Dennis Domino

Last updated

Dennis Domino
Greater Manchester Transport bus 1751 (C751 YBA), 9 March 2013.jpg
Preserved Greater Manchester Transport Northern Counties bodied Dennis Domino in March 2013
Overview
Manufacturer Dennis
Production1984–1985
Body and chassis
Doors1 door
Floor type Step entrance
Powertrain
Capacity24 to 30 seated
Dimensions
Length7.6 m & 7.8 m
Width2.5 m
Height3.11 m

The Dennis Domino was a step-entrance midibus chassis manufactured by Dennis in Guildford, England in 1984 and 1985. It was in essence, a scaled down single-decker version of the Dennis Dominator. Developed for intensive urban work, the Domino was fitted with Perkins T6.354.4 turbocharged engine, Maxwell automatic transmission, front radiator, full air suspension and power steering. It can be regarded as a predecessor of the successful Dennis Dart.

Contents

It was only sold to two customers, Greater Manchester Transport and South Yorkshire Transport. The Dominos for Greater Manchester Transport were bodied by Northern Counties, and South Yorkshire Transport's by Optare.

History

GM Buses Northern Counties bodied Dennis Domino in Manchester GM Buses bus 1760 (C760 YBA).jpg
GM Buses Northern Counties bodied Dennis Domino in Manchester

In 1983, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) realised its nine-year-old Seddon Pennine midibuses in use on the Manchester shuttle between Piccadilly and Victoria stations were nearing the end of their useful lives. Nothing was at that time readily available that would meet the PTE's requirements and Dennis was requested to provide a solution. This used a very-short-wheelbase version of the Dominator frame, with the optional air-over leaf suspension to axles with 16-inch wheels and low profile tyres, overall body length was 7.6m and width 2.3m. [1]

The engine was mounted transversely and vertically as in the Dominator, but was a 130 bhp 5.7-litre Perkins T6.354 unit, this drove through the radical Avon Maxwell transmission, an automatic electronically controlled constant-mesh gearbox using small multi-plate clutch units to select drive ratios, this also did the jobs of retarder and angle-drive. The radiator was smaller but like most Dominator derivatives mounted at the front, low down in the frame. Greater Manchester PTE were unique among bus operators of the time in having (as a result of buying Lancashire United Transport) a wholly owned coachbuilder, the Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company. Also GMPTE were unique outside London in having an in-house design-consultant in Ken Mortimer who had styled the Manchester Corporation Mancunian bus in the 1960s.

The 20 GMPTE Dominos with Ken Mortimer-designed Northern Counties bodies entered service in late 1985. One was demonstrated for an extended period early in 1986 to London Transport in a version of their livery, but the only other customer for the type was the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), who wanted to replace a batch of second-hand Bristol LHs on services reaching into more inaccessible areas of Sheffield. [1] [2]

Optare bodied Dennis Domino at Alton Towers in October 2013 Mushroom Cloud Luxury Tours bus (C42 HDT), 18 October 2013 (2).jpg
Optare bodied Dennis Domino at Alton Towers in October 2013

Whereas the 20 GMPTE Dominos were quite stylish for their day with bonded glazing and had low entrances with 2+1 seating forward of the rear-axle to maximise standing capacity and thus were 23 seaters, SYPTE chose to specify a body with all glazing, lights, doors, seats, and other parts standardised with its Alexander-bodied Dominators, the all-aluminium bodies were the first to be built by Optare after they had taken over the Charles H Roe coach works from British Leyland. Unlike most subsequent work from Optare, they were far from stylish, being of very angular outline and fitted with a higher floor than the Greater Manchester buses with a three-step entrance leading to a slightly ramped obstruction free floor with 33 seats. These fourteen buses were marginally longer than the GMPTE buses at 7.8m and delivered before the first of the GMPTE buses. [3] [4] [5]

The first of the GMPTE Dominos was exhibited at the Bus and Coach Council's show at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in 1985 and is now preserved by the Selnec Preservation Society. [6] One of the SYPTE batch (C42HDT) adorns the scenery at the Alton Towers Nemesis. C41/46 HDT have been in storage for some time and have now passed to the owner of 53, 41 will be restored as new 'nipper' and restoration starts early 2017. 46 is to be used as a source of spares to keep 41/53 on the road. C53HDT (now along with 41/46) is back in the hands of the preservationist who rescued it in 1997, and after extensive restoration and help from Alton towers and parts off 42, 53 is now fully road legal and running, ironically the last Domino in service with SYPTE and the only one on the road until 41 is finished. The rest of the 30 other Dominos have been scrapped. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCW Metrobus</span> Two and three-axle double-decker bus

The MCW Metrobus is a two and three-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1977 and 1989, with over 4,000 built. The original MkI was superseded by the MkII which had a symmetrical windscreen with an arched top in 1981, although production of the original MkI continued for the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and London Regional Transport until 1983 and 1985 respectively. The Metrobus was conceived as an integral product manufactured completely by MCW, but Alexander and Northern Counties also bodied some examples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport for Greater Manchester</span> Public transport organisation in Greater Manchester in North West England

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is a local government body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. It is an executive arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the city region's administrative authority. The strategies and policies of Transport for Greater Manchester are set by the GMCA and its Greater Manchester Transport Committee (GMTC). The committee is made up of 33 councillors appointed from the ten Greater Manchester boroughs, as well as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Dominator</span> Motor vehicle

The Dennis Dominator was Dennis's first rear-engined double-decker bus chassis, it was launched in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Cammell Weymann</span> British bus body manufacturer

Metro Cammell Weymann Ltd. (MCW), Elmdon, Birmingham, was once a major contributor in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was established in 1932 by Metro-Cammell's bus bodybuilding division and Weymann Motor Bodies to produce bus bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switch Mobility</span> British bus manufacturer

Switch Mobility is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with Ashok Leyland focusing on its core business of diesel-powered vehicles as well as work on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Counties (bus manufacturer)</span> Bus and coach bodywork company

The Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Wigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free buses in Greater Manchester</span>

free bus is a zero-fare bus system that operates in Greater Manchester. The system was first introduced in Manchester city centre in 2002, with three routes linking the city's major thoroughfares and stations with its main commercial, financial and cultural districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles H. Roe</span> British bus manufacturing company

Charles H Roe was a Yorkshire coachbuilding company. It was for most of its life based at Crossgates Carriage Works, in Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Yorkshire Transport</span> Bus operator in South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire Transport (SYT) was a bus operator that provided services around South Yorkshire and outlying areas. The company was formed as an 'arms-length' successor of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) in 1986, which was broken up as a result of the deregulation of bus services. South Yorkshire Transport operated buses in and around Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield with some services extending to Chesterfield, Leeds and Barnsley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daimler Fleetline</span> British rear-engined double-decker bus chassis

The Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983.

<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">GM Buses</span> Former major bus operator in Greater Manchester

GM Buses was the main bus company serving the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester in North West England. The company was formed in 1986 by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. In December 1993, it was split into GM Buses North and GM Buses South in order to increase competition for services in the area, before they were sold to the FirstGroup and Stagecoach respectively.

The Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) bus operations were the bus operating divisions of the passenger transport executives in the United Kingdom. In 1986 they underwent a process of deregulation and privatisation, forming some of the largest private bus companies in the UK outside London, with all being sold to their employees or management. Despite their relative size and lucrative operating areas, none of the companies survived beyond the late 1990s, with all falling into the hands of the major bus groups, who had their origins in privatised regional subsidiaries of the former National Bus Company and the Scottish Bus Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foden NC</span> Motor vehicle

The Foden NC was an unsuccessful design of double-decker bus chassis built by Foden of Sandbach and Northern Counties of Wigan in England between 1976 and 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester bus route 192</span>

Greater Manchester bus route 192 runs between Hazel Grove in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport and Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre. It is operated by Stagecoach Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mancunian double-decker bus</span> Motor vehicle

The Mancunian double-decker bus is a type of bodywork for double-decker bus designed by Manchester Corporation Transport Department and built on Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline chassis. A total of 472 Mancunians were ordered by the department between 1965 and 1968 and delivered from 1968 until 1972 by Park Royal, East Lancs, Metro Cammell and Charles H Roe. The first 96 buses ordered used a 30-foot (9.1 m) chassis, but the majority were 33 feet (10 m) long. A further 20 were built for Salford City Transport but were delivered new to SELNEC PTE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of public transport authorities in Manchester</span>

The history of public transport authorities in Manchester details the various organisations that have been responsible for the public transport network in and around Manchester, England, since 1824.

The Seddon Pennine RU was a rear-engined single-decker bus built by Seddon Diesel Vehicles/Seddon Atkinson between 1969 and 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive</span> Public body responsible for public transport in Greater Manchester (1974–2011)

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive was the public body responsible for public transport in Greater Manchester between 1974 and 2011, when it became part of Transport for Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyland Cub</span> Motor vehicle

The Leyland Cub CU series was a midibus manufactured by Leyland between 1979 and 1987. There was a previous Leyland Cub, the K series built at Leyland's Ham factory between 1931 and 1939.

References

  1. 1 2 Dominos for GMT traffic Commercial Motor 21 December 1985
  2. Dennis Domino Bus Lists on the Web
  3. Order for Roe workers Commercial Motor 8 December 1984
  4. Optare Chose Survival Commercial Motor 14 September 1985
  5. Morris, Stephen (1985). "Optare: New Optimism from Former Roe Plant". Buses . Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing (365): 348–50.
  6. The Acquisition and restoration of the first of only 34 Dennis Dominos Selnec Preservation Society
  7. Lamb (2006). "Domino Effect". Bus & Coach Preservation . Portsmouth. 8 (10): 4–9.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Dennis Domino at Wikimedia Commons