Leyland Cub

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Southdown Coaches Leyland Cub built in 1936 from Harrington
Leyland Cub CR

The Leyland Cub with the type designation K was a bus chassis from the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Motors . The type was built from 1932. With this series, Leyland introduced the term Cub (German: puppy, young) for lighter buses. Based on the Cub , the Cub CR was also created , one of the world's first buses with a rear engine.

Both buses and trucks were built on the chassis . The chassis was originally intended for long-nosed bodies, but was also built as a forward control . These chassis received the prefix S for side-type in the type designation and were given a structure typical of British buses at the time with a half-sided driver's cab that was pulled forward almost to the level of the radiator grille. On the one hand, it offered the driver a good all-round view and, on the other hand, easy access to the engine. The buses were designed for around 20 passengers. The wheelbase was 15 feet and 6 inches and the overall length was 24 feet. The superstructures were made by Brush , Chiswick , Short Bros and Weymann . The SKP2 and SKP3 forward control bodies offered space for up to 35 passengers.

Initially, a gasoline engine with a displacement of 4.4 or 4.7 l was used as the engine, but some buses were converted to diesel engines as early as 1935 . The gasoline engine was used to save weight on the one hand, and to offer a high level of smoothness and comfort for the passengers on the other. A 4.4-liter diesel engine was installed as standard from 1935, and a 4.7-liter diesel engine was offered from 1936.

London Transport introduced a number of Cub in service and led them as a series C . Particularly noticeable were the eight Interstate Cub that ran between the major London train stations at night. On these lines there was a high volume of luggage that had to be transported with the passengers. These buses were designed as a one and a half decker . A large luggage compartment could be set up under the rear part of the passenger compartment. Park Royal was the manufacturer of the superstructures . In addition, the Cub was particularly popular on the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey , as there were special size restrictions for buses due to the topographical conditions. In the forward control version, it offered a high passenger capacity with small dimensions.

Since London Transport saw a need for smaller, light buses, but the existing Dennis Dart and Bedford BD were outdated, Leyland developed a rear-engined Cub . At London Transport he was listed as CR for Cub Rear Engined . The prototype was built in 1938. London Transport manufactured the bus body for 20 passengers in its plant in Chiswick. A total of 59 buses were ordered, but because of the outbreak of war, only 48 could be delivered. The prototype still had a 4.4 liter engine, the series a 4.7 liter engine. The bus was given a front-link structure, but the driver's cab was only designed on one side. Directly behind the front axle, a wide sliding door enabled passengers to enter. The door, which is located far to the front, enabled a cost-saving one-man operation, in which the driver took on the role of the conductor. The design was based heavily on the almost simultaneously built Leyland Tiger with underfloor engine, which London Transport was run as TF . The main difference lay - in addition to the smaller size and weaker motorization - in the lower floor, which made it easier to get in and accelerated the change of passengers . Due to the war, the revolutionary concept was not pursued any further and was only taken up again by Leyland twenty years later .

A fire engine with the type designation FK was also developed on the basis of the Cub .

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