Bus nostalgia

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Now after the kind opportunity to introduce again railway nostagia into this thread, I'll return it to one about buses:

As I have stated many steam railway engines exchanged parts with each other during 'shopping', especially when heavy overhauls were being undertaken.

Did buses undergo the same movement of major parts between their sister buses, and I do not just mean with the engines??!!  Were the chassis members, bodywork, seats, etc moved around, and do enthusiasts know all the details of such part transference's? :-/ :-/

In other words does the bus movement possess the anoraks of the railway world? :-/ :-/

[Sixstring]

[quote

In other words does the bus movement possess the anoraks of the railway world? :-/ :-/ [/quote

In one word...........YES.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

[quote

In other words does the bus movement possess the anoraks of the railway world? :-/ :-/ [/quote

In one word...........YES.

Cool!! 8-) 8-) 8-)

[splott]

[quote

In other words does the bus movement possess the anoraks of the railway world? :-/ :-/ [/quote

In one word...........YES.

Cool!! 8-) 8-) 8-)

Yep Cooool
Bus anoraks, Train anoraks,Steam anoraks and just anoraks

[splott]

Nice picture of a Bedford coach, from Sethsmate's collection...............................


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[Seth]

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Taken by moi at the Showbus Rally held at Duxford in September 1994, here's a Bedford SBG with a flambuoyant Yeates 'Europa' 41-seat coach body.

It's been beautifully restored and owned by Don's of Dunmow, though was new in 1957 to Fairways of Bradford.
This gem has the 4.9-litre Bedford petrol engine, which returns around 8 miles to the gallon.

Production of the simplistic SB model spanned four decades, with the lion's share having Duple or Plaxton bodies.
Yeates of Loughborough ceased building bodywork some years later, and then became a prominent coach dealership.


The present owners have 'christened' their coach 'Nicky'. 

[splott]

A nice coach that Sethsmate has some personal connections.............................................
Come on mate let us out of our misery........


[/img]

[Seth]

Yes indeed ..........


I can't remember who actually took this photo, but it's a nice shot of a Brewer's Bedford SB parked adjacent to their depot at the bottom of my street.
Brewers were ardent AEC operators, although their 30-plus fleet always included a handful of Bedfords (and Leylands).
The Brewer family retired and sold out to United Welsh Holdings in the mid-1980s.
The depot closed a while later, and after relocation eventually became the Maesteg depot of First Cymru Buses.

557 PTX depicted above, is a Bedford SB8 which arrived in 1962 with a Plaxton 'Embassy' 41-seat body.
The engine was the Leyland 0.350 unit, so basically it was the Leyland Comet lorry drivetrain in a Bedford coach chassis, with a sparkling performance to match!


The distinctive livery was 'Brewers Saxe Blue No.2' and 'Brewers Cream' with the roof being finished in 'Brewers Special Blue'.
All paint was expertly and lovingly brushed-applied by the late Vernon Brewer, who sadly passed-away a few weeks ago.


The AEC Reliance that I restored some years back featured this livery, and Vernon's gentle guidance enabled a perfect finish to that project's completion.
He was an absolute gentleman who will be greatly missed around these parts.
 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I have just been trying to research the coach company that used to provide the vehicles to take me from Haslemere, Surrey to my school in Midhurst from 1964 to 1966.

This firm was Gales Coaches, and I am amazed to find that they still operate from their yard in Springfarm Road, a small residential type close where we lived in a large Admiralty rented house.

Although not the exact coach, this was the type they often used for us:


They also had strangely a very up to date coach, a twin front axle Bedford Duple like this, which they allowed us kids to use some times!!:



Has anyone got any information (and pics?) of the Gales Haslemere, Surrey, coach company around the mid-nineteen sixties?

[Seth]

The classic Bedford OB with 29-seat Duple 'Vista' body.

MFM 39 was new to Crosville Motor Services, but is now a member of Terry Jones' Vista Coachways fleet.
Based near Bristol.

[Seth]

Love 'em or hate 'em, the VAL was Bedford's first assault on the 36ft-long market sector.

Gales' example has the Duple 'Vega Major' 52-seat body, and was probably a 1963 example judging by the stepped bodyside moulding flash aft of, and above the rear wheels.

It's chassis would have been a VAL14 model, with 6.5-litre Leyland 0.400 engine rated at 131 BHP. Drive was via a 14" dry-plate clutch and Turner Clark 5-speed synchromesh 'box.
A transmission brake was a standard fitment on the VAL model - there being two handbrakes for the driver!


Sorry Lizzie, I've got no information on Gales of Haslemere.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Love 'em or hate 'em, the VAL was Bedford's first assault on the 36ft-long market sector.

Gales' example has the Duple 'Vega Major' 52-seat body, and was probably a 1963 example judging by the stepped bodyside moulding flash aft of, and above the rear wheels.

It's chassis would have been a VAL14 model, with 6.5-litre Leyland 0.400 engine rated at 131 BHP. Drive was via a 14" dry-plate clutch and Turner Clark 5-speed synchromesh 'box.
A transmission brake was a standard fitment on the VAL model - there being two handbrakes for the driver!


Sorry Lizzie, I've got no information on Gales of Haslemere.

Ok thanks anyway Byron!

[splott]

Nice Bedford from Sethsmate's collection................

Looks a bit like Lizzie's coach :-/ :-/

[/img]

[Seth]

Took this shot meself on New Years Day 1992 at Winchester.
The occasion was the annual Friends of King Alfred Running Day.

The splendidly-restored example seen here is a petrol-engined Bedford SB3 with not-so-common Harrington 'Crusader' 41-seat body, built just along the South Coast in Hove.
Whilst there's no doubting Thomas Harrington's build-quality, the majority of bodies on the SB chassis were built by Duple and Plaxtons.

Although 326 CAA would probably only manage around 8 miles to the gallon, the Bedford '300' straight-six petrol engine is a beautifully smooth performer!

[Marks DTM Calib]

I have just been trying to research the coach company that used to provide the vehicles to take me from Haslemere, Surrey to my school in Midhurst from 1964 to 1966.

This firm was Gales Coaches, and I am amazed to find that they still operate from their yard in Springfarm Road, a small residential type close where we lived in a large Admiralty rented house.

Although not the exact coach, this was the type they often used for us:


They also had strangely a very up to date coach, a twin front axle Bedford Duple like this, which they allowed us kids to use some times!!:



Has anyone got any information (and pics?) of the Gales Haslemere, Surrey, coach company around the mid-nineteen sixties?

I can tell you that they are not in that location anymore as its now houses......because sadly I am in Haslemere as I type on a course