Bus Shite

[martc]

5 hours ago, Yoss said:

Is that a thing they still do on modern buses or do they just assume it'll be OK? I have a picture of my old bus on the tilt test at Aldenham at an open day in 1984.

Interesting to see the bus body is about ten degrees further over than the chassis. 

Millbrook still do it -

https://www.millbrook.co.uk/services/vehicle-and-component/dynamics-and-performance/vehicle-tilt-testing/

[Inspector Morose]

21 hours ago, 808 Estate said:

There used to be a pic doing the rounds of a Birmingham standard on full tilt; they had heavy bodies coupled with soft suspension so used to get quite the lean on.

Speaking of Older buses with soft suspension:

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, Inspector Morose said:

There used to be a pic doing the rounds of a Birmingham standard on full tilt; they had heavy bodies coupled with soft suspension so used to get quite the lean on.

Speaking of Older buses with soft suspension:

I like the self levelling destination blind. I assume it tilts the other way on a right hand bend. 

[Eyersey1234]

16 hours ago, Yoss said:

Routemaster moquette on a modern bus? But then I scrolled down and see it's a Southern Transit bus. The guy who runs it is an RM enthusiast. He has a few in the fleet for private hire work though they have been known to appear on his stage route 3 from Horsham to Shoreham usually on August Bank Holidays. He overhauled the brakes on my RM when I had it. 

He must be doing alright if he's running Enviro City 400s. I mean I assume it's leased but even so, glad to see he's doing well. 

I'd imagine it will be on some kind of lease or finance, outright purchases in the bus industry are rare these days

[LightBulbFun]

5 hours ago, Crackers said:

This lovely old bit of kit was out running at the Watercress Line on Sunday, courtesy of the MDOG. 

A quick look online suggests this one is a sole survivor. 

interesting! I wonder whats with the London Transport indicator ears on it? are those a Factory thing or fitted in preservation?

I still really want to know what the history of those are in general

I always thought they where an LT exclusive, but I have seen them on Old London Fire trucks as well

RM1 and RM2 uniquely have cream ones to match the cant-rail  

[Inspector Morose]

Mind if I splaff some bus pics on here?

I went to Busfest at Gaydon last Saturday, they were celebrating 50 years of National Express (the brand) and a bit about the Leyland National. Yours truly got invited to be part of a discussion about said integral alongside some of the folk who actually created the thing.

Anyway, in no particular order:

 

[LightBulbFun]

13 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Mind if I splaff some bus pics on here?

 

by all means please do!

Routemasters and London buses might be what I talk about, but thats because thats what I know and are my main focus

but I very much find your pictures and write-ups highly fascinating! but I just simply dont have much to say, (aside from probably stupid questions that would get annoying fast!) because I just dont know much outside of RM's and RTs etc

[Inspector Morose]

23 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

by all means please do!

Routemasters and London buses might be what I talk about, but thats because thats what I know and are my main focus

but I very much find your pictures and write-ups highly fascinating! but I just simply dont have much to say, (aside from probably stupid questions that would get annoying fast!) because I just dont know much outside of RM's and RTs etc

Ask away, that's what we're all here for.

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Ask away, that's what we're all here for.

alright!

first one that imdiently comes to mind since its still relatively fresh in there,, is I am curious if you have anything more on the CVT Leyland National you mentioned in passing recently? I think this one from your lineup of photos  

a while back when doing some Invacar research, I discovered that Leyland prototyped a CVT Lorry, which apparently worked very well, and that Lorry in itself is something I have wondered about for a long time, given Lorries have lots of gears to keep them in their power band, a CVT sort of makes perfect sense in theory at least!

so I am curious what fell over in practice, and its very interesting to hear they tried it in a National too! and id love to know more!

[Noel Tidybeard]

the cvt Leyland lorry was tested back to back in one of the mags of the day and the cvt wagon could perform the same as a 180bhp truck using a 160bhp engine!

[jon.k]

These are photos taken of photos which were given to me by a friend. 
He did give me the details, which I’ve forgotten, so now’s the chance to show off your knowledge. 
Hopefully of some interest, anyway.

[Inspector Morose]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

alright!

first one that imdiently comes to mind since its still relatively fresh in there,, is I am curious if you have anything more on the CVT Leyland National you mentioned in passing recently? I think this one from your lineup of photos  

 

a while back when doing some Invacar research, I discovered that Leyland prototyped a CVT Lorry, which apparently worked very well, and that Lorry in itself is something I have wondered about for a long time, given Lorries have lots of gears to keep them in their power band, a CVT sort of makes perfect sense in theory at least!

so I am curious what fell over in practice, and its very interesting to hear they tried it in a National too! and id love to know more!

It was essentially the same unit as fitted to the trucks as was fitted to REV01.  The main issues were heat build up in the transmission sue to the stop start nature of urban bus work, otherwise it worked fairly well in it. After Leyland’s dismemberment and sale! the CVT gearbox project was spun off into its own company, Torotrak (?) to continue development of this and other projects and REV01 went with them. Eventually it was sold on and was rebuilt as a standard single door 11.3m and entered service for the first time in its life.

REV01 was not plucked from the line for the CVT though, its original purpose was in the joint development with Lucas of multiplex wiring systems. The whole loom was ripped out and a prototype three wire loom was installed in its place to control the bus’s systems. This was around 1978 showing just how far ahead of the game Leylands technical team really was. 

[High Jetter]

11 minutes ago, jon.k said:

These are photos taken of photos which were given to me by a friend. 
He did give me the details, which I’ve forgotten, so now’s the chance to show off your knowledge. 
Hopefully of some interest, anyway.

They're old! Wish I knew more, someone will be along shortly according to the AS timetable

[Inspector Morose]

12 minutes ago, jon.k said:

These are photos taken of photos which were given to me by a friend. 
He did give me the details, which I’ve forgotten, so now’s the chance to show off your knowledge. 
Hopefully of some interest, anyway.

 

 

The trolleybus on the far right is Derby 215 (Brush bodied Sunbeam F4) and i have had the misfortune to drive it at the Black Country Museum. I don’t think it has turned a wheel since the late ‘80s but does still exist.

SCH239 is a Sunbeam F4/Roe and sister 237 is now at Carlton Coalville and is immaculate.

DRC235 is yet another F4, this time with Willowbrook body with similar 224 still extant.

 

[High Jetter]

This place...

[jon.k]

Never disappoints!

[LightBulbFun]

52 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

It was essentially the same unit as fitted to the trucks as was fitted to REV01.  The main issues were heat build up in the transmission sue to the stop start nature of urban bus work, otherwise it worked fairly well in it. After Leyland’s dismemberment and sale! the CVT gearbox project was spun off into its own company, Torotrak (?) to continue development of this and other projects and REV01 went with them. Eventually it was sold on and was rebuilt as a standard single door 11.3m and entered service for the first time in its life.

REV01 was not plucked from the line for the CVT though, its original purpose was in the joint development with Lucas of multiplex wiring systems. The whole loom was ripped out and a prototype three wire loom was installed in its place to control the bus’s systems. This was around 1978 showing just how far ahead of the game Leylands technical team really was. 

interesting! I wonder if the Lorry version failed for similar heat build up reasons? but I guess thats a question for the truckshite thread!

id love to know more about the Multiplexing, early electronic/(computer?) like that are often quite fascinating, im guessing the 3 wires was Power Ground and Data?

48 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I have noticed a few older Half cabs like the one pictured have a hole in the side of the bonnet like above next to the head lamp, is that for quick access to shut off the fuel or is it for something else?

[Leyland Worldmaster]

6 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Mind if I splaff some bus pics on here?

I went to Busfest at Gaydon last Saturday, they were celebrating 50 years of National Express (the brand) and a bit about the Leyland National. Yours truly got invited to be part of a discussion about said integral alongside some of the folk who actually created the thing.

Anyway, in no particular order:

 

Aha! Black and White 359! The second coach I ever drove on the road! Had a couple of really cool enthusiasts trips out on it. 

Glad to see it is still around! Recognise a couple of passengers on it too! 😎😎😎

[Remspoor]

On 7/5/2022 at 9:51 AM, Crackers said:

This lovely old bit of kit was out running at the Watercress Line on Sunday, courtesy of the MDOG. 

A quick look online suggests this one is a sole survivor. 

Is that a spare wheel behind the driver? I would have loved to have seen the crew change that .🙂

[martc]

3 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Is that a spare wheel behind the driver? I would have loved to have seen the crew change that .🙂

Beware, as part of the Conditions of Carriage passengers are expected to lift the corner of a bus whilst it's wheel is being changed by the crew. Fact*.

(* not a fact)

[Remspoor]

26 minutes ago, martc said:

(* not a fact)

Oh you disappoint me 😉

[Yoss]

4 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Is that a spare wheel behind the driver? I would have loved to have seen the crew change that .🙂

 

45 minutes ago, martc said:

Beware, as part of the Conditions of Carriage passengers are expected to lift the corner of a bus whilst it's wheel is being changed by the crew. Fact*.

(* not a fact)

I carried a spare wheel in my bus. It fitted nicely in a seat frame with the cushions removed so I put it in the seat immediately in front of the offside bench seat and covered in an old curtain. 

Obviously I didn't have a massive scissor jack and wheelbrace. If I ever had a puncture, which I never did luckily, I would still need to call the recovery people but then they would be able to change the wheel. Without it you would have to be recovered somewhere and the halfshafts have to be removed before towing a Routemaster as the engine has to be running to operate the gearbox oil pump. 

It makes sense to carry a spare wheel on a preserved bus though very few seem to. Obviously you can't in service but then most service buses are backed up by a garage that's never too far away. 

[LightBulbFun]

22 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I carried a spare wheel in my bus. It fitted nicely in a seat frame with the cushions removed so I put it in the seat immediately in front of the offside bench seat and covered in an old curtain. 

 

funnily enough many years ago me and mum once hitch-hiked a ride on a preserved Routemaster (as you do) many years ago who had a spare wheel positioned exactly like that I remember musing how perfectly it fitted in the seat frame although he did not have it covered up with anything

he dropped us off a bus stop to catch a regular bus home, and confused a whole bunch of people at the bus stop who did not expect a Routemaster to pull in which was much fun LOL

IIRC im pretty sure it was RM642 owned Pete Simmonds, I know he owned a DMS as well at the time

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

he dropped us off a bus stop to catch a regular bus home, and confused a whole bunch of people at the bus stop who did not expect a Routemaster to pull in which was much fun LOL

That made me laugh!

[martc]

Western Wales bus on tour - it has been suggested this could be Cefn Bryn on the Gower peninsula. Is this beauty a Leyland Tiger Cub?

[martc]

Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7, 1986.

[busmansholiday]

6 hours ago, Yoss said:

 

I carried a spare wheel in my bus. It fitted nicely in a seat frame with the cushions removed so I put it in the seat immediately in front of the offside bench seat and covered in an old curtain. 

Obviously I didn't have a massive scissor jack and wheelbrace. If I ever had a puncture, which I never did luckily, I would still need to call the recovery people but then they would be able to change the wheel. Without it you would have to be recovered somewhere and the halfshafts have to be removed before towing a Routemaster as the engine has to be running to operate the gearbox oil pump. 

It makes sense to carry a spare wheel on a preserved bus though very few seem to. Obviously you can't in service but then most service buses are backed up by a garage that's never too far away. 

I remember being on our way back between Peterborough and Nottingham on a National Express service one Saturday evening when a strange noise suddenly started and my co-pilot and I looked at each other and went, "Fuck, that's a front tyre about to go bang". It did, fortunately we did this service every Saturday, so managed to limp the (Duple bodied Reliance) a few hundred yards into a pub car park (I know you think I make this shit up, but it's true).

We rang our depot, (on the pub phone, no mobiles in the early 80's) and the first question they asked was, "has that one got a spare under the front n/s ?". I crawled under, and yes 

Hour later Trent turned up and changed the wheel, and we went and recovered our, now slightly inebriated passengers.

 

[busmansholiday]

12 hours ago, martc said:

Western Wales bus on tour - it has been suggested this could be Cefn Bryn on the Gower peninsula. Is this beauty a Leyland Tiger Cub?

Tiger Cub running units but it's actually a Leyland - Weymann Olympian, a semi integral bus built jointly between Leyland and Weymanns. One of the six Fishwicks bought still exists. Western Welsh bought 40 of the 60 produced. 

[Remspoor]

The point about a spare wheel being carried for a preserved bus is one I had not thought about. The Ugger Dugger gun must be huge. Where would that be stored?

This bus looks as if the seat arrangement has been changed to accommodated the spare wheel.

[cms206]

37 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

The point about a spare wheel being carried for a preserved bus is one I had not thought about. The Ugger Dugger gun must be huge. Where would that be stored?

This bus looks as if the seat arrangement has been changed to accommodated the spare wheel.

The best bus sized uggadugga gun I ever saw was a one inch petrol powered gun, used to remove the front tyres from the prototype Volvo Citybus we scrapped a few years ago. It was immense.

 

And REALLY fucking loud.