LGOC B-type

LGOC B-type
B340, owned by the London Transport Museum; London to Brighton Run, 2006
Manufacturer	London General Omnibus Company
Built at	Walthamstow, London
Specifications
Floor type	Step entrance
Doors	1 door
Options	Various customer options

The LGOC B-type is a model of double-decker bus that was introduced in London on 1910. It was both built and operated by the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC).

History

B-type buses were built in Walthamstow and replaced the X-type bus. B-type buses were an improvement on the X-type. The B-type had a 34 seat capacity and is often considered to be the first mass produced bus. The first bus began carrying passengers in 1911^[1]. By 1913 around 2500 had entered service.

The B-type was designed by Frank Searle, who was chief engineer of the LGOC. It had a wooden frame, steel wheels, a worm drive and chain gearbox. Its top speed was 16 miles an hour, which was above the legal speed limit at that time of 12 miles an hour however some B-types could reach 30–35 miles an hour under the right conditions.^[2]

B-types carried 16 passengers inside and had seats for 18 on the uncovered top deck. These outside seats were fitted with wet-weather canvas covers. Electric lighting was introduced from 1912, and headlights in 1913. Before this, it was thought that interior lighting would render the bus sufficiently visible at night.^[2]

World War I service

A total of 900 of the buses were used to move troops behind the lines during World War I^[1]. After initially serving without any modifications they were painted khaki, had their windows removed, and were fitted with 2 inch thick planks to provide some limited protection.^[1] Some had anti-aircraft guns attached to them, others were made into pigeon lofts to house the pigeons used for communication along the front.^[2] They served until the end of the war when they were used to bring troops home^[1]. The Imperial War Museum preserves one of these buses, B43, known as Ole Bill after the contemporary cartoon character.^[3]

Gallery

• 

  B 43 "Ole Bill" at the Imperial War Museum, London (2006)

• 

  Front view of "Ole Bill" (2008)

• 

  British troops boarding "B types" following the Battle of Arras (May 1917)

• 

  As mobile pigeon loft in WWI

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Livesey, Jack (2007). Armoured Fighting Vehicles of Would Wars I and II. Southwater. p. 84. ISBN 9781844763702. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Exploring 20th Century London - Buses". Museum of London. http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/X20L/Themes/1/1095/. Retrieved 2008-05-30. 
3. ^ "Ole Bill Bus". Imperial War Museum. http://www.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.3213/outputRegister/html. Retrieved 4 December 2010. 

References

• Thackray, Brian (2001). The AEC Story:Part 1. Venture Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-898432-37-6
• Thackray, Brian (2004). AEC Vehicles: Origins to 1929. Venture Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-898432-44-9
• Townsin, A. A. (1980). Blue Triangle. Transport Publishing Company. ISBN 0-903839-34-2