birch1 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 46 minutes ago, Pillar said: Excellent modelling. An unglamorous scene, but it evokes the nostalgic feeling of coming to the end of a long walk in the woods and waiting for the bus home - from a shelter that feels like it sees about four passengers a year! Regarding your decals, which laser printer did you buy? I'm looking for recommendations. Cheers, Liam Thanks again! My printer is a Canon - it says it is a MF643Cdw on the front if that means anything to you. I am not up on my laser printers but seems to do the job for myself. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Joining the Crossways fleet is Bova Futura YJ06 HNL, a budget purchase primarily for the schools and contract work that has kept the company ticking over in recent times. Already featuring a wheelchair lift, very little work was required to achieve PSVAR compliance, aside from the addition of destination gear. She will be based at our Kemble depot, arriving just in time to provide services for children of key workers after the February half term holidays. In reality, this is a repainted OOC diecast. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted February 20, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 20, 2021 Nicely done. We had one of those at our depot - the boss usually drove it. The first time I was allocated it the boss had parked it with the front about an inch from a large concrete block - it had a manual gearbox and the markings had worn off giving no clue as to where reverse was. Rather than risk finding the wrong gear and hitting the block, I got the boss to move it first. The manual gearbox was dreadful and finding the right gear was a lottery, especially third when it was common to find first or fifth instead. As for reverse, bang the clutch down hard, two hands on the gearstick, push hard left and if you hear a crunch you are probably in reverse, but maybe first. I hated it, as well as the gears the cab ergonomics were awful, I tried to swap it for something else whenever I was allocated it. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 22 hours ago, ColinK said: Nicely done. We had one of those at our depot - the boss usually drove it. The first time I was allocated it the boss had parked it with the front about an inch from a large concrete block - it had a manual gearbox and the markings had worn off giving no clue as to where reverse was. Rather than risk finding the wrong gear and hitting the block, I got the boss to move it first. The manual gearbox was dreadful and finding the right gear was a lottery, especially third when it was common to find first or fifth instead. As for reverse, bang the clutch down hard, two hands on the gearstick, push hard left and if you hear a crunch you are probably in reverse, but maybe first. I hated it, as well as the gears the cab ergonomics were awful, I tried to swap it for something else whenever I was allocated it. Many thanks, an interesting story too. Can't say I know much about the real things myself to be honest. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillar Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Looks very smart. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 On 20/02/2021 at 19:24, ColinK said: Nicely done. We had one of those at our depot - the boss usually drove it. The first time I was allocated it the boss had parked it with the front about an inch from a large concrete block - it had a manual gearbox and the markings had worn off giving no clue as to where reverse was. Rather than risk finding the wrong gear and hitting the block, I got the boss to move it first. The manual gearbox was dreadful and finding the right gear was a lottery, especially third when it was common to find first or fifth instead. As for reverse, bang the clutch down hard, two hands on the gearstick, push hard left and if you hear a crunch you are probably in reverse, but maybe first. I hated it, as well as the gears the cab ergonomics were awful, I tried to swap it for something else whenever I was allocated it. They weren’t the most spacious of cabs, my first encounter with one was a Cummins engined demonstrator, Optare were UK agents for Bova for a short while in the early 1990s and offered a Cummins option. I don’t remember too much of it but it was our first dabble with an auto gearbox, the cab was claustrophobic and it lacked any real power. Needless to say it found no fans in an almost all Volvo fleet and its only plus point was 57 seats, which we made good use of during the fortnight we had it as it offered an extra paying passengers. It was an excellent advert for Volvo! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 A quiet afternoon with the Crossways coach fleet basking in the sunshine 5 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted April 24, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 24, 2021 Very realistic. Is the fleet all SORNed at the moment? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 On 24/04/2021 at 22:13, ColinK said: Very realistic. Is the fleet all SORNed at the moment? Thanks! Perhaps surprisingly no, very busy with schools etc during weekdays, though weekends are quieter at the moment generally 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium HillsideDepot Posted April 27, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 27, 2021 Hopefully the fleet will have picked up some of the additional capacity contracts funded by DfE to ease over crowding on public buses which carry mainly school children. Weekend rail replacement work from Chippenham the last few weekends would probably have once been a given for Crossways Cirencester depot, but seems to be all covered by First double deckers now. Hmm, the boundaries between reality and fiction have become blurred; I better get back to the day job writing a report on Post-16 education transport for a local authority not too far from Crossways. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 On 27/04/2021 at 08:40, HillsideDepot said: Hopefully the fleet will have picked up some of the additional capacity contracts funded by DfE to ease over crowding on public buses which carry mainly school children. Weekend rail replacement work from Chippenham the last few weekends would probably have once been a given for Crossways Cirencester depot, but seems to be all covered by First double deckers now. Hmm, the boundaries between reality and fiction have become blurred; I better get back to the day job writing a report on Post-16 education transport for a local authority not too far from Crossways. Sorry for the delayed response, that report sounds interesting though! In fairness a few local operators have been working on rail recently alongside first, which bodes well for Crossways 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Joining the Crossways fleet today is BF15 KGG, a late model Volvo/ Sunsundegui Sideral. She is the fleet's most youthful addition for some time, a sign of the company's ongoing recovery after the initial scare caused by the Coronavirus pandemic last year. Once destination equipment has been fitted, the coach will see use on a wide range of coach work including private hires, schools, tours, etc. The model is produced from the MBF resin kit. 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillar Posted August 5, 2021 Share Posted August 5, 2021 Nice work as always. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 2022 has been fairly quiet so far, despite it being Crossways' 10th anniversary year. A brand new Volvo B11R/ Caetano Levante 3 has, however, recently joined the fleet. Preregistered as GL72 OCG, it will enter service in September, primarily on the company's contracted work for Flexicoach and Pullman Holidays where its high capacity will be in demand. This frees other coaches in the fleet to cover the schools and private hire work that makes up a large portion of its business. The model is produced from the Paul Ellender resin kit, which was a joy to build. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ian Posted August 23, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 23, 2022 Nice to see that Crossways is still going. Keep up the good work! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted August 26, 2022 Share Posted August 26, 2022 Hot off the heels of the last one... Crossways operates specialist services on behalf of a local SEN college, supplementing their own 'in house' vehicles with a fleet of minibuses and small buses for student transport. Added to this fleet today is a secondhand ADL Enviro 200 dart, registered YX18 KOD. Having previously been used on airport work, the bus is low mileage and perfect for specialist conversion. The idea for this model came during a visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon in 2019, where 4 specialist Optare Solos were parked at the local park and ride. Further inspection revealed significant alterations to their interiors for specialist transport of those with disabilities, as can be seen in the images below. 2 years later, and having picked up a small CMNL E200 from Paul Ellender at an MBF meeting, work commenced on the model using Mark Hughes components and Plasticard to modify the interior to act as a representation of the solos. Further modifications to model the styling of the later e200 included using lightly modified 3D printed components from Model Bus Doctor, in addition to replacement glazing. Whilst far from perfect, i'm happy with how it turned out! Front View - the staff member and passenger both seem very sociable. Rear View The modified interior. The prototype solos parked up in the car park. The interiors of the solos. Note the tracking, specialised seating, space for storing wheelchairs and, of course, kitchen roll holder! 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Fresh out of the paintshop is Volvo B7R/ Plaxton Profile WV56 REL. She is the second of a quartet of coaches acquired from Reliance Motor Services (David Etheridge) in mid 2020, having been delivered new to them some 14 years earlier, and has until now operated in its previous owner's livery. Despite her advancing years, it is hoped the refresh will allow her to serve Crossways' College and Private hire work for some years to come. The first of the quartet, Van Hool T9 WN59 DTK, is pictured alongside, which was repainted last summer. The model is produced from the PSG Models kit. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 It has been a while since I last posted on here, so here is a recent update from Crossways: For a number of years, Crossways has operated a link service on behalf of Eurowide using a specially branded Hino S'Elega coach, connecting Gloucester with Eurowide's international coach services at a location on the outskirts of London. This partnership has recently been extended, and will see the company operate a London to Paris Eurowide service in cooperation with Southwestbus. After a light refresh, the aforementioned Hino is seen being prepared for a photoshoot before the servcice commenced just in time for the bank holiday weekend. More information about the service is available on the Flexicoach page, for those interested: https://www.facebook.com/FlexicoachUK The model is, in reality, a repainted Trane diecast. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch1 Posted August 9, 2023 Share Posted August 9, 2023 It has been pretty wet lately, but the bonus is being able to get some modelling done! The latest model completed for the Crossways fleet is GL23 AEL, a high specification Van Hool Altano - the first vehicle to be outshopped with Countryliner branding. Since taking on Countryliner from Patrick Munford in early spring, the former London and Country (Alan Graves) subsidary has been reinvented as Crossways' premium brand, with a small fleet of high-end vehicles in a dedicated livery to match. The model is produced from a Paul Ellender kit, with additional detailing added for the luggage lockers. 6 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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