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| Dennis Dart | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thames TravelPlaxton Pointer 2 bodied Dennis Dart MPD | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Production | 1989–2008 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type |
|
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Capacity | 23−44 seated |
| Transmission | |
| Dimensions | |
| Length |
|
| Width |
|
| Height | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | |
| Successor | Alexander Dennis Enviro200 |
TheDennis Dart is arear-enginedsingle-deckermidibus chassis that was introduced byDennis ofGuildford, England, in 1989, replacing theDennis Domino. Initially built as a high-floor design, in 1996 thelow-floor second generationDennis Dart SLF was launched. In 2001, production of the Dart SLF passed to TransBus International, during which time it was sold as the TransBus Dart SLF;Alexander Dennis took over production in 2004, renaming the product as theAlexander Dennis Dart SLF.
More than 12,600 Darts were produced in total during a 19-year production run. Most were purchased by United Kingdom operators, although examples were sold in Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong. In the United States, the Dart SLF, withAlexander ALX200 bodywork, was built and sold byThomas Built Buses as the Thomas SLF 200.
The first generation Dart ceased production in 1998. Production of the Dart SLF continued until 2008, when it was replaced by theAlexander Dennis Enviro200.
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The Dennis Dart was conceived whenHestair Group (owner ofDennis andDuple) decided to produce a bus between aminibus and afull-sizedsingle-decker.
It was launched in October 1988 at theBritish International Motor Show and was originally only available withDuple Dartline bodywork.[1] It was 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) wide and was initially available in the length of 9.0 m (29.5 ft), but later available in lengths of 8.5 m (28 ft) and 9.8 m (32 ft). It was powered by aCummins 6BT engine and coupled to theAllison AT545 gearbox.[2][3][4]
In 1989, the Dart chassis was made available for bodying by other manufacturers.[5] In 1990,Wadham Stringer became the next builder to body the Dart with a body called the Portsdown, but it was sold in small numbers and replaced by theUVG Urbanstar in 1995.[6] In the same year,Wright bodied the Dart with theHandybus.[7] In early 1991, Plaxton launched thePointer (which was initially designated asReeve Burgess Pointer as it was built at Reeve Burgess's plant, until later in the same year when it was transferred to Plaxton'sScarborough plant).[8] Later in 1991,East Lancs bodied the Dart with itsEL2000.[9] In the latter half of 1991,Alexander launched theDash.
As thelow-floorsingle-decker buses became more popular in late 1990s, orders forstandard-floor Dart dropped heavily and production ceased in 1998. Over 3,400 first generation Darts were produced.[4][10]
In 1993,Southampton Citybus adapted six Dart 9SDL Carlyle bodied buses to usecompressed natural gas, the cylinders being mounted in a pod on the roof. In 1996 a further 10 adapted vehicles were ordered.[11] At the time of the delivery of the Darts, Southampton Citybus were the largest operator of gas-powered vehicles in the United Kingdom.[12] They were fitted with an engine developed in the United States byCummins andWestport.[13]
First Cityline inBristol trialled a pair of Plaxton Pointer bodied Dart MPDs in 1996, which were powered by six CNG canisters mounted on their roofs. These buses were branded by First as 'GasBus'.[14]
In 1996, Dennis launched alow-floor version of the Dart known as the Dart SLF, with the letters SLF standing for Super Low Floor in reference to the new low-floor design.[4][10][15] It was 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) wide and initially offered in lengths of 10 m (33 ft) and 10.6 m (35 ft), with air suspension introduced in place of the taper leaf used in the original design.
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It was initially offered with thelow floor version of the Pointer bodywork (which was notable for being wider), replaced by the updated Pointer 2 in 1997. It was also offered with a wide variety of bodies, namely theEast Lancs Spryte, UVG Urbanstar (later renamed as theCaetano Compass; replaced by theNimbus in 1999), theWright Crusader,Alexander ALX200 (discontinued in 2001 with the formation of TransBus International and being replaced by the Pointer 2),Marshall Capital (developed from the C37; later built byMCV), Caetano Nimbus andMCV Evolution (since 2005 - a further evolution of the Marshall bodywork).
With the move toEuro III emissions in October 2001, the newCummins ISBe engine was launched, with the four-cylinder 3.9-litre (240-cubic-inch)-litre model being used in all lengths except the 11.3 m (37 ft) version, which uses the more powerful six-cylinder, 5.9 L (360 cu in) version. The Cummins ISBeEuro IV engine became available on the Dart SLF chassis since late 2006. In 2007, the Dennis Dart SLF was superseded by theAlexander Dennis Enviro200.[16] Over 9,100 low floor Darts were built, the last entering service withPark Island Transport in March 2008.[17]
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In 1997, the Dart SPD (short for Super Pointer Dart) was launched with a length of 11.3 m (about the same length as a longLeyland National), typically seating 40 to 44 passengers.[15] The Dart SPD was launched to compete with full-size buses such as theVolvo B10BLE andScania L94UB, while retaining the more lightweight construction of the basic Dart SLF. The Dart SPD has a more powerful engine and a more heavy dutyAllison World Series B300R gearbox than the Dart SLF, but also with an option of aVoith gearbox. Originally offered only withPlaxton Pointer 2 bodywork (hence the 'P' in the name), this larger bus was later offered with other bodywork such as theEast Lancs Myllennium, theAlexander ALX200 with a few bodied byMarshall.
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In 1998, theDart MPD (short for Mini Pointer Dart) was launched. At 8.8 m (29 ft) long, the Dart MPD was a model reminiscent of the original 8.5 m (28 ft) Darts; it was launched to compete with newly emerging shorter midibuses such as theOptare Solo. The Dart MPD typically seated 23 to 29 passengers, and was available in both provincial and London specifications. As with the Dart SPD, the MPD was launched initially with only thePlaxton Pointer 2 bodywork, although other bodies became available later on.
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In 2002, TransBus launched a narrower-width variant of the Dart SLF at the request of bus operators in theChannel Islands ofGuernsey and thenJersey, who replaced the majority of their fleets with slightly narrower Darts designed to comply with the islands' vehicle size restrictions, sporting adapted versions of existingEast Lancs Myllennium and Caetano Nimbus bodies respectively. Further examples have since joined them and small numbers of similar buses have entered service with other operators around the UK.Gibraltar also has a fleet of these narrower buses. The last ones entered service in summer 2007 in Gibraltar.
In 1998, a joint venture was formed between Dennis andThomas Built Buses to build the Dennis Dart SLF with Alexander ALX200 bodywork for the North American market. Initially sold as the Thomas SLF 200, following a restructure by parent companyDaimler Truck North America, it was sold as the DaimlerChrysler SLF 200.[13][18][19]
It was launched at theAmerican Public Transportation Association Expo 1999. Initially built with a Cummins engine, it was later sold with aMercedes-Benz engine. After sales failed to line up to expectations, the joint venture was dissolved in 2003.[13]
Although primarily sold in the United Kingdom, some were sold overseas:
In Australia,ACTION ofCanberra took delivery of 25Wright Crusader bodied Dennis Dart SLFs in 1997,[20][21][22]Brisbane Bus Lines (3),[23]Invicta Bus Services (27),[24][25]TransAdelaide (2)[26] andTransperth (2)[27] purchased Darts.
InBritish Columbia,BC Transit took delivery of 90 Dart SLFs with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies from 1999 to 2001 for services in theresort municipality ofWhistler and its other transit system companies in the province.[13]
In Hong Kong,Citybus,Kowloon Motor Bus,New Lantao Bus,New World First Bus andPark Island Transport purchased Darts. Some of Citybus vehicles were repatriated back to England by parentStagecoach Group for use at itsDevon andHampshire subsidiaries.[28][29]
In Macau,Transmac took delivery of ten dual-door and air-conditioned Pointer-bodied Darts in January 1996.[30]
Four Dennis Dart SLFs withEaton six-speedmanual transmissions were delivered to Paramount Garage of Malta in 1997. The first two Darts were delivered with a 10.6 metres (35 ft)East Lancs Spryte body equipped with large hopper windows and electronically-operated sun visors, while the remaining two were later delivered with Plaxton Pointer bodies.[31][32]
A Transbus Dart SLF built withNeobus bodywork was delivered to Malta in 2002 by Gasan Transport Systems Ltd and presented to members of the Maltese Public Transport Association.[33] A second demonstrator was built by Transbus but was not exported to Malta, later entering service in the United Kingdom withFlimwell independent operator Hams Travel.
Arriva Netherlands purchased 50 Darts with Alexander ALX200 bodies.[10]
Stagecoach Group had 10 Dart SLFs bodied locally in 1999 for itsPortuguese subsidiary inLisbon.[17]
In Singapore,Singapore Bus Service purchased 10Duple Metsec bodied Darts in 1994 for smaller routes (M1, M2, M4 and 183).[citation needed]
Citybus became a pioneer of gas bus operation, in an EU-funded joint project with local councils. Branded as Ecobus, it launched in 1994 with the conversion of six existing Dennis Darts in the fleet. Joined by 10 new ones delivered in 1996, it made Citybus the largest operator of gas buses at that time. They lasted for around 10 years.
Further to last week's story about the order from Action Bus of Canberra, Australia for Wright Crusader low floor midibuses on Dennis Dart SLF chassis, Wright's has informed us that the current order is for 25 buses worth £1.5 million.
Media related toDennis Dart at Wikimedia Commons
