THE SCOTTISH VINTAGE BUS MUSEUM -
BRS 37
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DETAILS Chassis: Daimler CWD6 built 1945, No 12210. Body: Double-deck, Duple H30/26R, built 1945, rebuilt 1958. Engine: Daimler CD6, 6 cyl diesel, 8.6 litres. First Licensed: /5/45 Lathalmond, 2003: Mike Mitchell |
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BACKGROUND HISTORY
In 1942 Daimler were
commissioned by the Ministry of Supply to build double-deck chassis for the
home market to strict laid-down wartime specifications, and the resultant
production owed much to the pre-war Daimler COG series which had proved popular
with many municipalities. The pre-selective transmission was retained and the
first 100 of these had Gardner 5LW engines being type-designated CWG5.
Thereafter the AEC 7.7 litre engine was standard and the designation thus
became CWA6. Daimler commenced production of its own engine in 1945, as an
alternative to the AEC engine, and chassis thus fitted were designated CWD6.
Some 185 CWD6s were built before the wartime specification gave way, after the
cessation of hostilities, to the CV ‘Victory" range.
HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE
Aberdeen Corporation had
been a Daimler user since 1936 so the wartime allocation of Daimlers by the
Ministry of Supply posed few engineering problems. In all, a total of twenty CW
series Daimlers with utility bodies were placed in service between 1943 and
1945. The last four (including 155 which was the last in all) were CWD6s. The
Corporation rebuilt all but the first two between 1957 and 1960, and all had
been withdrawn from service by the end of 1965.
155, withdrawn in 1964, became a
driver-training vehicle. It was sold to an Aberdeen dealer in 1968, being
immediately purchased for preservation.
Oct 1968 on
collection from King St, Aberdeen: Mike
Mitchell
RESTORATION DETAILS
After acquisition for preservation the vehicle was restored to the
livery used by Aberdeen Corporation in the late 1940s and was rallied in this
form for several years
1970, Old Aberdeen in 1st repaint: Mike Mitchell
Subsequently repainted in a livery with lighter ‘Lincoln’ green, the
vehicle was in storage for many years and was displayed in the Alford Transport
Museum from 1985 to 1986.
1974est, 2nd repaint: Mike Mitchell
The vehicle has now been rebuilt to its original ‘utility’ style.
Following repainting in its original livery, at King Street paint shop,
Aberdeen, it returned to Lathalmond in November 2002 for final preparation.
6th July
2001 in King Street paint shop: Mike Mitchell
Restoration was completed in
2004.
Lathalmond, 2002: Jim Crichton