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1932 Omnibus Takeover
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A Hucknall History

Transport Back to the Future

Steam Omnibus Charabanc

Mastering steam powered locomotion totally revolutionised transportation of heavy goods across land then windless seas. Reliably carrying passengers fulfilled much more general public desires seeking to broaden or quicken regular journeys. That sparked many global innovations aimed at motorising horseless carriages without need for rails or burden of bulky coal fuel. Experimentation with alternative oil fuels eventually realised superiority of petroleum. But while two Germans independently refined internal combustion engines to propel future road vehicles, numerous manufacturers burnt that cleaner fossil fuel in boilers to steam their own models.

Mansfield Motor Car Company Ltd

April 1898 press reportage explains corporate intention founding a Mansfield Motor Car Company Limited. April 22nd confirmed its successful registration based at 24 Leeming Street, Mansfield. That further describes the companies extremely ambitious plans to go well beyond manufacturing all types of vehicles. Nevertheless, initial proposal to run a regular omnibus service best connecting surrounding areas, firstly placed an order from a well reputed steam driven vehicle constructor in the East Cowes, Isle of White.

Mansfield Advertiser 15th April 1898

A number of gentlemen interested in the town have decided to take the question of railway facilities into their own hands to a certain extent, and to find means of getting about without either threatening or consulting the Midland Railway or any other company. The "Mansfield Motor Car Company, Limited," with a nominal capital of £5,000, has now been floated, the object being to run motor cars from Mansfield to Pleasley, Sutton, Mansfield Woodhouse, Warsop, etc. The members forming the company include Messrs. W. J. Chadburn, G. A. Fish, F. Hameyer, C. Manners, F. A. Robinson, R. F. Vallance, and J. J. Ward. Communication between Mansfield and the surrounding villages is one of the great needs of the present. The company mean business, and are pushing forward the arrangements in a business-like spirit. Although their own interests will naturally be considered first, they will confer a great boon on the Borough by providing something which seems otherwise unattainable.....

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Registered LIFU trade mark represented The Liquid Fuel Engineering Company. Advertising their patented boat engines as having No smoke, and no smell, lightweight and with perfect combustion and automatic supply had won appeal from Cowes wealthier boating fraternity. Likewise modified using petroleum for road vehicles began to concentrate on haulage lorries, vans and omnibuses from 1895. Company brochure best describes LIFU designs against enthusiastically supportive press detailing.

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Comparing differing body styles all fitted to the same chassis demonstrated economy and availability of any necessary spares. The featured charabanc displaying owners choice of name Pioneer identifies actual vehicle ordered as christened by Mansfield Motor Cars. It was destined to connect district localities between Warsop and Sutton. Open sided layout seating 22 passengers under a full length fixed roof had curtains, presumably against bad weather, because being seen enjoying the view seemed part of the ride.

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Reporting expected delivery certainly by 11th May, only realises one of several over exaggerated boasts.   Delay reasoned there were manufacturing problems. Members of Mansfield Motor Car Company apparently took opportunity to inspect demonstration of a newly available Daimler Wagonette Car.   Agreeing potential future use of that smaller petrol engine car kept a positive outlook.

Mansfield Pioneer

Their investment arrived later that May on a Thursday afternoon. Driving through Sutton-in-Ashfield noted it drew excited crowds. A unique pioneering sight of a horseless steam powered charabanc steering way along roads without rails, surely attracted attention everywhere it went. And the Mansfield Motor Car Company wasted little time before commencing daily services on 1st July 1898.

Vehicle design kept weight below 2 tons which, since lifting the Red Flag Act in 1896, permitted this omnibus to travel up to 8 miles per hour. Doubling the number of passenger seats could be achieved adding a 22 seater window glazed trailer car, although motor trains were restricted to 6 mph on British roads. Company had also hinted greater intention was ordering a second charabanc. That of course all depended on successfully running their Pioneer Mansfield motor bus to judge public demand and commercial viability.

Pioneer Steam Omnibus

Charging proposed fares of about a penny a mile aimed to accommodate shorter intermediate staged stops along these primary routes. Between Mansfield and Warsop 4d, Pleasley 3d and Sutton 3d. Roads unsuitable for fast heavy motor vehicles reasoned why Shirebrook had to be left out.

After starting those daily services on 1st July 1898, Sutton Eastfield Side merited extended inclusion, likewise believed also easily connecting Huthwaite to that towns more popular railway train stations.

Leisurely day trips exploring Nottingham Road and a longer excursion into the Dukeries also claimed success, according to reports given one week later describing operations faultless and punctual while running some 50 to 60 miles daily without mishap.

  Matters changed however, when returning from a well attended Horticulture Show on Saturday 22nd same month. Official explanations claimed motor failure was caused by friction due to an oversight.

  Gentlemens outfitter Matthews & Sons took that opportunity to humorously place an advertisement suggesting damage had resulted from overloading, because so many of their customers had purchased sales garments.   Their own promotion offered clients payment for return fares, obviously predicting quick repairs. Rebuild assured fitment of stronger replacement parts to resume services near end of August.

Lacking further reported updates leads assumption to when Pioneer was quietly retired very soon after. Through just a few months service the Mansfield Motor Car Company Limited then disappeared, marking one of dozens more naive start-up company failures.

It transpires the real basic problem was managing to keep solid rubber tyres mounted on their steel rimmed wooden spoke wheels. High wear rate of basic rubber had to accept best available way to reduce engine damaging vibrations on rough road surfaces. To upscale proven methods engineering far heavier four wheeled vehicles had outweighed existing material limitations and stumbled to solve how to securely mount tyres on older styled wheels. Basic mechanical engineering qualifications propose the front wheels were particularly susceptible due to the forces of cornering, furthermore increased by carrying full weight of front mounted engines.

The Motor Omnibus Boom.

The two large double-deck petrol omnibuses which were put on the streets in the year 1900 by the London Steam Omnibus Company, Ltd., to which company Mr. Sidney Straker was consulting engineer, and which ran upon solid iron tyres, yielded sufficiently discouraging results to confirm that view, which has since been so completely upset. At that date, however, the limiting factor was largely a question of tyres, because rubber of a suitable nature, to say nothing about a proper means of attachment to the rims, was not then obtainable as it is to-day. Engineers had to deal with the materials available to their hands, and to keep the vehicles on the road was little short of a superhuman task. Success was possible only where the management was irreproachable— which was seldom the case with so many gaining their experience—and where, concurrently, the fares obtainable were usually unremunerative

A report published 6th July 1905 in Commercial Motor titled The Motor Omnibus Boom, acknowledged LIFU among the forefront manufacturing omnibuses. They qualified reasons for more failures resulting from numerous companies soon joining the race to fulfil widespread demands for this type of public transport, before most operators encountered troublesome costly maintenance issues. A short extract sufficiently clarifies the problem effectively removing the Pioneer from service. Mismanaged start-ups are worthy read.

Pioneer chassis

Persistent difficulty matching suitable tyres to wheels frustrated all innovating attempts to provide very much demanded omnibus services throughout several more years. Lighter cars refining use of internal combustion engines and pneumatic tyres compares development of these speediest mechanical dinosaurs reaching an evolutionary extinction by weightily exposing an Achilles heel.

Despite the Pioneers failure, it was a seriously significant attempt to locally motorise carriage of passengers between train railway stations. Preserving any of those earlier omnibuses was deemed unnecessarily futile.   Rotten 1930 remains of the Pioneer chassis were found left behind the present Mansfield museum.

A fleeting sad end to starting motorised public road transport only delayed the necessity to finally overcome all obstacles. Much earlier development of simpler agricultural steam traction engines is not forgotten. Keeping up a crawling pace hugely assisted all future road transportation by flattening surfaces and eventually laying smoother tarmac.

Requests to include this vehicle in the history of Huthwaite public transport tried to justify accepted beliefs it had extended a much needed village service. Any potential fleeting appearance makes it worthy of inclusion after discovering why it took so long before introducing reliable district bus services.   Gaining a better understanding of the problems still encountered into a 20th century can reason why public transit swiftly progressed on tram tracks.

And in actual fact, Mr Chadburn and his fellow directors did not allow this setback to diminish their determination to see a modern public transport system in Mansfield for in November 1898 we see them making an application to the Light Railway Commissioners for an Order under the Light Railways Act of 1896. To authorise the Promoters to construct work and use of the hereinafter described Light Railways in the Parishes and Urban Districts of Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse and Sutton-in-Ashfield.


15 Jan 12     by Gary Elliott       Updated 25 Feb 23