Bus Shite

[martc]

Chatsworth Road, Homerton E5, 1980 & 2023.

[martc]

The National Flasher and Dogging Societies annual holiday to Thirsk; last summer.

[martc]

[martc]

A SARB START mini bus. Made on a small scale in Ukraine in the 1960's from fibreglass and using GAZ 21 (ie a Volga) engine. Full history here  - (after the bit about the model they are selling) - https://www.maronline.org.uk/the-soviet-era-start-passenger-van/

[cms206]

I was backshift today; light to Helensburgh for 1600 to do a short 310 to the airport, light to Springboig, route 36 in, 36 out, light back to the airport, 310 back to Helensburgh and light to the garage. Today's chariot was this somewhat severe looking 2013 Mercedes Vario O816D, which I try to pull for my backshifts where possible because it's warm and it goes like fuck.

POP QUIZ - What are the headlights from?

It was light at 6pm when I started my 36s which was nice.

It was dark and fucking pissing down when I got back in at midnight.

Bus swept, mopped, fuelled and run through the wash then parked up; it's back out at 7am, I am thankfully not.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

11 hours ago, cms206 said:

POP QUIZ - What are the headlights from?

 

Fiat Idea\ Multipla Mk2? 🤔 

[quicksilver]

18 hours ago, cms206 said:

POP QUIZ - What are the headlights from?

 

Good question, I know the pre-facelift Belugas have Merc M-class lights but not sure about those. I think @Leyland Worldmastermay be right but most Ideas seem to have orange indicators.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

21 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

Good question, I know the pre-facelift Belugas have Merc M-class lights but not sure about those. I think @Leyland Worldmastermay be right but most Ideas seem to have orange indicators.

The earliest ones did indeed have orange indicators. I saw one of about three face-lift Idea and Multipla Mk2 sold in the UK and they had clear lenses as per the picture. 😎

[cms206]

17 hours ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

Multipla Mk2? 🤔 

Correct answer!

[Pieman]

Spotted at the Standlake banger racing track, being used as the track shop.

[busmansholiday]

19 hours ago, Pieman said:

Spotted at the Standlake banger racing track, being used as the track shop.

One of many bought by Stagecoach, there's a K reg one still in use local to me on school contracts.

[MiniMinorMk3]

In 1950s Paris tour operator Groupe Cityrama commissioned coachbuilder Currus to create a double-decker buse

They used a Citroen U55 truck chassis to make the Cityrama Currus.

 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

https://youtu.be/N-NIxTsIWoY

Might be of use to any Lynx owner... 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

In 1950s Paris tour operator Groupe Cityrama commissioned coachbuilder Currus to create a double-decker buse

They used a Citroen U55 truck chassis to make the Cityrama Currus.

 

I understand one of these impressive machines survives; or at least something very similar! 😎 

[CreepingJesus]

The Tim Traveller channel on YouTube has a few vids about the Cityrama buses, because he's been following what's happening with the survivor. Think the last instalment was the trust who own it, showing it at a few events last summer to drum up funds. Which understandably they need, as most of it (therefore most of the missing bits) is completely bespoke.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Turnpike Lane Bus Station 1982

[martc]

Northumberland Street, NuT, 28th April 1969.

[martc]

Action shot heading north on 8th Avenue, NYC, 1895.

[busmansholiday]

On 3/22/2023 at 5:14 PM, MiniMinorMk3 said:

In 1950s Paris tour operator Groupe Cityrama commissioned coachbuilder Currus to create a double-decker buse

They used a Citroen U55 truck chassis to make the Cityrama Currus.

 

They were still on use in 1971 when I was in Paris have a B&W shot somewhere.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

 

Another I've got on VHS... 😎 

[Asimo]

Enlighten me about this route/road/track? please.

[Volksy]

We have these all over Leeds. Generally running in the central reservation of dual carriageways or designated lanes. They run by two small guide wheels attached to the front hubs which run against the raised kerbs to provide steering/guidance for the busses. 

They do work in Leeds, as it takes the bus out of the traffic system gives priority at key junctions etc. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Lorraine Chase innit (Luton Airport) ish.   

They built the airport evolved with crap connections of any sort.  I worked adjacent to it back in 1999 when the new 'parkway' BR station was opened  - a short* walk away from the airport but decent road connection. Building rail up to the airport site was non-sensical so the Parkway is a bit of a compromise.  It opened with shuttle bus service to the airport (previously the main Luton station handled that and it was a slow haul up to the airport in working hours).

Your picture is Luton Busway -  that came along a bit later (after my time there) and more or less connects the original Luton BR Station with Dunstable BR  using an extinct railway line.  Luton end then  has normal road connections to/from the Parkway and the Airport. Dunstable end has normal road to Houghton Regis and thereabouts.  As @Volksy says - they run a horizontal guide wheel along the raised kerb to guide the bus so the driver can relax* (yeah - you're doing 50 mph in an urban environment with walkers/cyclists/dogs on an adjacent route?) When you come off the busway you've got a normal bus to drive.
There's another up in Cambridge that uses the old railway line trick too.

 

[CreepingJesus]

Pretty sure they've got something like that in Edinburgh too - the buses have had guide wheels for quite a while. I'm just not sure how much there is, or where it is! Nothing to the extent of a proper guided busway like the above.

There is however, this; a neat bit of lateral thinking that's keeping a rural area served, and a railway line open...with a bus.

 

[martc]

St Mary le Strand, 1973.

[LightBulbFun]

6 hours ago, martc said:

St Mary le Strand, 1973.

 

[Metal Guru]

On 28/03/2023 at 12:15, CreepingJesus said:

Pretty sure they've got something like that in Edinburgh too - the buses have had guide wheels for quite a while. I'm just not sure how much there is, or where it is! Nothing to the extent of a proper guided busway like the above.

There is however, this; a neat bit of lateral thinking that's keeping a rural area served, and a railway line open...with a bus.

 

There were guided buses in Edinburgh using some of the tram infrastructure before the trams were ready and the whole system finished. They also ran as normal buses where the guided way stopped.They’ve been discontinued since the trans have been running properly.

[martc]

Ikarus bendy bus. Ikarus made more bendy buses than anyone else.

[EML]

A couple from Grimsby

[martc]

Another Ikarus bendy bus.