Historic buses

Would this old girl be the one that ran the flat 12 petrol engine that was mentioned in this forum a few years back??

The semi trailer bus is now at the new museum site, but back in its Parramatta Bus Co livery.

From an older website:

"1943 M3A1 WHITE SCOUT CAR (PRIME MOVER)
& 1947 SEMI TRAILER BUS

This vehicle is one of 123 semi-trailer type buses built and operated in Australia between 1939 and 1984. Most were constructed as specialised or one-off units. Only Motor Body Assemblers (M.B.A.) of Camperdown, N.S.W was successful in obtaining sufficient orders to warrant a standardised approach to the manufacture of the bodies.

Semi-trailer buses were a superb alternative, high capacity people mover, which became popular during the second world war when double deck chassis could not be obtained from Britain. While semi-trailers trucks went on to become highly developed for freight transport, it was the walk-through "bendy" articulated bus that subsequently became the passenger carrying alternative.

This prime mover body was built by M.B.A. around 1949 for a bookmaker and his family from the Riverina area in south west N.S.W. The cab was assembled on a White Scout Car M3A1 left hand drive chassis and was extended to accommodate four seats, a toilet and a wardrobe area. The vehicle was to be used as a private caravan. The chassis of the "Scout Car" was formerly left hand drive but was converted to right hand drive prior to the construction of the body .

When the outfit was discovered derelict at Murrurundi, N.S.W. in 1980, by a member, only the prime mover was salvageable. The member then located a semi trailer bus body equipped with 53 seats and coupled it to the prime mover in 1984.

The Semi-Trailer bus body is of timber frame construction and was built by Parramatta Bus Co., Northmead, N.S.W. in December 1947. An A.E.C. Matador was the original prime mover used to pull the trailer body. The complete semi-trailer bus was used on the firm's services from Parramatta to 'The Hills' district. The combination was registered m/o.352. It was deregistered in December 1952 and sold to George Clements, proprietor of Nambucca Heads Bus Service in 1954. It was soon resold to Mr Sinclair a Dundas operator. After extensive overhaul, it was reregistered m/o.002 in 1956. Mr Clements bought the unit again in 1957 and it became MO.4466, fleet No.1. In January 1962 it was sold with the company to Pell's Nambucca Bus Service. A Leyland Comet prime mover was substituted in 1972. When withdrawn in 1977, it was the last semi-trailer bus in service in N.S.W.

The present combination was restored and donated by the member to the Association.

SPECIFICATION
Engine:
JXD Hercules, six cylinder side valve petrol. bore 4", stroke 4.250", 320 C.I.D. 110 B.H.P. @ 2800 R.P.M.

Transmission:
Four speed constant mesh gearbox with a two speed transfer case and permanent four wheel drive. The differential is crown wheel and pinion on front and rear axles.

Brakes:
Vacuum assisted hydraulic foot brake and a transmission park brake. "

Dave_64 wrote: Would this old girl be the one that ran the flat 12 petrol engine that was mentioned in this forum a few years back??

That would be the 1948 White which is currently in the Driver Bus Lines collection..

Semi trailer buses.
I remember Reg Woods from Russel Vale having a red Bonneted White semi trailer bus in the late 60's and saw a picture of his Commer semi trailer bus in an old Truck and Bus Transportation Magazine. Reg operated under the name of Pleasure Tours.
In the 80's Peter Murada and Ernie Stafford registered their new business as Pleasure Tours and this had no connection except for the name with Reg Woods.

The Red White may have been owned by someone else and Reg might have been the driver. The White was often parked opposite Reg's house.

Guys, thanks for the great research into this topic.
Fascinating reading for some of us who may have previously known nothing/little about these units.
Cheers, Dave

There was a book "The Australian Articulated Bus" by Travers a few years ago. If you can pick up a copy, it is a very good read.

When George Clements owed this old girl, my late dad drove for him and often was rostered to drive the AEC, which was originally a 4x4 but the front axle had been removed. It was one of our local school buses travelling between Nambucca Heads and the high school in Macksville. I seem to remember that when the unit was sold, it was intended to be converted to a mobile dentists surgery for use in the outback, BIDSTBC.

Selected kids were often given the honour of riding in the prime mover. Occasionally some smart arse, in the know, would lift a flap in the floor of the goose neck section and trip the trailer brake valve, bringing the lot to a stop. The driver would then have to get out, re-set the valve and take off again. This most often happened on the steep hill leading to the high school.

George Clements had from memory a second trailer, with out prime mover, which he disposed of early on. His fleet consisted of at least one double decker, one half-cab AEC, (old Yellow), two front engine Leylands, (Big Blue and Little blue).

When he moved his depot from in the centre of town to the new one opposite the RSL Club, they had a bare chassis to shift and it was towed by another bus with a stiff bar. The guy on the chassis was standing up and as it had now steering wheel, used two opposing Stillsons to steer. It caused a fair deal of amusement as it went down the road.

Can you imagine trying to get away with the 'two stillson" steering today? OR, even sitting/standing on the chassis?
Although in saying that, can recall seeing bus chassis being driven on the road doesn't seem all that long ago. I think it was Parramatta Rd where they could be seen going from Hastings Deerings to Properts body builders, bloke sitting up on a seat bolted in, pair of motorcycle goggles and a greatcoat on, tyres covered by hessian squares over wooden frames(road spray reduction!)

Dave,
Something like this?



Northern India 2010