Bus Shite

[Inspector Morose]

14 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Have a Christmas Treat!

I was looking through some old photos of where I lived as a child and came across this coach picture I took from a school trip to The Forestry Commission. This would have been early 1970s, somewhere around High Wycombe.  My guess is nobody but me has seen this picture for 50 years!

VAM70 were lovely things with the Bedford 466ci engine. Rugged, light but powerful (for a lightweight) and could be repaired with a bit of plumbers pipe and a length of barbed wire. We had a Viceroy bodied one that ended up having an oak piston when we opened it up after a head gasket failure. I’m sure the effort in making what was a beautifully made replica piston out of wood was far in excess of actually getting the right component and fitting it, but that's small rural operators for you.

[busmansholiday]

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

VAM70 were lovely things with the Bedford 466ci engine. Rugged, light but powerful (for a lightweight) and could be repaired with a bit of plumbers pipe and a length of barbed wire. We had a Viceroy bodied one that ended up having an oak piston when we opened it up after a head gasket failure. I’m sure the effort in making what was a beautifully made replica piston out of wood was far in excess of actually getting the right component and fitting it, but that's small rural operators for you.

I worked for a rural operator where the "correct" gear leaver on a VAL had been replaced by one off a Vauxhall Viva. Bit of 'stretch' for the driver.

[Inspector Morose]

Just now, busmansholiday said:

 

 

 

I worked for a rural operator where the "correct" gear leaver on a VAL had been replaced by one off a Vauxhall Viva. Bit of 'stretch' for the driver.

Ah, the joys of the rural operator, where what you can lay your hands on is always the right thing to repair whatever malady.

[Six-cylinder]

5 hours ago, quicksilver said:

Must have been a big school to need 403 buses!

BPP 777F was one of four Plaxton-bodied Bedfords bought new by Jeffways & Pilot in 1968 featuring their trademark number 7 registrations - three VAM70 45-seaters (this, YKX 777F and YPP 777F) and a bigger VAL70 52-seater (BKX 777F).

I remember being taken on a 6 wheel coach, 4 steering on another school trip to a horse farm a bit earlier at my junior school. Again around High Wycombe and I think it is likely to have been a Jeffways & Pilot coach. I thought I had taken a photo but can't find it.

[Joey spud]

I think the dog is asking the driver for a 'Rover ticket'.

Probably no interest to anyone else but this is a picture on my then local bus turning around at Cliffe church/Five bells pub in 1983 and not long before 69YKT was withdrawn from 20 years of faithful service.

[Yoss]

Happy Christmas from Bluestar. 

They ran three routes today. The 1X is a combination of the normal 1 and 2 running from Southampton to Winchester via Eastleigh. The 17X is exactly the same as the normal 17 and the 18X which extends the normal 18 from Millbrook to the Hospital and on to Aldermoor bus turning circle which is the nearest place after the Hospital to turn a bus. 

This is a five minute walk from my house so I wandered up to take the above shots. 

These have been running for four or five years now so I thought I'd do a bit more digging and it looks like of all the Go Ahead South Coast companies only Salisbury Reds are running no services at all. More Bus are running a Poole to Bournemouth service with alternate buses going to the hospital and Christchurch. And Brighton and Hove and Southern Vectis are both running five or six routes each. You can't get to or from the Island (actually you could, there were two round trips this morning but they were not conducive to a day trip) but there were plenty of buses to get around if you were already there. 

These are all commercial services so fair play to them. Here in Southampton it was a flat fare of £4 a trip which doesn't seem unreasonable considering the only alternative would be a taxi. 

[busmansholiday]

Well done to Go Ahead, Stagecoach are off and there's no trains until Friday either.

[busmansholiday]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

I remember being taken on a 6 wheel coach, 4 steering on another school trip to a horse farm a bit earlier at my junior school. Again around High Wycombe and I think it is likely to have been a Jeffways & Pilot coach. I thought I had taken a photo but can't find it.

That would be a Bedford VAL, they bought three new, 

 

7771BH, new 1963,

DPP777B, new 1964,

BKX777F, new 1968.

 

[lesapandre]

6 hours ago, Joey spud said:

I think the dog is asking the driver for a 'Rover ticket'.

Probably no interest to anyone else but this is a picture on my then local bus turning around at Cliffe church/Five bells pub in 1983 and not long before 69YKT was withdrawn from 20 years of faithful service.

He probably wants to get to Barking...or the Isle of Dogs.

[Metal Guru]

7 hours ago, Joey spud said:

I think the dog is asking the driver for a 'Rover ticket'.

Probably no interest to anyone else but this is a picture on my then local bus turning around at Cliffe church/Five bells pub in 1983 and not long before 69YKT was withdrawn from 20 years of faithful service.

I lived in Cliffe for 3 years in the late 80s.

[SmokinWaffle]

22 hours ago, Joey spud said:

I think the dog is asking the driver for a 'Rover ticket'.

Probably no interest to anyone else but this is a picture on my then local bus turning around at Cliffe church/Five bells pub in 1983 and not long before 69YKT was withdrawn from 20 years of faithful service.

Lived in Cliffe Woods from when I was 4 > 20. Small world! 

My bus interest was sparked by the old Leyland Titans I got to school from NuVenture. 

[martc]

NuT

[Joey spud]

18 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

I lived in Cliffe for 3 years in the late 80s.

Yeah small world. I've lived around the Hoo Peninsula for nearly fifty years now.

Cliffe's best claim to fame is that on Christmas day 1914 the first aerial battle on British soil took place over the village with two small bombs being dropped from a German Biplane that was using the Thames estuary to navigate its way to London.  Although it's often joked that it's about time the parish council got their arse in gear and cleared up the resulting mess.

[Joey spud]

6 hours ago, SmokinWaffle said:

Lived in Cliffe Woods from when I was 4 > 20. Small world! 

My bus interest was sparked by the old Leyland Titans I got to school from NuVenture. 

Yeah I remember them. The blue and white painted jobbies.  Of course you do know I live next door to your Gran ?

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[martc]

A quick glance and this Robur LO2500 has a touch of Bedford CA about it.

[martc]

Trafalgar Square, that London, 1915.

[martc]

There's a Scania chassis under there.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[High Jetter]

^^^ Diesel Ford Thames 502E, currently taxed! Looks grumpy tho

[lesapandre]

I went off to France late one night in this a few weeks back - from Victoria.

My my - it was very cramped inside - it was like a coach but at 3/4 scale. Not the usual Flixbus which is usually ok.

Needless to say the accommodation was...rather too intimate... but we all survived...just.

Coming back driving through Calais Port I saw it again - Flixbus seem to use it on the late night runs.

They certainly drive their coaches hard. These must clock up huge mileages.

[lesapandre]

9 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

That looks like some kind  of strange AI creation - but clearly not. Odd looks. 

Why the opening windscreen? 

[artdjones]

7 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

That looks like some kind  of strange AI creation - but clearly not. Odd looks. 

It didn't get road registered until 1997, as it was used for ferrying people around Filton Aerodrome.

They must have changed the livery once BAC were formed.

[busmansholiday]

Harrington bodywork,  Crusader based.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Tired Paz 672m Sovjet bus first start in 5 years. Interesting construction and placement of the radiator. And V8 petrol is a strange engine choice for a bus.

 

[lisbon_road]

Winchester new year running day today. Bit quieter than normal and very wet. 

[artdjones]

3 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Tired Paz 672m Sovjet bus first start in 5 years. Interesting construction and placement of the radiator. And V8 petrol is a strange engine choice for a bus.

 

It's probably easier to keep a petrol fuel system flowing in very low temperatures compared to a diesel one.

Edit:- The bus from Filton above was petrol, apparently it did 4mpg around the site. 

[Homersimpson]

On 25/12/2024 at 17:36, busmansholiday said:

That would be a Bedford VAL, they bought three new, 

 

7771BH, new 1963,

DPP777B, new 1964,

BKX777F, new 1968.

 

Is that what they call a chinese six?

[lesapandre]

12 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Tired Paz 672m Sovjet bus first start in 5 years. Interesting construction and placement of the radiator. And V8 petrol is a strange engine choice for a bus.

 

The USSR military ran petrol trucks and machinery historically - my guess it has to to do with refinery capacity and availability.

Also it's very cold there in winter - I wonder if petrol was the preference given diesel issues at low temp? 

[busmansholiday]

9 hours ago, Homersimpson said:

Is that what they call a chinese six?

Yes it is in truck terms.