A suprise bus arrival

[STUNO]

Got to work this morning and there were TWO of these parked in our yard.! By tonight one had gone to be readied for work.

Can anyone tell me where they are from, the other has from memory the same prefix and suffix. Has anyone any driving experience?

 

A suprise in the yard by stuno602, on Flickr

 

the front! by stuno602, on Flickr

[Ross_K]

MX is Manchester/Merseyside I think.

[willswitchengage]

Typed the reg into Google:

 

Helms of Eastham MX09 ANR (L) and X867 CCA, Chester 20th Apr 2011 by DF57 OXF, on Flickr

[Rocket88]

I'd like to see the bloke from the Autoglass advert tackling the winscreen on that.................

[Cavcraft]

Ooh, not that far from where I work (Helms) and that picture looks like the bus exchange behind the town hall in Chester. Hadn't noticed the bus around but will keep Dixie.

[Rover414]

I believe Helms have binned all this type off bar one as he wasn't too happy with them. They've recently been replaced with older motors.

[Inspector Morose]

Digging around, Helms is/was owned by John Cherry. He owns the ultimate in Autoshite buses; the only two surviving Foden NCs! One is roadworthy and I think the other is being worked on. Shite because only seven and a half were built in the 70s and were notoriously crap with bits of the transmission made of cheese.

[Vin]

Hadn't noticed the bus around but will keep Dixie.

 

You'll have a job Cav. That bus is now in New Zealand...

[cms206]

Not driven a Versa, but they're closely related to the Optare Solo. I am informed that the Versa is as shite as the Solo, so it should be pretty damn poor. Our Cummins ISB6 powered 09-plate Solo suffers from electrical issues and shears propshafts with monotonous regularity, and it's just lunched it's third gearbox.

 

My personal record with it was on a teabreak shift. Picked the bus up at 11.50, engine temperature light and buzzer on at 12.00, gearbox temperature warning and limp home mode at 12.08, normally followed by coasting into the next bus stop at approximately 12.12. Every day. For three weeks.

 

Dreadful piles of shit.

[STUNO]

Thanks all. We have 7 solo's, all with Merc.engines and Allison gearboxes, they have had a variety of litle problems, but the man who pays the bills likes them. Four were new and 3 s/hand. One recently ate its gearbox, but that can always happen!

We will see how the Versas go.

[Justin Case]

Digging around, Helms is/was owned by John Cherry. He owns the ultimate in Autoshite buses; the only two surviving Foden NCs! One is roadworthy and I think the other is being worked on. Shite because only seven and a half were built in the 70s and were notoriously crap with bits of the transmission made of cheese.

Is one of those the ex-WMPTE one, I knew that it had survived, but I thought that it was in Norfolk?

[Inspector Morose]

Is one of those the ex-WMPTE one, I knew that it had survived, but I thought that it was in Norfolk?

 

Yes, but it still under slow restoration. It'll be done eventually as his other one, the west yorkshire one, has recently been finished back into wypte colours.

 

It used to be in Norfolk, at an operator called Goldsmiths of Sicklesmere. He bought it from Partridge coaches, who acquired it it with a number of 'jumbo' Fleetlines from WMPTE in 1982. Goldsmiths ran it for about six months before the inevitable transmission problems reared their head and so it was parked up at the front of his yard until a solution for the problems could be found. There it sat 'till 2004!

 

In 2004, Keith Billingsley of Ailsa restoring greatness, bought 6300 and moved it to the transport museum at Wythal. As well as the bus, he tracked down and purchased a complete set of running gear from Bullocks of Cheadle who bought and scrapped the half built test bed many years previously.

 

Unfortunately, Keith couldn't carry on with the ownership of the bus due to other commitments so he passed it to John Cherry who owned and operated the other survivor. Here it is safe and will be restored eventually but it has to be fitted inbetween operating Aintree Coaches and Helms.

[STUNO]

A bit of daylight photography, and the other Versa identified.

 

DSCF1263 by stuno602, on Flickr

Both painted and waiting for finishing

 

DSCF1255 by stuno602, on Flickr

 

In our workshop for checking over

DSCF1254 by stuno602, on Flickr

DSCF1257 by stuno602, on Flickr

And the one now Green is revealed as...

DSCF1260 by stuno602, on Flickr

[Ross_K]

DSCF1254 by stuno602, on Flickr

 

That portalift is well handy. Never seen one of those before...

[STUNO]

That portalift is well handy. Never seen one of those before...

 

Very handy ! There are six lifters to cope with the twin rears. not sure where it is from but I will have a look. It can lift anything we have got, the biggest is a new Mercedes 50 seater coach.

 

EDIT from here>>>> http://www.endurequip.com.au/