swt class 450
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Rural areas with a decent bus service is something you don't see anymore these days.
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TRIVIA: Things you saw travelling by bus or coach that you don't see today
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Highland's L212-214 (ex-Northern), L227-31 (native) and L251-2 (ex-Fife) were all Y-types and had 62 seats instead of the usual 53. The former Northern examples were originally 53 seaters but the rest were like that from new. I presume there would have been a few rows left as 2+2.
Statto
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Blinds that didn't take the whole of the section between the lower & upper windows at the front, so operators could have own livery on rather than a black surround.
Busaholic
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Yes, it was located head high on the left of the platform as you got on, just as you turned left for the saloon. I'd say it was mainly for the benefit of the conductor on the platform edge when they had arms outstretched to prevent any more passengers boarding, so could then reach up and ring three bells. It was a bit of a stretch for a vertically challenged conductor!
Are you sure it's always been against the rules, even in the days before anyone had heard of passive smoking (and when passengers could smoke in parts of the bus)? I'd be surprised if there was any rule against drivers smoking in those days - after all trains always used to have an ashtray in the driving cab. I remember seeing drivers on London OPO buses smoking in the cab in the 1980s.
I'm sure it was against PSV regulations that drivers couldn't smoke whilst in service. I was a bit of a geek when I was a kid (no change now) and some of our school bus drivers used to smoke and I would make a point of reminding them, politely of course!
Leopard's had underfloor engines. The Ford R series was probably the last full size front engined coach.
A quick online search it looks like Northern Scottish ran some Fords, with the Alexander Y type body that also went on Leopards and many other chassis.
Busaholic
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Well, at one time London bus drivers had to wear their jackets while driving (different issue for summer and winter) and even, in theory at least, caps: I can't imagine that smoking while driving would have been allowed, regardless of smoking being quite acceptable among the general populace.
matchmaker
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The conductor reversing the seats at the terminus. Wait, that was on a tram...
I knew it had a Y type body, didn't realise it was a ford, thank for answering that.
The "monopoly" rule that meant that you could only use a town/city municipal bus operator for journeys entirely within that town/city.
Perhaps at one time a rule more honoured in the breach than the observance. The shortage of bus crews on the early seventies may have led to a blind eye being turned. I expect for some time after it was cracked down on there would still be a number of drivers who would light up in areas they did not expect to encounter an inspector.
I recall the same from my own PSV training but as a non smoker didn't pay too much attention. Drivers who did smoke would do so when empty/with other drivers but I never saw one smoking with passengers on board.
Ah, the Ford R-series. Another thing not seen these days... thankfully!
As aside, there was also a one-off Volvo B57 which carried a Y-type body (one of the last few built, if not the last). It had a front-mounted engine as well. It's now awaiting restoration, I believe.
Highlandspring
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Northern Scottish at one point in the late 1970s ran the most Ford R series in the UK, or “The world’s largest fleet of the world’s worst buses” as one industry magazine famously put it.
Highlandspring
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The last two Y type bodies built were two demonstrators on a Dennis Lancet (XSA4Y, ND1) chassis and the Volvo B57 you mention (XSA5Y, NA1). The Dennis was scrapped in the 1990s but the Volvo survives at The Scottish Vintage Bus Museum. Northern did make a follow up order for Lancets but these were specified with Alexander P Type bodies. Notably because of differences in the two chassis types it so happened that the underfloor engined Lancet was the tallest Y Type body produced and the front engined Volvo was the shortest, something which is really obvious if you ever see a photo of them parked side by side. Northern also took the final batch of Y type bodied Leyland Leopards produced, the last of which (XSS43Y, NPE43) is also preserved.
The P-type Lancets all ended up at Elgin and were regulars on my journey to school. They certainly weren't quiet machines with the Perkins V8 underneath. I travelled on A506FSS when it was brand new, and happily it is also preserved. Low floors? Meh!
I'm saddened to hear that ND1 didn't make it, though.
PaulLothian
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I remember from 45 years ago a couple of very antique local buses for which the driver opened the doors with a large lever and mechanical connection.
Yes, we had a coach from Maghull Coaches that had that mechanism. This was in the 80s though although I expect the coach was from the early 70s. It was one of our school buses. It appeared to be just a lever attached to the door handle to enable the driver to reach. At the time, Maghull had a motley collection including a grey Bristol half cab decker which we also got quite regularly.
Dai Corner
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Timetabled Relief services.
I caught the 59 to Maidstone where I attended the Grammar School in the early 1970s. We'd see the 59 Relief on it's way empty to the terminus before it ran some 20 minutes or so behind us to pick up the kids for the local Secondary Modern.
I've no idea why it was Relief, except that I think it only ran on schooldays.
I caught the 59 to Maidstone where I attended the Grammar School in the early 1970s. We'd see the 59 Relief on it's way empty to the terminus before it ran some 20 minutes or so behind us to pick up the kids for the local Secondary Modern.
I've no idea why it was Relief, except that I think it only ran on schooldays.
The first 72 on Boxing Day each year from Bradford to Leeds has two timetabled reliefs, one being only for part of the journey.
Thanks, that has jogged my memory nicely.
Birmingham:
Bundy clocks.
Buses showing the outer terminus permanently but switching the 'from city' blind to 'to city' when it reaches its destination.
Pens full of workers at large factories (like Longbridge, Shaftmoor Lane?) where they waited at clocking off time for one of the waiting line of buses to pull up to take them home.
Bundy clocks.
Buses showing the outer terminus permanently but switching the 'from city' blind to 'to city' when it reaches its destination.
Pens full of workers at large factories (like Longbridge, Shaftmoor Lane?) where they waited at clocking off time for one of the waiting line of buses to pull up to take them home.
That's called "dead mileage"; I'm a bit surprised that London Transport used not to do this at all.
I grew up in Putney, south-west London, and there used to be a bus stand on Oxford Road used by Routemasters on route 14 (which used to run empty down Disraeli Road to Putney High Street, so it did happen even in the old days).
Tetchytyke
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I'm glad to see the back of all the breadvans. The FreightRover Sherpa was truly dire.
Ex24Driver
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I will honestly say it and I know some will disagree but the Leyland National as I loved traveling to school on them as a kid, but I hated driving them for a living.
On a cold day you were absolutely frozen when the pod heating system failed and found out how skittery they were on an icy road when the engine was 11 meters behind you and a center of balance seriously out of position
On a cold day you were absolutely frozen when the pod heating system failed and found out how skittery they were on an icy road when the engine was 11 meters behind you and a center of balance seriously out of position
PaulLothian
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The levers I remember were more like a steam engine reversing lever alongside the driving seat!
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