Bus Shite

[Inspector Morose]

12 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

@Inspector Morose is that you?  

I was born 37 days after the end of Bradford trolleybuses. 
little known fact was the final day of the Bradford trolleys was also the final day of the West Riding Wulfrunians in the same city. strangely enough, everyone was so busy photographing the trolleybuses that the final Wulfrunian journeys were little recorded to film.

and yes, ive managed ro drive that one under the wires too. an ex-Mexborough and Swinton BUT with an east lancs re body. Exceedingly pleasant and easy thing to drive. Even had saloon heaters.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[SilverMachine]

Darlington & Durham Running Day 2026

• Saturday 18 April 2026
• 10:00 16:00
• Aycliffe Bus Museum Durham Way North Newton Aycliffe, England, DL5 6BL United Kingdom

Darlington & Durham Running Day 2026 — a fantastic celebration of classic and modern buses, transport heritage, and community fun!

Join us for a full day of activity featuring:

A varied line-up of guest and home fleet vehicles
 Free bus rides throughout the day — including special surprise journeys!
 Stalls, traders, and refreshments
 Aycliffe Bus Museum open with a special exhibition and archive display

Whether you're a dedicated transport enthusiast, a family looking for a great day out, or simply someone who loves buses, this event has something for everyone.

If you’d like to bring a vehicle or host a stall, we’d love to hear from you!
 Contact us via:

    Facebook Messenger

    Email: [email protected]

We can’t wait to welcome you for what promises to be an amazing day!

https://www.aycliffe-bus.com/events/tf185q93fe452830dcb14nwqwmdlqm

free entry to museum, donations welcome!

[loserone]

@PSAPerv

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[busmansholiday]

20 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

I was born 37 days after the end of Bradford trolleybuses. 

Probably explains why you like Leyland Nationals......  

[calebaaront]

Not my photos, 

Ex First Kernow now First Solent Hilsea 44951 operating a 3113 for Hoeford, this is an incredibly rare allocation, with me behind the wheel. 
 

This is most likely the first and last time this bus will operate on this route 

[High Jetter]

22 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Hastings is one town along the coast from me, didn't know they had trolleybuses. Funnily enough, after looking at pics of them in Wolverhampton (her home town) she asked me if Eastbourne had them. I was doubtful, as I know we had the first municipal bus service - maybe I need to do more research. Ta for the pic.

[High Jetter]

A tiny bit of research shows Eastbourne's municipal bus service started in 1903, so no, we were unlikely to have had trolleybuses

[worldofceri]

So, Coventry City are apparently less than 48 hours and one football match away from winning the Championship.  As one of the tiny minority of people who  actively chose to live in Coventry, rather than happening to be born there, or ending up there due to some misfortune or other, this makes me kinda happy, despite I don’t generally give a crap about soccer.

Anyway, back in ‘87 they won the FA Cup and did a tour of the city aboard this bus which, has been kept be-stickered accordingly ever since.

In fact they did something significant a couple of years ago (can’t recall what) and the celebratory procession passed right by my house - the benefit of living on the main road.  I wasn’t quick enough to dash outside and grab a photo that time but, if the open top Daimler gets wheeled out again this year, perhaps this time I’ll be ready.

[Inspector Morose]

On 15/04/2026 at 18:31, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Ah, Happy Harold! After they'd finished with trolleybuses, Hastings fitted this with a Commer TS3 and manual gearbox so it could be driven around sans wires. 

More years than its decent to recall, we rescued a similar vintage ex Wolverhpton Trolleybus that had ended up in Ireland, being used as a caravan (really!) by a farmer. The story goes that every year, a tractor, driven by the farmers wife, was hitched up to the front and the whole thing was trundled along the lanes to the seaside.

As far as I know,  it's still in the same state as we found it, languishing at the rear of the depot at the Black Country Museum. 

5 minutes ago, worldofceri said:

So, Coventry City are apparently less than 48 hours and one football match away from winning the Championship.  As one of the tiny minority of people who  actively chose to live in Coventry, rather than happening to be born there, or ending up there due to some misfortune or other, this makes me kinda happy, despite I don’t generally give a crap about soccer.

Anyway, back in ‘87 they won the FA Cup and did a tour of the city aboard this bus which, has been kept be-stickered accordingly ever since.

In fact they did something significant a couple of years ago (can’t recall what) and the celebratory procession passed right by my house - the benefit of living on the main road.  I wasn’t quick enough to dash outside and grab a photo that time but, if the open top Daimler gets wheeled out again this year, perhaps this time I’ll be ready.

That was the final bus delivered to Coventry before being absorbed into  WMPTE. After its service life, it was freshened up and donated to the museum as a historically significant vehicle, only for the museum to cut its roof off and paint ot up for some celebration of some blokes kicking a bladder across a field. 

[PSAPerv]

On 15/04/2026 at 15:46, loserone said:

@PSAPerv

Yes I'll be popping along

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Black Country Museum. 

Apparently they have 3 now running on a larger circuit.

[Metal Guru]

7 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Hastings is one town along the coast from me, didn't know they had trolleybuses. Funnily enough, after looking at pics of them in Wolverhampton (her home town) she asked me if Eastbourne had them. I was doubtful, as I know we had the first municipal bus service - maybe I need to do more research. Ta for the pic.

I used to go Hastings a lot when I was a kid 60+ years ago and don’t remember any trolley buses. The only place I can remember them was Maidstone. 

[worldofceri]

9 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

That was the final bus delivered to Coventry before being absorbed into  WMPTE. After its service life, it was freshened up and donated to the museum as a historically significant vehicle, only for the museum to cut its roof off and paint ot up for some celebration of some blokes kicking a bladder across a field. 

It seems inappropriate when you put it like that but, were it not for the footy, I doubt the museum would keep it in running order. Like many of their exhibits it would likely just sit gathering dust. At least it gets a run out every decade or so.

[S2000]

@worldofceri which museum is this at? I went to Coventry Uni mid nineties and can use the museum as an excuse to visit the old stomping ground!

[worldofceri]

1 hour ago, S2000 said:

@worldofceri which museum is this at? I went to Coventry Uni mid nineties and can use the museum as an excuse to visit the old stomping ground!

It’s at the Coventry Transport Museum. Right in the centre of town across from Sainsbury’s. If you haven’t been back to Cov since the nineties you won’t have seen the museum’s new* facade, which, along with the Whittle Arch, replaced the old Hippodrome/Odeon building. Used to be free but there is a charge these days. They sometimes have ‘cars and coffee’ type meets in the square outside on Sunday mornings so could be worth looking up if there’s one that appeals.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[Matty]

21 hours ago, worldofceri said:

So, Coventry City are apparently less than 48 hours and one football match away from winning the Championship

I do hope not bud (rovers fan) 😄

[SilverMachine]

On 16/04/2026 at 21:37, PSAPerv said:

Yes I'll be popping along

i was stuck at work, hopefully was a good day, i was hoping for an early finish but didnt get! 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[busmansholiday]

@Yoss and @LightBulbFun,

It was only a matter of time before some c**t decided to do it...

 

 

https://www.route-one.net/news/golden-tours-unveils-worlds-first-fully-electric-aec-routemaster/

 

Bring back the death penalty!!!

[aotb]

There's enough of them about it's hardly destroying a rarely seen classic. 

[Yoss]

13 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

@Yoss and @LightBulbFun,

It was only a matter of time before some c**t decided to do it...

 

 

https://www.route-one.net/news/golden-tours-unveils-worlds-first-fully-electric-aec-routemaster/

 

Bring back the death penalty!!!

I'm actually less offended by that than the Dartmaster conversions. It's better to make no noise at all than the hideous din they make. 

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, busmansholiday said:

@Yoss and @LightBulbFun,

It was only a matter of time before some c**t decided to do it...

 

 

https://www.route-one.net/news/golden-tours-unveils-worlds-first-fully-electric-aec-routemaster/

 

Bring back the death penalty!!!

I don't like it, but if it keeps them alive, then maybe

[quicksilver]

17 hours ago, aotb said:

There's enough of them about it's hardly destroying a rarely seen classic. 

True, there's more than enough original Routemasters in preservation so it's not like they've electrified something rare. That one's already lost its roof and been modified in other ways so the electric conversion is hardly destroying its originality. At least it's something different from the rows of boring LT red ones you usually see at shows.

[cms206]

18 hours ago, Yoss said:

I'm actually less offended by that than the Dartmaster conversions. It's better to make no noise at all than the hideous din they make. 

I agree, as all the Dartmasters did was deprive a Metrorider of an engine... 🙃

[lisbon_road]

23 hours ago, Yoss said:

I'm actually less offended by that than the Dartmaster conversions. It's better to make no noise at all than the hideous din they make. 

I'm relaxed about this too.  Guess that's several of us all up for the death penalty then?

[Zelandeth]

Aye, it's already been messed around with a bunch anyway.  Plus from what I've seen open top tour operators generally aren't the most... sympathetic...in their treatment of vehicles so wouldn't surprise me if there were some right bodges present already.

I'd like to believe that the bits removed will have gone onto the used market and will help keep others on the road as well rather than just chucked in the scrap bin.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]