Bus Shite

[Yoss 7150]

I bow to your superior knowledge. 

[cms206 14454]

On 12/8/2020 at 11:40 PM, leanycan said:

Is that Linwood retail park or am I completely wrong?

Bang on. I drive around these parts.

[Eyersey1234 1701]

East Yorkshire 775 and 776 parked on 'The Muck' as it is known by crews. Taken 4th December. For the benefit of those not from Hull it is the bus park at the back of the station. The term dates from the old bus park on the old station which I believe many years ago was a state, full of potholes, mud etc before it was tarmaced over, however the name stuck. 

[Roverageous 1545]

On 12/11/2020 at 6:05 PM, Eyersey1234 said:

East Yorkshire 775 and 776 parked on 'The Muck' as it is known by crews. Taken 4th December. For the benefit of those not from Hull it is the bus park at the back of the station. The term dates from the old bus park on the old station which I believe many years ago was a state, full of potholes, mud etc before it was tarmaced over, however the name stuck. 

I grew up in North Ferriby. My Dad had a brown Montego Countryman Estate. I think it was broken into 5 times, and eventually stolen. It was used in a robbery on Bev road before being dumped round the back of the station.

Dixons got custody of it after it was recovered and we went to collect all of our stuff out of it - it was a right state. The first time I cried about a car.

[Yoss 7150]

The Lurkers were Ickenhams finest and a long time favourite of Steve Lamaq. I had a few of their albums but you only really need one, they are pretty much all the same - not necessarily a bad thing. They were on Beggars Banquet records. The very first BB releases were The Lurkers and Gary Numan/Tubeway Army. 

Gold Blade were a Britpop era cod glam punk band, so much later than anything else there. Fronted by John Robb, journalist and many time talking head on many a music telly programme. Like a Poundland Rocket From The Crypt. I once saw them supporting RFTC, that was a great night out. Their signature look was the gold lame' suit. 

I've heard of GBH and UK Subs but don't really know anything about them, the rest I've never heard of. 

[Eyersey1234 1701]

Another blast from the past for you, a Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympian. EYMS bought 4 batches between 1990 and 1993, H547-52 VAT, H154-60 BKH, J561-70 HAT and K572-83 RRH. Good solid workhorses, most of them were withdrawn between 2008-2010 with the last going in 2012.

[Eyersey1234 1701]

One of the Mercedes-Benz based Optare Prismas we had. Again excellent buses, this particular one was one of 3 that were bought from an operator in Scotland in 2001 joining 16 that were bought new. 

[Zelandeth 11443]

On 12/31/2020 at 2:20 PM, Eyersey1234 said:

One of the Mercedes-Benz based Optare Prismas we had. Again excellent buses, this particular one was one of 3 that were bought from an operator in Scotland in 2001 joining 16 that were bought new. 

Never realised there were Optare bodied.  Every day's a school day.

Have a photo of an articulated version.

Which I believe was the first bendy bus in Scotland.  Had a patchy life in service because it really was a bit too complicated for the maintenance crew to deal with. 

Have only travelled on it once (after it entered preservation) when it was out on a test run - it goes like a bat out of hell and sounds fantastic.  Probably way over-geared for a city bus though.  One I'd have loved a chance to drive, sadly it never happened.

On 12/31/2020 at 2:16 PM, Eyersey1234 said:

Another blast from the past for you, a Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympian. EYMS bought 4 batches between 1990 and 1993, H547-52 VAT, H154-60 BKH, J561-70 HAT and K572-83 RRH. Good solid workhorses, most of them were withdrawn between 2008-2010 with the last going in 2012.

Stagecoach Bluebird ran quite a few of these too, mostly on R***XNO plates originally as I recall, handful were still going when I left Aberdeen in 2013, don't imagine they lasted much longer though.  Not through any fault of the vehicles, but it was the DDA regs that were seeing them off - along with both Aberdeen City and Shire councils putting vehicle age restrictions on their school transport contracts.  That decision still irks me as it saw no small number of perfectly decent vehicles consigned to the scrapheap almost overnight.

[Eyersey1234 1701]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Never realised there were Optare bodied.  Every day's a school day.

Have a photo of an articulated version.

Which I believe was the first bendy bus in Scotland.  Had a patchy life in service because it really was a bit too complicated for the maintenance crew to deal with. 

Have only travelled on it once (after it entered preservation) when it was out on a test run - it goes like a bat out of hell and sounds fantastic.  Probably way over-geared for a city bus though.  One I'd have loved a chance to drive, sadly it never happened.

Stagecoach Bluebird ran quite a few of these too, mostly on R***XNO plates originally as I recall, handful were still going when I left Aberdeen in 2013, don't imagine they lasted much longer though.

We also had a number of the Volvo Olympians bought new from 1995-8 plus some secondhand ones, the new ones were Alexander Royale bodied N590-603 BRH and Northern Counties bodied N584-9 BRH, P604-11 SAT and S622-36 MKH. 

[Eyersey1234 1701]

Regarding the Prismas, I believe the body was a Delta modified to fit the Mercedes chassis 

[Ditchfinder General 243]

7 hours ago, Eyersey1234 said:

Another blast from the past for you, a Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympian. EYMS bought 4 batches between 1990 and 1993, H547-52 VAT, H154-60 BKH, J561-70 HAT and K572-83 RRH. Good solid workhorses, most of them were withdrawn between 2008-2010 with the last going in 2012.

I remember these on the 744(?) from Bridlington to York via Pocklington? Fine views from the top deck and they used to go like stink IIRC. 

[Eyersey1234 1701]

1 hour ago, Ditchfinder General said:

I remember these on the 744(?) from Bridlington to York via Pocklington? Fine views from the top deck and they used to go like stink IIRC. 

I think some of them were used on the 744 at one time. They were good solid machines as they were Gardner engined. 

[MorrisItalSLX 10990]

On 30/12/2020 at 19:37, MorrisItalSLX said:

The Sydney Bus Museum is raising money to restore their 1983 Mercedes-Benz O305G Bendy Bus, which is to be repainted back to its original brown and orange livery.

If you would like to donate to the cause, and you should, just look at that glorious colour scheme, there is a go fund me on their website.

https://www.sydneybusmuseum.com.au/mercedes2556

 

[busmansholiday 5047]

Don't know if this will work...

 

 

[LightBulbFun 7476]

25 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

Don't know if this will work...

 

 

 

That works for me

 

but sadly the one you uploaded in Six Cylinder's thread is broken for me 

 

9 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

 

Seen that video before, M4 between London and Heathrow. Was actually looking at some 8mm I shot at Heathrow around 1973/4 only last week. Had RMA'S in the old BEA livery on plus a 707 taking off. Really has focused my mind to get it transferred professionally, as using your phone is crap. 

Also those three are in the three different liveries, BEA, BOAC and BA.

 

 

[busmansholiday 5047]

 

34 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

That works for me

It's the same one, but reduced in size so works.

FRM1 in service at Potters Bar and that depot, 73 or 74 ish. Part of a longer bit that includes the MS and LN trials at Clapton and BEA Routemaster at Heathrow. Will get it done professionally (but there's 11 in total) then edit if you want bits on here.

Took the Xmas crap into the loft, found my 1969/70 bus pics I took. Bet you want me to scan and post some of those.

[martc 6018]

Oldham Street, Manchester 1988. Just look at that Crapi's lights.

[busmansholiday 5047]

Right, spent a snowie weekend scanning over a hundred prints, then doing some basic editing (if you think I'm going to go all Photoshop shite, forget it) so I can post some of them here.  Please note, back then (1969 / 70 / 71) my camera was either an Instamatic, my dad's 1950's 35mm with a serious shagged lens or a Kodak camera with those lenses that you pressed a button and they folded down out of the front attached to a set of cardboard / cloth bellows (I kid you not). Hence the quality of these is guaranteed to be shite by modern standards.

You have been warned.

So here we are, these say 1970 on the book and being from Sheffield the first few are obviously taken in Portsmouth, or actually Southsea as we went there every year for our holidays.

Back then on Saturdays and Sundays, lots of coaches turned up on day trips and generally parked in the coach park at Clarence Pier, where the amusements are now. Except of course those who came on a London Transport day excursion. As LT didn't have "coaches" the depot closest to where they booked simply turned out something "appropriate".

So the lucky people near Norwood Garage got RM1090,

those near South Croyden Garage go a pretty new RML2741,

whilst if the sun wasn't behind them and I'd had a decent camera (I got bought a Zorki 4 in spring 1971 prior to the school trip around Europe), I'd know which depot sent a pair of RTs.

More to come, some time soon.

[somewhatfoolish 6752]

14 hours ago, martc said:

Oldham Street, Manchester 1988. Just look at that Crapi's lights.

Those weird stripy stickers Ripspeed etc used to sell to idiots to put over lights to 'style' them? 

[busmansholiday 5047]

I've found several bags of negatives from the early 70's (I started taking colour slides in September 1972) and a few more modern slides in the bags as well.

 

Here's one especially for @Yossand @LightBulbFun.

[LightBulbFun 7476]

5 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

I've found several bags of negatives from the early 70's (I started taking colour slides in September 1972) and a few more modern slides in the bags as well.

 

Here's one especially for @Yossand @LightBulbFun.

something something Cummings something something turning the fuel pump up something something Rolling coal?

 

(but seriously WTF happened there LOL)

[busmansholiday 5047]

Fuel pump guovenor stuck open, plod just working out best way of stopping engine ( big clue, turn the tap marked fuel cut off).

[Yoss 7150]

10 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

I've found several bags of negatives from the early 70's (I started taking colour slides in September 1972) and a few more modern slides in the bags as well.

 

Here's one especially for @Yossand @LightBulbFun.

I think it's rejecting its new engine. Looking at the style of roundel and London Central markings it would be mid nineties so probably not long after it had been refurbed. 

[LightBulbFun 7476]

4 hours ago, Yoss said:

I think it's rejecting its new engine. Looking at the style of roundel and London Central markings it would be mid nineties so probably not long after it had been refurbed. 

Yeah I dont blame it! LOL

and yeah was thinking that, mid 90's means its Cummings engine would of only been a couple years old

(when I saw it was refurbished example, I was hoping it was an Iveco engined one so I could just circle that fact in its history on Ians bus stop and say "there the problem right there" but sadly It was/is Cummings engined so that joke would not have worked as well LOL)

[Eyersey1234 1701]

20 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

something something Cummings something something turning the fuel pump up something something Rolling coal?

 

(but seriously WTF happened there LOL)

I thought someone had put a Gardner in it and started it up from cold 😂

[Yoss 7150]

5 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Yeah I dont blame it! LOL

and yeah was thinking that, mid 90's means its Cummings engine would of only been a couple years old

(when I saw it was refurbished example, I was hoping it was an Iveco engined one so I could just circle that fact in its history on Ians bus stop and say "there the problem right there" but sadly It was/is Cummings engined so that joke would not have worked as well LOL)

Yes it would have explained a lot. The Cummins is supposed to be the quality one. 

[Roverageous 1545]

Another blast from the past for you, a Northern Counties bodied Leyland Olympian. EYMS bought 4 batches between 1990 and 1993, H547-52 VAT, H154-60 BKH, J561-70 HAT and K572-83 RRH. Good solid workhorses, most of them were withdrawn between 2008-2010 with the last going in 2012.

My childhood.

I attended Bishop Burton College and used the bus to get there. More often than not it was Alexander-Royale bodied N660BRH which wore registration A10 EYD.

There was also an Olympian that we regularly had which I think was R172 SOY or R792 SOY? Either way I think it broke down on every journey we had it for.

If we were really lucky we'd get an older H reg Olympian which would boom and shake at idle. I would always sit so o could see the dashboard, and is amazing how many of the older buses would illuminate their oil pressure lights at idle.

Sent from my KB2003 using Tapatalk

[busmansholiday 5047]

So I went looking for the negatives from those three pictures I posted last week and found them, and a shed load more. Spent the week scanning just over 1000 B&W negatives, some decent quality, some shiteish.

So continuing in the coach park at Southsea (it was Newton Heath that sent RT1688) in the early 70's a few more delights.

More RMLs,

 

 

whilst LCBS at Crawley used their recently delivered Alexander bodied Swifts (ordered by South Wales) and a Park Royal bodied Reliance,

Wilts and Dorset sent this mixed selection,

whilst United Counties sent this from Luton.

There was also interesting vehicles from independents, including this Harrington Legionnare bodied Thames that was built for the 1964 Commercial Motor Show and is actually now preserved,

and this ex BOAC Atlantean.

 

 

 

 

[busmansholiday 5047]

So, my 8mm videos from the 70's (newest appears to be 1977) have been transferred to digital (and worth every penny of the £5 a roll). Given I'm slowly working through boring you shitless at weekends with my early 70's B&W pics, and whilst the original 8mm quality is shite by modern standards, I'll leave this here for @Yoss and @LightBulbFun (and any others)  to enjoy for what I can now pull off these films (done in B&W, original colour version some time in the future).

 

 

 

Hillman Hunter estate in the background before you ask.

.