F D Cowieson & Co, coachbuilders, Glasgow : advert in the "Where to go by tram and bus" - official guide issued by Glasgow Corporation Transport - 1932 edition
It is not surprising that the Glasgow engineering concern of F D Cowieson took an advert in the Transport Department's guide book of 1932 as at the time they were supplying many of the new motor bus bodies being purchased by the Corporation. Cowieson's had entered the coach and bodywork business at the end of WW1 and they were an established concern in the construction of building frames, using steel and timber. It would appear that they decided to utilise these skills on a smaller scale to tap into the growing market for commercial vehicles that was developing in the post-war period.
They courted GCT and found a fairly willing customer - there was at the time much clamour for operators to buy 'local' and so a Glasweigan company were in with the running to an extent - much as was the case in the pressure the Corporation came under to buy Albion bus chassis. However, during the mid-1930s Cowieson came under pressure regarding both price and delivery dates as other larger manufacturers could provide similar bodywork in shorter time scales and at more competitive prices. The crunch came in 1937/8 when Cowieson's could not meet Glasgow's requirements for the upcoming 1938 Empire Exhibition to be held in the city and Glasgow went elsewhere. The outcome was Cowieson's withdrew from the coachbuilding business.
F D Cowieson & Co, coachbuilders, Glasgow : advert in the "Where to go by tram and bus" - official guide issued by Glasgow Corporation Transport - 1932 edition
It is not surprising that the Glasgow engineering concern of F D Cowieson took an advert in the Transport Department's guide book of 1932 as at the time they were supplying many of the new motor bus bodies being purchased by the Corporation. Cowieson's had entered the coach and bodywork business at the end of WW1 and they were an established concern in the construction of building frames, using steel and timber. It would appear that they decided to utilise these skills on a smaller scale to tap into the growing market for commercial vehicles that was developing in the post-war period.
They courted GCT and found a fairly willing customer - there was at the time much clamour for operators to buy 'local' and so a Glasweigan company were in with the running to an extent - much as was the case in the pressure the Corporation came under to buy Albion bus chassis. However, during the mid-1930s Cowieson came under pressure regarding both price and delivery dates as other larger manufacturers could provide similar bodywork in shorter time scales and at more competitive prices. The crunch came in 1937/8 when Cowieson's could not meet Glasgow's requirements for the upcoming 1938 Empire Exhibition to be held in the city and Glasgow went elsewhere. The outcome was Cowieson's withdrew from the coachbuilding business.