RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted July 9, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 9, 2017 Next Sunday, July 16, there is a big bus rally at Alton with lots of running promised to various locations in the area including stations on the MidHants. www.altonbusrally.org.uk. Hoping to be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium JDW Posted July 9, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 9, 2017 Wondering down Argyle Street in Glasgow yesterday and was surprised to see a 1970s Glasgow Corporation Volvo Ailsa coming towards me . I did manage to get a pic on my iPhone as it went past. Wasn't aware of anything going on in Glasgow yesterday, perhaps the owner just had it out for run. It might have been heading back to Bridgeton. How nice to see the Corporation Green White and Yellow again There's an event today at the Grampian Transport Museum, I'm told there was a bus/buses visiting from Glasgow, might have had something to do with that. Or might not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 (edited) ....... ML2341 which Andy used to own. These Leopards were real flying machines when compared to much of the rest of the fleet, as Andy can verify - really were very good indeed in their day, and on some occasions, ........ with the Leopard touching a good 55/60. Easy! Even at the ripe old age of 35yrs, ML2341 was noted touching 70 and that with a 4speed box and 'only' an O.600 engine Just following on with the 'M' depot code, it was later used by Thornliebank depot - not an 'M' in sight. Edited July 9, 2017 by leopardml2341 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 45156 Posted July 9, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 9, 2017 Easy! Even at the ripe old age of 35yrs, ML2341 was noted touching 70 and that with a 4speed box as well Was it a manual then Andy - I thought that many had semi auto boxes - Pneumo Cyclic, ISTR - as had some of the Albions and all the Fleetlines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Was it a manual then Andy - I thought that many had semi auto boxes - Pneumo Cyclic, ISTR - as had some of the Albions and all the Fleetlines. Yup, manual with synchro on 3rd and 4th. It was also one of the shorter steering column ones, every gear change meant contact between left knee/thigh and steering wheel and ultimately a bl@@dy big bruise. No power steering either...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 ps don't forget, it was actually a 1971 chassis, rebodied with an 'AYS' body in 1975. An extra to the HCS...N batch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Was it a manual then Andy - I thought that many had semi auto boxes - Pneumo Cyclic, ISTR - as had some of the Albions and all the Fleetlines. Scottish Bus Group were famously conservative when specifying their vehicles, none of this new fangled trickery for them! The 4sp constant mesh box didn't finally disappear until the late 70s, long after everyone else had progressed not only to all synchro manual boxes, but beyond that to semi and full autos. SBG were the only customer for the manual Leopard from 1970 until the ZF version replaced the AEC Reliance in 1980. SBG did have some AECs in the 1960s with ZF synchro boxes but they were the exceptions and I think the only ones with all synchro boxes after that were the Seddons from 1974 and a handful of Leopards in the later years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Scottish Bus Group were famously conservative when specifying their vehicles, none of this new fangled trickery for them! The 4sp constant mesh box didn't finally disappear until the late 70s, long after everyone else had progressed not only to all synchro manual boxes, but beyond that to semi and full autos. SBG were the only customer for the manual Leopard from 1970 until the ZF version replaced the AEC Reliance in 1980. SBG did have some AECs in the 1960s with ZF synchro boxes but they were the exceptions and I think the only ones with all synchro boxes after that were the Seddons from 1974 and a handful of Leopards in the later years. I'm really pleased they 'were famously conservative' - it meant I didn't have to source one of these: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leyland_Leopard_badge.jpg#mw-jump-to-license 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 Random image which I've just found lurking in my hard drive, a lovely old thing seen at Neasden on the North Circular, no date or other info I'm afraid... 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted July 11, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 11, 2017 The RTL's on 112 were replaced by RT's Oct68 (the route had previously been mixed RT/RTL) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted July 11, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2017 RTL439 was officially withdrawn in October 1968 and scrapped in June of 1969. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted July 11, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 11, 2017 My wife and I hired this old girl for our wedding in September 2014 (along with a few Mk1 coaches and E4 473 on the Bluebell Railway later the same day): 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekEm8 Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 (edited) A couple taken at Boyle Street (Manchester) May 2016 A Selection of Local Leylands And a sign to bring back memories of a sadly missed country-wide operator based in Rochdale. (Although the name and logo has been resurrected by a local operator in the Oldham area - although only local destinations/school services) Edited July 11, 2017 by DerekEm8 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 (edited) Easy! Even at the ripe old age of 35yrs, ML2341 was noted touching 70 and that with a 4speed box and 'only' an O.600 engine Just following on with the 'M' depot code, it was later used by Thornliebank depot - not an 'M' in sight. Taff-Ely had three early-'70s AEC Reliance saloons with Willowbrook bodies and six-speed boxes. These were also real fliers: in 1975 [just before I finished driving for them], I managed 73mph in No 10 on the A470 dual carriageway, a return Caerphilly to Pontypridd trip. The bus was empty I'd have to add! These buses were fitted with air brakes which required very ginger application. In an empty bus it was possible to get the rear axle to bounce if the brakes were applied too sharply. Tony Edited July 12, 2017 by Prometheus 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Random image which I've just found lurking in my hard drive, a lovely old thing seen at Neasden on the North Circular, no date or other info I'm afraid... Neasden LT Bus.jpg The same bridge now has three lanes per carriageway and carries (a lot more) traffic today. I regularly get stuck here in the mornings. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 The same bridge now has three lanes per carriageway and carries (a lot more) traffic today. I regularly get stuck here in the mornings. Tell me about it, it's bad enough having to come down the M1 never mind the N.Circular, it seems to get worse every time I use it, day or night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Tell me about it, it's bad enough having to come down the M1 never mind the N.Circular, it seems to get worse every time I use it, day or night. I recently followed three or four blokes in a dark-coloured Rover P5 going toward Staples Corner, and did wonder briefly if it might have been you at the wheel..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Taff-Ely had three early-'70s AEC Reliance saloons with Willowbrook bodies and six-speed boxes. These were also real fliers: in 1975 [just before I finished driving for them], I managed 73mph in No 10 on the A470 dual carriageway, a return Caerphilly to Pontypridd trip. The bus was empty I'd have to add! These buses were fitted with air brakes which required very ginger application. In an empty bus it was possible to get the rear axle to bounce if the brakes were applied too sharply. Tony That reminds me of the incident involving an Albion Nimbus of Rockhampton City Council (in Queensland), one of six they had in service at the time. The empty bus was being driven across one of the major intersections in East Street towards a lay-by bay in the centre of the road just beyond that intersection, when the driver had to slam the brakes on to avoid a car. The rear axle stopped completely, but the rest of the bus continued on, nose-diving into the road surface. Apparently, the axle shackles snapped under the strain. The Nimbuses continued in service for some years beyond this incident in the late 1960s or early '70s (I can't remember precisely now) ... horrible things, they were! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I recently followed three or four blokes in a dark-coloured Rover P5 going toward Staples Corner, and did wonder briefly if it might have been you at the wheel..... Alas not, I sold my P5B over two years ago. perhaps it was a ghostly vision, there used to be a Henlys dealership near Staples Corner...! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Taff-Ely had three early-'70s AEC Reliance saloons with Willowbrook bodies and six-speed boxes. These were also real fliers: in 1975 [just before I finished driving for them], I managed 73mph in No 10 on the A470 dual carriageway, a return Caerphilly to Pontypridd trip. The bus was empty I'd have to add! These buses were fitted with air brakes which required very ginger application. In an empty bus it was possible to get the rear axle to bounce if the brakes were applied too sharply. Tony Quite probably GTG 91/ 2/ 3L, 1972 registered with 45 seat dual purpose bodies. AEC 505 engines and AEC manual gearboxes. https://www.flickr.com/photos/30794964@N03/8658509766/in/pool-pontypridd_udc_and_the_borough_council_of_taff-ely_/ The combination would have been more than capable of 70mph+ running, there was little weight in the Willowbrook bodies and even with only about 140bhp on tap, the 505 was pretty lively...until the head gasket blew! The bigger engined 760 with the 6speed ZF boxes were undoubtedly the most potent, real flying machines. In pre-limiter days, they had a legendary turn of speed and unlike most of their competition, could actually go and stop in the right order. One of the operators I worked for blanked top gear off with a stud welded to the top of the casing to prevent the selector from going far enough across to select it, that came after some bad press when a driver appeared in court for doing 80+ on the A1 in it one night, didn't even notice the patrol car in the line of traffic doing exactly 69mph as he cruised past it in the outside lane! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 I remember that first to second on those AECs was extremely tricky: a very fast snap back or you lost it. The only time I ever got them into 6th. was on the dualled A470. The shed staff referred to 6th as 'super top'. We didn't need such fast saloons on the Ponty-Caerphilly run, but it was fun! Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted July 14, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2017 (edited) Another event with old buses (and lorries) promised... Netley Marsh Steam & Craft Show, 21st - 23rd July www.nmscs.org.uk. Edited July 14, 2017 by Joseph_Pestell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 15, 2017 Share Posted July 15, 2017 (edited) Two more from the hard drive... Kirby Muxloe and Rugby Midland... Edited July 15, 2017 by Rugd1022 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted July 15, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 15, 2017 Next Sunday, July 16, there is a big bus rally at Alton with lots of running promised to various locations in the area including stations on the MidHants. www.altonbusrally.org.uk. Hoping to be there. Would be nice to re-create the one-time route 38 Alton - Portsmouth. Southdown's rural rambling into the Downs via Soberton was upgraded and extended to act as the rail replacement when the Meon Valley line closed. It too never did well and was soon cut back to Droxford with a very meagre Alton - Droxford service offered latterly by Alder Valley. Very little evidence of the route survives today and the section north of Droxford is devoid of public transport apart from school runs covering some of the ground. A question arises. Southdown had a large number of dormy sheds around their network including, I believe, at Droxford. One late turn on he 38 ended at Alton however and the first southbound trip started there. So did Southdown also have their own dormy shed in Alton, did that trip come out of Droxford light or did they base a single crew (latterly a DC; in Southdown parlance a driver-conductor) there and space-share with Aldershot & District? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tetsudofan Posted July 15, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 15, 2017 Off to Sevenoaks (Kent) tomorrow to attend the 2017 Bus Running Day. Will be a passenger on my friend's AEC East Kent Regent in Sealink livery: Pictures of tomorrow's event should follow in due course. Keith 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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