Bus Shite

[Inspector Morose]

17 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Wolverhampton Corporation's first 36 foot long bus. There were two ordered, but, although the second one was built to full WCT specification, it was rejected at the last minute.

For a lightweight chassis and somewhat dubious body, this lasted a creditable 10 years in service before being scrapped around 1976/77.

The reason for such an unusual purchase was that Wolverhampton were rushing through the removal of the trolleybuses in the town, and this, coupled with the push towards more car centric planning with the construction of the ring road around the centre, left the transport department with little funding. The trolleybuses were being replaced with outdated (but sturdy and, importantly, cheap) Guy Arabs, with the bodybuilder chosen being down to price - hence Stachans being favoured. A push for one-man operation on the heavily loss making rural routes led to AEC Swifts and Daimler Roadliners being bought (again with cheap as chips Stachans bodies).

Wolverhampton was one of the Corporations who were more than happy about the formation of the PTEs as their transport undertaking really was a basket case due to the diversion of funds towards more car friendly policies.

Wolverhampton's final order was for 25, 33 foot long Daimler Fleetlines with Roe bodies (how they were going to pay for them, I'll never know), the order modified on the formation of WMPTE to Birmingham specification Park Royal bodies. Maybe they ordered them knowing they weren't going to pick up the tab?

[Sportshatch]

17 hours ago, egg said:

Canterbury, liked those little hopper buses that went round the city.

We had them in Leeds called microriders. They used to drive around  the estate and you could on or off anywhere. They seemed to break down a lot, but prbably because they got driven like they were twoks.

[busmansholiday]

I know how @Inspector Morosejust loves* the products of Optare so here's a couple of pictures of the "next stop" display inside the (Solo) I came home on tonight (obviously I'm not going to name the major Scottish  UK bus operator), or even mention that it was so fcuked the driver couldn't even take any fares.

 

 

 

 

[Inspector Morose]

1 minute ago, busmansholiday said:

I know how @Inspector Morosejust loves* the products of Optare so here's a couple of pictures of the "next stop" display inside the (Solo) I came home on tonight (obviously I'm not going to name the major Scottish  UK bus operator), or even mention that it was so fcuked the driver couldn't even take any fares.

 

 

 

 

Another fine* optare product. 

[busmansholiday]

19 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Another fine* optare product. 

Better than the one I was on last Wednesday where they were giving out business cards for local dentists due the the pile of fucking shite rattling that bad your fillings were in danger of falling out!

[Inspector Morose]

Well, I suppose it could be worse. You could have been on an ADL product. 😆

[busmansholiday]

10 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Well, I suppose it could be worse. You could have been on an ADL product. 😆

Positive luxury!!!

 

Admittedly, the Yutong E10's I've been on recently vary between 'pretty well screwed together', and fuck me, 'did Pelican recruit some ex Optare employees".

[worldofceri]

On 08/03/2026 at 20:32, Inspector Morose said:

 

 

Pretty sure I rode on 479 BOC a time or three back in the day. I never knew at the time (‘90s) that the Leyland Leopards were quite so venerable. Seemed to go like fuck mind you, if my teenage memory serves. Might have been on TFA 13 as well, but I don’t know how many Plaxton bodied coaches they had in that Viking livery.

[Inspector Morose]

479BOC was a right weapon and the Rolls Royce of the Stevo Leopard rebodies. Originally a SELNEC ECW bodied, it was stripped down to frames and re engined with a TL11 on rebuild before being sent to Duple to have a 320 body built upon it. 

It ended up purple and branded for the Derby - Burton X38 service.

TFA started as a Duple Dominant bus bodied leopard. As far as I remember,  it only got a 680 on rebuild.

There was another of the rebodies in that post. See if you can guess which it was. 

[artdjones]

On 22/03/2026 at 17:03, Inspector Morose said:

The trolleybuses were being replaced with outdated (but sturdy and, importantly, cheap) Guy Arabs, with the bodybuilder chosen being down to price -

Weren't those the bodies that only lasted a few years, with them then being removed, and the chassis being sent out to Hong Kong for rebodying.

[Inspector Morose]

Just now, artdjones said:

Weren't those the bodies that only lasted a few years, with them then being removed, and the chassis being sent out to Hong Kong for rebodying.

They were shit, for sure but the Wolverhampton Arabs were sold for export after about 10 years service. The bodies on them were removed in the UK, apart from one which was cut doe to form a rudimentary lorry and filled with seat frames and other body fittings for use by the HK bodybuilders.

A few were rebooted again using kits supplied by Alexander. One chassis was sent back to the UK to act as a prototype but all other kits were supplied CKD.

The one chassis sent back was one that had been fully refurbished with fresh engine and mechanicals. Usually, during this process, all identiries were removed making tracking the ex UK buses a bit harder. Unfortunately the identities of the one earmarked to be sent (one of the shortened long dragons, I think) and an ex Wolverhampton Arab was mixed up and an ex UK bus  crossed the sea yet  again to the UK. On return to HK after its third body had been completed, it was quietly renumbered to match the 'identiry' of the chassis

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Walsall Corporation Dennis Lance.New alongside 4 more in 1934/5.These seated just 27 passengers and were purchased for more rural routes,such as Bloxwich to Great Wyrley,via Cheslyn Hay,turning round via Darges Ln/Walsall Rd/Station Rd.Nicknamed the Wyrley Wizzer,also the piggy bus due to their short bonnet.This particular one lasted till the end of the war,but another lasted until 1961 as a staff canteen in Bradford Place Walsall.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[worldofceri]

On 24/03/2026 at 20:11, Inspector Morose said:

There was another of the rebodies in that post. See if you can guess which it was.

AEH 227A I should think?

I have hazy memories of running back from London, Stevo’s coaches side by side at 70+ mph on the M1; teenagers jumping around all over the place, egging the drivers on; teachers indifferent.

Happy days. Different times.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[SunnySouth]

Rode on this fyne shyte courtesy of ‘MoreBus’ (the former Wilts & Dorset) outfit in Bournemouth earlier this week. Absolutely shagged, it’s a convertible open topper liveried up for their New Forest tour hence its continuing aliveness. I like these, handsome looking things. Arguably not on for major operators to be turning stuff out in this sort of state though in 2026…

[loserone]

18 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

The infamous number 11 Birmingham bus!

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[Leyland Worldmaster]

4 hours ago, SunnySouth said:

Rode on this fyne shyte courtesy of ‘MoreBus’ (the former Wilts & Dorset) outfit in Bournemouth earlier this week. Absolutely shagged, it’s a convertible open topper liveried up for their New Forest tour hence its continuing aliveness. I like these, handsome looking things. Arguably not on for major operators to be turning stuff out in this sort of state though in 2026…

ELC, innit. Those patches and that superb* fit and finish? They were like that from new!

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[Inspector Morose]

Sunday trolleybus interlude. Yeah, I've played with my fair share of them; I suppose there aren't many of my generation who have had the chance to drive, work on and photograph trolleybuses in bulk. Somewhere, down south, I still have my 1000v AVO meter... Spicy.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

 

[SunnySouth]

On 28/11/2011 at 20:51, Justin Case said:

A triumph of optimism over realism?

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5068/5621821256_84161120c8.jpg

Dennis Dart, Thandi Executive by geoffp5, on Flickr

Ex dual door affair by the looks it; that’d narrow down its former owner a fair bit!

[SunnySouth]

Please Sir, can I have some More(bus)…?

Have you had enough, or are ya thirsty for More(bus)…..??

Okay that’s enough of that.

MoreBus, formerly Wilts & Dorset, continue to run an epic fleet full of ageing Shite. Splendid

Here’s a lineup of long serving Scania Omnicitys (Omnicities??), hailing from 2008 or thereabouts. Two of them are complete with life expired paint which used to be red, and the one second from left is called Mark. Good wholesome stuff. These share the backbone of the local duties along with a sizeable fleet of 12 plate Wright/Volvo single deckers; it really is a bastion of older times when companies ran ‘proper’ heavyweight buses.

Next up, the leafy streets of Dorset suburbia as seen from the best seats in the house on a positively ancient 2005 East Lancs/Volvo, one of the fleet’s convertible open toppers which look set to survive yet another summer season despite being unavoidably - if we’re going to be charitable - “tired”. Long may they reign!

Aaaand finally, a positively amphibious EvoSeti, also a convertible but not yet brave enough to take its top off, seen crossing Poole harbour on the chain ferry. Nice little day out!

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[SunnySouth]

I assume that VR is taking off from Trooper’s Lodge Motors’ garage, based on the sign?

[mk2_craig]

On 01/04/2026 at 18:32, SunnySouth said:

Ex dual door affair by the looks it; that’d narrow down its former owner a fair bit!

Probably one of these. Not the long wheelbase version so cant have had a huge seating capacity with that original second exit layout 

[WhatsGotWheels]

This drove past me yesterday with a wedding party aboard...