Bus Shite

[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.

[willswitchengage]

I guess at the end of the day white is the cheapest and most future-proof colour and minimal vinyls are easy to apply. Places like Manchester will become boring as all the buses will become white - First's recent refresh is very dull too. Again, I preferred the strong colours of the old blue/pink livery. At least the London buses look smart and are easily recogisable in that deep red colour.

[LightBulbFun]

for me its a bit too pastel, I prefer the deep vibrant colours of the old stagecoach livery

but that shouldn't come as a surprise, as I grew up with it, most of East London's bus routes where tendered by stagecoach!

I personally miss the old swirls round the back, it contrasted well with the overall red that London buses are  

[Asimo]

Where are the  "zero-emisions" busses**to come from?   

Are there any (that aren't a trolley-bus)?   

Or is this just a bit of Boris-spin?

**Is busses really the plural of bus?

[martc]

47 minutes ago, Asimo said:

Where are the  "zero-emisions" busses**to come from?   

Are there any (that aren't a trolley-bus)?   

Or is this just a bit of Boris-spin?

**Is busses really the plural of bus?

One is old hat, the other the future, can you guess which is which?

[Crackers]

Possibly one for the EBAY BARGINZ thread. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bedford-Val-italian-job-bus-mini-doormobile-business-venture-collector-classic/283776210462

Strewth. 

[Inspector Morose]

Dubiously obtained registration included as well? 

[busmansholiday]

Stagecoach's new app is good as it now gives you live tracking of buses. Just sat in the pub and it looks pretty as accurate for what's going past me.

[willswitchengage]

On 2/12/2020 at 11:36 AM, Asimo said:

Where are the  "zero-emisions" busses**to come from?   

Are there any (that aren't a trolley-bus)?   

Or is this just a bit of Boris-spin?

**Is busses really the plural of bus?

BYD makes chassis that ADL has bodied as a single decker. I see them increasingly frequently in London but have never travelled on or read about them.

Brighton buses has bought a load of E400 electric things which are apparently 'range extended'. My Grandad uses them on his route and told me they really are fully electric. Surprising too as they're used on a very hilly route. Plenty of them on their official fan-site:

http://history.buses.co.uk/history/currentfleet/welcome.htm

The plural of bus is bi.

[Zelandeth]

Been on one of the BYD ADL things once.  Main memory?  That it rattled like a 30 year old PS being driven down a cobbled street flat out and that it looked like the glazing was about to part company with the bodywork at any moment.

[busmansholiday]

11 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Been on one of the BYD ADL things once.  Main memory?  That it rattled like a 30 year old PS being driven down a cobbled street flat out and that it looked like the glazing was about to part company with the bodywork at any moment.

Remember being on a couple of year old Ikarus in Romania back in 1991 where the windows were already being held in with wooden wedges.

Good to see progress on the transport mode for the masses of the future.

[busmansholiday]

Good to see that Stagecoach's new single deck livery didn't last long.

Have version 2.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 1/11/2020 at 9:51 PM, 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. 

 

nx wm may just have that crown with MOF225 which does go out earning monies

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

NX Walsall Depot yesterday.