British United Traction / Scammell
No's 82 - 100
Metropolitan Cammel Carriage & Wagon (MCCW) body work
No's 101 - 119
New Zealand Motor Bodies body work

1964 - 1987
Chasis Britsh United Traction RETB.1
Electrics by English Electrics
Motor 120bhp

Rheostatic control; foot operated master controller regulated by hydraulic damper giving "notchless" acceleration and breaking.
Breaking system combined rheostatic motor breaking with air operated wheel breaks.
1964 saw the end of Wellington's trams and 38 more BUT RETB.1 chassis were ordered to replace them. However by this time Leyland had given up trolley bus production so the contract was handed to Scammell, the companie's special purpose vehicle manufacturing subsidary. The contracts for the body work were divided equally between MCCW in Britain and New Zealand Motor Bodies. The MCCW bodies were similiar to the 1958 batch but with wrap around rear windows and larger doors. No. 82 of this batch was road tested on the Walsall system in England and is one of only two New Zealand trolley buses to be driven on public roads overseas.

In 1981 it was proposed that many of these vehicles would be refurbished to supplement the new Volvos. However the bargain price purchase of the unwanted yet-to-be-built Auckland trolleys, meant that this idea was scrapped. In the end only nos 88 and 91 were upgraded.

but643 but642
A MCCW bodied bus (left) and a NZMB body (right)
(Wellington CIty Transport)

Preservation

foxton mueusm
Two NZMB bodied Scammells preserved at
Foxton Trolley Bus Museum

no88
No.88 from the Omnibus Preservation Society
at the Kilbirnie festival in early 1998
(The Omnibus Bulletin)

No.82, 83, 101, 107, 117 Foxton Trolley Bus Musuem
No.88, 90, 91, 119 Omnibus Preservation Society
No.103 Ferrymead
No.115 Privately owned
.
Stonem@ihug.co.nz home
This page hosted by Get your own Free Homepage