1.
Burnley Bus Company
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Transdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running services in the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and Manchester. It is a subsidiary of the Transdev Blazefield, the Burnley, Colne & Nelson Joint Transport Committee was established in 1933 to merge the three municipal tramway and bus operations of those towns. The tramway network was progressively being abandoned with the last closing in May 1935, to comply with the Transport Act 1985, in 1986 the assets were transferred to a new legal entity and the operation rebranded Burnley & Pendle Transport Company. Deregulation opened Burnley & Pendles routes to competition from operators, with Blackburn Transport, Tyrer Tours. To stave off the competition five AEC Routemasters were purchased with each named after a character from the television series EastEnders, deregulation also saw many Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive services contracted out. Burnley & Pendle successfully tendered a number of routes with their sphere of operation extending to Blackburn, Bury, Manchester, Preston, Rawtenstall, Rochdale, in April 1996 Pendle Council sold its share to Stagecoach North West. Burnley Council was livid, and stated strongly it would never sell its share, Stagecoach put up a multi-million pound investment plan for Burnley and Pendle, but Burnley Council could not meet its share unless it cut other council services. In March 1997 it reversed its policy and sold out to Stagecoach, initially branded Stagecoach Burnley & Pendle in May 2000 it was incorporated into the Stagecoach Ribble business. In 1997 Stagecoach purchased 10 Volvo B10Ms and 10 Volvo Olympians to upgrade the run down fleet, in April 2001 Stagecoach sold its East Lancashire operations to the Blazefield Travel. Soon after the business was split in two, what had been Burnley & Pendle once again became Burnley & Pendle while the former Ribble Motor Services became Lancashire United. Before the sale many of the buses were transferred to other Stagecoach subsidiaries being replaced by Dennis Javelins, Leyland Atlanteans. Blazefield Travel purchased 15 Volvo B7TLs and 25 Volvo B10BLEs to commence a fleet renewal program, in January 2006 Burnley & Pendle was included in the sale of Blazefield Travel to Transdev. Burnley & Pendle was rebranded as Transdev in Burnley & Pendle, in January 2007 Blackburn Transport was purchased followed in August 2007 by Accrington Transport and Northern Blue of Burnley with 65 buses. In September 2009 Transdev Northern Blue was integrated into Transdev Burnley & Pendle, as at October 2013 Transdev in Burnley & Pendle operate 31 routes. The company operates bus services towards Accrington, Bury, Clitheroe, Colne, Keighley, Manchester, Nelson, Padiham, connections to Preston are available from Burnley & Pendles sister company, Lancashire United, on service 152. In 2004 the company introduced the high quality route The Witch Way, since Blazefields acquisition of Blackburn Transport, Northern Blue and Accrington Transport, some routes formerly run by these companies have been taken over by Burnley & Pendle Travel. These include several Blackburn Transport school services and all of Northern Blues operations, as at October 2013 the fleet consists of 97 buses. Burnley & Pendles buses were painted in a red and cream livery although can now be seen in a wide variety of liveries
2.
Plaxton Pointer
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The Plaxton Pointer is a single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis. With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxtons subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m chassis. Launched in 1991, at 2.3 m wide, this proved popular with many operators, the modular nature of both chassis and body meant for various permutations in length, with 8.5 m,9.0 m and 9.8 m variants being manufactured. The Pointer became the most successful midibus body, the Pointer was also available with Volvo B6 chassis. This redesigned Pointer bodywork was built on the Volvo B6LE, one for the UK. The low floor Plaxton Pointer 1 and the Plaxton Pointer 2 have a rounded dome with a double-curvature windscreen. Not long after, the received an all-new lower front end design, and alterations to the rest of the body - the Pointer 2 was born. This was also available in a range of lengths to suit individual needs -9.3 m,10.1 m,10.7 m,11.3 m Super Pointer Dart, and after 3 years of production, the 8.8 m Mini Pointer Dart. The 11.3 m Super Pointer Dart is considered as a full-sized single-decker bus, in 1998, the Mayflower Group, owner of Alexander Coachbuilders, took over Dennis. The future of the Pointer at that time appeared uncertain as it was thought the Dart may be solely bodied by Alexander. As a result, Plaxton built two Pointer bodies on the Volvo B6BLE chassis known as Bus 2000, but the project was scrapped when Mayflower also purchased Plaxton, forming TransBus International. Certain design features of the scrapped Bus 2000 project have since used on other designs. With the collapse of TransBus in 2004 and subsequent restructuring by the administrators, Plaxton, as Pointer production had been transferred to the former Alexander plant at Falkirk, it became an Alexander Dennis product. Plaxton, once again an independent company, signalled its return to the bus market by developing the Centro on VDL, in August 2006 Alexander Dennis launched the Enviro200 Dart as a replacement for the Pointer Dart. Alexander Dennis Henlys Group PLC List of buses Plaxton Media related to Plaxton Pointer at Wikimedia Commons Alexander Dennis Pointer product website - Web archive
3.
Arriva North West and Wales
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Arriva North West and Wales was a division of Arriva that operated bus services around North West England and Wales. It was made up several previous bus operators including North Western, most of MTL North, the Bee Line Buzz Company. In January 2009, the Welsh depots were separated into a new division named Arriva Buses Wales, from Autumn 1997, Cowie Group plc was renamed Arriva plc and like Stagecoach and FirstGroup a consistent corporate image was introduced for its many and different bus operations. Outside of London this was a livery of aquamarine with a Cotswold stone swoop, Arriva branding. For the former North Western operation this strap-line was serving the North West, in Spring 1998 Arriva decided to give an Arriva identity to the many companies which comprised Arriva Passenger Services and as a consequence North Western Road Car Co. Ltd became Arriva North West Ltd with the associated Bee Line and Liverline operations becoming Arriva Manchester Ltd, apart from the adoption of the Arriva corporate identity, not too much was different between Arriva North West and North Western as the 1990s drew to a close. In late Summer 1998, Arriva North West became responsible for the management of the bus station at the new Trafford Centre shopping mall, on 18 February 2000 Arriva plc acquired Merseysides largest bus operator MTL Trust Holdings Ltd. As a consequence of Arrivas acquisition of MTL, the management of the Arriva North West depot at Winsford was transferred to Arriva Midlands North Ltd. Arrivas acquisition of MTL significantly increased its presence within Merseysides bus market with the effect that Aintree based CMT Buses remained its only meaningful competitor. This concerned the Competition Commission who ordered Arriva North West to sell one of its depots in order to avoid a public inquiry over its purchase of MTL, Gillmoss depot in north Liverpool was the depot chosen to be sold, although its sale became a rather protracted affair. In early 2001 the Go-Ahead Group plc seemed ready to purchase Gillmoss, however, at the 11th hour, this deal broke down and instead Go Ahead acquired Arriva Croydon & North Surrey Ltd merging it into its established Metrobus operation. Arriva North West put a proposal to the Competition Commission for substantial investment in Gillmoss if the Commission withdrew its stipulation that Arriva had to sell the depot, however the Competition Commission did not accept this proposal and a buyer for Gillmoss had to be found. Gillmoss was eventually purchased on 15 July 2001 by two former MTL managers - Dominic Brady and Ian Campbell who formed Glenvale Transport Limited, furthermore, the Competition Commission stipulated Arriva North West couldnt compete with GTLs core service network in North Liverpool and Kirkby for three years. GTL began expanding its service network against Arriva North West and in June 2003 acquired CMT Buses, further strengthening its position in Liverpool, by 2004 the Competition Commission ban against Arriva North West competing with GTL was over and gradually copycat services were introduced on most of GTLs routes. GTL, £7m in debt and with a bus fleet, was taken over on 11 July 2005 by the Stagecoach Group who renamed it Stagecoach Merseyside. Arriva North West became responsible for the management of Arriva Cymru Ltd from 25 February 2002, and to reflect this, some of the operations of KMP of Llanberis were acquired by Arriva in August 2008 and merged with Arriva Cymru. This removed competition along the route between Llandudno and Bangor, the rest of KMP was acquired by independent Padarn Bus in April 2009. From 1 January 2009, the Wales operations were split from Arriva North West, from 23 July 2011, Skelmersdale Depot was closed down, losing 19 jobs
4.
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
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Dennis Specialist Vehicles Limited was a major British manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England. The company was best known as the manufacturer of engines, although its other major product lines were buses, dustcarts. They made their first motor vehicle in 1898, and in 1899, their first car, though shown at the National Cycle Show and they entered car production around 1900. Larger models followed with a 35 hp model in 1906 powered by a White and Poppe engine, commercial vehicle activity was increasing with the first bus being made in 1903 and fire engine in 1908. Cars soon took place and it is doubtful if any were made after about 1915. In 1913 Dennis Brothers moved to a new larger building of almost four acres on a twelve acre site at Woodbridge on the outskirts of Guildford leaving Onslow Street solely for repairs. The rate of expansion of the business may be gauged from the expansions at Woodbridge in 1907,1910. In mid-1913 an offer of shares to the made the business owner a public listed company. At that time the business was described as manufacturers of motor-vans, motor-lorries, motor-fire-engines, wartime production was reduced to military lorries for the War Office and the Dennis turbine fire engine. New buildings were added to contain the manufacture of munitions, White and Poppe in Coventry has always supplied engines for Dennis Brothers motor vehicles. It had been under consideration from before the war and it was announced in April 1919 that Dennis Brothers and White, the fact being to give Dennis Brothers a controlling interest in the other company. Mr White and Mr Poppe joined the Dennis Brothers board. the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services owns a pumper that was built by Dennis Brothers and delivered to the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore in 1925 from England. In 1972 the company was acquired by Hestair Group and renamed Hestair Dennis after a few years of financial difficulties and it was sold to Trinity Holdings in 1989 and then to Mayflower Corporation in October 1998. Dennis Bus - manufacturer of buses and other transport vehicles Dennis Eagle - manufacturer of dustcarts/refuse lorries. This company also incorporated the remains of the Eagle Engineering and Shelvoke, Dennis Group plc also owned Duple Metsec, the bus bodywork builder which usually supplied body kits for assembly overseas. Mayflower Corporation sold Dennis Eagle in July 1999 and purchased by Ros Roca in 2006, Dennis Bus and Dennis Fire were incorporated into Transbus International in 2001. Dennis fire engines were noted, from the outset, for their use of a pump or turbine as a water pump. This was more complex to build than the piston pumps
5.
Alexander Dennis
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Alexander Dennis is a British bus building company based in Scotland. In early 2016, Alexander Dennis had a 44% market share in the United Kingdom, as at April 2014, Brian Souter and Ann Gloag collectively held a 55% shareholding. Alexander Dennis was formed as TransBus International on 1 January 2001, TransBus International produced a range of both bus and coach chassis and bodies as well as fire engines. Included among its range of chassis were the Dennis Dart, one of the all-time best-selling buses in the UK, TransBus also produced export variants for service in Hong Kong, New York City and other locations. The Dennis Trident is the most common bus model in service in London, on 31 March 2004, TransBus International was put into administration. On 17 May 2004, the Plaxton coach business was sold in a management buyout, TransBus had been in the process of eradicating the traditional company names from the vehicles. On 21 May 2004, the part of TransBus was bought by a consortium of merchant bank Noble Grossart and businessmen David Murray. The new company was named Alexander Dennis, the sale did not include the former Alexander Belfast plant, which closed. On 26 January 2005, Alexander Dennis Wigan plant closed, after completing outstanding orders of its President body, Alexander Dennis secured a number of major orders from UK operators. In 2006 the company unveiled two new models, the Enviro400 double-decker and Enviro200 Dart midibus, in May 2007, Alexander Dennis purchased Plaxton, thus reuniting the two former TransBus businesses. In May 2012, New Flyer Industries and Alexander Dennis announced a new joint-venture to design, New Flyer will handle production and marketing, and Alexander Dennis will handle the engineering and testing. On 7 June 2012, Alexander Dennis acquired Australian bodybuilder Custom Coaches, however, in May 2014, Custom Coaches was placed into administration. In August 2014, Custom Coaches was sold to its former management, the bodywork on a majority of the chassis are built by a neighbouring company, John Dennis Coachbuilders Limited
6.
Thomas Built Buses
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Thomas Built Buses, Inc. is an American bus manufacturer. Headquartered in High Point, North Carolina, the company is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, while best known for its yellow school buses, Thomas also produces, activity buses/MFSAB, commercial buses, and bus bodies for aftermarket conversion. Thomas bus bodies are produced in two facilities in High Point, North Carolina, Thomas also produces the chassis for its Saf-T-Liner/Transit Liner EFX, the oldest surviving bus manufacturer in North America, Thomas Built Buses was founded in 1916. Trained as a woodworker and engineer, Perley A. Thomas had become unemployed as Southern Car Company had closed its doors, the company was a streetcar manufacturer based in High Point, North Carolina. As the city was a center of manufacturing, many workers found jobs in furniture production, Thomas initially founded a company specializing in fireplace mantles. In the summer of 1916, Thomas Car Works was founded as Perley Thomas began work in modification of existing streetcars in a car barn in High Point. With a $6,000 loan, Thomas purchased the equipment of Southern Car Works at auction, in 1918, the company began production of new streetcars,25 were produced, leading the company to build its own factory in High Point. Shortly after the company opened, all-steel streetcar bodies joined production of wooden bodies, in 1921, the company received its largest order ever, as NOPSI placed an order for 150 streetcars, to be delivered from 1921 to 1924. As Thomas was unable to fill the order on its own, in September 1922, after 25 streetcars were delivered, the High Point factory was destroyed by fire. To keep Thomas Car Works afloat, Perley Thomas secured $100,000 from NOPSI, allowing him to parts to build 55 more streetcars. By 1928, a batch of 25 streetcars was delivered. In the United States following World War II, the role of streetcars was largely superseded by transit buses, in New Orleans, over 90 years after the construction of the first Perley Thomas 900-series street cars,35 remain in service in active daily use in public transportation. In 1930, Thomas Car Works would receive its final order for streetcars, producing 4 for Mobile, although rail-based streetcars offered higher passenger capacity, automotive-based transit buses became more popular as they offered a greater degree of flexibility in route design. In the early 1930s, the company struggled, with most of its business consisting of automotive refinishing and construction of bus, the recession of the time had hit Thomas Car Works hard, with the company decreased in size from 125 employees to nearly 10. Eventually, a creditor would file for receivership, with its survival largely based on the lack of potential buyers. As the decade progressed, to secure its future, Thomas Car Works transitioned mass-transit production away from streetcars. In 1933, the company produced its first trolley bus, while still electric-powered from overhead wires, a trolley bus was bodied the same as a standard automotive-design bus. Moving further away from streetcars, Thomas Car Works produced 10 transit buses for Duke Power of South Carolina, in 1936, Thomas produced its first school bus
7.
High-floor
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A rail vehicle of high-floor design usually has a flat floor between 76 cm and 137 cm above the top of the railhead. For reasons of accessibility, an attempt is made to standardize the height, high platforms do have significant advantages beyond wheelchair accessibility. Mobility-impaired passengers also benefit, as do travelers pulling wheeled luggage or small folding shopping carts, even fully able-bodied passengers can board a railcar more rapidly if they do not have to climb stairs to enter, reducing dwell time at a stop, and reducing overall travel time. In addition, high-platform railcars have more space for passengers if space is not required for stairways. Tourist coaches generally have high floors, sometimes above 1 meter. Since boarding must be allowed directly from ground, long. Today, in Germany, all rapid transit railways, most commuter trains, a notable exception is the city railway in Cologne, in the mid-1990s, it was decided to divide that citys partially high platform network into two separate networks, high-floor and low-floor. In each of these cities, a new light rail line is equipped with platforms for low-floor trams. This form of design and construction will avoid the need for subsequent rebuilding of stops on tram routes, even though both cities already have underground lines with high-floor platforms
8.
Low-floor bus
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A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. Buses with partial low floor may also refer as low-entry bus in some locations, Low floor refers to a bus deck that is accessible from sidewalk with only a single step within a small height difference, caused solely by the difference between the bus deck and sidewalk. This is to distinguished from high-floor, a bus deck design that requires climbing one step or more steps to access the interior floor that is placed at a higher height. Being low-floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities, in North America, both types are commonly called low-floor, as the majority of the vehicle has a low floor, without steps at the doors. Some manufacturers use the initials LF or L in their model designations for fully low-floor models, in some countries, LE, short for Low Entry, is used by some manufacturers in their model designations for low-entry buses. Some full low-floor buses also have a rear axle, while the rear axle is not an issue on a low-entry bus. Many low-floor buses, including the Irisbus Citelis, has the engine in a cabinet at the rear of the bus. Van Hool have a series of side-engine mid-drive buses that puts the engine off to one side of the cabin longitudinally between the first and the axle, to maximize usable cabin space. The same concept was also utilized by Volvo on their B9S articulated chassis, for smaller buses, such as midibuses, the low-floor capability is achieved by placing the front wheels ahead of the entrance. Accessibility was previously achieved in paratransit type applications, which use small vehicles with the fitment of special lifts, the inception of small low-floor buses has allowed the development of several accessible demand-responsive transport schemes using standard off-the-shelf buses. A disadvantage of the low floor is accommodating the buss own wheels, with the low floor, the wheels protrude into the passenger cabin, and need to be contained in wheel pockets of waist height, and this occupies space which would otherwise be used for seating. Seating layout for a low-floor bus therefore requires careful design, Low-floor buses usually include an area without seating next to at least one of the doors, where wheelchairs, walkers, perambulators, and where allowed even bicycles, can be parked. This is sometimes not the purpose of this area, though. Despite the space existing, operators may also insist that one or two wheelchairs or pushchairs can be accommodated unfolded, due to space/safety concerns. Depending on how close to the curb the bus is parked and wheelchair design, many vehicles are also equipped with wheel-chair lifts, or ramps which, when combined with a low floor, can provide a nearly level entry. An interesting implementation of the low floor design exists in Australia and these buses combine a smaller low floor area with a small underfloor bin for some luggage. Whilst these buses do not provide an amount of luggage space. These buses also lack the ability to have a center door, many bus rapid transit systems employ a level boarding by using high-floor buses stopping at station style bus stops
9.
Engine
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An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy. Heat engines burn a fuel to heat, which is then used to create a force. Electric motors convert electrical energy into motion, pneumatic motors use compressed air. In biological systems, molecular motors, like myosins in muscles, use energy to create forces. The word engine derives from Old French engin, from the Latin ingenium–the root of the word ingenious. Pre-industrial weapons of war, such as catapults, trebuchets and battering rams, were called siege engines, the word gin, as in cotton gin, is short for engine. Most mechanical devices invented during the revolution were described as engines—the steam engine being a notable example. However, the steam engines, such as those by Thomas Savery, were not mechanical engines. In this manner, an engine in its original form was merely a water pump. Devices converting heat energy into motion are commonly referred to simply as engines, examples of engines which exert a torque include the familiar automobile gasoline and diesel engines, as well as turboshafts. Examples of engines which produce thrust include turbofans and rockets, the term motor derives from the Latin verb moto which means to set in motion, or maintain motion. Thus a motor is a device that imparts motion, motor and engine later came to be used largely interchangeably in casual discourse. However, technically, the two words have different meanings, however, rocketry uses the term rocket motor, even though they consume fuel. A heat engine may also serve as a prime mover—a component that transforms the flow or changes in pressure of a fluid into mechanical energy. An automobile powered by a combustion engine may make use of various motors and pumps. Another way of looking at it is that a motor receives power from an external source, simple machines, such as the club and oar, are prehistoric. More complex engines using human power, animal power, water power, wind power and these were used in cranes and aboard ships in Ancient Greece, as well as in mines, water pumps and siege engines in Ancient Rome. The writers of those times, including Vitruvius, Frontinus and Pliny the Elder, treat these engines as commonplace, by the 1st century AD, cattle and horses were used in mills, driving machines similar to those powered by humans in earlier times
10.
Cummins B Series engine
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The Cummins B Series is a family of American straight-four and straight-6 diesel truck and industrial piston engines that are manufactured by Cummins. The B Series is known for the popular 3.9 liters straight-four and 5.9 liters straight-six motors, straight-fours displacing 3.3 liters and 4.5 liters are also available. The B Series is widely used in segments, including pickup trucks, buses, military vehicles, construction equipment. Some of the construction and marine applications use a dual installation, the engine was originally designed by Cummins and Case Corporation for commercial truck applications, and gained much of its popularity after appearing in the Dodge Ram, in 1989. The B-series features engine bores machined directly into the block and it was also set apart by the use of a shallow one-piece head, requiring closer tolerances than in other Cummins products. The engine was first manufactured in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and other plants were added in Mexico, Turkey. Every Cummins powered Dodge Pickup has come equipped with a turbocharger and it uses a gear-drive camshaft for extra reliability. Also specified is an engine block and extra-strong connecting rods. The original B Series was updated with 24 valves and an engine management system to become the ISB in 1998. The 3. 9L/4BT Cummins is an engine in the family as the 5.9 liters Cummins turbodiesels. The 3. 9L/4B is an inline four-cylinder turbodiesel that was popular for many step van applications, including bread vans and it has also gained popularity as an engine swap into smaller trucks. The lowest powered 4B produces 55 hp, the 5.9 liters 6BT, aka the Cummins 12-valve was the first member of the B engine family to be used in a light truck vehicle. The 6BT used Robert Bosch GmbH fuel systems, injector, and VE rotary pump, some early 6BTs were supplied with CAV rotary pumps instead, before the Bosch system became the sole standard. This engine started life in 1984 designed as an agricultural engine, after 1989, the 6BT engine was used in light duty, medium duty and select heavy duty trucks and buses. During that time, the Dodge Ram was the only diesel pickup that did not rely on glowplugs for cold weather starting. The 5.9 liters ISB is one of the largest straight-six engines used for light vehicles. One unusual feature of the ISB is that it is a pushrod engine design. The engine displaces 5,883 cubic centimetres, with a 102.0 millimetres cylinder bore and 120.0 millimetres piston stroke, a turbocharger is used to increase the output in the high-compression diesel
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Media related to Dennis Dart at Wikimedia Commons