THE SCOTTISH
VINTAGE BUS MUSEUM HGM 346 E
DETAILS
Chassis:
Bristol Lodekka FLF6G, built 1967, No. 236119.
Body: Double-deck, Eastern Coach Works, 78 seats, built 1967.
Engine: Gardner 6LX 6cyl diesel, 10.4 litres.
First Licensed: 1/5/67.
BACKGROUND HISTORY
The prototype FLF (Flatfloor, Long,
Forward entrance) emerged in 1959, as a successor to the highly
successful LD. The FLF was, in contrast to some of its peers, a well
thought-out, high seating capacity, forward-entrance vehicle, which quickly
became an indispensable part of many of the SBG and NBC fleets. It was
available with a number of engine options (Bristol, Gardner. and Leyland), with
4 or 5 speed constant mesh (and latterly semi and fully automatic) gearbox, and
conventional or air suspension. Early models were mainly 70 seaters, but in
collaboration with the SBG, a larger 78-seat model was subsequently developed.
This was achieved by lengthening the body from 30 to 31 0.7/8", whilst
retaining the standard 9 2.1/4" wheelbase chassis. The stair and upper
deck seating arrangements were also substantially modified and improved. The
first of these lengthened buses went to Central SMT (BL273). Other deliveries
followed to SBG fleets, whilst in England only Eastern National bought them in
any quantity. The end of production in 1968 had built 1,867 FLFs built (of
which 179 were of the long variety), bringing the total number of Lodekkas
produced to no fewer than 5,217. Popular with engineers for its rugged construction
and reliability in service, by the mid 70s the Lodekka was less popular with
many drivers, when it lacked such refinements as power steering and synchromesh
or semi-automatic gearbox.
HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE
BL346 was one of the last batch of FLFs to be delivered to Central SMT. These had a particularly bright interior decor, with cream Formica, red flooring, and tartan seating. She has seen service on much of Centrals network, having been based at Gavinburn, Wishaw, and East Kilbride depots. She accumulated over 650,000 miles in service before her premature withdrawal from service - a result of the vehicles unsuitability for one-manning. BL346 was purchased for preservation from Central Scottish in February 1981. (A photo of BL346 in service would fit in here nicely)
RESTORATION DETAILS
Restoration has been a chequered process
owing to difficulties in finding suitable accommodation (until the opening of
the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum), and domestic commitments. However, quite a
lot of work has been carried out, particularly on the substructure and in
bringing the vehicle up to MOT standards. The braking system was dismantled and
replaced, the chassis was stripped and re-painted, and a 5 speed gearbox
replaced the 4-speed box favoured by Central for these buses. The seats were
re-trimmed in original moquette and the the bus has been painted inside and
out.
BL346 was the subject of an
article in the June 2000 issue of BUSES magazine and it made a
successful debut at the Edinburgh Classic Bus
Running Day on 11th June 2000
Photo: June 2000 Aproaching
Ocean Terminal (Jim Crichton)