Bus Shite

[martc]

 

1920s photo of Reeth Green. And a charabanc.

[Inspector Morose]

1 hour ago, martc said:

 

1920s photo of Reeth Green. And a charabanc.

(Pedant mode on) That’s a safety coach. A charabanc has a doorway or entry to each row of seats. (Pedant mode off)

yeah, everyone calls them a charabanc and my utter pedantry has been long forgotten.

[High Jetter]

Oh, 'safe' were they?

[artdjones]

On 5/23/2022 at 10:30 AM, J W Pepper said:

Can anybody elaborate on what type of Leyland this is?

Again, East Lancs body and Ex Bolton. 1959.

[Inspector Morose]

9 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Oh, 'safe' were they?

The term was used in a contemporary advert that extolled the virtue of the ‘safety coach’ in that the passengers couldn’t fall out of he side while travelling along.

At the BCLM we had a REO with a London Lorries safety Coach body on it. It was one of the things you told the passengers while you were driving them around.

[J W Pepper]

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

Again, East Lancs body and Ex Bolton. 1959.

We used to have lots of Leyland buses here in Bolton 

[artdjones]

30 minutes ago, J W Pepper said:

We used to have lots of Leyland buses here in Bolton 

Nearly all the Lancashire municipalities used to support the local product, although there were a few holdouts. 

In Cardiff, where I grew up they used East Lancs coachbuilders or their subsidiaries for many years, but in the twenty years after the war bought AEC, Bristol,BUT, Crossley, Daimler,Guy, and Leyland Chassis. Only Dennis and Albion were left out.

[Vantman]

13 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

(Pedant mode on) That’s a safety coach. A charabanc has a doorway or entry to each row of seats. (Pedant mode off)

yeah, everyone calls them a charabanc and my utter pedantry has been long forgotten.

My father worked for a Faversham haulier/coach owner and very often helped out with the charabanc loading. Mr Gilbert driving,not my dad.

 

[Inspector Morose]

35 minutes ago, artdjones said:

In Cardiff, where I grew up they used East Lancs coachbuilders or their subsidiaries for many years…

Including the wonderfully named Bruce Coach Works. I never worked out whether they ended up a subsidiary of East Lancs or just built bodies using their frames. They certainly didn’t start out as an offshoot to the Blackburn firm, anyway.

Another East Lancs-a-like was Neepsend of Sheffield but I’m sure our northern bus correspondent can provide more accurate details than I.

[artdjones]

On 5/25/2022 at 11:15 AM, Inspector Morose said:

Including the wonderfully named Bruce Coach Works. I never worked out whether they ended up a subsidiary of East Lancs or just built bodies using their frames. They certainly didn’t start out as an offshoot to the Blackburn firm, anyway.

Another East Lancs-a-like was Neepsend of Sheffield but I’m sure our northern bus correspondent can provide more accurate details than I.

They were a subsidiary of East Lancs, I believe. The Guy Arabs from Neepsend looked the same as the ones from East Lancs.

Edit: Not a subsidiary, both member companies of the John Brown Group.

[martc]

Plymouth, early '60's I think.

[Remspoor]

Crappy music. Indonesian buses.

 

[busmansholiday]

On 5/25/2022 at 11:15 AM, Inspector Morose said:

Including the wonderfully named Bruce Coach Works. I never worked out whether they ended up a subsidiary of East Lancs or just built bodies using their frames. They certainly didn’t start out as an offshoot to the Blackburn firm, anyway.

Another East Lancs-a-like was Neepsend of Sheffield but I’m sure our northern bus correspondent can provide more accurate details than I.

Neepsend, a name that sends shudders down the backs of us older Sheffield entusiasts.

Basically an East Lancs tax loophole IIRC. There were tax incentives on offer for new businesses in Sheffield and EL set up Neepsend to build bus bodies as there was a large demand in the early 60's. I remember talking to a former employee who told me that nobody there had ever built one before, and you could tell. Boy were they wank, just imagine ELs usual shiteness, then add 50%.

When the tax incentives ended, so did Neepsend and production of shite bus bodies went back to Blackburn.

[New POD]

2 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

Neepsend, a name that sends shudders down the backs of us older Sheffield entusiasts.

Basically an East Lancs tax loophole IIRC. There were tax incentives on offer for new businesses in Sheffield and EL set up Neepsend to build bus bodies as there was a large demand in the early 60's. I remember talking to a former employee who told me that nobody there had ever built one before, and you could tell. Boy were they wank, just imagine ELs usual shiteness, then add 50%.

When the tax incentives ended, so did Neepsend and production of shite bus bodies went back to Blackburn.

Lots of the people assembling thrust reversers for jet engines at what is now Safran* in Burnley, came from the bus industry. Because its aluminium frames with alloy sheet riveted to it. 

* Lucas Aerospace, then Hurel Debois, then Hurel Hispano, then Aircelle. Now Safran. 

[New POD]

On 24/05/2022 at 23:05, High Jetter said:

Oh, 'safe' were they?

Some bloke that I worked with fell out of a coach window on a stag do. On the M65 he was pressing against it with his bare arse and the glass fell out. Hit the ground at 50 mph. 

He lost alot of skin from. His bare arse. Was off work for 12 months. Sued the coach company for having a loose window. 

[catsinthewelder]

I hope the judge kicked him up (what was left of) his arse.

[martc]

'Noo Yoik 1940's'. Any idea what the buses are? The one at the back looks very modern for the '40's.

[New POD]

2 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

I hope the judge kicked him up (what was left of) his arse.

I think there was an out of court settlement.  I joined the company just after he'd come back to work, and left 2 years later whilst they were still arguing with lawyers. 

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, martc said:

'Noo Yoik 1940's'. Any idea what the buses are? The one at the back looks very modern for the '40's.

dunno, but it reminds me of the 1930's AEC Q type in its very modern for the time appearance

[Inspector Morose]

3 hours ago, martc said:

'Noo Yoik 1940's'. Any idea what the buses are? The one at the back looks very modern for the '40's.

Yeah, a Yellow 720. Basically a transverse engined 72 seat low height double deck built 20 years before the Atlantean. At least one later build 735 (more pronounced curve to the roof) is preserved.

[LightBulbFun]

36 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Yeah, a Yellow 720. Basically a transverse engined 72 seat low height double deck built 20 years before the Atlantean. At least one later build 735 (more pronounced curve to the roof) is preserved.

thats a very fascinating bus! heres a nice detailed writeup I found on them

https://zavanak.com/transport-topics/yellow-coach-720-735/

[busmansholiday]

https://www.fbhvc.co.uk/news/article/wythall-busfestgaydon-and-leyland-national-50th-update

 

An event for all you Leyland National lovers. Obviously, I'll not be allowed in with my 5 gallons of petrol.

Nice selection of presenters..........

[Inspector Morose]

3 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

Nice selection of presenters..........

I'm not saying nothing....

[delux]

At Autoshite Scottish meet today at Scottish bus museum. Drifted into workshops for some pics...

More in my flickr album Here!

[AnthonyG]

Is that bottom one American, or a British/Scottish copy? 

[OM646]

This presumably ex-UK bus was at my university!

 

Only thing I know it's that the first reg dates from March 2003

[delux]

1 hour ago, AnthonyG said:

Is that bottom one American, or a British/Scottish copy? 

Think it may be this one or similar...

Sure one of our bus experts will be better qualified to answer that.

(Pic borrowed from HERE! )

[Inspector Morose]

It’s NAG120G the (probably) last surviving Bristol RE with this type of body. Built for the overnight Glasgow - London services. This body was designed originally for the RE and Bristol produced a 12 meter version of the RE for this order (the REMH). Originally powered by a Gardner 6LX, these weren’t the fastest things on the planet but they all intensively used clocking up some fearsome mileages. The body was eventually built on Seddon, Leyland and Volvo chassis and the REMH gained one more order, from United Automobile (with Plaxton bodies).
In all, nearly 100 M types were built (on the various chassis) with just one going outside the SBG, to Ribble, built on a Leyland Leopard.

After front line service, many ended up scrapped as they couldn’t be cascaded to bus service like their less outlandish forebears plus they were utterly humped.

[busmansholiday]

11 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Bristol produced a 12 meter version of the RE for this order (the REMH). Originally powered by a Gardner 6LX, these weren’t the fastest things on the planet but they all intensively used clocking up some fearsome mileages

Those are the ones that came with a length of wood to wedge the throttle pedal down as they were fucking heavy and hurt your legs IIRC (I wasn't involved in anything like that, honestly).

[Metal Guru]

5 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

Those are the ones that came with a length of wood to wedge the throttle pedal down as they were fucking heavy and hurt your legs IIRC (I wasn't involved in anything like that, honestly).

Used to see them on the M6/M1 all the time pre Mega bus days.