Do you think its big enough?

[brammy777]

Well, I went to the Odiham Fire show today and it was a nice day out, shame about the rather high entry price (£5), but the weather was suprisingly good and the turnout of fire engines was actually nearly completely different to last year...which makes a change. Anyway, there was a few non Fire related exhibits, and this was one of them:

I cant even exaggerate the size of this thing, it was massive. From the internet I have learnt it was sold to the current owner last year and restored, cant imagine how much that cost. It was converted to a Motorcoach in 1980, suprising how long its lasted really, and it cost £25k back then to do that! Its for sale now, but probably for a vast sum.

[red5]

Nice, always loved the chinese six layout, i want it. And a drive 60ft long.

[trigger]

I wish my local car shows only cost £5!, Most of mine are nearly £9 each, I was pleasantly surprised when today's only cost £5.50.

 

It's scary to think how much it must cost me over the course of a year for me and the wife to go to them all!

[garethj]

GR8 4 THROWIN MINIS OUT DE BAK

[eddyramrod]

Hang on lads, I've got a great idea...

[Albert Ross]

It would have been 14 years old in 1980... No big deal back then. Seriously, I remember going to school in 1980 on a 1956 Bedford. It wasn't even considered old..................!

[Formula Autos]

It would have been 14 years old in 1980... No big deal back then. Seriously, I remember going to school in 1980 on a 1956 Bedford. It wasn't even considered old..................!

Yep, in rural Cumbria old buses just kept soldiering on. Up to about '89 one of these stumpy beauties often took me to school (on an 'A' suffix plate IIRC):

 

http://www.countrybus.org/Bristol/BL_BN.htm

 

It could go where the usual fleet favourite, the Leyland National, couldn't. Sadly, it was replaced by a Mercedes van based minibus.

[dollywobbler]

It would have been 14 years old in 1980... No big deal back then. Seriously, I remember going to school in 1980 on a 1956 Bedford. It wasn't even considered old..................!

When I was at secondary school, we'd catch a motley collection of Bedfords run by Caves Buses (now defunct). Usually ex-mining stock, I'm struggling to remember exactly the age but some were certainly late Sixties, early Seventies, and this was about 1992. Sadly, before I left school, they replaced the lot with Leyland Nationals which, while I like them (a lot), didn't quite have the character.

[brammy777]

Its been mentioned before but the local School Bus company uses a Y reg Metrobus still, and an A reg Olympian which always comes to Odiham at half ten in the morning, may try for a photo tomorrow. Its looking incredibly tatty now. When I started school they were using Dennis Dominators, Atlanteans and a couple of Daimler DMS ones.

[Inspector Morose]

Caves of Shirley? They bought the ultimate of bus shite, an ACE Cougar with Willowbrook Warrior body. It was basically a Dennis Dart clone, built in a small shed in Huddersfield, with a cardboard shoe box instead of a body. Number built - 1.

[rocco1504]

It would have been 14 years old in 1980... No big deal back then. Seriously, I remember going to school in 1980 on a 1956 Bedford. It wasn't even considered old..................!

Is it me ?, or did "OLD" stuff back in the 70's/ 80's not seem as old then, as Old stuff does now.

In other words, are we so conditioned now to the idea that we must have everything "Up to the minute" that anything over a year old is considered "OLD"

 

I'll toddle off now and try to work out what I just said

[eddyramrod]

Don't worry rocco, I understood you! Not only that, I agree, how about that?

[dollywobbler]

Caves of Shirley? They bought the ultimate of bus shite, an ACE Cougar with Willowbrook Warrior body. It was basically a Dennis Dart clone, built in a small shed in Huddersfield, with a cardboard shoe box instead of a body. Number built - 1.

Aye. I remember that bus too! Wasn't ACE Advanced Chassis Engineering or something like that?

[Pillock]

I know what you're saying VWP.... stuff these days is "facelifted" every year so the ones that are a year or two old stick out. Not just cars but buses and trucks too.

 

I used to hop on Leyland Nationals to college, in 1995 they were mostly S/T/V registrations but were pretty much par for the course. City buses weren't much newer, a lot of their fleer was B or C reg but a lot more plasticcy, looked more tatty.

[brammy777]

Buses round here are 15 years old now, anyone beat that?

[seth]

Buses round here are 15 years old now, anyone beat that?

We had 50 year old buses running here until about 3 years ago

[Milford Cubicle]

Stagecoach are running a G-reg Dennis Dart here.

[scaryoldcortina]

Easy. I just followed a G reg Atlantean up the street on my way home.

[Inspector Morose]

Aye. I remember that bus too! Wasn't ACE Advanced Chassis Engineering or something like that?

Associated Chassis Engineering, started by Keith Ward who built some coach chassis under his own name before this. He called it Albion Equipment Company at first but Leyland started to make threatening noises at him for a couple of reasons...

 

I have a large soft spot for obscure bus shite like these and there have been a few Davids over the years prepared to take on the Goliath of Leyland. Mentions of Ward, ACE, Quest80, Rowe Hillmaster, Gilford and the like send me all in a tizzy. (Yes I am weird)