Mrcento Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 Love these videos. Not just for the nostalgia of the buses, liveries and sounds, but for the shite spotting in between. Oddly, talking of the Spectra, my local bus preservation group just got hold of Dundees old one (R2 NEG), so that's been added to their fleet. rml2345 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmansholiday Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Spectras generally had DAF engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 18 hours ago, busmansholiday said: Spectras generally had DAF engines. That would make sense, they're engines I'm not so familiar with so would tie in with my being unable to ID it by ear...which I'm usually pretty good at. Well, save for the last couple of years anyway when everything has wound up sounding like exactly the same tumble drier full of ball bearings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willswitchengage Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 On 11/15/2019 at 9:50 PM, busmansholiday said: Spectras generally had DAF engines. I thought they all did and the Spectra was the missing link between the Metrobus and DAF's DB250. All recognisable in that the angle drive was between engine and gearbox, not gearbox and driveshaft. Some of the loudest modern buses I've found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 8 minutes ago, willswitchengage said: I thought they all did and the Spectra was the missing link between the Metrobus and DAF's DB250. All recognisable in that the angle drive was between engine and gearbox, not gearbox and driveshaft. Some of the loudest modern buses I've found. As far as I am aware the Spectra prototype was based on the Metrobus Inspector Morose 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmansholiday Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 When MCW went tits up Optare (or Charles H Roe as I remember them in a previous life) bought the rights to the Metrobus and Metrorider from the receivers. Yes, the Spectra was DAF engines, but never put your house on "every one". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inspector Morose Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Eyersey1234 said: As far as I am aware the Spectra prototype was based on the Metrobus Eeh, sort of. Optare and DAF bought the rights to the Metrobus and Metroliner with the chassis design taken by DAF and the body design by Optare. Included in the deal was the undelivered G107FJW from the batch for West Midlands Travel (this bus was eventually sold on to Ensign and via First was exported to Sri-Lanka where it was converted to semi-auto). After it was pulled apart and rebuilt a few times, a chassis design was drawn up by DAF marrying the rear end of the Metrobus with the front end of the SB220 to come up with the DB250. The new electronically controlled 8 litre six cylinder replaced the loosely Leyland based DKL1160 in this model from the start. The Body design, thankfully was not copied in any way (as far as I can tell) and was a clean sheet design by Optare. Knowing how MCWs can rot, thank christ for that at least. As far as I can make out, no part of the Metroliner was used again in future construction by either party (well, not strictly true as the original double deck design was based upon the chassis design of the Hong Kong Metrobuses. The 400GT nor the partially constructed single deck designes were never used again however). If you look under the rear end of a DB250, it is pure Metrobus, from angle drive to the H frame supporting the double reduction rear axle. That's why they sound (the early ones especially if Voith gearboxed) very much like a Metrobus - as far as driveline is concerned, they were! willswitchengage, rml2345 and Yoss 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 The model railway show was on in Falkirk today and there was a free bus service from Grahamston station. We use this as parking isn't great at the College and a fair walk would ensue. My dad is not very mobile at present so this is ideal. I havent been on a Y type Leopard for years and this one made all the right noises. Unassisted steering and manual gearbox. A few times the driver came close to standy-up cab manoevering! hennabm and Yoss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Tidybeard Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 On 11/14/2019 at 10:59 PM, Mrcento said: Oddly, talking of the Spectra, my local bus preservation group just got hold of Dundees old one (R2 NEG), so that's been added to their fleet. R1 NEG is at Wythall R1 & R2 would have been on the no 50 route- City centre to Maypole Mrcento 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillock Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 These Trippets just appeared on Facebook, apparently Loughborough based. What are they? jumpingjehovahs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Pillock said: These Trippets just appeared on Facebook, apparently Loughborough based. What are they? They are Optare Citypacer-bodied Volkswagen LT55s, same 2.4 6-pot diesel as the lowlier LTs and the Volvo 7/940. Leicester took 15 as their 844-858, registered D844-854 CRY, E855/6 ENR, E857/8 GNR, all with 25 dual purpose seats. I think most passed to Derby City after Leicester. The Citypacer was a great idea executed badly but it paved the way for proper coach built "second generation" minibuses after the Freight Rover Sherpa, Ford Transit, Bedford CF and the likes of van converted Mercedes 608Ds. rml2345, Nicola H and willswitchengage 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Ah, the Optare CityPacer, proper bus shite. Great looking things and the first minibuses to break away from the 'bread van' style, but pretty hopeless otherwise by all accounts. Weird high driving position (you can see the dashboard reaching more than halfway up the windscreen), gutless little non-turbo engine and some only had four-speed gearboxes with a stick that was prone to coming off in the driver's hand. LightBulbFun and HarmonicCheeseburger 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 They weren't the best... a local operator to me were still running them into the 2000s, he swore by them. He also swore by Renault S56s and his front line coach fleet when he closed were a Plaxton Supreme V-bodied Ford R1015 and an Elme-bodied Leyland Swift so his judgement may have been somewhat off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayts450 Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 This should be an interesting project - bloke bought a National for peanuts and is aiming to restore it. He's set up a FB group to chart his progress https://www.facebook.com/groups/544975109397506/ Happier times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 On 11/25/2019 at 8:55 PM, cms206 said: They weren't the best... a local operator to me were still running them into the 2000s, he swore by them. He also swore by Renault S56s and his front line coach fleet when he closed were a Plaxton Supreme V-bodied Ford R1015 and an Elme-bodied Leyland Swift so his judgement may have been somewhat off. An operator local to me was still running Plaxton Supreme bodied Fords and Duple bodied Bedfords up until 2011 when the local council lost patience and told him he had until the end of that academic year to update his fleet otherwise he could kiss goodbye to all his school runs. To be fair the maintenance was fine it was just the age of the vehicles that was the issue. Another local operator was also running a large number of 1st generation MCW Metrobuses up until about 5 or 6 years ago, then went moaning to the press about spending £150k upgrading their fleet, which again they had been told they had to do to keep contracts, then losing some of their school runs due to council cuts. The runs in question were not ones the council had to provide by law due to the distance from the school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Good bus stuff here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04gvjd6/on-the-frontline-buses-on-the-frontline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightBulbFun Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 13 minutes ago, Yoss said: And that's how you lengthen an RM. Simple as that. Nice BEA RM in front. (dragging this over here so no one complains about text in the one shite picture per post thread) indeed! although sadly that RM was being sectioned for some static display where the customer only wanted the back 25%! IIRC, (the RM people doing it where not happy about it, but its what the customer wanted sadly, so the people doing it made sure to do it so the maximum amount of bits etc could be salvaged from what I understand, so rather then just gas axe it in half, they carefully deconstructed it) but it does give a very neat "cross sectional" view of an RM tho a few pages back on that thread I also posted the rear view, which also looks quite neat indeed tis a very nice RMA in front, BEA1 in fact IIRC https://www.facebook.com/Routemaster-Restoration-106906932992719/ Fat_Pirate and Yoss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 My chariot earlier on, one of 8 bought new in 2007, last repainted last year into a special livery commemorating 100 years of the RAF and 100 years since the Armistice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmansholiday Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 On 11/27/2019 at 8:50 PM, clayts450 said: This should be an interesting project - bloke bought a National for peanuts and is aiming to restore it. He's set up a FB group to chart his progress https://www.facebook.com/groups/544975109397506/ Happier times LCBS originally I'd guess. Restoration may be easier than you think, there's going to be shed loads of panels, glass, seats etc available very shortly in a railway scrap yard near me, hopefully. Eyersey1234, martc, LightBulbFun and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadworkUK Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 55 minutes ago, busmansholiday said: Restoration may be easier than you think, there's going to be shed loads of panels, glass, seats etc available very shortly in a railway scrap yard near me, hopefully. And possibly a Cummins LTA10-R to turn it into a RoadPacer stonedagain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rover414 Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 A fair few of the early Pacer withdrawals from Northern are already being cut up over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayts450 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 LCBS originally I'd guess. Restoration may be easier than you think, there's going to be shed loads of panels, glass, seats etc available very shortly in a railway scrap yard near me, hopefully.Alder Valley rather than London Country, I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willswitchengage Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 I stumbled across some sort of vintage buses event in Reading today. It looked like they were doing laps of the town centre for punters. I'm pretty sure the Optare still belongs to Reading Buses (I believe the country's last municipal operator?) and every now and then they paint one of their modern fleet members like an E400 in the old livery. No idea what livery the VR is wearing. LightBulbFun and Yoss 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 What body is that VR? Unusual to see one that isn't ECW bodied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon.k Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 17 hours ago, RoadworkUK said: And possibly a Cummins LTA10-R to turn it into a RoadPacer Has a road pacer ever been made? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rover414 Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 As far as I know that Optare Spectra is preserved, it was certainly owned by MASS Transit in between its current owners and Reading Buses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmansholiday Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 The Reading VR (38) is in the old Reading Corporation livery and has a Northern Counties body. Alexander, East Lancs also bodied VR's. Other than Reading, there's Blackpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Newport at least still in "council" ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busmansholiday Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 With the time ticking down to the big orange and white bird home, let's have some proper Spanish shite. Let's start with this 1985 ex Berlin Waggon Union bodied MAN, one of a pair still running around Benidorm. Or for those that like more modern shite, as it'll never last 34 years, this lovely* new IV*CO, which I travelled on. There automated manual box seemed as shite as usual. willswitchengage 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Tidybeard Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 On 12/8/2019 at 4:13 PM, jon.k said: Has a road pacer ever been made? wouldn't the wheels give a hard ride/fuck up the road surface?? LightBulbFun and stonedagain 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyersey1234 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 On 12/9/2019 at 9:23 PM, busmansholiday said: The Reading VR (38) is in the old Reading Corporation livery and has a Northern Counties body. Alexander, East Lancs also bodied VR's. Other than Reading, there's Blackpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Newport at least still in "council" ownership. Thanks @busmansholiday. If we are counting Scotland as well there's also Lothian who AFAIK are still council owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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