For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[Lord Flashheart]

Aire Valley Transport Group running day at Skipton, 10/10/21

 

Rob

[Oldddudders]

12 hours ago, Lord Flashheart said:

Aire Valley Transport Group running day at Skipton, 10/10/21

Some immaculate specimens there - any chance of identifying builders, please?

[5 C]

The Fishwick Leyland brings back memories of travelling to 6th form college in the mid-1980's. As a 1981 vehicle, I doubt it was ever used on that service being fairly new at that point, albeit the chassis dates from 1975 having been a Leyland test bed with an (unusual for Fishwicks) ECW body. As they were practically next door to the Leyland works, Fishwick often had new and unusual Leylands on their fleet.

 

The Fishwick double deckers used on the college contract at that time were some much older East Lancs bodied Atlanteans. They were usually standing room only and I often found myself standing behind the driver. I vividly remember their disconnected original speedos which had been replaced with much larger and more complex tachographs.

Edited October 12, 2021 by 5 C
Additional info.

[5 C]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Some immaculate specimens there - any chance of identifying builders, please?

 

Bus Lists On The Web is your friend:

 

NRN397P Leyland Atlantean/Park Royal

TRN481V Leyland Atlantean/ECW

LUA714V Bristol VRT/ECW

OWT776M Bristol RE/ECW

TBD278G Bristol RE/ECW

GRN895W Leyland Atlantean/ECW (1975 Leyland test bed)

BFS14L Leyland Atlantean/Alexander rebuilt by Lothian in 1990

 

[John M Upton]

Fishwicks often dipped into Leyland's parts bin for bargains, resulting in a number of oddballs prototypes and ex development models entering their fleet.  It meant some unique vehicles made it to preservation.

 

GRN895W is a rare AN69 model of Atlantean (most domestic ones were AN68's and before that the PDR1 and variants) and was built as a left hand drive chassis before being sold off. converted and bodied for Fishwicks, hence the 1981 reg on a 1975 bus.

Edited October 12, 2021 by John M Upton

[5 C]

Coincidentally, LUA714V was also a member of the Fishwicks fleet between 1994 and 2000 after service with West Yorkshire, Keighley & District and Sovereign.

[Johann Marsbar]

I photographed GRN 895W at Fishwicks depot back in 1987...

 

 

In 1982, the B15 prototype that spent some time operating with LT was also part of their fleet...

 

[John M Upton]

I always preferred the Park Royal/Roe body style on the Atlantean chassis:

Crawley, circa 1990 on an Instamatic camera whilst visiting my grandmother in Three Bridges.  Most of the fleet there back then was made up of these with a couple of Olympians and the odd short National for company.

 

I always found the stylish ECW body on the Atlantean looked too tall, like it would topple over at the slightest hint of a crosswind:

This example a rare visitor to Chichester probably the same year as the Crawley one above, here with the independent Sussex Bus.

 

The standard ECW body looked much better on a Bristol VR:

 

 

Although some operators did specify it with the extra height still, Ribble I think were one customer, this example seen later with Solent Blue Line:

 

[Oldddudders]

I'm no expert, but in the rear-engined double-decker era, I have seldom seen a body style I liked better than Alexander. 

[5 C]

30 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

I photographed GRN 895W at Fishwicks depot back in 1987...

 

 

 

 

It's strange seeing the 109 destination blinds on a double decker. I remember it as a single decker service certainly up to 1985 when I went off to university. The 109 was jointly operated with Ribble as were many in the Chorley - Leyland - Preston area.

 

I always thought the Fishwick two-tone green livery was rather smart and made a welcome change to NBC Poppy Red which was everywhere in the 70's and early 80's.

 

[John M Upton]

51 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I'm no expert, but in the rear-engined double-decker era, I have seldom seen a body style I liked better than Alexander. 

Yes, they were pretty stylish if a tad rare in my photo archive.  This is a pair of ex Portsmouth examples in Chichester for no readily apparent reason:

 

An alternative option for the Atlantean purchaser was East Lancs who basically supplied local council operations with a box on wheels:

 

[Johann Marsbar]

An earlier style of Alexander body on an Atlantean....

 

 

...with an ECW bodied one parked behind it.

 

[Oldddudders]

ISTR we had some secondhand Alexander-bodied Atlanteans in the Medway in the mid-70s. Ex Newcastle, I think, with a GCN registration, maybe. They stood out even then for styling. I am due back in Torquay next week, for the first time in 14 Covid months, and the 12 and 22 services were Alexander Dennis products last time I was there. 

[Johann Marsbar]

12 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

ISTR we had some secondhand Alexander-bodied Atlanteans in the Medway in the mid-70s. Ex Newcastle, I think, with a GCN registration, maybe. They stood out even then for styling. I am due back in Torquay next week, for the first time in 14 Covid months, and the 12 and 22 services were Alexander Dennis products last time I was there. 

 

That Tyne & Wear one was being evaluated at the time (1980) with a view to buying 4 of them to replace the single door ECW Atlanteans in the Ipswich fleet. 

In the end it was decided to get 4 of these ex Leeds ones instead....

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

25 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

ISTR we had some secondhand Alexander-bodied Atlanteans in the Medway in the mid-70s. Ex Newcastle, I think, with a GCN registration, maybe. They stood out even then for styling. I am due back in Torquay next week, for the first time in 14 Covid months, and the 12 and 22 services were Alexander Dennis products last time I was there. 

Maidstone & District bought some Alexander-bodied Atlanteans to speed the conversion of Chatham area routes to one-man operation. Many of their own early Atlanteans and Fleetlines were initially only fitted out as crew-worked buses. The GCN regustrations, unfamiliar bodywork and in later years the oversized fleet numbers on the roof dome (for the benefit of Chatham’s Pentagon bus station cctv) all made for an odd combination. Add to the mix the local destination of Luton (a district of Chatham) and you had a real mix - Tyneside registered, Scottish-bodied buses with Kentish garb and apparently going to a town in Bedfordshire!  

[Gwiwer]

A few views from the recent Chesham Running Day organised by the Amersham & District Motorbus Society. 
 

While Chesham was the focus with former LT routes being recreated there were regular trips to High Wycombe among other places and feeder services from as far away as Harlow and Croydon mostly using former LT / LCBS vehicles 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by Gwiwer

[ColinK]

I often wear a cap when driving buses. My old cap was getting too dirty so I’ve just started wearing a new one I bought in Germany, there is a image of a narrow gauge steam train and the words ‘Meckelenburgische Baderbahn Molli’.

 

The first passenger getting on my bus today was a lady pensioner who pointed at my cap and said ‘I’ve ridden on the Molli’. Quite a surprise.

 

She went on to tell me her and her husband had been on a cruise and there was an organised trip to the railway for $97 which the Americans thought great value.  The lady and her husband made their own arrangement using the service train which cost 75% less.

[37114]

3 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

I photographed GRN 895W at Fishwicks depot back in 1987...

 

 

 

The middle bus is also the other UK AN69 which had an Olympian style body but with a bustle at the rear.

[John M Upton]

6 minutes ago, 37114 said:

The middle bus is also the other UK AN69 which had an Olympian style body but with a bustle at the rear.

 

Also preserved I have just found out!!

[Busmansholiday]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

I am due back in Torquay next week, for the first time in 14 Covid months, and the 12 and 22 services were Alexander Dennis products last time I was there. 

Don't get too excited as the only change is some of the red (Hop 12) and green (Hop 22) buses are now painted in that dreadful new Stagecoach livery whilst the Gold service has some of that allocation in the new school bus yellow livery.

[Busmansholiday]

3 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

An earlier style of Alexander body on an Atlantean....

 

 

...with an ECW bodied one parked behind it.

 

New to Newcastle and with the nearside staircase.

[J. S. Bach]

56 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

A few views from the recent Chesham Running Day organised by the Amersham & District Motorbus Society.

Uh-oh, caught in the act!

 

On most buses and trolleys over here, the roll signs were only accessible from the inside. Although on the Flexible opening the window made access to some of the bolts/nuts so much easier.

The owner of the bus let me have the sign system as he had gotten this one just to have a spare power plant.

 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

A few views

One too many!  It doesn't seem to matter how many times I edit and remove it the duplicate image of RML2440 still keeps coming back up   

 

Very few images seem to exist of the blind-change process for buses.  It varied by type of course.  As shown in my picture it was done from the outside on the London RF types and others.  

 

 

[leopardml2341]

Just flipping back to rear engined double dockers....

 

These were pretty hideous:

https://www.sytt.org.uk/history-of-1831

 

Marshall bodied AN68s

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by leopardml2341

[leopardml2341]

Whereas this, IMO, is rather pleasing on the eye:

 

https://www.sytt.org.uk/history-of-1357