Bus Shite

[Eyersey1234]

Just had a look at the ZF website, it goes on about Arsetronic giving lorries efficient progress. Presumably they don't give a toss about coaches then. 

[cms206]

11 hours ago, Eyersey1234 said:

@83C 2.5mpg is fucking awful, why the hell was it so bad? 

I reset the computer on mine yesterday and over about four hours I averaged 7.9mpg on a mixed cycle.

[Eyersey1234]

I'm told our NX B9Rs average about 7-8mpg whereas the Scanias are averaging about 10 even though they are bigger, heavier and have bigger engines. 

[cobblers]

13 hours ago, cms206 said:

i-Shift is a walk in the park compared to AS-Tronic.

 

Now THAT is a fucking pile of arse.

 

Then there's AS-Tronic Lite, for fleet managers who really really fucking hate their drivers. I can't complain though - I don't have to drive the fuckers and there's a months wage in rebuilt units on my workbench ready to post out.

They're basically a slightly more industrial version of the fiat 500 auto gearbox setup, but with a lot less sensors.

[bramz7]

What's the oldest REVENUE earning bus you've seen lately? I'm in Bristol and saw W809PAE in use, a Volvo B7(?) with ALX400 bodywork in use with First and their motley fleet of newish and not so new stuff. Listed as a 9.6 litre engine. 

 

[LightBulbFun]

19 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

What's the oldest REVENUE earning bus you've seen lately? I'm in Bristol and saw W809PAE in use, a Volvo B7(?) with ALX400 bodywork in use with First and their motley fleet of newish and not so new stuff. Listed as a 9.6 litre engine. 

 

 RM871 WLT871 1962 AEC Routemaster saw it working Route 8 during one of my driving lessons, but normally works Route 15  

[jon.k]

19 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

What's the oldest REVENUE earning bus you've seen lately? I'm in Bristol and saw W809PAE in use, a Volvo B7(?) with ALX400 bodywork in use with First and their motley fleet of newish and not so new stuff. Listed as a 9.6 litre engine. 

 

I was just thinking exactly this and came here to post. A few pages back I posted a Plaxton Supreme which is still doing a school contract past my house every day. It's old Y reg, I think!

When I'm looking through classic bus magazines/books I'm always calculating how old the vehicles were when they were taken out of service. I love seeing the survivors..

[Eyersey1234]

VKH 44, a Willowbrook bodied AEC Regent V new to EYMS in 1956. Now used for weddings etc. 

[Eyersey1234]

Heading back to the depot for the last time earlier. 

[bramz7]

Okay by revenue service I mean with a frontline company, not on a heritage route or on schools or for hire. 

 

[LightBulbFun]

6 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

Okay by revenue service I mean with a frontline company, not on a heritage route or on schools or for hire. 

 

ok this could probably be classed as special circumstance so does not exactly count

but pretty much any time there's a tube strike all the Routemasters and RTs and other vintage buses come out to play on frontline routes to provide extra capacity  

its always amusing to keep an eye on twitter/social media during these times as the commuters tweet their bewilderment as a 1940s RT pulls up to the bus stop to pick them up  

and I must be one of the few people who actually look forward to tube strikes for these reasons LOL

[Eyersey1234]

Our oldest front line bus is a 54 reg Wright bodied Volvo B7RLE

[Steve79]

2 hours ago, bramz7 said:

What's the oldest REVENUE earning bus you've seen lately? I'm in Bristol and saw W809PAE in use, a Volvo B7(?) with ALX400 bodywork in use with First and their motley fleet of newish and not so new stuff. Listed as a 9.6 litre engine. 

 

First Bristol seem to reserve all of their newer buses for journey's within a 3 mile radius of the city centre. The further out you go from there the older the fleet stock that gets used. I wouldn't be surprised if a Leyland Lynx rocked up one day!

I regularly see 2001 and older buses around my area (Bath side of Bristol) and you can hear the things coming a mile off and belching black death everywhere.

The last time i got a bus into Bristol centre from my house it was on a w-reg first bus and it sounded fucked. I was sat in the back and something was grinding and banging hard under the floor!

I'm sure First see maintainence as optional on their buses!

Makes me yearn for the days when i used to get the school bus. Crown Coaches had the contract with Avon County Council at the time. 

They usually supplied one of these most days

[jon.k]

There are a few Y reg darts with LMS travel around me ( Pershore). They look quite smart really.

When I was in school we had the very last dregs of the VRs, Atlanteans and Nationals which were getting seriously worn out.  I suppose they were about 25 - 30 years old at the time. 

[cms206]

Bagged a shot of my first Trident on Friday; 88-seats, 260bhp and a four speed Voith 'box.

Very pleasant.

[Zelandeth]

I think First Aberdeen have just finally in the last couple of months retired the last of their B10BLEs, some of those were definitely on W and X plates recently, they went as far back as R, but I think the earlier ones went a while back.

[busmansholiday]

18 hours ago, Steve79 said:

I'm sure First see maintainence as optional on their buses!

You're not the only person who thinks that.

[Eyersey1234]

1 hour ago, cms206 said:

Bagged a shot of my first Trident on Friday; 88-seats, 260bhp and a four speed Voith 'box.

Very pleasant.

Early Tridents don't have the best of reputations but I drove an ex Lothian open top one when we used it on the short lived Hull Explorer service and I didn't think it was that bad. 

[willswitchengage]

On 1/7/2020 at 10:05 AM, cobblers said:

 

Then there's AS-Tronic Lite, for fleet managers who really really fucking hate their drivers. I can't complain though - I don't have to drive the fuckers and there's a months wage in rebuilt units on my workbench ready to post out.

They're basically a slightly more industrial version of the fiat 500 auto gearbox setup, but with a lot less sensors.

Are they basically a single Unit that both decides what gear to be in and actually operate the selector mechanism?

[cobblers]

Yep. The shift actuator bolts on top of the gearbox has paddles that move side to side and fore and aft to select gears, just like you would manually. You could unbolt the hydraulic jobbie off the top and put a gearstick on if you want, the box itself is basically unmodified. 

On the side of the box is a 24v hydraulic pump, 8 solenoids and an ECU to control them. The clutch is actuated by a hydraulic slave cylinder.  They don't have clutch temp sensors or anything like the Fiat 500 gearbox does - it has position sensors in the clutch actuator and you "teach" it the bite point when renewing the clutch, then they sort of self learn as it goes along, until it gets water in the ECU, the motor brushes wear out, the hydraulic pressure sensor fails or someone tops it up with brake fluid instead of hydraulic oil.

All it needs from the vehicle is a 24v, ground and a pair of CAN wires so it can pick up the various signals from the engine and ABS ECUs to "tune" the shift points.

[LightBulbFun]

bit of an ask a shitter question but bus focused and perhaps one for @MorrisItalSLX ?

but I have been wondering when it comes to vintage australian buses, does anyone know why do they have the head lamps set so far apart?

im guessing it was down to some sort of rule/regulation at the time, but Im wondering if anyone knows exactly what its about etc?  

[busmansholiday]

Go Plymouth still have some R reg Wright bodied single decks as I saw one on Wednesday trundling around the lanes of Cornwall.

[busmansholiday]

What do people think of Stagecoachs' new colour schemes.

https://www.route-one.net/bus-routes/stagecoach-new-livery-unveiled-by-group/

[willswitchengage]

28 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

What do people think of Stagecoachs' new colour schemes.

https://www.route-one.net/bus-routes/stagecoach-new-livery-unveiled-by-group/

Disappointing. Stagecoach beforehand had the strongest brand identity of any of the 'big four' imho. Bold, warm and strong colours, their trains looked superb too. I even liked their interior moquette. Instantly recognisable. Love or hate the company their old buses did look very uniform and smart.

[Zelandeth]

That's quite clean I think.  The yellow one they're suggesting for the long distance ones in particular (echoes of the old City link colours?). 

Only thing I'm not sold one is the orange on the chin.  Just looks out of place.

[MorrisItalSLX]

5 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

bit of an ask a shitter question but bus focused and perhaps one for @MorrisItalSLX ?

but I have been wondering when it comes to vintage australian buses, does anyone know why do they have the head lamps set so far apart?

im guessing it was down to some sort of rule/regulation at the time, but Im wondering if anyone knows exactly what its about etc?  

I have never realised how far apart they are before, and I have no idea why they are if I’m honest.

I would get in touch with the Sydney Bus Museum, the volunteers there are incredibly knowledgeable.

https://www.sydneybusmuseum.info/

[busmansholiday]

Here's one of the launch buses back in service locally to me.

Actually looks better in the flesh, but that orange front needs some British Rail black stripes on it!

[warch]

On 2/9/2020 at 7:41 PM, LightBulbFun said:

bit of an ask a shitter question but bus focused and perhaps one for @MorrisItalSLX ?

but I have been wondering when it comes to vintage australian buses, does anyone know why do they have the head lamps set so far apart?

im guessing it was down to some sort of rule/regulation at the time, but Im wondering if anyone knows exactly what its about etc?  

I do know that certain foreign markets (including Australia) required the headlights on all vehicles to be fitted on the outer extremities, presumably to help drivers work out how wide vehicles coming in the opposite direction were . This is why Land Rover for example moved the lights from the grille panel to the wings during the late 1960s. 

[Crackers]

39 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

Here's one of the launch buses back in service locally to me.

Actually looks better in the flesh, but that orange front needs some British Rail black stripes on it!

Shame there's so much white on it. Gone are the days of lorries and buses in striking, colourful liveries. In fact a Waitrose wagon is about the most colourful thing on the road nowadays. 

[quicksilver]

It looks a bit of a mess to be honest. Lots of weird shapes that don't follow the panel lines and too much white on the sides, which will look horrible when it gets dirty. On double-deckers the advert panel goes right across the main design feature of the blue and green swoops and covers most of it up. Fail.