The Legendary GNR Gardner Buses.

The GNR Gardner buses of which there were 96 produced at Dundalk Works between 1937 and 1951 were for many years the mainstay of the Road Motor Services fleet. Their ruggedness, reliability and versatility ensured that they were used on a wide range of work from stage carriage to extended tours.

The decision to produce buses at Dundalk was taken by the Company Board in April 1936 following a proposal from Dick Meredith the Works Manager actively supported by George Howden the then Chief Engineer.

The first GNR Gardner (200) photographed at Dundalk 26^th May 1937.

The rationale for producing the Gardners has often been shrouded in mystery and many theories have surfaced over the years. I have had unequalled access to many previously unearthed sources including the papers from one of the engineers who worked on the project. In the forthcoming book I will deal with the story of the GNR Gardners in greater detail than can be achieved on this website. In essence there were three principal reasons for producing these magnificent machines in Dundalk: -

• Legal reasons arose from the introduction of various pieces of legislation by the Irish Free State government including a stricture on buses being manufactured within the state using local labour.
• Disenchantment by the GNR with the products of the Leyland Company particularly the unreliable and underpowered Leyland Lion LT5A buses and the sole Leyland Lion LT7 that was purchased by the company in 1935.
• Dick Meredith was very keen to standardise on a particular bus chassis and drive train following on from the earlier experiments with various diesel engines most notably Beardmore, AEC, Leyland and Gardner in the early 1930's.

 The result of all the effort bore fruit on Thursday May 29^th 1937 when the official launch took place at Dundalk Works. It was a very grand affair indeed with several Irish Free State government ministers in attendance including Mr.Sean Lemass (Industry & Commerce) Frank Aitken (Defence and a local T,D,) together with local civic dignitaries and visiting railway executives from the Great Southern Railways. GNR Chairman Mr.William Carson and other Board members such as Lord Glenavy hosted a grand tour of the works during which the visiting party was able to observe at first hand the production of the buses. The party was taken to the nearby GNR Hotel at Greenore for lunch in GNR bus number 203. Mr Lemass in addressing the luncheon said that he was very impressed with the efforts made by the company in producing the buses and was particularly fascinated at the work that he had seen in the sawmill. Mr.Carson in reply thanked the Minister and his party for coming to Dundalk to witness the work being done there. He also paid tribute to the skills and expertise of the employees of the Works in getting the project underway.

The first twenty-one GNR Gardners produced had Gardner 5LW engines, Meadows gearboxes and Kirkstall front and rear axles subsequent vehicles had Leyland GB7 gearboxes. Many parts were sourced from a variety of suppliers (mainly Leyland) whilst others were manufactured from scratch in the Works.

Wartime emergency measures, which were not successful, saw fleet number 200 with a Gas producer trailer.

Between 1937 and 1942 all Gardners had bodies of a timber frame construction produced entirely in Dundalk Works. When production resumed again after the wartime emergency in 1947 Metal Section body frames were purchased. The frames were assembled onto chassis by the Belfast Coachbuilder Harkness and then returned to Dundalk for completion. A number of the earlier timber framed vehicles were also rebuilt with Metal Section framing in 1948. The Metal Section frames were not successful as critical structural failures were quickly encountered in the areas of the front bulkhead and wheel arches.

The difficulties with the Metal frames resulted in the GNR adopting a modification programme in late 1948 to strengthen the bodies. No further body frames were obtained from Metal Sections.

The final batches of GNR Gardners were completed using Metal Frames supplied by the London firm of Park Royal in large crates for assembly at Dundalk Works.

Gardner 398 seen at Donegal Town Station a fine example of the Park Royal framed bodywork.

The last GNR Gardner rolled out of the Works on August 1^st 1952 as fleet number 402 a very different and somewhat stylish looking animal than its wooden bodied predecessors.

The Gardners certainly lived up to their reputation for longevity considering that the average age at withdrawal was 16 years. One vehicle served the GNR and CIE faithfully for 24 years in front line service. Some of the later Park Royal bodied machines enjoyed an "Indian Summer" when they were converted to Ambulances for CIE working from Ballina Garage and were finally pensioned off after some 28 years service. Fifty-Five GNR Gardners passed to CIE when the GNRB ceased to exist in 1958.

A trio of GNR Gardners seen at the new Dublin Garage at Abercorn Road on opening day 18^th October 1941.

Dundalk Works - Road Motor Shop where GNR Gardners were built.