Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[roverdriver]

When I were but a wee lad, I grew up on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. Because I was, even then, interested in motor vehicles, I would take particular note when a pertinent discussion or comment was made by older people. Several times I heard of the 'Landliner' bus. One tale mentioned an accident when the bus was on route to pick up soldiers from an army camp.

I was familiar with the articulated (here called semi-trailer) buses owned by the Portsea Passenger Service- like this one,



This one has a White as a prime mover, there was at least one with a Reo front end.

These are not the 'Landliner' that older folks had mentioned. Just recently, during a hunt for other things, I came across this photo-



That is the Landliner. It had a Ford V8 engine in the front bogie and another at the rear driving the wheels that end. Steering was via hydraulics, and it seems there were some problems with this. It was built in the town of Frankston for the Peninsula Bus Lines in 1946, but had a short life locally, and it seems that by 1948 it was being used in Western Australia. An amazing and advanced design for just at the end of the war!. Lurking at the right of the photo is a Reo prime mover with its bus.

Although the Landliner diappeared early, the more 'normal' Semis continued in service until 1965. Here is the last one on its last run


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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[Rick]

Cool stuff, the V8 Landliner in particular is an amazing looking thing - reminds me of GM's Futurliners



RJ
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