Tilling Stevens Express K5LA7
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After Imperial Japan surrendered in August 1945, the sovereignty of Hong Kong returned to United Kingdom. Since very few buses in Hong Kong had survived after World War II, bus operators converted a number of trucks, like Canadian Dodge G5, to buses. But this could only be a temporary measure. As population expanded, operators started to bought British buses. Tilling-Stevens K5LA7 was one of their major choices. During 1947-48, China Motor Bus bought a totol of 108 K5LA7s. It then became the largest fleet of Tilling Stevens' buses in the world. Kowloon Motor Bus took 50 and became the second largest fleet. They remained operational until 1966-67. Some of them had been converted to training buses and service trucks in KMB, and they were withdrawn in the early 1970s.
CMB converted one K5LA7 (4943, first registered on 11 December 1949) to a staff withdraw room at Wan Chai Ferry Pier Bus Terminus in 1968. Before then, it had served the company as a training bus for about one year. In 1971, the company obtained the bus again and refurbished it. In 1975, Lydon Rees, the traffic manager of the company helped it re-register as HK104. It has been preserved by China Motor Bus Company, although its franchised service ended in 1998. The government asked the company to donate the bus as an exhibit in the newly built Hong Kong Museum of History, but the company has disagreed the idea. It may be seen in some occasions, but CMB has become more reluctant to show it in public.
Specifications:
Chassis: K5LA7
Chassis configuration: front engine conventional drive line
Length: 8357mm
Width: 2261mm
Height: 2997mm
Wheelbase: 5258mm
Window type: sliding
Interior lighting: lamps
Destination equipment: rollers
Engine type: Gardner 5LW
Engine position: front vertical
No. of cylinders: 5
Engine power: 70.9kW
Gearbox type: David Brown 5-speed non-synchromesh
Means of operation: Manual
Passenger capacity: B38D+13
Total capacity: 51
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Page created: 6 July 1999
Last updated: 18 October 2009