Description
76AMT001 Oxford Diecast Alexander M Type Scottish
A single deck coach in the shape of the Alexander M-Type. The M-Type was a motorway coach built for the Scottish Bus Group Anglo-Scottish services and here at Oxford we launch the fleet with an example of the coach travelling from Scotland to London as the No. 5. Registered MSP 750P from 1975/76, it is decorated in the bright blue and silver Scottish livery incorporating a stylised Saltire flag printed along the sides, white wheels with blue centres, clear roof skylights set into the bright blue roof and masses of silver trim. An interesting feature sees the right hand side rear window painted white from the inside, echoing a feature on many long distance coaches where passenger privacy is required!
The coach interior is also very colourful. Whilst the dashboard, steering wheel and driver’s seat are black, further back the passenger seating is red. Note too, another tooling detail on our Alexander M-Type. These coaches were on different chassis – this one is a Seddon Pennine 7 with Alexander M Type C42 Ft coachwork. Other coaches appeared on either Volvo or Leyland chassis. And – our model is based on a coach that has been fully restored and is housed at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum at Lathalmond
The Alexander history goes right back to 1913 when Walter Alexander founded Alexander’s Motor Services to extend existing public transport services in the area. Just over 10 years later, he founded W Alexander & Sons Limited to run buses and also to build bodywork for both the company’s own fleet and for sale to other operators. Selling the company to Scottish Motor Traction in 1929 gave Walter more time and scope to expand his coach-building business which grew so much he had to move from his Camelon main bus works to seek larger premises in Stirling. In 1947, anticipating the Government’s nationalisation of the bus services, Walter Alexander formed yet another company Walter Alexander & Company (Coachbuilders) Ltd, securing their business independence and at the same time enabling the coachbuilding activities to continue when their bus service operation was nationalised. Once again success meant another move, this time to a purpose-built factory back in Camelon. The coachbuilding business expanded rapidly, Walter Alexander acquiring other bodybuilders along the way and by the mid 1970s was selling coach and bus bodies across the world.
Walter Alexander remained a private family run firm until 1987 when it became a public listed company. Following years saw the business change hands several times but the name is still at the forefront of the industry today under the auspices of Alexander Dennis.
