For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[DerekEm8]

Various Manchester Corporation - all at Heaton Park (pre 2003)

 

A Vintage Leyland Tiger

 

 

 

A selection of Manchester Leylands

 

A Manchester Crossley 2150

 

A Manchester Daimler 4127

 

 

[eastglosmog]

Well, its a bus, it says so on the side!

(Seen at the Great Dorset Steam fair a few years ago)

[Joseph_Pestell]

There has been a mention of when Doncaster had "proper buses", well they had trolleybuses as well but........here's a trolleybus they almost had but never did.

Taken at the Sandtoft museum. 

Doncaster trolleybus.jpgCopy of IOM AEC.jpg

One for NHN. Photo taken on the same day and place as previous

Is that trolleybus at Sandtoft a hybrid or completely converted to OHE operation? Would be interesting to convert some current buses so that they could operate from overhead on busy city centre routes. The "Boris Bus" looks rather more like a trolleybus than a Routemaster.

[Gwiwer]

The South Yorkshire trolleybus was built as proof of concept on a modified Dennis Dominator chassis and with a body similar to those delivered at the time. Numbered 2450 in the SYPTE fleet it took its place in a large batch of Dominators but never entered service alongside its diesel sisters.

 

IIRC it was intended to be the first of a small fleet to be used on a trial route in Sheffield where the hilly terrain has always resulted in high emission levels from diesel buses. History tells us that the project never eventuated and neither did it in Leeds which in some ways came even closer to reintroducing the trolleybus.

[Danemouth]

I'm not into buses but have really enjoyed this thread. The trouble is that I remember many of these type of buses shown being in service!

 

It's nice to know so many have been preserved. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any shows of these vehicles in South Wales.

 

Dave

 

p.s. I have a soft spot for Cardiff Trolleybuses which I well remember. 

[The Stationmaster]

Well, its a bus, it says so on the side!

Midland steam bus IMG_1384.JPG

(Seen at the Great Dorset Steam fair a few years ago)

 

A modern adaptation on a far older Foden chassis and I don't think there were any original 'bus bodies on Foden steam chassis (especially that one) although 'bus bodies were definitely built on Sentinel steam chassis well into the inter-war period. 

[Legend]

It is indeed worrying that you remember new buses being introduced that are now in the Glasgow Vehicle VINTAGE Trust at Bridgeton in Glasgow . Leyland Leopards, Daimler Fleetlines and Volvo Ailsas! Must mean I'm vintage too!

[PhilJ W]

It is indeed worrying that you remember new buses being introduced that are now in the Glasgow Vehicle VINTAGE Trust at Bridgeton in Glasgow . Leyland Leopards, Daimler Fleetlines and Volvo Ailsas! Must mean I'm vintage too!

I can remember riding on a London tram c. 1951.

[chrisf]

I have looked out a few more of my modest efforts.  The first is from the last time I went to the North Weald rally, in June 2013:

 

 

Even longer ago was my last visit to the Sandtoft Gathering.  This from July 2009:

 

 

And this:

 

 

Finally for now, we find this in Minehead in September 2007:

 

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

[John M Upton]

Later we got some Leyland Nationals, awful buses.

 

Blasphemy!!!!

 

Just for that:

 

First Eastern National 1850 (YEV308S) Chelmsford 27/10/00 by John Upton, on Flickr

Baileys BYW434V Portsmouth The Hard 27/7/00 by John Upton, on Flickr

Ex Northampton Leyland National PNH28N Hove 19/4/00 by John Upton, on Flickr

Southern Transit UPT678V - Barnham 23/7/04 by John Upton, on Flickr

Overland Travel BYW 382V Barnham 17/11/13f by John Upton, on Flickr

Southdown 134 (RUF434X) by John Upton, on Flickr

Southdown 65 (WYJ 165S) by John Upton, on Flickr

Coastline and Sussex Bus Nationals Chichester by John Upton, on Flickr

 

[laurenceb]

The National 2 was one of the few buses that looked sort of ok in Arriva livery

[leopardml2341]

I'm not into buses but have really enjoyed this thread. The trouble is that I remember many of these type of buses shown being in service!

 

It's nice to know so many have been preserved. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any shows of these vehicles in South Wales.

 

Dave

 

p.s. I have a soft spot for Cardiff Trolleybuses which I well remember.

 

 

Try this website for bus and coach rallies:

 

http://www.classicbuses.co.uk/events.html

 

And this specifically on 11th June:

 

http://www.ctpg.co.uk/events/

[leopardml2341]

Is that trolleybus at Sandtoft a hybrid or completely converted to OHE operation? ....

It has (had when new) a small 'donkey engine' for moving off wire, primarily in the depot but I guess also useful to move it 'out of the way' in the event of in service failure.

 

IIRC, the reg no it has now is not it's original.

 

It's service was limited to a route out to Doncaster racecourse; again IIRC.

Edited May 16, 2017 by leopardml2341

[chrisf]

I do hope the organisers of the Barry event have learned from the last time I was there.  They arranged the line-up of buses so that all the backs were in full sun.  This was not popular with photographers - well, not this one.

 

Chris 

[Enterprisingwestern]

I do hope the organisers of the Barry event have learned from the last time I was there.  They arranged the line-up of buses so that all the backs were in full sun.  This was not popular with photographers - well, not this one.

 

Chris 

 

Sun.

Barry

Your memory is going!

 

Mike.

[Gwiwer]

SYPTE trolleybus 2450 has only ever operated off private roads AFAIK but must still carry a licence plate. The mark show is its original to my knowledge, matching a few other late deliveries in the same batch (diesel-powered) and some annoying and diminutive Dennis Domino saloons. Most of the batch was registered a year or two earlier with matching fleet and reg. numbers.

 

The Dennis Domino, of which few were built and of thosd most went to SYPTE or Greater Manchester (SELNEC) was considered unsuccessful. Its immediate successor however was the Dennis Dart, perhaps the most successful single-deck design of the past 50 years. Still very much with us in later SLF form and as the Enviro200 a decent number of early step-entrance ones have been bought for preservation.

 

Chrisf's pictures recall two memories. I am just old enough to have travelled on London trolleybused (on the 607, a number now re-used aling the Uxbridge Road for a limited-stop service) and remember their performance both up and down Hillingdon Hill. Sprightly even when full pulling away uphill bound for Shepherd's Bush Green and sometimes alarming downhill if running late towards Uxbridge. The "new" Routemasters which took over were just not the same ....

 

And the most uncommon open-top Bristol LDL shown in more recent times at Minehead when it ran a summer Sunday Exmoor tour taking in some very narrow and steep lanes and the wild openness of Dunkery Beacon. Two of this longer-than-usual type came new to Western National at Penzance. Both survive. Penzance used them on the busy 18 up to St. Austell until the FLF became available. They then spent many summers offering topless rides out to Marazion and between St. Ives and Land's End. That is where I first met them. And the latter route remains my favourite bus ride anywhere. It's still an open-top service and this year will carry the number A3 having been the 15, 515, 15 again, 300, 201 then 300 again. Services start on 28th May and run hourly daily.

[SWTH]

A pair I have a bit to do with:

 

 

Volvo B10M/Berkhof Esprite B588 XNO & Leyland Tiger/East Lancs EL2000 B105 KPF (1725) in Devon.

 

These two are more closely related than most imagine, as 1725 had a Berkhof Everest body when built. They were also at the Berkhof factory around the same time in Autumn 1984.1725 was rebodied in the early 1990s when it was acquired by Midland Red North.

Edited May 16, 2017 by SWTH

[Joseph_Pestell]

I'm not into buses but have really enjoyed this thread. The trouble is that I remember many of these type of buses shown being in service!

 

It's nice to know so many have been preserved. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any shows of these vehicles in South Wales.

 

Dave

 

p.s. I have a soft spot for Cardiff Trolleybuses which I well remember. 

I'm sure that I have seen details of a bus rally in South Wales.

 

There were plenty of Welsh vehicles at the Bristol Bus Rally last year (June?). Takes place at the Park+Ride on the A4 towards Keynsham.

[Joseph_Pestell]

A modern adaptation on a far older Foden chassis and I don't think there were any original 'bus bodies on Foden steam chassis (especially that one) although 'bus bodies were definitely built on Sentinel steam chassis well into the inter-war period. 

You really wonder why someone would do this. If they want a steam bus, why not build from scratch?

[Joseph_Pestell]

I have looked out a few more of my modest efforts.  The first is from the last time I went to the North Weald rally, in June 2013:

 

North Weald 2013 010.jpg

 

Even longer ago was my last visit to the Sandtoft Gathering.  This from July 2009:

 

Sandtoft July 09 002.jpg

 

And this:

 

London 1812.jpg

 

Finally for now, we find this in Minehead in September 2007:

 

DSC_0004.JPG

 

Chris

Love that Harrington Cavalier. I  think that Harrington were among the most stylish coachbuilders, both here and their French vehicles built IIRC in Dieppe.

[The Stationmaster]

You really wonder why someone would do this. If they want a steam bus, why not build from scratch?

 

Presumably it's easier to use an existing chassis - even if the result looks as fake as it actually is.

 

This however is real - although not steam powered - and is GWR Fleet No. 1268 on a Guy chassis seen here at Fawley Hill in 2013.  Although it went to Western National under the 1928 & '39 agreements it had a relatively brief live with them and in proper railway tradition it initially became a summerhouse  after being sold out of service being purchased for restoration in 1972.  After passing through several hands restoration was finally completed in 2013 hence it was fairly recently outshopped when I took these picture.  Alas the way Fawley 'organise' things makes soem photographic angles near impossible.

 

 

 

 

[Co-tr-Paul]

Well someone had to show a Bedford VAL at some point !

Here's two, half of the four owned by Wessex of Bristol.

[pH]

Would be interesting to convert some current buses so that they could operate from overhead on busy city centre routes.

 It has been done. For example, when Seattle's Metro Bus Tunnel - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Seattle_Transit_Tunnel - was first opened, buses used in it were Breda DuoBus 350s, which ran as diesels on the surface and trolleys in the tunnel. (They have since been replaced by hybrids.)

 

It has (had when new) a small 'donkey engine' for moving off wire, primarily in the depot but I guess also useful to move it 'out of the way' in the event of in service failure.

Not necessary now, with the improvements in battery technology. The New Flyer trolleys (at least) used in North America can run considerable distances off the wires - 3 miles in the case of Seattle's latest ones.

[eastglosmog]

A modern adaptation on a far older Foden chassis and I don't think there were any original 'bus bodies on Foden steam chassis (especially that one) although 'bus bodies were definitely built on Sentinel steam chassis well into the inter-war period. 

Curses on these people who don't restore their old machinery to what it looked like originally!  Just as well I didn't make a model of it to run on my layout!

Mind you, rebodying old chassis was not unheard of, the GWR did it a lot, but that was the other way around, from buses to lorries. 

[Co-tr-Paul]

And for those who want their coaches in corporate white....