Leyland Victory Mk 2

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Guy Victory J.

The Leyland Victory Mk 2 was a chassis for buses from the British commercial vehicle manufacturer Leyland Motors . The type was built from 1967 to 1987 exclusively for export. It was originally developed as Guy Victory J by Guy , which was acquired by Jaguar Cars in 1961 . Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation in 1964, and the two companies merged with Leyland in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation . Various superstructures were placed on the chassis.

Victory 2 series I.

The Victory was originally developed for Cape Tramways in South Africa and specially designed for the requirements of this operator. The wheelbase was 20 feet and 6 inches. A Leyland O.68 0 six-cylinder diesel engine and a pneumatically assisted five-speed manual transmission were installed. The bus had a conventional ladder frame made of sheet steel profiles. The engine was positioned between the longitudinal members at the front, the radiator was located directly in front of it. This arrangement, which was already out of date at the time, meant fewer problems with cooling than an underfloor arrangement of the engine under the special climatic conditions of South Africa. Underfloor buses had not proven themselves in South Africa, so Guy , for example, had derived variants with a front engine from the underfloor models Warrior UF and Victory UF . The front axle was set back relatively far so that the entrance door could be placed in the front overhang. This made the bus well suited for one-man operation without a conductor. The engine was located directly above the front axle for better weight distribution. This construction was also known as a trambus . The chassis had leaf springs and telescopic shock absorbers. In the course of time, the chassis was continuously modified. For example, the suspension has been reinforced so that it can drive on unpaved roads with a total weight of 19 t. The braking system was modified so that the bus could be held at a standstill without using the parking brake. The buses got a structure of bus bodies from Port Elizabeth or their successor Busaf . Both single-decker and double-decker buses were built. The last sixteen double-decker superstructures with 100 seats were manufactured by Busaf in 1987.

The series was as Victory 2 series I referred. The original origin of the bus could be recognized by a large, embossed G (for G uy) on the gas pedal.

Hong Kong's Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) bought four such double-decker buses in 1976. Due to the approval regulations in Hong Kong, which were similar to those in the UK and more stringent than in South Africa, the landing gear had to be revised. There was a harder suspension and harder responsive shock absorbers. The pitch angle when starting and braking was limited by additional dampers. The buses successfully passed approval and were put into service in January 1976. At the beginning of 1982, after the introduction of the Victory 2 series II, they were decommissioned and converted into school vehicles.

The Singapore Bus Service (SBS) in Singapore procured a number of Victory in the monoplane version from 1978 . Which was installed as a motor O.680 of Leyland together with a semi-automatic transmission. The bodies came from British Aluminum Co. (BACo) and Soon Chow , a bus manufacturer from Singapore. The bus was planked with aluminum sheets. As early as 1982, however, the condition of most of the superstructures was so bad that they had to be replaced. On a trial basis, SBS fitted some buses with an underfloor air conditioning system. The buses were withdrawn from service in 1993.

Victory 2 series II

Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) wassatisfiedwith the trial-run Victory 2 and asked Leyland to offer a front-engined bus for the Hong Kong market. However, Leyland did not want to expand the extensive range of types again and therefore suggested another bus. However, with the Jubilant, Dennis offereda bus that met KMB's expectations. In order not to lose the lucrative market, Leyland finallydecided tooffer a chassis with a front engine. The chassis was derived from the Worldmaster with the engine stopped and could be recognized by the kink above the rear axle. This version of the World Master had Leyland brought in 1960 on the market, however, produced only in small quantities. The frame was a good twelve centimeters lower, which resulted in a lower overall height and easier entry for passengers. The vehicles were equipped with the 6LXB six-cylinder diesel engine from L. Gardner and Sons and a type D851 automatic transmissionfrom Voith . For testing purposes , one of the buses was fitted with a semi-automatic SCG GB350 gearbox from Leyland . The superstructures came from Alexander , only the last twenty buses delivered received a superstructure from Duple Metsec . Although the vehicle hadlittle in commonwith the original Victory 2 , it was referred to as the Victory 2 series II .

The buses were specially designed for the conditions in Hong Kong - steep routes and one-man operation with a pay box. The relatively narrow entrance door was in front of the front axle, so that the passengers had to pay the fare at the payment box under the control of the driver immediately after boarding. The bus was left through a wider folding door that was arranged between the axles.

Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) introduced 540 Victory between 1979 and 1983 . One of the buses had air conditioning, but it did not prove itself and was expanded. China Motor Bus (CMB) purchased 167 Victory between 1979 and 1982, New Lantao Bus (NLB) nine between 1980 and 1983 and later took over six more vehicles from KMB . The bus was used in Hong Kong on all routes including the New Territories , Kowloon , Hong Kong Island and Lantau . From the mid-1990s, the buses were withdrawn from service. KMB used the buses until 1998, the CMB buses were still in use by the successor companies until 2000. Some buses were converted into workshop vehicles, others were sold for the training of rescue workers.

Due to the soft suspension, the bus tended to make strong nodding movements when starting and braking. Since the ride reminded of the walk of chickens, the bus was nicknamed "chicken". The suspension and the high center of gravity also earned the Victory its reputation as an unsafe vehicle. It tended to tip over, especially in corners that were driven too fast. Between 1980 and 1993, fourteen buses had an accident, one burned out after a collision, and thirteen overturned.

Web links

literature

  • Lee Tin Yau: Leyland Victory 2 , Northcord International Limited, 2001. ISBN 962-920-034-1