Bus nostalgia

[Webby the Bear]

haha i know, but i was wondering if somebody knew without needing google. 

[Vamps]

haha i know, but i was wondering if somebody knew without needing google. 

I am pretty certain that it is covered within these pages somewhere near the Italian Job posts iirc......

[tunnie]

haha i know, but i was wondering if somebody knew without needing google. 

I am pretty certain that it is covered within these pages somewhere near the Italian Job posts iirc......

ok so you guys are bus nuts so i have a trivia question for you:

what bus was the beatles' magical mystery tour bus?? 

You don't need be a bus nut to answer this, learn to use google

The bus was a Plaxton bodied 1959 Bedford Val Panorama Elite bus license plate URO 913E

[Webby the Bear]

hahah i was thinking probably so but im damned if im gonna sift through 1000 and something posts to find it 

[Vamps]

ive never seen a post with so many replies

Reminisce and quality count.....

Exactly Mike 

I'm reckoning on only a few more 'Bedford replies' as I've almost exhausted their model range now.

Lizzie wants to do something on Leylands next (or so she suggested at the Farnborough meet!)

Are we agreed on this Mike?

Sounds good to me   You and Lizzie are the experts though, I am just along for the ride.....

[Lizzie_Zoom]

haha i know, but i was wondering if somebody knew without needing google. 

I am pretty certain that it is covered within these pages somewhere near the Italian Job posts iirc......

It was, just look at my post on this thread #940, with a lovely little film on the coach in action! 8-) 8-) 8-)

[Vamps]

haha i know, but i was wondering if somebody knew without needing google. 

I am pretty certain that it is covered within these pages somewhere near the Italian Job posts iirc......

It was, just look at my post on this thread #940, with a lovely little film on the coach in action! 8-) 8-) 8-)

[Seth]

ok so you guys are bus nuts so i have a trivia question for you:

what bus was the beatles' magical mystery tour bus?? 

You don't need be a bus nut to answer this, learn to use google

The bus was a Plaxton bodied 1959 Bedford Val Panorama Elite bus license plate URO 913E

But Tunnie lad, there's some duff information therein .......  :-?

The twin-steer Bedford 'VAL14' had the Leyland 0.400 engine - not that as fitted in the later Leyland Tiger Cub chassis.
This latter model had the Leyland 0.401 unit as the standard fitment - the '1' denoted a 'cross-flow' cylinder head, and was badged as the 'Power Plus' motor!

[Webby the Bear]

 

[Seth]

Here's a 1982 Bedford 'YMQ' with Plaxton 'Supreme V Express' body - a 10-metre 45-seater.

Another of my own photographic efforts from a Summer 1989 visit to "The Delaine" of Bourne, in deepest Lincolnshire.
The company is, to this day, among the most respected family-run operations in Britain. Noting my enthusiasm for the Bedford marque, company chairman, the late Hugh Delaine-Smith offered me first shout on this gem, as it was then 7 years old and due for withdrawal.
He was a real gentleman of the 'old school' and proudly took some considerable time showing me around his premises.

Take a look at: http://www.delainebuses.com/



During the mid-70s, Bedford had to face the fact that their '466' engine was not up to the job that operators were by now asking of it - especially as the expanding motorway network was placing previously distant holiday attractions within the 'day trip' market.
The answer lay in the fitting of their own 8.2-litre naturally-aspirated '500' unit set at 160 BHP, as a direct replacement for the old 136 BHP '466'. Other welcome changes included 'full air' brakes, and power steering as standard equipment.
10-metre chassis were designated as 'YLQ' - the 11-metre version becoming the 'YMT'.







The observant will note that the coach depicted above is, in fact, a 'YMQ' model.
Keep watching folks, and all will be explained very soon .............     

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Byron has now sent me a picture at the heart of the Bedford coaches during their last years, the Bedford YNT Engine:



...............and this apparently is the type of coach that engine powered, a Bedford Y-Series:



No doubt Byron will produce all the extra information on specification and the level of success these coaches had!

[Seth]

In 1981, the Bedford 'YNT' model was born, and here's the heart of the latest chassis.

It's the 'Blue Series' 8.2-litre '500' unit, though now turbocharged to produce 206 BHP at 2500 rpm.
For the 10-metre 'YMQ' chassis a 175 BHP 'low blow' version of the same engine was specified.

Love 'em or hate 'em - the '500 turbo' certainly performed well when compared with it's predecessor, the '466' as employed in the YRQ and YRT models.
However, operational experiences with the Blue Series units was decidedly mixed, and tales of catastrophic failures (especially if driven hard), were all too common.
Some operators, on the other hand, reported excellent operational reliability with 'em! 










Here's a late-model YNT with Plaxtons 'Paramount I Express' body from the long-established Yeomans of Hereford fleet, resting at Barry Island in Summer 1990.

From the outset, this model was offered with the six-speed Turner M6 gearbox, which proved to be quite troublesome in service.
Bedford counteracted this by fitting the renowned ZF six-speed 'Synchroma' 'box, which was a highly-regarded unit throughout the bus industry.
A ZF-boxed YNT was quite a fine machine in my opinion!

Production of the 10-metre YLQ and 11-metre YMT continued alongside the turbocharged models, and featured the naturally-aspirated '500' engine, known as the 'Red Series' units.



Yeomans were ardent Bedford operators for many years, and their fleet was then 100% Bedford-based.
They were obviously very happy with the marque.





Maybe something of a swansong ........
One final 'Y-series' model would be Bedford's final attempt at the 'heavyweight' market .........

[Vamps]

I thought we had gone Leyland....
Must admit, almost everything I drove in this era was Ford, same body ......

[Seth]

I thought we had gone Leyland....
Must admit, almost everything I drove in this era was Ford, same body ......

Pay attention Mike - we're almost there ........... 

[Dishevelled Den]

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordYNTEngine.jpg

In 1981, the Bedford 'YNT' model was born, and here's the heart of the latest chassis.

It's the 'Blue Series' 8.2-litre '500' unit, though now turbocharged to produce 206 BHP at 2500 rpm.
For the 10-metre 'YMQ' chassis a 175 BHP 'low blow' version of the same engine was specified.

Love 'em or hate 'em - the '500 turbo' certainly performed well when compared with it's predecessor, the '466' as employed in the YRQ and YRT models.
However, operational experiences with the Blue Series units was decidedly mixed, and tales of catastrophic failures (especially if driven hard), were all too common.
Some operators, on the other hand, reported excellent operational reliability with 'em! 


http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordY-Series.jpg

Here's a late-model YNT with Plaxtons 'Paramount I Express' body from the long-established Yeomans of Hereford fleet, resting at Barry Island in Summer 1990.

From the outset, this model was offered with the six-speed Turner M6 gearbox, which proved to be quite troublesome in service.
Bedford counteracted this by fitting the renowned ZF six-speed 'Synchroma' 'box, which was a highly-regarded unit throughout the bus industry.
A ZF-boxed YNT was quite a fine machine in my opinion!

Production of the 10-metre YLQ and 11-metre YMT continued alongside the turbocharged models, and featured the naturally-aspirated '500' engine, known as the 'Red Series' units.

Yeomans were ardent Bedford operators for many years, and their fleet was then 100% Bedford-based.
They were obviously very happy with the marque.

Maybe something of a swansong ........
One final 'Y-series' model would be Bedford's final attempt at the 'heavyweight' market .........

In the presumed absence of a climate control system how was the passenger area of these coached heated and ventilated?

Given the large amount of glass used, the condensation must have been significant when carrying more than a few passengers.