Daimler Freeline
The Daimler Freeline was an underfloor-engined bus chassis built by Daimler between 1951 and 1964. It was a very poor seller in the UK market for an underfloor-engined bus and coach chassis, but became a substantial export success. It was the first of only three Daimler PSV models to have a name, as well as an alphanumeric identity. The others were the Daimler Fleetline and the Daimler Roadliner. Background The first underfloor-engined bus and coach chassis in Britain were built by Leyland Motors, Tilling-Stevens and the Associated Equipment Company in the years immediately prior to World War II. During wartime, the BMMO (Midland Red) company built prototypes for a substantial fleet of buses to this layout, which they built from 1946 for their own use: over 400 were in service by 1952. The first manufacturer to offer this new, and more economic design, for general sale was Sentinel of Shrewsbury, from 1947, their models being of integral construction, as was the Leyland-MCW Olympic which followed, in 1948. In 1949, the Associated Equipment Company launched its Regal IV chassis. In 1950, Leyland Motors introduced the Leyland Royal Tiger, also a separate chassis. The previous Daimler CVD6 half-cab single decker had sold well immediately after the war, particularly to coach operators and independent bus operators, neither of whom were previously core Daimler customers. When, in 1950, the permitted length of single deckers was relaxed, to a new maximum of 30 feet, the CVD6 was offered in a version for long bodies, but half-cabs were becoming obsolete on the home market. In April 1950, Daimler announced that it would build an underfloor-engined bus and coach chassis. This was the Freeline. The first two were demonstrators. The first was a D650HS sent to HV Burlingham for bodying to the Seagull coach style, in March 1951. The second was bodied by Duple Coachbuilders in Hendon. It was exhibited on the Daimler stand at the 1951 Scottish Motor Show at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, in the livery of Edinburgh Corporation, whose general manager was eager to trial standee single deckers on busier routes. Description Like its Leyland and AEC rivals, the Freeline had a high, straight ladder frame, made of substantial steel channel section, with an optional rear drop-frame extension for luggage boots on coaches, or standee platforms for urban buses. Three power units were offered: The 5HLW and 6HLW from L Gardner & Sons were also used in equivalent chassis by Guy Motors, Bristol Commercial Vehicles, and Atkinson and in an integral by Saunders-Roe. The 5HLW five-cylinder 7-litre engine developed 87 bhp, later uprated to 94 bhp, and the 6HLW 8.4-litre six-cylinder produced 102 bhp, later uprated to 112. Models with these engines were coded G5HS and G6HS respectively. Daimler also offered a purpose-built own-make engine for this model. This engine was called the D650H and was derived from the D650 engine used in the rare post-war CD650 double-decker. Swept volume was 10.6 litres, and the major difference from the vertical version of the