SOUTHDOWN VEHICLES: DAIMLER FLEETLINES
SOUTHDOWN VEHICLES: DAIMLER FLEETLINES
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Welcome
This site is one of the BATSAboutBuses sites dedicated to providing historical information about the operations and vehicles of the former Southdown Motor Services, together with those of Brighton, Hove & District Omnibus Company and Brighton Corporation Transport. The information is provided by enthusiasts in pursuit of enjoyment of the hobby. It is the aim of these sites to provide an informative collation of images and personal re-collections to enhance an historical study of Sussex passenger road transport.
Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of the information hereby given. In the event of any errors or ommisions please contact us so the site may be updated for the benefit of all fellow transport historians and enthusiasts. If you, the reader has any further information or personal recollections that you may wish to share please contact us.
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Since August 18 2005
Since August 18 2005
The Daimler Fleetlines, 1970-1972
This site is concerned with the Daimler Fleetline double deckers that entered the Southdown fleet between 1970 and 1972. From January 1, 1969 Southdown had become a operating subsidiary of the National Bus Company, which together with the new Bus Grant (where the Government provided financial assistance, allowing bus operators to recover up to 50% of the costs of new vehicles) were the two factors that brought this unlikely choice of chassis manufacturer into the Southdown fleet.
Throughout the 1960`s Southdown had rigidly remained loyal to the traditional front-engine double decker, being highly suspicious of the new generation of rear-engine vehicles. One of the stipulations of the Bus Grant was that new vehicles were to have rear engines and provide an entrance ahead of the front axle to increase the number of driver-only operated vehicles. Therefore Southdown had little choice than to buy such vehicles. The contemporary Leyland Atlantean had not proved too successful and so Southdown turned to Daimler to provide double decker chassis which were delivered concurrently with the Bristol VRs, the earliest batches being those ordered by Brighton, Hove & District.
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