War Time Utility Double Deckers

Model Bus Zone Fotopic Gallery

2nd October 2005

EFE have chosen to model four Utility types. The Guy Arab I / II, Bristol K, and Daimler CW, the difference between each of the models, is limited to the radiator, front mudguards, and bonnet area, while all versions share the same upper and main lower deck castings.

The Guy Arab II has proved the most popular version, which reflects the situation with the real vehicles. All the versions first appeared in 1999.

262xx Guy Arab I Utility Double Decker
263xx Guy Arab II Utility Double Decker
264xx Daimler Utility Double Decker
265xx Bristol Utility Double Decker

The utility double decker was a product developed during the Second World War to counter the growing shortage of double deck buses.
Most bus production had been halted or highly restricted during the early war years, with bus chassis manufactures and body builders being instead involved in production of essential military equipment.
However it soon became clear that the combination of enemy action, aging vehicles, and shortages of parts was affecting operators ability to maintain services. The Ministry of Supply thus allowed selected manufactures, including Guy, Bristol, Daimler and Leyland to produce bus chassis', while a limited number of bodybuilders were allowed to build bodies to a highly restrictive specification. These bodies were built using un-seasoned timber, limited interior paneling, and the design also omitted any non essential radiussed sections, allowing a saving in scarce materials and labour time. From the passengers point of view, comfort wasn't a high priority, as most of the vehicles were supplied with rather basic wooden slated seats.

These buses were allocated by the Ministry to operators on a need to have bases, with various combinations of body and chassis types appearing in many urban fleets across the country.

The poor quality materials used in the utility bodies, meant that most had a short life in their original form. During the 1950's many operators re-bodied or withdraw these vehicles has soon as possible.

The Utility type was used by London Transport between 1942 and the the early 1950's. Deliveries included 9 Bristol K5, 281 Daimler CWA6 / CWD6, and 435 Guy Arabs, some of the later deliveries had less austere styling, which allowed radiussed rear roof domes.

Virtually all the London vehicles were used on Central Area routes, although some Daimlers did find their way onto the Greenline network when it was re-introduced following its wartime suspension.

26201 - Coventry Transport 886x753 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26202 - Colchester Corporation 868x747 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26203 - Swindon Corporation 859x738 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26204 - London Transport (Route 76 - G53) 865x738 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26204A - London Transport (Route 76 - G8) EFE Subscribers 880x771 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26205 - Brighton Hove & District 1200x980 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26206 - Wolverhampton Corporation Transport, Guy Arab I Utility 1200x825 2007-12-27 00:00:00	26301 - London Transport (Route 101) 898x765 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26302 - Birmingham City Transport 904x747 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26303 - Devon General 922x756 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26303A - Devon General (Classic Bus Magazine 2000) 895x738 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26304 - Birkenhead Corporation 901x735 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26305 - Midland General (Route B6) 934x768 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26305DL - Midland General (Route D6) Deluxe Series 892x747 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26306 - Southdown (route 12) 961x756 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26307A - London Transport (Route 83) Cobham Bus Museum 2004 1165x984 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26307B - London Transport (Route 175) Cobham Bus Museum 2005 1231x1014 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26307GS - London Transport (Route 18) Part of set 99920 934x747 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26308 - Great Yarmouth 877x738 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26309 - Bournemouth Corporation (Route 11) 874x747 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26309A - Bournemouth Corporation (Route 1) Bournemouth Transport Centenary) 1120x984 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26310 - Edinburgh Corporation 892x735 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26311 - Cardiff Corporation Transport 907x744 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26312 - East Kent 907x753 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26313 - East Yorkshire 1351x1113 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26314 - Stockport Corporation 1108x936 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26315 - Southdown (Route 31) 1207x933 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26318 - Bamber Bridge Motor Services (B.B.M.S.) 1200x835 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26319 - Burton Corporation 1200x840 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26320 - Southdown (Route 13B) 1200x840 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26320A - Southdown (Produced to mark the Bognor Regis Town FC Centenary) Guy Arab II Utility 1200x776 2007-12-27 00:00:00	26321 - Ashton under Lyne Corporation 1200x823 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26401 - Midland Red 928x762 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26402 - London Transport Green Line (Route 721) 946x768 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26403 - Manchester Corporation 856x738 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26404 - East Yorkshire (Due to a factory error this model was fitted with a Guy Arab II Radiator) 889x720 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26405A - London Transport (Route 88 Acton Green) for LT Musuem 1200x800 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26405B - London Transport (Route 88 Clapham Common) for LT Musuem 1200x820 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26501 - Maidstone & District 889x744 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26502 - London Transport (Route 97) 853x744 2005-10-02 00:00:00
26502A - London Transport (Route 92) Cobham Bus Museum 2000 883x741 2005-10-02 00:00:00	26503 - Provincial 1126x990 2005-10-02 00:00:00	99202 (26405) - London Transport (route 137) 1036x846 2005-10-02 00:00:00	99203 (26316) - London Transport (Route 23) War Time Buses Series 982x771 2005-10-02 00:00:00
99205 (26317) - Southdown (Route 12) War Time Buses Series 1042x855 2005-10-02 00:00:00	99206 (26406) Birmingham City Transport 1096x894 2005-10-02 00:00:00