17-481: The Dennis Falcon was a rear-engined single-decker bus , double-decker bus and coach chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1981 and 1993. It was mostly built as a single-decker bus , although some express coaches and a small number of double-decker buses were also produced. The total number built was 139, plus one development chassis. The Falcon was closely derived from the Dennis Dominator ,
34-535: A major supplier once again as demand picked up in the mid-1990s. In May 1995, it was purchased for £10 million by the Henlys Group , owner of Plaxton . The Northern Counties name was dropped in 1999, and vehicles were badged as Plaxton. In 2000, Henlys entered a joint venture with the Mayflower Corporation, owner of bodybuilder Alexander and chassis manufacturer Dennis . The joint venture
51-609: A number of regular customers. In 1967, fellow bodybuilder Massey Brothers , located in nearby Pemberton , was acquired and became a part of the Northern Counties operations. ' The Massey factory was retained and used as a paint-shop and for final completion of bodywork assembled at Wigan Lane. The Transport Act 1968 merged the municipal corporations of Manchester , Salford , Bolton , Oldham , Stockport , Rochdale , Bury and Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Joint Board (SHMD Board). The resulting conglomerate
68-689: The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive that was the largest bus operator outside London until privatisation in the late 1980s. A large proportion of Northern Counties production after this time was for the Greater Manchester fleet. In 1975 the company collaborated with Foden , a well-known manufacturer of commercial vehicles, to produce a semi-integral double-deck vehicle intended to compete with chassis manufacturer Leyland . Leyland had merged with traditional rival Daimler and
85-617: The Seddon Pennine RU , the C (for continuous drive) denoted the Voith transmission close-coupled to the Gardner engine with a short propeller shaft taking drive into a straight Kirkstall spiral-bevel double-reduction rear axle. For these types the frame was raised aft of the rear axle to provide clearance for the underslung engine. The Falcon V , with Daimler-Benz V6 engines in the double-decker buses and Perkins V8 engines in
102-532: The Smart Fortwo . Some electric cars feature both rear and front motors, to drive all four wheels. Northern Counties Motor %26 Engineering Company The Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Wigan . Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company was founded in Wigan in 1919 by Henry Lewis. The Lewis family remained owners of
119-665: The Falcon HC chassis in 1985/86 for airport express services in Hong Kong . The last was withdrawn in 2001. Only six Falcon V double-decker buses were built. The first was used as a demonstrator. Two examples with East Lancs bodywork went to Nottingham City Transport in 1982 as part of their evaluation of the various new generation double-decker buses then available. High noise levels were one criticism made against them. The final three, with Northern Counties bodywork, went to Greater Manchester Transport in 1984. The Falcon
136-651: The National Bus Company bought 10 express coaches with Duple Goldiner IV bodywork to National Express Rapide specification. These were based on the Falcon V chassis. They were split between Western National (5), Yorkshire Traction (2), National Travel (West) (2) and West Yorkshire RCC (1). But they proved unreliable and did not last very long in National Express service. Kowloon Motor Bus purchased 20 Duple Laser bodied coaches based on
153-549: The coaches, was even closer in frame-concept to the Dominator. Single-decker buses were based on the Falcon H and HC chassis. Six English municipal operators bought Dennis Falcon single-decker buses between 1981 and 1993: Leicester bought the first Falcon in 1981, with Duple Dominant Bus bodywork, and added six more between 1983 and 1984. Despite selling these to Thamesdown Transport in 1987, Leicester later purchased sixteen more Falcons between 1991 and 1993, including
170-445: The company until it was bought out over seventy years later. As was common at the time, early products were bodywork and repairs for private automobiles together with a tyre fitting service. By the early 1920s, the private automobile work had ceased and the manufacture of bodywork for service buses commenced. Bodywork was for both single and double deck vehicles. Very few coaches were produced. During World War II , Northern Counties
187-550: The front half of the chassis being identical. The original horizontal-engined Falcon H had a layout recalling that of the Bristol RE with the longitudinally-mounted Gardner engine driving forward above the Dennis-built portal rear axle to a Voith gearbox and reversing unit which then took drive rearward into the driving-head of the axle. The later Falcon HC had a more orthodox continuous driveline, resembling that of
SECTION 10
#1732801610470204-545: The ground. Rear-engined vehicles almost always have a rear-wheel drive car layout , but some are four wheel drive . This layout has the following features: This layout was once popular in small, inexpensive cars and light commercial vehicles. Today most car makers have abandoned the layout although it does continue in some expensive cars, like the Porsche 911 . It is also used in some racing car applications, low-floor buses , some Type-D school buses , and microcars such as
221-529: The last Falcon built. Hartlepool Borough Transport bought twelve dual door examples. Six with Wadham Stringer bodies in 1983 and the other six with Northern Counties bodies in 1985. They remained operational into the days of Stagecoach Hartlepool buses. National Bus Company subsidiary Alder Valley added one Dennis Falcon HC to its fleet in 1983, with Wadham Stringer bodywork of semi-coach specification. In 1990 and 1993, three British Bus subsidiaries purchased Falcon single-decker buses : In 1982,
238-429: Was authorised by the government to produce bus bodies to a utility specification, mainly using steel-framed construction. Northern Counties established a loyal client base and reputation for quality construction in the post-war years. Notable clients included local operators SHMD Board, Manchester Corporation and Lancashire United Transport . Further afield, Barton Transport and Southdown Motor Services were among
255-495: Was experiencing production and quality problems. In the event, only seven Foden NCs were produced, going to Greater Manchester PTE , West Midlands PTE , West Yorkshire PTE , Derby City Transport and Potteries Motor Traction . In June 1983, Greater Manchester Transport purchased a 49% shareholding in the business. In May 1991, Northern Counties was placed in administration. Northern Counties reputation and engineering skills saw it survive these difficult times and become
272-655: Was known as the Southeast Lancashire Northeast Cheshire Passenger Transport Authority , commonly known as SELNEC. SELNEC was faced with a fleet of 2,500 vehicles consisting of a wide variety of types and manufacturers, reflecting the preferences of their former municipal owners. Northern Counties worked closely with SELNEC to develop a standard bus for fleet replacement. The Local Government Act 1972 came into effect on 1 April 1974. This reorganisation added Wigan Corporation Transport to SELNEC to create
289-465: Was replaced by the Dennis Lance . Rear-engine design In automobile design , a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an imbalance of such proportions would make it impossible to keep the front wheels on
#469530