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Bus (in general) - 6



Apart from the, in the beginning, lack of lower and higher qualified people, it was above all the material procurement which was posing problems for the new building of vehicles after the war. As it was after the previous war, the conversion of partly destroyed war equipment was given priority. The Marshall-plan and monetary reform pointed the Federal Republic in the direction of what was later called the economic miracle.

Compared with the pre-war era, after 1950, the amount of COEs was obvious, although this only appeared to be so. A further new appearance was the articulated bus, whose engine however, remained up front. This was the answer to the ban on bus-trailers for passengers. Another innovation was the raised roof in the rear part, a sort of one and a half deck construction.

Click here to read more about the Mercedes O 3500.

Once after the war, the situation of hunger and housing was somewhat more certain, people started to move around again, particularly during the holidays. Thus, before the mid-range motor car became an everyday commodity, the railways and coach traveling was the order of the day. The Germans seemed to be particularly keen on countries in the south like Austria and Italy, which were only accesible by travelling over the Alps.

Now, these are longer journeys, which made the improvement of the suspension necessary, which had mostly been adopted from the truck technology. Indeed, the rigid front axle would accompany us for still some time. Fine tuning was also being tested, the same as the motor car rear axles, e.g., by installing longer leaf-springs and stabilizers. The air-suspension would become the unique adjustment feature on the buses.

Together with the introduction of the COE, the engine had wandered further to the rear. The bus appears to have finally distanced itself from the truck. Together with the long drive shaft, the U-shaped frame-rails disappeared. Taking it's place, was a much lighter, tubular steel frame, which, together with the roof, possibly gave more stability than before. The rear-engine, gearbox and axle-drive grew together, almost as one unit.

Who is not familiar with the 'Setra' (Selbsttragenden=self-supporting), the super-structure from Kässbohrer, whose 'S' is still today carried by certain types of bus. Supposedly, these were inspired by the construction of aircraft, which had their origins long before the war. The concept was so successful, that it was widely exported, with it's aluminium bodywork and considerably increased trimmings, it was even exported to the USA.

The already mentioned Neoplan appeared to break through the monotony of bus production. Once again, like before the war, an era of glass emerged, which has remained with us, although now tinted and less used for the roofing. Fiberglas roofing and side-panels determined not only the tare weight but also the center of gravity. It's processing seemed to make it favourable for the variety and the comparatively small series in bus construction. 04/13









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