Bus Shite

[Yoss]

On 10/10/2025 at 20:00, Leyland Worldmaster said:

It helps that Solaris is owned by CAF, a Spanish railway rolling stock manufacturer.

 

Thank you, I did not know that. 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

7 hours ago, Yoss said:

Thank you, I did not know that. 

https://www.solarisbus.com/en/press/solaris-with-a-new-owner-spanish-caf-company-983

No worries! 😎

[Yoss]

So as we were discussing a couple of weeks ago I have found my pictures from the last day of the Atlanteans in Southampton. 

First of all, these were all on display in Mayflower Park. There were all sorts here, not just Atlanteans. 

 

The former 139 and later 900 in the Southampton fleet appears to have moved just down the coast. I don't think I've seen it since (this was February 2005)

Same with this one, ex 137

 

 

The one actual sevice bus on the day was 270.

Attracting more attention than it had ever done in its life. 

And here are 252 and 270 at the Townhill Park terminus at different times of the day. 

 

And this was the very end at Lordshill (bar the garage run, which we all stayed on for), with quite a convoy in tow. This convoy ran all the way from the city centre and was quite a sight, and sound of course. 

But it was very much a sense of deja vu to me as this was the last Routemaster just over 16 years earlier in exactly the same spot. We know how to do a farewell in Southampton. 

 

But back to the Atlanteans. I particularly like this one. 

 

And back at the garage. 

 

 

[Yoss]

If I can just go back to this picture, can anybody tell me what that bus in front of the Atlantean is? Obviously in barbie livery, the fact that that window goes right to the back makes me think Volvo Ailsa but I don't remember us ever having any. Obviously once First took over it was much easier to swap buses between fleets and I'm sure there is stuff I've forgotten about but I'd have thought I'd have remembered those. 

[busmansholiday]

On 05/10/2025 at 21:46, Cavcraft said:

Not my picture, but from today in Hooton, Cheshire

Never a Barnsley scrap man around when you need one!!

[busmansholiday]

11 minutes ago, 83C said:

@Yoss maybe one of these?

Dennis Arrow/ELC Pyoneer.

Almost certainly one of those that were new to Capital Citybus who became First Citybus. The Arrows were apparently withdrawn and sent to First Somerset and Avon and First Hampshire before Manchester so a good spot by @83C.

[Yoss]

17 minutes ago, 83C said:

@Yoss maybe one of these?

Dennis Arrow/ELC Pyoneer.

Edit: here’s a more local example:

 

Ah yes, I remember them now. Thanks. 

[rml2345]

On 05/10/2025 at 06:56, 320touring said:

 

I'll rely on @rml2345 to provide the info on this fine specimen 😁

Bit late on this but it's a Bedford SB with coachwork by New Zealand Motor Bodies, very likely a petrol powered SB3 new to the New Zealand Railways Road Services who bought about 1260 SBs between 1952 and 1981*, all bar 39 being originally equipped with Bedford's six pot petrol. 

*Bedford stopped calling it an SB in 1968 but the name persisted for people who aren't computers. 

[lisbon_road]

This could be the ultimate petrol engined bus.  Jersey Leyland Titan TD1 petrol.  

You can see the magneto, carburetor and what looks like an overhead valve engine.  Must be thirsty.  I like the period black headlights.  

At the Isle of Wight bus museum running day, Wightrider, yesterday.  Another really well run event.  

[Leyland Worldmaster]

3 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

This could be the ultimate petrol engined bus.  Jersey Leyland Titan TD1 petrol.  

You can see the magneto, carburetor and what looks like an overhead valve engine.  Must be thirsty.  I like the period black headlights.  

At the Isle of Wight bus museum running day, Wightrider, yesterday.  Another really well run event.  

I saw that in an unrestored state in Detling some years back. A thing of beauty. 

Titan production carried on a lot fucking longer than most people might believe.

From 1968 it was produced as Ashok Leyland Titan. And that has only relatively recently come out of production! 

[martc]

Sheffield, sometime in the '60's. I'm sure the body builder could have done a little better with the design of the grille, in fact the whole front end.

Another Sheffield bus, this one is a Daimler CVG6-30. The front end treatment here is certainly better thought through, although I prefer the blue and cream livery.

Another Daimler CVG6 bus, this one was supplied to Salford Corporation.

[martc]

Talking of Atlanteans, here's one in Stockholm in the late '60's ... the front looks a little like the pranged Bussing that I posted a few days ago.

[martc]

An 'NS' model bus on the skid patch at the London Transport Training school, Chiswick, 1934.

[martc]

When you set up a bus factory you also need a background of component suppliers, for example the Gödöllő Metal Goods Factory, the manufacturer of the badges for Ikarus buses, amongst others.

1971

Isn't this just wonderful? The woman doesn't seem too impressed. We're at Engels Square in Budapest; I've been there although by metro rather than bus.

[martc]

Commercial Street, Leeds in 1971. As part of the 'Leeds : Motorway City of the Seventies' grand scheme, cars were removed from a big chunk of the retail centre. To compensate for this Leeds City Transport introduced the 401 Shoppers Bus connecting the bus and rail stations. A flat fare of 2p , no change given, was introduced.

[mk2_craig]

32 minutes ago, martc said:

401 Shoppers Bus

Those converted Merc vans were a much more prominent part of UK public transport in the mid 1980s than the early 1970s, so it seems strange to be looking at a photo of one from nearly 55 years ago. 

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, martc said:

 

Sheffield, sometime in the '60's. I'm sure the body builder could have done a little better with the design of the grille, in fact the whole front end

That was the first of the enclosed fronts Leyland offered on the PD2&3 for operators who wanted a more modern look. It was a variation on the fronts Midland Red used on their in-house BMMO buses. They needed more double deckers than their own factory could supply, so ordered a large batch of PD2s which had to have a similar tin front to the BMMOs. Soon afterwards, Leylands began offering the front as a normal option for anyone that wanted it.

Later, they slapped on a fibreglass front that was a bit more modern.

St Helens Corporation were first to have it, so it's generally known as the St. Helens front.

You could still order an exposed radiator if you wanted, in fact this bus, the very last PD3, built for Ramsbottom UDC, is on an H plate.

[Inspector Morose]

5 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

This could be the ultimate petrol engined bus.  Jersey Leyland Titan TD1 petrol.  

 

Originally OV 1175 as Leyland's first TROLLEYBUS (GEC electrical equipment) in 1929. Demonstrated to Chesterfield and Birmingham before heading back to Leyland to be converted to a motorbus and sold to Jersey in 1934 as it's J1199.

Withdrawn and rescued for the science museum and stored at the reserve collection in Clapham, it was reregistered for use in Halifax (and painted into Halifax livery) as MJX222J before being re re re restored to its JMT condition as SV 6107.

 

[Inspector Morose]

2 hours ago, martc said:

Talking of Atlanteans, here's one in Stockholm in the late '60's ... the front looks a little like the pranged Bussing that I posted a few days ago.

36 foot long too. Voith gearboxes in those, with the engine and gearbox mounted the opposite way around to normal.

They were quite the things when built, very bespoke. Shame they were a bit crap in service.

[SunnySouth]

23 hours ago, Yoss said:

The former 139 and later 900 in the Southampton fleet appears to have moved just down the coast. I don't think I've seen it since (this was February 2005)

The Open Top Bus Site ( “opentopbus.net” ) says:

“Previous Registration Numbers

WOW 531J was previously HNP 898J, WOW 529J”

So, allegedly, it now masquerades as a former classmate? Which is, well, odd… Assuming of course that there was a 531J back in the day? 

Link to the page:

https://www.opentopbus.net/w-England---Dorset.pdf

[83C]

1 hour ago, Inspector Morose said:

Voith gearboxes

[busmansholiday]

5 hours ago, martc said:

 

Another Sheffield bus, this one is a Daimler CVG6-30. The front end treatment here is certainly better thought through, although I prefer the blue and cream livery.

I bet the inhabitants or Rotherham rather preferred their buses in blue and cream rather than the crappy brown and cream PTE livery as well.

[quicksilver]

17 hours ago, martc said:

Commercial Street, Leeds in 1971. As part of the 'Leeds : Motorway City of the Seventies' grand scheme, cars were removed from a big chunk of the retail centre. To compensate for this Leeds City Transport introduced the 401 Shoppers Bus connecting the bus and rail stations. A flat fare of 2p , no change given, was introduced.

These must have been among the first Merc minibuses in the UK and I bet it was controversial that a corporation fleet bought foreign-made vehicles. How times have changed.

[martc]

20 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

These must have been among the first Merc minibuses in the UK and I bet it was controversial that a corporation fleet bought foreign-made vehicles. How times have changed.

I wonder if it's a Mercedes chassis but with a UK built body? The compromise that still prevails today.

[busmansholiday]

2 hours ago, martc said:

I wonder if it's a Mercedes chassis but with a UK built body? The compromise that still prevails today.

Deansgate (Williams Motors of Manchester).

Here's the one at the motorshow.

 

[Yoss]

On 13/10/2025 at 20:19, SunnySouth said:

The Open Top Bus Site ( “opentopbus.net” ) says:

“Previous Registration Numbers

WOW 531J was previously HNP 898J, WOW 529J”

So, allegedly, it now masquerades as a former classmate? Which is, well, odd… Assuming of course that there was a 531J back in the day? 

Link to the page:

https://www.opentopbus.net/w-England---Dorset.pdf

Here it was in its earlier days, I'd say pre October 86 as it still carries Southampton City crests. 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Maybe repeats.

[SunnySouth]

23 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Maybe repeats.

I’d often wondered; was the Bond bus especially battered for its film role (aside from pre-cutting the roof for the bridge scene, etc) or did they genuinely look like that in service over there?

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, SunnySouth said:

I’d often wondered; was the Bond bus especially battered for its film role (aside from pre-cutting the roof for the bridge scene, etc) or did they genuinely look like that in service over there?

Not sure but it was handy Roger Moore still had his PSV licence from before he was an actor.

[ProgRocker]

Captured this one on the dashcam a few weeks ago. Did an MOT check of the numberplate (knowing very little about buses) and it comes up as an AEC Root Master .