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The Metalcraft Story 1946-1954

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CONTENTS

The Metalcraft Story 1946-1954........................….………………..Metalcraft body list 1946-1954.........................….…….…….…….Comments and Corrections..............................….….………………

Cover Illustration: DUX 655, a 1947 Daimler CVD6 originally equipped with half-cabbodywork. It was barely two years old when re-bodied with this elegant fully-fronteddesign by Metalcraft. Withdrawn from use in August 1966, the vehicle has beenpreserved in its original "Smith's Eagle" livery by the group of enthusiasts who nowown it, and has become something of a celebrity on the West Midlands bus rally scene.(B Mel Gough Collection).

First Published 2015 by the Local Transport History Library.

© The Local Transport History Library 2015. (www.lthlibrary.org.uk)For personal use only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, transmitted or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical or otherwise for commercial gain without the express written permissionof the publisher. In all cases this notice must remain intact. All rights reserved.

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By 1945, after six years of warfare, the nation's bus and coach fleets were in desperateneed of renewal or replacement. PSV production during the years of the conflict hadbeen limited, by and large, to two types of vehicle - a double-decker available inhighbridge or lowbridge forms (initially on Guy Arab chassis but later also offered onAEC, Bristol, and Daimler running units) and a 32-seat single-decker based on asimplified Bedford chassis known as the OWB. Both of these "utility" or "austerity"designs were as basic as they could be and featured wooden seats with no padding orupholstery. Most operators wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible or at thevery least to fit them with new bodywork.

As might be imagined the coaching market encountered an unprecedented level ofpassenger demand after six years of travel restrictions as people resolved to have allthe fun which had been denied to them during the war years. Coaching firms wereill-placed to meet this demand as no new luxury vehicles had been manufactured forsix years and many of their better pre-war vehicles had been requisitioned by thegovernment, some never to return and others given back to them in a poor conditionafter use as ambulances or worse.

Existing coach bodywork manufacturers such as Burlingham, Duple, Harrington, andPlaxton were deluged with potential orders far beyond the capacity of their factories,and it became obvious to many entrepreneurs that there was good money to be madeby helping to meet the demand for new coaches. Some of the firms which becameinvolved in this post-war coachbuilding boom were already in the automotive business.


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Companies such as Windover and Gurney Nutting had previously built the super-structures for luxury motor-cars and found it relatively easy to turn their hands tocoach manufacture.

Others were brand new enterprises and dozens of them sprung up around the countryin 1946-47. Nearly all had vanished within a decade (WS Yeates of Loughboroughbeing the notable exception) as demand fell back to more normal levels and the bigfour reasserted their control over the coaching market. This is the story of one of thosenew enterprises and although Metalcraft (Staffordshire) Ltd lasted for a mere eightyears and manufactured only slightly more than 100 coaches during that time, itsstylish and durable products made an impression far beyond that which the numbersmight suggest.

The company was founded in early 1946 by three individuals (Messrs Clowes, Hewitt,and Kent) who had previously worked for Copestick & Farrell Ltd, a steel fabricationbusiness based in the Potteries town of Fenton. The directors of the fledgling Metalcraftrented a small industrial unit in Newcastle-under-Lyme and assembled a team ofcraftsmen led by Roy Snape who had previously worked for the Cheshire-basedbodywork manufacturer Lawton.

Lawton, it should be said, showed surprisingly little interest in servicing the post-wardemand for coaches and continued to see themselves as a "bespoke" builder ofbodywork for a small number of local clients. Very few Lawton products were ever sold


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outside of their South Cheshire/North Staffordshire heartland. Metalcraft's ambitionswere almost limitless by comparison and it was probably this factor that persuadedSnape to leave the old-established Lawton and join the upstart newcomer across theborder.

The very first Metalcraft PSV body was completed in early 1947 on a Tilling-Stevens Kchassis and delivered to Peel of Maltby in Yorkshire. It was a 35-seater bus and wasfollowed by a similar vehicle with slightly more luxurious dual-purpose seating forBostock of Congleton. The fact that Metalcraft's first two bodies were built on thecomparatively rare Tilling-Stevens chassis might reflect the reluctance of otherbodywork manufacturers to adapt their designs to such uncommon types. Most T-Schassis of this period were bodied by Dutfield and offered to operators through a jointsales team (Dutfield's factory was close to that of Tilling-Stevens).

Having proven that they were capable of building perfectly acceptable bodywork andof offering it to operators with a very short delivery time, Metalcraft's order bookbegan to expand. In 1948 five vehicles were bodied (three Fodens, a Leyland PS1Tiger, and another Tilling-Stevens) and while the latter two vehicles were repeatorders from Peel of Maltby the Fodens were destined for operators in North Wales,Leeds, and London. Advanced orders for 1949 went through the roof and the companywas obliged to abandon its relatively small workshop in Newcastle-under-Lyme andseek new premises in an aircraft hangar at Blythe Bridge aerodrome, to the south-eastof Stoke-on-Trent.


Cooper of Oakengates liked Crossley SD42s and the vehicles accounted for more than half of their fleet inthe 1950s, seeing daily service on their stage-carriage operations in the Wellington area of Shropshire. Mostwere bodied either by Junction Coachcraft of Manchester (to a fully-fronted design) or by Metalcraft of BlytheBridge (to a traditional half-cab design as illustrated here). The body from this vehicle, GAW380, was latertransferred to another Crossley chassis in the Cooper fleet. (Author's Collection).


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Known output in 1949(a few bodies are still untraced) totalled 28, consisting of 4Crossley SD42s, 2 Daimler CVD6s, 15 Foden PVSC6/PVFE6s, 2 Leyland PS2 Tigers, and5 Maudslay Marathon IIIs. Perhaps the most interesting of the year's vehicles were thetwo Daimlers which had originally been delivered to TG Smith (Eagle Coachways) ofTrench in Shropshire in 1947 and were then equipped with Associated Coach BuildersC33F bodywork. After less than two years in service they were sent to Blythe Bridge,had their A.C.B. bodies removed, and were rebodied by Metalcraft. One remained asa half-cab while the other received a fully-fronted body and survives in preservationin this up-dated condition. The two A.C.B. bodies were then combined into a single unitand fitted to a pre-war Dennis Lancet of the same operator.

It should be noted that the PSV Circle publications PD5/2PD5 ("Independent StageCarriage Operators of Shropshire") give a different version of this story which claimsthat the half-cab Daimler retained its A.C.B. body until the mid-1950s. Photographicevidence shows that this is clearly wrong and as the same publication describes thefully-fronted version as a half-cab throughout its life (and contains numerous othersimilar errors) it should be treated with great caution compared to most PSV Circlemonographs.

PSV production for 1950 was actually slightly down on that for 1949, amounting to 23known units. This figure included 5 Crossley SD42s, 13 Fodens (an assortment ofPVSC6s, PVFE6s, and a solitary PVG6), a Leyland PS2 Tiger, 2 Leyland PSU1 RoyalTigers, and 2 Maudslay Marathons. The Fodens included two PVSC6s for Llandudno


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Corporation, fitted with "sprag" gears for the excessively steep ascent of The GreatOrme headland, while the Royal Tigers (for Don Everall of Wolverhampton) weresignificant in being the first underfloor engined chassis to receive Metalcraft bodywork.Sadly no picture has been found of these two Royal Tigers, so you will have to accepton faith that they were among the ugliest coaches ever produced!

The drop in PSV numbers was made up for by other work, with Metalcraft producingsports car bodies for Alvis, van bodywork on Fordson chassis for a Wolverhamptondistributor, several "trailer" units fitted out as mobile libraries, and prototypes for"motorised rickshaws" on three-wheel Reliant chassis. The latter were intended for usein countries such as India and Thailand, but no proof has been found that they wereactually put into production at Blythe Bridge. Are there any rickshaw enthusiasts outthere who can add to this intriguing part of the story?

After the brief attack of ugly disease with the first two Royal Tigers, Metalcraft wentback to the drawing board and came up with two brand new designs for underfloorchassis for delivery from the start of the 1951 season. One was a fairly conventional"British" design with subdued but tasteful styling (the preserved Foden PVRF6 NTU 125is of this variant), the other a "Continental" tourer with a straight waist-rail and no lessthan ten windows on each side (later reduced to eight). Both were well received bycontemporary commentators and the first of the "Continental" design (fitted to aFoden PVRF6 demonstrator) made an extended tour of Europe to prove that itsrear-mounted two-stroke engine was capable of traversing the Alps.


Harper Brothers of Heath Hayes, the well-known independent operator with services from Cannock andLichfield to Birmingham, ran two Leyland Royal Tiger coaches with the "British" style of Metalcraft bodywork.At the time when this photograph of VRF630 was taken Harpers were still using the fleet-name "Gloria-de-Luxe" on the side of their coaches. In 1960 the Metalcraft body on VRF 630 was removed and replaced bya home-made Harpers unit with bus seating and a high ugliness rating. (Arthur Hustwitt © NA3T).


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Known production for 1951 included 2 Regal IVs (which might have been the first AECsto receive Metalcraft bodywork, although it is possible that the "untraced" vehiclesincluded Regal IIIs), the first Bedford SB to pass through Blythe Bridge, a CommerAvenger I, a Crossley SD42, 7 Foden PVRF6s, 3 Guy Wolf 24-seaters for LlandudnoUDC (this time for the seafront service), 2 Guy Arab UFs, 6 Leyland Royal Tigers, and3 Maudslay Marathons. This added up to at least 26 units.

Several of these bodies (including those on two Royal Tigers for Pye of Colwyn Bay andtwo 30-foot Maudslay Marathons for Churchbridge of Cannock) featured a newventilation system which incorporated a "cock's comb" inlet centred above the frontwindscreens and an oval outlet above the rear end windows. The new variation lookedquite attractive when viewed from the front but considerably less so when seen fromthe rear where the outlet looked as if it had been transplanted from an industrialheating system and ruined the lines of the vehicles in question. Once again, you willhave to accept this on faith as no photographs of the back passage have been found.Perhaps most photographers preferred the pretty end!

The totals for 1952 included 3 more AEC Regal IVs, 4 Daimler D650HS Freelines withthe "Continental" style of bodywork for Don Everall, 2 Foden PVRs, a Guy Arab UF, 2Royal Tigers, and a Marathon III for Churchbridge. The Marathon was a 1947 chassisoriginally fitted with a West-Nor C33F body which had failed to impress due to the useof poor quality timber framing by the London firm and the new Metalcraft bodyfeatured a full front in place of the original half-cab. This adds up to 13 known vehicles


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for the year, with part of the decline undoubtedly caused by the collapse in domesticdemand for the Foden PVR chassis. Australians continued to buy the rear-enginedFoden but fitted it with bodywork after export which didn't help Metalcraft.

Amongst other work undertaken during 1952 was "cut and shut" surgery on a batchof five pre-war Leyland TD5 Titan double-deckers for local operator PMT. The chassiswere acquired from Ribble and their original Leyland bodywork (from the notoriouslyunstable first batch of Leyland metal-framed bodies) were removed and scrapped,being replaced with shorter Beadle units from ex Hants & Dorset Titans of an earliervintage. Metalcraft made the two halves fit together by extending the Beadle bodiesbefore fitting them to the TD5s.

If 1952 had been a poor year for Metalcraft, 1953 was little short of catastrophic assales collapsed almost completely. The only two vehicles known to have been manu-factured were a Bedford SB and a Guy Arab UF, and as the company disintegratedGeneral Manager Roy Snape abandoned ship and swam back to Lawton. It seemscertain that the words "we told you so" must have been mentioned upon his return.Any gloating would have been short-lived as Lawton themselves had given up PSVbodywork production within three years as demand for coach bodywork from smallermanufacturers all but disappeared.

Metalcraft placed itself into voluntary liquidation in early 1954, but a surprising numberof its products survive in preservation. Best known among these are the previously


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mentioned Foden PVRF6 (NTU 125) and fully-fronted Daimler CVD6 rebody (DUX 655),both of which are a delight to behold at rallies, but there are at least three others stillin existence awaiting their turns in the limelight. Metalcraft may be long gone, but theirmemory will live on for many a year while the majority of their contemporaries fromthe post-war boom will be no more than a footnote in a dusty archive.

© Neville Mercer


Another Cannock area operator, Churchbridge Luxury Coaches, liked their Metalcraft bodies on MaudslayMarathon Mk III chassis. Two of them were 30-footers and the second of those, URF 842, is seen here atthe operator's home base. Note the "cock's comb" intake in the centre of the front dome, an optional extrawhich found few takers. (Author's Collection).


Down the road from Cannock in Rugeley, Whieldon's "Green Bus" had long been enthusiastic about Fodens.The last of many was this rear-engined PVRF6 with Metalcraft's "British" coach body, XRF 128, delivered in1952. The next batch of deliveries would be from Sentinel, but they vanished within a few years of theirarrival while the Foden would last until 1965. (R H G Simpson).


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Metalcraft Body List

The listing which follows includes 102 of the approximately 110 complete PSV bodiesproduced by Metalcraft, and is intended to stimulate further research. If you can addany of the "missing" vehicles please get in touch. I am also working on a (by nature)much shorter article to cover Staffordshire's "other" post-war boom bodybuilder,Willenhall Coachcraft and any data on this company's products would be more thanwelcome. So far I've found eight examples, but there must be more. Help!

While this production list is largely self-explanatory, an attempt has been made todifferentiate between the different styles of underfloor engined bodywork by adding acode (in brackets) to the seating capacity details. [A] indicates the first design, [B] the"British" design, and [C] the "Continental" variant. Where this code fails to appear theauthor has never seen a photograph of the (underfloor engined) vehicle in questionand so cannot say for sure!

Vehicles marked "+" are known to survive in preservation.


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The following listing is in the format - Year built; Reg No; Chassis;Body Type; Operator; Fleet No (if applicable).An ‘R’ before the body type signifies a re-bodying. † see footnote.

1947

HWX 416: Tilling-Stevens K5LA7 B35F Peel, Maltby.LLG 685: Tilling-Stevens K5LA7 DP35F Bostock, Congleton

1948

FDM 218: Foden PVSC6 DP33F Lloyd, BagilltONO 242: Foden PVSC6 C33F Majestic, London E15MUB 644: Foden PVSC6 C33F Service, LeedsHYG 864: Leyland PS1 Tiger C33F Peel, MaltbyJWW 668: Tilling-Stevens K5LA7 DP35F Peel, Maltby

1949

FAW 992: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Salopia, Whitchurch 63FAW 993: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Salopia, Whitchurch 64FUJ 738: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, OakengatesFUJ 739: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, OakengatesDUX 654: Daimler CVD6 (1947) R/C33F Eagle Coachways, TrenchDUX 655: Daimler CVD6 (1947) R/FC33F Eagle Coachways, Trench +


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1949 (continued)

FAW 991: Foden PVSC6 C35F Salopia, Whitchurch 62MUM 633: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Service, LeedsMLG 895: Foden PVSC6 C33F Coppenhall, Sandbach 15NPE 152: Foden PVSC6 C33F Graves, RedhillNPG 517: Foden PVSC6 C33F Graves, RedhillNPK 806: Foden PVSC6 C33F Graves, RedhillNPL 900: Foden PVSC6 C33F Graves, RedhillTMM 183: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Ardley Bros, London N17UMP 291: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Ardley Bros, London N17UMX 412: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Ardley Bros, London N17SRF 371: Foden PVSC6 C33F Bassett, TittensorJAB 234: Foden PVSC6 C33F Holland, OldburyJAB 692: Foden PVSC6 C33F Holland, OldburyGUN 1: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Pye, Colwyn BayGUN 2: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Pye, Colwyn BayTRE 257: Leyland PS2/3 Tiger C35F Milton, Stoke-on-TrentTRF 993: Leyland PS2/3 Tiger C35F Milton, Stoke-on-TrentNEH 630: Maudslay Marathon III C33F Jeffries, GoldenhillNEH 751: Maudslay Marathon III C35F Rowley, Bignall EndFNT 12: Maudslay Marathon III C33F Jones, Market Drayton 28FNT 13: Maudslay Marathon III C33F Jones, Market Drayton 29SRE 203: Maudslay Marathon III FC33F Churchbridge, Cannock 24


And here's a shot of one of Churchbridge's shorter Marathon IIIs, Metalcraft bodied SRE 203, alsofully-fronted, but without the roof-top intake to spoil its lines. For some reason the version of the Metalcraftbody with the intake always reminded me of the "brush-headed Martian" character from Warner Brotherscartoons of the 1950s. Had Roy Snape been watching Daffy Duck? (Author's Collection: possibly RHGSimpson).


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1950

GAW 380: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, Oakengates†GAW 381: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, OakengatesGAW 382: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, OakengatesGAW 383: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Cooper, OakengatesGNT 65: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Jones, Market Drayton 35NUA 885: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Service, LeedsNUG 235: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Service, LeedsMTU 296: Foden PVFE6 C37F Coppenhall, Sandbach 16 +VME 108: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Ardley Bros, London N17VMK 260: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Ardley Bros, London N17TRF 994: Foden PVG6 FC37F Bassett, Tittensor†JAB 781: Foden PVSC6 C33F Holland, Oldbury†OEH 739: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Davey, Newcastle-under-LymeOEH 740: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Davey, Newcastle-under-LymeKOH 213: Foden PVSC6 FC33F Sugden, BirminghamAJC 91: Foden PVSC6 FC35F Llandudno UDCAJC 92: Foden PVSC6 FC35F Llandudno UDCMMB 861: Foden PVFE6 FC37F Hollinshead, Scholar Green +OPC 730: Leyland PS1/1 Tiger C33F Graves, RedhillOPE 28: Leyland PS1/1 Tiger C33F Graves, RedhillACC 695: Leyland TS7 Tiger (1936) R/C33F Clynnog & Trevor, Trevor†NVT 788: Leyland PS2/3 Tiger C33F Stonier, Goldenhill


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1950 (continued)

HJW 870: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C43C[A] Don Everall, WolverhamptonHJW 871: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C43C[A] Don Everall, WolverhamptonTRE 843: Maudslay Marathon III C33F Poole, Alsager Bank†HUY 488: Maudslay Marathon III C33F Everton, Droitwich†

Footnote: GAW380; in 1958 the chassis of this vehicle was scrapped andthe Metalcraft body transferred to Crossley SD42/7 EUX 74 which hadpreviously carried a Junction FC33F body (also scrapped).TRF944; registered in 1949, but delivered in 1950.JAB781; registered in 1949, but delivered in 1950.ACC695; chassis originally registered BRR 929 and was new to East MidlandM.S. as No. B29. C&T scrapped its Brush B32R bodywork and it enteredservice with its new Metalcraft body in 5/50.TRE843; registered in 1949, but delivered in 1950.HUY488; registered in 1949, but delivered in 1950.

1951

HAW 45: AEC Regal IV 9821E C41C[B] Eagle Coachways, TrenchCCP 572: AEC Regal IV 9821E C41C Holdsworth, HalifaxJJW 231: Bedford SB C33F Worthington, WolverhamptonURE 508: Commer 23A Avenger I C33F Lloyd, OldburyVRE 462: Crossley SD42/7 C33F Warrington, Ilam


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1951(continued)

NTU 125: Foden PVRF6 C41C[B] Hollinshead, Scholar Green +OLG 968: Foden PVRF6 C32C[C] Foden, Sandbach†MXD 580: Foden PVRF6 C33C[C] Global, London W1MXD 581: Foden PVRF6 C33C[C] Global, London W1MXL 473: Foden PVRF6 C33C[C] Global, London W1MXL 474: Foden PVRF6 C33C[C] Global, London W1RPD 250: Foden PVRF6 C41C Graves, RedhillAJC 550: Guy Wolf B24F Llandudno UDC +AJC 551: Guy Wolf B24F Llandudno UDCAJC 552: Guy Wolf B24F Llandudno UDCJDA 874: Guy Arab UF C43C[C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonJDA 875: Guy Arab UF C43C[C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonJDA 872: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C43C[C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonJDA 873: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C43C[C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonHCA 246: Leyland PSU1/11 Royal Tiger C41C[B] Pye, Colwyn BayHCA 247: Leyland PSU1/11 Royal Tiger C41C[B] Pye, Colwyn BayVRF 629: Leyland PSU1/11 Royal Tiger DP41F[B]Harper Bros, Heath Hayes 48VRF 630: Leyland PSU1/12 Royal Tiger C41C[B] Harper Bros, Heath Hayes 49GUX 494: Maudslay Marathon III (30’) C37F Jones, Market Drayton 37URF 841: Maudslay Marathon III (30’) FC37F Churchbridge, Cannock 26URF 842: Maudslay Marathon III (30’) FC37F Churchbridge, Cannock 27

Footnote: OLG968; Foden demonstrator; later to Global, London W1.


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1952

HUX 350: AEC Regal IV 9821E C41C[B] Eagle Coachways, TrenchODV 376: AEC Regal IV 9822 DP43F Tor Bus, HaytorPVT 746: AEC Regal IV 9821 B45C[C] Davies of Stoke-on-TrentKDA 477: Daimler Freeline D650HS C41C [C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonKDA 478: Daimler Freeline D650HS C41C [C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonKDA 581: Daimler Freeline D650HS C41C [C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonKDA 582: Daimler Freeline D650HS C41C [C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonKUY 536: Foden PVRF6 C41C [B] Everton, DroitwichXRF 128: Foden PVRG6 C41C [B] Green Bus, Rugeley 23XRE 678: Guy Arab UF C41C [C] Mason, DarlastonJUK 876: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C41C[C] Don Everall, WolverhamptonPDH 515: Leyland PSU1/15 Royal Tiger C41C[C] Central, WalsallNRF 962: Maudslay Marathon III (1947)R/FC33F Churchbridge, Cannock 19

1953

YRF613: Guy Arab LUF C41C[C] Mason of DarlastonBFA 687: Bedford SB C35F Viking, Burton-upon-Trent


Smith's Eagle were so impressed by Metalcraft's re-bodying of the Daimler CVD6’s that they came back for"British" style bodywork on two new AEC Regal IV coaches in 1951/52. This is the second of the pair, HUX350. Withdrawn by Smith's in 1961 it went to Jewitt of Spennymoor in County Durham where it gave a fewmore years service. (Roy Marshall).


Photographs of the multi-windowed "Continental" design proved to be harder to find but here is the oddestof them all, PVT 746. An AEC Regal IV, delivered to Davies of Stoke-on-Trent in 1952 for use on their shareof the Longton to Newcastle-under-Lyme service, it contained 45 bus seats within its central entrance luxurycoach shell. In 1954 the Davies business was absorbed by PMT and the Regal would operate in their liverywithout modification of its peculiarities until the mid-1960s. (Roy Marshall).


This is probably the very last PSV body produced by Metalcraft before the firm decided to go into liquidation.Originally delivered to Viking of Burton-upon-Trent in 1953, Bedford SB BFA 687 migrated to Shropshire in1957 and operated in the Wellington area on Edward Smith's stage services. In 1962 the routes and theBedford passed to neighbouring independent Cooper of Oakengates who already knew a thing or two aboutMetalcraft bodywork mounted on Crossley chassis. The Bedford lasted until 1965. (Roy Marshall).


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Comments and Corrections

This article was originally published on the old-bus-photos website in 2010 and thefollowing comments and corrections were contributed by the named correspondents:

_______________________________________________________________________

What a delightful article on 'Metalcraft' - my congratulations to Neville Mercer.

Nigel Edwards

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I agree, an absolutely fascinating article! Metalcraft obviously had a product which wassuperior to many of that time. I imagine that their coachwork was virtually hand builtand perhaps better suited to individual orders but one does wonder what might havebeen if they had received a company order for ten or a dozen vehicles! Regarding thefirst two Royal Tigers, there is a photo of one in 'Buses & Coaches 1945-1965' by JohnGillham (pub; Almark Publishing, New Malden) although this must be long out of print.The general outline is similar to the Churchbridge Maudslay Marathon (especially thefront) but obviously with set back front wheels. It is registered HJW 871 and is picturedin 1959 working for Buckmaster Garages of Leighton Buzzard.

Chris Barker

http://www.old-bus-photos.co.uk




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Very interesting article, well-researched. Am I the only one who has noticed the highlyunusual radiator shell on the Cooper Crossley SD42. It appears to be chrome 'a la'Leyland PD1 rather than aluminium, and has the centre strip like an AEC rad.

Chris Hebbron

___________________________________________________________________

Chris H is not the only one to notice the odd radiator on the Cooper Crossley. Hasanyone else noticed the similarity between the "British" underfloor design and that ofTrans United? There are detailed differences but they are similar in the way that theRoe Dalesman and Duple Elizabethan are similar. [Were similar or identical framesused by both manufacturers?].

PS. With the exception of the Burlingham Seagull, most early underfloor bodies wereeither unbalanced or plain ugly! In that context, the Metalcraft body is a ratherattractive design.

David Oldfield


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With regards to Chris Barkers comment above which makes mention of HJW 871 youmay be interested to know there is a video clip of this vehicle at the link below it is justbefore the two minute mark. www.youtube.com

John McSparron

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The five ex-Ribble Leyland TD5 Titans fitted with (ex H&D) lowbridge bodies for PMTin 1952 were RN 8178 (PMT fleet number L82), RN 8296 (L129), RN 8299 (L130), RN8627 (L175), and RN 8641 (L177).. My own sources suggest that all five receivedmodified Beadle bodies, but an article about Metalcraft in "Bus Fayre", Volume 5,Number 11 (May 1983) claims that the body fitted to RN 8627 was a 1930 vintageLeyland unit removed from a TD1. Although this seems unlikely the PSV Circle's PMTFleet History agrees with the "Bus Fayre" article (which undoubtedly used it as asource). We may never know for sure unless somebody can come up with a photo-graph of that particular machine. Any offers?

The "Bus Fayre" article claims to list 71 Metalcraft bodies, but the figure is actually 70as it includes Foden PVRG6 LOH 856 of Transglobe, Birmingham, which was definitelyfitted with a Bellhouse-Hartwell C32C body. My own total of 102 is thus a vastimprovement over previously published information, but it would be nice to make it

https://youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZxGi7tvNMhE




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complete by finding the "missing" eight or so. It is known that that one of these is athird Bedford SB and several people have mentioned seeing Metalcraft bodied AECRegal IIIs but without providing any concrete information. Does any reader of this sitehave a Regal III chassis list at hand to clarify this issue?

Metalcraft did issue sequential "works numbers" to all of its products (including sportscars, vans, library trailers, and - presumably - rickshaws!) but few of these have beennoted by enthusiasts. The only ones confirmed by more than one correspondent are1951 Avenger URE 508 (No 160), 1952 Regal IV PVT 746 (No 173), and 1952 FodenPVRF6 KUY 536 (No 184). We may never be able to produce a full list of these, but itwould be appreciated if somebody could check preserved examples such as PVRF6 NTU125 and thus fill in a few more gaps. Sadly, the company's own records appear to havegone into a skip years ago.

Neville Mercer12/2010

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Just read the second part of this story and would like to leave the following comment:

"The - very informative - history of Metalcraft further enhanced my interest in KUY 536from my days with Transglobe Birmingham. I had assumed this had been with theCompany from new, it seems it started life with Everton of Droitwich. You no doubtsaw the photo of this vehicle at the Crewe works on my earlier posting, feel free to useit if you wish. Again, an excellent well researched article much enjoyed"

Nigel Edwards_______________________________________________________________________

I have already indicated my appreciation of Neville for filling in gaps about Burlingham- a builder for whom I have a soft spot and respect. I knew next to nothing aboutMetalcraft - and most post-war "here-and-gones" are best forgotten. Yet anotherexcellent, informative article about a builder who possibly deserved to survive.Interesting to see the high number of my beloved Fodens, not to mention Maudsleysand Crossleys in the output - and not many "main-stream" chassis.

David Oldfield


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What a fascinating article this is!

Neville Mercer is to be congratulated on capturing the spirit of the company.

However, there are a few points over which I would take issue. Some of the dates hequotes (for vehicles new) do not tally with the list that I have, nor the Operator RecordCards also in my possession. The earliest body recorded by the PSV Circle is the rebodyon Daimler DUX 655 (March 1948), whilst the first 'new' coach was FDM 218, Lloyd'sFoden PVSC6 in October 1948. Prior to this I suspect that Metalcraft had been busycarrying out repairs and refurbishments, the way that many smaller companiesestablished themselves before building complete vehicles. The Tillings-Stevens sup-plied to Peel, Maltby (HWX 416) was not registered until May 1949, three months afteran almost similar TSM had been supplied to Bostock of Congleton. These variations indates follow through much of the article, though the general sequence is correct. Thetale of the two Daimlers delivered to Smith's Eagle Coaches of Trench is not strictlyaccurate, I believe. The two coaches were placed in service in as DUX 654 and DUX655 in October 1947, both with C33F bodies by ACB. In March 1948 the body on 655was removed and the chassis fitted with a new FC33F body by Metalcraft. The bodytaken from 655 was transferred to Dennis Lancet UJ 1441. Then, in June 1957, thisbody was once again transferred to sister Daimler chassis DUX 654, replacing its ownACB C33F body. This information comes from the much more recent PSV Circlepublication C1201 Chassis List Daimler chassis 11304 to 16684, published in October2010. A photograph does exist of the 'ugly' Leyland Royal Tigers built for Don Everall,


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which certainly justifies the criticism of the design - see attached scan, the origins ofwhich I am not sure, though I don't claim credit for the photograph. The list mentionedpreviously makes no mention of any AEC Regal III chassis which received Metalcraftbodies, though it does identify one or two more vehicles for Neville's records. A fewmore comments and observations from that list: UMP 291 (Foden) was a half cab, notfull fronted, though all the other Ardley coaches were fully fronted. UMX 412 (Foden)is actually OMX 412. SRF 371 (Foden) was later rebuilt to FC33F, almost certainly byLawton. JAB 692 (Foden) was new to Everton of Droitwich, not Holland of Oldbury.TRF 993 (Leyland), should be TRF 693. EUX 72 (Crossley and sister vehicle to EUX 74)was rebuilt from FC33F to C33F by Metalcraft. VMK 260 (Foden) was a 30' long vehicleand seated 37. TRF 994 was a Foden PVSC6, not PVG6 - that specification (PVG6)never existed. HUY 488 (Maudslay) was later rebuilt to FC33F format. I believe thatCCP 572 (AEC Regal IV) was bodied by Burlingham, not Metalcraft, unless photograph-ic evidence proves to the contrary. RPD 250 (Foden) had a type 'B' style of body usingNeville's nomenclature. VRF 629 (Leyland PSU1) was also C41C when new, but boththis coach and its sister VRF 630 were rebodied by Harper themselves to DP41Fconfiguration. All 30 foot long Maudslay Marathon IIIs were designed to receive a fullyfronted body, Strictly, therefore, they should be described as C37F, not FC37F - butcertainly not both! ODV 376 (AEC Regal IV) was a type 'C' body and was DP43C -centre entrance. NRF 962 (Maudslay) might have been rebuilt to FC33F, rather thanre-bodied. The body style does not look very much like other Metalcraft bodies. The1953 Guy Arab LUF for Mason's of Darlaston was registered YRF 613. A few additionalvehicles are a pair of Bedford OLAZ chassis bodied B--F for British Railways (KXU 332


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& 333), GUN 197 an FC33F Leyland PS2/3 of Pye, Colwyn Bay, HDM 226 a CrossleySD42/7 new to Davies (Voel Coaches) of Dyserth with a C33F body, HG 6332 a pre-warLeyland TS8 rebodied for Central Coaches of Walsall with an FC33F body - and twomore problematical coaches. GEA 682 is quoted as being a Metalcraft C37F bodied TSML4MA8 with Horton of West Bromwich and KNY 262 is supposedly a C33F bodiedMaudslay Marathon III for Isaac of Barry, though the latter has also been quoted ascarrying a Davies body, which might be correct. Finally, I have a list of Willenhallbodies and, as Neville suggests, there are many more than the eight he has identified- 44 to be precise!

Peter Tulloch

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As I've commented to Peter in a private email, I'm perfectly willing to accept that someof the delivery dates may be slightly "off" - my version came from a list of sightings atBlythe Bridge and some vehicles presumed to have been brand new at the time of theirpresence may have returned to the factory for remedial work. On several other pointsI'm inclined to stick to my guns, for example the PSV Circle's version on the SmithsEagle vehicles is highly dubious. I've seen an Associated Coach Builders' pre-deliveryshot of DUX 654 and the bodywork shown is very different to that in later photographsin which it appears (at the very least) to have been completely rebuilt by Metalcraft.


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We all find the PSV Circle's records to be an invaluable asset to our researches, but wemust never make the mistake of presuming them to be infallible. Some of the peoplecontributing to the news-sheets made mistakes and in many cases these errors werenever subsequently corrected but repeated as an item of faith. Professional historiansrefer to this as "The Fallacy of Print" - the tendency to cite three or four publishedsources without realising that they all use the same original data.

As regards the very first Metalcraft body, no less of a historian than the renownedGeoffrey Smith agrees with my version (see Bus Fayre, May 1983) and his source wasa Metalcraft employee of the time. Peter seems to be basing his opinion on aregistration date which is questionable. Yorkshire were up to "JWX" marks by 1948.My reason for including Holdsworth's CCP 572 was that it was listed with a Metalcraftbody in the PSV Circle's Regal IV chassis list. Peter also asserts that Foden never usedthe terminology "PVG6" to describe a 30ft Gardner 6LW front-engined chassis. As heis an expert on Fodens I bow to his superior knowledge on this, but would point outthat my use of the term has its origins in PSV Circle publications such as PD7/2PD7("Independent Stage Carriage Operators of Staffordshire"). You can't have it bothways Peter, either the Circle's records are infallible or they're not! My evidencesuggests "not" although I'm still very glad that they're there for us to use and they'restill the best source available for historical research. I would like to thank Peter for hisextensive comments on the article.


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Apart from these minor disagreements I've found them helpful and informative, as isalways the case with his contributions to the site. I just wish I could persuade him topublish his Foden archive which would undoubtedly provide me with many hours (ifnot weeks) of enjoyable reading.

Neville Mercer

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Bedford BFA 687 was new to Wellings of Burton on Trent and not Viking. Bothcompanies used the FA regstration numbers and some are close together. Hope thisnote is of help.

Derek Wilkinson

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Thanks for that, Derek, I was misinformed.

Neville Mercer


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I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Metalcraft Story' and have since found a photo of a BedfordOB rebodied as a half cab by Metalcraft. It's registration was JPE 262 operated by W.Bennetto of Fraddon.

John Waddicar

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Hi John, surely that one was bodied by Willenhall Coachcraft and was actuallyregistered "URE 262"? Also, I think that it was built on a wartime OL lorry chassis,although I don't have the OWB etc production list (recently published by the PSVCircle) to hand. I do have the OB book and neither your version of the registration ormine are listed as OB.

Neville Mercer


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