Wikipedia

Northern Counties Palatine

The Northern Counties Palatine was a step-entrance 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties from 1988 to 1999 in Wigan, England.

Northern Counties Palatine
Keighley & District Northern Counties Palatine bodied Leyland Olympian
Overview
ManufacturerNorthern Counties
Production1988 - 1998 (Palatine I)
1993 - 1999 (Palatine II)
AssemblyWigan
Body and chassis
Doors1 or 2
Floor typeStep entrance
ChassisDAF DB250
Dennis Arrow
Dennis Dominator
Leyland Olympian
Scania N113
Volvo Citybus
Volvo Olympian
Chronology
SuccessorPlaxton President

The Palatine was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although smaller sized orders were also built for customers on DAF DB250, Dennis Arrow, Dennis Dominator, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania N113DRB chassis.

Northern Counties were acquired by Plaxton in 1995, who eventually discontinued the Northern Counties name and replaced the step-entrance Palatine range with the low-floor Plaxton President in 1999.

History

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Northern Counties Palatine/Countybus

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Arriva Southern Counties Northern Counties Palatine 1 bodied Volvo Olympian in 2009

The Northern Counties Palatine was launched in 1988, initially badged as the Countybus in line with other Northern Counties bus bodies at the time.[1]

The Palatine proved popular in London, with the biggest operators of the body type being Go-Ahead Group subsidiaries London General and London Central who purchased a total of 159 Palatines on the Volvo Olympian chassis, as well as 38 built on the Volvo Citybus chassis.[2][better source needed][3] Capital Citybus, and their predecessor Ensignbus, also operated Palatines, of which were built on both the Dennis Dominator and Volvo Olympian chassis.[4][5]

Outside London, the Palatine proved popular with former PTE operations Yorkshire Rider, Busways Travel, Merseybus and GM Buses, who each purchased Palatines on both Leyland and Volvo Olympian chassis, as well as some on the Scania N113 chassis;[6][7][8] two of GM Buses' Palatines were uniquely built with wheelchair lifts on the Volvo D10M chassis.[9] The British Bus group also purchased a significant amount of Palatines on Leyland and Volvo Olympian chassis, with subsidiaries Maidstone & District,[8][10] Kentish Bus,[11] Southend Transport and West Riding Buses making up the majority of orders. Five Palatine-bodied Volvo Olympians built to Stagecoach specification were delivered to Cleveland Transit in 1994, with three more also delivered to their subsidiary Kingston upon Hull City Transport.[12][13]

Badgerline Group subsidiary Bristol Cityline took on 30 Leyland Olympians with Palatine I bodies in 1992,[14] while East Yorkshire Motor Services took on a large number Leyland and Volvo Olympians with Palatine I bodies between 1990 and 1998 to replace former National Bus Company buses.[15] Five were also delivered to their Finglands Coachways subsidiary in Manchester.[16] Thirteen Leyland Olympians with Palatine I bodies were delivered to Isle of Man Transport between 1989 and early 1990,[17] while Blazefield Holdings subsidiaries Keighley & District and Yorkshire Coastliner also purchased Palatines on Volvo Olympian chassis.[18]

Northern Counties Palatine II

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A Volvo Olympian with Northern Counties Palatine II bodywork, operated by First Bristol

The second-generation Northern Counties Palatine II was launched in 1993. Visually similar in design to its competitor, the Optare Spectra, the Palatine II had a revised front fascia which also featured a curved windscreen and a rounded roofline, sharing similar design cues with the single-decker Northern Counties Paladin; wider and deeper windows and more interior headroom. The first-generation 'Countybus' was subsequently renamed the 'Palatine' and continued to be sold alongside the Palatine II as a low-cost alternative.[1][19]

MTL Trust Holdings were a notable operator, purchasing an initial batch of 36 high-specification Palatine IIs in 1996 for both the 'Silver Service' through the Mersey Tunnels and for the Southport operation.[20] Another batch of 22, branded as 'The Millennium Fleet', entered service in Merseyside in 1998.[21]

In London, the Palatine II proved less popular than the Palatine I. However, Capital Citybus were early adopters of the Palatine II, ordering the only Leyland Olympian to receive a Palatine II body, as well as further examples on the Volvo Olympian and Dennis Arrow chassis.[22] CentreWest Buses purchased 15 Palatine IIs on Volvo Olympian chassis for the 607 Express in 1996,[23] while the Cowie Group purchased 13 Palatines IIs on the DAF DB250 chassis in January 1996,[24] with an additional two being acquired from dealer stock in 1999, by which point Cowie London had become Arriva London. Additional Palatine IIs were purchased by London General, who purchased only 27 of the type,[2] Armchair Passenger Transport,[25] Harris Bus[26] and London Suburban.

Other operators of the Palatine II on the Volvo Olympian chassis include Go North East, who purchased a total of 23 in 1997;[citation needed] Northumbria Motor Services, who took eight in 1994;[27] East Yorkshire Motor Services, who took six in 1995,[28] and Eastbourne Buses, who purchased the first Palatine II bodied on the DAF chassis.[29]

Exports

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As a result of high demand for bodies on air-conditioned tri-axle Volvo Olympian chassis outstripping rival manufacturer Alexander's production capacity, between 1996 and 1998, Northern Counties assembled a handful of heavily modified Palatine bodies for export to Hong Kong, which were badged as Plaxtons upon completion.[30]

Citybus took delivery of 55 Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympians on 12 metres (39 ft) chassis, which were specified to have Alexander-style front ends and windscreens, while the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation received 15 11 metres (36 ft) with conventional Northern Counties windscreens. Two 12 metres (39 ft) Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympians were also delivered for use as staff shuttle buses by Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Buses named". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 5 March 1992. p. 16. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Ian (18 November 2006). "London Central, London General Volvo Olympians". Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Fleet Additions". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 69. Spalding. 24 August 1990. p. 12.
  4. ^ "Road Test". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 15 October 1992. p. 36. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Ensign flies the flag with Dennis". Coachmart. No. 581. Peterborough: Emap. 29 March 1990. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Full-height buses for Yorkshire". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 22 March 1990. p. 17. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Busways buys ten doubles". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 10 January 1991. p. 18. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Brighton doubles up". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 26 November 1987. p. 24. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  9. ^ "GMB's wheelchair initiative welcomed". Coach & Bus Week. No. 32. Peterborough: Emap. 26 September 1992. p. 13. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  10. ^ "M&D orders 10 Volvo Olympians". Coach & Bus Week. No. 100. Peterborough: Emap. 22 January 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Kentish invests in new routes". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 21 September 1989. p. 22. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Olympian goes back to original". Coach & Bus Week. Peterborough: Emap. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Important role for CT's deckers". Coach & Bus Week. No. 176. Peterborough: Emap. 15 July 1995. p. 6.
  14. ^ "Cityline orders deckers". Coach & Bus Week. No. 27. Peterborough: Emap. 22 August 1992. p. 5.
  15. ^ "Scarborough feels chill". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 13 September 1990. p. 20. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Five again for Finglands". Coach & Bus Week. No. 209. Peterborough: Emap. 16 March 1996. p. 28.
  17. ^ Morris, Stephen (October 1993). "Isle of Man Transport". Buses. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 13–17.
  18. ^ "Blazefield's first deckers". Coach & Bus Week. No. 34. Peterborough: Emap. 10 October 1992. p. 12. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Spectra rival from Northern Counties". Commercial Motor. Temple Press. 3 September 1992. p. 14. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  20. ^ "First 16 of 36 MTL deckers join Silver Service route". Coach & Bus Week. No. 201. Peterborough: Emap. 20 January 1996. p. 28.
  21. ^ "Palatines at MTL". Bus & Coach Preservation. Vol. 24, no. 9. Meteor Books. February 2022. pp. 2–3.
  22. ^ "Hopes rise for bodybuilder". Coach & Bus Week. No. 19. Peterborough: Emap. 27 June 1992. p. 10.
  23. ^ "CentreWest invests in 15 more NC Olympians". Coach & Bus Week. No. 208. Peterborough: Emap. 9 March 1996. p. 8.
  24. ^ Morgan, Mike (6 January 1996). "New look for new year". Coach & Bus Week. No. 199. Peterborough: Emap. p. 9. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Armchair take Palatine IIs". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 444. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 30 January 1998. p. 46. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Deckers upgrade Harris fleet". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 381. Spalding: Glen-Holland Limited. 25 October 1996. p. 22.
  27. ^ "New Olympians serve Metro Centre". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 277. Spalding. 14 October 1994. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Fleet Additions". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 328. Spalding. 13 October 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  29. ^ Jones, Stuart (14 October 1994). "Hughes DAF unveil the DAF DB250 - Northern Counties Palatine II". Bus & Coach Buyer. No. 277. Spalding. pp. 15–18. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Wigan-built Olympian sails back to UK". Buses. No. 789. Stamford: Key Publishing. 19 November 2020. p. 63. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
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