A question for the panel of experts here.
I was sat in another of Sydney’s traffic jams the other day behind a bus (a Volvo B9R apparently) listening to the incessant roar of its engine fan, and it occurred to me that most buses since the late 70s on have been either rear-engine or underfloor midships; all the trucks I could think of, on the other hand, are front engine (whether cabover or bonnetted).
So, are there or were there ever any reasonably successful lorries that had their engine and/or gearbox either at the rear (vertical or horizontal) or midships?
The Bussing and latterly MAN unterflur (underfloor) engines were quite successful for a number of years. The engine hung on the chassis rails behind the cab, the high cube drawbars used them up until the introduction of the F2000 series.
I think the Albion Caledonian ■■ during the50,s/ 60,s had a midships engine slung under the chassis
There was also a 4 wheeler ERF that had a 180 Gardner set well back in the chassis. The M series IIRC, looked like a B series.
Thanks chaps.
Come to think about it, I can’t imagine too many applications that would require either underfloor or rear engine configurations, and those that might exist could only apply to large rigids/ wag & drag outfits.
Here’s a trial Volvo did ages ago for a large pantech based on their B58 bus/ coach chassis:
This 1957 Renault “Fainéant” also had its engine (120 bhp) hanging under its chassis, just behind its cab.
Volvo also did a truck on a B10M chassis, it was for those aircraft cargo boxes.
Somewhere in the late 70’s early 80’s I think ERF developed a six wheel tipper chassis with the gearbox set back from the engine. IIRC There was a conventional bell housing on the engine and then a short prop shaft to the gearbox. There was at least one operating in the North East.
Then of course there was the twin engined Ford. There was one running in BRS red which was an occaisional visitor to the Gateshead depot where I worked at the time.
Tyneside
newmercman:
There was also a 4 wheeler ERF that had a 180 Gardner set well back in the chassis. The M series IIRC, looked like a B series.
There’s lots of photos of a restored one here:
thorpetransport.co.uk/galler … -m-series/
The cab is a proper walk-through job, yet the engine does not protrude beyond the back of the cab at all. Obviously, it would be a different matter with a day cab (or an 8 cylinder Gardner). It makes you wonder why they did not make the B series sleeper cab in the same way. In its day, Ford and Berliet were making a fuss about such a feature on their vehicles.
Edit- there’s a day cab one here:
picssr.com/photos/gdlowuk/intere … 290062@N03
IIRC, the canopy over the rear of the engine was also used on 8 cyl day cab versions of the C series. Proper ERF nuts will know better.
newmercman:
Volvo also did a truck on a B10M chassis, it was for those aircraft cargo boxes.
NMM, I suppose air cargo and air catering might be one application, but all I’ve seen have been normal (front engine) wagons with odd cab configurations. Ta for the pic.
Froggy55:
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This 1957 Renault “Fainéant” also had its engine (120 bhp) hanging under its chassis, just behind its cab.
Ta Froggy. Question is, why was it designed that way?
Let’s expand the scope of this thread to include “normal” trucks (i.e. front engine + transmission) but with a horizontal engine.
newmercman:
Here ya go, these definitely meet requirements.
They certainly do… But what was the purpose?
newmercman:
To keep you happy lol
Now shove off and get that wagon out of the yard… 
Hahaha, I’m back out tomorrow if the weather doesn’t mess things up. I’ve had a trawl around on the Internet, but all I can find on the MAN (Büssing) unterflur engines is in German and I don’t sprachen ze Deutsch that well. I’ve got a German mate, I’ll ask him to have a look and give me the gist of it.
ParkRoyal2100:
… what was the purpose?
Presumably to create more space for the driver/load. The Büssings show that there was not much reduction in tank space, either- a large tank is fitted “underneath” the crank on the one above. I wonder why they went out of favour? Maybe there was some durability issue with the cylinders horizontal? The benefits are certain- less need for noise insulation in the cab, no need for a tilt cab. I’m convinced. 
PS the page has gone over-width. I suspect the blue tipper. I have shrunk it:
newmercman:
Hahaha, I’m back out tomorrow if the weather doesn’t mess things up.
I’m back out tomorrow regardless. Well, someone has to keep the country running…
