Time Machine Preservation Projects

[scosutsut]

Been thinking about this recently, if you could turn the clock back - are there any vehicles that you held dear that you wish you could have saved from the cutters torch and own today in a preserved state?

I grew up in Kelvin Central territory, through the SB Holdings era and into the early days of First ownership. I loved their rag tag fleet of odds and ends - and forever how old, how tatty, how smelly, how leaky - they always bloody ran and I admired them for that.

I was just a kid back then so preserving a vehicle wouldn't have been an option, but if I could go back now a vehicle I'd preserve in a heartbeat was A110 UYS, a Dennis Dorchester with Alexander TE bodywork new to Central as DD10 but I knew her as 2190. She was my favourite bus home, seeing her would instantly make a bad day a good one. Didn't at the time appreciate the rarity of my choice either - oh the irony!

My next favourites were the Alexander PS type B10Ms but heartily I know there is one preserved (2394) looking resplendent in KCB Network red and cream.

Lastly, the sole Scottish Greenway MDS 862V (4138) would have been a great project - shockingly I never had the pleasure of a journey on it! Perhaps I wouldn't say that if I had!

Any wishes of your own?

 

[Stan Drews]

One of Glasgow’s 40 Metropolitans would be my plaything of choice!

 

[ChrisPJ]

One of the Ward Dalesman buses bought new by Darlington.

 

[MotCO]

There are several Metrobus (the Orpington company) buses preserved. However, the company was quite innovative as an independent company, introducing one of the first low floor single deckers (Optare Exels on the 358) and one of the first low floor double deckers in London (East Lancs Tridents on route 261). I would like to preserve one each of these - some are probably still around.

 

[Clydeflyer]

One of the original Neoplan Skyliners from early days Stagecoach... vehicles like FES 831W (first new vehicle bought) and Lodekkas and Routemasters and The Megadekka are in the Heritage Fleet, but not a single Neoplan Skyliner or Jetliner which is a shame because they were such iconic coaches at the time.

 

[GusB]

I'm not sure if it has actually been scrapped but I would have loved to have seen KSL41X preserved. This was a Duple Dominant III bodied Leyland Tiger that was purchased by Northern Scottish for the Aberdeen Football Club contract. It had a 6-speed ZF instead of the usual semi-auto and it could fairly shift.

It carried the reg number 1412NE for a while, and was rebuilt with larger windows and reseated to a standard coach layout. It was re-registered to RRS226X, and in the most recent photo I can find it was with Stagecoach Darlington (1995). I'd be interested to hear of its fate.

 

[alphabravo43]

K473EDT would have been good, it was the Mercedes/Alexander demonstrator, and only one built. Given its unique nature and demonstrator status, plenty of livery options with it passing to Midland Bluebird and then First, would give it a certain appeal.

 

[mjc]

For me it's one of PMT Engineering's Knype vehicles. Only around a dozen ever produced and ugly as sin, but an icon of my childhood and I often on my route home from college (which made the morning Beaver 2 look positively space age!)

 

[Jordan Adam]

K473EDT would have been good, it was the Mercedes/Alexander demonstrator, and only one built. Given its unique nature and demonstrator status, plenty of livery options with it passing to Midland Bluebird and then First, would give it a certain appeal.

Correction there, it was one of two Alexander Cityranger's built, the other being articulated K1GRT which is now preserved.

I have a fairly detailed historical write up on the type here.

 

[GusB]

For me it's one of PMT Engineering's Knype vehicles. Only around a dozen ever produced and ugly as sin, but an icon of my childhood and I often on my route home from college (which made the morning Beaver 2 look positively space age!)

I feel a bit queasy. Blergh!

Correction there, it was one of two Alexander Cityranger's built, the other being articulated K1GRT which is now preserved.

I have a fairly detailed historical write up on the type here.

To be fair, the Midland one was unique. One was a O.405 - the other a O.405G...

 

[mjc]

I feel a bit queasy. Blergh!

But one should have been saved as a reminder to the future that just because you can do something doesn’t been that you should!!

 

[Strathclyder]

To name but a few personal choices from the smaller independents in my local area: Glasgow Citybus' pair of ex-Rossendale Optare Metroriders (P915/916 XUG) & several members of the erstwhile John Morrow/Clydebank Bus Company fleet. Namely, one of their numerous Plaxton Beaver-bodied Mercedes-Benz O810Ds, one of their ex-Stagecoach Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10Ms or one of the pair of ex-Epsom ALX200-bodied Darts. All of them played small, but important parts in my formative/early teenage years & helped mold me into the bus nut I am now. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate!

I was just a kid back then so preserving a vehicle wouldn't have been an option, but if I could go back now a vehicle I'd preserve in a heartbeat was A110 UYS, a Dennis Dorchester with Alexander TE bodywork new to Central as DD10 but I knew her as 2190. She was my favourite bus home, seeing her would instantly make a bad day a good one. Didn't at the time appreciate the rarity of my choice either - oh the irony!

My next favourites were the Alexander PS type B10Ms but heartily I know there is one preserved (2394) looking resplendent in KCB Network red and cream.

Lastly, the sole Scottish Greenway MDS 862V (4138) would have been a great project - shockingly I never had the pleasure of a journey on it! Perhaps I wouldn't say that if I had!

You may already know this, but 2190 had a rather notable role in Trainspotting. As for 2394 (or First's 61434 as I knew her), the B10M (in both single (PS) & double decker (Citybus) form) were a staple of my childhood on First's Leven Valley express services (204/205/216) and the 11 (Robroyston - Parkhall) respectively. Firm favorites for so many years.

As for MDS 862V, that finished up with Midland Bluebird, in whose livery it looked incredibly smart. I believe it was preserved after M.B. was done with it, but it ended up being sold to Horsbugh of Pumpherston as a spares donor for their then-sizable Greenway fleet. Yet another machine to add to the 'Noteworthy Vehicles That Slipped Through The Cracks' list. Am well aware of how expensive & labour-intensive bus preservation is, but it's still a pity. :/

One of Glasgow’s 40 Metropolitans would be my plaything of choice!

In the relatively recent (not to mention excellent) 125 Years of Public Transport in Glasgow paper-back publication by Phil Halewood, there are a few fantastic colour photographs of the GGPTE Scania-Metropolitans at work contained within. A pity that none survive. :/ Here is the highest-quality colour image of one I could find online (part of the georgeupstairs Flickr collection):

 

[scosutsut]

You may already know this, but 2190 had a rather notable role in Trainspotting.

Ha! I did not! What a claim to fame for the old girl! Almost increases the shame!

As for MDS 862V, that finished up with Midland Bluebird, in whose livery it looked incredibly smart. I believe it was preserved after M.B. was done with it, but it ended up being sold to Horsbugh of Pumpherston as a spares donor for their then-sizable Greenway fleet. Yet another machine to add to the 'Noteworthy Vehicles That Slipped Through The Cracks' list. Am well aware of how expensive & labour-intensive bus preservation is, but it's still a pity. :/

Wow, talk about seizing defeat from the joys of victory, poor old girl! I'm biased but always thought she wore KCB Network better!

Thanks for the insights!!

 

[awsnews]

I would have gone with what ended up as MIB 357 with Copelands, a Leyland Leopard with a Paramount 3200 body which had been new to the erstwhile Garelochhead Coach Services company with a Duple Dominant bus body. I believe this was the last vehicle with a connection to GCS left in the UK with nothing having survived in preservation.