Trolleybuses in Rotherham

The Rotherham trolleybus system once served the town of Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Opened on , it was the fourth trolleybus system to be established in the United Kingdom, after the systems in nearby Bradford and Leeds, which had opened simultaneously in 1911, and Dundee earlier in 1912. Between 1912 and 1949, the Rotherham system gradually replaced the Rotherham Tramway.
By the standards of the various now-defunct trolleybus systems in the United Kingdom, the Rotherham system was a medium-sized one, with a total of 10 routes, and a maximum fleet of 59 trolleybuses. It was closed on .
The first route to open ran for from the Broom Road tram terminus to Maltby. It was Britain's first rural trolleybus route, and most of it was constructed outside of the municipal boundary. It was ranked the fastest trolleybus route in the country in 1927. The next route to open was a joint working with Mexborough and Swinton and was the first joint working between a Corporation and a private company. When it closed, it was the last such joint venture in the country. Trolleybuses replaced the trams relatively slowly and, in two cases, the tramway overhead wiring was altered to allow trolleybuses to run along the same route, with the trams continuing to operate. The final trams were withdrawn, from the joint service with Sheffield, in 1949, and the trolleybuses might well have ceased soon afterwards, but twenty of the Daimler single-deck vehicles were rebuilt with double-deck bodywork, and the extra capacity made them profitable for another ten years. The final trolleybus ran on the day before the 53rd anniversary of the opening.
The Corporation ran an eclectic mix of single-deck vehicles, purchased from seven different manufacturers, and comprising 2-axle and 3-axle models. The workshops were able to carry out heavy maintenance, in several cases rebuilding rear or front entrance vehicles with a centre entrance, and in one case building a completely new body. Prior to the system closing, four vehicles were sold on to Darlington in 1937, and seventeen of the single-deck vehicles were sold for further use in Spain in the 1950s. Four of the former Rotherham trolleybuses are now preserved, two of the converted double-deck Daimlers at the Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, Lincolnshire, a single-deck Sunbeam by the Rotherham Trolleybus Group at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and one of the single-deck Daimlers in northern Spain.
History.
Rotherham Corporation had obtained an Act of Parliament in 1900 that authorised them to build electric tramways within the borough, and the first routes opened on 31 January 1903. Seven years later, they sent "a small deputation" to view trolleybus systems in Europe, and applied to Parliament for powers to run trolleybuses over a wide area, specifically mentioning six routes. When the Act of Parliament was granted, two of the routes, one to Thorpe Hesley, and the other to Brinsworth, Tinsley, Catcliffe and Treeton, were authorised in full, as well as part of a third route, to Wickersley, Bramley and Maltby, but not the continuation from Maltby to Tickhill. Construction of the route to Maltby, starting from the tram terminus at Broom Road, began in 1911, and was ready for inspection by the Board of Trade on 30 September 1912. The installation work was carried out by RET Construction Company, and a formal opening ceremony was held on 3 October, led by the chairman of the Tramways Committee. He was joined by the Mayor and around 180 guests, including the chairman of Leeds Corporation Tramways, who said that the new system was "far and away better" than the one that Leeds had installed in 1911. The route ran for some , of which over were outside the Rotherham municipal boundary. They thus became the operators of the fourth trolleybus system in Britain, the first rural system, and the first to operate outside of its area.
To run the service, three single-deck vehicles with 28 seats and rear entrances were obtained from Railless in 1912, and another three in the following year. They ran well, despite the rough roads of the rural section, and could maintain speeds of even on the hills. There were difficulties maintaining the vehicles during the First World War, and times when the service had to be withdrawn, so when the Corporation obtained another Act of Parliament in 1915, it included powers to convert the trolleybus route into a tramway. After hostilities ended, the Corporation decided that converting at least part of the route from Broom Road to Wickersley was a priority, but this did not take place, and instead, the trolleybus wires were extended from Broom Road to College Square in the town centre, with trolleybuses running over the route from January 1924. In December 1924, the wires at the Maltby end were altered, extending the service from Hall Estate to the Queen's Head Hotel. In order that the trolleybuses could get to the Rawmarsh Road depot from the Rotherham terminus at Herringthorpe Lane, the tramway manager invented a device that included a steering arm so that the vehicles were guided by the tram tracks. The Rotherham end of the route was unusual, in that trams continued to operate between the town centre and Broom Road for another five and a half years, until they were withdrawn on 10 June 1929.
The Railless trolleybuses had box-like bodywork with open platforms at the rear, but in the early 1920s, they were replaced by six vehicles obtained from Straker-Clough. Although they had similar bodywork, based on tram designs rather than road vehicles, they had enclosed rear platforms. Three more vehicles followed, this time with improved windows and rounded roofs. A number of vehicles had their bodywork altered at Rawmarsh Road depot, when the rear entrances were replaced by centre entrances, an arrangement that became standard for all single-deck vehicles operated by the corporation.
Extensions.
The next extension to the system was influenced more by external factors than internal policies. Rotherham Corporation and Mexborough and Swinton Tramway Company had joined up their tram tracks and operated joint services from 6 February 1907. Mexborough and Swinton had grand designs in the early 1920s, hoping to convert some of their trolleybus routes to tramways, and to connect their system to the Doncaster Tramway and the newly opened Dearne District Light Railway. As the likelihood of this happening faded, they decided to convert their tramways to trolleybus routes, and as a major part of their operation was the joint route into Rotherham Town Centre, they approached the Corporation about their plans. Rotherham were initially opposed to the idea, but consensus was reached in 1926, and Rotherham agreed to replace the overhead wiring on their part of the route, and in return, would be able to operate trolleybuses to termini in Mexborough. An Act of Parliament was obtained by Mexborough to authorise the changes in 1927. Through working began on 10 March 1929, with some new 3-axle trolleybuses purchased from Guy Motors operating the routes for the corporation, and Mexborough's Richard Garrett & Sons vehicles becoming a common sight in Rotherham. A formal commemoration ceremony was held on 12 March to celebrate the event. One quirk of the system was that Rotherham used numbers for their routes, while Mexborough used letters, and so vehicles running between Rotherham and Conisbrough Low were operating route "9" if they were owned by the corporation, and route "B" if they were owned by Mexborough.
The next extension to the system was triggered by proposals for major reconstruction of the roads on the route to Thrybergh. Rather than relay the tram tracks in the new road, the Corporation decided to convert the route to trolleybus operation, and to replace the trams on the Kimberworth route at the same time. The work was completed in time for an opening on 17 May 1931, with trolleybuses running through the town centre between Thrybergh in the east and Kimberworth to the west. A batch of 22 new vehicles were ordered from Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies, making this the largest single order that the corporation had ever placed. At Kimberworth, the route was extended from the original tram terminus to the Colin Campbell Inn, while at Thrybergh, the new route left the course of the tramway at Whinney Hill to continue along Old Gate Lane and Park Lane. Shortly after operation began, a new branch was added, enabling trolleybuses to serve Silverwood Colliery. This was about in length, and the idea of running a service to the colliery was not new, as there had been earlier proposals to extend the tramway to its gates. There had also been proposals in 1928 to extend the wires from Thrybergh along the Doncaster Road to Conisbrough, where they could join up with Mexborough's wiring to create a large loop. Other proposals included extending the wires from Conisbrough to join the Doncaster system, so that through services from Rotherham to Doncaster could be operated, but neither of these two proposals ever became more than plans.
Trams on the route to Canklow were withdrawn on 10 July 1934, but were replaced by motor buses, rather than trolleybuses. On the Maltby route, a branch to Worry Goose Lane was created, with a connecting link back to the Maltby route at Brecks Lane. This opened on 28 March 1935, but was not particularly successful, and Worry Goose Lane became a terminus when the route onwards to Brecks Lane was closed in 1939. A new route to Greasbrough, to the north west of the town centre, fared rather better, when it opened on 1 July 1936. It followed the planned route of a tramway extension that had been proposed some years earlier, but never built. Purchasing of new trolleybuses continued, all of them single-deck vehicles with centre entrances, but a mixture of 2-axle and 3-axle types. 44 3-axle trolleybuses were obtained between 1936 and 1942, from three separate manufacturers, Guy Motors,
Associated Equipment Company, more commonly known as AEC, and Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles.
Since 1934, only one tram route had been operating, but this was the route to Templeborough and onwards to Sheffield, worked as a joint service by the two Corporations. Rotherham used single-ended trams for their part of the service, looking similar to double-deck trolleybuses, which they had bought in 1934–35. Although its conversion to trolleybus operation had been actively considered, Sheffield was not keen to introduce trolleybuses, and so the trams remained. Traffic levels increased considerably with the onset of the Second World War, and so the trolleybus wiring was extended along the tram route as far as the boundary at Templeborough. This enabled several cross-town routes to be introduced, with trolleybuses from Maltby, Thrybergh and Kilnhurst Road on the Mexborough system running through to Templeborough. This was particularly useful for those working in the steel industry. Subsequently, trolleybuses ran rather erratically on the route, although the through service of trams continued until 1948, after which they worked to Templeborough for another year, until they were withdrawn on 13 November 1949.
Demise.
One further extension to the system took place on 2 May 1948, when the Kimberworth route was extended to the Toll Bar, but this was relatively short-lived, as the service was cut back to Ewers Road in September 1953. Rising costs and the low capacities of the single-deck vehicles meant that the trolleybuses were becoming uneconomic, and services to Greasbrough ceased in May 1951, with those to Broom Lane following shortly afterwards. The route to Maltby was cut back to Wickersley on 2 May 1954. This had been Rotherham's pioneering route, and had a reputation for speed. A comparison of 16 systems in 1927 showed that Rotherham's was the fastest, and the Maltby route was the only one operating at the time. In 1931, the Ministry of Transport had authorised vehicles to run at up to on the rural route, the first time that such a speed had been permitted. The round trip covered and was timetabled to take 58 minutes, including a rest period for the crew, and trolleybuses ran every 6 minutes at peak periods. Two batches of new vehicles were purchased from Daimler between 1949 and 1951, based on a 3-axle chassis with 38-seat bodywork by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. Comprising 44 vehicles, the orders accounted for almost half of Daimler's post-war production of trolleybuses.
Faced with staff shortages and the poor economics of single-deck vehicles, the new General Manager, I O Fisher, decided that larger capacity double-deck vehicles would be more suitable. A double-deck Karrier trolleybus was borrowed from Doncaster, and as the trials proved successful and the Daimlers were comparatively new, some of them were sent to Charles H Roe where new 70-seat double-deck bodywork was fitted to the chassis. The first one was completed in 1956, and the original plan to rebody 14 vehicles was extended, resulting in 20 being converted. Eight single-deck vehicles were retained, for use on the Mexborough services, and the rest were sold for further use in Spain. The extra capacity of the new bodies meant that they were more profitable to operate, but closure was only delayed, rather than prevented. The new vehicles worked on the Kimberworth to Thrybergh service from 7 May 1956, and the Wickersley service from 1 February 1957. The neighbouring Mexborough and Swinton system closed four years later, with the final joint workings taking place on 26 March 1961. This was the last instance in Britain of a joint working between a Corporation and a private company, and had been the first when it was introduced. The demise of the Brecks and Wickersley service took place on 14 January 1963, and the final route from Kimberworth to Thrybergh, with its peak-time branch to Silverwood Colliery and short workings to the Pumping Station survived until 2 October 1965. The system had lasted for 53 years, with its life extended for almost 10 years by the introduction of double-deck vehicles.
Preservation.
Sixteen of the Daimler single-deck vehicles were sold for further use in Spain, fifteen of them going to Cadiz, and one, together with one of the AEC vehicles, going to Tolosa. Of those fitted with double-deck bodywork, the first and the last to be converted are preserved at The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft. Both remained in service until the final day of operation. No.37, the first to be converted, was registered as FET 617, has been fully restored, and was running regularly at the museum in 2014. It is owned and maintained by the Rotherham Trolleybus Group, but in 2020 needed some remedial work before it could re-enter service. Following withdrawal, No. 44 was used to provide tours for enthusiasts on the systems at Manchester, Wolverhampton and Bournemouth. It is owned by the museum, and is not normally on display, as although its bodywork is in good condition, it requires a lot of work on its electrical equipment. It was registered as FET 618.
A third vehicle, No. 73, with registration number CET 613, is owned by the Rotherham Trolleybus Group, and is kept at Burton upon Trent. It was originally numbered 88, and was part of a batch of eight Sunbeams with bodywork by East Lancashire Coachbuilders purchased in 1942. It became No.73 in the late 1940s, and in 1950 the bodywork was rebuilt and it became No.74. When it was withdrawn in 1954, many major components were removed, and the shell became a meeting room for the Rotherham Chantry Pistol and Rifle Club. It was rescued in the late 1970s, and stored at Sandtoft, but was transferred to the Rotherham Trolleybus Group in 2001. The group are reconstructing it as it was prior to 1950, and have managed to find many of the missing components, although the trolley gantry, the trolleygear, the roof mounted resistor-case and the contactor panels have had to be built from scratch. They hope to return it to operational condition.
One of the Spanish trolleybuses has also been preserved. It was originally No.84 and carried the registration number FET 344. It was renumbered to become No.2 in 1956, and was the sole Daimler sold to Tolosa. On arrival in Spain, it was rebuilt with a front and rear entrance on the right hand side, although the position of the steering wheel was not changed. When it was withdrawn, it was sold for scrap, and a private collector in northern Spain succeeded in buying it from the scrapyard. It is the subject of a restoration project to return it to operational condition.
Fleet.
The first six vehicles obtained by the corporation were from Railless of Hunslet, Leeds, although the company was called RET Construction Co Ltd at the time, after the original Railless Electric Traction Co Ltd overstretched itself and faced financial collapse in 1911. The chassis were made by David Brown, they were fitted with two Siemens motors and bodywork by Milnes Voss of Birkenhead. They were renumbered in 1916, becoming T1 to T6 when new trams were acquired, and the original numbers were used for those. No.38 was rebuilt in 1923 with a forward entrance, and ran until 1928, while Nos.42 and 43 were fitted with new centre-entrance 32-seat bodies, built in the Corporation workshops. The rest were replaced in the early 1920s by Straker Clough vehicles. This was a collaboration between Clough, Smith, who worked closely with RET Construction, and Straker-Squire of Edmonton, London. Clough, Smith obtained the chassis from Straker-Squire and fitted electrical equipment by British Thomson-Houston (BTH). Bodywork was then fitted by Charles H. Roe, who had taken over RET Construction's works when they had experienced further financial difficulties in 1916. Two Straker Clough vehicles supplied in 1925 were supplied with front entrance bodywork, but these were later altered to centre entrances at Rotherham. Details for this period are a little hazy, as Lumb lists a total of nine vehicles supplied by Clough, Smith between 1922 and 1927, whereas Joyce et al. list eleven, supplied between 1920 and 1925, and the fleet numbers do not match up between the sources. A single trolleybus built by Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies was borrowed from St Helens in 1929 for six days, and four of the Straker Clough vehicles, Nos.39 and 46 to 48, were sold to Darlington in 1937.
For the start of the joint working to Mexborough and Swinton, four 3-axle vehicles were obtained from Guy Motors of Wolverhampton in 1928. These were fitted with Rees-Stevens electrical equipment, which consisted of a motor mounted at the front of the chassis and a regenerative control system manufactured by Rees Rotubo Co Ltd. A fifth vehicle was delivered in 1930. The trial of the St Helens trolleybus must have been successful, for a batch of 22 new vehicles were ordered from Ransomes, with bodywork by Cravens, for the opening of the routes to Thrybergh and Kimberworth. The Corporation continued their mix-and-match policy, when they bought 10 Guy BT models in 1933–34, of which five had bodywork by Cravens and five by Charles Roberts. Four more Cravens-bodied Guys followed in 1935, and were the last fitted with 32-seat bodies. For the next two batches of six each, obtained in 1936 and 1937, they reverted to the longer Guy BTX 3-axle vehicles, fitted with 39-seat bodywork. Similar vehicles were obtained from Associated Equipment Company (AEC) in 1937.
The final trolleybuses purchased before the Second World War were Guy BTX and AEC 664T models, both of which had bodywork by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. During the war years, there was little choice, and two batches of Sunbeams were obtained in 1940 and 1942, with bodywork again by East Lancashire Coachworks. All of these vehicles had 39 seats when built, but were subsequently reseated, reducing the capacity to 38. After the war, the system was requipped with Daimlers. These were models CTC6 or CTE6, where the "CT" stood for "commercial trolleybus", the next "C" or "E" indicated that the electrical equipment was by Crompton Parkinson or English Electric and the "6" indicated that they had 6 wheels. A total of 44 entered service between 1949 and 1951, 18 of the CTC6 model and 26 of the CTE6 model. It was these vehicles that were later rebuilt with H40/30R bodywork by Charles Roe, to prolong the life of the system. All of the vehicles chosen for conversion were CTE6 models, and all of the vehicles sold for further duties in Cadiz were CTC6 models. The Daimler sold to Tolosa was the only CTE6 model sold for further use.
The table shows the vehicles operated by the corporation, according to LTHL and Joyce et al. The information is often in conflict, and is not always consistent in a single document. Fleet numbers are those applied when new, but are less useful than for many operators, as most vehicles were renumbered, and some were renumbered two or three times.


Isuzu Elf

The is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and N series – to the extent that it was manufactured there from the 1970s using many local components. Since the early 1980s, it has also been sold and built in the United States (under the Chevrolet and GMC brand as a W-Series), and also as the Isuzu N-Series. North America only receives the wide-cab version.
For the common Andinian market (including Chile and Peru), the truck has been assembled in the GM-Colmotores assembling plant in Bogotá, Colombia since 1991, with annual quantities already of 20,000 up to 60,000 units. Local assembly has been increasing because of increasing demand in the Colombian and neighboring markets. It carries "Tecnología Isuzu" (with Isuzu Technology) lettering.
In Indonesia, Philippines and several other countries, the Elf is not only used as a truck, but also converted into microbuses by local body makers. The lighter four-wheeled models are commonly used as an intercity Angkot or Jeepney (share taxis), as a school bus, or as an employee bus.
First generation.
The cab-over Elf (TL221) was originally introduced in August 1959. It was originally only available with the GL150 petrol engine rated at . It had single headlights and rear-hinged doors. A longer wheelbase version, on versus the of the regular version, was also available. This carries the TL251 chassis code.
In March 1960, a 2.0-liter diesel engine rated at was introduced (TL121/151), a first for the class in Japan - this was soon followed by diesel models from Isuzu's competitors. In 1962 the engines were updated, and were now rated at respectively. The chassis codes were changed to TL321/351 for the diesel version, reflecting the installation of the all new DL201 engine. A little later, the chassis codes were reorganized and were now TLG10/11 for the petrol models and TLD10/11 for the diesels. In 1964, the long wheelbase model became the standard version. In 1964, the diesel version was also upgraded to the larger 2.2-litre C220 engine rated at . In 1965, the Elf received a facelift, now having twin headlights.
Isuzu ended up offering a very wide variety of bodyworks for the first generation Elf. These include the original integrated bed, as well as a separate truckbed with dropsides. There was a double-cab version available, as well as special bodywork for dedicated purposes such as a soda truck, a dumper, and a tanker. There was also a "Route Van" model with a glazed rear compartment and seating either three or six passengers, as well as the "Elf Bus" which was available in two models from 1960. The Elf Light Bus has integrated bodywork with the long wheelbase and seats 21 passengers (chassis codes BL171/271 for the diesel/petrol) while the Elf Micro Bus fits into the very narrow slot between the Route Van and the Light Bus. The Micro Bus originally had the Route Van's bodywork but was more passenger-oriented (seating 12 or 15). It carried the TL121/151/21/251B chassis codes, and from 1961 it received its own rear bodywork with bigger glazing. The Elf Bus later became its own line, called the Isuzu Journey.
Second generation.
In August 1967, the all-new "Isuzu Light Elf" was added to the existing lineup; this lighter duty version was rated for a . It had single round headlights and a KA-series chassis code; it came with the same G150 engine as fitted to period Isuzu Belletts, rated at . This was the first of the second generation Elfs to be introduced, heavier duty models soon followed and replaced the first generation variants.
In April 1968, the second generation Elf appeared (TL21/TLD21 series). A walk-through van ("Elf Hi-Roof") was also introduced, another first for Japan. In September 1969, the "Light Elf" was upgraded to and now offered a more powerful 1.6-liter engine (G161AB) rated at . In October 1970, this part of the range became the Elf 150 while the regular Elf (2-2.5 tonnes) became the Elf 250; the 250 was updated to a 2.4-litre diesel engine. This was combined with the introduction of the heavier duty, Elf 350. This re-shake of the lineup was then followed by the very modern Elf Mi-Pack in April 1972. The Mi-Pack was a front-wheel drive model with a flat and low loading floor, only off the ground. Because of its high price combined with customer reluctance to a front-wheel drive truck it was retired after only a few years on the market. Instead a low-floor model of the Elf 150 was added to the lineup in 1974, featuring small twinned rear tires.
The heavier duty Elf 350 was not immediately replaced but continued in production until the 1980 model year, when in February a 350 model of the third generation Elf was introduced ("350 Wide").
Third generation.
The third generation Elf arrived in June 1975. Initial models were the Elf 150 and 250. It was nicknamed "Tora-san" after Kiyoshi Atsumi's (a famous Japanese actor) most beloved film character which supposedly looked similar. In January 1977, a 250 Low-Flat model was added, followed in 1978 by a facelift and an altered front grille. In 1979 a bigger 3.3-liter version of the Elf 250 was introduced, called the "Elf 250 Super". There was also an "Elf 150 Super" version, which has the larger, 2.4-liter C240 diesel engine which was usually installed in the Elf 250. In 1978, Isuzu also sold their millionth Elf. In January 1980, the Elf was updated to meet Japan's 1979 emissions standards, which was also when the design was changed to accommodate a tilting cab. The Elf 250 Wide and 350 Wide were added, with KT and KS chassis codes respectively, meaning that the second generation Elf 350 could finally be retired. The Elf Wide has a cabin width of , rather than the cabin used in the TL and KA series Elfs.
In 1981, the Elf range underwent another facelift, with an updated dashboard as well. For the third generation Elf the diesel engines had been modernized for more ease of operation, while the world's then smallest direct injection diesel engine - the 3.3-liter 4BC2 - was also introduced. It arrived in 1982 and replaced the less powerful 4BC1 which had been introduced in 1979. In March 1983, the diesel engines were again modified, reflecting new Japanese emissions standards for commercial vehicles. While the third generation Elf was mostly replaced in 1984, the "Route Van" (three- or six-seater van version) continued in production until the early 1990s. With the same bodywork there was also a more habitable bus version available; this was marketed as the Isuzu Journey S and was based on the Elf 150 (KAD51ZB).
Fourth generation.
The fourth generation Elf range appeared in July 1984. This generation of the Elf was exported widely across the world and manufactured in several different countries, including the United States. The fourth Elf/N series originally had twin rectangular headlamps and a grille with five separate segments (seven for the Wide Cab models). In February 1987, a facelifted version with a grille of only two larger segments appeared, at which time the engine lineup was also altered. This was followed by a second facelift in June 1990, after which the grille became a single. lower opening and the headlights were changed to more aerodynamic, single-piece units.
In Japan, this generation was only offered with direct injection diesel engines, introducing the new 2.8-liter 4JB1 family industrial version with dual mode transmission depending in application and the 3.6-liter 4BE1 direct injection engine for the Elf 250 and Elf 350 NPR. which replaced the long running 4BA1 as the standard Elf 150 10 ft. And Elf 150 14 ft. 6 wheel. In September 1987, a 16 ft. heavier version Elf 350 wide was added to the range. The Elf 250 was originally only available with the 4BE1 engine. Later, the long stroke 4BD1 direct injection engine with or without a turbocharger was added to the Elf 250, as was a four-wheel drive version with dual mode manual transmission.
This model was also manufactured in China, by BLAC (Beijing Light Automobile Corporation) from 1984 until 2002. Later it was also built by YCACO, a subsidiary of Guangzhou. After a company reorganization it has been built by them as the Guangzhou Hino 300J (YC5040XXY) since 2008, with a redesigned front and various other improvements.
United States.
In the US it was sold as the Chevrolet Tiltmaster and as the GMC Forward, which replaced their L series which had been introduced in 1960. These trucks arrived for the 1984 model year and had a turbodiesel straight-six engine. It was also the first model to use the long-running Isuzu N-series label. In 1986 a heavier duty 8.4-litre diesel version of the Forward (W7) was added to the US market. The Forward and the Tiltmaster were offered as Class 3 or Class 5 trucks, with GVWR respectively. The smaller Tiltmaster/Forward W4 has a diesel inline-four engine while the heavier W6 received a six-cylinder diesel. These models were also sold as the Isuzu NPR/NRR respectively, with Isuzu adding the "Flatlow" model with low-profile 15-inch rear tires for a lower frame height.
While US sales of the Chevrolet-badged Spectrum passenger cars always exceeded those of Isuzu's own corresponding model, the Chevrolet/GMC-badged trucks sold slower than their Isuzu counterparts. In 1986, for instance, 507 W4 Tiltmasters and 1,292 W4 Forwards were sold, as against 4,954 equivalent NPRs (2,267 GM-badged W7s were also sold; Isuzu did not market a version of this truck). In 1986, Isuzu and General Motors also combined their systems for importing and distributing these trucks rather than importing them separately.
Fifth generation.
The fifth generation Isuzu Elf appeared in July 1993, with more sculpted headlights. The 2.8 4JB1 and 4JB1T are standard on both Elf 150 10 ft/14 ft and Elf 250 along with 3.6 4BE1. The non turbo 4JB1 featured a new VE Rotary injection pump which increase power to 90 PS. In May 1995 it received a minor change, including upgraded, cleaner diesel engines. The H-series 4.0-liter 4HE1 and 4.3-liter 4HF1. The 16 ft chassis with H-series engine was standard while the 14 ft version was optional and is still in production. An OEM deal with Nissan led to the Elf also being badged as a Nissan Atlas and a Nissan Diesel Condor 20/30/35 beginning at this time, followed by the Nissan Atlas Max from 1996 until 2000. The Atlas Max was based on the new, lighter duty Elf 100 (June 1995) which was available with a 2.0-liter petrol or a 2.5 or 2.7-liter diesel engine.
In the United States, the Elf maintained the four rectangular halogen headlights from the 4th generation until 2005. 2005 Models and up had the face lifted trapezoidal headlights. The Elf was marketed as the Isuzu NPR and Chevrolet/GMC W series, each available with either the 4BD2T 3.9-liter turbo Diesel engine until 1998, the 4HE1 4.8-liter turbo Diesel engine from 1998 to 2004, the 4HK1 5.2-liter turbo Diesel engine from 2005, or GM's L31 Vortec 5.7-liter gasoline engine and 4L80-E Automatic Transmission. The gasoline engine was rated at at 4,600 rpm and of torque at 2,800 rpm.
In May 2004, subsequent to a few minor changes, the Elf underwent a more major facelift with new and larger trapezoidal headlamps. Another OEM deal was forged at this time and the Elf was now also marketed as the Mazda Titan in parallel.
In Malaysia, this truck is manufactured by Heavy Industries Corporation of Malaysia (Isuzu HICOM Malaysia) under the name of HICOM Perkasa, but carrying the Isuzu N-Series Commando badge.
Sixth generation.
The sixth generation Elf/N series was introduced in December 2006 (High Cab and Wide Cab) and February 2007 (Regular Cab). By the time the full range was available, the fifth generation Elf was retired. This was also assembled in Colombia (alongside the heavier F series), where it was sold as the Chevrolet NKR, NPR, or NQR.
The headlight-turnsignal cluster is now configured in the shape of the Isuzu "twin bar" logo, which was used from 1974-1991. In North America, GM sold the Isuzu N series as the Chevrolet and GMC W-Series until 2009. In 2016, it reintroduced the model as the Low Cab Forward (LCF) series, named simply the Chevrolet 3500, 4500, or 5500, and available with the same gasoline or diesel engines.
Nomenclature.
The Elf is sold as an Elf in some markets aside from the domestic Japanese, such as Mexico and Indonesia, but in most export markets it is called the Isuzu N series. The second letter denotes weight rating, with H and K being used for the regular cab, M for the High Cab, and P, Q, and R for the Wide Cab model. The third letter denotes drivetrain layout; here an R means rear-wheel drive while S signifies four-wheel drive.


Akard station

Akard station or Akard Street station is a DART Light Rail station in Dallas, Texas. It is located in the City Center District on Pacific Avenue, between Akard and Field Streets. It opened on June 14, 1996, and is a station on the , , and lines, serving Elm Place, One Main Place, Renaissance Tower, Thanks-Giving Square and Thanksgiving Tower. It is also the nearest station to the DART headquarters, which was a former Sanger Harris department store built in 1965.


UD Croner

The UD Croner (kana:UD・クローナー) is a line of medium-duty commercial vehicle produced by UD Trucks with Volvo Group.
It's not for Japan.
It won 2017 Good Design Awards.
History.
In 2017, it was started sold in Ecuador, South Africa, etc.


Carpenter Body Company

Carpenter Body Works (typically referred to simply as Carpenter) was a former American bus manufacturer. Founded in 1918 in Mitchell, Indiana, the company produced a variety of vehicles, with the majority of production consisting of yellow school buses for the United States and Canada.
After remaining a family-owned company into the late 1980s, Carpenter was sold and relocated in 1995 to the former Wayne Corporation facilities in Richmond, Indiana. In 1998, Carpenter was acquired by specialty vehicle manufacturer Spartan Motors. After struggling to regain lost market share, Carpenter was closed by Spartan in early 2001.
History.
Foundation.
Carpenter traces its roots to 1918, in Mitchell, Indiana. Local blacksmith Ralph H. Carpenter established his own blacksmith works; at the time, part of the business involved building and repairing horse-drawn wagons. At the time, in many rural areas, these were still adapted to carry people simply with the addition of wooden benches. Inspired by the merger of two local school systems in the area near Mitchell, in 1922, Carpenter shifted from repair to construction of new bodies, constructing his first wooden-bodied "kid hack". By the mid-1920s, motorized truck chassis formed the basis of all vehicle bodies. Although still constructed primarily of wood, the new bus bodies were now reinforced by steel in the exterior and framing.
In 1935, the combination of wood and metal construction was replaced by a body built solely of steel; the roof panels were welded together instead of riveted, forming a single panel. At the same time, the company debuted an early form of the school bus stop arm, though in a much different form: instead of a stop sign, the company used a clenched fist with a red-painted index finger that was propped out from the side of the bus. In 1937, Ralph Carpenter reincorporated his business as Carpenter Body Works, expanding into a larger factory in Mitchell in 1939. In 1941, the company became one of the first publicly owned bus manufacturers.
During the World War II moratorium on private-sector vehicle manufacturing, Carpenter became a bus supplier for the US Army and US Navy, becoming a source of buses for military training facilities across the United States.
1950s–1980: Reconstruction and Expansion.
In May 1947, the Carpenter factory in Mitchell, Indiana, was heavily damaged by a fire in the paint shop.
In 1954, Carpenter produced its first transit-style "forward-control" bus. Similar to designs from Blue Bird and Wayne, the company used Marmon-Herrington as its chassis supplier. As with other manufacturers, Carpenter conventional-style buses in the early 1950s were available on a variety of chassis, including Chevrolet/GMC, Ford, Dodge, International Harvester, Mack, REO, Diamond T, Studebaker, and White.
In March 1956, the Carpenter factory was again struck by fire, starting on the body-fitment station. Causing nearly $750,000 in damage, much of the factory was destroyed, except for the warehouse, upholstery shop, and paint shop; approximately two dozen buses were driven away from the fire to safety. With the help of factory workers, the factory was rebuilt and expanded in just 89 days. During the reconstruction, some workers worked without pay until later compensated.
Following the 1963 death of Ralph Carpenter at age 85, leadership of the company transferred to his son-in-law John A. Foddrill.
To the end of the 1960s, Carpenter continued to produce its school bus product line as it had since the 1920s: every vehicle was essentially built one at time without an assembly line and essentially to order. Although one of the larger school bus manufacturers, Carpenter allowed for a great deal of specialization and available options for a purchaser.
In 1969, Carpenter became one of the first manufacturers to offer a downsized school bus (25-30 passengers) for smaller-scale operators. Based on the General Motors P-chassis, the Carpenter Cadet CV utilized the roof and the body of the conventional-body Carpenter from the entry door rearward. From the drivers' seat forward, the Cadet was designed similar to the GM "stepvan". The Cadet would spawn a number of similar designs from other manufacturers, remaining in production for 29 years.
In 1970, Carpenter upgraded its transit-style school buses with the introduction of the Corsair; the Marmon-Herrington chassis was replaced by a Hendrickson chassis. In addition, a distinguishing feature of the Corsair was its wraparound curved "fishbowl" windshield. Along with the forward-control Corsair, an all-new rear-engine model made its debut.
In 1970, parts of the factory were expanded further; under a company objective, management sought to source nearly all materials for the construction within Indiana (only carpet had to be sourced out of state)
During much of 1978, production at the Mitchell, Indiana facility was halted by a 6-month long labor strike lasting from February to August.
1981–90: Financial Decline.
As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, a critical factor affecting school bus manufacturing was declining student populations; the baby boomer generation that had attended schools for the past 25 years were now on the verge of all completing their secondary education. Overcapacity and lowered demand in the bus manufacturing industry was coupled with the unstable economy of the time. The company unsuccessfully attempted to diversify into the small transit bus market.
In 1981, Carpenter made its first move in expanding beyond its Mitchell, Indiana home. After securing over $1 million in loans, the company opened a machine shop in North Vernon, Indiana. In addition, in moving into the mass-transit market, Carpenter introduced the CBW range. A rear-engine mass-transit bus designed in 30 and 35-feet lengths, large orders for the CBW were received from the Southern California Rapid Transit District (Los Angeles), the Chicago Transit Authority and New Orleans RTA.
In 1983, the forward-control version of the Corsair was replaced by a far more modern Cavalier. Based on an International Harvester chassis, the Cavalier improved driver usability and ergonomics over its predecessor. As it was sold in limited numbers, the rear-engine Corsair remained in production.
In 1984, the Carpenter conventional (now called the Classic) received its most extensive updates in nearly 20 years. After fewer than 150 buses were sold, sales of the CBW mass-transit line were discontinued in that year.
In 1985, the company opened a chassis-manufacturing plant in Seymour, Indiana, although the plant would close within a year. In an expansion of the model line, Carpenter became one of the last major manufacturers (alongside Ward/AmTran) to introduce a school bus based on a cutaway van as it introduced the Clipper in 1985. The Clipper was a dual rear-wheel design sold primarily on a Chevrolet/GMC chassis.
In 1988, due to escalating costs, the North Vernon machine shop was closed down.
In 1989, the Cavalier was replaced by the Counselor, as the International Harvester chassis was replaced by a GMC chassis. For the last time, the rear-engine Corsair was produced.
In December 1989, with nearly $14 million in unpaid debt, Carpenter Body Works was forced to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 1990, Indianapolis-based businessman Dr. Beurt SerVaas formed a holding company (CBW, Inc) to acquire Carpenter Body Works. Although the company board (consisting primarily of the Foddrill family and supporters) were in favor of the acquisition, the United Auto Workers labor force rejected the proposal, due to massive labor concessions; it would take two weeks for an agreement to take place.
1991–2001: Struggle for identity.
As it entered the 1990s, Carpenter was no longer a family-owned company, transitioning into the leadership formed by Dr. SerVaas. During the acquisition, the product line was called "the Cadillac of school buses"; as such, the company had high hopes for the future based on its moves early in the 1990s.
In May 1991, Carpenter purchased the tooling, product rights, and intellectual property of Crown Coach, a California-based manufacturer that had closed its doors two months prior. The original intent of the company was to restart production of the Crown Supercoach Series II under the Carpenter name, but the complexity of its unibody construction proved too expensive for mass production (the purchase price of the original Series II was over $125,000 in 1990, nearly twice as high as a competitive Blue Bird or Thomas). Introduced in 1989, the Series II had been the most updated bus from Crown Coach in 40 years. While Carpenter would have to shelve the Supercoach II as a whole, it did not go unnoticed. A number of elements were carried over for the bus that was brought to market in its place.
Introduced for 1992, the Carpenter Coach RE (Rear Engine) also served as the replacement for the long-running Corsair. Far more modern than its predecessor, the Coach utilized a chassis manufactured by the Crane Carrier Company of Tulsa, OK and was equipped with a Detroit Diesel 6v92 coupled with an Allison transmission. A minor change was added as the Clipper was renamed the Classmate.
In 1994, Carpenter leased the former Wayne plant in Richmond, Indiana and began producing RE and FE chassis. Though the Crane Carrier chassis designs were produced initially, Carpenter designed chassis were rapidly phased into production. In a joint venture, Carpenter expanded its cutaway-van model line by distributing single rear-wheel buses manufactured by Quebec-based manufacturer Les Enterprises Michel Corbeil (badged as both Carpenter and Corbeil vehicles).
Crown by Carpenter (1996–99).
As part of the 1991 purchase of the Crown Coach intellectual property, Carpenter inherited the rights to the Crown brand name. While the Crown-influenced Coach RE was not a success (its production lasting from 1992 to 1993), Carpenter used the Crown brand name in the late 1990s in an attempt to re-brand itself. Starting in 1996, all Carpenter buses were sold under the brand "Crown by Carpenter".
In 1996, Carpenter contracted Spartan Motors to build its RE and FE chassis in Charlotte, MI and moved its body building operations from its aging Mitchell facility to Richmond. During this transition, Carpenter revised the body design of all of its buses. The changes included a new roof design with single-piece roof bows and revised rubrails (full-length upper rubrails). The Wayne Lifeguard would donate some of its parts to the Crown Classic, including its windshield, entry door, and driver's switch panel.
Crown By Carpenter sold a lineup of two Type A buses (Classmate SW/DW), one Type B bus (the Cadet), one Type C bus (the Classic), and two Type D buses (FE/RE, dropping the Counselor name).
At the new location, Carpenter had the advantage of an established team. Both the leadership and workforce based at Richmond included a number of veterans of the former Wayne operations. As such, they brought considerable experience and knowledge of the plant and industry to the effort. In adapting to the equipment at the Richmond plant, a change to the techniques of welding the roof joints from the procedures used before at Mitchell would later prove vital in excluding Crown by Carpenter products from containing a . That situation was not envisioned by anyone then and would only become an issue nearly a decade in the future.
One innovation that Carpenter introduced during this period was a change to the design of its "Crown RE", mounted on a Spartan Motors chassis. The Crown RE was the first rear-engine school bus to feature an option of a conventional rear emergency door instead of an emergency exit window typical on rear-engine school buses. To make this possible, the floor was slanted up in the last few rows in order to gain height over the engine compartment. Crown by Carpenter also produced a delivery truck loosely derived from its "Cadet" Type B school bus line.
Carpenter (2000–01).
In 1998, Carpenter was sold to Spartan Motors, a Michigan-based manufacturer of chassis for fire apparatus and high-end recreational vehicles. Nevertheless, major outside forces still to be faced were a supply of suitable chassis and the overcapacity of the body industry.
After four years, Carpenter had decided to phase out the Crown name in favor of a return to just Carpenter. In a decision to focus its energy on full-size bus production, the aging Cadet and Classmate DRW were discontinued and the joint venture with Corbeil that created the Classmate SRW was ended. In response, the newly rebranded Carpenter introduced an all-new conventional and front-engine transit for 2000.
Dubbed the "Classic 2000", the all-new conventional featured a structural redesign distinguished by a fully vertical rear body, enlarged rear emergency doors, entry doors, a redesigned windshield, and an all-new drivers area (sharing nearly all its controls with the Wayne Lifeguard). In place of the Crown FE was the Carpenter Chancellor. Initially introduced as a front-engine transit, the Spartan-chassis Chancellor featured all of the structural changes of the Classic 2000.
Carpenter Chancellor RE.
Intended as the flagship of the new Carpenter product lineup, the 2001 Chancellor RE rear-engine Type D (transit-style) school bus was built on a Spartan Motors chassis. Its chassis featured full air-ride suspension and double frame rails for a ride similar to a motorcoach; a flat floor inside the bus was created from the double frame as well as from the fitment of smaller-diameter wheels (19" vs. the standard 22.5"). Unlike its Crown RE predecessor, the Chancellor RE did not feature an option for a rear emergency door, opting instead for a window emergency exit traditionally seen on rear-engine school buses.
The combination of the Spartan Motors chassis with the Carpenter Chancellor body resembled (in some aspects) the massive workhorses built in California by Crown and Gillig in years past, many of which stayed in service for 25 years or longer. Only a single prototype was completed with a second bare chassis intended for display purposes. From all reports, the Chancellor was well-received, incorporating many components and features long desired by school bus operating and maintenance personnel.
In the context of the school bus industry, the Spartan Motors chassis was in reality a premium option, incorporating many of the features long sought in a school bus. However, there were several downsides to this approach which proved fatal to the effort. As one might reasonably anticipate, the extra durability came with added cost. Also, Spartan had been serving lower quantity and higher margin markets for similar products used for high-end Class A motor homes as well as fire and rescue apparatus. Although Spartan had entered the school bus market through supplying Carpenter (for nearly a decade), their production facilities were not geared up to produce a large volume under low pricing pressures, even though their products would have proved more durable in the long run. As such, Carpenter was no longer able to compete with AmTran, Blue Bird, or Thomas on price.
This was a familiar dilemma, the same one which earlier had helped seal the fate of the Crown and Gillig coaches on the West Coast, as well as the entry of competitor Blue Bird into the mass-transit market during the 1970s. It was also similar to the situation which faced HARSCO BMY (parent company of Wayne Wheeled Vehicles) operation some years earlier, where a lesser quantity of higher quality products (at a correspondingly higher price) had also been the plant's historical output.
Closure.
Carpenter had been struggling for almost 20 years when it ended school bus production in 2001. During the economic times around the millennium, lower initial capital costs seemed to trump longevity as a selling factor. When it was time for purchasing decisions, financially pressed districts and contractors tended to select lower-cost products with shorter life cycles. Spartan Motors, by then the ⅔ owner of the company, did not see a solution to the market dilemma and felt the projected continued losses would exceed the value to their business plan, voted to end its venture.
Epilogue: Body structure concerns.
On March 20, 2003 in Alachua County, Florida, a Carpenter school bus rolled over onto its roof. At the time of the accident, no passengers were on board and the driver survived the accident. In the rollover of the bus, the internal roof structure failed, causing much of the roof to collapse down to the level of the seats. Following the 2003 rollover accident, subsequent inspections of Carpenter school buses by operators in various parts of the United States revealed cracked and broken welds in their roof structures; the problem was not unique to the vehicle involved in the rollover crash.
In the initial investigation, the problem of cracked and broken roof welds were found in each type of Carpenter buses built at the Mitchell, Indiana facility prior to its 1995 closure. Crown by Carpenter buses and Carpenter buses built in Richmond, Indiana from 1996 to 2001 (which used a different design for its roof structure) were not found to have any issues with cracked or broken roof welds.
In a normal case, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would have used the findings as part of a full-scale investigation. If the findings found any kind of manufacturers defect, a safety recall of the vehicles involved would be ordered by NHTSA. As Carpenter was no longer in existence, that procedure was impossible, as there would be no one for NHTSA to hold accountable for the design problem.
In June 2003, NHTSA introduced several advisories regarding Carpenter buses. As NHTSA could not offer its own recall due to the lack of a manufacturer and remained concerned about the problem, operators were recommended to inspect their own buses for cracked and broken welds in the roof structure.
In its 2003 advisories, if a Carpenter bus was found with cracked or broken roof welds, NHTSA recommended replacement of the bus; if not practical, repair of the problem and restriction of the bus to low-speed routes to minimize the chance of rollover. To avoid resale of affected vehicles to the public, NHTSA advised that the title of Carpenter buses removed from service to be branded as "scrap".
Products.
Carpenter produced a product lineup of both small and full-size buses. Like other school bus manufacturers, the company also produced commercial, shuttle, and transit bus derivatives of their school bus designs. The Carpenter Cadet, introduced in 1969, was one of the first Type B school buses; during the Crown by Carpenter era, a modified version of the Cadet was marketed as a delivery van.
With the exception of "Classic", its Type C conventional and "Coach", its Type D rear-engine transit style (influenced by Crown Coach), most Carpenter school buses derived their model names from themes in education (Classmate, Cadet, Counselor, Chancellor) while many transit-style Carpenters derived their model names from common team names (Corsair, Cavalier).
Survivors.
The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC has a thirty-six passenger school bus built by Carpenter Body Works in 1936 on a chassis made by Dodge in 1939. The bus carried students to the grade school in Martinsburg, Indiana from 1940 to 1946, and was owned and driven by Russell Bishop during that period. It was later used as a traveling grocery store until 1962.
The bus has a streamlined steel body painted double-deep or "Omaha" orange with black trim. It was restored by Carpenter in the early 1980s under the supervision of Ollie Eager, who was Carpenter's plant manager in 1936, and John Foddrill, who worked in the Carpenter plant in 1936. The bus has replacement seats that do not match the originals exactly. The originals were black upholstery.


Trams in Szeged

Trams in Szeged are an important part of the public transport network serving Szeged, Hungary. In operation since 1884, the network presently has four full tramlines.
Network evolution.
During its history the network has had these lines:
Abolished lines:
Planned line:


Renault Kerax

The Renault Kerax is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufactured by Renault Trucks, aimed at the construction industry, and is available as a rigid body or tractor configuration. It was launched in 1997, and underwent a full upgrade in 2006. Production of the Kerax ended in 2013, when it was replaced by the C and K range which are powered by Euro 6 engines. Military versions, however, are still available.
Specifications.
Since 2009 the Kerax is powered by the DXi11 11.1 L 6-cylinder diesel engine which is Euro 5 compliant, and available in three tuning configurations: /, / and /. There is a choice between a 16-speed manual gearbox, or an automated 12-speed gearbox.
Prior to 2009, the Kerax was powered by Euro 3 DXi11 10.8 L engines producing /, / and /.
Suspension varies depending on model; parabolic on the 26t version, and semi-elliptical for the 32t version. There are three cab options, all of which are wide, but their length varies between and long. The wheelbase can vary between and .
The Kerax is manufactured in the Russian city of Kaluga at the Volvo Trucks factory which opened in 2009.
Mack Defense Kerax 8x8.
Mack Trucks sells a rebadged Kerax as a military logistics and tactical truck. The Canadian Army ordered over 1,500 Kerax trucks from 2017 to 2018. These vehicles replaced the second half of the Medium Support Vehicle System contract originally awarded to Navistar International for the Navistar 7400.
Dakar Rally.
The Kerax is often used in the Dakar Rally as a support vehicle.


Hiroden Ujina Line

The is a streetcar line of Hiroshima Electric Railway (Hiroden) in Hiroshima, Japan. The line has been operated since 1912.
The total distance of the line is 5.7 kilometers. Routes 1, 3, 5 and 7 operate on the line. The line has 20 stations, numbered M9 (two stations at Kamiyachō) and U1 through U18.


Barstow Area Transit


ACP Rail International

ACP Rail International, a division of ACP Marketing, markets and distributes international rail products to travel agents, tour operators and consumers. It is best known for being the exclusive global BritRail ticket distributor and a global sales agent for Eurail.
History.
Since 1994, ACP Rail International has been a specialist marketing company serving continental European, British and other world railways through distribution, sales, strategy and marketing.
In 2000, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), which brings together all of Britain's national rail train companies, appointed ACP Rail to be the official distributor for BritRail and ACP Rail continues to do so.
The current headquarters of ACP Marketing is in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and there is a regional office in London, England. The sales force is based in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.


North Sydney Bus Depot

North Sydney Bus Depot is a bus depot in the Sydney suburb of Neutral Bay operated by State Transit.
History.
On 3 June 1909, the North Sydney Tram Depot opened to replace the Ridge Street Tram Depot. On 15 September 1940, a bus depot opened on the adjacent site. With the closure of the North Sydney tram network in June 1958 and the opening of Willoughby Bus Depot in July 1958, the tram depot closed and sold for redevelopment as the Big Bear Shopping Centre, while the bus depot was downgraded to a satellite depot.
As of December 2020, it has an allocation of 66 buses.


Nissan Diesel Space Runner JP

The Nissan Diesel Space Runner JP (kana:日産ディーゼル・スペースランナーJP) was a medium-duty single-decker bus produced by the Japanese manufacturer Nissan Diesel from 1994 until 2010. The range was primarily available as a public bus and it can be either constructed as a complete bus or a bus chassis


William Wright (Northern Ireland politician)

Sir William Thompson Wright, (born 1925) is a Northern Irish business owner and former Unionist politician.
Life.
Wright grew up in Ballymena, and first came to prominence in the late 1950s, when he joined his father's company, the vehicle body building business Robert Wright & Son.
Politics.
In the 1970s, Wright joined the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party, and was elected as its Chairman. He stood for the party in North Antrim at the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention election in 1975, and was elected. He later followed the party leaders in joining the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and was elected to Ballymena Borough Council for this new party at the 1981 Northern Ireland local elections, He lost his seat at the 1985 election, and did not stand in 1989, but was re-elected in 1993 and won again in 1997.
Wright stood for election to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, but was not elected. In 1998, he resigned from the UUP, and stood unsuccessfully in the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election as an independent Unionist. He held his council seat in 2001, before finally standing down in 2005.
Business.
Outside politics, Wright took over the family business, moving it into the construction of buses, a process which saw it become the Wright Group, with Wrightbus as its best-known subsidiary.
Honours.
Wright was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to Industry and the community. He was promoted to Commander of this Order (CBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to the Bus Industry. Wright was then knighted in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to the economy and the bus industry. He was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim in Northern Ireland on 18 January 2019.


Royal Palm Hotel (Miami)

The Royal Palm Hotel was a large resort hotel built by railroad magnate Henry Flagler in Miami, Florida, United States. Opened on January 16, 1897, the Royal Palm Hotel was one of the first hotels in the Miami area. It sat on the north bank of the Miami River where it overlooked Biscayne Bay. Five stories tall with a sixth-floor salon, the Royal Palm Hotel featured the city's first electric lights, elevators and swimming pool. Almost thirty years later, The Royal Palm Hotel was grievously damaged by the 1926 hurricane, and infested with termites. In 1930, it was condemned and torn down.The hotel was built on the site of a Tequesta village. A large mound was removed to make way for the hotel veranda. Between 50 and 60 skulls were found in the mound, and tossed into barrels and sinkholes. Some were later given away as souvenirs. Construction crews also removed evidence of the Spanish mission and slave plantation that existed on the site decades earlier.
The hotel stretched along the Miami River's north bank. A verandah surrounded the hotel, about one-sixth of a mile in length. The hotel was described as "modern Colonial", with an air of "decorous opulence". There were 450 guest rooms and suites. The average guest room was twelve feet by eighteen feet, and 100 of the rooms had private baths. The main dining room would seat 500 guests. A second dining room was for maids and children. There were also private dining rooms. There were parlors, a billiards room, other game rooms, a by ballroom, and 100 dressing rooms at the swimming pool. The boiler room, electric plant, kitchens, laundry and ice-makers were in a separate building. The hotel had a staff of 300, including sixteen cooks. Although, at the insistence of Julia Tuttle, a clause prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages had been included in all land deeds for the new city of Miami, the Royal Palm Hotel had an exemption to serve alcohol to its guests during the three months of the tourist season.


Minibus

A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger-carrying van or panel truck. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 8 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses. Minibuses are typically front-engined step-entrance vehicles, although low floor minibuses do exist and are particularly common in Japan.
Minibuses may range in price from £2000 to nearly £100,000.
History.
It is unknown when the first minibus vehicle was released but it is possible that the first one was the 1935-1955 Chevrolet Suburban or the Volkswagen Transporter, even though the Suburban is thought by most to be an SUV, the first generation to the third generation could have theoretically by classified as minibusses today.
Usage.
Minibuses are used for a variety of reasons. In a public transport role, they can be used as fixed route transit buses, airport buses, flexible demand responsive transport vehicles, share taxis or large taxicabs. Accessible minibuses can also be used for paratransit type services, by local authorities, transit operators, hospitals or charities. Private uses of minibuses can include corporate transport, charter buses, tour buses. Schools, sports clubs, community groups and charities may also use minibuses for private transport. Individual owners may use reduced seating minibuses as cheap recreational vehicles.
Types.
By size, microbuses are minibuses smaller than long. Midibuses are minibuses bigger than microbuses but smaller than full-size buses.
There are many different types and configurations of minibuses, due to historical and local differences, and usage. Minibus designs can be classified in three main groups, with a general increase in seating capacity with each type:
Van conversions.
The most basic source of minibuses is the van conversion, where the minibus is derived by modifying the existing van design. Conversions may be produced completely by the van manufacturer, sold as part of their standard model line-up, or be produced by specialist conversion companies, who source a suitably prepared base model from the van manufacturer for final completion as a minibus.
Van conversions involve adding windows to the bodywork, and seating to the cargo area. Van conversion minibuses outwardly look the same shape as the parent van, and the driver and front passenger cabin remains unchanged, retaining the driver and passenger doors. Access to the former cargo area for passengers is through the standard van side sliding door, or the rear doors. These may be fitted with step equipment to make boarding easier. Optional extras to van converted minibuses can include the addition of a rollsign for transit work, and/or a full-height walk-in door, for passenger access to the former cargo area. For public transport use, this door may be an automatic concertina type. For other uses, this may be a simple plug style coach door. Depending on the relevant legislation, conversions may also involve wheelchair lifts and tachograph equipment. A van conversion with a passenger area in the front and a storage area in the back, behind a fixed bulkhead, is called a splitter bus.
Examples of vans used for these conversion minibuses are:
Body builds.
Another method of building a minibus is for a second stage manufacturer to build a specific body for fitting to a semi-completed van or light truck chassis. These allow a higher seating capacity than a simple van conversion. Often, the second stage manufacturer is a bus manufacturer.
In a body-on-chassis minibus, a cabin body is installed on a van or light truck chassis encompassing the drivers area. These designs may retain some outward signs of the original van, such as the hood and grill. Other designs are visually a complete bus design, and it is merely the chassis underneath that is from the van design.
The body-on-chassis approach gives the advantage of higher seating capacity, or more room for passenger comfort, through a larger cabin area. There is also the advantage of being able to have the drivers seat positioned in a small cubicle, next to the main passenger entrance, allowing the driver to collect fares in a transit bus role.
Examples of body built minibuses are:
Examples of vehicles used for this type of minibuses are:
Purpose built.
A next generation approach to the van-derived or cutaway chassis approach, is for manufacturers to produce an integral design, where the whole vehicle is purposely designed and built for use as a minibus. This is usually done by an integral bus manufacturer, although large automotive groups also produce their own models. These designs are often available in long high capacity versions, and may attract different designations, such as midibus, or light bus.
Examples of purpose built minibuses are:
Low floor minibuses.
Following the development of low-floor technology, some low-floor purpose built minibuses have been created. Some offer a low floor access through a centre door. Some short versions of low floor midibuses are sometimes also called minibuses.
Regional variants.
There are many different form of public transportation services around the world that are provided by using vehicles that can be considered as minibus:
Driving licence.
Some countries may require an additional class of driving licence over a normal private car licence, and some may require a full commercial driving licence. The need for such a licence may depend on:
In the UK the following information regarding Minibus driving licences is important:
"The holder of an ordinary car driving licence which was obtained prior to January 1997, once aged 21 years minimum, may drive a Minibus with a capacity of 16 passengers. Where the "ordinary car driving licence" is obtained after December 1996, they will have to take a separate test to drive a vehicle with a capacity of more than 8 passengers. However, there is an exemption for certain volunteer drivers, where the vehicle does not exceed 3500 kg GVW (or 4250 kg GVW if the vehicle is designed to be wheelchair accessible). Driving licence source
A driving licence issued in Ontario, Canada, for an equivalent of a UK class B or class B-auto driving licence (in the case of Ontario, a class G licence), allows its holder to drive vehicles with:
Anyone wanting to drive a vehicle in Ontario, with the same MAM limits as for class G vehicles, with fewer than 25, but at least 10, passenger seats, must obtain a bus licence. This licence will allow, for example, its holder to drive 12- and 15-passenger vans that Transport Canada defines as large passenger vans.


Leyland Lynx

The Leyland Lynx was a stepped-entrance single-decker bus manufactured by Leyland in Workington, England between 1986 and 1992. After the takeover by Volvo, it was succeeded by the Volvo B10B.
Background.
The Leyland Lynx (B60) was designed in 1984 as a replacement for the ageing Leyland National, being unveiled at the 1985 International Bus & Coach Exhibition at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Although the B60 was the first bus to carry the Lynx brand, Leyland had previously used it on truck chassis between 1936 and 1940, and again between 1968 and 1979. The Lynx name has since been revived by Ashok Leyland for use on a midibus.
History.
Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986, the majority were bodied by Leyland at its Workington factory where the underframe was produced. All have a step entrance, Leyland offered the option of a floor with a step in the middle or one that gently ramped from aft of the front platform to the rear. A plan for offering this bus with a single-piece flat windscreen was considered, but was not carried out. A common feature, therefore, is that the Lynx has two separate windscreens and has the driver's windscreen raked back, resembling 1950s single-decker buses and the Wright Handybus.
Engines offered were the Leyland TL11, Gardner 6HLXCT and Cummins L10, while the Lynx II was also available with the Volvo THD102KF.
In 1990, the updated Lynx Mark II version was introduced. It could be recognised easily by its protruding front dash/grille panel, whilst the original design was flat. Additionally, a select few of the 140 vehicles produced featured Volvo engines, which drastically reduced performance in pursuit of more environmentally friendly engines.
The Mark II was also available as a bus underframe for other coachbuilders to body. Although the large majority of Lynxes carried the Leyland body, seven chassis were bodied by Alexander with N-type bodywork for Citybus (Belfast), including the first prototype. Northern Counties also catalogued bodies for the Lynx but none were built.
The type saw service all over the United Kingdom, with the largest fleet owned by West Midlands Travel. A total of 256 were purchased, including six demonstrators, delivered early in 1986 equipped with Gardner engines and semi-automatic Leyland Hydracyclic gearboxes (which were later converted to ZF automatic). They were gradually withdrawn from 2000 onwards, with the last three withdrawn from passenger service in March 2009, although 10 remained in the driver training fleet until March 2010.
The last two Lynxes to roll off the production line entered service with Halton Transport in August 1992. The Lynx was the core of Halton Transport's fleet for over 10 years. In later life at Halton, they were used on a number of school contracts and the occasional regular service. In October 2010, all of Halton's remaining Lynxes were sold, the last Lynx produced going into preservation, with the penultimate Lynx used to donate spares.
Following the takeover of Leyland by Volvo in March 1988, the Lynx was superseded by the Volvo B10B in 1992. Total production of Lynxes was approximately 1,060 vehicles, including six prototypes (one of which was not bodied) and several development vehicles. About 140 of the total were Lynx Mark IIs.
Exports.
A small number of Lynxes were exported as demonstrators, but no sales ever resulted.
In 1984, a framed chassis was sent to Australia. After being completed by JW Bolton in Perth, it operated for Transperth, ACTION and Hornibrook Bus Lines before being sold to Lever Coachlines in 1987. In 1989, two were bodied by Pressed Metal Corporation as demonstrators for the State Transit Authority, but the trial never occurred and they were sold to John J Hill, Wollongong.
In 1988, Singapore Bus Service took delivery of an Walter Alexander bodied Leyland Lynx. Originally serving feeder bus routes in Ang Mo Kio, it eventually ended up on employee bus services between Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot and Yishun. It was involved in an accident in August 2001 and had its original Lynx-style front replaced with an Alexander PS type style. It was eventually withdrawn and scrapped in 2005. Conversely one Leyland Tiger received a Lynx-style Leyland body for export to New Zealand, initially being operated by Newmans Coach Lines and later Go Bus Transport.
In 1990, three of the order being built for West Midlands Travel were sent to Australia as demonstrators. Two operated with ACTION, while the third was demonstrated to the State Transport Authority and State Transit Authority, before all three were sold to Southtrans.
Preservation.
Several Lynxes have now entered preservation, with some requiring extensive rebuilding to bring them back to original condition, due to body corrosion, as well as reversing modifications made by operators during their history. One such example is the removal of all of the patterned body skirts, combined with the replacement of the square wheel arches with non-patterned round ones. Both of these modifications were made to make it easier to replace such parts in the event of an accident.
In Australia, the JW Bolton bodied demonstrator has been preserved by the Sydney Bus Museum.


Railtour

A railtour is a special train which is run in order to allow people to experience rail travel which is not available using timetabled passenger services. The 'unusual' aspect may be the route of the train, the destination, specific sections of railway track (for example, freight-only lines), the locomotive hauling the train, the rolling stock (passenger carriages), or any combination of these. Organisers may own or hire locomotives or rolling stock, or tours may be organised by railway management or other bodies outside the railway fraternity. Perhaps the most famous railtour in England was the "Fifteen Guinea Special", the last steam hauled main line train run by British Rail. Railtours are often identifiable through the use of a train headboard, often identifying the name of the specific tour or the tour operator. On TOPS, railtours are always given a 1Zxx headcode.
Types of Railtour.
Destination tours.
A 'destination' railtour is often associated with a special event of railway significance. Open days or special events at heritage railway locations such as Barrow Hill Engine Shed and the West Somerset Railway have been destinations for railtours originating from large cities. Similarly, organisations such as the Crusader Union may hire a train to take a large number of people to a specific event.
Locomotive tours.
A 'locomotive' railtour focusses on the type of locomotive hauling the train. This may be a preserved locomotive, a type not usually used for passenger trains, or a type of locomotive which normally works some distance from the chosen route. Railtours in the 1980s saw a Class 52 running to York and a Class 55 to Exeter.
Nostalgic tours.
One type of railtour which is currently popular is the nostalgic excursion using a preserved train, or sometimes a train hired from a railway operator. Preserved steam locomotives are popular performers on UK railtours, sometimes covering 400 miles in one day at speeds of over 75 miles per hour. Train, branding and route are often chosen as to reflect a common theme, sometimes tracing an aspect of railway history. Railtours are organised both on a commercial basis and as a fund-raising method for railway preservation societies.
Track or route tours.
A track or route railtour is focused on travelling over sections of railway track that are not used by scheduled passenger trains. Locations – such as Carne Point at Fowey, Cornwall – which have not seen passenger trains for several decades, or locations that have never had a public passenger service – such as the MOD depot at Long Marston – can be traversed by such trains.
Current Railtour operators in Ireland.
Enthusiast Railtours
Luxury Railtours


Gish station

Gish is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The station is located in San Jose, California, United States in the center median of 1st Street near Gish Street. The station has a split platform. The northbound platform is located just north of Gish Street, while the southbound platform is located just south of it. This station is served by the Blue and Green lines of the VTA Light Rail system.


Fred Harvey Company

The Fred Harvey Company was the owner of the Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality industry businesses alongside railroads in the western United States. It was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to cater to the growing number of train passengers.
When Harvey died in 1901, his family inherited 45 restaurants and 20 dining cars in 12 states. During World War II, Harvey Houses opened again to serve soldiers as they traveled in troop trains across the U.S. By 1968, when it was sold to Amfac, Inc. (now Xanterra Parks and Resorts, as of 2002), the Fred Harvey Company was the sixth largest food retailer in the United States. It left behind a lasting legacy of good food, dedication to customers, decent treatment of employees, and preservation of local traditions.
History.
The company traces its origins to the 1876 opening of three railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, and Hugo, Colorado, on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, who emigrated to the United States from London, England when he was 17 years old. The café operation ended within a year, but Harvey had been convinced of the potential profits from providing a high quality food and service experience at railroad eating houses. His longtime employer, the Burlington Railroad, declined his offer of establishing a system-wide eating house operation at all railroad meal stops, but the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) subsequently contracted with Harvey for several eating houses on an experimental basis. Harvey began by taking over the 20-seat lunchroom at their Topeka, Kansas depot, which opened under his leadership in January 1876.
In 1878, Harvey started the first of his eating house-hotel establishments along the AT&SF tracks in Florence, Kansas. The rapid growth of the Harvey House chain soon followed, with the second eating house opening in Lakin, Kansas in 1879.
Fred Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the U.S. Harvey and his company also became leaders in promoting tourism in the American Southwest in the late 19th century. Harvey promoted the region by inspiring the Indian curio shop, as well as guided tours through the west, known as Indian Detours. The company and its employees, including the famous waitresses who came to be known as Harvey Girls, successfully brought new higher standards of both civility and dining to a region widely regarded in the era as "the Wild West". The popularity of the Harvey Girls grew even stronger in 1946 when Judy Garland starred in the film version of Samuel Hopkins Adams’s novel "The Harvey Girls".
Despite the decline of passenger train patronage in the U.S. in the 20th century with the advent of the automobile, the company survived and prospered, by marketing its services to the motoring public. After 1926, Harvey Cars were used in the provision of "Indian Detours" services offered from a number of Harvey hotel locations. Fred Harvey’s son Ford began the series of guided tours into the interior of the west. The company purchased a hotel in Santa Fe called La Fonda, and it became headquarters for the Indian Detours, led by guides called Couriers. The company continued to adjust to the trends. During World War II, Fred Harvey Houses reopened across the Southwest to feed American soldiers. In 1943, it is estimated that the Fred Harvey Company served more than one million meals each month in dining cars and Harvey Houses. In the late 1950s it operated, for the first 15 years, the then-new landmark Illinois Tollway "Oases" which were built above the Interstate 294 highway in the Chicago suburbs by Standard Oil of Indiana (Amoco).
The Fred Harvey legacy was continued in the family until the death of a grandson in 1965. Portions of the "Fred Harvey Company" have continued to operate since 1968 as part of a larger hospitality industry conglomerate, Amfac, Inc. which became Xanterra Parks and Resorts in 2002.
Company Growth and Relationship with AT&SF.
Before the inclusion of dining cars in passenger trains became common practice, a rail passenger's only option for meal service in transit was to patronize one of the roadhouses often located near the railroad's water stops. Fare typically consisted of nothing more than rancid meat, cold beans, and week-old coffee. If passengers lacked time for meals, they could purchase overpriced sandwiches and fruit on the train platform or the cars. Such poor conditions understandably discouraged many Americans from making the journey westward.
The subsequent growth and development of the "Fred Harvey Company" was closely related to that of AT&SF. Under the terms of an oral agreement, Harvey opened his first depot restaurant in Topeka, Kansas, in January 1876. Railroad officials and passengers alike were impressed with Fred Harvey's strict standards for high quality food and first class service. Before opening the Topeka restaurant, Harvey ordered entirely new silverware, stemware, and dishes. As a result, AT&SF entered into subsequent contracts with Harvey wherein he was given unlimited funds to set up a series of what were dubbed "eating houses" along most of the route. At more prominent locations, these eating houses evolved into hotels, many of which survive today, such as La Posada in Winslow, Arizona. By the late 1880s, there was a Fred Harvey dining facility located every 100 miles along the AT&SF, as the distance was equivalent to when trains needed to refuel and load water.
AT&SF agreed to convey fresh meat and produce free-of-charge to any Harvey House via its own private line of refrigerator cars, the Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch, and in them food was shipped from every corner of the U.S. There were often break-ins at the Houses or parked refrigerator cars for the food and ingredients, as they were fresher than other restaurants. The company maintained two dairy facilities (the larger of the two was situated in Las Vegas, New Mexico) to ensure a consistent and adequate supply of fresh milk. When dining cars began to appear on trains, AT&SF contracted with the "Fred Harvey Company" to operate the food service on the diners, and all AT&SF advertising proclaimed "Fred Harvey Meals All the Way".
Harvey's meals were served in sumptuous portions that provided a good value for the traveling public; for instance, pies were cut into fourths, rather than sixths, which was the industry standard at the time. The first visitor to the Topeka restaurant was served a fourth of an apple pie, for example. The Harvey Company and AT&SF established a series of signals that allowed the dining room staff to make the necessary preparations to feed an entire train in just thirty minutes. For example, the ‘cup code’ allowed the waitresses to easily see what drink had been ordered by way of how the cup was placed on the saucer. Harvey Houses served their meals on fine China and Irish linens. Fred Harvey, a fastidious innkeeper, set high standards for efficiency and cleanliness in his establishments, personally inspecting them as often as possible. It was said that nothing escaped his notice, and he was even known to completely overturn a poorly set table. Male customers were required to wear a coat and tie in many of Harvey's dining rooms. The Harvey Houses went on to serve meals to GIs traveling on troop trains during World War II.
This mutually beneficial relationship, characterized as one of the most successful and influential business partnerships in the early American West, endured until 1968, when the Fred Harvey Company was sold to Amfac Inc., now Xanterra Resorts and Parks.
Facilities and Grand Canyon Tourism.
For the Southwest, Harvey hired architects Charles Whittlesey and Louis Curtiss for influential landmark hotels in Santa Fe and Gallup, New Mexico. The Grand Canyon was the Santa Fe railroad's main tourist destination and a major activity of the Harvey Company, especially after it became a national park in 1919. The rugged, landscape-integrated, and culturally appropriate design principles there influenced a generation of subsequent Western U.S. architecture through the National Park Service and Civilian Conservation Corps structures built during the Great Depression and after. Mary Colter, architect for the company from 1904 to 1949, in particular sought to incorporate her architecture into the natural splendor of the Canyon, drawing on its beauty. Colter focused on authenticity. Hopi House and Bright Angel Lodge, both on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, are prime examples of her work, which influenced popular interpretations of “the desert” and indigenous America. Bright Angel Lodge was completed in 1935, during the Great Depression.
The Harvey team, with the backing of the Santa Fe railroad, created an entire set of cultural images based on the region's distinctive, and often overlooked, artistic traditions of the Native American residents and the early Spanish settlers in the area. Especially noteworthy were the buildings on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, including lodges, souvenirs shops, and special lookout points, today on the National Register of Historic Places.
It has been suggested that the Harvey Houses originated the "blue-plate special", a daily low-priced complete meal served on a blue-patterned china plate; an 1892 Harvey menu mentions them, some thirty years before the term became widespread. In addition to the AT&SF, the Harvey Company operated dining facilities for the Gulf Coast & Santa Fe, Kansas Pacific, St. Louis-San Francisco, and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis railways.
AT&SF maintained and operated a fleet of three passenger ferry boats that connected the railroad with San Francisco by water. Ships traveled the eight miles between the San Francisco Ferry Terminal and the railroad's Point Richmond terminal across the Bay. The service was originally established as a continuation of the company's named passenger train runs such as the "Angel" and the "Saint". The larger two ships, the "San Pablo" and the "San Pedro", each featured a newsstand-lunch counter located on the main deck, and a dining room on the upper deck. Meals, sandwiches, sweet rolls, pastries, and coffee were served. AT&SF discontinued ferry service in 1933 due to the effects of the Great Depression.
Harvey Girls.

In 1883, Harvey implemented a policy of employing a female, white-only serving staff. He sought single, well-mannered, and educated American ladies, and placed ads in newspapers throughout the East Coast and Midwest for "white, young women, 18–30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent". The girls were paid $18.50 a month, plus room and board, a generous income by the standards of the time.
The women were subjected to a strict 10 p.m. curfew, administered by a senior Harvey Girl who assumed the role and responsibilities of house mother. The official starched black and white uniform (which was designed to diminish the female physique) consisted of a skirt that hung no more than eight inches off the floor, "Elsie" collars, opaque black stockings, and black shoes. The hair was restrained in a net and tied with a regulation white ribbon. Makeup of any sort was absolutely prohibited, as was chewing gum while on duty. Harvey Girls (as they soon came to be known) were required to enter into a six-month employment contract, and forfeited half their base pay should they fail to complete the term of service. Marriage was the most common reason for a girl to terminate her employment.
The restrictions maintained the clean-cut reputation of the Harvey Girls, and made them even more marriageable. Cowboy philosopher Will Rogers once said, “In the early days the traveler fed on the buffalo. For doing so, the buffalo got his picture on the nickel. Well, Fred Harvey should have his picture on one side of the dime, and one of his waitresses with her arms full of delicious ham and eggs on the other side, ‘cause they have kept the West supplied with food and wives.” However, just the opportunity to leave their homes, enjoy travel, have new experiences, and work outside the home was very liberating for thousands of young women. After the Harvey Houses closed in most cities, many former Girls (and today their daughters and granddaughters) joined in appreciation to carry on their legacy.
In a mythology that has grown around the Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls, these female employees are said to have helped to "civilize the American Southwest". This legend found expression in "The Harvey Girls", a 1942 novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams and in the 1946 MGM musical film of the same name which was inspired by it, starring Judy Garland.
Dining car service.
Harvey initially balked at the suggestion that in-transit dining facilities be added to all AT&SF trains operating west of Kansas City. Eventually, Harvey agreed to support the railroad in this endeavor, and the "California Limited" became the first AT&SF's name trains to feature Harvey Company meal service en route. Later trains, such as the vaunted "Super Chief", included dining cars (staffed by "Fred Harvey Company" personnel) as part of the standard passenger car complement right from the outset. Mary Colter specially designed a china pattern, Mimbreno, for the Super Chief’s dining cars.
Separation from AT&SF.
Beginning in the 1930s, the "Fred Harvey Company" began expanding into other locations beyond the reach of AT&SF, and often away from rail passenger routes. Restaurants were opened in such locations as the Chicago Union Station (the largest facility operated by Harvey), San Diego Union Station, the San Francisco Bus Terminal, and the Albuquerque International Airport; the last of these was established at the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal in 1939, and could accommodate nearly 300 diners.
From 1959 until 1975, the Fred Harvey organization operated a series of restaurants in the Illinois Tollway oasis, a set of highway rest stops built on bridges over the tollway. In 1954, the Harvey family purchased the Grand Canyon hotels from the AT&SF, thus ensuring that the Fred Harvey Company would continue to make money. In 1966, Fred Harvey purchased the Furnace Creek Inn, near Death Valley National Park, from U.S. Borax in 1966 after operating it for a decade. The original "Fred Harvey Company", as well as the company's close affiliation with AT&SF, lasted until 1968 when it was purchased by the Amfac Corporation of Hawaii. Amfac was renamed Xanterra Parks & Resorts in 2002. In 2006, Xanterra purchased the Grand Canyon Railway and its properties.
Under Amfac.
In 1968 Amfac bought Fred Harvey Co. As of the 1970s, Fred Harvey as a division of Amfac ran:
Select Harvey Hotels and facilities.
A list of some of the 84 Fred Harvey facilities, in alphabetical order (ignoring articles such as the/el/la/las/los):
A
B
C
E
F
G
H
N
O
P
S
T
V


Hatcher station

Hatcher station or Hatcher Street station is a DART Light Rail station located in Dallas, Texas. It serves the . The station opened as part of the Green Line's expansion in December 2010.
DART owns several vacant lots next to the station that are planned to be used as a community garden for urban farming.


Leyland Panther

The Leyland Panther was a rear-engined single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between the years 1964 and 1972. A version with a smaller engine was released as the Leyland Panther Cub.
History.
The Leyland Panther was introduced in 1964. In total, over 600 Panthers were bodied as buses for UK operators, and about 700 chassis were built for export. It gained a reputation for unreliability, which to some extent was common to many of the first generation of rear-engined single-deckers.
Operators.
Sunderland Corporation Transport ordered 30 Panthers, in 1965 all of which were delivered by December 1966 by 1971 the fleet was 90 strong. Southport Corporation Transport 22 and Liverpool City Transport 110.
Exports.
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik in Sweden had 200 left-hand drive Panthers bodied by Park Royal Vehicles.
The largest quantity of Panthers was purchased by Australia's Brisbane City Council, who purchased 341 between 1966 and 1970. The Metropolitan Transport Trust, Perth purchased 127 between 1968 and 1974. A few operators including Forest Coach Lines, Grenda's Bus Service, Melbourne-Brighton Bus Lines and Rover Coaches also purchased Panthers.
Some second-hand Panthers were imported into Australia from Sweden and the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and operated by Fearne's Coaches, Forest Coach Lines, Grenda's Bus Service, Invicta Bus Services and Keiraville Bus Service.
Ten Panthers were sold to Dunedin City Transport in New Zealand, while another ten went to Egged in Israel and were locally bodied by Ha'argaz.


Barlow/Max Bell station

Barlow/Max Bell station is a CTrain light rail station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It serves the Northeast Line (Route 202). It opened on April 27, 1985 as part of the original Northeast line.
The station is located in the median of Memorial Drive Southeast, located at the intersection with 19 Street Northeast. The station is 3.9 km from the City Hall Interlocking.
The station serves industrial and commercial areas located along Barlow Trail, such as Mayland, as well as the neighbourhood of Radisson Heights/Albert Park and the Max Bell Centre arena. A small 50 space parking lot is available for commuters.
The station's center-loading (island) platform is accessed via ramps from a pedestrian tunnel under Memorial Drive. Barlow/Max Bell and Zoo are the only stations in the system that are constructed this way.
As part of Calgary Transit's plan to operate 4-car trains by the end of 2014, all 3-car platforms are being extended. Barlow/Max Bell station will also see new furnishings in addition to a platform extension. Construction is expected to start sometimes in early 2014 and will last approximately 6 months.
In 2005, the station registered an average transit of 1,600 boardings per weekday.


Cold Spring Lane station

Cold Spring Lane station is a light rail station on the Baltimore Light Rail system. The stop is located on Cold Spring Lane near the interchange with Interstate 83, and is within a close walk to the Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Western High School.
The Cold Spring Lane stop is in close proximity to the former Melvale station of the Northern Central Railway, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Railroad.


London Buses route 285


List of largest town tramway systems

This is a list of largest town tramway systems that have ever operated. Town tramway systems include all light rail, tram, interurban, streetcar, or other comparable modes of public transport which uses rails while mainly traveling among other traffic. All figures reflect the system at its height. To keep the list manageable, only systems with over 90km of track are included.


Trout House

The Trout House was one of three hotels in antebellum Atlanta, Georgia, along with the Atlanta Hotel and Washington Hall. It was built in 1849 by John F. Trout. It was a four-story brick building at the southwest corner of Decatur and Pryor Streets, facing the union depot and State Square.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis spoke here during his visit to Atlanta of February 16, 1861, although he did not spend the night.
The hotel was destroyed during General Sherman's burning of Atlanta.


Tampa Bay Hotel