East Lancashire Coachbuilders facts for kids
| Private | |
| Industry | Bus building |
| Founded | 1934 |
| Headquarters | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Products | Bus bodies |
East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited, often called East Lancs, was a company in England that built parts for buses. They made the main body of the bus, which is where passengers sit. The company started a long time ago, in 1934, in a town called Blackburn.
Contents
History of East Lancs
East Lancs faced some tough times in 2007. The company went into a special process called 'administration.' This happens when a business has money problems. But don't worry, they were saved! Another company, the Darwen Group, bought them. For a short time, the company was known as Darwen East Lancs.
Then, in 2008, a company called Optare bought Darwen East Lancs. Sadly, the factory in Blackburn where the bus bodies were made closed down in 2012. This meant that East Lancs bus bodies were no longer built.
Bus Models and Designs
East Lancs made many different types of bus bodies. They had a fun way of naming them: they often changed the letter 'i' to 'y' in the names! For example, they made a bus body called 'Lolyne' instead of 'Loline.'
East Lancs Models (1934–2007)
During this time, East Lancs created many popular bus bodies. They built both single-decker and double-decker buses.
Single-Decker Buses
These buses have one level for passengers.
- Myllennium: This was a modern body used for different bus bases, called chassis.
- Hyline: This was a special version of the Myllennium. It was used to update older bus chassis.
- Spryte: This body was made for smaller buses.
- Flyte: This was for longer buses that had steps to get in.
Double-Decker Buses
These buses have two levels for passengers, like the famous London buses.
- Lolyne: This body was built for the Dennis Trident bus chassis.
- Vyking: This body was made for the Volvo B7TL chassis.
- Lowlander: This was for the DAF/VDL DB250 chassis.
- Nordic: This body was designed for very long, three-axle Volvo B7L and B9TL buses.
- Later, they updated these designs with the 'Myllennium' style, like the Myllennium Lolyne and Myllennium Vyking.
Darwen East Lancs Models (2007–2008)
When the company was called Darwen East Lancs, they continued to make bus bodies.
Single-Decker Buses
- OmniTown: This body was made for Scania N94UB bus chassis.
Double-Decker Buses
- OmniDekka: This was a popular double-decker body built for Scania N94UD and other Scania chassis.
Optare Models (2008–2012)
After Optare bought the company, they continued to use some of the designs.
Single-Decker Buses
- Esteem: This body was used for many different bus chassis, including Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Scania models.
- Kinetec: This was a special type of low-floor bus body.
Double-Decker Buses
- Olympus: This was a double-decker body made for several chassis, like the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 and Volvo B9TL.
- Visionaire: This was an open-top bus body, perfect for sightseeing tours!
Kinetec Series
The Kinetec series was introduced in 2006. These buses were designed to be low-floor, meaning they were easy for everyone to get on and off. They used parts of the Esteem and Olympus designs but had a unique front and back look from MAN.
- Kinetec+: This was a double-decker version of the Kinetec. Only one of these was ever built!
Images for kids
-
East Lancs Pyoneer bodied Volvo Olympian in 2009.
