Bristol LH
The Bristol LH was built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles in England chassis for buses. The model was built 1967-1982. The type designation stood for Light horizontal ( slight bus with horizontally mounted engine ). He replaced the Bristol SU and the Bristol MW. Successor was the Leyland National, which should replace all Eindeckerbusse produced within the Group. Bristol LH was the last chassis Eindeckerbusse prepared from Bristol Commercial.
Offered was the Bristol LH in the normal version with 10 m length. In addition, even the shortened version LHS (Short ) with 8 m and the extended version LHL ( Long) was offered with 11 m length, the standard version, however, was sought after by most of the bus operators. Due to the size limit for buses of Bristol LH was initially built with a width of 7 feet ( unit ) and 6 inches, after removal of the restriction also 8 feet 2 inches wide buses were built.
Motorised was the bus with different engines, all of which were six-cylinder diesel engines with direct injection. Were offered the first H6.354 of Perkins Engines and O.400 of Leyland Motors. The H6.354 had a displacement of 5.8 liters and made 101 bhp. Leyland in 1965 a twenty-five percent share of the Transport Holding Company acquired, which includes Bristol Commercial belonged. Later, the O.400 was replaced by the built also of Leyland O.401. This engine reached a maximum of 138 bhp at 6.54 liter displacement. We used a manually -switching, synchronized five-speed transmission with overdrive fifth gear. The gear came mostly from Turner Clarke. Some buses built for London Transport also got a semi-automatic transmission and power steering, but the other operators buses procured without power assisted steering. Although Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a major manufacturer of commercial vehicle engines themselves, not a single bus with a Bristol engine was fitted. As with the Bristol MW engine sat under the floor in the middle of the chassis. Also in Bristol RH of the relatively high boy engine meant that the input levels of the buses were available. The front door was located in the front overhang. This allowed the cost-saving one-man operation, since the driver as well as the Abkassieren the passengers could take over when boarding. The radiator was placed standing on the front of the chassis. Was cushioned the bus with semi-elliptic leaf springs, although Bristol Commercial had already offered in 1962 for the Bristol MW air suspension as an option.
On supplied by Bristol chassis assemblies of different body corporate are set. This construction was at that time common, since the superstructure to the wishes and ideas of the various bus routes, operators could be better adapted. The bus was Karosseriert as Coach ( English: coach ), as city bus (English: bus ) and as a multi-purpose bus. These so-called dual purpose in England multipurpose buses were relatively common at that time, they could be used in excursion service but during the work week in the line of traffic and off-peak periods. The structures for the city buses mostly came from the Eastern Coach Works ( ECW), which were connected with Bristol Commercial on the common holding company Transport Holding Company. Coach structures were preferred by Plaxton. Other manufacturers of bodies were Walter Alexander Coachbuilders, Duple Coachbuilders, Marshall and Northern Counties. The LHS had both as a coach and as a city bus 26 to 35 seats, as a multi-purpose bus offered ECW structures with 27, 29 and 30 seats, while Marshall was able to sell two buses with 29 seats and duple two more with 31 seats. The LHL offered as a coach up to 53 seats, as a city bus up to 55 and as a multi-purpose bus up to 49 From 1975 to 1982 karosserierte Vanplan eight vehicles and vans. In the standard version of the einundvierzigsitzige coach building Plaxton and dreiundvierzigsitzige bus structure of ECW were the most widespread, the Alexander -made bus bodies for Ulsterbus in Belfast had 45 seats.
The bus broke with many operators from the AEC Reliance, but was not very popular with the staff. The bus suffered in operation under leaky valve seats, overheating and leakage. London Transport continued the Bristol LH in several versions. This London Transport used its own type names. As BS LHS as BL narrow LHL was referred to in the narrow design. London Country procured plus some LH in the normal version, the BN was the narrow version, the BL wider. When London Transport Bristol LH replaced the Ford Transit bus structure, which was used on routes with low traffic and narrow streets. The BS was installed for these applications, a six speed gearbox. Used in 1975, the BS was replaced with London Transport since 1976 by the larger BL with automatic transmission. The narrow buses were procured on some routes not only because of the narrow streets, another reason was the narrow for buses to other boxes in the maintenance depot Kingston garage in Surrey. The actually designed as a universal bus Leyland National could not be used here for these reasons. London Transport purchased 17 BS and 95 BC, one of which in 1986 only 38 were in use. London Country procured the bus as a substitute for the AEC Reliance, though he did not meet its specifications. However, the offer was limited to smaller Eindeckerbussen before the publication of Dennis Darts - Bristol LH at the time was the only major bus that was offered in narrow design, so that London Country resorted to him. Was procured the bus in the normal long execution in 67 copies, of which 44 are in the narrower version.
A total of almost 2,000 buses were built, of which 1505 LH, LHL 174 and 308 LHS. Today, there are still a few buses in public transport in Malta in use.
Bristol LHS with Dominant coach building Duple
Bristol LHS6L with Supreme coach building Plaxton
Bristol LH in Malta