Bus Shite

[Remspoor]

18 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

...Aaaaaand that explains a lot of it.  They've only been around over here for a couple of years, but haven't gained exactly a good reputation.  

Build quality which makes an Enviro 200 look like a Rolls-Royce seems to be a running theme, along with endless, endless electrical issues.  It sounds like parts becoming obsolete two years after a model was launched isn't unknown either.

It sounds an awful bus.

[cms206]

20 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

...Aaaaaand that explains a lot of it.  They've only been around over here for a couple of years, but haven't gained exactly a good reputation.  

Build quality which makes an Enviro 200 look like a Rolls-Royce seems to be a running theme, along with endless, endless electrical issues.  It sounds like parts becoming obsolete two years after a model was launched isn't unknown either.

Seven years since Metroline's first batch entered use.

London has literally hundreds of them; all BYD electrics bar the first batch for Metroline IIRC are ADL-bodied, both Enviro 200s and 400s (including some fantastic looking 12-metre 200s).

Glasgow also has several hundred BYDs electrics now. Stagecoach have probably pushing 50-plus in Scotland, Manchester have an order for over a hundred.

They seem to be known for two things in the industry; the steering being really heavy, and BYDs being totally outclassed by Yutong's offerings which seem to be really, really good.

 

*EDIT* according to HML at Q1 2023 there were 325 BYD E200 single decks and 858 BYD E400 deckers, but that doesn't include K8s or D9s which HML doesn't seem to record.

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, cms206 said:

Seven years since Metroline's first batch entered use.

London has literally hundreds of them; all BYD electrics bar the first batch for Metroline IIRC are ADL-bodied, both Enviro 200s and 400s (including some fantastic looking 12-metre 200s).

Glasgow also has several hundred BYDs electrics now. Stagecoach have probably pushing 50-plus in Scotland, Manchester have an order for over a hundred.

They seem to be known for two things in the industry; the steering being really heavy, and BYDs being totally outclassed by Yutong's offerings which seem to be really, really good.

 

*EDIT* according to HML at Q1 2023 there were 325 BYD E200 single decks and 858 BYD E400 deckers, but that doesn't include K8s or D9s which HML doesn't seem to record.

Fair enough I guess.  I keep forgetting it's not been "a year or two" since I was properly in the loop any more - it's been rapidly going on ten now!

[Yoss]

Sticking this up for the benefit of @LightBulbFun. Another London running day but this one coming pretty close to you. Dalston Kingsland is probably the closest point.

Route 38. Unfortunately it's a Saturday and I'm working so I won't be there.

 

But this is epic. This has to be the most intense running day they have ever done. I've just done a quick count and there are 57 buses leaving Victoria Bus Station. And that doesn't include several short journeys at the beginning and end of the day.

And of course it cuts right across the heart of central London from Victoria to Islington. A lot of these running days stop short of central London but not here. 

A List of buses.

I assume the four at the bottom are yet to be announced RTs.

The only consolation for me is that there is another running day in November based on Chalk Farm Garage which is on a Sunday 

[LightBulbFun]

3 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Sticking this up for the benefit of @LightBulbFun. Another London running day but this one coming pretty close to you. Dalston Kingsland is probably the closest point.

Route 38. Unfortunately it's a Saturday and I'm working so I won't be there.

 

But this is epic. This has to be the most intense running day they have ever done. I've just done a quick count and there are 57 buses leaving Victoria Bus Station. And that doesn't include several short journeys at the beginning and end of the day.

And of course it cuts right across the heart of central London from Victoria to Islington. A lot of these running days stop short of central London but not here. 

A List of buses.

I assume the four at the bottom are yet to be announced RTs.

The only consolation for me is that there is another running day in November based on Chalk Farm Garage which is on a Sunday 

Oh Awesome! I was aware of this happening, and have actually been meaning to ask if you will be there  sorry to hear that your working that day! 

but I had no idea so many buses would be running, including the likes of RT1 RM1, and an STL! thats really quite epic! as well as my personal favourite RML2760  last I checked on it no such fine details had been released

 

I am hoping to make it for at least part of it, Ideally I was hoping the whole day, but mum has an appointment on that day, so I dont know how it will work out exactly

 

[cms206]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

Sticking this up for the benefit of @LightBulbFun. Another London running day but this one coming pretty close to you. Dalston Kingsland is probably the closest point.

Route 38. Unfortunately it's a Saturday and I'm working so I won't be there.

 

But this is epic. This has to be the most intense running day they have ever done. I've just done a quick count and there are 57 buses leaving Victoria Bus Station. And that doesn't include several short journeys at the beginning and end of the day.

And of course it cuts right across the heart of central London from Victoria to Islington. A lot of these running days stop short of central London but not here. 

A List of buses.

I assume the four at the bottom are yet to be announced RTs.

The only consolation for me is that there is another running day in November based on Chalk Farm Garage which is on a Sunday 

Oooooh! I'm scheduled to be working that day but I'm on permanent lates so might pop along in the morning for a bit if I can be arsed.

Pity there are no Ls, Ts or Ms - they'd guarantee my attendance 🙄

[Yoss]

Looks like they are running for about seven hours and very frequently so it should be fairly easy to dip in and out. I did think about coming up after work but even if I went straight from work to the station I wouldn't get there until 3.30 at the earliest. I might have made the effort if I hadn't also been sent this email recently.

There don't seem to be any other details online yet but the mention of route 68 has piqued my interest. I may have mentioned before that my bus was the last RM on route 68, 24th October 1986. It was working from the southern end of the route at Norwood. Chalk Farm was the northern terminus so definitely more interested in that.

[cms206]

November 5th falls on a Cumbernauld week; bugger!

[Yoss]

58 minutes ago, cms206 said:

Oooooh! I'm scheduled to be working that day but I'm on permanent lates so might pop along in the morning for a bit if I can be arsed.

Pity there are no Ls, Ts or Ms - they'd guarantee my attendance 🙄

I went to a running day based on Hendon last year which had this in attendance.

I always preferred Titans to Metrobuses back in the day when they were the two main types of one man bus in London but I'll admit I was quite happy to go for a ride on this.

[busmansholiday]

On 24/08/2023 at 17:18, quicksilver said:

Flitwick car show on Sunday had a selection of preserved buses operating free services around the village, plus one as a bar.

Come on you slackers, how come nobody has noticed this bus was the very first picture in this thread ?.

 

[quicksilver]

2 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

Come on you slackers, how come nobody has noticed this bus was the very first picture in this thread ?.

 

That was 12 years and 179 pages ago! It's been on the show scene for a long time as here it is looking exactly the same at Showbus in 2004.

This batch had long service lives for Swifts. Most of them were still in use at 23 years old when Great Yarmouth sold out to FirstBus in 1996 but were quickly withdrawn by their new owner and this one went straight into preservation then.

[martc]

[Yoss]

Excuse the crap pictures but it was one of those moments where I couldn't really get the phone out in time.

Came out of our office to see this over the road this morning.

The internet says it's a Dennis Trident. But it is still in full Go Ahead London General livery complete with LT roundel. Except this van popped up at exactly the wrong time so I managed to get another equally crap picture of it going away with Roundel visible.

But more to the point there didn't seem to be any Blue Star markings at all. All the old buses they brought in to take over the First Bus routes when they pulled out were at least plastered in Blue Star stickers. This looks like it has literally driven down from London straight in to service. I can't ever remember another bus in service in Southampton carrying London Transport roundels. Not even the Routemasters.

I also saw DOE 26 later in the day. That too was red but didn't have roundels. But another thing I haven't seen in a long time in Southampton was the fact they have proper printed destination blinds rather than dot matrix. The fact that they have had to have blinds specially printed would suggest they are going to be here for a little while. I'll try and get better pictures at some point but I only really see them when I'm on delivery so I'm carrying a bundle of mail or pushing a trolley so it might take a while.

[cms206]

... and so draws to an end my current spell back at Cumbernauld depot; no more Easterhouse until October 24th. This week's been a bit of a weird one; a wee short Monday shift (1244-2053), 8am spare Tuesday and 0701-1901 Wednesday and today, neither of which were entirely uneventful - vehicle shortages meant I never hit the road til 0915 yesterday and 0900 today.

Rest days tomorrow and Saturday, then back to London Sunday onto a Monday backshift on the 425.

I did do a London log of sorts on my last London update but haven't done one for up here... so here we go.

 

Enviro 400MMC

10511
10512 (five times)
10518
10519 (four times)
10520 (twice)
10524
10918
10919 (twice)

MAN/ALX300 trainer

22407

Enviro 200MMC

37482 

37483 (twice)

37484 

37485 

37486 (three times) 

37487 (three times)

37489 (four times)

37490 

37491 (twice)

37492 (four times)

37493 (three times)

37494 (twice)

37497

 

London reports recommence next week!

[cms206]

Well today's gone well... 1526 sign on, picked up 11367 at 1535, got two stops... power steering failure.

Sat over an hour for a replacement bus which when it finally showed up is just out the workshop having been signed off earlier this afternoon...

[cms206]

Getting into the Spirit of things for my last bit tonight.

[busmansholiday]

Forty years ago I was driving this.

 

 

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Victoria 1968

[egg]

Herne Bay High Street, bus station on the right (recently demolished), and where the Esso pump is now a larger petrol station

[MiniMinorMk3]

On 8/30/2023 at 6:59 AM, martc said:

 

More Jubilee Buses

SRM 13

SRM 18

[Dyslexic Viking]

Something a little unusual has come up for sale here that I have never seen before, a Setra 208h.

 

It is very original and untouched on the inside

https://www.finn.no/b2b/bus/ad.html?finnkode=307806048

The exterior photos are a bit poor, so I found one online of the same bus model and these are small with incredibly small wheels. Unfortunately, I can't find much information about them.

[MiniMinorMk3]

[jon.k]

 

I saw this on a schools run the other day - I couldn't believe it! The operator is Trooper's Lodge Motor Services who run some cool old buses/coaches, vans and recovery vehicles. 

[dollywobbler]

Apologies for there being a me in the shot, but not only was this one-of-six Daimler CVG6 with centre-door a joy to drive, the video on it did amazingly well too.

Keep-fit steering, three brake servos (one for each front wheel, one for the rear effectively acting on the handbrake mechanism), pre-select gearbox and a lovely Gardner six cylinder diesel.

My favourite fact, not mentioned in the video, is that the brake lights are operated by a mercury switch, so only come on with sufficient G force!

Only one conclusion to draw. I must feature more buses.

[N19]

12 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Apologies for there being a me in the shot, but not only was this one-of-six Daimler CVG6 with centre-door a joy to drive, the video on it did amazingly well too.

Keep-fit steering, three brake servos (one for each front wheel, one for the rear effectively acting on the handbrake mechanism), pre-select gearbox and a lovely Gardner six cylinder diesel.

My favourite fact, not mentioned in the video, is that the brake lights are operated by a mercury switch, so only come on with sufficient G force!

Only one conclusion to draw. I must feature more buses.

Do you need a PSV license to drive something like this, or is it de-classified? And I assume that normal 'driving other cars' cover doesn't extend to this insurance-wise...

[Cookiesouwest]

47 minutes ago, N19 said:

Do you need a PSV license to drive something like this, or is it de-classified? And I assume that normal 'driving other cars' cover doesn't extend to this insurance-wise...

I believe any bus over 30 yrs old, once registered as a private vehicle, can be driven on a car licence.

Not sure the drive other car cover would work, if you pranged it

 

[Inspector Morose]

10 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

My favourite fact, not mentioned in the video, is that the brake lights are operated by a mercury switch, so only come on with sufficient G force!

And that the brake lights come on when you accelerate in reverse - a surprisingly common way of operating the brake lights on a certain age of cars and commercials. I still have a little bottle of mercury that someone recovered from all of the brake light mercury tilt switches in Bournemouth trolleybuses. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

7 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

And that the brake lights come on when you accelerate in reverse - a surprisingly common way of operating the brake lights on a certain age of cars and commercials. I still have a little bottle of mercury that someone recovered from all of the brake light mercury tilt switches in Bournemouth trolleybuses. 

Not a secret poisoner are you?   I had a pile of mercury tilt switches out of a series of late 70's farm/grassland machinery - they were there to cut the engine if we capsized the stuff on a hillside or into a ditch but they would, in a similar fashion to the buses, get triggered by a sudden lurch or the like - so they got removed. Very H&S back then wasn't it  ?

[quicksilver]

16 hours ago, jon.k said:

 

I saw this on a schools run the other day - I couldn't believe it! The operator is Trooper's Lodge Motor Services who run some cool old buses/coaches, vans and recovery vehicles. 

Wow I didn't know Troopers Lodge had a school contract and thought all their classic buses were for private hire only. Here's another even older member of the fleet (a 1956 Exeter Corporation Guy Arab IV with Massey body).

And something a little more in keeping with these beige pages:

 

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Not a secret poisoner are you?   I had a pile of mercury tilt switches out of a series of late 70's farm/grassland machinery - they were there to cut the engine if we capsized the stuff on a hillside or into a ditch but they would, in a similar fashion to the buses, get triggered by a sudden lurch or the like - so they got removed. Very H&S back then wasn't it  ?

At school in the 70s , we were allowed to dip our finger in a dish of mercury. It’s actually mercury vapour and mercury compounds that are really poisonous. The liquid is relatively safe though it can obviously give off vapour so sniffing it wouldn’t be a good idea. I think people working with it everyday were at risk , rather than school kids touching it once.

We also had asbestos mats in chemistry back then.