Bus Shite

[UltraWomble]

  On 07/04/2022 at 21:53, Richard_FM said:

What's your eBay name? I couldn't find anything searching for Ultrawomble!

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Brownowl99

[Richard_FM]

  On 07/04/2022 at 22:04, UltraWomble said:

Brownowl99

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Thanks

 

[High Jetter]

Dib dib dib!

[UltraWomble]

  On 08/04/2022 at 22:51, High Jetter said:

Dib dib dib!

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Missus was a Brownowl.

I was an Akela. 

The air bed never stood a chance

We opened our ebay account in 1999

[Slappy]

  On 15/02/2022 at 07:50, jon.k said:

I may have posted this a while back but this one is still on school runs near me; obviously a bit of a pet but great to see it in action (photo from flickr).

 

 

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Ah, this hits right in the 'on the spectrum' childhood! Scotland and Bates the original owners of this beauty held (probably still do) a large number of schools contracts in the Ashford area. While I actually walked to school I professed to my mates that I could cite the reg number of the approaching S&B / Browns / Poynters / Carrs / Stagecoach EK National (delete as applicable) on the horizon. Pretty much always got it right too. Aaaand that's why I ended up being a shite fan...

[Inspector Morose]

I've found my pics from the trolleybus rally that I used to help organise at the BCLM at the earlier part of this century.

Every two years we used to invite owners of trolleybuses from around the country to come to our site and operate them under power, some for the first time since they were switched off over 30 years previously. Much work was involved on the run up with arranging towing, making sure the vehicles could run safely and dealing with issues along the way, I used to use up most of my holiday entitlement just to get this done. 

Once the vehicles were 'delivered' and checked through (600v DC doesn't half spoil your day if it leaks out the wrong bits) the fun began with daily operation of vehicles from Bradford, Bounemouth, Reading, Teeside and further afield. As a passed driver and instructor (and as it was my job to look after these guests over the fortnight) I managed to drive sometimes multiple examples from many former systems as close to 'in service' as you could. Highlights included agreeing with South Yorkshire council for the loan of Dennis C45HDT, getting the two remaining Walsall 'golfish bowls' running together for the first time since 1970 and ressurecting the last traditional british trolleybus built, Bounemouth 301, and plugging it in for the first time since 1969.

Sadly a change in Museum management and policy towards the corporate and buisness meant that they were not willing for us to hold the rally again after three succesful events held over six years that attracted visitors from around the world to see this spectacle. Sad, but life moves on and I'm glad I was there at the time to experince one of the last chances to properly drive British trolleybuses in a service setting.

[puddlethumper]

I was in a very big garage the other day and saw a bus. Couldn't take more pics because no room to.

Seems to be an upside down one no matter what I do.

[Inspector Morose]

There you go. WMPTE DOC37V, originally 7037 later renumbered to 1037. Ran for Stevensons for a bit and fitted with a DAF engine in place of its original L11(ish).

Can't think for the life of me if we ran that at Metrowest. We ran a few of the same batch but 37 doesn't ring a bell.

[Inspector Morose]

Exeter bus station, early 1990s.

[Zelandeth]

  On 09/04/2022 at 18:29, Slappy said:

Ah, this hits right in the 'on the spectrum' childhood! Scotland and Bates the original owners of this beauty held (probably still do) a large number of schools contracts in the Ashford area. While I actually walked to school I professed to my mates that I could cite the reg number of the approaching S&B / Browns / Poynters / Carrs / Stagecoach EK National (delete as applicable) on the horizon. Pretty much always got it right too. Aaaand that's why I ended up being a shite fan...

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I used to be able to identify which coach we'd got on the school run from the noise in the distance well before it came into actual view from behind the trees/houses in the distance.  Which given that three out of the four regulars were Bedford YMTs just with different bodies I still count as something of an achievement.  There was one Volvo B58 which was way easier than any of the others as it had some truly horrific piston slap anywhere about about 1500rpm and always sounded like it was imminently about to explode...apparently had sounded like that for about ten years though and never did!

[Eyersey1234]

  On 11/04/2022 at 18:42, puddlethumper said:

I was in a very big garage the other day and saw a bus. Couldn't take more pics because no room to.

Seems to be an upside down one no matter what I do.

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Aah that must be the Australian model 😂

[STUNO]

A bump in the night, Fortunately parked for the night, it happened at 5:30 am.

 

 

 

[cms206]

  On 11/04/2022 at 18:52, Inspector Morose said:

Exeter bus station, early 1990s.

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These F-FDV Mercs were a staple of my early spotting years; together with the similar F-KOD and F-EJO batches these little dual purpose 25 seaters cemented my continuing love of the Mercedes T2 range.

Second one in here is F740 FDV which I knew well, at least as a regular passenger; Gibson Direct operated several of this batch, with 718, 729, 740, 745, 763 and 764, along with F412 KOD, being long standing fleetmembers.

On a sideways note, Gibson Direct ceased trading last Monday after 26 years with the loss of around forty jobs. F740 FDV pictured here at Govan bus station in happier times.

[Eyersey1234]

  On 12/04/2022 at 05:07, STUNO said:

A bump in the night, Fortunately parked for the night, it happened at 5:30 am.

 

 

 

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How the fuck did that happen?

[Eyersey1234]

  On 12/04/2022 at 08:31, cms206 said:

These F-FDV Mercs were a staple of my early spotting years; together with the similar F-KOD and F-EJO batches these little dual purpose 25 seaters cemented my continuing love of the Mercedes T2 range.

Second one in here is F740 FDV which I knew well, at least as a regular passenger; Gibson Direct operated several of this batch, with 718, 729, 740, 745, 763 and 764, along with F412 KOD, being long standing fleetmembers.

On a sideways note, Gibson Direct ceased trading last Monday after 26 years with the loss of around forty jobs. F740 FDV pictured here at Govan bus station in happier times.

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Liked for the pictures not the fact it ceased trading

[cms206]

  On 12/04/2022 at 09:08, Eyersey1234 said:

Liked for the pictures not the fact it ceased trading

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Second in four days; Henry Crawford Coaches at Shillford ceased on April 1st though Jim Crawford had been winding things down for a while; his last school contract ceased on that day.

Gibson collapsed suddenly on the 4th; I used to keep a couple of my preserved buses there when I was freelancing and eventually I did a year there in 2013/14. Most of the drivers have been found work thankfully.

[STUNO]

  On 12/04/2022 at 09:08, Eyersey1234 said:

How the fuck did that happen?

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Locals said they heard the car "absolutely screaming ", it had flown through the air for a considerable distance , landed and then bounced up into the bus. The car driver was found nearby apparently uninjured. 

[Eyersey1234]

  On 13/04/2022 at 00:19, STUNO said:

Locals said they heard the car "absolutely screaming ", it had flown through the air for a considerable distance , landed and then bounced up into the bus. The car driver was found nearby apparently uninjured. 

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They were probably either pissed, driving like an absolute twat or both

[Vantman]

Would this be of any use to anybody,it's a large service and parts manual dated 1996 in a hardback ring binder.

[catsinthewelder]

^^^ Anyone still in contact with Doc Chevron from the BX forums?  Is he still restoring that Dart?

[UltraWomble]

  On 13/04/2022 at 22:52, catsinthewelder said:

^^^ Anyone still in contact with Doc Chevron from the BX forums?  Is he still restoring that Dart?

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Me - though its a Dennis Lance that he has, not the Dart

 

  On 13/04/2022 at 19:40, Vantman said:

Would this be of any use to anybody,it's a large service and parts manual dated 1996 in a hardback ring binder.

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I'll mention it to Chris as there may well be some parts commonality  and it might be of use to him.

 

  On 13/04/2022 at 22:52, catsinthewelder said:

^^^ Anyone still in contact with Doc Chevron from the BX forums?  Is he still restoring that Dart?

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Aye - though he has a Lance not a Dart

[martc]

Church Hill Road, East Barnet, 1977.

Church Hill Road, East Barnet, 2022.

[Inspector Morose]

As far as I'm concerned, this is peak coach.

[Inspector Morose]

Green bus services of Gret Wyrely was an interesting opertor to say the least.  Run on 'traditional' lines, travelling by Green Bus felt like using a bus service from the 1960s as opposed to one running in the 1990s. Fleet choice was, again, traditional with a wide range of Leyland Leopards, ususally with East Lancs bus bodies but only a few years earlier, the likes of a Leyland Olympic and Royal Tigers were seen in service. Other bus bodied Leopards made an occasional appearance in the fleet but the preference was always East Lancs.

Double deck choice was like nothing else. This Ex-Stockport Leyland Titan was in every day service (with conductor) until late 1990, another Titan lasted a little longer than that. Rear engines had made an appearance in the form of early Atlanteans, usually souced from the same source as the Lepards.

As a member of the transport ticket society, Green bus still used ticket racks and Bell Punch on their services and special decimal Bell Punch tickets had to be specially printed just for them. 

The owner, Graham Martin was definately a character with tales of him forcibly ejecting from his yard those who had got on his wrong side (very easily done, maybe if there was an R in the month or whatever. He was okay with me when I met him on occasions but his reputation always had me incredibly wary engaging in conversation. If the sun shone, he was a fascinating chap to talk to with encyclopaedic knowledge of buses and coaches, tickets and ephemera. He was incredibly practical too having restored a wartime utility Bedford OWB from two complete wrecks in his garage during his spare time.

Old age and ill health took a heavy toll on Graham and Green Bus (they were really as one) and eventually the ministry called time on his operations by 2011 due to maintenance issues. Sadly he passed away in September 2013.

[N Dentressangle]

  On 19/04/2022 at 18:13, Inspector Morose said:

As far as I'm concerned, this is peak coach.

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No it isn't. It's not a Duple Dominant 😉

[N Dentressangle]

  On 11/04/2022 at 18:52, Inspector Morose said:

Exeter bus station, early 1990s.

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These must have come after the bloody awful Transit based 'City Nippas' which I remember enduring as a student in crappy Exeter '89-'93. I don't remember them being in service when I was there, but by '93 I lived in a house where I didn't need to take the bus and drove a Saab 96 V4. Get me 😎

[cms206]

Morning all.

I've been getting about the last few weeks... also some new* kit joined the fleet, four Plaxton Leopard bodied Volvo B8Rs from the recently collapsed Gibson Direct fleet.

 

 

[martc]

ASCH-03 bus, 1982. Grim.

[busmansholiday]

Some more of my B&Ws from half a century ago, this time we'll leave God's Own Country for a while and head south, to Portsmouth.  Lets start with the double deckers they had then.

So, back in 1971 men had long hair and wore high heel boots (but were still men), Ford Anglia 105E Supers were modern and the City of Portsmouth Passenger Transport Department (to give it the correct title) had recently converted six 1956 Leyland Titan PD2/12s with Met Cam bodywork to open top to replace their four somewhat older vehicles. Originally 103, this became 3 and a useless fact for you is that I did some of my PSV driver training on one of this very batch of (still with a roof) buses after it was sold to an operator in Nottingham.

The vehicles they replaced were four 1935 English Electric bodied Leyland Titan TD4s that had been converted to open top in 1954. They were magnificent to travel on, full crash boxes etc, I believe all four passed into preservation and at least one has had a top deck roof fitted. Commer van and a Jag for your delectation.

Number 59, a 1952 all Leyland Titan PD2/10 was still in use as a driver trainer then, Vauxhall Cresta and an Austin Devon sneaking into the background.

Two more of the LRV batch, with the conductor of 94 showing how the destination blinds were altered in the days  before Health and Safety intervened.

My reason for including this shot of  116, a 1958 Met Cam bodied PD2/40 can be seen if you look very closely at the front corner below the driver. Yes, that's a semaphore trafficator, sticking out to indicate the bus is pulling out. This was the last bus I ever saw with one, and there's only one on each side, at the front. You can see why they were replaced by flashing indicators (on the side and back).

Bit of a crappy shot of one of the Met Cam bodied PD3/6s delivered in 1959, but the chod is well worth its inclusion, especially that MkI Cortina which is impressively rusting around the front wing and yet must be less than 8 years old. Added GUY Big J4 delivering a load of new Avengers in the background as well.

In the days when you asked if you could go around the depot and photo the buses and the H&S advice you received was don't fall down the pits or get knocked over, you sometimes found things hiding away, like 193, a 1948 Leyland Titan PD1 with Weymann bodywork.

CPPTD did have rear engined deckers, they had four batches of these Met Cam bodied Leyland Atlantean PDR1/1s, but as I never liked these things, fuck it, have a single picture of 204, one of the first vehicles the Corporation repainted into its new colour scheme. Impressive smoke cloud from it, Mini, Herold, Imp and an Austin A55 for good measure.

TTFN.

[Inspector Morose]

  On 25/04/2022 at 14:35, busmansholiday said:

My reason for including this shot of  116, a 1958 Met Cam bodied PD2/40 can be seen if you look very closely at the front corner below the driver. Yes, that's a semaphore trafficator, sticking out to indicate the bus is pulling out. This was the last bus I ever saw with one, and there's only one on each side, at the front. You can see why they were replaced by flashing indicators (on the side and back).

 

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Sad anorak fact #842 - One of the first instances of the use of flashing indicators in the UK was on Bradford trolleybus 758 (FKU758) in 1952.

 

You're welcome.