Door conversion from one to two doors

[joieman]

Question of the day:
We all know that many buses are originally built with two doors and later in life converted to a single passenger door, but I wonder if the reverse ever happens: is a bus ever built with one passenger door and then later modified to have a second door? Seems somewhat unlikely as there is a plentiful supply of secondhand dual-door buses from London.

 

[borage]

Out of interest I googled the phrase "converted to dual-door". An example I found is several former Reading Buses Optare Excels which were exported to New Zealand and had a door added there.

 

[Volvodart]

Aberdeen Corporation Atlantean 120 received a second door when it became an exact fare bus trial.

 

[Man of Kent]

East Kent had AEC Swift/Marshalls and Leyland Nationals converted to dual door for Dover Docks shuttles in the 1970s/80s. The modular nature of the latter made it slightly easier.

Reading's Optare Spectras were allegedly built with provision for a second door to be retrofitted, including the necessary wiring. Occasional electrical faults that could not otherwise be traced were reckoned to be caused by this.

And as per another recent thread, Walsall's original centre-entrance Fleetlines later gained a front door.

 

[cnjb8]

Didn't the P&O Ferries Excel's at Dover have a second door added?

 

[Steve440]

According to the Bus Archive newsletter https://www.busarchive.org.uk/newsletter/BA-News-24-March-2024.pdf Seddon converted 100 MCW bodied Atlanteans for Merseyside PTE and 35 Northern Counties Fleetlines for Nottingham.

 

[37114]

Bristol converted some R.E's to dual door buses for city use in the 1970s, and also similarly converted some ex Southern Vectis batch of "XDL79-L" reg Leyland National to dual door:
When new

10097 XDL 795L Southern Vectis 871

Ryde 24-07-1978

www.flickr.com

With Bristol Cityline

4L_XDL795L_D_W0853_1

Explore horatio299's 97458 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[mangad]

In Canada I saw a pink Routemaster bus being used as a tour bus.

Now what's the obvious problem with using a British bus in Canada? Yep, the doorway is on the wrong side.

Solution? Put a new doorway in on the right hand side!

File:Vancouver Pink Bus Tours, Canada Place, 30 April 2011.jpg - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[TheManWho]

Question of the day:
We all know that many buses are originally built with two doors and later in life converted to a single passenger door, but I wonder if the reverse ever happens: is a bus ever built with one passenger door and then later modified to have a second door? Seems somewhat unlikely as there is a plentiful supply of secondhand dual-door buses from London.

Blue Triangle converted one of their Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer 2s (DP192) from single to dual door in 2006

source: Ian's Bus Stop (countrybus.org)

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

In Canada I saw a pink Routemaster bus being used as a tour bus.

Now what's the obvious problem with using a British bus in Canada? Yep, the doorway is on the wrong side.

Solution? Put a new doorway in on the right hand side!

This photo shows that it still had an open platform on the left. Does that count as a door?

File:Routemaster in Vancouver.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[DGP]

In my native North East, Newcastle Transport's Atlantean 251 (KBB 251D) was converted from H44/34F to H45/30D an renumbered 601 following an accident. Sunderland Corporation's Fleetline 269 (XGR 869) was rebuilt from H43/34F to H43/30D with a narrow central (almost rear) exit in 1965. That door was activated via a pressure pad in the floor which I was too young and too light to activate.

And I almost forgot about 12 Northern General Atlanteans - 2154-2165 (XUP 254-265F) which were rebuilt from H44/34F (I think) to H45/30D and transferred to their subsidiary company Gateshead and District in 1970.

 

[citybus2500]

More recently, Menzies Heathrow had 3 Omnicity (S15-17) fitted with second doors during 2015 for use on T2/T3 Long Stay Car Park.