Today I visited.... Barrow Hill roundhouse.

[55bloke]

Just thought it worth mentioning that, this weekend, there will be Blue peter, Union Of South Africa, Sir Nigel Gressley, and Tornado, plus others, all gathered together at the roundhouse. A must see for any steam-loco nuts in the area!

[dollywobbler]

An interesting read. Autoshite doesn't just have to have road wheels and be a shade of beige. Train and bus shite is win by my book.For the record, can't tell whether that green bus is an Altantean or Fleetline (did the Google tell you?) because by 1978, they were pretty much the same thing anyway. In Birmingham, the Daimler Fleetlines were gradually replaced by Atlanteans, though little changed and the Park Royal bodywork stayed the same - I mention bodywork because that green one appears to be a Park Royal job - possibly...

[Guest]

Have a Birmingham Fleetline

 

And one of the Metrobuses that replaced 'em

 

I found Leicester quite good for "bus shite" when I lived there '06-'07 - tons of old Brum Metroboxes kicking around on mainly school services in a myriad of colour schemes, the city/county councils can't have cared much about maximum age on their contracts there were also a handful of the things on a couple of frontline city routes too.

 

Plus numerous thoroughly shagged and very secondhand Leyland Lynx single deckers drafted into the city by that shower of useless clowns pretending to be a reputable modern bus company going by the name of First, but such machines were bus shite in a late 1980s, Rover 800 sort of fashion. Kinda regret not pressing my bus licence back into part-time action and earned some sponds on weekend driving

[dollywobbler]

They're still using Metrobuses in Brum too - and some still have POG numberplates! GR8 for Biggleswade kiddy transport! (Well, Mr Pog does seem to need a people carrier...)

[Pillock]

Leyland Lynx? QWAL.We had a little bus company set up to undercut the big-huge-charge-what-they-like TrentBarton services. Where TB were charging £3.50 for a half-hour journey to the big smoke, the Delta Dart bus company would do it for a quid. How? By running the most clapped out buses you've ever witnessed.Most of their fleet were Leyland Nationals with pre-select gearboxes but the highlight were a few Lynx... given this was 1996ish then they were already ten years old.Most weeks there would be a story in the local rag about a Delta Dart breaking down and causing traffic chaos, or driving along with smoke billowing out. In the end they were done for when toerags broke into the compound and had a game of late-night dogems and wrecked the whole fleet.

[55bloke]

Just got back from an enjoyable afternoon at their event, and thought I'd post up a few pics:

a few evocative shots from inside the roundhouse 1st:-

Then outside for the main attractions:-

Tornado and Blue Peter together- hard to believe Blue Peter is the same machine I photographed a few weeks ago!!

Blue Peter and Union Of South Africa

The star!

Surrounded by her adoring public!!

More groupings

Alongside the Roundhouse is the Deltic Group's workshops- HUGELY impressive!!

Never seen so much horsepower in so small a space!

And, since this IS autoshite, after all, a few spots from the car park and local environs:

A few French spots..

mini Cooper, looking very scabby for it's age

Big old Saab

Tasty J shite

Rough Beetle

Never seen one of these before. Super premium shite, surely?!

This was on a forecourt just across the road

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/55bloke/IMG_0333.jpg

and this absolute gem in the next village

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/55bloke/IMG_0438.jpg

[Pillock]

Fug, that Beetle is identical to my old one! Colour, year, even the extras like the overriders and stoneguards/watertraps.Only real difference is mine's now forming parts of thousands of cheap chinese washing machines, and that one is not.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey 55bloke, I am gonna stick my neck out and nominate you as a 'SHITE JEDI' on account of your relentlessly high qulaitye of heavy mechanical shite photographage.

 

49.6/10 CONSISTENTLY EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS. RECCOMMEND FAST-TRACK SHITE JEDI DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

 

[55bloke]

Why, thank you sir!!

[RedSparrow]

Great spot that Wartburg!

[pompei]

Yes, seconded!

[AXrescuer]

Tornado and Blue Peter are cool but I still rate the Deltic as the best loco ever of any type!

[55bloke]

Not sure I'd go that far, but certainly the noise is magnificent, right up there with an A4 or similar on full chat, or a Rolls Royce Merlin.

[AXrescuer]

Mate, the sound of a Deltic on full chat is to die for! I used to live within 50 yards of the Kings Cross - Edinburgh main line and grew up with the noise of those beauties belting through every day.

[Guest]

 

Can I just spoil your thread by saying how much this grinds my gears

 

 

People buying a Select mark then spacing the O wrongly to look like a fuggin zero... Stop it! It pisses me off!!

 

...and breathe.

[AXrescuer]

Duly noted. And for what it's worth, I agree.