The AEC Merlin was the London Transport name for the 36-foot versions of the AEC Swift, a rear-engined step-entrance single-decker bus chassis made by AEC between 1964 and 1980. London Transport and London Country took over 1,500 Swifts and Merlins between 1966 and 1972.
AEC Merlin at a glance
| Maker | AEC |
|---|---|
| Parent model | AEC Swift, built 1964–1980 |
| Type | rear-engined step-entrance single-decker bus chassis |
| Lengths | 33 ft (10 m) as Swift; 36 ft (11 m) as Merlin |
| Engine | AEC AH505 or AH691 |
| London classes | MB single or dual door, MBS dual door, MBA with turnstile |
| Bodies | Park Royal, Metro Cammell Weymann, Marshall; Strachans prototypes |
| London fleet | over 1,500 with London Transport and London Country, 1966–1972 |
| Withdrawals | from 1972, after about four years in service |
English Wikipedia covers the Merlin as part of its article on the AEC Swift; the article gives no separate page for the London version.
History of the AEC Merlin
The AEC Swift was a rear-engined step-entrance single-decker chassis closely related to the Leyland Panther. It was offered in 33-foot and 36-foot lengths with an AEC AH505 or AH691 engine. The design suited driver-only operation, which helped operators faced with labour shortages and high costs, and it was one of the alternatives to the British double-decker buses that still needed both a driver and a conductor, such as the London AEC Routemaster or the Bristol Lodekka.
The largest fleet was operated by London Transport and London Country Bus Services, with over 1,500 delivered between 1966 and 1972. Bodywork came from Strachans for the prototypes and then from Park Royal Vehicles, Metro Cammell Weymann and Marshall, to basically the same design. The longer 36 ft versions were called Merlins and divided into MB (single or dual door), MBS (dual door) and MBA (dual door with turnstile payment for Red Arrow services) classes. The shorter 33 ft versions were the Swifts, with SM single-door saloons and SMS dual-door buses with automatic fare collection in central London; London Country ran green SM-class dual-door saloons. London Transport later converted some SMS vehicles into conventional one-man saloons by adding seats and locking the centre exit, renaming them SMD but keeping the fleet numbers.
Neither London Transport nor London Country considered either design a success. The first examples were withdrawn and sold, many for scrap, in 1972 after just four years in service, and most had been replaced by 1981, mainly by Leyland Nationals and MCW Metrobuses. Some went to the Malta Department of Education and kept their London form apart from a new coat of paint. About 50 former London Transport Merlins were exported to Australia, and several former London Transport vehicles ran in Malta until 2011. Citybus in Belfast bought 177 Swifts and Merlins between 1977 and 1980 to replace buses destroyed during the Troubles, although most were withdrawn after 1981.
Design and features
- Rear engine: a step-entrance single-decker chassis designed for driver-only operation.
- Two lengths: 33-foot Swifts and 36-foot Merlins, with different London class names.
- Red Arrow MBA: a dual-door Merlin with turnstile payment for London’s Red Arrow services.
- Short London career: the first buses were withdrawn in 1972, only four years after delivery began.
AEC Merlin versions
- MB: 36-foot Merlin with single or dual doors.
- MBS: 36-foot Merlin with dual doors.
- MBA: 36-foot Merlin with dual doors and turnstile payment for Red Arrow work.
- SM and SMS: 33-foot Swift classes in London, single-door saloon and dual-door with automatic fare collection.
- SMD: converted SMS saloons with more seats and the centre exit locked.
The Merlin was meant to replace crew-operated double-deckers such as the Routemaster and the Regent III RT. More buses are in the AEC collection.
Video: AEC Merlin MB90
Video by Jimmy Comfort on YouTube.
Sources
- AEC Swift, English Wikipedia: chassis, London classes, fleet, withdrawals
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