Jump to content

Bus Shite


Felly Magic

Recommended Posts

Watched this on YT. An ex Uk bus which has been converted in to a "hostel".

Everything is in Dutch however they never talked about what bus it was or much about it's previous history. Only if was from 1976.

 

The registration in the video is no longer issued. However, on the website for the bus tours it showed the bus has a new number. BL-RN-08

The usual website I check Dutch registrations also came up with a blank. I then had an idea. Maybe it was because the vehicle is a bus. This is the result.

https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/

This also says the registration  and APK (Dutch MOT) has expired some 11 months ago. As to the history? 

1st registration 01/07/76

1st owner in The Netherlands 02/01/02

and a comment in this section

There are 2 links in this section https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/#images

to photos of the bus.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15186074@N00/6140967657/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

https://www.flickr.com/photos/45220772@N06/51658553356/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

The commnet here

Quote

An unexpected surprise was to see this driving through the streets of Utrecht during a protest. It was new in 1976 to Yorkshire Traction where it carried the registration LWG 847P. In its later English life it worked in the south of England, operating with Southern National where it seems to have spent its time in Dorset. It was imported to the Netherlands in 2001.is that this was

Still cannot find any more about the poor thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, martc said:

Praed Street, W2, 1977, - the above is captioned 'Daimler Dennis test bed'. Is that what it is? What was it testing?

Dennis bought this Daimler and fitted it with the Gardner 6LXB engine and Voith automatic gearbox they were intending to use for their upcoming Dominator double deck chassis. It's basically a bus sized test mule. Apparently it went rather well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 13/01/2023 at 20:54, Remspoor said:

Watched this on YT. An ex Uk bus which has been converted in to a "hostel".

Everything is in Dutch however they never talked about what bus it was or much about it's previous history. Only if was from 1976.

 

The registration in the video is no longer issued. However, on the website for the bus tours it showed the bus has a new number. BL-RN-08

The usual website I check Dutch registrations also came up with a blank. I then had an idea. Maybe it was because the vehicle is a bus. This is the result.

https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/

This also says the registration  and APK (Dutch MOT) has expired some 11 months ago. As to the history? 

1st registration 01/07/76

1st owner in The Netherlands 02/01/02

and a comment in this section

There are 2 links in this section https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/#images

to photos of the bus.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15186074@N00/6140967657/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

https://www.flickr.com/photos/45220772@N06/51658553356/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

The commnet here

Still cannot find any more about the poor thing

It's an ultra-low height VR, built to 13' 5" height. There were three variants of the body. The full height at 14' 6", the normal low height at 13' 8" and this one. You can tell by the way the beading buts up against the windscreen frame - in NBC days that was where the white stripe was, on full heights the stripe was full width above the screen, on low heights there was just a thin white band and these had no room for any white stripe at all.

Although it's only by 8cm, this is still above the normal bridge height for double deckers in most of Europe. A VR was exported new but ran on low profile tyres to bring it under the 4m height rule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Dennis bought this Daimler and fitted it with the Gardner 6LXB engine and Voith automatic gearbox they were intending to use for their upcoming Dominator double deck chassis. It's basically a bus sized test mule. Apparently it went rather well.

It certainly did go well. They repainted it an orangie / brown after its tests in London. I remember it in Sheffield. Allegedly at the time the union's refused to operate rear loaders (Regent Vs and PD3s) after the evening peak (they were the only vehicles with manual boxes) but this was auto and went so they were happy with it. The management though took the "it's a rear loader, so if you'll crew that, you can crew our rear loaders". You had to ride on it during the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/13/2023 at 8:54 PM, Remspoor said:

Watched this on YT. An ex Uk bus which has been converted in to a "hostel".

Everything is in Dutch however they never talked about what bus it was or much about it's previous history. Only if was from 1976.

 

The registration in the video is no longer issued. However, on the website for the bus tours it showed the bus has a new number. BL-RN-08

The usual website I check Dutch registrations also came up with a blank. I then had an idea. Maybe it was because the vehicle is a bus. This is the result.

https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/

This also says the registration  and APK (Dutch MOT) has expired some 11 months ago. As to the history? 

1st registration 01/07/76

1st owner in The Netherlands 02/01/02

and a comment in this section

There are 2 links in this section https://www.voertuig-zoeker.nl/personenauto/bristol/2-axle-rigid-body/-/BL-RN-08/#images

to photos of the bus.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/15186074@N00/6140967657/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

https://www.flickr.com/photos/45220772@N06/51658553356/?ws=169||||||k-image-list||BL-RN-08

The commnet here

Still cannot find any more about the poor thing

 

30 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

It's an ultra-low height VR, built to 13' 5" height. There were three variants of the body. The full height at 14' 6", the normal low height at 13' 8" and this one. You can tell by the way the beading buts up against the windscreen frame - in NBC days that was where the white stripe was, on full heights the stripe was full width above the screen, on low heights there was just a thin white band and these had no room for any white stripe at all.

Although it's only by 8cm, this is still above the normal bridge height for double deckers in most of Europe. A VR was exported new but ran on low profile tyres to bring it under the 4m height rule.

It's ex Tracky 847,  LWG847P.  Tracky bought low height VRs as well as a unique batch of low height Metrobuses because of the low bridges around here. It was previously registered 86-YD-92 and has been in Holland for some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/22/2023 at 8:06 PM, MiniMinorMk3 said:

A couple of lost bus stations in Newcastle Upon Tyne

Worswick Street 1976

spacer.png

Marlborough Crescent 1976

spacer.png

Good so see that Leyland Nastywagon in the top picture is missing the central bumper section to make towing the shit heap away easier (I know @Inspector Morosemay disagree with me). The reason Northern nailed the reg plates to the front below the window was exactly because of that and getting the pile of front bumpers mixed up in the depot!

Nice SU in the bottom picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, EML said:

20230126_182813.jpg.4f8aab214713fb2888d338daf7f68c6b.jpg20230126_182933.jpg.35fdd4e1f4fbe7ee6b8e265f4fc584e5.jpg20230126_182914.jpg.d0137497ef81a648442028a0e337f205.jpg

Willowbrook bodied Fleetline in the top picture, fucking S56 in the bottom one. Might not have been tooooo bad in Cleg where it's flat, but a bastard auto version on the hills in south/west Yorkshire was a shift of pure* delight. I'd rather have had that CVD6 in the middle pic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just been sent these pictures from a friend of Leyland engined RM 1357 on the route A yesterday. 

IMG_0029.JPG.b4ce594932ebb133feecbc059dbd829c.JPG

IMG_0034.JPG.50939843a2b7a0bc1421c876c0e1f6fa.JPG

I have no idea when the last time a Leyland engined RM worked in revenue earning service in London. 

I've also no idea how the ULEZ works with this. Maybe as they never leave London they don't get charged. Or maybe they just pay it and it's factored in to their daily costs. I know they have some 90s refurbed RMLs in the fleet which probably aren't compliant either or even the Dartmasters come to think if it. They were only ever euro 2 compliant I think. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

Just been sent these pictures from a friend of Leyland engined RM 1357 on the route A yesterday. 

IMG_0029.JPG.b4ce594932ebb133feecbc059dbd829c.JPG

IMG_0034.JPG.50939843a2b7a0bc1421c876c0e1f6fa.JPG

I have no idea when the last time a Leyland engined RM worked in revenue earning service in London. 

I've also no idea how the ULEZ works with this. Maybe as they never leave London they don't get charged. Or maybe they just pay it and it's factored in to their daily costs. I know they have some 90s refurbed RMLs in the fleet which probably aren't compliant either or even the Dartmasters come to think if it. They were only ever euro 2 compliant I think. 

anything Pre 1973 is completely ULEZ/LEZ exempt even when on revenue service :) 

sadly they never adjusted the LEZ exemption in line with the rolling Historic vehicle taxation class update, so thats why 1973!

 

but thats really awesome to see! that the service is actually happening! must go find it someday and have a ride! not sure if I have ever been on a Leyland engined RM....

I also seeing as it was actually happening I did a bit of digging and found this interesting write up on it https://busandtrainuser.com/2022/10/18/londoner-buses-brings-back-rms/

have to say the modern LED head lamps on RML887 looking fucking shit LOL, but its interesting to see they have managed to keep the 1990's fluorescent fixtures inside going, those are an unusually, American affair and use US F72T12 single pin fluorescent tubes

id love to know where they get spares from LOL

 

as for the question of when a Leyland RM last worked revenue service in London, well I know a few have come out to play during tube strikes if those count? :) 

I always wanted to go out on those days! I was probably the only person in London who looked forward to tube strikes LOL, but I could never make it sadly

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's good to know. 

I wonder why they went with an American lighting system in the first place? I guess if you're converting 600 buses the economies of scale made it worth importing them if they were cheaper than a domestic set up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, Yoss said:

That's good to know. 

I wonder why they went with an American lighting system in the first place? I guess if you're converting 600 buses the economies of scale made it worth importing them if they were cheaper than a domestic set up. 

thats something I have been wondering myself for a long time! I have never been able to get a good look at the fixtures to see if they where an entirely US affair or if they for some reason are British fixtures who's manufacture decided to use US tubes in? 

I always just assumed that they used normal T8 fluorescent tubes, until I think it was on here in the eBay tat thread where an RML was posted and in one of the shots you could see where someone had removed all the tubes from their fixtures and you could see the tubes where clearly F48T12/F72T12 Single pin tubes! that was quite the revelation for me LOL

and it finally explained finally why us lightbulb collectors kept finding these US fluorescent in bus depots LOL (see my our first question when we go somewhere new is "wheres your spare lightbulb stash?" and then we promptly raid it :) )  

it is worth noting that I do seem to recall some other buses in the UK/(London?) from the 1990's that also used the same fixtures what was used in refurbished RML's but buggered if I can remember exactly which they where! however it means it was not just RMLs that had them which would further add to your economies of scale theory

 

but trying trying to find lightbulb information on buses I have found is just seeming one too many levels of obscure for anyone to know anything about sadly!

much like how I have wondered about how the fluorescent tube setup on RTC1 was done (keep in mind this was 1940's and fluorescent tubes where still a very new thing, let alone trying to drive them off a 24V DC system), I know theres a book by Colin Curtis I need to buy regarding that bus which im hoping will contain the info im looking for!

 

and also @Inspector Morose has mentioned a couple times that one of the last trolly buses in service had a sign on the side saying such which was lit up with fluorescent tubes powered off of the 600V DC supply, and id love to know how they pulled that off! but I have not been able to find out anything on that

 

there where special Philips TL-C and TL-R tubes made for running on DC high voltage systems, lots of European trams used them, but there where never really a thing in England, however for a quick show you could just use regular tubes on DC just fine, but they still would of had to have ballasted them somehow! again cant find any details on that

(the R stands for Relay because these tubes where operated with a relay that periodically reversed the polarity of the voltage going to the tube, to stop all the mercury migrating to one end and leaving you with a tube thats only lit up half way! or as one old time collector put it "where one end of the tube has fallen asleep!")

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, martc said:

I'm totally ignorant about RM's, and fluorescent tubes but...

Some RM's went to Canada after service in London some time ago, many have since returned to the UK. Could the one with US tube's be one of these?

image.thumb.png.3ecd2a98cae686794eaea4f53e6a358b.png

 

 

No, fraid not. The ones that went to Canada went over in unrefurbished condition with tungsten bulbs and most stayed that way. 

The buses that LBF is referring to are the RMLs that were referbished over here in the 1990s. All but two of the 500 odd RMLs were treated along with some of Stagecoachs RMs. Also the RMs that went to Southend got the same treatment. 

Most of the RMLs, or at least a majority, were refurbished in Sheffield. 

London Central did their remaining RMs with a different system with smaller more flush fitting fluorescent tubes but I have no idea what sort of tubes they used, sorry. 

And of course RMAs, RMCs and RCLs were built with them but again no idea what system was used. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/29/2023 at 3:48 PM, LightBulbFun said:

last trolly buses in service had a sign on the side saying such which was lit up with fluorescent tubes powered off of the 600V DC supply, and id love to know how they pulled that off! but I have not been able to find out anything on that

IIRC, the last tram built by Sheffield Corporation, just after WWII, number 500, had fluorescent lamps inside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/29/2023 at 2:52 PM, LightBulbFun said:

as for the question of when a Leyland RM last worked revenue service in London, well I know a few have come out to play during tube strikes if those count? :) 

I always wanted to go out on those days! I was probably the only person in London who looked forward to tube strikes LOL, but I could never make it sadly

I suppose it depends on how pedantic you are, but I'm fairly sure that those duplicates on tube strike days never took fares, being a selection of essentially anything that would run and be crewed, without the usual equipment.

3 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

FTFY

Did some not have plates inside saying they were refurbished by MainlinE?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 29/01/2023 at 17:38, Yoss said:

No, fraid not. The ones that went to Canada went over in unrefurbished condition with tungsten bulbs and most stayed that way. 

The buses that LBF is referring to are the RMLs that were referbished over here in the 1990s. All but two of the 500 odd RMLs were treated along with some of Stagecoachs RMs. Also the RMs that went to Southend got the same treatment. 

Most of the RMLs, or at least a majority, were refurbished in Sheffield. 

London Central did their remaining RMs with a different system with smaller more flush fitting fluorescent tubes but I have no idea what sort of tubes they used, sorry. 

And of course RMAs, RMCs and RCLs were built with them but again no idea what system was used. 

yeah the London Central ones as you say are something different, again never had a good look at one of those sadly! I wanna say those took 13W T5 tubes (21 inches long) but never been able to get a good look at one to verify

the RMA's RMC's RCL's (and Northern General RMF's as well as FRM1) all used 20W T12 2ft fixtures, taking the same tube what RM2037's bulkhead advert used (and the smaller tube in the illuminated offside illuminated advert) 

although the exact layout of these fixtures, who made them etc, where the ballasts where installed, is sadly still unknown, I found some of the diffusers for them for sale at Routemaster 60, but that was about it LOL (and long ago I found myself on an RMA which had a cover missing which let me confirm the tube type, although it was pretty clear from the size/period pictures what it was going to be, still that fixture had a lovely well worn 1970's Thorn tube plodding along still!)

I always liked the extra fixture RMCs (and the rest?) had over the upstairs emergency exit, I always thought that was a nice touch :) 

 

 

but one thing I always found a bit interesting is how pretty much every bus back then, used multiples of 2ft tubes throughout, rather then a simpler neater arrangement of fewer but longer tubes, its not like they did not have the control gear to drive these longer tubes off 24V, as your own Routemaster demonstrated they where able to run 4ft tubes for the offside advert (once again many thanks for grabbing the photos you did of that setup :)

so I wonder why they did not do the same for the saloon lighting? I can only assume that lots of small tubes was just a hold over from the tungsten lighting days which of course used lots of small bulbs (being point source light sources mounted low down thats how you do it)

which is one of the reasons I am really curious to at least get some interior shots of RTC1 because when that was put together in the late 1940's the range of fluorescent tubes was a lot less, the 5ft 80W Bayonet capped tube was pretty much the only size available, with other sizes only just coming onto the market

also while I am at it, I wonder what the last bus to use tungsten lighting was? I want to say that would of been RML2760?  did any bus by 1968 still have tungsten lighting? I think every single rear engined bus I have seen has had some form of fluorescent lighting

 

 

3 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

IIRC, the last tram built by Sheffield Corporation, just after WWII, number 500, had fluorescent lamps inside.

Oh dont say that! now Im going to have to find out details on that as well FFS LOL do you recall any details about it? :) (any saloon shots anywhere or such?)

25 minutes ago, N19 said:

I suppose it depends on how pedantic you are, but I'm fairly sure that those duplicates on tube strike days never took fares, being a selection of essentially anything that would run and be crewed, without the usual equipment.

Did some not have plates inside saying they were refurbished by MainlinE?

interesting I always assumed they where in revenue service, I know portable Oyster card readers are a thing, the heritage Routes H9 and H15 (before they where withdrawn, Boo!) used em

because they where just ran as extra buses, it just so happened that they where Routemasters and even a few RT's the publics reaction to that was always very fun as the get up in the morning to go to work and get picked up by a 70 year old RT! I always just love it because its proper "heroic" here are these buses 60-70 years old and here they come out once again to don their work boots and save the day :) 

not quite the retreat from Dunkirk and all the little fishing boats and what have you, but im sure you get my drift :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

Oh dont say that! now Im going to have to find out details on that as well FFS LOL do you recall any details about it? :) (any saloon shots anywhere or such?)

Apologies it was 501;

"No. 501 was a 'Jubilee' car built in 1946 by SCT at its Queens Road works (and was the last car built there) seating 26/36 and running on a Maley & Taunton Hornless type 588 4 wheel truck. This one off 'Jubilee' car was the prototype of the 'Roberts' cars.

It was in passenger service up to and including the day of the Sheffield tramways system closure on 08 Oct 1960 (I was there !), on 10 November it was moved by diesel tractor directly from Tinsley Depot to Wards Yard for dismantling."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...