The Harrington Legionnaire is an
passenger coach
A passenger railroad car or passenger car (United States), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (United Kingdom and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (India) is a railroad car that is designed to carry passen ...
body
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...
built by
Thomas Harrington Ltd in
Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...
,
Sussex between 1963 and 1965. It was built on three-axle
Bedford VAL, two-axle
Ford Thames 676E, and two specials on
Guy Victory tram bus chassis.
The design was never a success and very few were built.
Design
The Harrington Legionnaire was a square-rigged body with straight waist rail and five deep windows per side. It also differed from the company's
Cavalier
The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ) ...
and Grenadier models by having plated window surrounds; a large brightwork grille with twin headlights; and a
Grenadier-style front windscreen duplicated as a rear door. Above the windscreen was a destination box or illuminated nameboard beneath a prominent peak.
At the rear the illuminated nameboard was inside the rear glass and fitted the other way about to the front, meaning the first and last pillars had a pronounced forward rake to them whilst all the others were vertical. The cantrail flat above it was a roof section of very shallow curvature.
The Mark 2 following in 1964 for the final two seasons omitted this flat cantrail and had a roof of compound curvature, which reduced the tall square effect of the original but reduced space in the overhead luggage racks.
''The Italian Job''
The Harrington was featured in the 1969 film, ''
The Italian Job
''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, r ...
'', Legionnaire bodied Bedford VAL14 'ALR 453B', new in April 1964 to Batten of London.
For use in the film, it was modified to reinforce the bulkhead behind the driver's seat to allow the Mini Cooper S getaway cars to be driven into the bus safely. Even still, there was enough force in the event to push the driver into the
steering wheel.
True to the film story, the destination displays on the coach showed London-Turin and then the opposite at the end of the film. It also displays 'Charlie Croker's Coach Tours' logos on the rear and both flanks, a reference to
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...
's character.
After the film, in 1969, it was converted back to a coach by William Marshall of Blackpool. In 1971 it was in use by Edmund Birch of Liverpool, who ran it as 'Wendy's Coaches.' It was then acquired by dealer Andrew Drummond, Harthill, Scotland, who sold it to James Meffan in Kirriemuir, Scotland. It was then purchased by Archie Cromer of Bridge Garage, Anstruther, and converted into a racing car transporter/caravan. It then became a horsebox, in 1983, and a motorcycle/sidecar transporter in 1986. In 1990 it was broken for scrap by Bill Davie of Fife.
Corgi Toys
Corgi Toys (trademark) is the brand name of a range of die-cast toy vehicles created by Mettoy and currently owned by Hornby Railways, Hornby.[Mini Cooper Mini Cooper may refer to:
*Cars of the original Mini series called the "Mini Cooper", made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors 1961–1971, and 1990–2000
*Cars of the Mini (marque), including a number of different models produced ...]
cars (albeit incorrectly modelled on much newer Minis) in 1:36 scale and a 1:50 scale
Plaxton
Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manu ...
Panorama 1-bodied
Bedford VAL coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
, in place of the Harrington Legionnaire which accuracy demanded.
See also
*
List of buses
Year refers to the first year introduced. A range of years is the period the bus was manufactured.
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References
{{reflist
External links
Harrington Legionnaire
Buses of the United Kingdom
Coaches (bus)
Single-deck buses
Step-entrance buses
Vehicles introduced in 1963