Buses GUY Wolverhampton England UK

GUY       

Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company was founded by Sydney S. Guy (1885-1971) who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Guy Motors operated out of its Fallings Park factory from 1914 to 1982, playing an important role in the development of the British motor industry.

an-aerial-view-of-guy-motors-fallings-park-factory

1953 Guy GS bus built for London Transport

History

Foundation and the First World War

Sydney S. Guy registered Guy Motors Limited on Saturday 30 May 1914, the same day he departed his position as Works Manager at the Wolverhampton company, Sunbeam. A factory was built on the site at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton. and by September 1914 production was underway on the newly designed 30cwt lorry. This employed a much lighter form of pressed steel frame, unlike the more commonly used heavy rolled steel channel frames of the time. This made the vehicle able to cross difficult terrain and a 14 seat poster bus built based on the design was used for crossing the Scottish Highlands.

1914 Guy’s 14 seater bus designed for use in the highlands

In 1915 Guy came under control of the Ministry of Munitions and production was focused on the war effort. The factory continued to produce 30cwt lorries which were supplied to Britain’s allies in the First World War. They also produced Wasp and Dragonfly radial aircraft engines, Tylor truck engines and Maudslay gearboxes as well as being the country’s largest maker of depth charge fuzes. For their efforts during the war Guy received a commendation from William Weir, Secretary of State for Air. Due to orders from the ministry Guy prospered during the war, expanding its factory and became an established name in British manufacturing.

1920s

The post-war period was difficult for the motor industry as military contracts were cancelled and military vehicles no longer required for service were sold onto the market at low prices. Guy returned to the civilian market, deciding to make luxury cars with a design by RH Rose, also from Sunbeam. They produced the Guy 8-cylinder car, powered by the first British V8 engine and featuring horizontal side valves. Around 25 of these were made and it was joined by a smaller model in 1922 with the 2465 cc four-cylinder 16.9 hp. A cheaper model followed in 1924 with the 1954 cc 13/36 with an engine from Coventry Climax. About 110 of the 4-cylinder models are thought to have been made. Production also continued on vehicles based on the 30cwt chassis such as the Guy charabanc and their major success the 30 seater bus.

In 1924 the company adopted the slogan ‘Feathers in our Cap’ which led to the addition of a Native American mascot to their vehicles. 1924 also saw Guy produce the first ever dropped frame chassis for passenger vehicles (the B-type). This design allowed passengers to enter buses in a single step and became extremely popular, Guy receiving an order for 170 from Rio de Janeiro.

Guy Motors badge

Growing populations in towns and cities meant larger capacity buses were a necessity, leading Guy to develop a 6-wheeled version of their dropped-frame chassis which allowed for the introduction of the first 6-wheeled double decker buses and 6 wheeled trolleybuses in 1926. Guy double decker buses and trolleybuses would prove popular with a fleet of double deckers sold to the London Public Omnibus Company and exports supplied all around the world. Exports served as a major source of income for Guy with sales to South Africa, Pakistan, India and the Netherlands, their armoured vehicles proving particularly popular for covering difficult terrain with 100 supplied to the Indian government in 1928.

Guy’s first military vehicle produced in 1923

In 1928 Guy took control of fellow Wolverhampton manufacturer the Star Motor Company, who had seen declining sales throughout the decade, in an attempt to expand their luxury car manufacturing. Under Guy, Star Motors moved to a new factory in Bushbury and the range of vehicles was narrowed to prevent competition against itself. Despite this Star continued to struggle and a loss was made on every car sold. The Wall Street Crash had a crippling effect on industry and the subsequent recession meant Guy could no longer afford to fit out Star’s Bushbury plant and in 1932 the company entered receivership.

Despite performing well throughout the decade, by the end of the 1920s Guy was facing an uncertain future due to the takeover of Star and the Wall Street Crash which had seen share prices fall from one pound to one shilling.

1930s

Guy was able to endure the depression due to orders from the war office and by taking advantage of the 1930 Road Traffic Act which encouraged the development of lighter vehicles. In 1933 the Arab bus chassis, designed for use with diesel engines, was launched and would prove a mainstay of Guy’s success for the next twenty years.

From the mid-1930s, the company became increasingly involved in the British rearmament programme, developing and producing military vehicles. In 1935 Guy submitted their new four wheel Ant armoured car to military trials where it impressed and 150 were ordered by the government. After this success Guy began to concentrate solely on the production of military vehicles and by 1938 Guy relied exclusively on Government contracts and had ended civilian productions. During this time Guy designed a new armoured car, the Quad Ant, which was welded rather than riveted together. This development made armoured vehicles much safer and is reported to have saved the British government £100 million, earning Guy a commendation from the Royal Commission.

1914 Guy Syzygies

1914 Guy Syzygies

1914 Guy Syzygies

1914 Guy Syzygies

1919 Guy Charabanc T-5182

1921 Guy 30-seater bus

1921 Guy coaches in Wolverhampton Market place

1922 Guy Promenade Runabout

1924 Guy six-wheelers in Rio de Janeiro

1925 Guy first six wheeled pneumatic Trolley Bus

1925 Guy Motors

1925 Guy Rio 1925

1927 Guy 6 wheeled Londonbus

1927 Guy 26 seater

1927 Guy FBB (chassis number 22257) with a Hall Lewis B32R body

1927 Guy Star Flyer

1928 Guy 6 wheeled double deck long distance sleeper coach

1928 Guy BT Dodson DY 4965 in Hastings

1929 Guy php

1930 Guy FC of Newcastle Corporation

1930 Guy Motors

1930 guy-vixen

1931 Guy ‘BTX’ Zuid Africa

1931 Guy Trolleybus op weg naar Japan

1932 Guy Open coach

1933 Guy Trolleybus adv1

1933 Guy NL

1934 Guy Wolf Guy GR-1157

1936 Guy Trolleybus  adv

1937 Guy Arab

1937 Guy Wolf with Martin body

1938 Guy Wolf with 20 seat bodywork by Waveney

1943 Guy Arab I JUA762 Pickering H30 26R Re bodied ROE H31-25R

1943 Guy Arab I JUA762 Pickering H30 26R Re bodied ROE H31-25R

1943 Guy Arab II as a double decker, later an open top decker similar to 39

1946 Guy Arab III with Massey C35F body new to W. Alexander

1946 Guy Arab Massey TSB019

1946 Guy Arab Seamer Service

1946 Guy Arab with Brush B35F body

1946 Guy Vixen Hainje B-22878 NL

1946 Guy-Arab bus 84 met carrosserie van Verheul. Dienstbus

1947 Guy Arab (Seida)

1947 Guy Arab III with Duple C35F body

1947 Guy Arab Verheul NB-34-13 NL

1947 Guy first post war Trolley Bus Belfast Corporation

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr. Saunders GTW 30 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 32 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 33 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 34 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 35 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 36 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 37 NL

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Individually built bus advert

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Newport buses bus advert

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Southampton Guy Arab bus advert

1947 Guy Saunders Tet 075 NL

1947 guy-arab

1947 Guy-Vixen. Carrosserie v d Bos(linker bus) NL

1947-52 Guy carr. Den Oudsten NB-21-69 NL

1947-52 Guy Vixen carr. Verheul NB-28-40 NL

1948 Guy Arab 16 Brian Shaw

1948 Guy Arab 16

1948 Guy Arab 21 Brian Shaw

1948 Guy Arab 37

1948 Guy Arab carr. Verheul NB-28-54

1948 Guy Arab Fleet LUT&PC 22

1948 Guy Arab Fleet of Maidstone Corporation Transport Department 26

1948 Guy Arab Fleet of Newport Corporation Transport 24

1948 Guy Arab Glasgow Corporation Transport Fleet 23

1948 Guy Arab I 136

1948 Guy Arab III with an MCW 35 seat body

1948 Guy Arab III with MCW 35 seat rear entrance body.

1948 Guy Arab IV African Transport Limited Kenya 30

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV Hong Kong China Bus Company Limeted 34

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV South Africa 35 Greyhound

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV Southdown Motor services Limited 32

1948 Guy Arab Mk III 19 6 1957 Verheul 1948 TET 88 E-45960 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 320 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 321 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 324 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 328 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW NL

1948 Guy Arab Single decker 2

1948 Guy Arab single decker vehicle

1948 Guy Arab Single Decker

1948 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Verheul GTW 39 NL

1948 Guy met Verheul carr. uit de serie 82 tm 84 uit 1948  werd in 1953 verbouwd . De achterkant is verheul NL

1948 Guy Otters were never common and ones with Alexander bodywork rarer still

1948 Guy Vixen  coach

1948 Guy Wolf chassis carries a Barnard body

1948 Guy-Arab met carrosserie Saunders  NL

1948 guy-arab dd

1948 guy-arab 440

1948 guy-arab 440

1948 guy-arab dd

1948 Guy-bus 23 erachter Crossley- Scheldebus 20 (NS 1065) op 12 september 1948 vliegveld Beek en EBAD NL

1948 The Arab Mark IV, Guy’s most successful bus design

1948 The Sunbeam Double-Decker Trolleybus

1949 burlingham guy coach

1949 Guy Arab III 6LW with Park Royal H30-26R body

1949 Guy Arab III, fleet number 10 (KTC 615)

1949 Guy Arab IV

1949 Guy Arab IV

1950-guy-arab-mk-iii

1949 Guy Arab MK 5

1949 Guy Arab MKIII Gardner 6 LW carr Hainje GTW 329 NL

1949 Guy ArabIII-Brislington Bus Works

1949 Guy Motors adv.

1949 Guy Vixen carrosserie Den Oudsten NL

1949 guy-arab

1949-53 Guy-carr. Jongman NB-56-18 NL

1950 Guy Arab III with Guy B33R bodywork

1950 Guy Arab III-Harkness Coachworks B31F (may be B30F now) 286, MZ7384

1950 Guy Arab III-Harkness

1950 Guy Arab Mark IV

1950 Guy Arab MK IV South Africa 37

1950 Guy Arab UF with Guy B40F body (using Park Royal framework)

1950 Guy Arab V double deck bus

1950 Guy Motors

1950 Guy Vixen Overland Firms 59

1950 Guy Vixen NL

1950 guy-arab

1950 guy-arab

1950 Guy-Vixen NL

1951 Guy Arab III with a Windover C33F body

1951 Guy Arab III with rare Roe coach body

1951 Guy Arab III with unusual Roe coach body

1951 Guy Arab UF fitted from new with a preselector gearbox and carried a Guy B40F body.

1951 Guy-Arab 76 met carrosserie van Hondebrink. Opname 1955 tijdens toerwagenral NL

1951-guy-vixen-carrosserie-hainje

1952 Guy Arab III with Roe B41C bodywork

1952 Guy Arab LUF with Weymann B44F body

1952 Guy Arab Underfloor engined single deck Huddersfield 43 seater bus 4

1952 Guy GS – MXX 342

1952 Guy Otters with rare Mulliner bodywork

1952 Guy Underfloor Verheul  Jac. van Dijk nr 58 NB-06-72 NL

1952 Guy Vixen Wadham

1952 Guy-Arab 89 met carrosserie van Verheul. Met 45 zit en 10 staanplaatsen. Opname grens Glanerbrug in 1954 NL

1952 Guy-Arab nr. 86 met carrosserie van Verheul NL

1952 guy-otter

1952 guy-otter

1953 Guy Otter

1953-guy-arab-88-met-carrosserie-van-verheul

1953 Guy Arab bus 60

1953-guy-arab-iii-with-roe-b41c-bodywork

1953 Guy GS MXX-343ECW B26F Kerel

1953 GUY Otter Diesel light vehicle12

1953 Guy Special NLLVP with ECW B26F body

1953 Guy Special with ECW B26F bodywork

1953 Guy Special NLLVP with ECW B26F bodywork

1953 Guy Vixen 30 seater vehicle 4

1953 Guy Vixen London Transport GS84 and GS76

1953 Guys with ECW B26F bodies for use on low traffic country area routes

1953 Guys with ECW B26F bodies

1954 Guy Arab Lighteight heavy duty underfloor engined coach

1954 Guy Arab LUF with a Guy B43F body

1954 Guy Arab LUF with Picktree C35F body

1954 Guy Arab LUF with rare Picktree Continental C35F body

1954 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton advert

1954 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton advert

1954 Guy Otter with a Roe B25F body

1954 Guy Sunbeam Trolley Double Deck Bus Walsall Corporation

1954 Guy Warrior 43 seater Trambus with AEC 6cyl 135 bhp engine

1954 Guy-bus 8 van de EBAD met Den Oudsten carrosserie NL

1955 Guy Arab LUF with Alexander C41F bodywork

1955 Guy Arab LUF

1955 Guy Arab LUFs, fitted with Roe B34C+24 bodies

1955 Guy Arab Mark IV East kent Road car Company Limited 31

1955 Guy Warrior LUF Coach 3

1955 Guy Warrior with Burlingham C41F body

1955 guy-s ad

1956 Guy Arab LUFs with Willowbrook C37C bodies

1956 Guy Arab Mark IV Belgium 36

1956 Guy Arab, with Park Royal body

1956 Guy Kusters-bus, de EBAD 91

1956 Guy Raghano België

1956 Guy Seal Small capacity tourist coach 1

1956 Guy Warrior, XUK768, with Mulliner C37C body

1957 Guy Arab LUF with Roe B41R body

1957 GUY Jonckheere België

1957 Guy Arab Toerwagen 88 met carrosserie van Verheul

1957 Guy Otter P6 with Mulliner B26F bodywork

1957 Guy Vixen

1958 Guy Arab LUFs with Longwell Green B44F bodies, XNY419

1958 Guy LUF with Longwell Green B44F body

1958 Guy UF with Burlingham Seagull C41F body

1958 Guy Victory Trambus

1958 Guy Victory Trambus

1958 Guy Victory UF 44 till 65 seater Luxery Touring Coach Victory 2

1958 Guy Victory

1958 Guy Warrior Gardner 5HLW oil engine 2

1958 Guy Wulfrunian

1958 Guy-Arab nr. 89 met carrosserie van Verheul. De bus had 45 zit en 10 staanplaatsen

1958 guy-victory

1958 guy-victory

1958 guy-victory

1959 GUY 1460

1959 Guy Arab LUF Powered by a Gardner 6HLW engine Registration 1294 RE

1960 GUY J- Type

1960 Guy Warrior coach vehicle 21

1960 guy-victory

1961 Guy Arab III-Strachen-Highland Trans.G.Rixon2

1961 Guy Wulfrunians with Roe H43-32F body

1963 Guy Arab IV with Massey lowbridge body

1964 Guy Conquest Luxery Coach

1965 Guy Conquest Luxery Coach with AEC AV505 Gardner 6LX or 6LW Victory Trambus

1960 Guy Victory 40-45 seat

GUY DD

Guy Arab – FRU 224

Guy buses

1967 Guy -ZABO NL © AvdBorg&CBos

1978 Guy Victory U F Victory 1 ?

The End

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Charles H. ROE Bus Body/Coach builders Leeds Yorshire England UK

Charles H. Roe

 Logo

 A November 1978 built Roe body on a Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R, new to South Yorkshire PTE as their 1633, pictured in Manchester with Citybus

Charles H. Roe Ltd. was a Yorkshire coachbuilding company. It was for most of its life based at Crossgates Carriage Works, in Leeds.

1930 Guy BTX trolleybuses with Roe L27-26R body

In 1947 it was taken over by Park Royal Vehicles. Two years later, along with its parent, it became part of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in 1949, which was merged with Leyland Motors Ltd in 1962. In 1965 30% of Park Royal and Roe’s shares were exchanged by Leyland Motor Corporation for shares in Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works held by the Transport Holding Company. Later the THC was succeeded by the National Bus Company and Park Royal, Roe, Bristol, ECW and Leyland National Ltd became subsidiaries of a new company Bus Manufacturuers Holdings 50% owned by British Leyland and 50% by National Bus. Leyland took complete control of BMH in 1982 and closed Charles H. Roe in 1984. In the following year, a group of employees from the former business, supported by Yorkshire Enterprise Ltd, began the Optare coachbuilding business in the former Roe carriage works.

1930 Guy BTX with Roe L29-26R bodies

History overview

Mr Charles H. Roe was a coachbuilder, draughtsman, engineer and entrepreneur who established a coachworks business bearing his name in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1917. He continued to be its managing director until 1952. Charles H. Roe Ltd produced distinctive and durable coachwork which although associated most strongly with municipal operators, particularly in Yorkshire, sold to a wide range of bus, trolleybus and coach operators, and there were even a few car, railway carriage, tram and commercial vehicle bodies too. Eventually becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of British Leyland in 1982 it was closed in 1984. Former workers and management pooled their redundancy money and in 1985 returned to the Roe factory in Leeds with a new bus-building business under the new name of Optare Ltd.

1930 Leyland Lion LT1 with Roe bodywork

History

Early years

Charles Henry Roe was born in York on 22 May 1887. His father Charles Roe worked for the North Eastern Railway at their carriage works in the town, eventually rising to a foreman’s position. C.H. Roe served his apprenticeship at the drawing office of the carriage works and his first job after gaining his trade in 1912 was as a draughtsman at the Wakefield works of Charles Roberts and Company who built railway rolling stock. A year later he moved to Leeds to work as an assistant to the chief engineer at the Hunslet-based RET Construction Co who was a pioneer builder of trolleybuses. Whilst there he worked on a twin-shaft drive transmission system from the traction motors of the trolleybus chassis to replace a previous chain-drive arrangement and designed a lightweight body featuring steel panels over a suitably reinforced teak body frame. As an engineer and draughtsman he was exempt from World War I Conscription. Customers for the RET vehicle with Roe-designed bodies included the trolleybus systems of Bloemfontein Corporation, The Shanghai Transport Company and Ramsbottom Urban District Council. The Ramsbottom examples were to a steel-frame design but it was wood and metal composite construction particularly using teak that became synonymous with the C.H. Roe name. The RET business had gone through one bankruptcy prior to C.H. Roe joining, originally having been founded as the Railless Electric Traction Company Ltd. in 1908. In 1916 The RET Company was required under war regulations to turn over production to munitions and being unable to supply orders in hand for trolleybuses was closed down in 1917.

1931 Guy BTX with a Roe L29-26R body

Sole trader

By August 1917 C.H. Roe had set up on his own account as an engineer and coachbuilder in a nearby factory unit. Always an innovator with a shrewd grasp of the value of intellectual property Roe applied for his first patent (relating to driving pulleys) on Armistice Day November 11, 1918. During this time Roe continually extended his site, which adjoined that of his former employer which had now been requisitioned by the Royal Flying Corps. As a sole trader, Roe built a wide variety of products from simple flatbed trailers for traction engines to a refrigerated mobile fish shop body and stylish charabanc bodies on the ubiquitous Ford Model T. Another early patent was for a tipping body for lorries (spelt in true Yorkshire style ‘lurries’ in the application) with compartments to allow discrete loads to be kept separate. Railless Ltd had reformed after the war to build trolleybuses and Roe designed and/or built bodies went on examples supplied to the North Ormesby, South Bank, Normanby & Grangetown Railless Traction Company and to York Corporation.

1932 AEC Regal dating from 1932, was fitted with this Roe B32F body in 1938

The first company

Expansion at the Hunslet site was by the end of 1919 impossible, but C.H. Roe lived with his wife in the Cross Gates area of the city of Leeds and knew that a large shell-filling factory there had been vacated by the government. Thus for the purpose of purchasing this large site with a modern factory building and space for expansion he registered Charles H Roe Ltd on May 26, 1920. The shareholders included his father and a number of family friends. Whilst the formation of the company and negotiations to buy the Cross Gates site commenced, coachbuilding continued at the Hunslet factory, bodies including Charabancs on Karrier and Lancia chassis. After taking possession of the Cross Gates site the first Roe double-deck bodies were built for Birmingham Corporation on Railless Ltd chassis, a second trolleybus maker to patronise Roe was Clough, Smith Ltd whose trolleybuses comprised their Leeds-built electrical equipment on Straker-Squire chassis and were hence known as Straker-Clough; Roe bodies supplied to them were then supplied to the Teesside Railless Traction Board (a municipal joint committee who had taken over the North Ormesby Company) and Rotherham Corporation. Other products of this era included a number of charabancs on chassis including Leyland, Thornycroft and Fiat and a stylish limousine on a Lancia chassis. All types of bodies from other builders were also repaired and painted.

1932 AEC Regent with Roe body

Trading difficulties in the early 1920s recession affected many businesses, the under-capitalised original Roe company being just one, during 1921 two debentures had to be secured to continue trading, the second relating directly to the Birmingham Corporation double deckers. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and the first company was voluntarily wound-up after a directors’ meeting in November 1922. The receiver of the original company was able to give the bank a small surplus, whilst among the debts received £3,000 had come from various other purchasers plus £900 from Railless Ltd, who had subcontracted the Birmingham bodybuilding contract to Roe. Late payment can kill many a new business and it seems to have been the death of the original Roe company. C.H. Roe in a personal capacity bought the remaining assets from the receiver for £1,140.

1932 AEC Regent with Roe H30-26R body

Charles H Roe (1923) Ltd

The early years

One lesson had been learned in the formation of the second company (initially Charles H. Roe (1923) Ltd) in that share capital was one third larger (£8500 rather than £5850). At this time motorbus, rather than trolleybus or charabanc bodies began to assume a greater prominence. Like trolleybuses however a lot of the coachbuilding work on motorbuses was subcontracted either from the chassis manufacturer or from a dealership company. Thus many early Roe bus bodies on Karrier chassis were sold by the Huddersfield company as complete products.

1934 AEC Regent with Roe 56 seat body

An even more complicated situation arose with the Leeds based operation Tramway Supplies Ltd. They tendered for complete vehicles and then subcontracted the chassis supply to one manufacturer and the body supply to another. One of the body subcontractors was the Blackburn Aircraft who also had a factory in Leeds. They built their last bus bodies in 1924, just as Government orders for aircraft (particularly flying boats, a Blackburn speciality) began to pick up. Railless Ltd (the third Railless company) were, incidentally, backed by Short Brothers another aeroplane manufacturer with a specialism in flying boats and a sideline in bus bodies.

1934 AEC Regent with Roe H30-26R body

An example of how complicated the whole complete vehicle contract thing could get concerns a Tilling-Stevens bi-mode petrol-electric/trolley bus (type PERC1) built-for and patented-by the Teesside Railless Traction Board’s manager. Tilling-Stevens had contracted to supply a complete vehicle; they then subcontracted the body to Tramway Supplies who sub-subcontracted it to Blackburn, who sub-sub-subcontracted it to Roe.

1934 AEC Regent-Roe H30-26R

Other odd work in the early years of the new company included in 1924 a 36 seat petrol-fuelled rail vehicle for the Derwent Valley Light Railway. It was based on two Ford Model T chassis fitted with flanged steel tyres and coupled back-to-back, this rail minibus or petrol multiple unit seated 18 in each carriage and was driven from one end only, the rearward-facing car running in neutral gear with the engine switched off. When worked coupled fuel consumption was stated to be 14.33 mpg and if one unit was run the even more efficient figure of 17.55 mpg was obtained. It wasn’t enough to save passenger operations on the line from oblivion however and the units were exported in 1926 to the County Donegal Joint Railway Committee (CDR) in the north-west of Ireland who converted them from standard gauge to 3 ft gauge, lowering the bodies in the process. The CDR thus became the first railway in Ireland to use internal combustion engines and by the time of closure ran all passenger services and a number of freights using Gardner-powered diesel units.

1934 Leyland TD3 with a Roe H24-24C body

By 1925 Roe were receiving orders directly from customers in the council-owned sector, many of them previous customers for sub-contracted bodies, Mr Roe’s approachability during body construction may have played a part in this, letters from general managers of the time thank C.H. Roe for his enabling inspection of bodies in-build. Among municipals taking Roe bodies by this time were Ramsbottom, Rotherham, Northampton, Doncaster, Leeds, Oldham, Bradford and the Teesside Railless Board, most of whom would continue to be Roe customers for a long time; chassis included Bristol, Guy, Thornycroft and AEC. The first double-deck motorbuses were for Doncaster in 1925 on AEC, a year later Roe were building 30 ft-long six wheeled double-decks for Oldham on Guy chassis. Unlike London at the time all of Roe’s double-deck customers specified closed-tops on the upper deck. In 1926 Straker-Squire finally folded and Roe stored uncompleted vehicles for Clough, Smith prior to a new arrangement which saw their electrical equipment fitted to Karrier chassis. Also at this time Roe started building enclosed, or saloon, coaches which were often fitted to chassis which had previously carried charabanc bodies, Roe having a surplus of second-hand charabanc bodies by 1925. Two further debentures were called for, but this time it wasn’t to keep the business going, but to fund the expansion of the premises.

1935 AEC Regent originally with Roe H30-26R body

Independent prosperity

One of the more significant patents to emerge from Cross Gates was number 313720 registered in 1928 the name of the Company, Mr C.H Roe and Mr William Bramham, the works manager who was later to be general manager at Eastern Coach Works at Lowestoft, Northern Coachbuilders of Newcastle upon Tyne and Saunders-Roe of Beaumaris. This concerned a continuous machined teak waist rail designed to double-interlock with the vertical teak pillars and the steel reinforcing strips, once assembled also binding those to the outer panels; it could be accurately described as an early example of system-built coachwork. New chassis makes bodied in the late twenties included Albion and Crossley, both of whom chose Roe bodies for demonstrators, in Crossley’s case for its first double-decker. Trolleybuses continued to figure, makes including Karrier-Clough and Guy, the three-axled double deck now being the common form for these, customers including Bloemfontein, South Lancashire Transport and corporation fleets including some detailed above, Doncaster for example taking one of the only two Bristol trolleybuses with a Roe body in 1928.

1935 Roe H26-22C bodied AEC Regent

Another significant patent was jointly granted in 1930 to the company, Mr Roe and J.C. Whitely the general manager of Grimsby Corporation for a central entrance double decker with a distinctive design of staircase which rose transversely two steps to a wide landing and then branched into forward and rearward ascending longitudinal flights to the upper deck. Roe built bodies to this style until 1950 and licencees included H. V. Burlingham of Blackpool.

1936 Leyland Cub KPZ2 with Roe bodywork

In 1934 five years after the original company was wound up, the board agreed to remove the (1923) from the current company name. At the same time share capital rose to £12,000 and the current mortgages and debenture were repaid in favour of a new first mortgage.

1936 Leyland KPZ2 Cub with Roe B24F body

In 1935, encouraged by the chassis builder, a Commercial Motor Show exhibit was built on an AEC Regent chassis for Leeds Corporation, this bus had a rakish streamlined outline and a full-width cab but more importantly had an all-new steel framework patented by the company, Roe and Bramham (who became a director that year) and a ‘Safety Staircase’ patented by the company, Roe, Bramham and William Vane Moreland, the general manager of Leeds City Transport. This staircase on a rear platform bus gave less loss of seating capacity than the straight staircase favoured in London and Birmingham but intruded less onto the boarding platform than the normal semi-spiral arrangement whilst being superior to either layout in having two broad landings allowing boarding and alighting passengers to pass on the staircase. It became a standard feature of all subsequent peacetime Roe double-deck bodies for Leeds Corporation and was widely employed by other fleets, 777 examples being built by Roe prior to expiry of the patent in 1950.

1936 Leyland TS7 with ROE B32 F Body

During World War II, Roe mainly continued to build passenger bodies, although supplying the war effort more directly with such specialised bodywork as mobile printing presses for field communications use on Foden Lorries and articulated mobile kitchens, canteens and dormitories to assist blitzed factories. These were on semi-trailer chassis coupled to Bedford tractor units. Similar bus-seated vehicles were built mainly for use within Ordnance factories (where they became known as Bevin buses) but two were supplied to Liverpool Corporation and briefly used as service buses (1942-4) before being converted to mobile canteens. More normal passenger vehicle bodies were built during the war to the Government-mandated ‘utility’ outline including 240 single-deck 32 seaters on Bedford OWB chassis and over 400 double-deck bodies on Guy and Daimler motorbuses and Sunbeam trolleybuses, most to the sunken upper deck offside gangway or lowbridge layout.

1936 Leyland TS7c with Roe B34F body

In 1945 nominal share capital increased to £108,000 and the valuation of the works increased to £98,000. In 1939 both the English Electric Company and Metro Cammell Weymann had approached Roe about amalgamation or takeover and in 1945 talks were opened with Mumford of Lydney in Gloucestershire. These talks were inconclusive but in 1947 Park Royal Vehiclesbought a controlling shareholding in the company, three Roe board members were replaced by Park Royal directors and C.H Roe joined the board of Park Royal. In 1949 Park Royal were taken over by Associated Commercial Vehicles by then the parent company of AEC, Crossley and Maudslay.

1937 AEC Regent Roe Pullman H31-25R

The ACV years

Although ACV owned three chassis manufacturers and three coachbuilders (Park Royal, Roe and Crossley) they did not try to tie the hands of customers. Some rationalisation happened early in that any orders for Park Royal composite bodies were transferred to Roe, and steel-framed bodies were either built by Park Royal or by Roe using Park Royal frames. By the mid-1950s all metal-framed bodies by ACV, regardless of coachbuilder, had a Park Royal outline.

1937 Bristol JO5G with Roe B32F body

The flagship of the Roe composite body range was however exclusively built on AEC Regent III; this was the Pullman body, the only Roe bus ever to be named. The prototype – a Leeds bus to the specifications of W. Vane Moreland – with its deep windows and four window bays rather than the then standard five had looked ultra-modern when shown on a pre-war Regent at the 1937 Commercial Motor Show in London, it is an acknowledged influence on the London Transport designers whose RT1 appeared two years later with similar construction and outline.

1937 Leyland TD5 with Roe H31-25R body

Trolleybuses continued to figure, on Sunbeam/Karrier, Crossley or BUT chassis. The most striking of these were the Coronation class vehicles built on Sunbeam MF2B chassis for Kingston upon Hull Corporation Transport. These had a front entrance on the front overhang and a central exit; they were fitted with twin staircases and were intended to be one-man operated so were equipped with trolley-pole retriever equipment at the rear.

1938 Leyland Tiger TS8 with Roe B30F body

After the initial post-war boom Roe also took on a great deal of repair, rebuilding and refurbishment work, adding a workshop for this purpose. Plymouth Corporation had its entire fleet of Guy Arab utility buses thoroughly rebuilt by Roe, some 100 passing through the works. Roe also extended the Brush or Metro-Cammell bodies of Midland Red‘s post-war underfloor engined single deckers from 27 ft 6in to 29 ft 3in, allowing an extra four seats to be fitted. This work covered classes S6, S8, S9, S11 and all but one of S10, a grand total of 455 buses all converted in 1952 or 1953. In 1952 Charles H Roe resigned from the position of managing director, although he remained as chairman.

1938 Leyland TS8-Roe B36R

As pressure of work eased Roe also introduced a coach body for the AEC Reliance. This was known as the Roe Dalesman and ran through four separate marks, from 1953-9. It was mainly stock-built for coach dealers selling to small independents but major operators to use the type included West Riding Automobile Company and Black and White Motorways. Other specialist work undertaken included two single deck trams for Leeds, a mobile chest X-ray unit for tuberculosis control and crew cab lorries on Ford Thames Trader for the Uganda police force. Box vans were supplied on Bedford to the Bradford Dyers Association.

1938 Leyland TTB3 or TTB4 with a Roe H35-29R body

The composite body had been revised post-war, with a new patent waist rail, the teak structural member now covered by rolled steel plate. In 1957 the composite double decker reached its final form with teak framing to the lower deck ceiling or upper deck floor and an aluminium framework above. This was to continue in production, mainly on Daimler half-cab chassis until 1968, the last batch being built for Northampton Corporation on CVG6, replacing earlier Roe-bodied CVG6s which at the time comprised the entire Northampton fleet, all but five having composite bodies.

1938 ROE CM-Roe

Simultaneously Park Royal bowed to pressure from the British Electric Traction group of major regional bus operators and replaced their rather elegant mid-1950s aluminium-framed body with a steel-framed structure of very angular outline, this first appeared as the production version of the integral AEC Bridgemaster, but soon spread to all other steel-framed Park Royal and Roe double deckers. Crossley had been closed by ACV in 1958, having ceased to make chassis five years previously.

1939 Karrier E6 with Roe H32-28R body

Roe metal-framed bodies to this new outline went on a wide range of double deck chassis. A large batch were built for BET on the new Leyland Atlantean, these were delivered in 1960 to Trent Motor Traction, Devon General and the Northern General Transport group. As well as looking ungainly these buses became notorious for their propensity to corrode. Roe also built both forward and rear entrance bodies using this structure on conventional chassis, Swindon Corporation taking Daimler CVG6 and both Yorkshire Traction and Stratford Blue Motors taking rebodied Leyland Tigers.

1939 Leyland Tiger TS8 with Roe B32F body

Far less conventional was the Guy Wulfrunian which was even more avant-garde than the Atlantean, it was designed to the requirements of the independent West Riding company and featured a front engine on the front entrance platform, instead of a front radiator it had two Cave-Browne-Cave heat exchangers on the upper deck front face to provide passenger heating and ventilation as well as engine cooling. The front wheels had double wishbone independent suspension and like the rear axle had a self-levelling air suspension system, the foundation braking was by disc brakes on all four wheels with a drum brake on the driveshaft providing the parking brake and the fluid flywheel adapted to serve as an integral retarder. At a time when only Jaguar and Ferrari road cars had front discs this was a technological adventure, like the Routemaster and Midland Red’s motorway coach it was shown with its Roe body in a cutaway-centre spread of boy’s comicThe Eagle where it took its place alongside V-Bombers, Nuclear Submarines and Deltic Locomotives. Roe bodied 131 out of the 137 Wulfruninans built from 1959 to 1965.

1940 AEC Regent with Roe bodywork

The Wulfrunian body was lower built as this chassis was designed as a low height bus with stepless entrance and centre gangways on both decks. Roe also softened the outline of the body with a subtly curved rear dome; the use of equal-depth windows on both decks produced a much more balanced look.

1941 Leyland TD7 with a Roe L24-24R body

Other oddities at the dawn of the 1960s included single-deck buses on the double-deck AEC Regent V chassis, most of these were built for South Wales Transport for a route with a very low railway bridge in Llanelli under which underfloor engined single decks could not work but there were also one each for the Leeds Council Welfare department (with a rear ramp for wheelchair access) and for the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation.

1942 Guy Arab I with Roe L24-26R

1942 Leyland Titan TD7 with Roe H26-32C bodywork

In 1962 ACV merged with Leyland Motors to form the Leyland Motor Corporation. In 1965 LMC sold a 30% shareholding in Park Royal and Roe to the state-owned Transport Holding Company in return for a 25% stake in Bristol Commercial Vehicles and Eastern Coach Works. Charles H Roe retired as company chairman in 1962 and died in 1965.

1943 Guy Arab II with a Roe B38C body

1943 Guy Arab II with Roe L27-26R body

1943 Guy Arab II with Roe L27-28R body

1943 Sunbeam W with Roe H62R body

The mixed economy

The original outline of the body for rear-engined double deckers was widely considered unsatisfactory and Sunderland Corporation took a heavily revised version on Daimler Fleetline from 1962-6 featuring a prominent peak at the front dome and a reverse rake to the upper-deck rear in the style of the contemporary Ford Anglia saloon car. Great Yarmouth Corporation instead specified double curvature windscreens of Alexander design on its Atlanteans (including a unique short-wheelbase batch in 1967) and on the last three Daimler Freeline single deckers. This then became a standard option at Roe who also optionally fitted the Alexander style double-curvature upper-deck front window on rear engined chassis, curving the line of the foremost upper deck side windows down to meet this, producing an elegant style which suited the Fleetline and the post 1964 low height Atlantean. Also in 1964 for that year’s Commercial Motor show Roe built its first body to the 36 ft length permissible since 1961, it was an early Leyland Panther for the Kingston upon Hull Corporation Transport fleet. Unlike the Coronation trolleybuses they were to replace, the Hull Panthers were allowed to be one man operated. Roe then built versions of this body for Leeds on the similar AEC Swift from 1967 to 1972 and also built standee single decks on Daimler Roadliner and Fleetline for Darlington and on Seddon Pennine RU for Doncaster.

1944 Daimler CWA6 with a Roe H30-26R body

1944 Guy Arab II with body by Roe

1944 Sunbeam W with Roe body

In 1964 Leeds, the last provincial bastion of the rear-open platform double decker took a batch of Fleetlines to Great Yarmouth outline and the first of these was also shown at the 1964 show, Leeds continually revised this design over the next few years, in 1966 it was extended to 33 ft long rather than the previous 30 ft 10in, both decks had double curvature screens and side glazing became panoramic, with double-width window glasses. In 1968 angled flat glass at the front and a glass-fibre dash was added and a centre exit was fitted whilst the rear dome reverted to a square outline. This made the appearance similar to the Oldham Corporation variant supplied with conventional side glazing on standard wheelbase Atlanteans since 1965. The Leeds design was produced until 1975 with a few going to independent operators in England and Scotland. The Leeds and Oldham designs in turn led to the Park Royal–Roe standard design for Atlantean and Fleetline built from 1969 to 1981, which had a deeper front screen optionally to Alexander layout or flat-glazed and wider pillar spacing than the previous standard but not as long as that fitted to the Leeds style or the Manchester Corporation Mancunian. Roe built one batch of 34 Mancunians on long Fleetlines in 1972. These buses had been due to be bodied by East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 1970, but they suffered a fire destroying their works in Blackburn, so the contract was transferred to Park Royal, who in turn transferred it to Roe (shades of that Teesside Tilling-Stevens).

1945 Sunbeam W with Roe 62 seat coachwork

The standard design was adopted by West Yorkshire PTE (successor to the Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield Halifax and Calderdale fleets) and many municipals and also (from 1972) on the AN68 Atlantean became the National Bus Company’s second-choice double decker, being especially associated with ‘Leyland’ fleets such as Ribble, Northern General and Southdown but it also became the standard double decker with London Country who had over 300.

1946 AEC Regent IIIs with Roe H31-25R body

1946 Leyland PD1-Roe H31-25R

1946 Roe B35R bodied Guy Arab III

Nearing the end

In 1982 Leyland Vehicles, the truck and bus division of the by now state-owned British Leyland bought out the National Bus Company’s 50% shareholding in the joint-venture Bus Manufacturers Holdings Ltd which had not only owned Bristol, ECW, Park Royal and Roe but also the Leyland National factory at Workington.

1947 AEC Regals with Roe B32F body

1947 AEC Regent III with Roe H28-22C body

1947 AEC Regent III with Roe H31-25R body

1947 AEC Regent III-Roe H31-25R

1947 Daimler CVD6’s coaches rebodied by Roe in the mid-1950s

1947 Leyland Tiger PS1 with Roe B35R bodywork

1947 Leyland Titan PD1-3 with Roe bodywork

1947 Roe B35R bodywork was fitted to this Leyland PS1

1947 Sunbeam W new in 1947, rebodied by Roe H32-28R in 1960

1947 vintage Leyland PS1 with a Roe B32F body

In 1981 and 1982 Roe-bodied six 18-metre long articulated buses for British Airways, these employed Leyland National body sections on Leyland-DAB underfloor-engined chassis, Roe modifying the body for the higher frame height. They featured five entry-exit doors, two on the offside, and were used to transport passengers from their aircraft to the terminal at Heathrow airport.

1948

AEC-AEC-BUT-DAIMLER-SAUNDERS-LEYLANDx3-BUT

1981 had been a peak production year at Roe, with 182 bodies built, the highest total since 1966 (the year when double-decks were finally allowed to be operated without a conductor, the first bus to do so, on the day of the law change, being a Great Yarmouth Roe-bodied Atlantean). The standard body was phased out in 1981, as the Fleetline had been discontinued and the Atlantean could not be sold in the EEC after 1983 as it fell foul of noise-pollution laws. 1981 was also the year that the Park Royal coachworks were closed. The new body to take its place was for the new Leyland Olympian chassis and Roe produced 299 of these prior to closure, most went to three fleets, West Yorkshire PTE and NBC subsidiaries Bristol Omnibus Company and London Country, with one batch to Strathclyde PTE and a sole vehicle to the Scottish Arts Council which was equipped as a travelling art gallery.

1949

AECx4-DAIMLER-GUY-CROSSLEY-SUNBEAM

Production peaked at this point because the Government was phasing out the New Bus Grant which had provided up to 50% of the cost of a bus used on local services provided it met certain rules. In order to compensate for this drop in bus sales Leyland Bus (as it had now become) decided to produce a new flagship product for the booming deregulated coach market following the Transport Act 1980. This was the Royal Tiger underframe and the Roe Doyen body. This was a sophisticated product, as the Tiger coach chassis competed head on with the Volvo B10M the Royal Tiger Doyen was designed to provide a British alternative to the high-end Setra coach from Germany. Production got off to a slow start, not helped by overly centralised control from Leyland and a rigid set of body specifications which did not initially provide all the features more demanding coach customers wanted. In 1983, the year of launch only 10 complete Royal Tiger Doyens entered service, a further 13 underframes being supplied to Van Hool and Plaxton to receive versions of their standard coachwork. In 1983 production of the underframe was moved to Workington and 22 coaches were completed by Roe as well as 86 Olympians. The plant was not at that point viable for British Leyland who had been impoverished by the chronic failure of its Austin mass-production car division. Thus Roe followed Daimler, Guy, AEC, Park Royal and Bristol into oblivion.

1950

AECx2-Crossley-Daimler-Leylandx3-Albion-Sunbeamx2

Many Roe bodies survive in preservation and some on special tourist services, the earliest design being a replica of a 1929 body on a Leyland Lion at the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport.

1951

AECx3-GUYx3-Leyland-AEC

Three diecast model manufacturers produce 1:76 scale models of Roe vehicles, EFE have a pre-war Leyland Tiger bus, Corgi OOC produce the final style of rear entrance composite body as a half-cab or a trolleybus and Britbus make the NBC version of the standard Atlantean body in single or dual-door format.

1952

Guy-Leylandx3

1953

Daimler-Guy-AEC-Railcar ROE 2x

1954

Guy-AECx2-Guy-Leyland-Roe ad

1955

Guyx2-Leylandx2-Sunbeam

1956

AECx3-Daimlerx2-Guy

1957

AECx4-Guyx2-Leylandx2-Guy-Aec

1958

AECx3-Leylandx5-AEC

1959

AEC-Daimler-Guy-Leylandx3-AEC

1960

AECx2-Daimler-Leylandx3

1961

AEC-Daimler-Leyland-Guy-AEC

1962

AECx2-Daimlerx2-Leylandx3-AEC-Guy

1963

AEC-Daimlerx3-Guy-Leyland-AECx3

1964

AECx3-Daimlerx3-Leylandx2-Daimler-AEC

1965

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1966

AEC-Daimler-Leylandx3-AEC

1967

AEC-Daimler-Leylandx4-AEC

1968

AEC-Daimlerx2-Leyland

1969

Leyland x 2

1970

Daimler + Leyland

1971

AEC- Leyland x 3

1972

Daimler x 3 + Leyland

1973

Daimler and Leyland

1978

Leyland

Finish

Buses GUY Wolverhampton England UK

GUY

Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company was founded by Sydney S. Guy (1885-1971) who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Guy Motors operated out of its Fallings Park factory from 1914 to 1982, playing an important role in the development of the British motor industry.

  

an-aerial-view-of-guy-motors-fallings-park-factory

1953 Guy GS bus built for London Transport

History

Foundation and the First World War

Sydney S. Guy registered Guy Motors Limited on Saturday 30 May 1914, the same day he departed his position as Works Manager at the Wolverhampton company, Sunbeam. A factory was built on the site at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton. and by September 1914 production was underway on the newly designed 30cwt lorry. This employed a much lighter form of pressed steel frame, unlike the more commonly used heavy rolled steel channel frames of the time. This made the vehicle able to cross difficult terrain and a 14 seat poster bus built based on the design was used for crossing the Scottish Highlands.

1914 Guy’s 14 seater bus designed for use in the highlands

In 1915 Guy came under control of the Ministry of Munitions and production was focused on the war effort. The factory continued to produce 30cwt lorries which were supplied to Britain’s allies in the First World War. They also produced Wasp and Dragonfly radial aircraft engines, Tylor truck engines and Maudslay gearboxes as well as being the country’s largest maker of depth charge fuzes. For their efforts during the war Guy received a commendation from William Weir, Secretary of State for Air. Due to orders from the ministry Guy prospered during the war, expanding its factory and became an established name in British manufacturing.

1920s

The post-war period was difficult for the motor industry as military contracts were cancelled and military vehicles no longer required for service were sold onto the market at low prices. Guy returned to the civilian market, deciding to make luxury cars with a design by RH Rose, also from Sunbeam. They produced the Guy 8-cylinder car, powered by the first British V8 engine and featuring horizontal side valves. Around 25 of these were made and it was joined by a smaller model in 1922 with the 2465 cc four-cylinder 16.9 hp. A cheaper model followed in 1924 with the 1954 cc 13/36 with an engine from Coventry Climax. About 110 of the 4-cylinder models are thought to have been made. Production also continued on vehicles based on the 30cwt chassis such as the Guy charabanc and their major success the 30 seater bus.

In 1924 the company adopted the slogan ‘Feathers in our Cap’ which led to the addition of a Native American mascot to their vehicles. 1924 also saw Guy produce the first ever dropped frame chassis for passenger vehicles (the B-type). This design allowed passengers to enter buses in a single step and became extremely popular, Guy receiving an order for 170 from Rio de Janeiro.

Guy Motors badge

Growing populations in towns and cities meant larger capacity buses were a necessity, leading Guy to develop a 6-wheeled version of their dropped-frame chassis which allowed for the introduction of the first 6-wheeled double decker buses and 6 wheeled trolleybuses in 1926. Guy double decker buses and trolleybuses would prove popular with a fleet of double deckers sold to the London Public Omnibus Company and exports supplied all around the world. Exports served as a major source of income for Guy with sales to South Africa, Pakistan, India and the Netherlands, their armoured vehicles proving particularly popular for covering difficult terrain with 100 supplied to the Indian government in 1928.

Guy’s first military vehicle produced in 1923

In 1928 Guy took control of fellow Wolverhampton manufacturer the Star Motor Company, who had seen declining sales throughout the decade, in an attempt to expand their luxury car manufacturing. Under Guy, Star Motors moved to a new factory in Bushbury and the range of vehicles was narrowed to prevent competition against itself. Despite this Star continued to struggle and a loss was made on every car sold. The Wall Street Crash had a crippling effect on industry and the subsequent recession meant Guy could no longer afford to fit out Star’s Bushbury plant and in 1932 the company entered receivership.

Despite performing well throughout the decade, by the end of the 1920s Guy was facing an uncertain future due to the takeover of Star and the Wall Street Crash which had seen share prices fall from one pound to one shilling.

1930s

Guy was able to endure the depression due to orders from the war office and by taking advantage of the 1930 Road Traffic Act which encouraged the development of lighter vehicles. In 1933 the Arab bus chassis, designed for use with diesel engines, was launched and would prove a mainstay of Guy’s success for the next twenty years.

From the mid-1930s, the company became increasingly involved in the British rearmament programme, developing and producing military vehicles. In 1935 Guy submitted their new four wheel Ant armoured car to military trials where it impressed and 150 were ordered by the government. After this success Guy began to concentrate solely on the production of military vehicles and by 1938 Guy relied exclusively on Government contracts and had ended civilian productions. During this time Guy designed a new armoured car, the Quad Ant, which was welded rather than riveted together. This development made armoured vehicles much safer and is reported to have saved the British government £100 million, earning Guy a commendation from the Royal Commission.

1948 The Arab Mark IV, Guy’s most successful bus design

World War Two

Guy armoured vehicles were used throughout the war, featuring prominently in the North African campaign and at the evacuation of Dunkirk. Although production of the Ant and Quad Ant were moved to Karrier the factory was still involved in the war effort producing anti-aircraft guns.

Passenger car sales in the UK virtually ceased during the war, which was accordingly a good time to be a UK bus manufacturer, and more than 2,000 Guy double-decker buses entered service between 1942 and 1945. The Ministry of Supply had ordered Guy to produce a chassis suitable for double decker buses, the blitzhaving resulted in a shortage of buses. In 1942 Guy launched the Arab utility deck bus based on their original 1933 design, but with a frame of identical shape to the Leyland Titan TD8. It was immediately successful due to its reliability and low running costs. The company’s contribution to the war effort established them as a leading supplier for the government and meant they were financially stable heading into the post-war years.

Post-War Years

After the war Guy returned to civilian production with bus production remaining a mainstay and retaining a strong emphasis on export sales to their major markets including South Africa, Pakistan and the Netherlands. In 1948 Guy acquired Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Limited and from then on all trolleybuses produced (except some for UK operators carrying Karrier badges) carried the Sunbeam name. Trolleybuses continued to sell well with the Sunbeam becoming the most popular model in South Africa.

The Sunbeam Double-Decker Trolleybus

Guy continued to update their old models, introducing a new version of the Otter chassis in 1950 for 30-seater vehicles and 84 were ordered by London Transport. By 1954 Guy passenger vehicles were operated by 150 companies in the UK and in 26 countries abroad. The company developed the first 30 ft two-axle double-deck trolleybus chassis in 1954, the Sunbeam F4A, which could seat 68 passengers.

1954 The Otter Tractor Vehicle

In 1957 Sydney Guy retired after 43 years with the company. Guy continued to develop new models of chassis, introducing updated versions of the Otter and Warrior models and the high performance Victory chassis. However an ill-advised decision to take South African sales in house proved an extreme strain on the company’s finances. Combined with their attempt to develop a new double decker chassis this would prove highly damaging for Guy’s future. Launched in 1958 the Wulfrunian promised many innovations in its design but crucially lacked the reliability upon which Guy had built its name.

The decline of the company

Although new designs such as the Warrior Mark II were being produced and despite the fact their lorries were performing well by 1960 Guy faced seemingly insurmountable financial problems. The failure of the Wulfrunian was a commercial disaster and the operation in South Africa was losing them £300,000 a year.

By 1961 Guy had no choice but to enter receivership. Sir William Lyons, managing director of Jaguar, acquired the company for £800,000, transferring its assets to a new company, Guy Motors (Europe) Limited which left all the liabilities with the now defunct Guy Motors Limited the name eventually reverting to “Guy Motors Ltd” in 1966. Jaguar immediately set about rationalisation, decreasing the number of employees and the range of vehicles in production.

Guy continued to be successful throughout the 1960s with the development of the Victory trambus and the Big J series of trucks. The Big J was designed around a new Cummins V6 engine, and was intended for motorway operation. However a series of mergers by their parent company had left them in a precarious situation In 1966 Jaguar had merged with the British Motor Corporation to form British Motor Holdings. This company had then merged with Leyland in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation. Leyland ceased the production of Guy badged buses in 1972 although Leyland badged versions of the Guy Victory were produced at Wolverhampton and Leyland until 1986. Despite the mergers the British motor industry continued on a generally downward trend and British Leyland looked for where it could make savings.

Guy Motors was able to postpone closure due to the success of its Big J range which meant it was one of the few companies owned by British Leyland operating at a profit. Despite this in 1981 Leyland decided to close the Fallings Park plant as part of a rationalisation drive and in August 1982 the doors were shut at the cost of 740 jobs. On 5 October the factory was stripped clean and the contents auctioned.

1914 Guy Syzygies

1914 Guy Syzygies

1914 Guy Syzygies

1919 Guy Charabanc T-5182

1921 Guy 30-seater bus

1921 Guy coaches in Wolverhampton Market place

1922 Guy Promenade Runabout

1924 Guy six-wheelers in Rio de Janeiro

1925 Guy first six wheeled pneumatic Trolley Bus

1925 Guy Motors

1925 Guy Rio 1925

1927 Guy 6 wheeled Londonbus

1927 Guy 26 seater

1927 Guy FBB (chassis number 22257) with a Hall Lewis B32R body

1927 Guy Star Flyer

1928 Guy 6 wheeled double deck long distance sleeper coach

1928 Guy BT Dodson DY 4965 in Hastings

1929 Guy php

1930 Guy FC of Newcastle Corporation

1930 Guy Motors

1930 guy-vixen

1931 Guy ‘BTX’ Zuid Africa

1931 Guy Trolleybus op weg naar Japan

1932 Guy Open coach

1933 Guy Trolleybus adv1

1933 Guy NL

1934 Guy Wolf Guy GR-1157

1936 Guy Trolleybus  adv

1937 Guy Arab

1937 Guy Wolf with Martin body

1938 Guy Wolf with 20 seat bodywork by Waveney

1943 Guy Arab I JUA762 Pickering H30 26R Re bodied ROE H31-25R

1943 Guy Arab I JUA762 Pickering H30 26R Re bodied ROE H31-25R

1943 Guy Arab II as a double decker, later an open top decker similar to 39

1946 Guy Arab III with Massey C35F body new to W. Alexander

1946 Guy Arab Massey TSB019

1946 Guy Arab Seamer Service

1946 Guy Arab with Brush B35F body

1946 Guy Vixen Hainje B-22878 NL

1946 Guy-Arab bus 84 met carrosserie van Verheul. Dienstbus

Almelo-Glanerbrug op de weg Borne-Hengelo. Opname verm. 1949. NL

1947 Guy Arab (Seida)

1947 Guy Arab III with Duple C35F body

1947 Guy Arab Verheul NB-34-13 NL

1947 Guy first post war Trolley Bus Belfast Corporation

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr. Saunders GTW 30 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 32 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 33 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 34 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 35 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 36 NL

1947 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Saunders-de Schelde GTW 37 NL

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Individually built bus advert

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Newport buses bus advert

1947 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton, Southampton Guy Arab bus advert

1947 Guy Saunders Tet 075 NL

1947 guy-arab

1947 Guy-Vixen. Carrosserie v d Bos(linker bus) NL

1947-52 Guy carr. Den Oudsten NB-21-69 NL

1947-52 Guy Vixen carr. Verheul NB-28-40 NL

1948 Guy Arab 16 Brian Shaw

1948 Guy Arab 16

1948 Guy Arab 21 Brian Shaw

1948 Guy Arab 37

1948 Guy Arab carr. Verheul NB-28-54

1948 Guy Arab Fleet LUT&PC 22

1948 Guy Arab Fleet of Maidstone Corporation Transport Department 26

1948 Guy Arab Fleet of Newport Corporation Transport 24

1948 Guy Arab Glasgow Corporation Transport Fleet 23

1948 Guy Arab I 136

1948 Guy Arab III with an MCW 35 seat body

1948 Guy Arab III with MCW 35 seat rear entrance body.

1948 Guy Arab IV African Transport Limited Kenya 30

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV Hong Kong China Bus Company Limeted 34

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV South Africa 35 Greyhound

1948 Guy Arab Mark IV Southdown Motor services Limited 32

1948 Guy Arab Mk III 19 6 1957 Verheul 1948 TET 88 E-45960 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 320 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 321 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 324 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW 328 NL

1948 Guy Arab MkIII, Gardner 6LW, carr. Verheul GTW NL

1948 Guy Arab Single decker 2

1948 Guy Arab single decker vehicle

1948 Guy Arab Single Decker

1948 Guy Gardner 6LW Arab MkIII carr Verheul GTW 39 NL

1948 Guy met Verheul carr. uit de serie 82 tm 84 uit 1948  werd in 1953 verbouwd . De achterkant is verheul NL

1948 Guy Otters were never common and ones with Alexander bodywork rarer still

1948 Guy Vixen  coach

1948 Guy Wolf chassis carries a Barnard body

1948 Guy-Arab met carrosserie Saunders  NL

1948 guy-arab dd

1948 guy-arab 440

1948 guy-arab 440

1948 guy-arab dd

1948 Guy-bus 23 erachter Crossley- Scheldebus 20 (NS 1065) op 12 september 1948 vliegveld Beek en EBAD NL

1949 burlingham guy coach

1949 Guy Arab III 6LW with Park Royal H30-26R body

1949 Guy Arab III, fleet number 10 (KTC 615)

1949 Guy Arab IV

1949 Guy Arab IV

1949 Guy Arab MKIII Gardner 6 LW carr Hainje GTW 329 NL

1949 Guy ArabIII-Brislington Bus Works

1949 Guy Motors adv.

1949 Guy Vixen carrosserie Den Oudsten NL

1949 guy-arab

1949-53 Guy-carr. Jongman NB-56-18 NL

1950 Guy Arab III with Guy B33R bodywork

1950 Guy Arab III-Harkness Coachworks B31F (may be B30F now) 286, MZ7384

1950 Guy Arab III-Harkness

1950 Guy Arab Mark IV

1950 Guy Arab MK IV South Africa 37

1950 Guy Arab UF with Guy B40F body (using Park Royal framework)

1950 Guy Arab V double deck bus

1950 Guy Motors

1950 Guy Vixen Overland Firms 59

1950 Guy Vixen NL

1950 guy-arab

1950 guy-arab

1950 Guy-Vixen NL

1951 Guy Arab III with a Windover C33F body

1951 Guy Arab III with rare Roe coach body

1951 Guy Arab III with unusual Roe coach body

1951 Guy Arab UF fitted from new with a preselector gearbox and carried a Guy B40F body.

1951 Guy-Arab 76 met carrosserie van Hondebrink. Opname 1955 tijdens toerwagenral NL

1952 Guy Arab III with Roe B41C bodywork

1952 Guy Arab LUF with Weymann B44F body

1952 Guy Arab Underfloor engined single deck Huddersfield 43 seater bus 4

1952 Guy GS – MXX 342

1952 Guy Otters with rare Mulliner bodywork

1952 Guy Underfloor Verheul  Jac. van Dijk nr 58 NB-06-72 NL

1952 Guy Vixen Wadham

1952 Guy-Arab 89 met carrosserie van Verheul. Met 45 zit en 10 staanplaatsen. Opname grens Glanerbrug in 1954 NL

1952 Guy-Arab nr. 86 met carrosserie van Verheul NL

1952 guy-otter

1952 guy-otter

1953 Guy Arab 88 met carrosserie van Verheul. NL

1953 Guy Arab bus 60

1953 Guy Arab III with Roe B41C bodywork

1953 Guy GS MXX-343ECW B26F Kerel

1953 GUY Otter Diesel light vehicle12

1953 Guy Special NLLVP with ECW B26F body

1953 Guy Vixen Bus

1953 Guy Special with ECW B26F bodywork

1953 Guy Special NLLVP with ECW B26F bodywork

1953 Guy Vixen 30 seater vehicle 4

1953 Guy Vixen London Transport GS84 and GS76

1953 Guys with ECW B26F bodies for use on low traffic country area routes

1953 Guys with ECW B26F bodies

1954 Guy Arab Lighteight heavy duty underfloor engined coach

1954 Guy Arab LUF with a Guy B43F body

1954 Guy Arab LUF with Picktree C35F body

1954 Guy Arab LUF with rare Picktree Continental C35F body

1954 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton advert

1954 Guy Motors of Wolverhampton advert

1954 Guy Otter with a Roe B25F body

1954 Guy Sunbeam Trolley Double Deck Bus Walsall Corporation

1954 Guy Warrior 43 seater Trambus with AEC 6cyl 135 bhp engine

1954 Guy-bus 8 van de EBAD met Den Oudsten carrosserie NL

1955 Guy Arab LUF with Alexander C41F bodywork

1955 Guy Arab LUF

1955 Guy Arab LUFs, fitted with Roe B34C+24 bodies

1955 Guy Arab Mark IV East kent Road car Company Limited 31

1955 Guy Warrior LUF Coach 3

1955 Guy Warrior with Burlingham C41F body

1955 guy-s ad

1956 Guy Arab LUFs with Willowbrook C37C bodies

1956 Guy Arab Mark IV Belgium 36

1956 Guy Arab, with Park Royal body

1956 Guy Kusters-bus, de EBAD 91

1956 Guy Raghano België

1956 Guy Seal Small capacity tourist coach 1

1956 Guy Warrior, XUK768, with Mulliner C37C body

1957 Guy Arab LUF with Roe B41R body

1957 GUY Jonckheere België

1957 Guy Otter P6 with Mulliner B26F bodywork

1957 Guy Vixen

1958 Guy Arab LUFs with Longwell Green B44F bodies, XNY419

1958 Guy LUF with Longwell Green B44F body

1958 Guy UF with Burlingham Seagull C41F body

1958 Guy Victory Trambus

1958 Guy Victory Trambus

1958 Guy Victory UF 44 till 65 seater Luxery Touring Coach Victory 2

1958 Guy Victory

1958 Guy Warrior Gardner 5HLW oil engine 2

1958 Guy Wulfrunian

1958 Guy-Arab nr. 89 met carrosserie van Verheul. De bus had 45 zit en 10 staanplaatsen

1958 guy-victory

1958 guy-victory

1958 guy-victory

1959 GUY 1460

1959 Guy Arab LUF Powered by a Gardner 6HLW engine Registration 1294 RE

1960 GUY J- Type

1960 Guy Warrior coach vehicle 21

1960 guy-victory

1961 Guy Arab III-Strachen-Highland Trans.G.Rixon2

1961 Guy Wulfrunians with Roe H43-32F body

1963 Guy Arab IV with Massey lowbridge body

1964 Guy Conquest Luxery Coach

1965 Guy Conquest Luxery Coach with AEC AV505 Gardner 6LX or 6LW Victory Trambus

1960 Guy Victory 40-45 seat

GUY DD

Guy Arab – FRU 224

Guy buses

1967 Guy -ZABO NL

1978 Guy Victory U F Victory 1 ?

END

Buses, body and coachbuilder DE SCHELDE Dordrecht The Netherlands

Carrosserie DE SCHELDE Dordrecht The Netherlands

NV Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde (KMS), Vlissingen

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damen_Schelde_Naval_Shipbuilding

Na de tweede Wereldoorlog was er een groot tekort aan bussen, en zodoende werden er op plaatsen die door de Duiters waren leeggeroofd, zoals “de Scheld”, maar ook bij Fokker en bij Werkspoor plekken gezocht waar bussen gemaakt konden worden.

De Schelde heeft in de jaren na de bevrijding ook aluminium carrosserieën gebouwd voor Crossley–bussen, ontworpen door Verheul en bestemd voor de NS en diens dochterondernemingen. Ook voor een aantal particuliere openbaar vervoerbedrijven heeft De Schelde in die periode bussen vervaardigd. Twee exemplaren zijn als museumbus bewaard gebleven, nl. de gerestaureerde en rijvaardige NBM1108 (Crossley / De Schelde 1947) bij de Stichting Veteraan Autobussen in Pijnacker en de nog niet gerestaureerde Marnedienst 53 (Dodge / De Schelde 1946) bij het Nationaal Bus Museum in Hoogezand.

 

1946 Dodge bus carrosserie de Schelde  van de Marnedienst foto 1951

1946 Dodge de Schelde ESA 45 en 47

1946 Dodge de Schelde

1946 Guy-Arab 77 met carrosserie van De Schelde. Oorspronkelijke carrosserie was van Saunders uit Engeland.

 

1947 Crossley Carr.De Schelde Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NTM, NBM, Velox 1108

1948 Guy-bus 23 erachter Crossley- Scheldebus 20 (NS 1065) op 12 september 1948 vliegveld Beek en EBAD

 

1952 Kromhout carr. De Schelde  NB-34-90

1956 80506 line up met 1002 en 1040 met 5500 serie rond 1956 Vlissingen Hotel Britannia, een aantal hiervan met de Schelde carr.

SW  1953 NB-25-13 Middelburg Plein 1940

SW 1002

SW 1002

SW 1040 NB-25-01 Middelburg plein 1940

SW 1040 NB-25-01 Vlissingen Bellamypark

SW 1040 NB-25-01

SW 1201 NB-25-04 Vlissingen Lewetrap

SW 1930 NB-25-12  Vlissingen Bellamypark

SW 2078 NB-25-14 Goes Hotel Terminus a

SW 2078 NB-25-14 Goes Hotel Terminus

SW 2078 NB-25-14 met 2101 op onbekende plaats

SW 2101 NB-25-17 plaats onbekend

SW 2126 NB-25-21 Middelburg garage SW

SW 2126 NB-25-21 Middelburg Plein 1940

NZH CROSSLEY de Schelde 1405-COND-CHAUFFEUR

1108 HK1997 GTM 1 Deze bus is in 1947 opgebouwd bij de firma De Schelde in Dordrecht,

op een chassis van Crossley Motors uit Manchester (bus van stichting Museumbus)

1947 Bussen Crossley-de-Schelde WSM 1078

1947 Bussen Crossley, SD42-1 de Schelde 1947

1947 Crosley SD42 1 Crossley De Schelde

1947 Crossley SD 42-1 uit 1947 welke bij levering voorzien was van een Schelde opbouw

1947 De Schelde Crossley (NB-66-12) Circuit Zandvoort 1962

Crossley de Schelde ?

#

Tot zover wat ik heb kunnen vinden onder meer op de site van openbaarvervoerinboskoop.nl, Conam en het forum van Buzzee Bee

Nederland, die wil ik dan ook hartelijk danken.

Tot zover

Filed Under: BUSES, Carrosserie, CROSSLEY, DAF, DE SCHELDE, DODGE, GUY,Kromhout, NS, Saunders, VERHEUL