Dennis Loline

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Dennis Loline I with the establishment of Northern Counties

The Dennis Loline was a chassis for double-decker buses from the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Dennis Brothers . The type was built from 1958 to 1967. The bus is a Bristol Lodekka produced under license .

background

In 1948, the Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company , the manufacturer of the Lodekka, became part of the British Transport Commission created as a result of the Transport Act 1947 , which included not only operators of various transport companies but also manufacturers of superstructures and chassis for buses. Bristol could only sell the vehicles it produced to the subsidiaries of the British Transport Commission . When it came to the procurement of assemblies, they also had to rely on subsidiaries of the British Transport Commission . In order to open up the market for private, smaller bus companies and the export markets for the Lodekka, Bristol and Dennis agreed to license the Lodekka from Dennis in 1957. Mutual support was also part of the agreement. Dennis developed a new differential gear that was also used in the Lodekka.

construction

The Dennis Loline I was based on the almost unchanged Lodekka LD, but the superstructures came from East Lance , Willowbrook and Northern Counties . The superstructure of the Lodekka was manufactured by the Eastern Coach Works , also a subsidiary of the British Transport Commission . Like the Lodekka, the Loline had a body that was lower than that of the full-size double-decker buses to enable problem-free passage through underpasses in many cities. The first Loline to be built by Northern Counties was introduced at the Earls Court Commercial Vehicle Show in October 1958. Characteristic of British buses of that time, it had a one-sided driver's cab, which on the one hand enabled good all-round visibility for the driver and on the other hand provided easy access to the engine in front.

The Loline II followed in 1958. The body was designed as a forward control . The engine protruded into the interior. As a result, however, the waste heat from the engine could no longer be discharged to the outside and heated up the interior of the bus. The buses got the nickname Sweaty Betties . In historical photos, the Loline II can usually be seen with the windshield on the passenger side. The Loline II was pushed out of the market when the Daimler Fleetline appeared in the low version.

With the Loline III, which appeared in 1961, one went back to the half-sided cab. As with the Loline II, the entry moved from the rear of the bus to a position between the axles. In addition to East Lance , Willowbrook and Northern Counties , Alexander now also manufactured superstructures for the bus.

The bus was usually powered by the Gardner 6LW or 6LX, a six-cylinder diesel engine . The 6LX was a more powerful version of the 6LW with a displacement of 10.45 l . However, some operators also had other engines installed, such as the AV470 from AEC or the Leyland Leyland 0.600. A manual four-speed gearbox was used as the gearbox. The superstructures were 30 feet long, taking full advantage of the length restriction for two-axle buses that was in effect at the time.

  • Dennis Loline I, entry

  • Dennis Loline II

  • Dennis Loline III

  • Dennis Loline III

use

The Loline could not reach the production figures of the Lodekka because the target market segment was too small. The largest buyers were Aldershot & District Traction in East Hampshire and West Surrey , which bought more than half of all Lolines built. North Western , Reading and Walsall also procured a large number, plus numerous smaller companies.

China Motor Bus in what was then the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong ordered two Loline IIIs in 1962. The first Loline was delivered in 1963. Shortly after delivery, the sliding door was replaced by a four-leaf folding door . Obviously one was not satisfied with the bus because the second bus was canceled. Nevertheless, the Loline remained in service with China Motor Bus until 1978. It was also the first double-decker bus to be used on Hong Kong Island .

The classic double-decker buses with a front engine were replaced in the 1960s by buses with a rear engine such as the Daimler Fleetline. With a given length, they offered more space for the passengers and a flatter and even floor of the passenger compartment, as the power transmission components no longer had to be arranged on or under the frame.

Web links

Commons : Dennis Loline  - Collection of images, videos and audio files