For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[PhilJ W]

56 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Perhaps we ought to get our 1933 "piano front" Ransomes double-deck trolleybus restored after seeing this.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-62052718

I take it you mean the one in the Ipswich Transport Museum. 

[PhilJ W]

On 07/07/2022 at 06:31, Johann Marsbar said:

This image appeared in a YouTube presentation on Pittsburgh that I started to watch yesterday evening......

 

 

....the original source being from this web-page.....

 

http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Trolleys/PMC.html

 

I couldn't find anything further out about it anywhere, but it does appear to be a standard NS, but with reversed staircase/loading platform for the US rule of the road and it does appear to have a US pattern registration plate.   I thought someone had been playing with Photoshop when I saw the "General" fleetname on it, but the upper saloon entrance door does fit in with the reversed staircase/platform arrangement - a lot of work to "doctor" in that way.

 

Any clues??

Unfortunately no mention of it here, or of the ones used in Berlin.

http://www.countrybus.org/NS/NS.htm

It was probably one of the 1739-2050 batches. Or possibly an older open top one with an added roof.

Edited July 9, 2022 by PhilJ W

[Johann Marsbar]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

I take it you mean the one in the Ipswich Transport Museum. 

 

Yes, though it looks a bit different at the moment to what it looked like back in 1933 when it was delivered, as shown on this Richard Berridge painting owned by the Museum....

 

 

 

[Busmansholiday]

On 07/07/2022 at 21:40, RANGERS said:

There were also some RMs converted to RH door/ LH staircase which went to Canada, Vancouver IIRC.

There was (before Covid) an RML in Bulgaria (Sunny Beach) that's had the rear end reversed. There were also some other ex London area deckers fitted with offside doors in the same area.

 

[John M Upton]

Quite a few UK Bristol VR's (mostly ECW bodied ones) were exported over the years and had their doors switched to the (UK) offside.

[RANGERS]

On 07/07/2022 at 21:40, RANGERS said:

There were also some RMs converted to RH door/ LH staircase which went to Canada, Vancouver IIRC.

It was Montreal, Quebec, not Vancouver - https://www.shutterstock.com/search/routemaster

 

The conversion work was undertaken by Plaxton at their service centre. From memory they were from the ones retro-fitted with Cummins B series engines and Alison transmissions, ironically much the same driveline as the final generation of diesel powered buses in London.

[PhilJ W]

54 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

Quite a few UK Bristol VR's (mostly ECW bodied ones) were exported over the years and had their doors switched to the (UK) offside.

They and many of the ex London DMS's had the entrance doors placed centrally in the UK offside, in the case of the DMS's behind the staircase. A few DMS's ended up operating on mainland China (ex Hong Kong) with the same arrangement. IIRC a couple of Bristol VR's in the USA were converted to LHD.  

[37114]

14 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

They and many of the ex London DMS's had the entrance doors placed centrally in the UK offside, in the case of the DMS's behind the staircase. A few DMS's ended up operating on mainland China (ex Hong Kong) with the same arrangement. IIRC a couple of Bristol VR's in the USA were converted to LHD.  

I have seen a picture of a Left Hand drive VR, the entry door was 3 panels rather than 4 presumably due to the staircase location 

[PhilJ W]

Its interesting to see how British buses exported to where the drive on the right rule applies are modified to run in such countries. Often a single decker or a front entrance double decker was fitted with a rear emergency door that was used. In Yugoslavia rear entrance double deckers were fitted with a door in the rear panel where the emergency door would be if the platform was enclosed. On the other extreme a batch of ex London Transport central area Q single deckers were converted to left hand drive and the entrance moved to the right, but still without entrance doors.  

Edited July 10, 2022 by PhilJ W

[Johann Marsbar]

On 07/07/2022 at 06:31, Johann Marsbar said:

This image appeared in a YouTube presentation on Pittsburgh that I started to watch yesterday evening......

 

 

....the original source being from this web-page.....

 

http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Trolleys/PMC.html

 

I couldn't find anything further out about it anywhere, but it does appear to be a standard NS, but with reversed staircase/loading platform for the US rule of the road and it does appear to have a US pattern registration plate.   I thought someone had been playing with Photoshop when I saw the "General" fleetname on it, but the upper saloon entrance door does fit in with the reversed staircase/platform arrangement - a lot of work to "doctor" in that way.

 

Any clues??

 

An answer has appeared on another forum overnight....

They are apparently mentioned in "General Buses of the Twenties" by George Robbins and published in 1996.

 

"It is interesting to note that several of the 409 type (NS) were going overseas and in February 1926 two were sold to the Equitable Arts Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; one was an open topper and the other had a covered top, but both had an offside entrance".

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

As Yellow Buses have just gone into Administration, here are a couple of their vehicles photographed at Mallard Road depot in Bournemouth back in 1983......

 

 

[ardbealach]

Attached are three of my Yellow Bus images.  On a visit to Bournemouth - when I took these photoes - I was quite surprised to see that Alexander bodies dominated the bus scene there.  Sad to read of their demise. (Alisdair)

[Gwiwer]

Bournemouth was a town of surprises. 
 

Twin-staircase, twin-entrance Leyland Titans (PD2 iirc), a trolleybus turntable, an Alexander-bodied fleet but with oddities such as the pair of MH Cars-bodied Fleetlines, Marshall-bodied Leopards with high-level windows for sightseeing (like the first London RF vehicles) and four blind apertures on deckers - route number, ultimate and up to four via points plus a colour-coded one to show the route out of town. Blue via Old Christchurch Road, red via Bath Road and green via Richmond Hill. There was also a black blank and a selection of yellow-backed specials which included To The Football, To The Tennis, To The Show and others. Also unusual was the requirement to pay for items left in the luggage area.  The ban on standing passengers when ascending Richmond Hill (which is a long steep climb) was understandable and a relic from trolleybus days which lasted well into the diesel era. 
 

 

[pH]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

The ban on standing passengers when ascending Richmond Hill (which is a long steep climb) was understandable … 

How so? OK, it’s a steep hill (though just how steep is difficult to judge from Streetview). But I can think of several hills as long and steep which were worked back in the day by loaded Bristol FLFs (70 seated, 8 standing). And at least one had a stop right in the middle of the hill!

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Sheffield is renowned for its hills, and in the good old days a full standing load included at least 3 on the platform and a few upstairs, and I've been on Regent III's so filled on various mountainous routes.

 

Mike.

[PhilJ W]

Trolleybuses were the best hill climbers.

[Dunsignalling]

33 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Trolleybuses were the best hill climbers.

IIRC the ban on standing passengers was for safety reasons not a lack of power in the vehicle. The trolleys were capable of rapid uphill acceleration after being impeded during the  climb. Many passengers might not have expected that.

 

Not a problem with more sluggish diesel buses.

 

John

Edited July 30, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[pH]

1 hour ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

Sheffield is renowned for its hills, and in the good old days a full standing load included at least 3 on the platform and a few upstairs, and I've been on Regent III's so filled on various mountainous routes.

I had forgotten about Sheffield! I lived in Crosspool and Crookesmoor and well remember loaded buses struggling up the hills out of the city centre. (And the coin ‘rubbing’ tickets!)

[Enterprisingwestern]

9 hours ago, pH said:

I had forgotten about Sheffield! I lived in Crosspool and Crookesmoor and well remember loaded buses struggling up the hills out of the city centre. (And the coin ‘rubbing’ tickets!)

 

Videmat. Still got a few of those!

 

Mike.

[37114]

There is an interesting video on YouTube from Routemasters4hire at the moment where they rescue Leyland National (PUK647R) from a firing range where it has been for the last 15 years for restoration. The video shows how they get it going and driveable to go on a low loader

[Metr0Land]

4 hours ago, 37114 said:

There is an interesting video on YouTube from Routemasters4hire at the moment where they rescue Leyland National (PUK647R) from a firing range where it has been for the last 15 years for restoration. The video shows how they get it going and driveable to go on a low loader

 

[Gwiwer]

15 hours ago, pH said:

it’s a steep hill (though just how steep is difficult to judge from Streetview).

1:6 if I remember correctly. Certainly a challenge to any fully-loaded bus. Bournemouth’s buses were once very busy indeed so a full load from the first stop in The Square wasn’t uncommon. You went straight up - slowly. 
 

Buses routed via Old Christchurch Road had at least a less steep, if longer and winding, climb. 

[great central]

Following the Leyland National theme, I found this on YouTube. 

Although I don't necessarily agree with urban exploration it has what looks like a bendy bus version of a National. I didn't know such a thing existed but Google gives the answers as usual 

 

 

[RANGERS]

5 hours ago, 37114 said:

There is an interesting video on YouTube from Routemasters4hire at the moment where they rescue Leyland National (PUK647R) from a firing range where it has been for the last 15 years for restoration. The video shows how they get it going and driveable to go on a low loader

They couldn’t have been great shots if they consistently missed something the size of a Leyland National for 15 years.

 

I know plenty of bus engineers (not to mention drivers and passengers) who would have paid good money to take pot shots at a National.

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, RANGERS said:

 

 

 

I know plenty of bus engineers (not to mention drivers and passengers) who would have paid good money to take pot shots at a National.

The first time I attended a LN breakdown it was a tow-in job.  The half-shafts had to come off and I was sorely tempted to throw them into the nearby river.  

 

The jury might still be out in some quarters but for me they were the one type which killed off many routes altogether in the name of standardisation.  Too big, too thirsty and (for what it's worth) too noisy and smoky most of the time as well.  

 

They finally seemed to get it right with the LN2 but too many had already been sold and operators were not in need of large numbers of urban single-deckers; few were sold.  On country routes they were woeful.  We never needed 49 seats on most and at 11.3m (other lengths became available later) they couldn't get around some corners or through some villages.  Cue service withdrawal leaving some communities unserved.