Bus Shite

[danthecapriman]

Went for a walk this morning not too far from home. Spotted this AEC Regent V parked up in a lay-by!

CTT 510C

 
It’s a cool old thing, but definitely seems to be in use as a giant camper van. Seems a bit of a shame for it in some ways.

[Inspector Morose]

One of the things about being a bus photter for a while is that you can do your own then and now photos. 

I popped to Belfast a while ago (cheap flights FTW), then realised it was nearly 25 years since I photographed buses over there before. Not quite the same with no REs and Leopards noising up the place.

Then:

######

Now:

 

[worldofceri]

5 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

##

Pretty wild that Northern Ireland used ROI  in their registrations.

[Inspector Morose]

You feel old when the buses you used to work on are in a museum.

This was also the first Metrorider I drove. Where has the time gone?

[busmansholiday]

When you can remember the last night of the trams in Sheffield (October 1960), then you know you're foooking old !!!

[SunnySouth]

Just stumbled across this; Centurian coaches’ yard targetted with pretty much every pane of glass smashed. Some heritage stuff in there as well. Absolutely gutting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cddql4zvml7o

Excellent response from the community & industry, and fair play to the police for actually nicking them - sounds like staff managed a quick response and caught them in the act. Let’s hope justice is served - the offenders (or those ‘responsible’ for them) receiving an uncomfortable education in the price of bus glazing would be a decent outcome.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[busmansholiday]

On 29/04/2026 at 19:17, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Next to bottom looks like Wombwell diesels (bottom is Hull for those that don't know).

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

...

[SunnySouth]

A couple of snaps from the Friends of King Alfred Buses Bank Hol running day in Winchester; a very nicely put together event:

 

[RoadworkUK]

"Forbidden" in that context needs to make a big comeback.

 

[SunnySouth]

3 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

"Forbidden" in that context needs to make a big comeback.

 

Doesn’t it! I’m sat on a bus now, relocated to the sit down the back for exactly that reason, halfwit ‘broadcasting’ at the front…

[Metal Guru]

On 03/05/2026 at 20:22, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

 

A Maidstone trolley bus going to Loose. I didn’t remember them being that weird brown colour.

[Inspector Morose]

33 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

A Maidstone trolley bus going to Loose. I didn’t remember them being that weird brown colour.

Barming to Loose route. One of the better route destinations trolleybuses ran to. In Reading there was St Marys Butts, Bradford had Tong Cemetery…

The Maidstone trolleybus network (if you can call two routes a network), was operated by the council whose livery was depicted by the ex-Hastings trolleybus above. They finally ended operations in 1967.  Maidstone and District whose livery was Green/cream, took over the Hastings trolleybus operations and quickly phased them out, replacing them with very early Atlantean PDR1/1s.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

[cms206]

5 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Barming to Loose route. One of the better route destinations trolleybuses ran to. In Reading there was St Marys Butts, Bradford had Tong Cemetery…

There must be room for a subthread in here somewhere for brilliant destinations.

I'll offer Fancy Farm in Greenock as a starter for ten.

[Metal Guru]

7 hours ago, Inspector Morose said:

Barming to Loose route. One of the better route destinations trolleybuses ran to. In Reading there was St Marys Butts, Bradford had Tong Cemetery…

The Maidstone trolleybus network (if you can call two routes a network), was operated by the council whose livery was depicted by the ex-Hastings trolleybus above. They finally ended operations in 1967.  Maidstone and District whose livery was Green/cream, took over the Hastings trolleybus operations and quickly phased them out, replacing them with very early Atlantean PDR1/1s.

I lived in Kent for the first 30 years of my life, so are more than familiar with M&D getting to school everyday for 7 years in the 70s. I would have only been about 5 when the Maidstone trolley buses ended which is probably why I can’t remember the colour. 
(Off topic)I remember Loose had a female Morris dancing side called the Loose Women. I don’t know whether they changed their name so not to be confused with the dreadful daytime TV show. 

[SilverMachine]

On 06/05/2026 at 01:05, SunnySouth said:

this needs to make a comeback on current public transport 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

The forerunner to Walsall Corporation Tramways.

http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/publictransport/electric5.htm

 

 

 

[lesapandre]

On 22/04/2026 at 14:29, danthecapriman said:

Went for a walk this morning not too far from home. Spotted this AEC Regent V parked up in a lay-by!

CTT 510C

 
It’s a cool old thing, but definitely seems to be in use as a giant camper van. Seems a bit of a shame for it in some ways.

Living the dream though. Looks like it should be at the Stonehenge Free Festival circa 1975.

I can offer nothing so trippy but a Routemaster spotted in Westminster yesterday evening.

(Building in the background is the Government’s Home Office)

[Remspoor]

On 09/05/2026 at 18:19, lesapandre said:

Living the dream though. Looks like it should be at the Stonehenge Free Festival circa 1975.

I can offer nothing so trippy but a Routemaster spotted in Westminster yesterday evening.

(Building in the background is the Government’s Home Office)

I got suggested the following video the other day. The presenter took a ride on the same bus.

 

[SunnySouth]

10 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I got suggested the following video the other day. The presenter took a ride on the same bus.

 

I can admit to having been on said vehicle, it was pretty good I recall! And it’s a rare treat to find an RM in ‘service’ (of some sort!) in London these days that isn’t a victim of the dreaded ‘Dartmaster’ rebuilds!

[Saabnut]

Interesting auction for the coach fans, running, projects and spares

Unreserved Retirement Auction of King Harry Coaches... (19 May 26)

[Inspector Morose]

6 hours ago, Saabnut said:

Interesting auction for the coach fans, running, projects and spares

Unreserved Retirement Auction of King Harry Coaches... (19 May 26)

Some rather tasty stuff in there; that Reliance/ Seagull 70 is an incredibly rare thing.

[Inspector Morose]

The UK's newest trolleybus. Quiet, it really wasn't. 

It really was a lash up of various off the shelf components to make a working bus. Even the trolley bases (the bit at the bottom of the poles that swivels and pushes the pole up to the wires) were a lash up. There were no suitable bases for a double deck trolleybus, as one hadn't been made for over 20 years by then, so single deck bases were used. That means all of the angles were wrong, and so what can only be described as a conning tower was built on the roof to angle the bases so that they could work correctly.

It's widely described as a Dominator chassis underneath, but as one of the few who have crawled over every inch of that thing (when we borrowed it to run at one of our trolleybus rallies), the rear of the chassis is wrong for a Dominator but not far from a Falcon. This would also explain the ridiculous height of the Dorman three cylinder diesel in the back for off the wire manoeuvring.

Not only have I driven it under electrical power, but I was the unfortunate sod who steered it under tow from Sandtoft to the BCLM  and back, as it couldn't be suspended towed due to that sodding tower on the roof.  It drove, well, just like a SYPTE Dominator really, as the acceleration was set at the same rate as an equivalent diesel bus of the time. One party trick it had was pulling 500A when you first switched it on, as the hydraulic pump for the power steering (also driving the 24v alternator) had no soft start on it. This was sometimes enough to overwhelm our line breaker leading to a wander down to the power house at the bottom of the site to reset the breaker. 

[lesapandre]

Another Routemaster in London yesterday. 

[High Jetter]

57 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Another Routemaster in London yesterday. 

They need a word with their graffix designer