Bus Shite

[Yoss]

Ha ha, sorry, pandering to stereotypes there. I'm sure it doesn't rain in Glasgow all the time, just when I go there.

[Yoss]

So these are some of the pictures I found from the Glasgow bus museum, though it wasn't like a museum, it was just a bus garage full of old buses. How I'd love somewhere like this. Not just for buses but a great place for old cars too.

 

I know I have more pictures but I can't find them at the moment. These are from when I went to view RM 2213 and I took more when I picked it up but as I've mentioned elsewhere I have no cataloguing system, I just know roughly what year they're from by the packets they're in.

 

 

Anyway you can probably tell me more about these than I can.

I know that's a Belfast RE, that's all.

 

Malta bus receiving treatment.

 

Portuguese AEC Regent. Very international feel to this place.

And that's the RM I bought.

 

Oh yeah, and this RM in Glasgow colours. It had DMS seat moquette too. No idea what happened to it or if it's still up there.

[CreepingJesus]

I remember the Y-types still being in service with Fife when I first moved here in 94. Well, Leopards in general: istr Dominants and Paramounts on the long runs too, well into the 90s, but I could be wrong about that. They all vanished about 97/98 finally when the fleet of Plaxton Volvos came in.

Mind you, the early Ailsa Volvos of theirs were still kicking about on P and R plates even then. Very leggy and careworn by then, but still mixing it with the 93 intake of Olympians.

Probably worth having a peek in Rennie's old yard at Wellwood to see if they're still lurking, they may well be. Their better stuff lives at the Cowdenbeath garage now.

[cms206]

So these are some of the pictures I found from the Glasgow bus museum, though it wasn't like a museum, it was just a bus garage full of old buses. How I'd love somewhere like this. Not just for buses but a great place for old cars too.

 

I know I have more pictures but I can't find them at the moment. These are from when I went to view RM 2213 and I took more when I picked it up but as I've mentioned elsewhere I have no cataloguing system, I just know roughly what year they're from by the packets they're in.

Bridgeton is a proper museum now doing sterling work - well worth a visit for their open days if you're in the area.

 

Anyway you can probably tell me more about these than I can.

IMG_20171126_091135.jpg

I know that's a Belfast RE, that's all.

Sure can - Western SMT KL2025 (CAG 440C... not sure what happened to thia), Western Scottish PL43 (GCS 43V, now scrapped), Midland Scottish MPE400 (RMS 400W, happily restored IIRC), Western SMT KL2466 (SCS 335M, still preserved), Alexander Northern NAC147 (NMS 358, still preserved), Fife Scottish FPE194 (RSC 194Y) and Ulsterbus 2386 (UOI 2386) which I was doing a deal for when the previous owner scrapped it. Bar the aforemention RE, all are Alexander bodied Leopards bar NMS 358 which is an Alexander-bodied, 470-powered Reliance.

 

Malta bus receiving treatment.

IMG_20171126_091204.jpg

Now registered 522 XUT and still resident at Bridgeton; it's the former DBY 333, a Barbara-bodied Fordson.

 

Portuguese AEC Regent. Very international feel to this place.

IMG_20171126_091403.jpg

IMG_20171126_091433.jpgIMG_20171126_091257.jpg

And that's the RM I bought.

The Portugese AEC was part of an idea to bring buses of the world together; there was a Irish Bombardier (KD70 IIRC), two Singapore NZMB-bodied Volvo B57s, the Maltese Ford and a few others from memory.

 

The red Bedford was an ex-Navy J2 from memory, FYS 999 is Glasgow D217, Glasgow's unique Alexander-bodied 30 foot Daimler CVG6-50 which is still a Bridgeton resident, FYS 10 is a Corporation-bodied AEC Matador wrecker. Just off stage is former Ian Glass Bedford VAS USS 416L which had been beautifully restored though like FYS 10 and the Bedford J2 vanished off the face of the planet.

 

I don't remember RM2213 as a resident; RM2121 certainly was but it's still resident in Scotland IIRC.

 

Oh yeah, and this RM in Glasgow colours. It had DMS seat moquette too. No idea what happened to it or if it's still up there.

IMG_20171126_091336.jpg

RM759 was not a happy bus from memory, pretty poor mechanically and beset with brake problems. It went "down south" but where it ended up I don't know.

 

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[cms206]

 

 

Bridgeton is a proper museum now doing sterling work - well worth a visit for their open days if you're in the area.

 

 

Sure can - Western SMT KL2025 (CAG 440C... not sure what happened to thia), Western Scottish PL43 (GCS 43V, now scrapped), Midland Scottish MPE400 (RMS 400W, happily restored IIRC), Western SMT KL2466 (SCS 335M, still preserved), Alexander Northern NAC147 (NMS 358, still preserved), Fife Scottish FPE194 (RSC 194Y) and Ulsterbus 2386 (UOI 2386) which I was doing a deal for when the previous owner scrapped it. Bar the aforemention RE, all are Alexander bodied Leopards bar NMS 358 which is an Alexander-bodied, 470-powered Reliance.

 

 

Now registered 522 XUT and still resident at Bridgeton; it's the former DBY 333, a Barbara-bodied Fordson.

 

 

The Portugese AEC was part of an idea to bring buses of the world together; there was a Irish Bombardier (KD70 IIRC), two Singapore NZMB-bodied Volvo B57s, the Maltese Ford and a few others from memory.

 

The red Bedford was an ex-Navy J2 from memory, FYS 999 is Glasgow D217, Glasgow's unique Alexander-bodied 30 foot Daimler CVG6-50 which is still a Bridgeton resident, FYS 10 is a Corporation-bodied AEC Matador wrecker. Just off stage is former Ian Glass Bedford VAS USS 416L which had been beautifully restored though like FYS 10 and the Bedford J2 vanished off the face of the planet.

 

I don't remember RM2213 as a resident; RM2121 certainly was but it's still resident in Scotland IIRC.

 

 

RM759 was not a happy bus from memory, pretty poor mechanically and beset with brake problems. It went "down south" but where it ended up I don't know.

 

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[Yoss]

Yes RM 2121 was there when I took these (I know I have more pictures).

 

That wrecker looks great. The cab looks like the top deck of an Alexander body. I'd like one of those.

 

And a sarcastic thanks for the registration of the Malta bus. Now I can spend hours going through my Maltese pictures looking for it.

[Sir Snipes]

Couple of older buses doing the rounds in Gravesend today. I missed the first one (no idea what it was other than having a suffix P-reg) but I hit this one at least.

[Inspector Morose]

TN Titan. An integral bus built by Leyland to try and "do a National" to their double deck offerings. Lovely things to drive.

[phil_lihp]

Thought you bus chaps might like this, posted to a Barnstaple history Facebook page.  No idea what it is to be honest, or what year the photo was taken but I'd guess mid-to-late 60s.  Looks good though.

 

[Bobthebeard]

Non bus question.

SAAB related.

My 2002 SAAB 9-5 has a brake related issue. When stomping on the brakes (as in braking suddenly) the pedal is hard and wooden feeling, brakes work but feel unassisted. After a second the servo kicks in and all is ok. Bit unnerving.

What could be the reason?

[Inspector Morose]

FLF Lodekka with Eastern Coachworks body. The first successful lowheight double decker with a normal layout upstairs. Before these (well the preceding model of Lodekka) the only way a lower height body was achievable was by the use of four abreast seating and a side, sunken gangway down one side of the bus upstairs. This was achieved by dropping the driveline down as far as it could go and using a drop centre rear axle. Very clever but not as barmy as the prototypes that had a split driveline with two propshafts running down either side of the bus driving its own angle drive on the rear axle. The "diff" was actually on the back of the gearbox at the front before the drive was split.

Have driven a couple of these and they are a fine, if pretty heavy, drive. The notable thing is that the steering column is quite angled towards you leading you to adopt quite a "relaxed" position to drive the things. Oh, and the steering wheel traps your legs if you're in a rush to get out of the cab. One of the ones I drove was a five speed manual where fifth was obtained by going down through fourth, across then back up a bit. If you missed fourth going back down the box there was no option but to stop the bus, wrestle the lever back to first then start again. For a young chap willing to have a shot at anything I could blag a drive on, it was one of the most demoralising yet rewarding driving challenges at the time. 

[Inspector Morose]

Saab issue - sounds like the rubbers in the servo are iffy and sticking to me.

[cms206]

TN Titan. An integral bus built by Leyland to try and "do a National" to their double deck offerings. Lovely things to drive.

Dave Fowler is a massive Titan fan...

 

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[Christine]

Ruthlessly stolen article from 1967 Leyland journal .. Dunsop Bridge..

 

click them to go big , and it should be readable? Charming story anyway  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[martc]

 the only way a lower height body was achievable was by the use of four abreast seating and a side, sunken gangway down one side of the bus upstairs. This was achieved by dropping the driveline down as far as it could go and using a drop centre rear axle. Very clever 

EYMS had at least one bus with this arrangement. As an (approx) 4 year old I can remember watching the struggles as a whole bench full of people had to get up to allow the window seat passenger off at their stop - it seemed to take twice as long to decant passengers as any other bus I'd been on.

 

Engineering wise it was a clever solution but for passengers it was a bit of a nightmare.

[Christine]

And another that might interest.... click to make them bigger  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yoss]

A couple of random pics.

 

Thought I'd better go and put some anti freeze in the bus (Yes I know I should top it up with anti freeze mix all year but I get lazy and just top it up with water).

 

This the view as I arrive. Three generations of Southampton buses.

The RM and Regent are the same age but the RM only ran in Southampton from 87 to 89 so it ran alongside the Atlantean over the back. The green Dart is ex Xelabus, a local company that tends to do council tender work. No idea why someone would want to preserve it but it takes all sorts.

 

This is the tax and soon to be MOT exempt half of my fleet.

I've owned these two for 40 years between them.

 

Leyland O600 cold start up.

 

 

Off topic but the view from the cab when parked. Fancy a holiday in this?

[Guest Hooli]

Ideal for winter holidays that, the darker colour will absorb more heat from the sun...

[Felly Magic]

Is that a Pants & Corset Fluff in the background?

[Yoss]

Yes it is. On route 47 too, the best route.

[Felly Magic]

A Pants & Corset Fluff in Cumbria a few years back, I believe this one was used by Double Two shirts of Wakefield for staff transport

 

[CreepingJesus]

All this talk of Fluffs takes me back...Paisley in the 70s. Loads in Western SMT colours. Then post deregulation when Brian Soutar singlehandedly saved the day for our school buses, with Stagecoach Value* quality service. The RMs I mentioned already, the Lodekkas played their part too. Both memories are of damp, miserable things, which is probably a shame. Drivers didn't seem to like them much by 1987 either.

 

Question about them though: that drop axle, is that like the sort of portal axle you find on Unimogs etc., with the outboard gear case? But upside down.

[Stroller133]

I live on the site (approx) of a former bus garage:

 

http://gibsonbrothers.wixsite.com/gibsonbrothersbuses/general?lightbox=imagenfv

 

The rest of the website might worth a read to bus enthusiasts.

[Asimo]

 

Story at http://www.curbsideclassic.com/bus-stop-classic/bus-stop-classics-cc-clue-1947-1952-bedford-ob-cac-commonwealth-aircraft-corporation-coach-streamliner-from-down-under/#more-260414

[Soap Distant]

The Scottish version

 

 

[cms206]

Today's shift saw me in a borrowed bus due to some breakdowns.

 

I have history with this bus, or at least bits of it; this is the third Merc 709D I have driven with this exact engine, it having been fitted to two different Mercs at a previous employer, including my shift bus at the time.

 

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[cms206]

Another day, another borrowed bus; this was another we used to own.

 

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[sierraman]

Alexander bodied Volvo B10? Mainline on Sheffield used loads of these, still has some for training.

[petermchugh79]

Some of Dublins finest

 

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[petermchugh79]

Old and new

 

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