The Autosan A0909L Tramp is a series of local, intercity and school buses built in Sanok from 2000. It was created as a deep modernisation of the H9-21 and was planned as its successor, although both models were produced side by side until 2006.
Autosan A0909L Tramp at a glance
| Maker | Autosan, Sanok, Poland |
|---|---|
| Production | from 2000 |
| Based on | Autosan H9-21 |
| Intercity version | .01: 55 passengers, 39 seated |
| Suburban version | .02: 70 passengers, 20 seated |
| Engine | Andoria 6cT107-3, 6.54 litres, 125 kW (170 hp) |
| Gearbox | TS5-60 five-speed manual |
| Axles | FON Radomsko, on leaf springs |
| Luggage | 2.5 m³ underfloor |
| Optional engine | Cummins B215-20, 158 kW (215 hp) |
| Later name | Autosan Tramp, after the code was dropped in 2010 |
| Successor | Autosan Eurolider 10 |
History of the Autosan A0909L Tramp
A modernised H9-21
By the end of the 1990s the H9, in production since 1973, was outdated despite repeated modernisations, so in 2000 Autosan presented the A0909L Tramp as a deep modernisation of the H9-21. It was offered as an intercity bus carrying 55 passengers, 39 of them seated (sub-type .01), and as a suburban version with room for 70 passengers, 20 seated (.02). The body sat on a longeron-and-frame chassis of square and rectangular tubes, with a steel tube body. Power came from a Polish Andoria 6cT107-3 of 6.54 litres and 125 kW (170 hp), coupled to a five-speed TS5-60 gearbox from Tczew. The front door was pneumatic and the rear door manual, while the suburban version had pneumatic doors throughout; the axles were FON Radomsko units on leaf springs, with an underfloor luggage bay of 2.5 m³. The Tramp was intended to succeed the H9-21, but both were built together until 2006.
Updates, 2001–2009
In 2001 the body was restyled by removing the ventilator above the windscreen and slightly changing the front wall, and a Cummins B215-20 Euro 2 engine of 158 kW (215 hp) became an option with the TS5-60 gearbox. That year also brought a prototype city version, the A0909L.01.03, with a 1-2-0 door layout, and in 2002 a school prototype, the A0909L Indiana, was built for left-hand traffic; it attracted no interest in Britain. The school bus A0909S Smyk entered series production in 2003, carrying 43 passengers on plastic seats, and in 2004 a local and suburban version with a Renault DCi4 CJ01 Euro 3 engine of 127 kW (174 hp) joined the range.
A 2005 modernisation brought a new plastic front wall with vertically arranged projector headlights and a rear wall with round indicator and stop lamps. In 2006 side windows were changed to bonded glazing and parabolic leaf springs gave way to air suspension unified with the A0808T Gemini and Jelcz M083C Libero, with a Renault DCi4 CJ01 and Eaton 4106B gearbox. In 2007 the door layout changed from 1-0-1 to 1-1-0 and Cummins ISBe4 185 (136 kW) and Renault DXi5 (140 kW/190 hp) engines were added with a ZF 6S-700 BO gearbox, while an electromagnetic retarder and air conditioning were optional. In 2009 the British importer offered a right-hand-drive Autosan A0909L Scamp, though no orders followed, and in the fourth quarter a suburban 1-2-0 version with a redesigned interior was delivered to Dolnośląskie Linie Autobusowe.
Autosan Tramp and Tramp FL
At the end of 2010 the A0909L code was dropped from the trade name and the model became simply the Autosan Tramp, with some examples sold as the Tramp 09. On 20 September 2011, at Transexpo in Kielce, Autosan showed the thoroughly modernised Tramp FL, with a new body unified with the A1010T and A1012T, carrying 62 passengers (39 seated) in intercity form or 32 in a tourist version, and using an EEV-rated Iveco NEF N60ENT of 194 kW (264 hp) with a six-speed ZF 6S-1010BO. Its expected successor was the intercity Autosan Eurolider 10.
Design and features
- H9-21 base: a modernised version of the long-running H9-21 rather than an all-new design.
- Two capacities: 55 passengers for intercity work, 70 in the suburban version.
- Simple running gear: FON axles on leaf springs, later replaced by air suspension in 2006.
- Progressive updates: bonded windows, new front and rear walls, and newer engines through the 2000s.
- Long production: built from 2000 into the 2010s, with the Tramp FL as the final form.
Autosan A0909L Tramp versions
- A0909L.01 Tramp: intercity version, 55 passengers.
- A0909L.02 Tramp: suburban version, 70 passengers.
- A0909S Smyk (2003): school bus with 43 seats.
- A0909L.01.03: prototype city version with a 1-2-0 door layout.
- A0909L Scamp (2009): right-hand-drive version for Britain.
- Tramp FL (2011): new body and Iveco engine, 62 passengers.
The Tramp grew out of the H9 and shared the Sanok range with the A1012T intercity bus. More models are in the Autosan collection.
Video: Autosan Tramp of PKS Częstochowa
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Autosan A0909L Tramp, Polish Wikipedia: history, versions, engines, equipment
- Autosan, English Wikipedia: model list and company context
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