Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a manufacturer of buses and trucks from Bristol, England. The company was founded by Sir George from the White 1875 Bristol Tramways Company, an operator of trams in Bristol forth. Meanwhile renamed Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company, 1908, the first bus was manufactured. Production ended in 1983, when production was moved to the works of Leyland Motors.

History

In 1908, the first bus of the Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company was established. In 1931 the company of the Tilling Group, which controlled the majority of operators of bus services in Great Britain during the interwar period, was acquired. From 1948 until the early 1980s, the bus service in Britain was largely organized by the state. In 1948, Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company part of the state British Transport Commission, which included the operators of different transport companies. The production of buses in 1955 separated from the operation of the bus, spun off from Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company and renamed Bristol Commercial Vehicles. In 1962, the production of the chassis of the RE series began. At that time it was common for the manufacturer of buses produced chassis, which were then karosseriert of different specialized manufacturers. 1963 was the British Transport Commission about the state transport also Holding Company ( THC), which also belonged to Bristol Commercial Vehicles. Leyland acquired in 1965 a 25 % stake in Bristol and ECW, so that the sale of buses to operators was possible, did not belong to THC. The production of the LH series was started in 1967, a year later followed the VRT series.

In 1969, all English and Welsh operators of bus lines, belonging to the THC or the British Electric Traction ( BET), transferred to the newly formed National Bus Company. Leyland increased its stake in Bristol and ECW by a further 25 % through a share exchange, the two companies acquired in return for 50 % stake in the body manufacturers Park Royal Vehicles. Leyland left the NBC. To manage the joint venture Bristol, ECW, Park Royal and Leyland National bus manufacturers ( Holdings) Ltd was. founded.

1981 has been set with the start of production of the Leyland Olympian production of VRT and LH chassis. The following year, Leyland acquires a 50 % stake in bus manufacturers ( Holdings) Ltd.. of the NBC. In the same year the production of RE chassis ends, a year later the production in Bristol is set, the remaining types are manufactured in plants of Leyland. The production settings and the end of the company are the result of the set at the beginning of the 1980s, subsidies of public transport in the UK and the deregulation of the transport sector. To make matters worse, the competition of European manufacturers such as Neoplan and Van Hool.

Series

Monoplane

  • L type
  • SC - Small Capacity ( low capacity )
  • SU - Small underfloor engined (small, underfloor engine )
  • LS - Light Saloon ( coach, small)
  • MW - Medium Weight ( moderate)
  • LH - Light Horizontal engined (easy, horizontal motor)
  • RE - Rear engined ( rear engine ) RELL - Rear Engined Long and Low ( rear-engine, long, low)
  • RESL - Rear Engined Short and Low ( rear engine, short, low)
  • RELH - Rear Engined Long and High ( rear-engine, long, high)
  • RESH - Rear Engined Short and High ( rear engine, short, high)

Since they do not meet the modern requirements of accessibility, most of the buses are no longer used commercially. However, some Bristol buses are used for public transport in Malta.

Bristol SUL

Bristol MW

Bristol LH in Malta

Bristol RE

Biplane

  • K type
  • LD Lodekka FS / FSF - Flat floor ( flat bottom)
  • FL / FLF Lodekka - Flat Front Entrance floor (flat bottom, front entrance )
  • VRL - Vertical Rear Engined (Longitudinal )
  • VRT - Vertical Rear Engined ( Transverse )

Bristol Lodekka, construction ECW

Bristol FLF Lodeka

Bristol VR

Bristol VRT

Truck

  • HG - Heavy Goods (heavy )
  • HA
  • ST - Semi- trailer ( tractor)

Schienenbus

Bristol delivered in 1958, the chassis for a two experimental railcars. Was fitted with an engine of 112 hp Gardner (84 kW) and a hydraulic automatic transmission. The structure was built by Eastern Coach Works. Only two of these vehicles were built and used on branch lines in Scotland. However, there was no repeat business and the vehicles delivered in 1966 and scrapped placed out of service.

L. Gardner and Sons Bristol Cars
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