Bus Shite

[Felly Magic]

I thought I would post my bus shite in here, so it is easier to find for you fellow bus nuts on here.

Starting off with my mate Nigel's AEC Swift/ECW, which made the journey from its home near Selby in Yorks to Carlton Coalville in Suffolk for the annual bash there. Its superbly restored, but eats head gaskets, and isn't what you would call 'Swift' either. Restored by him and a friend who happens to be a timeserved coachpainter (ret'd now)



And now a TV celeb bus. This ECW bodied Bristol VR was used by the BEEB in an episode of Dr Who. One VR was destroyed though at the docks overseas whilst being unloaded. That was an ex Yorkshire Woollen bus. Both are ex Hedingham Omnibus



A double whammy of shit now. East Lancashire Coachbuilders of Blackburn bodywork..Volvo B6 chassis. Still in it's old owner Lincolnshire Road Car's colours

[Guest]

your not 1 of those folk in dufflecoats that wander round bus stations on an afternoonw with a polaroid camera are you ?

[Felly Magic]

And now a bus that almost wiped out 2 companies, GUY motors and West Riding Automobile Company of Wakefield, the infamous Wulfrunian. One of 2 Roe bodied survivors, seen a few years back whilst on loan to the Black Country Museum, Dudley. A bus that was simply way too advanced for the time, and had a ridiculously cramped cab, due to the very large & heavy Gardner 6LX engine on the front platform. The independent front suspension (air sprung) was known to fail on these, and they got the infamous toe out look. Steering is stupidly heavy too. Most of these were scrapped when only a few years old, and the engines went into brand new Fleetline chassis.

 

[Felly Magic]

your not 1 of those folk in dufflecoats that wander round bus stations on an afternoonw with a polaroid camera are you ?

 

Erm nope you cheeky get! And I know I aint the only bus fan on here. One lad has 2 old buses he is restoring.

[Split_Pin]

Have you seen the You Tube clip of a Wulfrunian being driven round the Museum grounds? Its from inside the cab and the driver has his hands full negotiating the turns!

 

I moved house a few months back and finally got round to the task this afternoon of unboxing all my bus models again to put them back out on display.

[fiatdaft]

Glad to see you posting back on here iain !

[Felly Magic]

I was onboard that. It was filmed by my mate Paul. Rear suspension wouldn't lift on the offside corner.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The chaps in the unit near me in Nantwich have got a massive fleet of old buses including some proper shite 1980's ones. i'll try and chat em up and get a few snaps.

[dollywobbler]

Good grief. That's like steering a traction engine!

[Woody]

And now a TV celeb bus. This ECW bodied Bristol VR was used by the BEEB in an episode of Dr Who. One VR was destroyed though at the docks overseas whilst being unloaded. That was an ex Yorkshire Woollen bus. Both are ex Hedingham Omnibus

 

 

That looks familiar - Hedingham are still using at least one of those round here on a school contract. Well, I suppose they wouldn't want any of their nice buses getting damaged by those little angels would they?

[Felly Magic]

I know of 2 Wufrunians that were written off in my home village after they collided on a blind bend, plus someone was actually killed when the radiator pipes ruptured (the rads are in the front by the side of the destination), and boiling hot water showered down the stairs, killing the person stood on the platform. I'm actually amazed 2 survive, both owned by Dewsbury Bus Museum/West Riding Omnibus Preservation Society.

[Felly Magic]

Back to the photos, another blunderbus, this time the Leyland Panther. This bus was off the road for 2 years at one point, whilst a crankshaft was sourced. The engine got 'addicted' to Easy Start, too much was used, the engine hydraulic'd & snapped the crank.

 

[Felly Magic]

Coach shite now. Quest VM80, rear engined, using a Ford marine engine, and the gear stick was on the right hand side. It had been on ebay quite recently. I think this is the only survivor. they were prone to catch fire aparently. There are some Quests on Cyprus I believe, but with Jonkheere coach body and are short wheelbase, and are no longer Ford powered.

[dollywobbler]

Crikey. No aspect of that Panther actually seems to have been designed. Looks like they found a windscreen lying around and decided it'd do, while a blind man simply threw lamp units at the front of it. While drunk. Fabulous.

[Felly Magic]

Both the Wulfrunian, and the Panther came from the same coachbuilders, Charles Roe of Leeds. They were doing a 'parts bin' job with the windscreen, as it was the same one they fitted to double deckers.

[Felly Magic]

Another Panther, this time with Plaxton bodywork. The rad grille looks like they just cut a hole in the froint and shoved a bit of mesh on, but it does have a better windscreen design.

 

[Felly Magic]

Bluebird front engined. Imported by Firstgroup. Its design doesn't comply with any UK regs, thus couldn't gain an MOT. Not sure what happened to this. They imported a batch of rear engined Bluebirds which did meet regs, but failed to catch on, plus they are unreliable piles of junk.

 

[Split_Pin]

Glad to see you posting back on here iain !

 

Been lurking for a bit

 

My own shite bus favourite is this:

 

 

This was the only East Lancs Greenway to have been converted from a Scottish Bus. It ran with Midland Bluebird out of Linlithgow Depot (my then home town) for some years and I have a pic of it in preservation from about 2001. I think its in a poor state somewhere now.

[RoadworkUK]

And now a TV celeb bus. This ECW bodied Bristol VR was used by the BEEB in an episode of Dr Who. One VR was destroyed though at the docks overseas whilst being unloaded. That was an ex Yorkshire Woollen bus. Both are ex Hedingham Omnibus

 

 

Without a shadow of a doubt I have travelled on that very bus. Hedingham took over our school route contract (From Partridge) three years in and this was a regular, along with BRC836T.

[Felly Magic]

I also believe that the owner of this VR works for the Beeb, and owns more than one Bristol VR, as it is very rare that 'prop' vehicles escape from the BBC.

[cms206]

Glad to see you posting back on here iain !

 

Been lurking for a bit

 

My own shite bus favourite is this:

 

 

This was the only East Lancs Greenway to have been converted from a Scottish Bus. It ran with Midland Bluebird out of Linlithgow Depot (my then home town) for some years and I have a pic of it in preservation from about 2001. I think its in a poor state somewhere now.

 

 

4138 was with a mate of mine who's dad drove it at Linlithgow; he hit hard times, had to move it on and the only forthcoming buyer was E&M Horsburgh at Livingston, who I think have now broken it up.

[worldofceri]

...junk.

 

 

How many mirrors? Forks ache; it's amazing the driver can see anything that isn't behind him.

[simmo]

Another Panther, this time with Plaxton bodywork. The rad grille looks like they just cut a hole in the froint and shoved a bit of mesh on, but it does have a better windscreen design.

 

 

My dad had a Leyland Panther coach with a Plaxton Panama Elite III body, ex Isleworth Coaches, got some photos somewhere.

[Justin Case]

A triumph of optimism over realism?

 

Dennis Dart, Thandi Executive by geoffp5, on Flickr

[Felly Magic]

A right load of shite here taken around 2003 from the banking overlloking Alan Hardwick's scrapyard in Carlton.

 

[Split_Pin]

If it wasnt as late as 2003 I'd swear I could see an Alexander bodied MCW Metrobus in Kelvin Central Colours.

 

Although I think most of these went to Dunsmore's of Larkhall

[Felly Magic]

Its an ex SYPTE Dennis Dominator in an operator from Hull's livery if I remember rightly

[Felly Magic]

Now as somebody mentioned Leyland Nationals....This used to belong to my mate Phil Hiles, and is the first production Mk2, fitted with a Leyland Powerplus 0.680 from a Leopard coach, and high speed diff fitted. It does 70 with ease! Now fully restored in EYMS NBC livery, and back home in Hull.

 

 

 

And now a former British Airways triple door Mk2 National 2

 

 

Now a Volvo powered Mk1 Nasher, with bits from a Plaxton Paramount coach nailed to the front by Emblings, seen in 2004.

 

 

And one of the last bastions of National operation was Tracky Group, who were a useful source of spares when I had XUA. Got a vanload of gear from Terrier in Sheffield for next to nowt. A fiver for a fibreglass emergency door? Main air tank for a tenner that was brand new...Gone are those days, anyroad...Here is an ex Midland Red example that was by then in private ownership.

 

[Split_Pin]

There was a bus company near me called McKindless who used to 'refurbish' Leyand Nationals by fitting square lights to the front and re-powering them with a Volvo Engine.

 

I seem to recall they even stuck 'Volvo' and 'B10M' badges on the front!

 

They have since ceased operations due to tax evasion or something.

[Felly Magic]

I actually came close to buying a bus from them to preserve, but a mechanic friend of mine gave it the once over, and said it was a munter