| | One of the most iconic British motor coach chassis of all time was Bedford's VAL, which was introduced at the 1962 Commercial motor show. This was the first time that Bedford ventured in to the large-capacity coach market. But it did it with style and a novel engineering approach. Employing a vertically mounted Leyland engine, a low-height chassis, 16” wheels and a twin-steer front axle, it became the coach of the era. Its modest chassis price also enabled many smaller operators entry into the tour and excursion market. But the VAL simultaneously performed as a high capacity service bus as well. The 5th Bedford bus book supported by the Vauxhall Heritage, this volume is packed with official images from the company's archives, but at the same is supplemented by photographs of the day. The Text is drawn from official records and the memories of Bedford personnel who worked on the VAL, plus excerpts from the specialist press of the day. The author has traced the details of the first four test chassis, plus the show display chassis and the first 15 demonstrators. He has also looked at the larger fleet operators service bus use, and the unique (non-PSV) applications for which the VAL chassis was also adopted. Contents:
- Introduction
- The VAL History
- The VAL 14
- The VAL Body Builders
- Centre Stage
- Memories of the VAL at work
- Colour Section
- Larger Fleet Users
- New Bodies for old
- The VAL70
- Come Fly With Me
- Curious Contenders
- They Who Also Served
- Acknowledgements
Continent: Europe
Country: UK | | Tag cloud: bedford fare chassis novel leyland low-height twin-steer axle vauxhall heritage personnel non-psv berry val70 | Tell a friend about this publication  |
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