For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[Metr0Land]

I can't match that but do have RT1 and RM1 together at Wisley bus rally 11Apr 2010

 

 

[HitchinLoco]

Dose this count 1/50 Scale

[J. S. Bach]

I would really like one of those, but only if it were 1/48 scale.

[Rugd1022]

On 16/10/2019 at 21:56, RANGERS said:

Tha later Alfa coach and the 1969 Lancia are both bodied by VanHool in Belgium. The Alfa had the same model  of body as the first VanHools imported to the UK by Smiths of Wigan in 1966, based on LHD Leyland Tiger Worldmaster chassis which were originally destined for South America IIRC. The ship they were aboard sank in the Thames estuary and the salvaged chassis were sold to Smiths. VanHool of course are now a significant player in the UK industry.

 

Lancia played a significant role in the early years of the UK bus industry when Barton imported large numbers of them in the 1920s which were lengthened and bodied in the UK. The first roadgoing Diesel engined bus in the world is credited with being one of those after Barton fitted a Hornsby engine to it in 1930. 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, very enlightening - I'm well up on BR Diesel Hydraulics, Mini Coopers and Italian exotica from the '50s to the '70s but know the square root of diddly-pooh about buses, even less so the connection between Italian and British varieties.

 

Good old RMWeb, every day's a school day!

[PhilJ W]

The BBC London news yesterday were talking about a group of young men who forty years ago took a round the world trip in a 'Routemaster' bus. The 'Routemaster' bus turned out to be a Bristol KSW with ECW lowbridge body in Tilling green! The bus that they used not only got back to the UK but is now preserved. Unfortunately the registration and/or fleetname wasn't visible in the clip but the bus is apparently now in East Anglia so an Eastern National vehicle is a possibility.

Edited October 22, 2019 by PhilJ W

[Fat Controller]

On 16/10/2019 at 22:56, RANGERS said:

Tha later Alfa coach and the 1969 Lancia are both bodied by VanHool in Belgium. The Alfa had the same model  of body as the first VanHools imported to the UK by Smiths of Wigan in 1966, based on LHD Leyland Tiger Worldmaster chassis which were originally destined for South America IIRC. The ship they were aboard sank in the Thames estuary and the salvaged chassis were sold to Smiths. VanHool of course are now a significant player in the UK industry.

 

Lancia played a significant role in the early years of the UK bus industry when Barton imported large numbers of them in the 1920s which were lengthened and bodied in the UK. The first roadgoing Diesel engined bus in the world is credited with being one of those after Barton fitted a Hornsby engine to it in 1930. 

 

 

Were the buses that were lost in the Thames Estuary intended for Cuba? IIRC the Wilson government had agreed on the sale, despite the US having an embargo on exports to Cuba. The ship then, conveniently, sank just after leaving London Docks.

[PhilJ W]

5 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

Were the buses that were lost in the Thames Estuary intended for Cuba? IIRC the Wilson government had agreed on the sale, despite the US having an embargo on exports to Cuba. The ship then, conveniently, sank just after leaving London Docks.

As I mentioned a couple of pages ago.

[TheQ]

18 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The BBC London news yesterday were talking about a group of young men who forty years ago took a round the world trip in a 'Routemaster' bus. The 'Routemaster' bus turned out to be a Bristol KSW with ECW lowbridge body in Tilling green! The bus that they used not only got back to the UK but is now preserved. Unfortunately the registration and/or fleetname wasn't visible in the clip but the bus is apparently now in East Anglia so an Eastern National vehicle is a possibility.

The most likely place for it to reside would be here... ttps://www.eatransportmuseum.co.uk/

[Johann Marsbar]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

The BBC London news yesterday were talking about a group of young men who forty years ago took a round the world trip in a 'Routemaster' bus. The 'Routemaster' bus turned out to be a Bristol KSW with ECW lowbridge body in Tilling green! The bus that they used not only got back to the UK but is now preserved. Unfortunately the registration and/or fleetname wasn't visible in the clip but the bus is apparently now in East Anglia so an Eastern National vehicle is a possibility.

 

Think you will find it was an Eastern National K5G, registered ONO 59, and which now resides in the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society museum just outside Lincoln.

http://www.lvvs.org.uk/

Edited October 22, 2019 by Johann Marsbar
Added web address

[Unicorn1]

Another photo from last Sunday at Cobham  Brooklands.

 

Also in service on the day was RM613. An interesting Routemaster in that it carries an early body which was built with non-opening front windows. The air scoops for the original ventilation system remain, but quarter drop windows have been added later.

 

 

This actual body s No 198 acquired on its last overhaul in November 1983, so that explains the presence of the air scoops.

 

Next to 613 is RF491 belonging to Timebus Travel

 

Les

(There are bus rivet-counters too you know!) 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Unicorn1
to make more sense!

[Rugd1022]

Some Midland Red and Marvin's Coaches nostalgia in and around Rugby....

 

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by Rugd1022

[Giles]

More than 30 years ago I did some time as a driver/fitter for Geoff Amos out of Daventry (My motor was a Caetano Estoril ll on a Bedford chassis). We often had to go 'wading' in the floods out towards Rugby to get the passengers back home... 

[5 C]

Great to see some BMMO nostalgia. 

 

S22 PHA505G is still around and currently preserved with the Leicester Transport Heritage Trust.

[Owd Bob]

A few from the Heaton Park Manchester Rallies over the years.

[Moxy]

43 minutes ago, Owd Bob said:

A few from the Heaton Park Manchester Rallies over the years.

 

 

It's good to see at least one of these old Ribble breakdown trucks still survive in preservation.

 

There were originally 3 of these (BD1-BD3).  Ribble needed some breakdown trucks, and they decided to convert these from some old Leyland PS2/5 buses in 1964/5.  My late father worked for Ribble and this was one of the first jobs he worked on, basically a full size 'cut and shut' of these old buses, with a recovery crane added to the back.

 

When I was growing up in Preston I remember there was always at least one of these breakdowns parked outside the office at the front of Selborne Street depot, although the display showed 'Ribble' and I am pretty sure they were all on trade plates in those days (red lettering on white ground). Edit: one of them was on '004RN.'

 

They continued to serve Ribble well into the late 1970's and it was only the fact that the service buses and coaches were becoming heavier meant these old breakdowns couldn't cope, leading to them eventually being withdrawn.  Edit: They were replaced by a new BD1 based on a Leyland Buffalo chassis carrying trade plate 067CK. (date unknown).

 

Edit: I've found my books on Ribble, and corrected the dates and the model of Leyland bus on which these were based.  Better than relying on my (failing) memory!

Edited January 11, 2020 by Moxy
Correct dates/base model

[Owd Bob]

I can't say i'm a 100% bus fan but i do have a lot of pics' from classic rallies etc. which i'll post now and again if they help and inform others such as yourself Moxy, only just noticed and it's nice to see the grille badge says 'Ribble' as well, shame it's a re-reg: though. The L.U.T. depot at Howe Bridge was just a mile up the road from me here at Dangerous Corner. 

 

[Moxy]

13 minutes ago, Owd Bob said:

 The L.U.T. depot at Howe Bridge was just a mile up the road from me here at Dangerous Corner. 

 

 

Thanks for the pictures Bob, I do vaguely remember the depot at Howe Bridge, although I think it had closed down by the time I moved to the Wigan area.  It survived through SELNEC and GM Buses ownership, I think it was First Manchester that closed it and sold it to become a housing estate.  The services and the buses moved to Wigan depot, itself since sold to Stagecoach Manchester.

[ColinK]

I worked for LUT at Howe Bridge. They even trained me to drive a bus - in a Guy Arab.

[Johann Marsbar]

3 hours ago, Moxy said:

 

It's good to see at least one of these old Ribble breakdown trucks still survive in preservation.

 

There were originally 3 of these (BD1-BD3).  Ribble needed some breakdown trucks, and they decided to convert these from some old Leyland PS2/5 buses in 1964/5.  My late father worked for Ribble and this was one of the first jobs he worked on, basically a full size 'cut and shut' of these old buses, with a recovery crane added to the back.

 

When I was growing up in Preston I remember there was always at least one of these breakdowns parked outside the office at the front of Selborne Street depot, although the display showed 'Ribble' and I am pretty sure they were all on trade plates in those days (red lettering on white ground). Edit: one of them was on '004RN.'

 

They continued to serve Ribble well into the late 1970's and it was only the fact that the service buses and coaches were becoming heavier meant these old breakdowns couldn't cope, leading to them eventually being withdrawn.  Edit: They were replaced by a new BD1 based on a Leyland Buffalo chassis carrying trade plate 067CK. (date unknown).

 

Edit: I've found my books on Ribble, and corrected the dates and the model of Leyland bus on which these were based.  Better than relying on my (failing) memory!

 

I did photograph one of them in Preston back on 31st March 1980.....

 

[Moxy]

10 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

 

I did photograph one of them in Preston back on 31st March 1980.....

 

 

Thanks for that Johann, that it is a trip down memory lane!  Heading down Fishergate towards the railway station.

 

Looking at the date I realise that is almost 40 years ago.  I haven't been to Preston for some time but I bet the view of Fishergate has changed a lot since then.

[Johann Marsbar]

It appeared as I was walking from the rail station to the bus station and took me a bit by surprise.

 

Also took this one at the bus station the same day......

 

 

A veritable feast of NBC Poppy Red!!

Edited January 11, 2020 by Johann Marsbar

[Owd Bob]

A couple from a vintage rally at Smallwood, Cheshire several years ago. I love this recovery truck and saw something very similar looking in an old episode of 'On the Buses' not long ago. 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Another dose of Midland Red at Rugby...

 

 

[runs as required]

A lot to digest in those postings above:

1

Preston‘s bus station only very narrowly avoided demolition, I’m glad to recall.

2

We moved from NE London to Brum on the day of Princess Elizabeth and Philips’ wedding in 1947. Going to school, I entered a world of seemingly futuristic  Midland Red front-entrance S series underfloor engined buses, from 1930 petrol engined single deckers on route 250 Epping-Hornchurch - and Victoria-Abridge, on route10, even older open staircase AEC (ST ?) buses

It seemed years before LT and Tilling caught up with BMMO

3

Birkenhead Corpy Massey bodied blue and cream ‘over the water’ always seemed more prosperous than plain  Liverpudlian Corpy green

4

Was there really once an Eastern Coach Works  droopy windscreened coach body on a Foden chassis or was that a very “special” yellow breakdown rescue vehicle project?

dh

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by runs as required

[petethemole]

"Was there really once an Eastern Coach Works  droopy windscreened coach body on a Foden chassis or was that a very “special” yellow breakdown rescue vehicle project?"

It's an AEC Matador conversion, by Eastern National, later with Crosville.