AnthonyG Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Hey here's one, there were a few still kicking around Jersey early-mid 90s though I think all gone now, I remember someone telling me that much of the original Bedford tin was retained under that boxlike front end, including the outer wings! GR8 for cutting a hole in the back and using to transport a Mini. That's terrible! Love the way the FE Victor lights 'sort of' fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I vote for anything bodied by East Lancs prior to the Cityzen! I quite liked the East Lancs European, however I will agree that 99% of everything East Lancs ever did was somewhat severe looking. I shall illustrate using our recently acquired and somewhat fearsome looking Volvo Citybus... DJ International - A308 RSU by cms206, on Flickr Actually, I'm going to back track a bit and say that looks alright. Is that an ex Irvine's bus. Its doing well at 28 years old. It is a keeper? The Dundee East Lancs Mk3 Ailsas with the MK2 Alexander Ailsa style front panel were quite smart, actually preferred them to the 'genuine' ones: Tayside Buses . 80 A80SSP . Dundee Town Centre . by AndrewHA ., on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 More dubious aesthetics - take a nice curvy Burlingham Seagull coach, graft on a flat bus front and this is what you get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Actually, I'm going to back track a bit and say that looks alright. Is that an ex Irvine's bus. Its doing well at 28 years old. It is a keeper? It was first registered in October 1983 as a Volvo demonstrator, the 8th Volvo Citybus chassis built. Sold to A1 Service in Ayrshire, totally rebuilt when about six years old, passed to Stagecoach when A1 sold out and moved on to Marshall's of Baillieston in 2000. We got it from them at the end of last year when Marshall's ceased trading. It'd been off the road for about two years when we got it and needed a new battery box and some electrical tinkering for MOT which it sailed through on the first attempt. Not a bad old tub to drive either, only weighs 9300kg though so it gets a bit wayward in high winds... it's the spare bus for our 1995 Dennis Dragon and the boss is rumbling about getting it painted in fleet livery, so it should be a keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Can we measure how shite a bus is by how many years' service it has accomplished? Most single deckers probably manage about 15 years on the road - perhaps nearer to 20 years for your average coach or double decker. This one, however, didn't even rack up three! S47 RGA by JE1791 photos, on Flickr The vehicle details for S47 RGA are:Date of Liability 31 10 2001 Date of First Registration 24 12 1998 Year of Manufacture 1998 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 6871cc CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type HEAVY OIL Export Marker N Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour WHITE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Can we measure how shite a bus is by how many years' service it has accomplished? Most single deckers probably manage about 15 years on the road - perhaps nearer to 20 years for your average coach or double decker. This one, however, didn't even rack up three! S47 RGA by JE1791 photos, on Flickr The vehicle details for S47 RGA are:Date of Liability 31 10 2001 Date of First Registration 24 12 1998 Year of Manufacture 1998 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 6871cc CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type HEAVY OIL Export Marker N Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour WHITE S47 was one of a batch of ten operated by Dart Buses here in Paisley; Dart ceased trading in 2001 and this along with 49 and 51 IIRC were sold to MacEwans of Amisfield. This one unfortunately wasn't used... S46 RGA had an even shorter life, having set itself on fire on the M8 before melting itself into the tarmac at the Linwood cut off of the A737... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hey here's one, there were a few still kicking around Jersey early-mid 90s though I think all gone now, I remember someone telling me that much of the original Bedford tin was retained under that boxlike front end, including the outer wings! GR8 for cutting a hole in the back and using to transport a Mini. That's terrible! Love the way the FE Victor lights 'sort of' fit. Hold on. They're Mk2 Capri lights! I'm loving the wipers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Can we measure how shite a bus is by how many years' service it has accomplished? Most single deckers probably manage about 15 years on the road - perhaps nearer to 20 years for your average coach or double decker. This one, however, didn't even rack up three! S47 RGA by JE1791 photos, on Flickr The vehicle details for S47 RGA are:Date of Liability 31 10 2001 Date of First Registration 24 12 1998 Year of Manufacture 1998 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 6871cc CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type HEAVY OIL Export Marker N Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour WHITE Seems an awful waste that it wasnt used! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Can we measure how shite a bus is by how many years' service it has accomplished? Most single deckers probably manage about 15 years on the road - perhaps nearer to 20 years for your average coach or double decker. This one, however, didn't even rack up three! S47 RGA by JE1791 photos, on Flickr The vehicle details for S47 RGA are:Date of Liability 31 10 2001 Date of First Registration 24 12 1998 Year of Manufacture 1998 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 6871cc CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type HEAVY OIL Export Marker N Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour WHITE Seems an awful waste that it wasnt used! I remember Dart's super-smoky Nationals tooling around Glasgow. Last time I saw one was in '99. Nice to see the old Citybus being returned to the road - quite a significant Scottish bus then! Have you read the book about Ailsa Buses released last year? Its actually more about the Citybus and its not a bad read. Got poor reviews but I liked it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I remember Dart's super-smoky Nationals tooling around Glasgow. Last time I saw one was in '99. Nice to see the old Citybus being returned to the road - quite a significant Scottish bus then! Have you read the book about Ailsa Buses released last year? Its actually more about the Citybus and its not a bad read. Got poor reviews but I liked it! I actually owned Dart's last surviving National (N29, AHH 206T, new as Cumberland Motor Services 206... hence cms206) but it ended up vandalised after a spell in outside storage. Still a bit pissed off at that... ended up going for spares. The old Citybus isn't a bad tub for a Mk1 B10M, does 46mph flat out and leaks like a sieve the way all East Lancs bodies should. I was thoroughly disappointed with the book to be honest; if it had been called Volvo Double Deckers it probably wouldn't have recieved such a bad reception... The Volvo Bus by Doug Jack is quite a good read, indeed it features A308 RSU when new as a demo when it looked more like this... Citybus demonstrator by georgeupstairs, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Case Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 More dubious aesthetics - take a nice curvy Burlingham Seagull coach, graft on a flat bus front and this is what you get The Duple Viceroy bodied coach in the background would make this bus conversion about 15 years old at the time the photo was taken, so it's really quite clever as it would have been too old for front-line coach duties The background looks depressing enough to be Harper Bros yard at Heath Hayes,near Cannock, in which case you will be pleased to see that on of their Guy Arabs with Seagull bodywork has been preserved and is a regular sight at local events 1959 Guy Arab Burlingham. 1294 RE. by Albert S. Bite, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammy Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 For bus shite, it has to be some of the following: Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen - Leyland's answer to the swanky European import integrals of the late 1970's and 1980's. A Tiger chassis with rear mounted Leyland TL11 rated at about 245bhp and with in house Roe built bodywork. Sold in fairly limited numbers, additionally with Plaxton & Van Hool body options before being one of the buses killed off when Volvo took over Leyland Bus in 1988. Apparently the screens were over £1000 each and are now almost impossible to obtain, whilst the headlights were the same used on the Rolls Silver Spur of the 1980's. There are not many Royal Tigers around, and few retain the original badge on the front. The MCW Metropolitan and MCW Metro-Scania single decker - buses well beyond the dross BL and other domestic builders were knocking out at the time. Powerful Scania engines that were refined and quiet compared with ploddy Gardners, smooth auto transmission and air suspension. Sadly let down by poor application and understanding, plus appalling body corrision caused by Aluminium and steel not being properly treated before put together. Most of London's were sent straight for scrap after 4-5 years service and few had really long service lives except with persistant operators. Shame as they were great buses to ride on and very very fast. At the time of its production, a few Ford A-series were made into minibuses for operation, the neatest view of what would later become the future was the Alexander bodied Ford A-series like this shown here. Few had long lives and sales were poor as the type didn't catch on with NBC operators stuck in the past. Come deregulation it would be the Transit that would become the sales winner for Ford, although this would also be short lived as 'breadvan' converted minibuses gave way to larger chassis based vehices with proper bodywork at a time when Ford was nothing more than an importer for Iveco stuff. This is another sad tale of right bus, wrong time - The Bedford JJL devolped around the early 1980's was an automatic low entry city bus when such things didn't exist, sadly not without its troubles and introduced to a market that was only interested in full size buses at the time. A few years later and it could have been a huge sales winner, proved by the fact Dennis took the idea and introduced the Dart in 1989, that took Dennis from small time supplier of odd municipal fleets to the UK's biggest bus builder. Bedford were out of bus production by 1988. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Interesting buses Central Scottish had a few Ford A0609s, I don't remember them though. Funny how the Merc 709 and 711 really took off as UK bus chassis and the fords and Bedfords didnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammy Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Re the buses with trailers, BOAC & then BA ran a service to Heathrow prior to the Piccadilly line being extended to Heathrow in the mid/late 1970's after which most of the RMA's passed to London Transport for use as staff buses at the Aldenham Bus works near Elstree. After the Weymouth train workings through the town between state owned Ferry and Railway were reduced, the local NBC operation had two buses on a dedicated Ferrybus service and they carried a special livery complete with NBC, BR and Sealink logos. These were Leyland National buses and towed a locomotors trailer. Imagine arriving at the boat to find your luggage coated in a fine mist of oil and shit spewed out by the clacking Leyland 0.510 engine fitted to these buses! Of course, trailers originated on buses as a source of fuel too from WW2 gas buses to to the bat shit mental Electric National Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Those electric Nationals towing the batteries-what were they thinking?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobblers Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Whoah! Where can I find out more about that electric national? That's right up my street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 There's a very good book about the National that I have Called ' Bus Monographs - The Leyand National' by Stephen Morris. It was printed in 1984 so no colour as the title suggests, but all the variations are covered. Its a great read, I go back to it every few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Whoah! Where can I find out more about that electric national? That's right up my street. Can't remember the exact story, but apparantly it was deemed fucking hopeless; from memory it passed to Crosville for use on the Runcorn Busway (equally fucking hopeless) and it died early on as a source of spares for more standard Nationals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 the headlights were the same used on the Rolls Silver Spur of the 1980's. And the indicators nicked off a Leyland Roadtrain tractor unit presumably. I love playing spot the components raided from a car manufacturer's parts bin L668 MFL by markkirk85, on FlickrFiesta mk2 headlamp/indicators K972 HUB by mr-bg, on FlickrEscort mk4 estate rear lamp clusters Probably a whole bunch of BL stuff like Allegro indicator stalk. But I only included this for the Hyundai Pony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Think the metrorider has mk5 cortina front lights and indicators. I think the Optare Starider has mk3 Granada headlights and indicators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I know there was a coach which used Mk1 Fiat Punto rear lights. It never looked right. I've utterly forgotten what it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Saab headlamps? Southend Transport Coach Q856MEV by Beechwood Photography, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatdaft Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Really enjoying these bus and truck threads,the talk about car lamps on them reminded me of an italian registered coach i was behind about 10 years ago,it had tipo rear lamps that looked tiny on its huge white rear end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 A40 sandwich - Detling 2011 :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadworkUK Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I know there was a coach which used Mk1 Fiat Punto rear lights. It never looked right. I've utterly forgotten what it was. Noge Catalan. Also fetchingly equipped with 3-Series headlamps (first E36, then E46). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Ah, you did find it in the end then? Funnily enough, a google search brought up your post last year asking what coach they were fitted to (but not the answer!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cms206 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Really enjoying these bus and truck threads,the talk about car lamps on them reminded me of an italian registered coach i was behind about 10 years ago,it had tipo rear lamps that looked tiny on its huge white rear end. Beulas Stergo, normally sold in the UK on Iveco chassis... (shite pic, sorry)PICT06355 by keith299, on Flickr Think the metrorider has mk5 cortina front lights and indicators. I think the Optare Starider has mk3 Granada headlights and indicators. Coach-spec StarRiders also had upside down mk3 Granada tail lights; the StarRider E used the standard Merc T2 front. I'm sure there are others I can't remember; IIRC the Titan/National 2/Tiger/Olympian all use the same dashboard and instruments, but nothing is sourced from the car ranges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Indcar Maxim. No prizes for guessing where those rearlights came from The front is weird too - what are those headlights from? Sitcar Beluga with Merc M-class headlights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M'coli Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I'd guess they're Calibra headlamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 A lot of Optare's stuff was part bin specials, vents from 1970's cars and dashboards robbed from the Iveco-Ford parts bin. Plaxton also had a knack of using the same airvents as used on the Mk3 Fiesta/Mk4 Escort on their 90's spec coaches. I don't know what happened to the electric National, but I understand it was total cack and didn't last very long in service as an electric vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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