A Grand Day Out - Warning: old bus content

[Justin Case]

Perfect weather today for a trip to a private bus collection in Warwickshire. All the vehicles are in beautiful condition except for the projects so not at all bus-shite, but I hope that you will find them intersting .

Our transport for the day, an ex Greater Manchester Daimler Fleetline

 

Workshops

 

The main barn held wall to wall buses, so apologies for the quality of the next few shots:

 

Two generations of Royal Blue Bristols:

 

West Riding Leyland PS2 Tiger:

 

My favourite classic coach design - Harrington Dorsal Fin

 

No comments at the back about a nice pair of ....... We were treated to a trip around the local lanes in the green one:

 

Please mind your head:

 

View from the top:

 

Unique survivor, Tilling Stevens:

[alf892]

wow......... a proper day out that is. I remember those old single decker Bristols from catching the bus to school. Birch's buses......although I was only about 10 they always seemed as if they had some go in them.

 

Never seen one of those dorsal fin jobs either.........

 

If i ever win the lottery I will be a poor man!

[Jim Bell]

That rear fin is amazeballs. Cant beat old busses.

[Squire_Dawson]

Must've been a great day out, and you couldn't have had better weather for it.

 

I've always been fascinated by that top-deck 4-abreast seating; it can't have been popular with passengers.

[mercrocker]

Wonderful - I can smell those interiors!    I hated the Nat.Ex. Royal Blue all-white livery but its good to see it preserved now.    I actually went on a bus the other day - some kind of Mercedes thing.   Horrible - where were all the sounds from the engine, diff and gearbox?   

[Inspector Morose]

Telford bus group Mancunian, I presume. Also, I know that collection but I won't say just in case they would like to keep quiet. The Scottish Aviation bodied Tilling Stevens in fictitious livery (Wulfrunia Coaches) is something I've driven a few miles. Used to be a part owner in a previous life.

Quick question. What's the Mid Red C class coach? Can only be one of two I can think of.

[jbz2079]

Cumberland Motor Services  Eastern Coachworks Bristol RE.

Driven by my Dad.

[Justin Case]

 

Telford bus group Mancunian, I presume. Also, I know that collection but I won't say just in case they would like to keep quiet. The Scottish Aviation bodied Tilling Stevens in fictitious livery (Wulfrunia Coaches) is something I've driven a few miles. Used to be a part owner in a previous life.

Quick question. What's the Mid Red C class coach? Can only be one of two I can think of.

The collection is as you guessed the Roger Burdett Collection He doesn't mind it being publicised as a number of the vehicles are regularly rallied ( I believe that the Western National Bristol is going to Penzance at Easter, at 35mph )) 

 

Yes, it was the TBG Mancunian, hard to believe that it is now 43 years old. I'd never seen a Tilling Stevens before, yet alone the 'Wulfrun' one, but it is the only postwar one left. Have a bonus picture of the 'office' which is no doubt familiar territory

 

 

The C1 is 3301, undergoing bodywork repairs, here's a close up view showing the wood framing:

:

[Inspector Morose]

His restoration jobs are up there with the best preservationists. I'm glad 3301 has gone there as it's in safe hands. Driven at a few times too. Biggest pain was the drivers position. Every time I let the clutch out I had to remember to steer my left knee around the steering wheel and past my left ear!

 

Ah there's a pic that brings back memories. I think that it is the last post war TS around. It should have a Meadows engine but it was re engined with a Gardner in the distant past.

 

Just thinking back, I was a lucky sod in my youthful years. I owned a number of buses and coaches and actively searched the rare and unusual to either save or at least get a drive of. In the driven book are quite a few of the most wonderful machines, C1, C5 (not Rodgers), AEC Q, Guy Wulfrunian, oh the list goes on. A combination of running out of money, falling ill and a good number of back stabbing bastards who have gone on to become respected people in the preservation world on the back of some of the hard work that I, and others put in. Bitter? Yes, a bit but I still have good memories and experiences of the wonderful machines that I helped save and got to drive is something I'll never forget.

[dugong]

All of these buses are great. I have no idea what any of them are, mind.

 

I was nearly run over by a GM Buses MCW double decker on Marsland Road once. No doubt that had scrapyard brakes on it.

[rml2345]

That TS looks fabulous, as does the Harrington Tiger.

Bet it was a bloody good day out

[Cavcraft]

Superb!

 

Ref. that Harrington Dorsel Fin, there used to be a firm in Deeside (Hardings, possibly) who was running one of those well into the late 1970s as it used to roll up to the school I went to. It stood out like a beacon in a blackout, sadly I never got the chance to sit in it though.