Bus Shite

[willswitchengage]

The new Gemini seems to have a lot smaller upper windows than the old. Doesn't look right. What was wrong with these?

 

[Inspector Morose]

Glass is heavy. Less glass = less weight = marginally better fuel consumption.

[Felly Magic]

Less glass, more plastic, claustrophobic interiors, that's the new gen of Wrightshite. You seen the EvoSeti from Egypt's MCV that EYMS have got on the cheap? Bloody hell fire. Shippy must have been pissed when he ordered that. Comedy build quality on the not that durable B5TL chassis

[brickwall]

Less glass, more plastic, claustrophobic interiors, that's the new gen of Wrightshite. You seen the EvoSeti from Egypt's MCV that EYMS have got on the cheap? Bloody hell fire. Shippy must have been pissed when he ordered that. Comedy build quality on the not that durable B5TL chassis

 

Why's there a disabled hand rail 14 feet of the ground?

[lisbon_road]

Fend off trees

[Felly Magic]

It does look somewhat 'Poundland' as well, especially the grey dome, it looks like they ran out of cream paint

[davidfowler2000]

Sorry but all of your modern stuff is rubbish. Buses stopped* being interesting when DDA compliance kicked in.

 

 

*A few exceptions exist but not many. This being one of them and don't I look happy driving it...

[MarvinsMom]

busses at home stopped been interesting when Arriva took over Tees, and shortly after the remaining Leyland Nationals, Bristol VR's and Olympians finished.

[Felly Magic]

A few ops have been buying the ex Megashed/Shittystink 15m Plaxtons, removing the bogs and making em in to school cattle trucks. The classic Plaxton rust issue is creeping in though on em. 

[MarvinsMom]

Tees had a good few Leyland Lynx's which i also am quiet fond of, though i understand rut finished off most of these. Sad....

[Felly Magic]

I'm up in Yorkshireland next week, and I hope to be let loose finally in my mate's Leopard, might even have a go in the Iveco Daily loaftin they own

[willswitchengage]

busses at home stopped been interesting when Arriva took over Tees, and shortly after the remaining Leyland Nationals, Bristol VR's and Olympians finished.

 

I thought Arriva Cleveland or hatever they're called had a bizarre fleet of basically anything. As in, they had some Neoplans...

 

MCV are from Egypt? I thought they were the new name for Marshals?

[Vantman]

Proper Shite--

[dollywobbler]

I don't know what has got into Scania these days, but I find their new stuff absolutely feckin awful to drive, the old N series tackle I loved, and the L113, with ZF box, ooft. Then the L94 came along, and it's been a slippery slope ever since. Driven 60 plate deckers, and gutless POS with a bloody awful handbrake mech, with a handle shaped like a fucking dildo!

 

I remember when WMT ran a fleet of Scania N113s. Jeez they were quick! So much turbo boost that they'd literally blow the water away from the road. After lumbering Metrobuses and Fleetliners, it was a bit of a shock. Sadly, they seemed to shit themselves every time it got even slightly warm. Nice Scottish bodywork too.

[Inspector Morose]

Proper Shite--

DSC00400.jpg

I trying to work out out what in holy that is. Some kind of Saviem?

[Felly Magic]

I used to drive N113 R types every day, and a properly set up one, well, whoosh, especially the one some silly bugger fitted a 320 lump in. Yep even on a slightly tepid day, they would put the kettle on. Even drove some of the Wumpty ones after they ended up at Worst when they took over Black Prince

[Noel Tidybeard]

this is the latest colours from national express

red for Birminghamshireton, blue for Coventrary, green fror Scotlandshire and grey for the posh stuff

http://wmbusphotos.com/NXWM/4700-4879/4748.html

[Felly Magic]

MCV have been Egyptian for quite a few years. All that gets done at Cambridge now is PDi work. Volvo are using them as a way to get in to the cheaper end of the market, and recently launched the B8RLE single deck with the facelift Evolution body. Can't work that one out from Volvo, single deck is 8 litres, but double deck is 5.....

[MarvinsMom]

I thought Arriva Cleveland or hatever they're called had a bizarre fleet of basically anything. As in, they had some Neoplans...

 

MCV are from Egypt? I thought they were the new name for Marshals?

 

afraid I could not say one way or the other.

 

I find modern busses like modern cars, they all look the same!

 

though it could also be old age....

[Inspector Morose]

 

I find modern busses like modern cars, they all look the same!

 

Bristol VRT

 

 

Daimler Fleetline

 

 

Leyland Atlantean

 

[MarvinsMom]

funny those double deckers all look so similar what with them been all part of BL/British Leyland/Leyland Busses.

 

we always got Bristols (oooherrr missus!!) at home. they had bristol badges on the back!

[Inspector Morose]

East Yorkshire? One of my favourite operators, kept brizzles going for longer than most.

 

All the above were chassis designed before BL days although they all had the same body manufacturer. Just like cars of the 20s and 30s, you can have differing combinations of body and chassis. Nowadays, however, the choice is very limited. To put it into perspective, a while ago, I researched about 30 fairly major UK bus and coach body builders that were all building just after the war ended in 1945 with a further myriad of small builders making the odd few coach bodies. Now there are Just three, with just a small handful of companies building welfare conversions.

[Roverageous]

EYMS are the operator I grew up with. And in fact Peter Shipp and his wife are excellent customers of mine. What's the deal with the MCV?

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Felly Magic]

I suspect it's a bus he was offered cheaply as a seed vehicle, due to them buying MCV Evolution B7RLE's in the past. EYMS have also just bought one of the 64 plate ADL E400 demo buses. If it's cheap, and instantly available, Shippy will buy it. I suspect there won't be any more MCV deckers for them

[Vantman]

I trying to work out out what in holy that is. Some kind of Saviem?

 

 

Probably an FBW.

[willswitchengage]

I remember when WMT ran a fleet of Scania N113s. Jeez they were quick! So much turbo boost that they'd literally blow the water away from the road. After lumbering Metrobuses and Fleetliners, it was a bit of a shock. Sadly, they seemed to shit themselves every time it got even slightly warm. Nice Scottish bodywork too.

 

Wasn't the Metropolitan Scania's first foray in the British market? Never worked out if it was an MCW or a Scania integral but they looked the part next to the dull BL chod, and had turbochargers so actually worked in Yorkshire.

 

Scania BR111DA Metropolitan 775  OCU775R Tyne & Wear Transport by emdjt42, on Flickr

[Inspector Morose]

Chap I knew once had a metropolitan (And a Yorkshire one no less!). He tippexed a mark on the speedo at 22mph as, without fail, it would change gear at exactly that speed, up or down. Sadly sold on and scrapped years ago I believe.

 

The Metro-Scania single deck was the first product and was, in effect, a Scania integral with MCW front and rear ends and interior. The first two even had the Scania ends. The double deck Metropolitan was a MCW integral body with Scania subframes. There was one coach built too but never sold (EOF???L I think, same series as the WMPTE Fleetlines) being MCW built, they rotted for fun and many were scrapped at 7years old at their first recertification. They were horrendously thirsty(partly due to the big turbo engine and partly due to a two speed box) but went like stink.

 

Many moons ago I found the original Metro-Scania in a yard in Oldbury. I asked if it was for sale and agreed to buy it at £600. On the Saturday I was handing over the money, they sold it for scrap. It had a brand new engine and box but no interior. VWD451H R.I.P

[Felly Magic]

The two speed box and the interlinked cooling fans were the main flaw mechanically with the Metro-Scania & Metropolitan, along with as you say rampant rot. Gallons to the mile fuel economy, but went like SOAS, a true drivers bus. I remember the WYPTE one serving with Black Prince for a very short time, I believe what finished that one off was the 2 speed box imploding

[Inspector Morose]

Dave Crowther (the son) was a bit of a Scania fan. Before the Ailsa period, the Metropolitan was the flavour of the month. What he didn't know about running them didn't need knowing. (After the Ailsa he went back to Scanias again with an entire batch of Newport deckers)

 

He had The WYPTE one and along with an ex Tyne and Wear was sold to a preservationist in the Manchester area with the promise of continued preservation. True to form with many preservationists, both were scrapped soon after. The WYPTE one was, at the time, was the last survivor.

[dollywobbler]

I remember the Jesus Army (of all people!) had a Metropolitan at one point. That must have been late 90s in Birmingham and is probably the only time I've ever seen one in the metal.