Talk:Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Sales to Bristol Omnibus Co.

I believe that I'm correct in thinking that following the separation of BCV from Bristol Tramways & Carriage Co., BT&CC/BOC bought at least one example of every major† chassis type, with the sole exception of the SU. Can this be sourced? If so, is it worthy of note? †I state "major" because there were several specific chassis types not bought by BT&CC/BOC. For example, although they bought REs (in large numbers) they didn't buy two of the RE variants (RESH, REMH). --Redrose64 (talk) 15:30, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Might have been wrong there: have just found a handwritten note of mine (made in the 1980s) that it was the SC which Bristol Omnibus Co. didn't buy. --Redrose64 (talk) 20:06, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

LH/LHS

Is it correct that the LH was 26 feet (7.9 m) and the LHS 30 feet (9.1 m)? These seem to be the wrong way around to me. To take a few ECW bus-bodied examples in service with NBC fleets in the mid/late 1970s, their body types were:

• Bristol LHS6L (B35F) - East Kent 559-562; London Country BL1-BN67; Southern Vectis 836-839
• Bristol LHS6P (B37F) - Eastern Counties LHS595-599
• Bristol LH6L (B39D) - Hants & Dorset 522-526, 1522-1531
• Bristol LH6L (B41F) - Bristol Omnibus 346-350; Western National 712-726
• Bristol LH6L (B42F) - Bristol Omnibus 351-356
• Bristol LH6L (B43F) - Alder Valley 535-541; Bristol Omnibus 357-389; Devon General 100-115; Hants & Dorset 527-536, 1532-1548, 3501-3579, 3806-3811; Lincolnshire 1023-1044; Southern Vectis 825-829; United Auto 1646-1655; Western National 727-763, 1564-1623
• Bristol LH6P (B43F) - Lincolnshire 1001-1022
• Bristol LH6L (B45F) - Alder Valley 511-534; East Midland/Mansfield District 807-810; Trent/Midland General 401-414; United Auto 1501-1645, 1656-1685; United Counties 400-412; West Yorkshire RCC 1151-1182
• Bristol LH6P (B45F) - Crosville SLP144-159; Cumberland 100-116; Eastern Counties LH685-702, LH719, LH899-916;

Since the LHS typically have 35/37 seats, and the LH have 41-45 (39 if dual-door), I therefore conclude that the LHS (with an average of two rows of seats fewer than the LH) was the shorter chassis. --Redrose64 (talk) 20:38, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

You're right, of course. It's easy can read the page so closely that you just don't notice the obvious mistakes! I'm preparing an article on the LH to post within the next week or so, and it bears out your thinking.

By the way, the B42F were the same as the B41F except they had a bench seat for five across the back, whereas the 41-seat version were built with two pairs of seats and a reversing window between them; the difference between a B45F and a B43F was generally the lack of a luggage pen. Geof Sheppard (talk) 12:50, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

Plea for identification assistance

Does anyone know what this is, please? It has Bristol written on the front. According to the database of the UK tax authorities it was manufactured in 1961 (which I can believe) and has an engine capacity of 11000cc (which seems quite a lot under the circumstances, but what do I know?) and runs on Heavy oil (which is UK taxofficespeak for diesel). Thank you (if you will) for sharing any inasights. Regards Charles01 (talk) 09:39, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

It's a HA6L tractor unit for a semi-trailer, I think. HAs do vary quite a bit.

Like most Bristols, it was built for the BRS fleet and has been preserved in their livery. Andy Dingley (talk) 14:36, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

The fleet number (6E 192) unfortunately does not identify the model (or even the make) unless you have the full BRS fleet list: the letter E means the Midland Division of BRS, and the 6 identifies the depot within that Division, in this case Tyburn (Birmingham), which is in the Birmingham and Coventry District. The 192 is merely a stock number.

Bristol only built goods chassis between 1952 and 1964, and AFAIK only had two models: the HG was an 8-wheel rigid designed to the requirements of the Road Haulage Executive (predecessor of BRS), whilst the HA (introduced later) was an artic tractor unit. Both the HG and HA were probably only bought by the RHE and BRS. I would agree with Andy that this one is a HA. --Redrose64 (talk) 14:00, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

I also think it's a long-chassis (most of the late examples). The biggest difference was the engine fitted, there were several types, and one of the later engines needed a longer space. The radiator grille also varies a lot, although I don't know the details. Andy Dingley (talk) 14:06, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Engines specific to the Bristol HA I wouldn't like to say, but Bristol typically offered a choice of either a Gardner engine, or another make such as Leyland or Perkins.

11000 cc isn't excessively large for a Diesel: consider that the Gardner 6LXB - a common bus/lorry engine - had a bore of 4+3⁄4 inches (120.65 mm) and a stroke of 6 inches (152.40 mm), which works out as a displacement of 637.94 cubic inches (10,454 cc), and the Leyland O.600 had a displacement of 600 cu in (9,832 cc). --Redrose64 (talk) 14:27, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

This was still a fairly large engine for a lorry, as these were some of the biggest and heaviest general haulage wagons of the period. The ubiquitous Bedford TK rigid was a 330 cu in engine. Andy Dingley (talk) 14:50, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Many thanks for these insights. Flip-flopping cylinder displacements between inches and millimeters is way above my mental equipment. I still struggle to manipulate Pi. But aside from that I feel usefully educated on a truck that I (think I) remember albeit very dimly from my early chldhood. Regards Charles01 (talk) 18:30, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

I've just noticed that on the side of the fuel tank is painted "U.W.4-13-0" i.e. Unladen Weight 4 long tons 13 cwt (10,400 lb or 4.7 t) which may help with identification. --Redrose64 (talk) 11:33, 11 April 2012 (UTC)

According to Bristol Goods Vehicles NEG 863 was the registration given to chassis 185.018. This was an HA6LL (long chassis; Leyland 680 engine) built for British Road Services in May 1961. The 185th 'sanction' was the batch that saw the introduction of the Longwell Green cab, but this photograph shows an earlier Bristol cab. Geof Sheppard (talk) 13:05, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

"Longwell Green"? Is that the cab fitted to this one? Andy Dingley (talk) 13:40, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

Yes, the one with the louvres is the Longwell Green cab. Bristol cabs came in two varities - early ones with a short radiator; later with a long one - but look more like the radiators on their buses. Geof Sheppard (talk) 16:07, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

I guessed at O.600 because I didn't think that the O.680 was already in production back then (checking up, I see that it had been available as an option on the Atlantean PDR1/1 since 1959). Anyway, 680 cubic inches (11,143 cc) is much closer to 11 litres. --Redrose64 (talk) 20:23, 17 April 2012 (UTC)