Bus nostalgia

[alunonhisown]

As I have still not pulled my finger out and got some decent pics of the buses at the heritage centre, here are a few pics courtesy of my chums at the english electric preservation society.

http://www.englishelectricpreservation.co.uk/category/image-galleries/other-locos-stock-also-other-areas-visit-gcrn/road-vehicles

Ow and Diane, I spoke to them regarding your c37 request and Mr C is quite up for it 

Cheers Mark, but I really like a long ride

It would be if you wanted to get anywhere...its only moved 300m in the last 6 months 

[Marks DTM Calib]

As I have still not pulled my finger out and got some decent pics of the buses at the heritage centre, here are a few pics courtesy of my chums at the english electric preservation society.

http://www.englishelectricpreservation.co.uk/category/image-galleries/other-locos-stock-also-other-areas-visit-gcrn/road-vehicles

Ow and Diane, I spoke to them regarding your c37 request and Mr C is quite up for it 

Cheers Mark, but I really like a long ride

It would be if you wanted to get anywhere...its only moved 300m in the last 6 months 

Its due to run at our October Diesel Gala.......as its currently having bodywork sorted

[alunonhisown]

As I have still not pulled my finger out and got some decent pics of the buses at the heritage centre, here are a few pics courtesy of my chums at the english electric preservation society.

http://www.englishelectricpreservation.co.uk/category/image-galleries/other-locos-stock-also-other-areas-visit-gcrn/road-vehicles

Ow and Diane, I spoke to them regarding your c37 request and Mr C is quite up for it 

Cheers Mark, but I really like a long ride

It would be if you wanted to get anywhere...its only moved 300m in the last 6 months 

Its due to run at our October Diesel Gala.......as its currently having bodywork sorted

I need my bodywork sorting,

[Nickbat]

Anyone on the forum remember travelling in one of these? 



Took the family to the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden yesterday.

A grand day out. 

[splott]

yep, when I was a small boy at a fesstival of transport in Beulieu

[splott]

Whilst all three are Mk.V-fronted AECs; they are all, in fact, different models ............



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Seen above in 'as delivered' condition, Crosskeys-based 683 was numerically the first of 20 Bridgemasters to arrive in 1958/9.

The Bridgemaster was a collaboration between AEC and Park Royal to produce a low-height integrally-constructed double-decker with 'highbridge' seating configuration.
Coil-spring suspension was featured at the rear, and it seems that they suffered from structural problems centred around this. These buses spent their twilight WW years at the lightly-trafficked West Wales depots.





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10 Regent Vs arrived in 1963, and here's Penarth Road-based 705 sweeping in to Cardiff's Central Bus Station.

Numbered 703-712 (703 CUH etc), these were conventional 'body on chassis' buses with Northern Counties front-entrance bodies. Interestingly, these Regents were powered by the smaller 7.7-litre AV470 engine, and featured a substantial amount of formica interior panelling. 





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Leaving Cardiff on the 'top road' service to Barry when quite new is Penarth Road-based 716, one of a sizeable batch of Northern Counties-bodied AEC Renowns, that arrived between 1964 and 1966.

The Renown was AEC's final attempt at producing a low-height 'highbridge' double-decker, though this time in conventional 'body on chassis' form. 'Air-over-leaf' suspension was incorporated at the rear, and the larger 9.6-litre AV590 engine was specified. Accessibility of some of the major components made them unpopular with the engineering staff, (including myself!), though they went on to lead quite satisfactory lives with WW.

As an aside, sister vehicle 713 survives in preservation.

Come on then Sethsmate and/or you other BAs......................................

Tell me whats the difference between highbridge and lowbridge double deckers.
Also why weren't the Renowns very popular with the fitters in the service departments

[Sixstring]

Peaches.....
I'm good with bodywork.................

I can fiill-er in well!!

(I'll get my coat.........)

[splott]

This stamp was issued to comemmorate the Routemaster............................ Why?
Also, what was the reason for the Routemaster's demise and when?
What are the other buses


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Possible replacement of the Routemaster..............which car manufacturer was part of the design team.................................

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[Seth]

The terms 'highbridge' and 'lowbridge' refers to the seating layout arrangement on the top deck, and should not be confused with a double-decker's overall height!


A 'highbridge' double-decker has conventional 2+2 seating upstairs, with a central gangway.
'Lowbridge' versions have a sunken gangway on the offside, with rows of four seats from the nearside. This also meant a lower headroom for passengers in the lower deck offside seats! 
There was an exception to this though - some operators specified low overall height bodies on the revolutionary Leyland Atlanteans, which were coming on-stream at this time.
Watch this space .................... 




The AEC Renowns were unpopular with us engineering staff due to difficult accessibility of some components.

The engine/gearbox unit was not only mounted at a slight angle, (rather than parallel), in the chassis frame, it was also inclined from the vertical, so that the rear cylinder head encroached slightly into the driver's cab behind a bulkhead. The driveline was therefore along the offside of the chassis frame, via a 4-piece prop-shaft to an underslung 'worm & wheel' rear axle.

This driveline arrangement also meant that if the clutch/gearbox needed attention, then part of the staircase assembly had to be removed to gain access.
If a head gasket needed changing, you hoped that the forward head was the culprit, else it meant taking the cab nearside bulkhead out, to lift-off the rearmost cylinder head.

Thank goodness the Renowns had the AV590 engine, and not the gasket failure-prone AV470!

[splott]

Here you go Sethsmate and other BAs, what do you know about
these Atlanteans....................




1.
[IMG]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/splott_album/img167.jpg[/IMG]



2.
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[tunnie]

Here you go Sethsmate and other BAs, what do you know about
these Atlanteans....................




1.
[IMG]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p242/splott_album/img167.jpg[/IMG]



2.
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Bus design was easy! Ruler and pencil 

[splott]

Bus design was easy! Ruler and pencil 


:-/ :-/ :-/

[alunonhisown]

This stamp was issued to comemmorate the Routemaster............................ Why?
Also, what was the reason for the Routemaster's demise and when?
What are the other buses


[/img]





Possible replacement of the Routemaster..............which car manufacturer was part of the design team.................................

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The answer to this is ASTON MARTIN I believe. With Foster & Partners. Read this back in 2009 and I think it was part of a competition to design a new London bus, and was open to anyone. I may be wrong mind.

[splott]

This stamp was issued to comemmorate the Routemaster............................ Why?
Also, what was the reason for the Routemaster's demise and when?
What are the other buses


[/img]





Possible replacement of the Routemaster..............which car manufacturer was part of the design team.................................

[/img]

The answer to this is ASTON MARTIN I believe. With Foster & Partners. Read this back in 2009 and I think it was part of a competition to design a new London bus, and was open to anyone. I may be wrong mind.

Spot on Peaches 
Boris Johnson announced it as one of two winning designs in July 2009.
Electric motors in the wheel hubs drive the new Routemaster, reducing the height of the floors and making it easy for disabled people to get onto the bus. The bus is also far more nimble than its diesel powered forebear with a 10% better turning radius.
The engine can easily be swapped out for maintenance and upgrades while the windows are far larger and include skylights to fill the bus with natural light. The sunlight will also charge the bus's batteries (assuming London's sunny enough).

There's also the kind of luxury touches you expect from an Aston Martin design. Filthy fabric seats have been switched out for reconstituted leather and the floors featured recycled wood paneling.

The AM/F+P Routemaster will become a reality in 2011 when prototypes will take to the streets of London.

[tunnie]

sorry to burst bubble, i can't see an electric bus being workable in London, espeically something the size of a double decker bus. A Hyrbrid yes (they are already in service) but not full blow electric, just won't be practical