built-in radio. In 1931 the company announced a new, smaller model series that was equipped with engines from Coventry Climax , but the production of passenger cars was slowly reduced due to falling sales. In 1937 the last cars were assembled at Crossley Motors .

Crossley 20/25 as a staff vehicle of the Royal Flying Corps
Crossley 25/30, built in 1920
Crossley 14 hp
Crossley 9/20
Crossley Regis 6

model	construction time	cylinder	Cubic capacity cm³	Power hp
22/28 HP	1904	4th	4942	32
40 HP	1904-1908	4th	7040
20/25 HP	1909-1912	4th	3927	50
40 HP	1909-1910	4th	7040
12/14 HP	1910-1911	4th	2413
20 HP	1910-1913	4th	4576
15 HP	1912-1914	4th	2388	32
Shelsley	1913	4th	2613
20/25 HP	1914-1916	4th	4487
25/30 HP	1919-1925	4th	4530 and 4950
19.6 HP	1920	4th	3817	55
20/70 HP	1923	4th	3732 and 3817	55
12/14 HP and 14 HP	1923-1927	4th	2388	31
18/50 HP	1926-1928	6th	2692
15.7 HP Silver	1928-1934	6th	1990	61
20.9 HP Golden	1928-1937	6th	3198
Super 6	1929-1934	6th	3198
Shelsley	1929	6th	1990	61
RE (Rear Engine)	1933	6th	1991	61
10 HP Torquay	1933/1934	4th	1122
Regis 4	1934-1937	4th	1122	35.5
Regis 6	1935/1936	6th	1476	45

Three vehicles of this brand can be seen at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester .

buses

In the late 1920s, with the advent of mass production, the market for handcrafted passenger cars continued to shrink. When looking for new sales markets, Crossley Motors therefore initially turned to the production of buses . In 1928, the company's first bus, the Eagle , appeared . Originally designed as a single- decker bus , some chassis were also equipped with double-decker bodies. The Condor , released in 1930, was the first specially designed double-decker bus from Crossley Motors. The Condor was also with a diesel engine of Gardner are delivered and was the first British double-decker bus with a diesel engine. The Mancunian , published in 1933, was built as a single-decker as well as a double-decker. This guy was Crossley Motors' best-selling bus .

After the Second World War, the company continued to manufacture single-decker and double-decker buses that were built on the same chassis (SD = single decker, DD = double decker). As before the war, a variant as a trolleybus (TDD) was offered. Since war-related losses in Europe had to be compensated for, the sales market grew rapidly over the short term. The company won a tender from Nederlandse Spoorwegen , which, with a volume of GBP 3 million, has become the largest export business in the UK bus industry. After a short time, however, the market shrank sharply, and Crossley Motors could no longer hold its own as an independent company. After the takeover by AEC, the AEC Regent was assembled at Crossley and provided with the Crossley logo, it was also sold as the Crossley Regent .

DD42

Crossley DD42, built in 1952

Work on a new generation of buses had already started at Crossley in 1938. During a spa stay in Switzerland, the chief designer, WC Worrall, visited the Saurer production facility and was able to see the new diesel engine with direct injection . Convinced of the advantages of this design principle, direct injection was adopted for the new HOE7 engine with a displacement of 8.6 l. For the test run, two chassis were equipped with the new engines, one chassis was given a modified Mancunian structure , the second a new body. The tests at the Manchester Corporation were satisfactory. In 1944 government agencies allowed the production of 150 double-decker DD42s and 80 bodies. The start of production of the monoplane version SD42 was postponed until the end of the war. The metal frame construction developed by Crossley was used again for the superstructures. A prototype of the new structure has been tested satisfactorily on the chassis of a Mancunian . The design was based closely on the development started with the Streamliner .

After the end of the Second World War, production in the Aircraft Factory No 5 in Erwood Park was stopped. Crossley rented the site from September 1946 for an initial ten years and completely relocated production there from January 1947, the old factory in Gorton was sold. Production of the DD42 , however, started in Gorton in 1946 . In that year 93 buses were delivered. A total of 1114 DD42s were produced between 1945 and 1951 .

In practice, problems arose with the engine. As a result of a patent dispute with Saurer , the design of the cylinder head was changed. As a result, performance fell, while fuel and oil consumption rose sharply. There were also thermal problems. After acquisition by AEC one came AEC - cylinder head for use, but the reputation of Crossley had already sustained damage. The new chassis, on the other hand, also had excellent properties in practical operation.

SD42

Crossley SD42 / 1 with aluminum body from Schelde , built in 1948

The reason for the start of production of the SD42 was the order from the Dutch State Railways , which included the delivery of 425 buses for 43 seats each and a further 500 for 47 seats each. The smaller version was 32 feet 11 inches long, the larger 35 inches, 2 feet long and 8 feet wide. This made the buses significantly larger and, in the case of the second version, wider than permitted in the United Kingdom at the time, which initially minimized sales opportunities on the domestic market. The required maximum speed of 60 mph (just under 100 km / h) was also well above that permitted in the UK.

Delivery of the buses began in 1947. In order for the larger and heavier bus to reach the required higher speeds, the engine was charged by two Roots fans with the same displacement . This increased the power at 1800 rpm from 100 bhp to 150 bhp (112 kW). The new engine was named HOE9 . A manually shiftable five-speed gearbox was installed with the engine. In practice, the engine had problems with the oil supply, which is why some buses were upgraded to the HOE7 again. Instead of Crossley's vacuum brakes, Westinghouse air brakes were used in the buses. 150 of the buses delivered were fitted with bodies from Crossley, the rest were fitted with bodies from Dutch manufacturers. In some of these buses, the front entrance door was moved in front of the front axle, which made the buses suitable for one-man operation.

Production for the domestic market started in 1947 with the SD42 / 3, initially only for urban transport companies, later also for private bus operators. Crossley hadn't served this market segment before World War II. 620 Overall, the 1680 built were SD sold to private operators.

In 1950 the UK licensing regulations were changed and the maximum length for buses increased to 30 feet. Crossley responded with an extended version, but the design with the engine in front was now outdated. The market demanded buses with an underfloor engine that offered a higher passenger capacity for the same length.

PT42

Crossley PT42 with trailer from DAF used for agriculture, now

The PT42 was created in 1946 on the basis of the DD42 chassis. It was a semitrailer bus . With its long-bonnet design , it was an unusual sight for British buses of the time. A shortened chassis of the DD42 with a length of 17 feet 11 inches was used as the tractor . The engine was the HOE7 , but with a modified cylinder head, which increased the engine's performance. The bus was built on behalf of the Dutch government. The tractors received their trailers from DAF , while smaller companies took on the bodywork. A total of 250 vehicles were delivered. The trailer had space for 52 seated and 28 standing passengers. By the early 1950s, however, the vehicles had already been withdrawn from public transport and were used as mobile churches , meeting rooms, freight vehicles and the like. Some of the vehicles were sold to the GDR and used there by SDAG Wismut for works traffic until 1965. Then some of the vehicles were fundamentally repaired. The trailers were rebuilt and an IFA Z6S truck was used as the tractor . The buses were then used primarily in the works transport of larger companies in the Dresden and Halle / Leipzig area.

For Crossley, the bus represented a transitional model until bus production started completely. Outside the Netherlands, he did not find any first-time customers.

TDD4

The company resumed production of trolleybuses in 1948. In 1950 the three-axle TDD42 "Empire" with a length of 26 feet appeared. As before the Second World War, the bus was powered by Metro-Vickers engines. In total, only 45 buses were built.

TTD6

At the same time around TTD4 the TDD64 "Dominion" appeared with a length of 30 feet. It was powered by the same engine as the smaller version. 16 of this version were built.

TSD42

The TSD42 was an export model that was only sold to New Zealand . The 33-foot single deck bus was based on the extended chassis of the SD42 . A total of 14 buses were built.

Superstructures

AEC Regent with structure from Crossley

Crossley used his skills and manufacturing capacities and offered the structure developed for the SD / DD42 to other customers. From 1945 onwards, the Leyland PD1 and AEC shelves were fitted with superstructures from Crossley. After the takeover by AEC, the AEC Regent was also assembled at Crossley and sold as the Crossley Regent in so-called badge engineering .

The bodies made by Crossley were considered to be of high quality, but expensive. Between 1945 and 1958, the company produced a total of 1,122 bodies for chassis from other manufacturers.

Leyland National

In 1962, both ACV and AEC became part of Leyland , but Crossley was never fully liquidated and removed from the company register and legally existed. Leyland took advantage of this fact when the Leyland National was to go into production in 1969 . This bus was intended as a replacement for all single-decker buses previously manufactured by the group. Leyland reactivated Crossley Motors , renamed the company Leyland National and built a total of 7,700 buses in Workington from 1972 to 1985.

Model overview

model	construction time
eagle	1928-1930
Hawk	1929
Six / Alpha	1930/1931
Condor	1930-1934
Mancunian	1933-1940
TDD4 (trolleybus)	1935-1942
TDD6 (trolleybus)	1935-1942
DD42	1942-1953
SD42	1946-1952
PT42	1946-1949
TDD42 Empire (trolleybus)	1948-1951
TDD64 Dominion (trolleybus)	1948-1951
TSD42 (trolleybus)	1948-1951

truck

In addition to the production range, Crossley Motors also manufactured commercial vehicles. Initially, these were created on the basis of modified car chassis. Two trucks built on the basis of the 25/30 drove from Cape Town to Cairo during the Court Treatt expedition in 1926 . With the BTG1 , the company brought out the first specially developed chassis for trucks in 1923. In 1931 the company announced a series of heavy trucks with a payload of 12 tons. However, only a small number of the Atlas equipped with diesel engines were built, as the company focused on buses and military vehicles. More than 10,000 of the four -wheel drive FWD produced from 1940 onwards.

BGT1

As early as 1908 there was a regulation that forwarding companies can receive state subsidies if they operate vehicles that were designed according to military requirements and that were made available within 72 hours during an emergency. The War Office Subsidy Specification No 3 set the subsidy for trucks with a payload of 30 cwt in 1923 at GBP 40 per vehicle per year. Crossley then developed a chassis that followed this specification. The chassis was named BGT1 , the abbreviation for British Government Tender 1 . The vehicle was also known as the 40/50 hp. Either the 4.5 l engine 25/30 or its drilled out variant 30/70 with 5.2 l displacement were used. On roads, the maximum speed was given as 50 mph, although the requirements called for only 25 mph. The actual payload of 40 cwt was also higher than the required 30 cwt. The price was £ 850 with an added £ 50 for electric lights and starters.

IGL

Also in 1923, the Indian government issued a tender for a two-axle truck with a 30 cwt payload, which should, however, be able to be used under the harsher conditions of the Indian subcontinent. Crossley developed the IGL , the abbreviation for Indian Government Lorry . The basis was the chassis developed for the Russian export order, which was not put into production due to the revolution in Russia. The same engines were installed as in the BGT . Equipped with a four-speed transmission, the truck's top speed was 30 mph.

When in 1925 the War Department requested a 30C truck with a 30C payload and a 6 × 4 wheel formula , Crossley extended the BGT1 and installed a double rear axle. Although the vehicle did not go back to a tender by the Indian government, it was named IGL2 , the IGL later became the IGL1 . The reliable 25/30 engine was installed. Instead of the double rear axle, some of these vehicles got a Kegresse chain drive. The Royal Air Force and the British Army procured a total of 115 vehicles, some of which also ended up in the hands of civilian owners. So took George V a IGL2 on his Scottish estates. In 1927 the IGL2 got a modified BGT chassis and was named IGL2 series 2 . The 30/70 was optionally used as a motor.

15cwt light 14hp

Since the IGL1 was too heavy for civil operators due to the military requirement profile , Crossley offered a lighter two-axle version with the 15cwt light 14hp from 1927 .

20-30 cwt light six

The lighter version of the IGL2 with the wheel formula 6x4 was offered as the 20-30cwt light six from 1927. It later became the BGV1 .

15hp 15 / 20cwt

The grant system brought financial advantages for the haulage companies, but resulted in quite heavy vehicles due to the military demands on the vehicles. From December Crossley therefore offered a lighter two-axle vehicle, the 15 hp, with a payload of 15 to 20 cwt. Mainly delivery vans were built. The same engine was used as in the 14 hp, but this time with a four-speed gearbox. The chassis was similar too, but the wheelbase was 10 ft 5 in. Larger by more than 12 in. Four-wheel brakes were standard equipment. The structure was made of wood and was also offered as an ambulance . Although it was not designed for military requirements, the War Department procured some vehicles that received a transmission with a reduction gear and thus had eight gears. Some vehicles were also delivered with a Kegresse chain drive.

Atlas

The Atlas was a heavy truck presented in 1931. It was supposed to be called Alpha , but this name has already been used for a bus. With a wheelbase of 16 feet 7½ inches, it was offered for payloads between 6 and 12 tons. Initially equipped with the six-cylinder engine with 8.369 l displacement, it was later given the VR6. A manually shiftable four-speed gearbox with a countershaft was used as the transmission, so that eight gears were available. The chassis with two, optionally three axles for the heavier models was designed for front-link bodies. The Atlas was considered a high quality vehicle but was very expensive at £ 1,440 and could only be sold in small numbers. Production was stopped in 1936.

beta

Released in 1933, the Beta with a wheelbase of 12 feet 6 inches was designed for smaller payloads. Optionally available as a two- or three-axle vehicle, it was initially powered by the VR-4 diesel engine with a displacement of 6.1 l. From 1936 the VR6 was also available as an option. The four-speed gearbox already installed in the IGL or the four-speed gearbox with countershaft known from the Atlas were used as the gearbox. The chassis was also designed for forward control bodies. At £ 1,195, the Beta was also one of the more expensive vehicles on the UK market.

delta

The Delta also appeared in 1933. It was offered as a forward control (wheelbase 24 feet), short-nosed truck (wheelbase 11 feet 6 inches) and a tractor unit (wheelbase 10 feet). There was a choice of the 20760 petrol engine and from 1935 for the tractor , from 1936 for all versions of the VS4 22/48, a light diesel engine with a displacement of 3.620 l. From this year, the 24/70, a four-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 4.155 liters, was also offered as an option. The four-speed and eight-speed transmissions also installed in the Beta were offered as transmissions. The chassis was also offered as a substructure for buses, but only one bus for Manchester Airport was procured by the Manchester Cooperation on this chassis . The price was £ 425 for the petrol version and £ 635 for the diesel version.

Military vehicles

Crossley-Vickers armored car

Crossley Vickers armored car of the Japanese Navy

After the end of the First World War, the British Army in India had a need for an armored wheeled vehicle. The planned procurement of Rolls-Royce armored cars failed because they were too expensive and also showed insufficient performance in field trials. Crossley offered an armored car based on the 1.5-t chassis developed for Russia, and the unarmored IGL was also developed from the chassis . The field tests were successful, and a final test in which the vehicle covered 4,000 miles with 4 tons of ballast was also successfully completed. As a result, 32 vehicles with Vickers bodies were ordered. The vehicles were given solid rubber tires to minimize the risk of tire damage on the poor Indian roads and off-road, but the vehicles often sank to the axles due to the narrow tires. A total of 100 vehicles were delivered to India, two more vehicles to South Africa .

Vickers used the IGL from 1928 for an armored car that was successfully exported. Japan bought large numbers of the vehicle called the Dowa there , Argentina a smaller number. A three-axle version was delivered to Iraq .

BGV

Crossley BGV, built in 1927

The BGV was developed in 1926 as an enlarged version of the BGT . The payload has been increased to 30 cwt. In order to maintain the driving characteristics of the vehicle, it received a double rear axle. The vehicle was powered by the 2.4-liter gasoline engine from the 14hp . Instead of the double rear axle, a Kegresse chain drive with rubber chains was installed on some vehicles . The chassis was used for various military superstructures. The abbreviation BGV stood for British General Vehicle .

In 1928 the chassis of the IGL2 and the BGV were revised. The newer version was named BGV2 , the BGV became the BGV1

Crossley Mk. I

From 1927 Crossley was involved in the development of a tankette . Weakly armored and armed with machine guns, the vehicle had a crew of two. The vehicles were intended for close support to the infantry. The three-axle BGV came with a Kegresse chain drive as the chassis . The vehicle was supposed to drive backwards when in use, with the track drive at the front and the steering axle at the rear. The driving characteristics in the field were good, but the track drive blew dust into the engine. Only two prototypes were built.

D2E1 / D2E2

Crossley D2E1

Royal Air Force Crossley armored car

The chassis of the BGV also formed the basis for the D2E1 . The rear axles had double tires. A chain could be placed on the wheels to improve the driving characteristics in the field. The vehicle took on a crew of three and was armed with a .303 machine gun. The armored superstructure came from the Royal Ordnance Factory . In 1931 the prototype came to Egypt for testing , which was not particularly successful. Upon return, the prototype received a new turret with two .5 anti-aircraft machine guns. The second prototype D2E2 got a lower engine front to improve the driver's view. The armor has also been redesigned. Five vehicles were built that received a turret with anti-aircraft machine guns. They came to Egypt in 1933, but this version was not considered suitable for desert warfare either.

The Royal Air Force ordered three more vehicles for use in Aden . Two received a turret with anti-aircraft machine guns, the third, larger one a normal tank turret and an additional machine gun next to the driver. All three vehicles received radio equipment.

FWD

In the course of the British armaments efforts in the interwar period, among other things, the number of squadrons of the Royal Air Force, which required a powerful truck for land-based vehicles, increased sharply. Crossley initially delivered more than 700 IGL3s with petrol engines to the Royal Air Force. In 1935 the War Office wrote out a new truck with a 3 t payload and a 4 × 4 wheel formula to replace the three-axle IGL. A prototype was ordered in 1938. The vehicle had independent suspension, the new 38/110 bus engine and a five-speed gearbox. The tests were successful, but the Royal Air Force demanded a more simply constructed, easier to repair vehicle. The final design, as the FWD or Four Wheel Drive , had an 11 foot wheelbase. The independent suspension was given up again. The drive train of the two-axle IGL and the tried and tested 30/70 engine were used. The vehicle was also referred to as the Q or Quad ; however, this is incorrect, as Q denotes the tender on the basis of which various vehicles from different manufacturers were created.

Immediately after the outbreak of war, the first 506 trucks and 228 rescue vehicles were ordered. After the British Expeditionary Force had to leave most of its equipment in France, another 700 vehicles were ordered. Deliveries began in July 1940 and by the end of the year 800 FWD and 340 IGL had been delivered. In 1943 the tractor was put into production and with the 30/100, which achieved 96 bhp, later 100 bhp, a more powerful engine was optionally installed. The three versions produced in total differed in terms of motorization and power transmission.

By 1945, 7406 trucks and 2836 tractor units had been delivered, and production output reached a peak of 200 vehicles per month. The cabs were mass-built by Crossley, but also by Mulliner , the superstructures came from many different manufacturers, including Park Royal and English Electric .

Saladin

Alvis Saladin

Crossley was able to acquire the last military order in the 1950s. The British Army wrote out a reconnaissance tank to replace the outdated AEC Mk 3 and Daimler Mk 2 . Alvis was developing at the time the Mannschaftstransportwagen Saracen . The chassis of the Saracen was adapted for the Saladin and equipped with a rotating turret with the new 76 mm cannon, which replaced the older two-pounder. Because of the critical development in Malaysia, the production of the Saracen had priority over the development of the Saladin . As the Alvis factory was at full capacity, the first six pre-production copies of the Saladin were assembled at Crossley in 1956. Two years later, production was of Saladin at Alvis added.

literature

Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The great automobile encyclopedia. BLV, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-405-12974-5 .
GN Georgano : cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, 1975 (French).
David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing PLC, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 (English).
Michael Eyre, Chris Heaps, Alan Townsin: Crossley. OPC / Ian Allan, Hersham 2002, ISBN 0-86093-574-4 (English).

Web links

Commons : Crossley vehicles - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ see Eyre, Heaps, Townsin
↑ ^a ^b ^c Harding (ed): Guinness book of car facts and feats . Guinness Superlatives, London 1977, ISBN 0-900-42454-0 .

[1] see Eyre, Heaps, Townsin

[guinness-2] Harding (ed): Guinness book of car facts and feats . Guinness Superlatives, London 1977, ISBN 0-900-42454-0 .