For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

[stewartingram]

On 02/02/2023 at 07:40, Johann Marsbar said:

 

Eastern Counties had their own version of a system rover, the "Anywhere Ticket" - and they had a decent sized netwoek ro use it on at that time as well......

 

 

The "Wanderbus Ticket" ended up replacing those by the mid 1980's.

Come back Eastern Counties, all is forgiven. We need you nowadays......

[Enterprisingwestern]

18 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

Come back Eastern Counties, all is forgiven. We need you nowadays......

 

Along with all the other pre de-regulation "maniac years" companies and municipalities.

 

Mike.

[Johann Marsbar]

Lots of preparation work under way on the bodywork prior to painting on our 1932 Bedford WLB bus that we're restoring at the moment......

 

 

The vehicle has Waveney Bodywork and was new to Alexander of Devizes, being registered WV 1209.  It was later sold to an operator in the Bury St Edmunds area, finally finishing its days as a PSV with Foremans of Orford, Suffolk, during the 1950's.  It was then converted to a mobile tea bar called "The Pink Elephant" but was never actually used as such, before being purchased by the Ipswich Transport Preservation Group in the mid 1960's.

It should make its first appearance on the road for the first time in getting on for 60 years later in 2023.......

[J. S. Bach]

I posted this in another forum (Wheeltappers/Good comms from Germany) and then thought that it might be of interest here also:

 

2 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

As far as I know, anything that is displayed on the electronic headsigns has to be in its memory, the operator does not have the capability of direct entry.  The ODK:

 

 

 

FYI: I did the programming of these signs for about twenty years at the agency where I worked . A sample of several types of signs over the years, the first a flip-dot only (note the controller (upside-down) on the desk), this one is in my collection:

The next version had the flip-dots (when activated) uncover an led:

then came the all-led sign  (note that 9734 was the only New Flyer with an all-led sign, I believe that the sign was a demonstrator):

then the Chroma 4 all color sign:

 

 

 With the Twin Vision Chroma 4 sign, I could get really creative:

It took almost an hour to get that winged "e" just right.

[Metr0Land]

I don't think we've had this before?  Park Royal memories.

 

[Gwiwer]

On 20/02/2023 at 19:25, stewartingram said:

Come back Eastern Counties, all is forgiven.

Except for the anonymous use of "Service" as the destination on far too many of their buses.  

 

For which they stand jointly accused with Tilling Group stable-mates Western and Southern National (effectively one and the same company) who were very fond of displaying the operator's name as the only form of "destination".  With or even without a route number.  No doubt on the assumption that anyone who needed to know knew where the bus was going and anyone who didn't know was a "furriner" and wasn't wanted.  

 

At least some attitudes have changed.  Mostly.  

[stewartingram]

Agreed, but I'd rather have them back to give us a service we don't have locally today!

[phil_sutters]

These are old pictures of buses, rather than pictures of old buses. From a family holiday staying in University student accommodation in 1989. 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2023 by phil_sutters

[phil_sutters]

...and, while accessing the Glasgow files, one of an old photo of an old bus.

[phil_sutters]

Another example of a Routemaster with a bad livery - designed by/for a prestigious art school to celebrate a railway anniversary! The curly graffiti must be down to my poor care of the negative, rather than the artistic endeavour of a St.Martin's student.

Edited April 2, 2023 by phil_sutters

[John M Upton]

RM25 always seem to have been one for special liveries, it was also one of the Golden Jubilee Gold buses in 2002 although I photographed it in January 2002 when it was still in red:

 

[PhilJ W]

'Modern' liveries on old buses never seem to sit well but old liveries on modern buses can look good. ATM First Essex have several buses painted in the liveries of the predecessors of the company. My favourite is the cream with green band(s) express livery. They operate for the most part out of Hadleigh depot.

[John M Upton]

Stagecoach South at Andover has just released a Enviro 400 MMC in the old late 1980's deregulation Hampshire Bus red white and blue scheme.  Looks quite good actually!

[J. S. Bach]

8 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

'Modern' liveries on old buses never seem to sit well but old liveries on modern buses can look good. ATM First Essex have several buses painted in the liveries of the predecessors of the company. My favourite is the cream with green band(s) express livery. They operate for the most part out of Hadleigh depot.

Some of the current US mega railroads have been putting 1950s "heritage" paint schemes on modern locomotives; in a lot of cases, it just does not work. Just my not-so-humble-opinion!

 

 

 

8 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Stagecoach South at Andover has just released a Enviro 400 MMC in the old late 1980's deregulation Hampshire Bus red white and blue scheme.  Looks quite good actually!

Photos please. It sounds like it might be a good looker.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, J. S. Bach said:

Some of the current US mega railroads have been putting 1950s "heritage" paint schemes on modern locomotives; in a lot of cases, it just does not work. Just my not-so-humble-opinion!

Paint schemes designed for the F series streamliners. would not fit to well on what looks like a random pile of boxes.

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Paint schemes designed for the F series streamliners. would not fit to well on what looks like a random pile of boxes.

The New Haven McGinnis scheme sort of works on modern power but then again, it was applied to some second generation power, too.

[Johann Marsbar]

Some interesting adverts found in 100 or so year ago editions of Electric Railway Journal.....

 

 

Shanghai is now the oldest established trolleybus operation in the world, opening in 1914 and still in operation today.

 

 

 

Both Baltimore and Philadelphia used Brill built vehicles like that and the body of one of the 1922 Baltimore ones was saved by the Baltimore Streetcar Museum after being discovered in the 1970's.

It's not at their site in Baltimore though and I've never seen a photo of what condition it is actually in.

 

 

The St Louis one above - destined for Detrioit - looks very similar to the Packard built ones that were used on an experimental route in Toronto from 1922 and was later found (1970's again) and rescued by the Halton Radial Railway Museum in Ontario - though it still awaits restoration. It does have the body and chassis (with solid tyres), which is more than the Baltimore one apparently has.

[Johann Marsbar]

Isle of Man, last Sunday.....

 

[Oldddudders]

Not exactly a Harrington wing, is it?

[Gwiwer]

This has appeared elsewhere but for those who may have missed it RF315 (which was a central area red bus in its London Transport days) waits at Limpsfield Chart. 
 

Seen through the church lych-gate the bus is ready to work a 465 journey to East Grinstead via Crockham Hill and Edenbridge having arrived as a 464 from Oxted. 
 

There isn’t much here to suggest the view isn’t 50+ years old but this was taken on 23/04/23 during a Country Bus Rallies event. 
 

[Johann Marsbar]

Another selection from the Jurby Transport Museum bus running day last Sunday....

 

 

 

 

The PD2 had failed at that point (seemingly a blocked fuel filter) so the Atlantean was on a rescue mission.

[nsl714]

How about a London Routemaster a ways away from home?

 

 

RM1133 wandered a bit after being retired in 1996. It originally was sold to someone in France, but the deal fell through and it went to a scrapyard. There it was purchased by someone who moved it to near Bristol Tennessee. A few years later it moved to Northern IL. In 2022 I had the opportunity to purchase it. It now lives on a farm in Central Illinois.

 

 

 

The juxtaposition of a London city bus against the flat expanse of Illinois is a funny one, and it gets lots of strange looks. RM1133 was re-engined at some point in the USA with a Cummins diesel and Allison transmission, so it should run for quite a while with minimal fuss and attention. We're planning to keep it up as a historic vehicle, no caravan conversion here!

 

-Zach

 

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

25 minutes ago, nsl714 said:

How about a London Routemaster a ways away from home?

 

 

RM1133 wandered a bit after being retired in 1996. It originally was sold to someone in France, but the deal fell through and it went to a scrapyard. There it was purchased by someone who moved it to near Bristol Tennessee. A few years later it moved to Northern IL. In 2022 I had the opportunity to purchase it. It now lives on a farm in Central Illinois.

 

 

 

The juxtaposition of a London city bus against the flat expanse of Illinois is a funny one, and it gets lots of strange looks. RM1133 was re-engined at some point in the USA with a Cummins diesel and Allison transmission, so it should run for quite a while with minimal fuss and attention. We're planning to keep it up as a historic vehicle, no caravan conversion here!

 

-Zach

 

 

 

 

The paint seems to have gone a bit, erm, flat!

 

Mike.

[nsl714]

It has, hasn't it? We're not 100% sure if it's been repainted over here, or if this is still the early 90's London paint, either ways it's chalked and faded a bit. The scale tips a bit toward repainting, as there's no evidence of the 90's style London Buses lettering or logo compared to what's on it now. We want to buff it out a bit and see if that will bring back some gloss/shine.

[phil_sutters]

Having taken a wrong turning, ignoring a small grandson's protestations where the road forked, on the way back to the bus stop in Northiam village, we were waiting for a cab from Rye to pick us up from what seemed like the middle of nowhere. We had had a good trip on the Kent and East Sussex Railway. This vision of loveliness hove into view. It was some consolation for me, but after a £15 cab ride, I felt that cakes and soft drinks would be better compensation for the grandson and his sister. So an expensive mistake. The grandson always had a great sense of direction.