Metro Cammell Weymann
Encyclopedia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It was formed in 1932 by Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd
Weymann Fabric Bodies
Weymann Fabric Bodies is a patented design system for fuselages for aircraft and superlight coachwork for motor vehicles. The system used a patent-jointed wood frame covered in fabric...
and Metro Cammell
Metro Cammell
The Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in Saltley and subsequently Washwood Heath....
's bus bodybuilding division to produce bus bodies.
MCW bus bodies were built in Metro-Cammell's and Weymann's factories until 1966 when Weymann's factory in Addlestone was closed (the Metro-Cammell and Weymann brand names were dropped in the same year). From 1977 MCW also built bus chassis.
In 1989 the Laird group decided to sell its bus and rail divisions. No buyer for the complete group could be found so each product was sold separately. The Metrorider was bought by Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
who relaunched it as the MetroRider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
; the Metrobus design was bought by DAF
DAF Trucks
DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of PACCAR. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium...
(chassis) and Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
(body), who jointly reworked it into the Optare Spectra
Optare Spectra
Launched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF DB250 chassis.The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased, but they are no means a restlyed Metrobus...
. The Metroliner design was acquired by Optare though not pursued. The Metrocab
Metrocab
Metrocab was a British manufacturer of taxicabs latterly based in Tamworth in operation under various owners from 1989 to 2006.-MCW:The company was created by Metro Cammell Weymann as a taxicab manufacturing enterprise producing the MCW Metrocab....
was bought by Reliant
Reliant
Reliant was a British car manufacturer. The company was traditionally based at Tamworth in Staffordshire, England, but in 2001 it moved to nearby Cannock. It ceased manufacturing cars shortly afterwards.-History:...
. Metro-Cammell's rail division and the Washwood Heath factory went to GEC Alsthom (now Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
).
Bodies
- London Transport RLH
- Orion series
- London Regional Transport's DMSDaimler FleetlineThe Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
body built in partnership with Park Royal throughout the 1970s. - West Midland PTE's standard bus body in the 1970's on both the Daimler/Leyland Fleetline (again built in partnership with Park Royal) and the Bristol VRBristol VRThe Bristol VR was Bristol's rear-engined bus chassis, designed as a competitor to the Leyland Atlantean and Daimler Fleetline.-Development:...
. - A generic double deck body range built in the 1970s on Leyland AtlanteanLeyland AtlanteanThe Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
and Daimler FleetlineDaimler FleetlineThe Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
chasis with notable customers being Merseyside and Tyne & Wear PTE's.
Chassis/Complete buses
- Metro-Scania - semi-integral single decker using ScaniaScania ABScania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB or just Scania, is a major Swedish automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks and buses...
running units - MetropolitanScania MetropolitanThe Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania division of Saab-Scania. It was built between 1973 and 1978.It was also the second bus model jointly built by these two companies...
- semi-integral double decker based on ScaniaScania ABScania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB or just Scania, is a major Swedish automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks and buses...
running units - MetrobusMCW MetrobusThe MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
- double decker- Mark 1
- Mark 2
- Mark 2A
- Note: also bodied by AlexanderWalter Alexander CoachbuildersWalter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...
(mainly for the Scottish Bus GroupScottish Bus GroupThe Scottish Bus Group was a state-owned Scottish holding company that included a number of bus operators covering the whole of Scotland. The group was formed in 1961 as Scottish Omnibuses Group Ltd, to take control of the British Transport Commission's bus operating subsidiaries in Scotland...
and the Merseyside/West Yorkshire PTE's) and Northern Counties (for Greater Manchester PTE)
- MetrolinerMCW MetrolinerThe MCW Metroliner was a coach built by Metro Cammell Weymann in the 1980s. The Metroliner was available as a standard single-deck coach, or the more numerous and striking multi-axle double-deck coach....
- single and double deck coach- Metroliner - Semi-integral 4.23 m high double deck coach
- Metroliner 400GT - integral 4 m high double deck coach
- Metroliner - Semi-integral 3.2 m high single deck coach
- Metro Hiliner - Integral 3.4 m high single deck coach
- MetroriderMCW MetroriderThe MCW Metrorider, launched by MCW at the 1986 Motor Show, was a midibus designed built by Metro Cammell Weymann between 1986 and 1989. Constructed in two lengths, 7.0 m and 8.4 m, the Metrorider was an integral bus, marking it out from its van-based rivals of the time.It was the second...
- midibus
Competitors
- Dennis Specialist VehiclesDennis Specialist VehiclesDennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
- Leyland Motors - bus business eventually absorbed by VolvoVolvo BusesVolvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
- MAN
- Mercedes-Benz busesMercedes-Benz busesMercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:...
- NeoplanNeoplanNEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. NEOPLAN is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, which itself is a part of MAN SE.-Foundations:...
- now part of MAN - SetraSetraSetra is a Neu-Ulm, Germany-based manufacturer of commercial buses and touring coaches, and recently a subsidiary of Daimler AG.The name "Setra" comes from "Selbsttragend"...
- under Mercedes-Benz busesMercedes-Benz busesMercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:... - Van HoolVan HoolVan Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...
- Volvo BusesVolvo BusesVolvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....