Motor Buses & Trolley Buses 

Sunbeam was born when John Marston, a manufacturer of tinplate and Japanware produced the first Sunbeam bicycle in 1887, later followed by cars and motorcycles. In March 1905 the Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited was formed with a starting capital of £40,000. The company’s cars were made at Moorfield Works, Upper Villiers Street, Wolverhampton. The first directors were John Marston (Chairman), Dr. Edward Deansley (Marston’s son-in-law), Sam Bayliss (Bayliss, Jones & Bayliss), Thomas Cureton, Henry Bath (the company’s consulting engineer), and Herbert Dignasse.

Sunbeam became very successful and produced not only cars, but aircraft, and aero engines. During the First World War at total of 647 aircraft were built at Moorfield Works, including Short 827 seaplanes, Short 310 seaplanes, Short bombers, and Avro 504 trainers.

After the war, Sunbeam suffered from financial problems, partly due to a slump in the motor industry, and partly from non-payment of some of the war contract work. As a result the company amalgamated with Darracq and Talbot in 1920 to form the S.T.D. group (Sunbeam, Talbot, Darracq).

Sunbeam became a household name thanks to its many successes on the racing track, its land speed records, and its high quality cars. By the late 1920s car sales were declining and so the company turned its attention to the growing market for buses.

Sunbeam’s first bus chassis, a 6-wheeled design, for a double-decker, capable of carrying between 60 and 70 passengers was launched in December 1928.

Known as the ‘Sikh’ chassis, it had a 7.98 litre, Sunbeam
6-cylinder engine, capable of delivering 142 b.h.p.

The design may have been influenced by the extremely successful 6-wheeled Guy and Karrier models.

It was priced at £1,550, or £1,575 with an electric starter.


A side view of a completed chassis.


A 6-wheeled chassis fitted with a Dodson body. It carried 67 passengers.

In August 1929 a smaller model, the 4-wheeled ‘Pathan’ appeared. It was built to the same high standard as the ‘Sikh’, and intended for use as a 26-seater, single-deck bus or luxury coach. It had a 6.597 litre, Sunbeam 6-cylinder engine, capable of delivering 110 b.h.p., and brakes on both front and rear wheels. It seems that very few ‘Sikh’ and ‘Pathan’ chassis were built.


A 4-wheeled 'Pathan' chassis, with a 26 seater de luxe Short Brothers coach body.

A 'Pathan' chassis fitted with a Sunbeam bus body. It was purchased by Wolverhampton Corporation and used on the Bridgnorth route.

Courtesy of the late Jim Boulton.

Trolley Buses

The early 1930s were a difficult time because of the depression, which lasted for several years. In 1926 Guy Motors produced the world's first 6-wheeled trolley buses, some of which were used on Wolverhampton Corporation’s growing trolleybus network. Possibly because of this, Sunbeam decided to manufacture trolley buses, and in 1931 formed Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles. The standard 6-wheeled chassis was modified for use as a trolley bus, which became an immediate success. Large numbers were produced, and Sunbeam eventually became one of the world's leading bus chassis manufacturers.


A 6-wheeled trolley bus chassis outside the factory.

 


An advert from 1935.


Assembling 4-wheeled chassis at Moorfield Works.

Another view of chassis production at Moorfield Works.
By 1934 the Sunbeam group as a whole was in financial difficulties, people no longer wanted expensive, slightly old-fashioned cars. The solution was to be the Sunbeam ‘Dawn’, but it was slow to sell, and there were initial problems with the design. £3½ million had been spent on development and tooling costs for the new car, but it wasn’t recovered. At one point, money was so short that wheels and tyres from half-completed cars had to be removed to meet the weekly wages bill. On November 17th, 1934 Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles became a limited company.

Things didn’t improve, and Sunbeam soon went into liquidation. In July 1935 S.T.D. and Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Limited was purchased by Rootes Securities, who had no interest in high quality cars, only volume production. Rootes kept the Sunbeam name and quickly closed the car building part of the factory. Little interest was shown in trolley buses, but the bus-building part of Karrier, also owned by Rootes, was moved from Huddersfield to Moorfields. For a time it looked as if Sunbeam buses had a secure future.

In December 1935, bus manufacturer AEC (Associated Equipment Company Limited) became interested in Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Limited. AEC’s managing director C. W. Reeve, and AEC’s chairman J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon joined the board. This resulted in the production of a Sunbeam bus built on an AEC chassis, and powered by a Gardner diesel engine. The project seems to have been a failure because few were sold. At this time the company also produced battery-powered vehicles such as milk floats, crankcases for AEC, and stampings for Ford.

Much of the Moorfields site, where the cars were built, was soon sold off. By 1944 AEC had lost interest in Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Limited. It was sold to the Brockhouse Group in 1946, after becoming an important source of machine tools for the group. In 1948 Brockhouse changed the name to the Sunbeam Trolleybus Company, and in January 1949 it was acquired by Guy Motors. From then-on all Guy trolleybuses carried the Sunbeam name.


An advert from 1946.

 


An MS3 chassis with Metro-Cammell bodywork.


A Sunbeam MS2 chassis with a Weymann body, used by Walsall Corporation.

A Sunbeam W4 chassis fitted with a Park Royal body. Courtesy of Eardley Lewis.
Trolleybus production continued at Moorfield Works until 1953 when it was moved to the Guy factory in Park Lane, were an extension had been built to the machine shop.

It was a sad end for Sunbeam, especially as so much had been achieved during the glorious half a century at Moorfields.

A W4 Sunbeam chassis fitted with a Park Royal body. It entered service with Wolverhampton Corporation Transport in 1946 and was withdrawn in 1967.

It is seen here in Stafford Street, Wolverhampton. Courtesy of Eardley Lewis.


A 6-wheeled Sunbeam trolleybus that was operated by Newcastle Transport, and is now owned by Beamish Museum.

View some pictures of Sunbeam 
trolley buses

Sunbeam Buses in the Wolverhampton Corporation Bus Fleet

Fleet No.

Chassis

Body

Introduced

Withdrawn

87 Pathan Rushton & Wilson 1930 1938
88 to 90 Pathan Taylor 1930 1938
319 DF2 Brush 1936 1948

Sunbeam Trolleybuses in the Wolverhampton Corporation Bus Fleet

Fleet No.

Chassis

Body

Introduced

Withdrawn

92 and 93 MS2 Weymann 1933 1948
94 MS2 Weymann 1933 1947
95 MS2 Weymann 1933 1948
96 MS3 Metro-Cammell 1934 1948
97 MS3 Metro-Cammell 1934 1947
98 MS3 Metro-Cammell 1934 1946
204 MS3 Metro-Cammell 1934 1945
205 MS3 Metro-Cammell 1934 1947
206 MF1 Park Royal 1934 1945
207-209 MF1 Park Royal 1934 1949
214-217 MS3 Beadle 1934 1948
222 MS2 Metro-Cammell 1934 1949
223-226 MS2 Park Royal 1935 1949
231 MF1 Park Royal 1936 1944
232-233 MF1 Park Royal 1936 1949
239-244 MF2 Park Royal 1936 1949
245 MS1 Park Royal 1936 1949
246-251 MF2 Beadle 1937 1949
264-265 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1949
266 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1950
267-268 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1949
269 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1950
270 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1949
271 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1950
272 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1949
273 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1950
274 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1949
275 MF2 Park Royal 1938 1950
282 MF2 Park Royal 1940 1952
283 MF2 Park Royal 1940 1950
284-285 MF2 Roe 1940 1950
286-290 MF2 Park Royal 1942 1952
291-295 MF2 Roe 1942 1952
296-299 W4 Weymann 1943 1953
400-401 W4 Weymann 1943 1953
402 W4 Park Royal 1944 1963
403 W4 Park Royal 1944 1965
404 W4 Park Royal 1944 1963
405 W4 Park Royal 1944 1964
406 W4 Park Royal 1944 1965
407 W4 Park Royal 1944 1964
408 W4 Weymann 1945 1965
409-411 W4 Park Royal 1945 1965
412 W4 Park Royal 1945 1963
413 W4 Park Royal 1945 1965
414 W4 Park Royal 1945 1963
415-418 W4 Park Royal 1945 1965
419 W4 Park Royal 1946 1964
420-423 W4 Park Royal 1946 1965
424-427 W4 Park Royal 1946 1967
428 W4 Park Royal 1946 1965
429 W4 Park Royal 1946 1967
430-431 W4 Park Royal 1946 1966
432-433 W4 Park Royal 1946 1967
434-444 W4 Park Royal 1948 1967
445 W4 Park Royal 1948 1965
446-449 W4 Park Royal 1948 1967
450 W4 Park Royal 1948 1964
451-455 W4 Park Royal 1948 1967
456 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
457 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
458-459 F4 Park Royal 1948 1961
460 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
461 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
462 F4 Park Royal 1948 1964
463 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
464 F4 Park Royal 1948 1964
465-466 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
467 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
468 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
469-470 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
471 F4 Park Royal 1948 1964
472 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
473 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
474-477 F4 Park Royal 1948 1964
478 F4 Park Royal 1948 1965
479 F4 Park Royal 1948 1964
480-481 F4 Park Royal 1948 1963
608 F4 Park Royal 1949 1963
609 F4 Park Royal 1949 1962
610-620 F4 Park Royal 1949 1963
621 F4 Park Royal 1949 1964
622 F4 Park Royal 1949 1963
623 F4 Park Royal 1950 1962
624 F4 Park Royal 1950 1963
625-626 F4 Park Royal 1950 1965
627 F4 Park Royal 1950 1964
628-629 F4 Park Royal 1950 1962
630 F4 Park Royal 1950 1964

Sunbeam Trolleybuses on loan to Wolverhampton from Bournemouth Corporation

Fleet No.

Chassis

Body

Loaned

Returned

76 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1948
84 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
105 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
107 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
129-130 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1948
131 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
132 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1948
137 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1948
156 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
161 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1946
168 MS2 Park Royal 1940 1948

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