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This second offering comes straight off the cover
of the first post WW2 edition of 'Foden News'. Dated
January 1946 Fodens chose the cover to illustrate their brand new entry
into the passenger market.
The double decker (chassis number
23000) initially carried a Willowbrook lowbridge body seating 53
passengers and was used quite extensively as a demonstrator, registered
HMB 395.
It secured orders from, amongst others, Warrington
Corporation, who were very anxious for a quick delivery. To speed this up
the Willowbrook body was removed from the chassis, which was then
delivered to Warrington who fitted a refurbished pre war Metropolitan
Cammell body from a Crossley chassis.
This combination went on to
serve Warrington until 1963. The Willowbrook body, meanwhile, was mounted
on another new chassis (27222), this one fitted with Foden's new
two-stroke engine. Once again it was used as a demonstrator, as KMA 570,
but no orders were forthcoming and the bus was sold to a Yorkshire
independent operator - Cawthorne of Barugh. Just a year later Cawthorne
sold out to the Yorkshire Traction Company, who operated KMA 570 until
1959, when the bus was sold to Frank Cowley, the Salford based dealer, but
failed to attract any further users.
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