- Facelifted Alexander Dash bodied Dennis Dart with Veolia Transport in 2007
- Pre-facelift Western Scottish Alexander Dash bodied Dennis Dart with a V-shaped windscreen in 1993
- Rear of a First Hampshire & Dorset Alexander Dash bodied Dennis Dart
Alexander Dash | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Walter Alexander Coachbuilders |
Production | 1991–1997 |
Assembly | Falkirk, Scotland |
Body and chassis | |
Doors | 1 door |
Floor type | Step entrance |
Chassis | Dennis Dart Volvo B6 |
Related | Alexander PS type |
Powertrain | |
Engine | (Dart) Cummins 6BT (B6) Volvo TD63E/TD63ES |
Capacity | 34 to 41 seated |
Power output | 93kW 135hp (Dart) |
Transmission | (Dart) Allison AT545 4-speed (B6) ZF 4HP500 |
Dimensions | |
Length | 9.0–9.9 m (29.5–32.5 ft) |
Width | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
Height | 3.4 m (11 ft) |
Chronology | |
Successor | Alexander ALX200 |
The Alexander Dash is a step-entrance midibus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders of Scotland from 1991 to 1997. Unveiled by Alexander at the 1991 Coach and Bus exhibition in Birmingham, it was one of the variants of Alexander's AM-type body, also using components from the Alexander PS type, and was usually combined with the Dennis Dart and Volvo B6 step-entrance single-decker bus chassis. [1]
The body was mainly built for the United Kingdom bus market, with Alexander primarily marketing the Dash towards smaller independent bus operators, [2] although one example with a Volvo B6R chassis and air-conditioning was shipped to Hong Kong in January 1995 for use by Citybus as a demonstrator; this was later returned to the United Kingdom, where it entered service with Stagecoach Devon. [3] Early Dashes were delivered with V-shaped windscreens, single headlights and a square vented grille.
In 1995, the Alexander Dash received a frontal facelift. The facelift, aimed at improving accessibility, also featured a longer front grille with badging in the shape of a saltire, twin headlights and foglamps beside the grille, and a horizontal windscreen with an option for a heated windscreen. Yorkshire Rider, under the ownership of the Badgerline Group, took delivery of the first 50 facelifted Dashes on Dennis Dart chassis in early 1995. [4] Other deliveries of the facelifted Dash-bodied Dart to Badgerline's successor FirstBus included six Darts for First Grampian in early 1996, [5] [6] and six Darts for First Greater Manchester.[ citation needed ]
The only London bus operators to take delivery of the Dash were Capital Citybus and Stagecoach Holdings' London subsidiaries, the latter being bodied on the Dennis Dart chassis. The first 27 pre-facelift Dashes were delivered to East London for services in Barking and Romford in November 1995, [7] with another 39 post-facelift examples being delivered to Selkent for services in Bromley, Catford and Plumstead throughout 1996. [8] These had a short service life, being withdrawn between 1998 and 1999 and disposed to other Stagecoach operations. [9]
The Dash was superseded by the low floor Alexander ALX200 in 1996–1997 with a more rounded roof dome and plastic mouldings under the windscreen to make it deeper having made on the Dennis Dart SLF and the Volvo B6LE chassis.
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined single-decker midibus chassis that was introduced by Dennis of Guildford, England in 1989, replacing the Dennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floor design, in 1996 the low-floor second generation Dennis Dart SLF was launched. In 2001, production of the Dart SLF passed to TransBus International, during which time it was sold as the TransBus Dart SLF; Alexander Dennis took over production in 2004, renaming the product as the Alexander Dennis Dart SLF.
The Alexander ALX200 was a single-decker bus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was created for low-floor bus chassis produced from the late 1990s and was launched in spring 1996 as a low-floor replacement of the Alexander Dash. It was marketed in Alexander's 'ALX' series to fill in the gap between the ALX100 minibus and the ALX300 full-size single-decker.
The Plaxton President was a low floor double-decker bus body built by Plaxton at the former Northern Counties factory in Wigan, England. It was first unveiled in 1997 on the longitudinal Volvo B7L chassis and later built between 1999 and 2005 following a body redesign. When it became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under the TransBus name. The President was built on the Dennis/TransBus Trident, the DAF DB250 and the Volvo B7TL chassis.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 is a twin-axle low-floor double-decker bus that was built by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis between 2005 and 2018. It replaced the Alexander ALX400. In 2014, the Enviro400 was succeeded by the updated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC and production of the classic Enviro400 ceased in 2018.
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a low-floor double-decker bus body that was built by Wrightbus since 2001, based on the single-decker Wright Eclipse design. The second-generation Eclipse Gemini 2 was launched in 2009, followed by the third-generation Gemini 3 in 2013. Additionally, the body was available on Volvo Super Olympian chassis in Hong Kong between 2003 and 2005, marketed as the Wright Explorer.
Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas.
The Volvo B10M is a mid-engined city bus and coach chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1978 and 2003. It succeeded the B58 and was equipped with the same 9.6-litre horizontally mounted Volvo diesel engine mounted under the floor behind the front axle. An articulated version under the model name Volvo B10MA was also offered, as was a semi-integral version known as the C10M, with the engine in the middle of the chassis.
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engined 2-axle and 3-axle double decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo at its Irvine, Scotland factory. The first was built in 1993 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian.
South East London & Kent Bus Company Limited, trading as Stagecoach London, is a bus company operating in central and south London and some parts of north-west Kent. The Selkent brand is a subsidiary of Stagecoach London and operates services under contract to Transport for London. The Selkent brand is not publicly used since 2010 as all buses are branded as Stagecoach, but it exists as a legal entity.
The Volvo B6 was a 5.5-litre (1.2-imperial-gallon) engined midibus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 1999. It was also available as the low-entry Volvo B6LE.
The Dennis Lance was a single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1991 and 2000, replacing the Dennis Falcon. Its low floor variant, the Dennis Lance SLF was built between 1993 and 1996. Between 1995 and 1998, Dennis also built its double-deck variant, the Dennis Arrow, as the replacement of the Dennis Dominator.
The Plaxton Verde was a step-entrance full-size single-decker bus body built by Plaxton between 1991 and 1997. It was built on a rear-engined chassis, the most popular of which was the Dennis Lance which accounted for over half of the Verdes built. The rest were on Volvo B10B, DAF SB220 and Scania N113 chassis.
The Wright Crusader was a single-deck midibus body built on Dennis Dart SLF, Volvo B6LE and Volvo B6BLE chassis by Wrightbus between 1995 and 2002.
The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998. The replacements for the Paladin are the Prestige and the Pointer as low-floor models for the Paladin LF.
The Marshall Capital was a single-decker bus body built originally by Marshall Bus between 1996 and 2002, and later by MCV Bus & Coach between 2002 and 2003. Initially launched on the step-entrance MAN 11.220 and then Iveco Eurorider chassis, the Capital found greater success after being launched on the low-floor Dennis Dart SLF chassis from 1997. Marshall also produced a related, integral midibus, known as the Marshall Minibus, between 1996 and 1998.
The Northern Counties Palatine was a step-entrance 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties from 1988 to 1999 in Wigan, England.
The Alexander PS-type was a step-floor single-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders in Falkirk, Scotland and was produced from 1988 to the late 1990s predominantly on the Dennis Lance, Mercedes-Benz O405, Scania N113, Volvo B10M chassis.
The MCV Evolution is a low floor and low entry single-decker bus body built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles. It was unveiled in 2003 as the successor to the MCV Stirling. The MCV Evolution 2 was launched, initially on Mercedes-Benz chassis in 2011.
The Plaxton Pointer is a single-deck midibus body that was manufactured between 1991 and 2006, predominantly on the Dennis Dart chassis, by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly Alexander Dennis.
The Alexander Strider was a single-decker bus body produced by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders between 1993 and 1997. The body was available on Dennis Lance, Scania L113, Scania N113, Volvo B10B and Volvo B10M chassis. A common feature of the Strider body is that it has either a single-curvature windscreen or a double-curvature windscreen with a rounded roof dome and a separately mounted destination display.
Media related to Alexander Dash at Wikimedia Commons