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1 hour ago, NorthernMonkey said:

The front section has a wheel at each corner...it’s only the trailer that is two wheeled.

They’re actually inherently stable when cornered...because the back end weighs a bit with the engine, you can throw them around roundabouts at a fair pace and the front end stays remarkably upright. Caught one or two London motorists out on the run down to Tottenham garage from the M25 ?

I can vouch for that. We were flying along nicely most of the way, often with a sheer rockface a few inches from the side* of the bus. I just had to tell myself he's a professional, he knows what he's doing. 

 

*I was going to say nearside but then I thought it would be the offside to us. Which got me thinking does the nearside/offside change when it's left hand drive? I assume so as nearside means nearset the kerb doesn't it? Just thinking out loud now. 

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Was trying to work out whether it was one of our old ones at North Birmingham Busways but I don’t think it was because the final destination screen is too small.

Aluminium framed body (you can tell by the front windows) make it a late one (after 81-82 at least). Shame, with all built at that time, the chassis will be totally buggered sitting in the grass like that. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just spotted something unexpected while channel hopping on the TV.

What was externally a late 90s Alexander ALX-300 low floor bus pulled up at a stop in the US, then we cut to an interior shot as it pulled off, clearly in the background was the distinctive angry yowl of a Detroit 6V71 two stroke coupled to a typically lazy Alison box...Never knew that bus made its way over to the US. 

Ridden on (and driven) a bunch of them in Volvo B10BLE form (first bus I ever officially drove was one actually - B10BLE is a nice driving thing actually), and the odd Dart...but never anything with such an exciting power plant. 

Anyone know what chassis it was likely built on?  Sadly there was no shot of the cab which might have given any hints by virtue of easy to ID instrumentation...interior in general looked identical to what I'd expect to see over here.

For those curious...of course I have photos of the first bus I drove.

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Last B10BLEs are just about to be withdrawn from service in Aberdeen I believe...Streetlites are the new norm...Never been on one yet, though I've not heard anything positive about them from anyone!

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13 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Just spotted something unexpected while channel hopping on the TV.

What was externally a late 90s Alexander ALX-300 low floor bus pulled up at a stop in the US, then we cut to an interior shot as it pulled off, clearly in the background was the distinctive angry yowl of a Detroit 6V71 two stroke coupled to a typically lazy Alison box...Never knew that bus made its way over to the US. 

Ridden on (and driven) a bunch of them in Volvo B10BLE form (first bus I ever officially drove was one actually - B10BLE is a nice driving thing actually), and the odd Dart...but never anything with such an exciting power plant. 

Anyone know what chassis it was likely built on?  Sadly there was no shot of the cab which might have given any hints by virtue of easy to ID instrumentation...interior in general looked identical to what I'd expect to see over here.

For those curious...of course I have photos of the first bus I drove.

2019-10-23_11-13-25.thumb.jpg.bcf4d9372aadab435fba36d812a88b9d.jpg

2019-10-23_11-13-47.thumb.jpg.98e687631af406e03568b46f0b618183.jpg

Last B10BLEs are just about to be withdrawn from service in Aberdeen I believe...Streetlites are the new norm...Never been on one yet, though I've not heard anything positive about them from anyone!

augh, damn it!

I remember coming across those US spec ALX300s as well and being quite surprised like you where

even saw a picture of one, which had comedy large US federal bumpers 

but I cant for the life find it online anymore, could of sworn it was on wikipedia...

(didn't realise they where detroit 2 stroke powered tho! weird to think of such an "old" engine in such a "modern" bus body!)

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We had 10 ALX300 B10BLEs, they were nice machines, we also had 11 with MAN 18.220 chassis, what a pile of crap they were, a turning circle worse than the Bismarks, a rear overhang the size of the Titanic and acceleration that made it seem an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping was pushing it. 

 

Edited to add first thing in a morning you had to give them a load of welly to get the buggers air pressure built up as it wouldn't build on idle, not good on a cold engine

 

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1 hour ago, Eyersey1234 said:

We had 10 ALX300 B10BLEs, they were nice machines, we also had 11 with MAN 18.220 chassis, what a pile of crap they were, a turning circle worse than the Bismarks, a rear overhang the size of the Titanic and acceleration that made it seem an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping was pushing it. 

 

Edited to add first thing in a morning you had to give them a load of welly to get the buggers air pressure built up as it wouldn't build on idle, not good on a cold engine

 

Always wanted to find one of them in a breakers yard to raid the dash for the million and one warning lights...

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ah ha! found the bloody thing, although the "thing" I found is a dennis dart based ALX200 based contraption 

"Thomas-Dennis Dart SLF 200"

see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Dart#Thomas-Dennis_Dart_SLF_200 and here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Built_Buses#Other_buses

image.thumb.png.7fa42a9e84297d135ef4876f7f1c02a7.png

 

sadly does not mention what engine it has

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2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

ah ha! found the bloody thing, although the "thing" I found is a dennis dart based ALX200 based contraption 

"Thomas-Dennis Dart SLF 200"

see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Dart#Thomas-Dennis_Dart_SLF_200 and here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Built_Buses#Other_buses

image.thumb.png.7fa42a9e84297d135ef4876f7f1c02a7.png

 

sadly does not mention what engine it has

I know UK spec Darts were Cummins engined, I think these were as well but I'm not 100% certain 

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10 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

 

Last B10BLEs are just about to be withdrawn from service in Aberdeen I believe...Streetlites are the new norm...Never been on one yet, though I've not heard anything positive about them from anyone!

Not be getting any more Streetshites as Wright went tits up begining of the month.

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3 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

The other possibility of course being on the TV is that the audio was just a stock recording dubbed on in the studio...so it could have exactly the same selection of engines we'd have had over here.

You mean like the AEC engined and wilson gearboxed Optare Solo and Dennis Dart that was on Eastenders recently? Surely not.

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7 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

Not be getting any more Streetshites as Wright went tits up begining of the month.

Wright have been saved by Jo Bamford's Bamford Bus Company so assume once they get back on track it will be fairly business as usual.

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2 hours ago, Rover414 said:

Wright have been saved by Jo Bamford's Bamford Bus Company so assume once they get back on track it will be fairly business as usual.

Given business as usual involved giving most of the profits to the church of latter-day morons I hope not.

No pic as I didn't have my phone, but yesterday I saw a Worst doubledecker in a faux SPT orange colour scheme; is this a one-off or are there going to be more? I felt quite nostalgic seeing it having spent my youth watching orange Atlanteans belching clag in Glasgow traffic, it looked a lot nicer than the peelywhally pastel shades rubbish Worst have at the moment.

 

Edit; here it is!

0_IMG_3712.jpg

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3 hours ago, Rover414 said:

Wright have been saved by Jo Bamford's Bamford Bus Company so assume once they get back on track it will be fairly business as usual.

Must have sorted out the 'lease' costs for the plant as that was the stumbling block as they (one of the Wrights who owned it) allegedly wanted a million a year.

So the BBC now have a bus company to accurately report on...

 

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I believe the factory has been sold to them along with Wrightbus itself.

Anyway, on top of the Solo and Olympian I have another bus has joined our little stable more recently. Probably a bit modern but it is getting on for near 15 years old now, though the insurance company were in two minds as to weather they were going to insure it or not on my classic bus policy.

 

2019-10-06 15.18.44.jpg

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Cannot say moderns do that much for me, but I suppose that a 15 year old bus in my yoouuuth, when I really started being interested in them was built in the mid 50's.

Saying that, somewhere, I used to have a Grey Green tie from the early 80's as a mate of mine worked for them. Never dared wear it for work, although the British Coachways one he swooped for an official NBC badge so he could get into the staff canteen at Victoria I did. One punter noticed it and laughed, management didn't notice.

 

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Still haven't driven a bloody Dart, in any form...that and a B10 based PS are two gaping holes in my bus driving experience. 
 

I know the Darts are bloody hopeless, but that doesn't stop me wanting a go of one.  Doesn't mean I won't like it either.  I know the old Bedford Y series coaches were utter trash compared to the Volvos, AECs etc of the time...but I still fell in love with the way my mate's YNT drove the moment I drove it the first time...

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Went to the Nottingham Heritage Vehicles open day a few weeks back. Not a massive thing, but free to wander in and we were visiting friends not far away anyway. If you were in the market for models you'd have been quids in, everything was a tenner. Their depot is the old Trent Buses shed in Hucknall.

Anyway, there were the normal Nottingham Standard stuff (feel free to chime in with the names and bodies of stuff, I'll not guess as I'll only look stupid)

IMG_20191027_131059.jpg

I certainly remember catching these as a nipper from the bottom of Bells Lane in Cinderhill, near my grandparents. I think the 91 went into the city? Distinctly remember those funny shaped indicators, but then also having a game of spot the difference when I realised they also ran these...

IMG_20191027_123008.jpg

... which would have been a lot newer than the top picture (I'm talking maybe the mid 1980s). I guess this is the Nottingham Standard Bus in action?

 

Further into the shed there's some work in progress, like this - the bumpf explains they found a lot of corrosion and damage in the roof so have lopped it off.

IMG_20191027_122532.jpg

This also had some history, I've forgotten most of it but I'm sure it said it was a Nottingham City Coaches vehicle - subtly different as it had coach seating and was in the "Harrods" livery, and then went to a company called "Moving People" hence the stickers. It's currently registered as VIL3382 if anyone wants to look it up.

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Next up was this, erm, bus. It's a C reg which makes it ancient but just goes to show how little design moved on from this to the X reg further up.

IMG_20191027_122816.jpg

Crusty.

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On the wall was a little A4 page on each of their buses, some of them stored elsewhere.  Both myself and Mrs_Pillock were disheartened to hear that many of the vehicles we used to catch in regular service (such as for me, a Trent Leyland Olympian and for her, a Nottingham City B10M) are now classed as Heritage Vehicles.

There was also a write-up for this

IMG_20191027_123532.jpg

which was apparently a donation that was too rotten to use. I remember those being brand new to service! They're going to refit the cab and use it as a similator.

 

As you'd expect, they were also running some shuttles. I didn't realise a lot of their bodywork was done though Paul S Winson and they also have one or two preserved buses with that livery on.

IMG_20191027_131050.jpg

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4 hours ago, cms206 said:

Me in June 2011 on what I expect was a Saturday board as I never normally had Darts - I was a 3 pedal pilot so normally always had my trusty Wadham Stringer 709D.

Note the spotless cab, uniformed driver and correctly set destination for the journey back to Paisley.

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Wadham Stringer...

Not a name you hear of too often.

Two regulars I used to see in Aberdeen.

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Ah, Nottingham, did a bit of my PSV driver training there back in the late 70's on an ex Portsmouth PD2.  Always liked their different attitude to bus design, single entry door so no sneaking on and avoiding paying, destinations designed so passengers could see them and a decent colour scheme.

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Odd seeing those without Plaxton bodywork!

Let me guess...drove lovely with the exception of violent clutch judder?  Never been in a 709 that doesn't do that.

The sound of that engine though is one of those things indelibly imprinted on my memory and will always immediately bring a major pang of nostalgia.

So...does the Wessex leak less than a Beaver?

The one which was the first leg of my hour and a half school bus journey was on an M plate Beaver 2 which drove well, but leaked like a bloody sieve (replaced when the contract went to another company with a H plate Transit with the noisiest diff I have ever encountered - but went like a bloody rocket, saw 85 on the clock one day when we were running late - on Scottish single lane roads - our driver was slightly mad).  The second part of the trip was on an utterly clapped out R plate Bedford Y series Duple Dominant II which had long since lost nearly all of its brightwork.  STA380R may have been clapped out, but she was responsible for my interest blooming in this sort of vehicle.

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