Bus Shite

[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.

[N19]

On 3/28/2023 at 12:15 PM, 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.

They did from c.2005 to c.2012ish, in the Stenhouse area, for services 2 & 22. A small number of buses allocated to these routes had guide-wheels fitted, it was only over a certain part of the route though - the rest was on normal roads. It closed down to facilitate the tram and the buses were re-routed to adjacent roads.

[martc]

Did I say I liked Ikrarus's (Ikarusi?)? This one is a 255.

[Eyersey1234]

Our two Tourismos side by side on Wednesday 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Pretendy vintage bus in that there London 1992. Plate is now on a 2008 Rennow Van

[EML]

Whilst trying to find some info on when Burton's garage shut in Grimsby I came across this photo

[busmansholiday]

^^^ One of the ex London DMS Fleetlines. 

[Eyersey1234]

22 hours ago, EML said:

Whilst trying to find some info on when Burton's garage shut in Grimsby I came across this photo

I didn't realise they had a branch in Louth, whereabouts was it?

[EML]

On 4/3/2023 at 6:24 PM, Eyersey1234 said:

I didn't realise they had a branch in Louth, whereabouts was it?

On Legbourne road, on the way out of Louth,  heading towards Kenwick. And its still there, and still owned by a Burton's family member. Used cars only now, they had a nice low mileage Renault 5 recently for sale

And this Uno rally car.

[gm]

in Cuba, apparently 

 

[martc]

Talking of Cuba...

If anyone ends up in Cuba, here's a mystery for them to solve.

Giron IV is a local Cuban bus manufacturer. The bodywork etc of this Giron is almost identical to the Ikarus 200 series, but, apparantly, almost all Girons wear the Hino badges. Are they old Ikarus 200's upgraded with Hino engines? Or a local copy of an Ikarus, with Hino engnes?

[martc]

At least one sheep is admiring the chrome clad coach parade at Tan Hill.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Park Royal, Brent, 1990. Time for a burger?

[Dyslexic Viking]

1 hour ago, martc said:

Talking of Cuba...

If anyone ends up in Cuba, here's a mystery for them to solve.

Giron IV is a local Cuban bus manufacturer. The bodywork etc of this Giron is almost identical to the Ikarus 200 series, but, apparantly, almost all Girons wear the Hino badges. Are they old Ikarus 200's upgraded with Hino engines? Or a local copy of an Ikarus, with Hino engnes?

You overlooked something

And could they have bought/received the production equipment and drawings from Ikarus?

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, martc said:

Talking of Cuba...

If anyone ends up in Cuba, here's a mystery for them to solve.

Giron IV is a local Cuban bus manufacturer. The bodywork etc of this Giron is almost identical to the Ikarus 200 series, but, apparantly, almost all Girons wear the Hino badges. Are they old Ikarus 200's upgraded with Hino engines? Or a local copy of an Ikarus, with Hino engnes?

Bus (bus-planet.com)

Quote

The Girón VI has the same dimensions and capacity as the Girón V but was built using Ikarus 200-series body components. Like the Girón V it is mainly used for non public transport duties.

Lots of info on Cuban buses

Bus (bus-planet.com)

[busmansholiday]

1 hour ago, martc said:

At least one shhep is admiring the chrome clad coach parade at Tan Hill.

Duple Britannia bodied AEC Reliance followed by a Plaxton bodied Bedford SB.

 

[martc]

A packed horse bus about to enter the High Level Bridge on St. Nicholas Street, NuT, circa 1922. The Bridge Hotel can be seen in the background to the left.

[MiniMinorMk3]

[martc]

Quote - 'The former coal yard was also used by bus dealer Ted Brakell to store his second-hand sales stock which included a lot of the former London RTs visible here. The Leyland National is probably an ex Plymouth one as they got rid of most of theirs in the late 1970s.'

Now....

sad face

[artdjones]

On 4/8/2023 at 6:39 PM, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Bus (bus-planet.com)

Lots of info on Cuban buses

Bus (bus-planet.com)

That's my idea of a Cuban bus , the almost indestructible Leyland Olympic. Leyland annoyed the US by selling them to Cuba, and one of the ships carrying 42 of them there sank after a collision. Some have claimed it was a deliberate American inspired act of sabotage.