Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 164,964 pages of information and 246,440 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles

From Graces Guide
1929. Rear Axle of 52-110 H.P. Chassis and Gear Box of 52-110 H.P. 6 Cylinder 4 Wheel Chassis.
July 1938.

Note: This is a sub-section of Sunbeam.

Sydney Guy left Sunbeam before WWI and started to make commercial vehicles in his own business next door.

After WWI Hugh Rose, who had worked at Sunbeam, joined Guy at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton but later returned to Sunbeam.

1928 Two prototype chassis appeared. An 8 litre six-wheeler designed for a 67 seat double-decker bodywork, and a 6.6 litre four-wheeler for a single deck bus or luxury coach. Both had Sunbeam engines and when production started they were called the 'Sikh' and the 'Pathan'

Late 1920s: in recognition of future limitations on use of tramways, the Commercial Vehicle Department of the Sunbeam Motor Car Co developed an electric trolley bus design[1]

1929 the company launched a Pathan four-wheeler and a Sikh six-wheeler; the engines were up to 8 litres with seven-bearing crankshafts.

During 1931 Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Ltd was formed.

By 1933 both 4-wheeled and 6-wheeled trolley bus chassis were being made, using BTH electrical engineering and Lockheed brakes, which could be regenerative.

Sunbeam BTH trolley buses had their 68 seat bodies built by F. D. Cowieson and Co of Glasgow.

1935 Rootes bought Sunbeam; as they already owned Karrier Motors, they brought the bus side from Huddersfield to Moorfield Road; trolley buses under both names were produced.

After WWII J. Brockhouse and Co acquired the trolley bus business from Rootes

1943 Produced the 'W' Type Trolleybus

1948 The Sunbeam Trolley Bus business was sold to Guy Motors except for the tools section which Brockhouse retained[2]. Guy merged their trolleybus-making with that of the Sunbeam company, making the combined operation the largest in the country.

See Also

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  • Powered Vehicles made in the Black Country by Jim Boulton and Harold Parsons. Published 1990. ISBN 0 904015 30 0
  • Sunbeam: Buses

Sources of Information

  1. The Times, Sep 19, 1933
  2. The Times, Oct 01, 1948