The former Design Manager of Rootes Diesel Engineering Division, (the late) Don Kitchen confirmed “TS3” stands for “Two-Stroke 3-cylinder”.
Sadly there won’t be a TS4 prototype in Australia, because the four surviving prototypes are accounted for.
The rest of the TS4 prototype engines including parts, patterns, dies, plans, drawings, etc were all scrapped under strict supervision by Chrysler in about 1970.
The fact that four TS4 prototypes survive at all is thanks entirely to the former Chief Development Engineer, (the late) Bill Seaman and the former Design Manager (the late) Don Kitchen hiding these engines away during the destruction process.
For the Don Kitchen story, TS3 history and info, please go to commer.co.nz.
The TS4 in NZ has been reconditioned back to brand new, with the final engine development work signed off by Don Kitchen before he passed away in April, 2020 (covid!!)
Is soon to go on the road for the first time in 55 years. More info on that later.
Mk.IV:
The former Design Manager of Rootes Diesel Engineering Division, (the late) Don Kitchen confirmed “TS3” stands for “Two-Stroke 3-cylinder”.
Sadly there won’t be a TS4 prototype in Australia, because the four surviving prototypes are accounted for.
The rest of the TS4 prototype engines including parts, patterns, dies, plans, drawings, etc were all scrapped under strict supervision by Chrysler in about 1970.
The fact that four TS4 prototypes survive at all is thanks entirely to the former Chief Development Engineer, (the late) Bill Seaman and the former Design Manager (the late) Don Kitchen hiding these engines away during the destruction process.
For the Don Kitchen story, TS3 history and info, please go to commer.co.nz.
The TS4 in NZ has been reconditioned back to brand new, with the final engine development work signed off by Don Kitchen before he passed away in April, 2020 (covid!!)
Is soon to go on the road for the first time in 55 years. More info on that later.
A fascinating post. 
Welcome to the forum!
There is all sorts of “urban myth” about the origins of the Rootes TS3 engine.
Where I was in regular contact with former Rootes Diesel Engineering Division Design Manager (the late) Don Kitchen, I can confirm the TS3 was not a development or a copy of something the very clever folk at Tillings were working on, or a copy of the Sulzer ZG9, Junkers Jumo, (etc, etc).
The TS3 engine was designed and developed entirely by Rootes, beginning in 1946 with Chief Engineer, Eric W Coy at Humber and two draftsmen (Bennett and Milliluski).
Rootes Diesel Engineering Division was established under Eric Coy for TS3 pre-production design and development development. Diesel Engineering Division operated in part of the Tilling-Stevens factory at Maidstone
Designs began with a 1-cylinder, then 2-cylinder, (both abandoned) then the 3-cylinder TS3.
Some of the TS3 engine components were produced / machined at Tillings and all early model TS3 engines were assembled there.
Eric Coy would have been aware of the French designed and manufactured M.A.P 2-cylinder opposed piston engine, that powered M.A.P tractors (1946 to 1950) and although there are some striking similarities to some of the M.A.P components, the TS3 is a completely new development and considerably advanced to the M.A.P in every way.
I have a few original sketches in pencil on scrap paper (gifted by the late Bill Seaman and Don Kitchen) showing how the early TS3 designers began developing concept designs and material ideas (from 1946) for their 2-stroke opposed piston engines that never made it to production.
This included aluminium alloy crankcases and rockers.
Mk.IV:
There is all sorts of “urban myth” about the origins of the Rootes TS3 engine.
Where I was in regular contact with former Rootes Diesel Engineering Division Design Manager (the late) Don Kitchen, I can confirm the TS3 was not a development or a copy of something the very clever folk at Tillings were working on, or a copy of the Sulzer ZG9, Junkers Jumo, (etc, etc).
The TS3 engine was designed and developed entirely by Rootes, beginning in 1946 with Chief Engineer, Eric W Coy at Humber and two draftsmen (Bennett and Milliluski).
Rootes Diesel Engineering Division was established under Eric Coy for TS3 pre-production design and development development. Diesel Engineering Division operated in part of the Tilling-Stevens factory at Maidstone
Designs began with a 1-cylinder, then 2-cylinder, (both abandoned) then the 3-cylinder TS3.
Some of the TS3 engine components were produced / machined at Tillings and all early model TS3 engines were assembled there.
Eric Coy would have been aware of the French designed and manufactured M.A.P 2-cylinder opposed piston engine, that powered M.A.P tractors (1946 to 1950) and although there are some striking similarities to some of the M.A.P components, the TS3 is a completely new development and considerably advanced to the M.A.P in every way.
I have a few original sketches in pencil on scrap paper (gifted by the late Bill Seaman and Don Kitchen) showing how the early TS3 designers began developing concept designs and material ideas (from 1946) for their 2-stroke opposed piston engines that never made it to production.
This included aluminium alloy crankcases and rockers.
Good post and should clear up the history aspect of the TS3.
What’s missing till now…technical stuff, history and/or applications?
Somewhere I have a Dutch booklet on this particular engine and for its
time it was rather spectacular, innovative but I have no idea on the few
customers that remained happy after having this lump installed.
In mentioning Tilling-Stevens, their designers and development engineers were exceptional in their own right.
In 1937, they launched the “Yeoman” and “Successor” truck and bus chassis that were at least 25 years ahead of the rest of the world at that time.
They developed a revolutionary horizontally opposed, flat-8 cylinder diesel engine (NOT “opposed piston” like the TS3) with a “Miller Tunnel” crankcase design and the engine sat behind the front axle, with a Maybach 7-speed pre-select gearbox (fluid flywheel), fully independent coil spring rear suspension with trailing lazy axle.
The two chassis were launched at the 1937 Commercial Motor Show at London and the “Successor” 6-wheeler chassis was fitted with a very stylish Duple body after the show.
Early reviews of the new flat-8 engine, gearbox, IRS were “very smooth operation” and “imperceptible gear changes” and so on.
I’ve not been able to discover what happened to the Yeoman and Successor projects or the Duple bodied 6-wheeler Successor bus.
A single report had the Duple body removed from the Successor chassis and fitted to another bus, but I’ve got photos of both bodies and they are not the same body.
Quite possibly, the severe conditions imposed on manufacturing and the British economy during and after W.W.II could have been the reason for Tillings not proceeding with these advanced concept commercial vehicles post-1945.
Certainly, the German made Maybach transmissions wouldn’t have been available during and after W.W.II.
Both “Yeoman” and “Successor” chassis may have “gone in the skip” during W.W.II for the War effort?
I have photos to upload as soon as I discover how to do so.
Mk.IV:
In mentioning Tilling-Stevens, their designers and development engineers were exceptional in their own right.
In 1937, they launched the “Yeoman” and “Successor” truck and bus chassis that were at least 25 years ahead of the rest of the world at that time.
They developed a revolutionary horizontally opposed, flat-8 cylinder diesel engine (NOT “opposed piston” like the TS3) with a “Miller Tunnel” crankcase design and the engine sat behind the front axle, with a Maybach 7-speed pre-select gearbox (fluid flywheel), fully independent coil spring rear suspension with trailing lazy axle.
The two chassis were launched at the 1937 Commercial Motor Show at London and the “Successor” 6-wheeler chassis was fitted with a very stylish Duple body after the show.
Early reviews of the new flat-8 engine, gearbox, IRS were “very smooth operation” and “imperceptible gear changes” and so on.
I’ve not been able to discover what happened to the Yeoman and Successor projects or the Duple bodied 6-wheeler Successor bus.
A single report had the Duple body removed from the Successor chassis and fitted to another bus, but I’ve got photos of both bodies and they are not the same body.
Quite possibly, the severe conditions imposed on manufacturing and the British economy during and after W.W.II could have been the reason for Tillings not proceeding with these advanced concept commercial vehicles post-1945.
Certainly, the German made Maybach transmissions wouldn’t have been available during and after W.W.II.
Both “Yeoman” and “Successor” chassis may have “gone in the skip” during W.W.II for the War effort?
I have photos to upload as soon as I discover how to do so.
Thanks. Please do upload the photos. I would be very happy to see them.
I’ve tried a couple times to upload 3 X pdf files as part of the Tillings story but am getting a message saying “The extension pdf is not allowed”.
Can the moderator or administrator offer advise please?
Thank you. Mk.IV
Though in Dutch (as with the monthly “■■■■■■■”) it is for the pics
Mk.IV:
I’ve tried a couple times to upload 3 X pdf files as part of the Tillings story but am getting a message saying “The extension pdf is not allowed”.
Can the moderator or administrator offer advise please?Thank you. Mk.IV
Just getting someone onto the case 
You will likely only be able to download jpg images, that’s the trouble with pdf not so easy to share onto a site, probably easier to rewrite some of the pdf text straight onto here depending how much typing you want to carry out. Franky.
ERF-NGC-European:
Mk.IV:
I’ve tried a couple times to upload 3 X pdf files as part of the Tillings story but am getting a message saying “The extension pdf is not allowed”.
Can the moderator or administrator offer advise please?Thank you. Mk.IV
Just getting someone onto the case
It’s being discussed here:
Heres an animation with the TS 3 engine:
And now the French MAP engine, quite similar, as says Mk.IV:
Back to Britain, with the Napier Deltic engine, which had 6 rows of three cylinders arranged in a triangle; fitted on Class 55 railway engines.:
Much better is this Youtube clip:
From my earlier post about the very advanced 1937 Tilling-Stevens “Successor”, here is a photo of the stylish Duple body made for that advanced concept vehicle.
I am unsure if the following is correct, but was told the Duple body was later removed from the “Successor”, modified and installed on a Leyland chassis. This is apparently a photo of that (modified) body on a Leyland.
TruckNetUK . Old Time Lorries .Rootes Commer TS3 Engine . Page 2 . Tuesday,18th January,2022 . VALKYRIE .
Tilling-Stevens Successor - Duple Motorcoach And The LGOC - Duple Motorcoach .
Mk.IV:
From my earlier post about the very advanced 1937 Tilling-Stevens “Successor”, here is a photo of the stylish Duple body made for that advanced concept vehicle.I am unsure if the following is correct, but was told the Duple body was later removed from the “Successor”, modified and installed on a Leyland chassis. This is apparently a photo of that (modified) body on a Leyland.
In 1937 TSM = Tilling-Stevens Motors created a sensation at the 1937 Commercial Vehicle Motor Show at Earls Court,London,with the advanced Tilling-Stevens Successor - Duple
Motorcoach,with its streamlined full-fronted body,7.45-litre,flat,horizontally opposed,8-cylinder,95-BHP diesel-oil engine,German-built 7-speed Maybach gearbox,coil-spring-based
independent rear suspension for the rear two axles only and 6x2 pusher axle configuration.
According to reports,this motorcoach never ran under its own power and the engine’s crankcase was a wooden mock-up. What happened to the chassis is a mystery,but the Duple
motorcoach body survived…QV below.
Tilling-Stevens -TSM = Tilling Stevens Motors.Tilling-Stevens Successor,Duple C44C,6x2-Pusher Axle,Motorcoach advertisement,Bus & Motorcoach,December 1937.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.Old Bus Photos.3#
Builders Of London’s Buses was the proud and prestigious slogan of the Associated Equipment Company = AEC - they also built London’s motorcoaches and trolleybuses! 
In other
words,AEC built the vast majority of new passenger road vehicles for London,but Leyland also supplied a good number and the London General Omnibus Company built a handful:-
LGOC = London General Omnibus Company CB,Meadows Petrol-Engined,LGOC B30F,Single Decker Omnibuses,T1000-2.1931TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.Ian Smith.3#
Three of these were built,and were re-engined with AEC petrol engines in 1933.They remained in service in to 1938,stored in to 1940,sold to Henry Lane,London,in 1940,sold again in
September 1940 to Valliant Motorcoaches,London. GT 7446 and GT 7477 ended up in service with the War Department from 1941 and were both bought by North,Derby,in 1946.
GO 7153 was sold to Fountain,London,in February 1948.
Fleet numbers,registrations and year of entering service:-
T1000, GO 7153 7-1931.
T1001, GT 7446 11-1931
T1002, GT 7477 12-1931.
Question:What has the above LGOC CB’s got to do with the main story in this post? 
Nothing! The CB’s and the CC’s were related to each other by design,but that is as far as it goes
I’m just writing the CB’s details for the sake of completeness,history and interest
LGOC=London General Omnibus Company CC,Meadows Petrol-Engined,LGOC H54R,6x4,Double Decker Omnibuses,LT1000,1051,1202,1203.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.Ian Smith.3#
Four of the above CC double-decker omnibuses were built,and were re-engined with AEC engines in 1933.They were fitted with AEC 100mm,6.1-Litre petrol engines and AEC gearboxes
in 1938.They were all withdrawn in 1939.NOTE: LT1051 was fitted with a Gardner 5LW diesel oil engine in 1932,then was fitted with an AEC 110mm petrol engine in 1933.
Fleet numbers,registrations and year of entering service:_
LT1000 GF 7254 7-1930.
LT1051 GK 3003 9-1930.
LT1202 GT 5099 10-1931.
LT1203 GT 5153 11-1931.
All of the above CC’s were withdrawn in 1939.
NOTE: I’ve saved the subsequent history of LT1000 till last
LT1051 Was sold to Coulson & Company,Park Royal,London,in late 1939.
LT1202 Was bought by the BBC for Edgware-Elstree staff bus service,8-1939.
12-1946 Bought by A.H.Kearsey Ltd, Cheltenham.
10-1950 At Birds Commercial Motors, Stratford-upon-Avon.
4-1961 Derelict chassis still at Birds.
LT1203 Was bought by the BBC for Edgware-Elstree staff bus service,8-1939.
1947 Bought by Billy Smart’s Circus.
1948 With Billy Smarts Circus.
1950 At Birds Commercial Motors, Stratford-upon-Avon.
LT1000 - I’ve saved the most interesting history,and the main reason for this post,till last! 
1939 Was bought by Pickfords Removals: top deck partly removed.
1946 Chassis bought by Fountain Motorcoaches, Twickenham.
Re-built as single-decker motorcoach: 34-seat Duple motorcoach body.
1949 Was bought by White Heather, Southsea.
9-1954 In service with White Heather Motorcoaches.
6-1957 Withdrawn.
Caravan, Bosham.
4-1961 Scrapped.
Courtesy:Ian Smith.
So in other words,the Duple motorcoach body of the Tilling-Stevens Successor Motorcoach was modified and transferred on to the LGOC CC 6x4 Chassis and became a
magnificent motorcoach! QV photographs below:-
Tilling-Stevens -TSM = Tilling Stevens Motors.Tilling-Stevens Successor,7.45-Litre,Horizontally Opposed 8-Cylinder,95 BHP,Diesel Oil-Engined, Duple C44C,6x2-Pusher Axle,Motorcoach,1937.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.3#
Tilling-Stevens -TSM = Tilling Stevens Motors.Tilling-Stevens Successor,Duple C44C,6x2-Pusher Axle,Motorcoach.Rear nearside view.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.Old Bus Photos.6#
LGOC=London General Omnibus Company CC,Front AEC 6.1 Litre,100mm,Petrol-Engined,Duple FC34C,6x4,Motorcoach,LT1000,GF 7254,London,1930,White Heather,Southsea.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.STA-R.N.Hannay.3#
LGOC=London General Omnibus Company CC,AEC 6.1 Litre,100mm,Petrol-Engined,Duple FC34C,6x4,Motorcoach,L1000,GF 7254,London,1930,White Heather,Southsea.Front engine.TNUK,OTL,Commer TS3 E.2.1-2022.D.A.Jones-Old Bus Photos.3#
Happy New Year
VALKYRIE
The Duple streamlined body is simply lovely!