Preserved Buses

[Ex BC driver]

MOF225 in Cotteridge today doing the usual

And saw Santa (no idea who it is though) on the 98/X64 over the past couple of days...

I wonder if it was the same driver who dressed up last year on Christmas Eve

[Rob H]

2811 now has its Pershore Road Branding Back :)

Here is the link to some photo's on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.650599831662766.1073741835.148791885176899&type=1

[Rob H]

2811 now has its Pershore Road Branding Back :)

Here is the link to some photo's on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.650599831662766.1073741835.148791885176899&type=1

That looks very nice indeed. If only I could go back in time and ride some metros as Wolverhampton used to be covered with them ;). Thanks for sharing that with us Rob :)

No Worries :) I was only checking for any updates on the Cross Country HST's and there it was on the top of the news feed on facebook so I thought I'd share with you all ;) They've done a fantastic job on her

I remember the 512 Branding on the Metros which was like a peach/pink colour I think wasn't it :)

[Kevin]

Yeah, saw those pics on Facebook as well, looking forward to going to Wythall again this yea, only managed once last year (damn work)

[Liverpool Street]

I think the via points between the wheels needs to be spread out a bit more, but apart from that, fantastic bit of work.

[Rob H]

It was indeed Rob :) Sadly now a route that sees B7RLE's 99.9% of the time. I do miss the good old days with Metros on the 126 which had a similar livery but in lilac/purple then it gained the circle livery like the Pershore Rd branding and the branding that was also applied on 4575-84 which is sadly gone now 4579 is in for repaint

Bring back the good old days wish I could bring back the circle 900 branding that was applied to 2933-2936 :)

[Niall]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

[nitromatt1]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

[Tony]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

An S16

[Trident 4609]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

Its an S16:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48422263@N03/14026947443/in/pool-1972093@N20

[nitromatt1]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

Its an S16:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48422263@N03/14026947443/in/pool-1972093@N20

I'm sure LS will be able to tell us all about them

*mischevious smile*

[Tony]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

Its an S16:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48422263@N03/14026947443/in/pool-1972093@N20

I'm sure LS will be able to tell us all about them

*mischevious smile*

Probably one of Midland Red's least successful designs. Most Midland Red buses were well ahead of the competition when launched, but the only 'advance' in the S16 was it was the first 40ft long design, trouble was it was just a stretched S15 so still had a manual gearbox, while D9s and S17s being built at the same time were semi automatic, and the engine was underpowered for the stretched 52 seater.

[nitromatt1]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

Its an S16:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48422263@N03/14026947443/in/pool-1972093@N20

I'm sure LS will be able to tell us all about them

*mischevious smile*

Probably one of Midland Red's least successful designs. Most Midland Red buses were well ahead of the competition when launched, but the only 'advance' in the S16 was it was the first 40ft long design, trouble was it was just a stretched S15 so still had a manual gearbox, while D9s and S17s being built at the same time were semi automatic, and the engine was underpowered for the stretched 52 seater.

Ah right. Whenever I think of semi-auto transmissions, I think of the flappy paddle gears you get in modern Ferraris and the like - but I wouldn't imagine the computing was available back then.... so how did semi-auto transmissions in buses work?

[Tony]

Not NX related, but Midland Red 5545 was going up the Hagley Road out of Birmingham, by Five Ways at 12:30, full of passengers.

What type of vehicle is that?

Its an S16:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48422263@N03/14026947443/in/pool-1972093@N20

I'm sure LS will be able to tell us all about them

*mischevious smile*

Probably one of Midland Red's least successful designs. Most Midland Red buses were well ahead of the competition when launched, but the only 'advance' in the S16 was it was the first 40ft long design, trouble was it was just a stretched S15 so still had a manual gearbox, while D9s and S17s being built at the same time were semi automatic, and the engine was underpowered for the stretched 52 seater.

Ah right. Whenever I think of semi-auto transmissions, I think of the flappy paddle gears you get in modern Ferraris and the like - but I wouldn't imagine the computing was available back then.... so how did semi-auto transmissions in buses work?

The first bus gearboxes classed as semi-automatic for licensing were the pre-selecter gearboxes which were first produced in the 1930s
Most Birmingham Standards including surviving 3225 and LT RTs had these where you select the next gear via a changer, either a steering column selector or a normal type gear stick, then when you actually want it to change you press the gear change pedal on the floor similar to a clutch, but not one.
Two Coventry engineers then invented an epicyclic gearbox that didn't require the pedal and just changed off the selector. These two brilliant engineers then formed the company which became Self-Changing Gears (SCG) who made most of the semi-automatic gearboxes fitted to buses for many years.
The current 'floppy-paddle' gearboxes work on exactly the same priciple, just more sophisticated that Mr Wilson & Mr Siddeley invented in the 1950s

[Bob]

Hi tony am I right in thinking the SCG box was the one that had the characteristic whine in top gear in the fleetline andeven louder Iin the VRT? But not in Atlanteans?