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Not sure which, but at least one of the Atlanteans had a 3-speed Voith gearbox. Performance-wise, the higher revving Leyland O680 seemed much more suited to it than the Gardner 6LXB in the Metrobus.

The gearboxes were standard National ones, they were all 5 speed. The rear axle was the difference between the DOs and the rest

Sorry to contradict you , but the earlier ROK_M and TOE_N Mk1s bought by WMPTE (4468-4526? later 1468 etc) were 4-speed. These had the "crawler" gear omitted, so though all had direct drive top gear, the different final drive ratios (or rear axle ratio) resulted in different top speeds. The ex.Midland Reds (HHA registration) were 5-speed, though drivers rarely used 1st.

At some point in the early 80s, Hartshill HHA 149L for some reason ended up with a high speed axle. As most drivers never used 1st gear, you can imagine the result when confronted with hilly stop-start Black Country work. It was continually being booked off for lack of power, though there was nothing actually wrong with it. It was later fitted with an experimental automatic gear control with accelerator interupt, but no kick-down. It retained a 5-speed gearbox and its high speed differential, so as you would guess, it rarely got into top gear! It was still in this condition when it left HL in October 1986.   

Originally, OOX 821R was one of the West Midland dual-purpose 11.3m National. They had unusual bench-type coach seats, autumnal moquette with biege vinyl headrests, very large and very comfortable. They had five-speed gearboxes and high-speed final drives, giving relaxed cruising at 65-70mph; indeed, a long distance trip on these was far more comfortable than most coaches of the time, bearing in mind that this was before the foreign invasion had got off the ground, and a typical coach would have been a Leyland Leopard with Plaxton Panorama Elite body.   

It may be dirty inside and rattle a bit, but it still performs well, and there is no need to qualify that with "for its age".
Is this the last Gardner engined bus on regular stage carriage service in the area? There can't be many left in the whole country!

Please tell me it wasn't hauling 715 tonnes.  :o

Because the sound is different and we're all just bus wankers

There. I've said it

Why didn't I think of that instead of typing all the rubbish above?

Surely a gearbox is a gearbox who ever makes it!

To a bus enthusiast, surely not.

A significant amount of the character and sound of a bus originates from the gearbox. The Voith tends to have a high pitched howl at all times which follows the engine speed; the ZF whine depends on which gear is selected. The Voith in the Streetdeck gives it a long-legged lazy character, whereas the ZF in E400s tends to higher revs and more frequent gear changes, making it sound fussy.  This is just to mention todays most popular options. When you consider older gearboxes of automatic, semi-automatic and manual types, e.g. various Allisons, Daimatic, SCG, Bristol, AEC, Leyland, Guy etc., the influence of the gearbox is fully realized. For those of you who have not experienced older buses, take a look and listen at a few YouTube videos of old and preserved buses, and all will be clear.

Bus enthusiasm has many aspects. The sound, ride quality and character or "feel" of a bus is my thing. My anorak credentials are now firmly nailed to the wall. Happy hunting!

Toilet.

Now that's not nice. You must not call Birmingham a toilet.  :o

Tram

WRONG!

It's trams.  :D

@Tony . Many Thanks.  :)

I have always felt the Parry's People Mover to be one of the greatest missed opportunity in modern transport history. Totally ignored in favour of more complex and expensive systems, it quietly continues its daily work. This local company should have received more attention from the leading local transport provider.

The use of 10 Gyro-drive vehicles by a company with such a high profile as NXWM is most welcome. This technology will hopefully lead to hybrid vehicles becoming cheap and reliable enough for companies to buy them by choice as standard, rather than depending on large government subsidies. Are there any other flywheel buses in service in Britain, or is this to be a "first" for NXWM?

If the voice was Rachael Stirling or Dervla Kirwan, I would never get off the bus.

The audience announcements on the 1 don't  say the fighting Cocks

Perhaps, when she was recording it, Kerry could not stop laughing!

I do not get back to the West Midlands very often, am getting old, and have health problems  :'(  . I feel a lot of discomfort when travelling.
Last time I was here, a journey on a Trident (route 529) was immediately followed by a Platinum MMC (X51). Having memories of the Walsall to Birmingham Timesavers, I was looking forward to it. Though I noted the extra legroom of the Platinum, I did not like the seat. The cushion was too firm and the seat back was too upright and not supportive. When demands were made on the suspension, far too many hard bumps came through to the occupants. Rather than considering it a premium service, I was glad to be off the vehicle. Even the livery is, I feel, less classy looking than the crimson. 
My next two buses were a crimson MMC and 3301. I found the seats on all three of the other vehicles more comfortable than the Platinum, (softer cushion, dished supportive seat backs), and the suspension on 3301 far superior to the others; indeed it was nearly as good as I remember the B7TL/Plaxtons when they were new. The only "premium" feature I see in the X51 is the faster running time.
I appreciate that many aspects of bus travel are subjective to an enthusiast, but not to my joints and myalgia! Some of my views on buses past and present would surprise many, but to me, Platinum is all image and no substance, and is certainly not worth a premium fare.

Perhaps the outstanding NRMs should be built to the shorter length without the rear doors and stairs, i.e. a true son of Routemaster with NRM mechanical and electrical components.