中巴丹尼士喝采DS1 CMB Dennis Jubilant DS1
丹尼士車廠一直是本港各家專營巴士公司的主要供應商，其不同款式的單層及雙層巴士在本港交通史上作出了一定的貢獻。早於二十年代，本港已經出現丹尼士製作的巴士在路面上服務乘客，其後於五十年代九巴亦有向丹尼士購入新車，只可惜在往後時間，除了中巴於一九六二年曾經引入一架Loline雙層巴士外，本港巴士公司再沒有任何來自丹尼士的新車，車廠本身亦於此段時間退出巴士製造市場，改為專注於生產消防車及貨車的業務上。
為了重返巴士製造市場，丹尼士於七十年代後期推出一款全新的後置引擎巴士底盤，這就是大家所熟悉的統治者，但在統治者推出市場差不多時間，車廠同時因應香港市場需要，製作了採用前置引擎設計的喝采型，首四架用作樣板車的喝采型底盤於一九七七年抵港並交付予九巴，時間上較首架交予中巴使用的統治者樣板車來得還要早。四架樣板車裝配九巴自家製作車身後，便被安排到過海隧道線103服務乘客。
當喝采型樣板巴士投入服務不久後，丹尼士亦向中巴提供了一架長三十二呎(十點二米)的統治者樣板車，但現實卻是不論中巴還是九巴，向丹尼士發出購車合約時候，都是購入前置引擎設計的喝采，亦可以說喝采型將丹尼士帶返香港巴士市場，儘管統治者以至後來衍生出來的三車軸底盤，都先後得以落藉兩大巴士公司車隊中。喝采型之所以能夠得到垂青，源於早年到港服役的珍寶暴露出大大小小的不同問題，巴士公司在有限的車源選擇下，採購可以採用一人控制的前置引擎巴士款式，造就了喝采型以至其競爭對手利蘭勝利二型的誕生。若果再深入比較，九巴連同樣板車購入合共三百六十四架喝采型巴士，中巴則有三十架，無論總數還是兩巴各自車隊數字，都不及勝利二型。而喝采型除了香港外，只有南非曾試用一架配用當地BUSAF車身的樣板巴士。
在車身選配上，九巴在量產批次先選用亞歷山大車身，在往後時間則改為裝配由都普提供的車身散件，至於中巴全數喝采則都是由亞歷山大提供車身，而除了九巴一架空調樣板車之外，全數喝采型車身都是於本港裝嵌成形。有關九巴喝采型巴士於本網另有篇章作介紹，接著將會簡述中巴喝采型的資料。
中巴三十架喝采型巴士都是於一九八零年投入服務，時間上稍遲於九巴，全數喝采型以DS作車隊號，並主力行走柴灣區8及82路線，與駐守南區為主的勝利二型相映成趣。這情況直到中巴專營權將近屆滿時才出現些微改變，部份喝采型被安排行走往返筲箕灣及港澳碼頭的2號線，以接替退役的丹拿珍寶。除了DS14(CE1170)於一九九三年因火災焚毀而提早退役外，其餘二十九架喝采型均於一九九八年九月一日，隨著中巴專營權結束被轉售至新巴，並於同年年底之前退役。
首架中巴丹尼士喝采DS1在退役之後，不單止其車牌號碼(CD2198)獲得保留，並套用在一架二零零一年投入服務的富豪超奧林比安(車隊編號5083)上，DS1本身亦有幸與數部購自中巴的退役巴士一樣，獲得新巴保留下來作為計劃興建的巴士博物館中的展品。可惜的是，巴士博物館這個構思未有得到有關部門接納，整個計劃只落得胎死腹中的下場，而DS1最後得到香港巴士迷會購入，而得以保留下來。自二零一零年起，每逄香港巴士迷會舉辦的巴士大集會，這架相信是唯一存在於世上的丹尼士喝采均會出席，好讓參加者能夠懷念昔日喝采型巴士服務乘客的歲月，而在二零一二年，香港巴士迷會替DS1作全車翻油，使其外觀煥然一新。
目前，DS1仍然由香港巴士迷會保存及作為巴士大集會的展品，期望在不久的將來，DS1車廂可以作進一步的修飾及保養，令到巴士能以更完美姿態示人。
Dennis has been one of the main supplier of different franchised bus operators in Hong Kong and playing an important role in the history of Hong Kong Buses. Backed to 1920s, Dennis already exported it product to Hong Kong and further new buses joined KMB fleet in 1950s. Dennis was quitted from the Hong Kong bus market after the sole Loline, the first double decker of CMB, entered service in 1962 and in fact, bus manufacturing was no longer a part of Dennis business afterwards until the late 1970s.
Dennis finally backed to the bus manufacturing market with the Dominator, a rear-engined chassis. Before the first Dominator to be delivered to Hong Kong for evaluation, KMB already acquired a batch of 4 front-engined designed Jubilant bodied with their own designed bodywork and entered service in 1977 on cross-harbour tunnel route 103.
Though the Dominator demonstrator started evaluation in CMB soon after the commissioned of the Jubilant, both KMB and CMB placed order for the Jubilant instead of the more advanced Dominator until the start of the era of 3-axle bus model in early 1980s. Both operators tend to introduce front-engined model that suit for One-Man Operation after a valuable lesson learnt from the Fleetline, the first generation rear-engined model, even the source of new buses was limited. As a result, the Jubilant and it competitor the Leyland Victory Mk 2 were designed for the Hong Kong market. In fact, the Victory already out numbered the Jubilant with total 716 samples running in Hong Kong against the latter with 394 built for Hong Kong and a demonstrator tested in South Africa with BUSAF bodywork.
The bodywork fitted on the production Jubilant was different from the prototype, KMB chosen the Walter Alexander bodywork first and then the kits from Duple Metsec while all CMB Jubilant bodied with the CB-type bodywork from Alexander. Except the air conditioned demonstrator of KMB, all Jubilant completed their bodyworks locally. As there is a chapter about the KMB Jubilant, the remaining section would be moved to the CMB Jubilant.
CMB ordered a batch of 30 Jubilant and joined the fleet in 1980 with DS-class as fleet number. Dennis Jubilant was stationed at the Eastern part of the Island and mainly serving on route 8 and 82, in contrast to the Victory serving on the Southern side of the Island. As the Fleetline used to serve route 2 between Shau Kei Wan and Macau Ferry gradually withdraw from the fleet just before the end of the franchise of CMB, some of the Dennis Jubilant were then transferred to route 2 as a replacement. DS14(CE1170) was forced to retired after catching fire at the Island Eastern Corridor in 1993 while the remaining Jubilant sold to NWFB after the end of the franchise of CMB on 1 Sep., 1998. The Jubilant did not serve with NWFB long and finally replaced by the brand new fleet purchased before the end of 1998.
Fortunately, the first of the fleet (DS1/CD2198) was preserved by along with several ex-CMB fleet members as an exhibit of the proposed Bus Museum. To go one step further, a Volvo Super Olympian (fleet no. 5083) entered service in 2001 was registered with the original registration number of DS1. It was pity that the Government did not turn on a green light for the Bus Museum idea and DS1 was finally sold to the Hong Kong Transport Society. Since 2010, Hong Kong Transport Society showing this believed to be the only Jubilant survived in the world to the participants of the Hong Kong Bus Rally.
DS1 received a fully repaint of CMB livery in 2012 and it is looking forward to seeing further maintenance and tidy up works of the compartment can be carried out soon and showing a better look of DS1.
請按圖放大圖片 Please click the photo for an enlarge version
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| 香港巴士大集會2015 Hong Kong Bus Rally 2015 |
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| 香港巴士大集會2017 Hong Kong Bus Rally 2017 |
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