No deckers for Scottish Bus
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• No double-deckers are on order by the Scottish Bus Group. This is revealed by the Group's 1974 orders list released this week. A total of 289 vehicles are being specified at a cost of £2.6m.
Details of the orders are as follows:— Alexander (Fife), 12 Leopard /Alexander (53 seats); 10 Ford /Duple (45); 7 Ford / Alexander (53).
Alexander (Midland). 30 Leopard /Alexander (53): 5 Leopard/ Alexander (49); 10 Ford /Duple (45); 10 Ford /Alexander (53).
Alexander (Northern), 6 Ford/Alexander (53); 14 Ford /Alexander (45); 6 Ford / Alexander (41); 4 Ford /Duple (45).
Central SMT, 5 Bedford /Duple (45); 29 Leopard /Alexander (53).
Highland, 6 Ford /Alexander (49); 10 Ford / Alexander (53).
Scottish Omnibuses, 10 Leopard /Alexander (49); 10 Leopard /Alexander (53); 15 Bedford /Alexander (38); 1 Seddon /Alexander (49): 6 12m Leopard /Alexander (42). Western SMT, 77 Leopard /Alexander (53); 6 12m Leopard /Alexander (42).
As usual, Leyland Leopards account for a major part of SBG's order, writes Martin Hares. This time there are 185 of them on order; 12 of these are 12m chassis which will have Alexander's Mtype bodywork for use on the extended London service to Aberdeen. The Group is known to have wanted extra vehicles on this service to be Bristol REMH like those currently in service but refused to wait two years for delivery.
That there are no double-deckers on the list at all will come as no surprise to close observers of SBG. The Group has steadily cut back its decker intake because of the lack of what it regards as suitable vehicles. This dissatisfaction was described by the Group's executive director, Mr Roddie MacKenzie, in an exclusive article in CM last week.
Lightweight chassis again feature prominently on the Group's list. There are 83 Fords, of both 10m and 11m, and 20 Bedfords. It is perhaps surprising that none of these latter make are the heavy-duty YRT type but all 10m YRQs. The one oddity is a single Seddon. This has a mid-mounted Gardner engine and will be on show at Kelvin Hall.