Mk. 3 HST, External Carriage Doors - Inside Handle Initiative

Although the whole Mk. 3 HST fleet has been fitted with a central door locking system for a number of years now, the problem still exists of having to open the door from the outside, a potentially dangerous and dirty practice. Pickersgill-Kaye have now developed a lock and striking plate arrangement which incorporates an inside handle which allows you to open the door from the inside of the vehicle without having to lower the droplight.

The new arrangement is designed to be a direct replacement for the existing lock with the inside handle fitted "piggyback" style to the primary lock. The lock is designed for a 5 year service life as against the current 3½ years.

The internal handle is of similar length to the external handle but its form has been re-designed to be more aesthetically pleasing as well as more ergonomic for operation. The inside handle is independent to the external handle so that when the door is closed it doesn't kick-back, therefore eliminating a potential hazard.

Whilst considering the design of the new arrangement, it was considered that simply fitting an internal handle could cause an unacceptable risk as the door could be operated accidentally from the inside with only the central locking system backing this up. Consequently, a tertiary locking system has been incorporated within the lock and striking plate. The striking plate is fitted with an electric strike which engages with a new sprung latch in the "piggy-back" lock. The sprung latch cannot be withdrawn by the handles; it can only be released when the electric strike is de-energised. The release of the existing central locking system therefore also releases the tertiary locking.

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