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Felly Magic

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Routemasters get everywhere don't they? You see one virtually every time you go out so you dont really pay much attention.

 

But when in you're in Zagreb it does make you look twice. This was first sighting but from a lot further back.

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I wasn't even sure it was an RM at first. That back window is totally wrong and the nearside taillight is floating in mid air.

 

But a stroll round the front shows it is indeed the remains of a Routemaster.

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The cab seemed to be the most original part of the bus.

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And best of all...

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There is still a loveley AEC 590 under the bonnet.

 

But then you get on and it all goes a bit pear shaped

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Front blind box removed and panelled over, front handrails removed.

 

But it gets worse at the back.

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I mean you can see where the back seat ends, the floor should end there too with an aluminium shroud from there to the top of the stairs. That piece of checkerplate means there's about 3' 6" headroom going down stairs.

 

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Which are also made entirely of checkerplate and bear no resemblance to a Routemaster. Admittedly I couldn't do a better job if the whole back end of my bus disappeared and all i had to replace it was flat aluminium sheets but it's no wonder I was a bit confused when I first saw it from behind.

 

 

Lorraine took this picture of me talking to the owner and trying to find a picture of my bus on my phone.

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Friendly chap with limited English, but obviously better than my Croatian. He's had the bus since 2003 so to be fair he's done well to keep it going in everyday service in a foreign country for fifteen years. He also has RM 1020. Note appropriate registration, it being RM 307 and the ZG bit is for Zagreb.

 

 

It seemed to drive and ride well enough. It was a bit chuffy at low revs, a bit like a blowing manifold gasket or exhaust valve. But a couple of days later I took this crap photo.

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And noticed it seems to have an exhaust coming out of the first window behind the cab. I really should have got a picture of the downstairs but forgot. I did notice some sort of wierd bulkhead at the front (in checkerplate of course). Would explain why I could smell diesel fumes when I was sat upstairs. My only guess is they must have some sort of regulations where the exhast has to be above head hight because he's obviously adept at fabrication and I'm sure he could have knocked up an exhaust pipe if he had to.

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  • 2 weeks later...

That Indcar Maxim up ^there^ has always intrigued me.

 

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Tthe first time I saw the first generation of Maxim, I noticed that the side ribbing, the pillars behind the door and cab window, the lower front grille and the general swept-back profile deliberately resembled a gigantized version of.....

 

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...the Pontiac Trans Sport people carrier, or 'Dustbuster' to many.

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My local firm had one of those Maxims. Only the one mind, they weren't crazy enough to buy another. It was normally a private hire/tour vehicle but while the usual buses were away for refurbishment it even turned up on the town service, hardly the most suitable vehicle for such a job but here's the proof.

 

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Jeffs T865 JBC by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

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I suppose its time to introduce my latest arrival, or half of it anyway. Long story but a close mate of mine went halves with someone else who needed buying out and it's an ideal fit for us at the moment anyway.

 

It's a Leyland Olympian with Northern Counties bodywork, new to Countybus for service 103 but quickly passed to Grey Green who themselves became Arriva London and stayed down there until 2000. They all then moved up to Arriva North West, starting out at Manchester and eventually being split up, this particular one passed through Speke and Birkenhead depots staying there until 2009 when it was sold to GHA, Ruabon. Remained at GHA until they went under and was sold into preservation back down south where it was restored to its Countybus livery briefly before going into its current Grey Green livery. It now lives up on Merseyside (in my employers yard) and should just be staying as is, hopefully with some period adverts at some point. Anyway, two pics below of it, one with my other bus in shot.

 

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Was it just me, or does the axle forward design of the Solo make it seem far more unwieldy in crampt quarters than the likes of a short wheel base Dart?

 

I've only driven a couple of Solos, but always felt that they felt far more awkward because the wheelbase was longer than I expected for a bus that small.

 

Dunno, maybe I'm just expecting something like that to have the same steering lock that the likes of the Merc 609D bread vans too...

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Found this motor from Junkman's favourite county parked up at the local lorry park yesterday afternoon. Seems it was on its way home from a show in Lincoln.

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G329 SVV - JR Dent by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

 

Sadly, like so many Paramounts it has lost the original massive rear lights. Still nice to see though.

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G329 SVV - JR Dent by Adam Floyd, on Flickr

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Those are Moseley Faro-bodied Ford A-series. Utter crap by all accounts.

Axe Valley Mini Travel used to use a couple of them on bus service in the early 90’s I remember a journey on one from Seaton to Axminster - it was, erm, interesting.

Ah, the early days of deregulation where all sorts of weird and wonderful crap was used on bus service.

It’s a Caetano body to be a true pedant, Moseley was just the importer.

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I thought those bodies were actually built by Moseley in the UK and it was only the earlier boxy Faros on Bedford J2 chassis that were imported Caetano products. All the sources I've seen quote the Fords as Moseley bodies and the Bedfords as Caetano. I do know that Northampton Corporation considered buying a pair for a route that needed small lightweight buses but opted for Bristol LHSs instead, a much better choice.

 

This one was the only all-steel Faro IV ever built (the others were wooden-framed Faro IIIs) and is the only one I've ever seen. It'd be a miracle if any survive.

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Jeffs WRP 643W by Adam Floyd, on Flickr.

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