Driving a CONVOY of Buses to Fenland BusFest!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 май 2022
- If you like what you see, then Fenland Bus Fest 2022 is Sunday 15th of May! - www.easternbusgroup.co.uk/busf...
Hello all you fine and wonderful people,
In today's video, some of Lawrie's friends needed an extra pair of hands to get some of their collection to Busfest - and Lawrie just couldn't say no to that!
Thanks to the Eastern Bus Enthusiasts group for inviting us along!
A video featuring:
Lawrie - Presenter - very much enjoying being part of the Busfest team,
Matt - Lawrie's Handler / Primary Camera - struggling to keep Lawrie under control.
Additional footage by Charles and Loz.
An edit by Lawrie, grade by Matt.
Music by Alex the Hat - see his stuff here - / alex-the-hat
Want more info on us and the stuff in The Shed, or want to get in contact? Check out our Website!
lawriesmechanicalmarvels.com/
Fancy supporting us on Patreon and receiving extra bits of LMM? Have a look at our Patreon here:
/ lawriesmechanicalmarvels
Get hints of what's coming up next with our Instagram - / lawries_mechanical_mar...
Want to some LMM Merch? Check out our teespring store!
teespring.com/en-GB/stores/la...
Chat with us and other like minded people on our discord - / discord
Follow us for video alerts and other updates on Facebook - / lawriesmechanicalmarvels 
Авто/Мото
Bloody typical. you wait forever for a bus video and then 5 come along at once.
I know right!
@@lmm man you should have played life on the buses them song
You know your getting old when you remember getting on one of those whippet buses in service. On a side note my dad had a mk1 morris marina 1.8 coupe sprayed by a bloke that worked at whippet in the early 80s. It was sprayed in the light blue they used in the older whippet livery when they were a blue and beige .
I'm doing that at car shows now, going... I remember that 😂
The twin front axle design was by Bedford, known as the VAL chassis to which various bodies were fitted. The one in the video looks like a Plaxton bodied example. The extra axle meant that smaller 7.5 ton truck running gear could handle the weight, which meant that the cost of the 9 tyres (8 on the bus + 1 spare) was comparable to the cost of the 7 required for a two axle bus. The smaller wheel size meant a low flat floor was possible, which is probably why it was chosen for the Italian Job as it would be much easier to load minis in to compared to other coaches!
Oh is that so? Thanks for the info!
Interesting - thanks for the info. I was guessing it was all about just getting more length (ie seats) while keeping the overhangs within limits.
Very interesting points you were making around19:00, and I very much agree. Particularly modern coaches, they're so cramped and dark inside. A coach of the 70s like a Plaxton Supreme or Duple Dominant (which that was one or the other) has big windows, that wood effect laminate which is so typical, and sears that are much, much more comfortable than a modern one. Mind you, it's the same with trains.
Yeah, we drove a Leopard and we're amazed how bright it was inside!
Hello @@lmm
True but in my opinion the most comfortable buses where those with leather seats and it's the same for trains too
Edit: except summer
Oh yes, the Baron Plaxton's (With the double "Grant" doors), especially a fave of mine.
Agreed. I got on a local bus for the first time in years a few months ago, a Volvo Enviro 400. It was noisy, very rattly and hugely uncomfortable. I drove Atlanteans for the same company (local council) back in the 80's and they were far better in every way. I was quite shocked as I expected it to be the other way around, especially given that the current ones are less than 6 years old.
I really don't know anything about buses, and I really don't like being a passenger on public transport, but I seem to have some kind of obsession with them. I'm randomly subscribed to a Japanese bus spotting channel after going down the RUclips rabbit warren one late night/early hours of the morning and RUclips decided I'd like to see some Coaches park in a tight car park somewhere in Japan. That was that. After watching many different companies doing that parking ballet, I then saw a ballet at a bus station. 14 or 15 bays, all drive in, and on the dot time wise (probably not needed to mention being Japan :) ), up to half of them all reversing together, fitting into order perfectly and driving away. So satisfying to watch, and how I, not speaking a single other language, sit down to watch this channel regularly with no English subtitles or anything. I've tried some UK equivalent, but I guess it's the 'modern' styling of our stuff that puts me off. I used to be a fan of our Wrightbus coach builders' buses' looks (13:08 That Scania is an example of their previous pre-facelifted design), being Northern Irish like myself, although not the absolute best looking I guess being from here made up for that, but their latest 'development' is just not appealing to my eye in the slightest, mirrorless ones just look even more wrong.
The Japanese fleet all look like they're aging 80's/90's boxes, but they often have LED/LCD displays and the like, so they're not outdated or anything, they're just either kept in really good nick in service to make the most out of them instead of scrapping just for the sake of looking modern every few years (*cough UK), and/or they just really don't care for looking modern, a bus is function only so they have a raw 'utilitarian' character about them that is strangely refreshing for me being from the 'new', 'modern' obsessed nonsense of the UK.
For me the 'Vanhool' style is appealing, maybe as they're the childhood coach for me. Post that with all the wee lights and unnecessary angles for everything made of plastic and especially the stupid bulbus front of the larger Optare single decker, absolutely hideous. although I don't have experience of the pre 2000's stuff, I can certainly appreciate tasteful chrome and unique styling that clearly identifies 1 manufacturer/coachbuilder to every other. The only pre-2000's bus/coach I've experienced in service was a Leyland Tiger coach as a replacement school bus when the one we were supposed to get, a much newer Wrightbus Volvo I believe, had broken down on the morning run. Got picked up 30 minutes late, and arrived at the destination of the 45 minute journey (on a limited regular bus) 30 minutes later, including all the normal stops. That's one way to etch a bus into the memory of a petrolhead, tearing up a town residential ring road at a solid 50+mph including crossing a small but regular (not mini) roundabout with quite a lot of camber. Maybe this one experience is where the bus thing comes from. My on little Northern Irish 'Speed', but without the onboard explosives. :)
I'm similar to you, don't know much about them, and don't want to travel on them!
Old vehicles were the product of designers and engineers, modern vehicles are the product of bean counters.
Very true. How the world works has changed massively
I can't believe I've just seen a Hartlepool transport Bristol RE in the corner of that bus depot that bus has probably taken me to school more than once it's good to see that some of those great buses are still alive and kicking.
Oh that's cool!
You wait for ages ,then 5 turn up together ! 😂😂😂😂😂
Pop up to Edinburgh around September when Lothian Buses (formally LRT, the biggest bus company in the area) run their annual vintage running day. Each year they run a selection of vintage stock on a public route (route changes each year). Always a laugh when the bus pulls up at the stop and there is a mix of enthusiasts and regular members of the public not knowing what is going on!
That sounds great!
Bravo on the narration and commentary! Well done seamless, smooth and concise.
Thank you Lawrie for a very interesting video on buses and the different types & variations that exist. I look forward to seeing your other bus videos.
You're most welcome
I went to a bus rally a few years ago in Clacton, and one of the companies that was organising it, provided a free return service from London via Colchester (where I live), using an AEC Regent, so took the opportunity to hop on as it was travelling through.
Was an excellent experience, and certainly recommend any bus fan to attend one of these and try out the free rides.
Wish I could get on a Bristol VR again, such an iconic bus from my childhood.
It's great to be able to sample older machines!
Another great video lawrie love seeing the buses & coaches, love to see more of classic coaches love the chrome on them is so nice to see I just love seeing chrome.
Me too. Chrome is awesome
Imagine waiting at a bus stop just to see this convoy hold up the bus you want to ride!
Well you know what they say, you wait for one, and a convoy arrives lol
totally get what you mean by the feeling of driving in a convoy, having done the London to Brighton mini run in my classic Rover mini feels magical when you are all going down there in packs of like 10 or so. Great vid as always Lawrie.
That sounds great fun!
i often feel quite isolated in being a vehicle enthousiast that likes both steam,diesel,petrol,etc. but also electric vehicles, it's like you have to be either one and not both.
I think you can be an enthusiastic about vehicles generally, but I think generally you're correct there are two very different schools of thought
Lawrie just think that the Leyland National is a Pacer Train for the road. 😉
That makes it so much better 😂
@@lmmSomehow BREL took one of the best buses ever and turned it into one of the worst trains ever.
Ha Ha. I recognized the whole route and Whittlesey, as i am currently living in Wisbech. From your part of world though - Haverhill and do get to the Middy as often as is possible for me. keep up the good work...love the channel!!!
It's a nice part of the world! I love how flat it is
Oh boy, I went to school on one of those buses and I drove the one in "blue bus" livery in service out of King's Lynn depot many moons ago. Nice to see you on my old service driving stamping grounds!
Oh really? That's pretty cool!
I remember the day we took 14 ocado vans down the M4 - all in sequence - we had the rainbow twice over :)
That's quite cool
NICE! Do love a good bus.
Me too!
Excellent adventure.
Thank you!
i love buses and Reliants so this is perfection. Also fitted a rev Counter to my Rialto and as it turns out it fits perfectly into the frame of the centre air vent and it works perfectly. at 60mph the Rialto has exactly 3k rpm
Oh really? Good show. I suppose that depends on which diff and gearbox you have.
The main thing to be aware of is how tall it is, particularly in relation to any bridges you might go under 🙆👷
I hear for double decker that is quite important
Drove H303CAV many times at Whippets, very simple to drive and a quick machine in its day, but it was always a 'shed' to me. Always preferred my Leyland Olympian with its Gardner engine in the back, much nicer machine. The white Bristol RE was probably the best bus there in my opinion, it also used to be owned by an old friend Ray Cuff down in Somerset. Keep up the good work.
Oh really? How was the Olympian better? - Glad you enjoyed it though!
@@lmm Firstly the noise, you have to love a Gardner engine. The Volvo's have a mid-engine arrangement with a frankly noisy and whining sounding engine, not helped by the noise insulation material never being replaced by the mechanics... My first Olympian also had a semi-automatic gearbox, so I could choose when to change gear, at least on the way up. Also a good one was very smooth to drive.
Great camera work guy’s 👍📸
Thank you!
Remember these D10M Citybuses well, GM Buses bought a few back in the 90's which passed to First Group. They had no trouble gunning it up the hills around Bury and Rochdale.
Oh really? I enjoyed it,
Worked for Northern Counties when this bus was built. This bus is a Palatine 1, the name palatine came from the street name In which the manager at the time … Nick parsons lived in Blackpool
Oh really? Thanks for the info
that bristol RE in the national livery is stunning, i hope you have plans for that to be on the channel too
I can try!
The Leyland National (HTA844N) is owned by my grandad who snuck in at 11:01
Oh very nice - that's very smart
Fun fact Go Whippet WD418 Volvo B10M Olympian was the bus my grandad used to drive before leaving the bus industry
Looked a great day out, Wythall Transport Museum near where I live also put on a great bus rally in the spring and Autumn and have a museum with buses and other items including old milk floats, plus they have a little miniature railway.
I agree on the take on the modern electric bus I am not keen on the silent electric era, if they put straight cut gears and old noisy motors on them I may reconsider.
Oh that sounds like a good do!
Excellent vehicle, the Volvo Citybus.
I really enjoyed it
theres a bus rally very close to me that does similar, many different vintage and current buses all lined up in front of a pub and you can go for rides to the nearby towns and they do the town to town runs just like they used to
It's a great concept isn't it!
Wow all the old classics bus
It was a great show
I enjoyed the video !
Thank you!
Hay lawrie a good clue would be the destination signs on the bus 🚌👍
Lots of them said Peterbrough!
love the convoy can remember the B10B northern counties paladin in Trent buses livery used to travel on it as a child many happy memories been on a few of them with Trent Barton and with its sister company Notts and Derby its not the bus you want to turn up for the long run from Nottingham/Derby to Manchester seating isn't the comfiest much preferred a optare excel or a volvo B10M plaxton premiere
The convoy was great fun!
Northern Counties bodied Volvo B10M Citybus H303CAV was brand new to Whippet in 1990. The Volvo Citybus has a 9.6 litre turbo diesel engine mounted under the floor. It left their fleet shortly after Tower Transit took them over in 2014. Whippet still exist today and are part of the Ascendal Group.
Thanks for the info! I quite enjoyed going out in it
Lawrie: But i just don't like electric vehicles.
Atlas: Am i a joke to you?
Atlas has a certain amount of character though!
@@lmmI wonder if Lawrie's recent video playing with an electric tram has brought him over to electric traction.
love to bring a USA school bus there!
Whippet is almost a rip on Greyhound 🤣
I admit I wants a Routemaster but I want to do it up like Bulgy 😉
There is someone near where I live who has actually got a US school bus. I have also seen one converted into a mobile Pizza catering van.
@@bentullett6068 kool
I got to go on a school bus when I was in the states. That was fun
Love how little he knew about the buses.
As I say, I'm not a bus enthusiast. I understand the difference between double and single decker 😂
@@lmmThe easiest way to remember the Leyland National is that it was the bus the Pacer DMU was based off.
Did I mention I was a massive bus nerd?
Funny thing, I just went to Fenland busfest today! Oh so many whippet buses
Was it good?
@@lmm hell yea
the swankey Leyland is my little project with my boss 😅
It's a great thing! I was much impressed
@@lmm many thanks! should be there again this year, come for a nosey if you get the chance :)
My own bus fest is happening in Adelaide SA on 15 May!
Will be a great day for buses worldwide! ;)
Oh that sounds good!
Sure will be! I'll upload some footage of it to RUclips if I can, between organising and running the event haha.
Ah there are reasons for the "follow the other bus" routine.
Route has to be carefully chosen:
1. No Bridges/overhanging trees to damage double decker buses.
2. Road/bridge weight limits.
3. No narrow lanes or tight corners.
Oh yes, having a planned route is very important. I also didn't actually know where the destination was 😂
@@lmm 😂
Driven that road at night, the sky is incredible
Oh I bet!
The red one: a Bristol VR. Standard National Bus Company double decker all through the 1970s. There were thousands of 'em.
They're smart things
Growing up in the fens we rode to school on these Bristol VRs. The company was called Cambus.
Might be an unpopular opinion but the late 1970s/1980s - early 2000s era buses are my favourite era (especially liked the ones you drove in the convoy). The earlier classics are buses I respect and can appreciate but growing up in Bedford in the early 2000s most of our buses were late 80s Leylands, mid 90s Volvos and early 2000s Dennis "plastic" buses, and those are the ones that I have the most fond memories of as a child which is why I think I prefer them.
I was at the event last year that you filmed and looking to go again this year as I really enjoyed myself, definitely one of the best local-ish bus events we have and it's great to see you cover it. Looking forward to more bus content from you.
At 21:45 were you referring to a 1 2 3 D N R selector?
We normally say 80s to late 90s is the golden age is cars, so maybe for buses too?
Ooh busses
Quite a few of them!
funny fact a ruston that was working at the chemical plant on Anglesey is in the Tacla Taid museum near Newborough it is on the dailypost under :New Anglesey home for classic diesel locomotive
I'll have to have a look
Hi Lawrie, I'm a volunteer at chasewater railway, and you should come over and possibly review one of the locos and we have a goods gala on the 22nd aswell.
I'm trying to make it happen!
B10M one of the best engines Volvo ever created.
Good platform
I live just across road from the redfern travel or Johnson bros bus depot hahaha nice video
Oh really? Glad you enjoyed it
There are a couple of extra buttons on most of the the older ZF gear selectors (1&2) that can be used to manipulate the gears but there is a technique to it. There was a guy who had videos on how to use them for the 4 and 5 speed ZF with the 12DNR configuration but his channel seems to have gone.
Oh really?
@@lmm It was video of a Stagecoach driver demonstrating the system on an ex First Scania L94UB holding all 5 gears, I think the channel name was "BusThrash". I don't know how to downshift each one though but that might be in an old ZF manual somewhere.
fantastic. i would love to drive a bus. how cool.. should just stop and pick up random passengers.. 😅
You should book a ticket next time the fenland light railway is running to come and visit you can look at the booking dates on the Facebook page
Yes I shall
10:35 haha that's one of my old school buses 😂
Was it really?
@@lmm Yeah my school used Johnson Bros Tours and Redfern Travel from 2016-Today. I Love Olympians. Mostly Leylands but Volvos are alright.
Sweet
Thanks!
I can feel the old school slightly scratchy scrubby fabric.
Proper stuff!
There is a song named convoy by C.W. McCall and it is a classic american road trip song
Yep, I was singing it in a cut clip 😂
Haven't been to the UK since '75 When I was there in '75, in London, I remember seeing quite fancy coach style busses that said "Panama III", on the rear quarter panel. Were any of the coach style busses at bus fest Panama III's? What is there to know about these Panama III's?
LOL. And not a Thomas or Bluebird in sight! I own a Carpenter 3800 and drive a Thomas C2 for work.
It was a nice mix of the older stuff!
@@lmm Yes. I can see that. Air shift gearboxes that need 2 seconds wait between gears for downshifting. Those were a nightmare.
I can't remember the date, but there is a vintage bus run to Imber village on Salisbury Plain training area, if you'd be interested in that sort of thing
Sounds like my kinda thing!
@@lmm the next one is Saturday 19th August according to the website
Knew an old drunkard (ex bus driver) Who surprisingly got a job at a bus company and I saw him with a big grin and no destination/route....Joyriding one of them single decker Volvos through our town. No names No packdrill!
😂 😂 😂 😂
4:04, is that what looks like an old railway trackbed?
Yes it is!
i know a bus
it is the BR pacer class (a layland national bus on a chassis based on the HSFV1 recerch vehicle)
Pretty much.
The best convoy was leaving dent with 15 cars on single track roads. If only you had a drone for that
Next time!
Lovely sight! Per chance using an Insta 360 X or such?
Yeah, one of the insta 360s. Pretty impressed with it really
@@lmm Been thinking of getting one too!
That's the same day as Apedale transport anything goes day
Oh is it? Lots of things clash
is the volvo u drive a 4 speed automatic gearbox?
I cannot remember, it certainly wasn't fast!
"problem with shooting in the road, bus coming from that way"
sorry guys, that was me 😂
No doubt at the time thinking 'what's that idiot doing?'
@@lmm I think that every time you upload a new video 😂😂
Did I see an old railway line next to the road ?
4.02?
It looks like it.
It's at Rings End on the former line between Spalding and March (look for 52.60304003211223, 0.0636355314670175 with Google maps).
Yes you did. Rails long gone
Has anyone else mentioned the abandoned railway line crossing the road at 3:55 ?
I think there is a group trying to reopen it
Yeroooo northern Irish nova
Quality motor!
The yellow one，is DENNIS CONDOR!
Ex HONG KONG CMB😍
It's a mighty thing isn't it
03:56 Looks like Guyhirn
It was
Have you ever driven a Barton Bus before
driving a bus looks very satisfyling
It was - without passengers!
i want to see you drive edward thomas talyllyn railway
Me too!
I was at Busstock
Was it good?
Double axle in the front can be very dodgy to drive if you hit something on the road you hit it twice can very easily knock your hands off the wheel, don’t ask it’s happened before
Oh really? I never even considered that!
18:50 why are you not wearing your seatbelt?
It doesn't have one.
Anyone know of a Leyland Atlantean from the late 70s/ early 80s from the north east for sale?
I’ve been looking for years
Please help 😁😁😁😁
I don't I'm afraid, I'm sure someone will though
Great Video Lawrie. Out of Interest did you need a special bus driving license to do that or is that just if you wanted to carry passengers?
You can drive a bus on a Category B (Car) Licence as long as: It was manufactured at least 30 years before the date it's being driven. It's not used for a commercial purpose (Hire or Reward), and it's not being used to carry more than 8 passengers.
Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/891798/inf52-large-vehicles-you-can-drive-using-your-car-or-lorry-licence.pdf
@@Deltic1989 Thanks, that's helpful
Can also drive a bus under 30 years old with no more than 4 passengers with HGV license.
As above, no I don't
Does seeing the place I live count as something I enjoy seeing most?
There are several vehicles in this video that I made the fleetnames and other vinyl things for!
Oh really? You did a great job!
@@lmm yes the Lincolnshire D10M, the Trent B10M and a couple of others....
I think the only reason ik the Bristol VR as it was part of a plot for doctor who
Was it?
@@lmm Yh, it Doctor Who a London Bus goes through a wormhole and ends up a alien planet. A Bristol VR is used
A HGV/Bus with two steering axles and one driven axle is known as a Chinese six, re convoys, we all end up in convoys on a daily basis, today they are referred to as queues, shame there were no "classic" cars on display, otherwise a good video.
Oh is it? Never heard of that term. Glad you enjoyed the video
👍🙏
👍
You'd enjoy Cobham rally, held at Brooklands museum these days. They've got the original SuperCar there from the TV adverts in the 90s plus the prototype rear engine Routemaster.
I drive for Stagecoach myself so these buses are all familiar to me. Have you thought about taking a PCV test? It feels so different with passengers on hehe.
That sounds worth a visit! I've not, I don't know how much I'd enjoy it with passengers!
@@lmm You'll love this. yours truly driving the open top Bristol VR at the very beginning.
ruclips.net/video/l5oaP62n4TU/видео.html
😎😎👍
👍
Your colleague in the one in front was leading you around that same roundabout and back the way you'd come at least twice ↩↪🔄
I think that's just repeat footage.
As above, just useing the more interesting bits of footage
I love your videos and I love buses I wanted to be a bus driver but because of my disability I can't tho
Glad you enjoyed the video, but sorry to hear that
@@lmm thank you
Most of those 'modern' buses in the comparisons are already 20-30 years old...
That's the look of a bus I recognise. Thus modern!
hong kong bus is a dennis condor
Thanks for the clarification!
Where is busfest ????
It's this weekend near Peterborough UK.
Link is in the video description
Whittlesey
The Hong Kong vehicle is not a leyland atlantian it's a Dennis dragon
It's actually a Dennis Condor
Aye lawries driving a volvo olympian
No, both are Volvo B10M CityBus. First one is Northern Counties Palatine decker, last one is an East Lancs Opus saloon.
Turns out the B10M is quite a versitile platform
This American wants to know: Why don't double deckers tip over whilst going around corners?
Because the centre of gravity is very low - all the heavy stuff is right at the bottom. Have a look for 'Routemaster tilt test' for photos of just how far they can go
Pretty much as above, they look more unsteady than they are!