Low Bridge - a bus drivers folly...

[jonhall]

 

A random discussion over zoom about MTK class 321 ends caused me to dig out Supercar last week. 

 

 

In the process of finding the model, I also found the leftover bits of bus - It's not clear to me why I have kept them, but these things always seem to end up in my 'might come in handy one day' pile.

 

 

I guess I'd always sort of expected to use them in a scrapyard corner, or passing out of scene under a bridge, but its not a very logical way of scrapping a bus, and its missing the rear panel of the roof.

 

A couple of cerieal packets were cut up to give a feel for what might be possible in the 8x8" square footprint of a cakebox challenge.

 

 

Jon

 

 

[Alex TM]

Hi Jon,

 

I'd love to see the department of transport classify that hybrid ......

 

Not sure I would want to model a 'decapitated' bus ..... I've lived in enough places where folk have been hurt where drivers have missed the low bridge or headroom warning signs.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[jonhall]

Hmm, yes I did wonder if this was appropriate, but then concluded it happens, so would probably be ok.

 

One of the advantages of being a keyholder at my makerspace is that I can get in and do a little laser cutting whist we are normally shut for lockdown. An hour or so of CAD resulted in a mini baseboard built - although I made a right pigs ear of the tab and slot - double allowances for thickness in some places, and none at all in others, if this was a long term project I'd have corrected the CAD and tried again, but a few minutes with a surform and some fitted, and a few dabs of filler will sort the gaps out.

 

I thought I had more Wills vari-girder for the bridge itself, but its hiding, 

 

I'm wondering if I've cut the bridge a bit too low, the bus will get a bit taller once some wheels are reinstated, and the sides below the upper deck windows need to be transferred to the lower deck.

 

Jon

 

 

 

 

[Sweet pea]

Hi Jon I do like your own laser cut baseboard. I like your layout plan as this does happen in real life.

[jonhall]

 

A little progress, a base coat of grey emulsion all over, the wingwalls have had a basecoat of brick red and the railway a spray over with rustoleum stone splatter paint - I might yet build up the trackbed formation.

 

The Wills varigirder has turned up and been built, and a coulple of sheets of Wills pavement cut to fit - I've also concluded that the roadway was a bit narrow, so its been widened a bit.

 

Jon

 

[Sweet pea]

Jon nice job on the brickwork, your diorama is taking shape.

[jonhall]

The bus has had a little work this week, an improvised floor and back axle, and the upper deck sides have been separated from the roof and glued to the lower deck. I also painted the seating unit and added grab rails, but apparently forgot to photograph those, and I wonder why I bothered considering how little you can see under the bridge.

 

 

And then a bit more scenery, the pavement is Wills sheet and evergreen styrene for the curb, given a spray in grey primer, then some of the slabs picked out in a couple of different shades of grey, and washed over with a Humbrol dark brown wash.

 

 

The girder is now standing on some concrete padstones and the wingwalls have had a couple of lumps of polystyrene added behind to fill them out.

 

I've also boosted the trackbed with a sheet of foam core board painted grey - I'll need some track soon.

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by jonhall

[Johann Marsbar]

Bus vs Bridge isn't always a total surgical decapitation though...........

 

[steve W]

This one was a double deck coach on a rail replacement service. Above the  yellow marks is a massive circular steel pipe used as a bridge protection device. It seems to have worked. There are multiple signs and warnings but this one gets a regular bashing.  

pic: Lou Jones /Surrey Live

 

 

 

[Sturminster_Newton]

Modern space frame buses are extremely HARD and most things that hit them/they strike come off worse.

 

Including bridges, masonry, trees and other vehicles.

 

Only in films does the top deck get cut right off for the comedy effect.

 

So perhaps this little project might benefit from a film crew, lighting and catering caravan?

 

The Albert Square railway viaduct is a very large piece of film scenery so the model could have the 2nd Unit shooting the action from the bridge deck.

 

Just a thought.

[jonhall]

depends how fast its going!

 

I can't find any photos online, but about 10 years ago, a bus went under the notorious bridge at Norbiton station. This bridge is on the skew to a falling road and is hit with monotonous regularity, usually, due to traffic conditions, at quite low speed, where, due to the skew, rather than take the top off it has the effect of tipping the bus over, so not only is it stuck under a bridge, but 2 wheels are in the air. On this occasion the bus driver got it wrong between Christmas and New Year when the traffic was flowing very freely, and took the whole lot off!

 

Anyway - I'm not taking the project too seriously.

 

Jon

[caradoc]

12 hours ago, Sturminster_Newton said:

Modern space frame buses are extremely HARD and most things that hit them/they strike come off worse.

 

Including bridges, masonry, trees and other vehicles.

 

Not sure I would agree with that, at least where railway bridges are concerned. Having dealt with more bridge strikes than I care to remember during my railway career, it was very rare for a bridge to be seriously damaged, whether struck by a bus, skip lorry or anything else.

 

 

[pH]

Video of a test crash:

 

Having seen one live, though at a lower speed, I remember the roof crumpling as seen in that video, rather than coming off whole.

 

(Edit to use longer video)

Edited June 29, 2020 by pH

[caradoc]

This bus certainly lost its entire roof, at Dumbarton Central on Saturday as per the photos in the Glasgow Evening times article;

 

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18546979.bus-loses-roof-driving-dumbarton-central-station-bridge/?ref=rss

 

I believe this was a fairly new vehicle too.

 

[pH]

1 hour ago, caradoc said:

This bus certainly lost its entire roof, at Dumbarton Central on Saturday as per the photos in the Glasgow Evening times article;

 

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18546979.bus-loses-roof-driving-dumbarton-central-station-bridge/?ref=rss

 

I believe this was a fairly new vehicle too.

 

Yes, I’ve seen a couple of pictures like that. I think what happens may depend on the age/design of the bus. The roof in the article you linked to looks like a single structure, possibly of a composite material. The roof of the bus in the video I linked to is obviously made up of several separate metal panels.

[Barclay]

Caught this in Chelmsford some years ago. The roof was sitting under the bridge in one piece. Mercifully no-one upstairs I believe.