Bus Shite

[cms206]

A handful from yesterday's Ensignbus running day at Lakeside.

[Inspector Morose]

Many moons ago, I managed to capture JEV when it was owned by Fords of Althorne. By the look of the roof vents, the AC was AWOL.

[cms206]

2 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Many moons ago, I managed to capture JEV when it was owned by Fords of Althorne. By the look of the roof vents, the AC was AWOL.

A fine performer. Would have passed for a 10 year old coach never mind 40 (!).

 

Merc V8/Allison. Grunty.

[Yoss]

Love the Metropolitan. The only time I've ever been on one it was operated by Billingshurst Coaches on a rail replacement job from Littlehampton to somewhere else along the coast, possibly Chichester. Possibly the only service bus I've ever been on that was carrying a spare wheel in the passenger area. Also had no internal drivers door and was just looking generally sorry for for itself. Which was a shame because that's all I remember about it rather than what it was actually like. 

 

Amazingly, a quick Google came up with this. 

Says it was taken in March 1986 which would probably have been around about the same time we had it as we were coming back from Hastings as the Hastings line lost its diesel units in May of that year and we were making frequent visits to make the most of them. 

[martc]

NuT. Bleak.

[busmansholiday]

On 28/11/2023 at 10:57, Joey spud said:

This sad looking Fleetline that had been hit and then shunted against a wall back in 1978 was posted on a site recently.

The story goes it was hit by a reversing fuel tanker. It was never repaired and got scrapped as it was due for withdrawal anyway.

Surely as a twelve year old bus couldn't this have been a viable repair ?

Back then, buses were designed for a 12 year service life so any accident affecting it around that age would result it in being scrapped.

[cms206]

On my week's holiday so doing my tallies. Current score at Barking, ones with asterisks are since the last update

 Enviro 400MMC

*10310*, *10312*, *10313*, *10315*, 10319, *10320*, 10321, 10324, 10326, 10328, *10350*

Enviro 400MMC Hybrid

12399, *12400*, *12403*, *12404*

Enviro 400 'Classic'

10174, *10175*, *10178*, *10179*, *10181*, *19764*, 19773, *19774*, 19775, *19776*, 19783, *19784*, *19852*, *19854*

Enviro 200MMC

36632, *36636*, *36637*, 36638, *36639*, *36640*, *36658*, *36663*,  *36661*, *36669*

Enviro 200 'Classic'

*36363*

 

Two more weeks in London (10th-23rd officially, though I'll be home on the 21st) then north of the border to drive for the first time since August...

[Dyslexic Viking]

A picture of a special bus from London on a trip in Norway has appeared, does anyone know what kind of bus this is?

And people seem to think the Buick is French registered?

[RayMK]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

A picture of a special bus from London on a trip in Norway has appeared, does anyone know what kind of bus this is?

And people seem to think the Buick is French registered?

Probably a Thomas Harrington streamlined coach.   We very occasionally had one as our school bus from Naphill to Terriers (near High Wycombe) in 1963.

[RoadworkUK]

Suddenly remembered that this happened a few weeks ago:

Bonus very confusing Seat Panda action.

[busmansholiday]

3 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

Suddenly remembered that this happened a few weeks ago:

Bonus very confusing Seat Panda action.

Drove those back in the late 70's. Slow, steady, but generally reliable.

[busmansholiday]

2 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

A picture of a special bus from London on a trip in Norway has appeared, does anyone know what kind of bus this is?

And people seem to think the Buick is French registered?

 

42 minutes ago, RayMK said:

Probably a Thomas Harrington streamlined coach.   We very occasionally had one as our school bus from Naphill to Terriers (near High Wycombe) in 1963.

Yep, Harrington "Dorsal Fin" body on a Commer Avenger chassis that was new in 1950.

[quicksilver]

It doesn't seem very long ago that the sight of a Volvo Olympian carrying passengers was an everyday occurrence. They've really disappeared over the last few years so this one was pleasing to see, still going strong at 25 years old and part of a half-dozen strong convoy of assorted vehicles from this operator carrying kids on a school trip this afternoon.

 

[martc]

On 07/12/2023 at 16:28, Dyslexic Viking said:

A picture of a special bus from London on a trip in Norway has appeared, does anyone know what kind of bus this is?

And people seem to think the Buick is French registered?

Yes the Buick is French, looks like the departmental number is 37 - Indre et Loire, somewhere in the middle of France, famous for its many castles.

[martc]

Northumberland Street, NuT.

[Dyslexic Viking]

4 minutes ago, martc said:

Yes the Buick is French, looks like the departmental number is 37 - Indre et Loire, somewhere in the middle of France, famous for its many castles.

Thanks. And I would assume that a Buick was rare and expensive in 1950s France so probably wealthy owners.

[Stevebrookman]

I've been volunteering at Cardiff Transport Preservation Group in Barry for a couple of years.

Plenty of old vehicles here-I generally fix the electrics on them. 

Here's the website if any ones interested.

https://www.ctpg.co.uk/

 

 If you want a few more photos of the buses and the work we've carried out-let me know.

A few photos

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On 07/12/2023 at 16:28, Dyslexic Viking said:

A picture of a special bus from London on a trip in Norway has appeared, does anyone know what kind of bus this is?

And people seem to think the Buick is French registered?

What a cracking find. Two beautiful designs side by side. A bit of digging tells me the coach is a 1949 Commer Avenger 1. The coach was operated by Motorways (Overseas) Ltd, that pioneered continental coach touring and WW2. The company had four coaches like this one. The bodywork was built by Harrington's of Hove and the dorsal fin was part of their patent air-conditioning system.

The Buick is a 53 wagon - the last year Buick used real wood in their cars. 

[busmansholiday]

Real tragedy...

[martc]

Newly installed traffic lights on Ludgate Circus, a conductor leans out from the rear platform to gawp at them, 1930.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On 10/12/2023 at 11:20, Dick Longbridge said:

What a cracking find. Two beautiful designs side by side. A bit of digging tells me the coach is a 1949 Commer Avenger 1. The coach was operated by Motorways (Overseas) Ltd, that pioneered continental coach touring and WW2. The company had four coaches like this one. The bodywork was built by Harrington's of Hove and the dorsal fin was part of their patent air-conditioning system.

The Buick is a 53 wagon - the last year Buick used real wood in their cars. 

Turns out you can buy a jigsaw of this very coach!

https://www.mediastorehouse.co.uk/jigsaw-puzzles/mary-evans-prints-online/motorways-coach-2-587977.html

[DVee8]

Another 2 of my FiL's busses and the garage. It is now the local Kwik Fit.

[martc]

Let's peak behind the curtain -

An Ikarus 255 in Kuibyshev Oblast, Togliatti, 1975.

A LAZ-699R Volgograd, 1988.

This one is a CAVZ-3270, purpose built on a GAZ chassis for harsh weather.

Peek-a-boo, let's hide behind a Uralets-66.

And finally, a ZIL-158B.

[martc]

1936 - The Greyhound Bus Terminal, at 34th St, between  Seventh Ave and Eighth Ave, behind Penn Station, Noo Yoik. It was demolished soon after Penn Station in 1963.  Penn Tower now sits on top of the spot where the station was.  Most bus traffic was moved to the Port Authority’s station at 40th and Eighth.

It amuses me that they spell 'grey' correctly as a dog breed but not as a colour, yet they both have the same meaning.

[martc]

Haymarket, NuT, 1976.

[Zelandeth]

49 minutes ago, martc said:

Let's peak behind the curtain -

An Ikarus 255 in Kuibyshev Oblast, Togliatti, 1975.

That's definitely got hints of being a sort of blending together of a Mk I Duple Dominant and a Caetano Alpha...

[busmansholiday]

I await being corrected by @Inspector Morose but I'm pretty sure this ex Berlin MAN SD200 with Waggon Union body dates from around 1983. It (and it's sister number 85) are, and have been,  plodding around Benidorm since the late 90's.

Whilst my silly days of buying old buses are a long time ago, that Dennis Dominator like sound makes we want to buy a lottery ticket in the hope I could introduce it to The People's Republic.

[Inspector Morose]

1 hour ago, busmansholiday said:

I await being corrected by @Inspector Morose but I'm pretty sure this ex Berlin MAN SD200 with Waggon Union body dates from around 1983. It (and it's sister number 85) are, and have been,  plodding around Benidorm since the late 90's.

Whilst my silly days of buying old buses are a long time ago, that Dennis Dominator like sound makes we want to buy a lottery ticket in the hope I could introduce it to The People's Republic.

I remember grabbing a run the last of them In Berlin a good while back and they do sound magnificent! IIRC a number of them were shipped over to the UK to be open topped before heading back out of the country again - I’ve an inkling that Guide Friday was behind that but my memory fails me. I do remember grabbing the convertible roof off one in a scrapyard in Barnsley for use on a stillborn project to convert one of our Metrobuses.

[quicksilver]

19 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

I remember grabbing a run the last of them In Berlin a good while back and they do sound magnificent! IIRC a number of them were shipped over to the UK to be open topped before heading back out of the country again - I’ve an inkling that Guide Friday was behind that but my memory fails me. I do remember grabbing the convertible roof off one in a scrapyard in Barnsley for use on a stillborn project to convert one of our Metrobuses.

It was indeed Guide Friday who were involved. I remember seeing one in the garage at Stratford around 1998 lettered for Le Tour de Paris. No idea why it was there or what became of it but it was dusty and had a few bits missing so had obviously been out of use for a while.

[busmansholiday]

1 hour ago, Inspector Morose said:

I remember grabbing a run the last of them In Berlin a good while back and they do sound magnificent!

"Why are you sitting downstairs at the back above the engine and not enjoying the views ?"