Wright Crusader

Last updated

Wright Crusader
Stagecoach Merseyside Dart Crusader 1.jpg
Stagecoach Merseyside Wright Crusader bodied Dennis Dart SLF in Liverpool in September 2007
Overview
Manufacturer Wrightbus
Production1995-2002
Assembly Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Body and chassis
Doors1 or 2
Floor type Low floor
ChassisCrusader:
Dennis Dart SLF
Volvo B6LE
Crusader 2:
Volvo B6BLE
Powertrain
Engine Cummins B Series (Dennis Dart SLF)
Volvo (Volvo B6LE/Volvo B6BLE)
Chronology
Predecessor Wright Handybus
Successor Wright Cadet

The Wright Crusader was a single-decker bus body built on Dennis Dart SLF, Volvo B6LE and Volvo B6BLE chassis by Wrightbus between 1995 and 2002.

Contents

First generation (1995–2000)

The Wright Crusader was introduced in 1995, replacing the Wright Handybus. Early Crusaders have tall, square-cornered or gasket side windows and a shallow roofline, similar to their predecessor. Most had a double-curvature windscreen.

Following the construction of one prototype and a demonstrator, the first ten production Crusaders, on B6LE chassis, were delivered to Mainline Buses in October 1995, with two of the ten being delivered in early 1996 for Humberside County Council contracted services in Goole. [1] Eight Dennis Dart SLF Crusaders were also delivered to London United in September 1996. [2]

Of the 425 first generation Crusaders produced, 154 were on Dennis Dart SLF chassis and 272 on Volvo B6LE chassis. Travel West Midlands purchased 149 B6LEs, [3] subsidiary Travel Merry Hill took a further 23. GM Buses North purchased 46, [4] while Australian operator ACTION of Canberra purchased 25 Crusaders on Dennis Dart chassis. [5] [6]

Second generation (1999–2002)

The second generation Crusader, known as the Crusader 2, was introduced in 1999 on Volvo B6BLE chassis, the successor to the B6LE. In contrast to early first generation Crusaders, all Crusader 2s have shallower windows with a deeper panel above, bringing them in line with other Wrightbus designs like the Endurance and Pathfinder; some of the later built first generation Crusaders shared this characteristic however, making the two designs indistinguishable except for the different chassis. It retained its double-curvature windscreen.

The first Crusaders 2s were delivered to Mainline in April 1999; the delivery included one rebodied B6LE with prototype Crusader 2 bodywork, as well as nine newly built Crusader 2s. Of the 267 Crusader 2s produced, FirstGroup purchased 86, Arriva 61 and Dublin Bus 52. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrightbus</span> Northern Irish bus manufacturer

Wrightbus is a Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer and a pioneer of the low-floor bus. The company was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and was later run by his son William Wright, until it was acquired in 2019 by British businessman Jo Bamford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Dart</span> British rear-engined single-decker midibus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander ALX200</span> Single-decker bus body

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VDL DB250</span> Twin-axle double-decker bus chassis

The VDL DB250 was a twin-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by VDL Bus & Coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Eclipse Gemini</span> Low-floor double-decker bus body

The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a low-floor double-decker bus body that was built by Wrightbus since 2001, based on the single-deck 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Scotland West</span> British bus operating company

Arriva Scotland West was a bus company based in Inchinnan, near Paisley, Scotland. It was formed in 1997 as a rebranding of the former Clydeside 2000 company when purchased by Arriva. On 26 March 2012, the business was sold to McGill's Bus Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VDL SB120</span> Motor vehicle

The VDL SB120 was a low floor light-weight midibus produced from 1999 by VDL Bus & Coach of the Netherlands primarily for the United Kingdom market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Electrocity</span> Motor vehicle

The Wright Electrocity was a type of hybrid electric bus built by Wrightbus between 2002 and 2013. The Electrocity was based on DAF/VDL SB120 chassis for most of these buses, except for a single Dennis Dart SLF prototype.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B6</span> Motor vehicle

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B10L</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo B10L was a rear-engined, low-floor single-decker public bus chassis built by Volvo between c. 1993 and c. 2005. An articulated version of the B10L, known as the B10LA, was also produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Counties Paladin</span> Single-decker bus body

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Counties Palatine</span> British step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Eclipse</span> Motor vehicle

The Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body that was built by Wrightbus between 1999 and 2019. The second-generation Eclipse 2 was launched in 2008, followed by the third-generation Eclipse 3 in 2015. The Eclipse, and its sister design the Solar, were named for a solar eclipse which was visible in the UK in 1999, the year of its introduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Handybus</span> Motor vehicle

The Wright Handybus was a single-decker bus body built primarily on Dennis Dart chassis by Wrightbus between 1990 and 1995. It was also built on a small number of the higher-floor Leyland Swift chassis. It has a bolted aluminium structure with two windscreen styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva North West</span> Bus operator in North West England

Arriva North West is a major bus operator running services in North West England in the Merseyside area. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCV Evolution</span> Single decker bus bodywork

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaxton Pointer</span> Motor vehicle

The Plaxton Pointer is a single-decker bus body that was manufactured during the 1990s by Reeve Burgess, Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Dash</span> Motor vehicle

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvo B6BLE</span> Motor vehicle

The Volvo B6BLE was a 5.5-litre engined low-entry midibus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1999 and 2001, with three unfinished or unsold chassis being bodied in 2004 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Ultra</span> Low-floor single-deck bus body by Alexander on Volvo B10L chassis

The Alexander Ultra was a low floor single-deck bus body built on the Volvo B10L chassis by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders from 1995 to 1998. It was the right-hand drive equivalent of the Volvo 5000 and was built on license from Volvo Buses.

References

  1. "Easiaccess Crusaders". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 342. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 26 January 1996. p. 23.
  2. "Fleet Additions". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 404. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 11 April 1997. p. 48.
  3. Jones, Stuart (17 October 1997). "Coach & Bus '97". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 422. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. pp. 9–25. Good news for Volvo came on Wright's stand where an order for a further 70 B6LEs with 37 seat, 10.6 metre, Crusader bodies was announced by Travel West Midlands. This follows 81 earlier vehicles of this type, the last of them an exhibit for Wright.
  4. Wright Crusader Bus Lists on the Web
  5. "Crusaders for Australia". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 402. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 28 March 1997.
  6. "Wright Buses for Canberra". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 403. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 4 April 1997. p. 2. Further to last week's story about the order from Action Bus of Canberra, Australia for Wright Crusader low floor midibuses on Dennis Dart SLF chassis, Wright's has informed us that the current order is for 25 buses worth £1.5 million.
  7. Wright Crusader 2 Bus Lists on the Web

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Wright Crusader at Wikimedia Commons
BSicon BUS.svg  Busesportal