Post by stracyznski on Jun 19, 2005 16:52:10 GMT
Made famous for the closing scene of the Italian Job, this is one of my all time favourate coaches and one of the vehicles I'm seriously looking into buying.
A bit of history stolen from John Wakefields Websites...
At the 1962 Commercial Motor Show, the twin steer concept emerged when Vauxhall Motors launched its first 36ft (11m) PSV chassis. Known as the Bedford VAL, it could be described as the first Bedford chassis designed specifically for bus & coach operation, (hitherto Bedford had produced modified versions of its truck chassis for this purpose), & with set back front axles, allowing the entrance door to be positioned ahead of them.
The first production VAL was designated VAL14, powered by a 6.17 litre Leyland 0.400 diesel engine mounted vertically at the front, & driving via a Clark (licence built by Turner) five speed synchromesh gearbox. The wheels were relatively small - 16 in diameter - the same size as used on the Bedford J2 & VAS. The VAL had power steering & a tight turning circle. An exhaust brake was optional to assist the air over hydraulic brakes which, working on small diameter drums, had a tendency to overheat & fade. One feature that made the VAL suitable for the then, new motorway network, was that in the event of a tyre blow-out, the coach would continue to drive normally, & could be brought to a controlled stop.
At £1775 the VAL was around £1000 cheaper than either a Leyland or AEC 36ft chassis. It was also more than a ton lighter, yielding as a consequence an average fuel consumption of around 15 mpg.
All this no doubt contributed to the VAL's immediate success, not only with some big name coach operators like Wallace Arnold & the Ewer Group, but with numerous medium & small independent companies, offering a reasonably priced, high capacity vehicle. Small numbers of VAL14's were bodied by Harrington, Marshall, Strachens, Willowbrook & Yeates, but 52 seat bodywork by either Duple or Plaxton was, as one would expect, far more popular.
But why did Bedford go for the twin steer arrangement? One key factor was those small 16in diameter wheels. 20in had been virtually universal on both buses & coaches for many years, but there had been, for 15 years or more, a trend in the field of private cars towards the use of relatively smaller wheels. Such refinement led to reduced weight - not only in the wheel itself, but in its associated suspension & steering gear - & to more available space. On a bus or coach chassis the use of two front axles make smaller wheels practical, & allows the floor height to be lowered eliminating wheel arch intrusion. The arrangement brought with it improved ride quality, & moreover, Bedford was able to use existing parts from their TK truck range, obviating the need to develop a new front axle.
One memorable feature of the VAL14 was its distinctive sound. Beneath the floor its Leyland Tiger Cub, 0.400 engine, growled convincingly, but turned the right way up & sat beside the driver, the engine's growl turned into a positive roar, giving rise to the practice of piling blankets, usually tartan, on top of the engine cover in a futile attempt to stifle the beast!
In December 1967 an updated version, the VAL70, powered by Bedford's own 7.6 litre (466 cu in) diesel engine was introduced, quickly replacing the V ALI4. By then the number of available body designs had reduced somewhat. For the 1968 season, Duple introduced its successor to the Vega Major, the Viceroy, & Plaxton, having supplied a few Panorama bodies on the VAL 70, replaced its whole rage with the Elite. Both new bodies now seated 53, as did the products of two relative newcomers. Portuguese coachbuilder Caetano, through its UK agent Moseley of Loughborough, offered a version of the Estoril - just 20 were built, one of which survives into preservation. - Van Hool with its stylish Vista Dome design bodied only one UK VAL, (RAR 690J), although a second was supplied as an Exhibition Unit for the George Kent Group (KNT 1). Total cost of a VAL70 at this time was around £7500, of which £1910 was for the chassis.
John's web page gives loads more information on the VAL and numorous links to other sites.
www.bedfordgathering.com/wakefield/bedfordval.htm
A bit of history stolen from John Wakefields Websites...
At the 1962 Commercial Motor Show, the twin steer concept emerged when Vauxhall Motors launched its first 36ft (11m) PSV chassis. Known as the Bedford VAL, it could be described as the first Bedford chassis designed specifically for bus & coach operation, (hitherto Bedford had produced modified versions of its truck chassis for this purpose), & with set back front axles, allowing the entrance door to be positioned ahead of them.
The first production VAL was designated VAL14, powered by a 6.17 litre Leyland 0.400 diesel engine mounted vertically at the front, & driving via a Clark (licence built by Turner) five speed synchromesh gearbox. The wheels were relatively small - 16 in diameter - the same size as used on the Bedford J2 & VAS. The VAL had power steering & a tight turning circle. An exhaust brake was optional to assist the air over hydraulic brakes which, working on small diameter drums, had a tendency to overheat & fade. One feature that made the VAL suitable for the then, new motorway network, was that in the event of a tyre blow-out, the coach would continue to drive normally, & could be brought to a controlled stop.
At £1775 the VAL was around £1000 cheaper than either a Leyland or AEC 36ft chassis. It was also more than a ton lighter, yielding as a consequence an average fuel consumption of around 15 mpg.
All this no doubt contributed to the VAL's immediate success, not only with some big name coach operators like Wallace Arnold & the Ewer Group, but with numerous medium & small independent companies, offering a reasonably priced, high capacity vehicle. Small numbers of VAL14's were bodied by Harrington, Marshall, Strachens, Willowbrook & Yeates, but 52 seat bodywork by either Duple or Plaxton was, as one would expect, far more popular.
But why did Bedford go for the twin steer arrangement? One key factor was those small 16in diameter wheels. 20in had been virtually universal on both buses & coaches for many years, but there had been, for 15 years or more, a trend in the field of private cars towards the use of relatively smaller wheels. Such refinement led to reduced weight - not only in the wheel itself, but in its associated suspension & steering gear - & to more available space. On a bus or coach chassis the use of two front axles make smaller wheels practical, & allows the floor height to be lowered eliminating wheel arch intrusion. The arrangement brought with it improved ride quality, & moreover, Bedford was able to use existing parts from their TK truck range, obviating the need to develop a new front axle.
One memorable feature of the VAL14 was its distinctive sound. Beneath the floor its Leyland Tiger Cub, 0.400 engine, growled convincingly, but turned the right way up & sat beside the driver, the engine's growl turned into a positive roar, giving rise to the practice of piling blankets, usually tartan, on top of the engine cover in a futile attempt to stifle the beast!
In December 1967 an updated version, the VAL70, powered by Bedford's own 7.6 litre (466 cu in) diesel engine was introduced, quickly replacing the V ALI4. By then the number of available body designs had reduced somewhat. For the 1968 season, Duple introduced its successor to the Vega Major, the Viceroy, & Plaxton, having supplied a few Panorama bodies on the VAL 70, replaced its whole rage with the Elite. Both new bodies now seated 53, as did the products of two relative newcomers. Portuguese coachbuilder Caetano, through its UK agent Moseley of Loughborough, offered a version of the Estoril - just 20 were built, one of which survives into preservation. - Van Hool with its stylish Vista Dome design bodied only one UK VAL, (RAR 690J), although a second was supplied as an Exhibition Unit for the George Kent Group (KNT 1). Total cost of a VAL70 at this time was around £7500, of which £1910 was for the chassis.
John's web page gives loads more information on the VAL and numorous links to other sites.
www.bedfordgathering.com/wakefield/bedfordval.htm