The mighty Leyland Olympian LMM Drives Episode 33.

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 17 мар 2021
  • Hello good people of the internets!
    Gosh you lucky people, do we have a treat in store for you!
    Today Lawrie has his first ever drive of a bus - and we didn't start small, out in a almost 10 tonne double decker. But just what will Lawrie think of it?
    A massive thank you to Eastern Bus Enthusiasts for asking us to come along and letting us go out in the Olympian!
    If you like what you've seen in the video and want more information on the group, or to get involved in helping to look after the vast collection of buses, then have a look at their website here!
    www.easternbusgroup.co.uk
    If you want to to see some of the buses, and maybe as well the LMM team, then have a look here for the information on Busfest! www.easternbusgroup.co.uk/busf...
    A video featuring:
    Lawrie - Presenter, overly excited to be driving a bus,
    Matt - Presenter, having second ideas about going for a bus ride.
    A video edited by Lawrie.
    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/МотоАвто/Мото

Комментарии • 872

  • @johnnyboy3949
    @johnnyboy3949 3 года назад +19

    Proper buses. Takes me back to going to school on these in the 90s and on weekends and holidays going to the nearby towns shopping with my mum. I miss going up the steps to get in the bus and that weird fusty smell they had.

    • @johnkelly1083
      @johnkelly1083 7 месяцев назад

      I used to take an Olympian bus (Volvo not Leyland) to school. It smelt of mildew and hot engine oil.

  • @TheElDoctoro24
    @TheElDoctoro24 3 года назад +79

    When I was in school we used to get everyone on the top deck and the bus driver would flick in round the roundabout 😂😂 the driver said he got it on two wheels one day. 100+ school boys upstairs, can confirm they’re hard to tip

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +9

      😂 😂

    • @worldcomicsreview354
      @worldcomicsreview354 3 года назад +12

      They have a huge diesel lump and heavy-duty gearbox on the bottom, while the top is mostly empty space. I should imagine it does take quite a few children to tip that balance the other way!

    • @Teribus13
      @Teribus13 3 года назад +7

      @@worldcomicsreview354 yep, that's why they're so hard to tip, because all the weight is at the bottom. Even the chassis, axles, brakes - they're all weight which helps keep it bottom side down. Buses are tested to 45 degrees to make sure they'll come back to their wheels.

    • @mcgherkinstudios
      @mcgherkinstudios 3 года назад +4

      Kids at our school did that, the driver pulled into the bus station and called the police :(

    • @tomtalk24
      @tomtalk24 3 года назад +3

      Every last day at school, kids swaying the top decks of the waiting busses, clinking the roofs.
      Brings back memories.

  • @stephenroberts7346
    @stephenroberts7346 3 года назад +17

    As an old bus driver in the 80s in Yorkshire, the Olmypian bus was elite of the fleet, and yes they did make a coach built where the seats were more plush, many mile on fare stage express ... yet the the poor driver still sat on the hard rock seat, pleased you had a eye opener lol

    • @stuartcakebread9665
      @stuartcakebread9665 3 года назад +3

      Gold Rider 👍👍👍👍👍

    • @gs425
      @gs425 3 года назад +3

      Have a read of my comment Stephen. Yes the elite for sure

    • @charlesedwards4160
      @charlesedwards4160 Год назад +1

      Oh yeah, the X6 from Huddersfield to Leeds. What a beaut....

    • @cloudstrife1983
      @cloudstrife1983 Год назад +1

      The Gold Rider.

  • @dbrown51967
    @dbrown51967 3 года назад +18

    used to drive olympian's on service years ago, we used to call them o limpalongs. not a bad bus but my favourite was the old school bristol vr.

  • @chazzyb8660
    @chazzyb8660 3 года назад +26

    "The Leyland of car channels", not quite a T-shirt, but I feel you Matt.

  • @gs425
    @gs425 3 года назад +13

    I used to take a school for 7 years along 5 miles of steep hills in Plymouth. Plymouth Citybus had hundreds of Atlanteans, however towards the end of my school days, probably 1982 onwards, my route normally got one of the new Olympians. Wow what a difference! Smooth. Quiet. And so much faster, especially up the steep Plymouth hills. I guess having air suspension was a major difference from old. May have been the first bus with moquette rather than vinyl seats too.

  • @alistairshaw3206
    @alistairshaw3206 3 года назад +13

    I used to drive an AEC Reliance, it was the first coach I drove. The fuel gauge was on the tank. There was a circular hole in the panel so you could see the gauge.
    You will have been told to pause between the gears, I used to drive the Leyland buses with semiautomatic transmission.
    Most buses and coaches are automatic nowadays.
    I have driven buses and coaches for 35years now.

  • @dermotcooper4713
    @dermotcooper4713 3 года назад +47

    Doesn't feel heavy like an HGV? Brakes very sensitive and sharp? Get yourself 80 passengers in there then see how it feels :)

    • @lmm
      @lmm  2 года назад +3

      I can imagine that would change the handling somewhat!

    • @PhilipKerry
      @PhilipKerry 2 года назад +8

      A comment made by a lack of knowledge .... I was a Bus Driver for 44 years until I retired in January and I used to drive Leyland Olympians for Stagecoach Megabus , they have ( shock horror ) Power Steering and having 80 passengers on board doesn't affect the steering weight and also assisted brakes that still stop sharply even with a full load .

    • @colinmiller5502
      @colinmiller5502 Год назад

      An aerodynamic brick,0-40 ,most of the day

  • @truckrobo147
    @truckrobo147 3 года назад +43

    Man Lawrie your like the living embodiment of every bcc vehicle documentary

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +5

      😂 I'm trying

    • @truckrobo147
      @truckrobo147 3 года назад +2

      @@lmm I know. Keep it up, your videos are good

    • @RWL2012
      @RWL2012 3 года назад

      The Roe factory was the Optare one from 1985 to 2011

    • @truckrobo147
      @truckrobo147 3 года назад +1

      @@RWL2012 interesting...

  • @andrewnorris5415
    @andrewnorris5415 3 года назад +5

    That engine makes a lovely sound. Nice to know the controls are so light. Sweet.

  • @LewisCollard
    @LewisCollard 3 года назад +6

    Your enthusiasm for driving a bus and the details of the bus is every bit as good as the gorgeous Fenland landscape you were driving through. What a lovely video. Thank you!

  • @mcgherkinstudios
    @mcgherkinstudios 3 года назад +3

    So many memories of riding these to and from school, great fun.
    The gearbox is presumably just the original with manual control over the gear solenoids, to stop it shifting up when trying to get up hills and suchlike.

    • @Steve1766
      @Steve1766 Год назад +1

      nowadays they are all automatic

  • @manfacilitymetalworks1296
    @manfacilitymetalworks1296 3 года назад +21

    That's the sight and sound of my childhood right there!
    I used to stare at the driver down the periscope at the front of the upper deck.

    • @skylined5534
      @skylined5534 3 года назад +1

      Haha! Me too! I bet he loved seeing my chubby little face pressed up against the glass!

    • @clementong6332
      @clementong6332 3 года назад +1

      Loved to do that too. And the bus driver would be annoyed, haha

  • @henryjohnfacey8213
    @henryjohnfacey8213 3 года назад +2

    Nice one. Cross gates is in Leeds. I used to work for Yorkshire Rider. The seats for the driver on these were so hard on your bum and back, especially when operated over poorly maintained or bad roads. l loved these busses, foot off accelerator, wait for revs to drop and then change gear off like a rocket. No jerking. One of these converted (the roof was lowered) went all the way to Samarkand. Showing private on the destination should stop any uncertainty. Great video.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Pleased to hear you enjoyed it!

    • @henryjohnfacey8213
      @henryjohnfacey8213 3 года назад +1

      Great vehicle they just needed up dating i e better heating, better seating, better air conditioning, better wind screen wipers, double glazing wouldn't go a miss. probably driven this one many many times. Just so reliable and easy to repair basic. Used to take all the lads to football matches from Hunslet engineering.

  • @thegreatwesterner9481
    @thegreatwesterner9481 3 года назад +33

    Matt rejected taking the bus driven by lawie good way to go

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +9

      I'd have done the same,

  • @deepestdub
    @deepestdub 3 года назад +24

    More buses please. Lovely stuff.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +4

      That we can do!

    • @Routevisual42
      @Routevisual42 3 года назад

      @@lmm Maybe you could try an E350H

  • @Parknest
    @Parknest 3 года назад +7

    I remember these busses back in the day. I recognize where you're driving round. Guyhirn near to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire.

  • @dennywong2408
    @dennywong2408 3 года назад +2

    Having grew up in Hong Kong the only Leylands that we know of are the couple thousand Olympians in tri-axle configuration running around the tiny territory. They were amazing workhorses that still have a lot of life in them when they reached their scheduled retirement age of 17 years, so much so that some of them even come back home to UK for a second life as coaches and touring buses etc. The reputation of Leyland was a real shock to me when I arrived in the UK - I genuinely thought they were THE good stuff.

  • @owenchuarbx
    @owenchuarbx 3 года назад +2

    We have a few preserved examples here in Singapore and we also have the honour of taking the last Leyland, also an Olympian (SBS9168S/L888 SBS), ever built. In 2013, she was repatriated back to after retiring from her operator SBS Transit and was bought by a collector in Warwickshire.

  • @BITTYBOY121
    @BITTYBOY121 3 года назад +6

    That bus would make a fantastic motorhome !.... Us Hippies love stuff like this LOL 👍👍👍

  • @brianwood9913
    @brianwood9913 3 года назад +3

    I started with a Daimler Fleetline but after driving Leyland Atlanteans, Volvo Ailsas, Bristol VR, Scanias and a few odd balls my favourite was the Metrobus. Nick name for the Olympian was limp a long... says it all! Glad you had fun - now drive it through London in a pre-covid rush hour.

  • @Set123
    @Set123 3 года назад +2

    Good ol' Leyland Olympian! In Singapore they were the backbone for one of our transport operator double decker's fleet, alongside the Volvo Olympian. Really robust bus, enjoyable one to drive too! Too bad they were scrapped in 2015 I believe, but the very last Olympian chassis that Leyland had built is thankfully preserved in the UK, with the reg L888 SBS.

  • @alejandrayalanbowman367
    @alejandrayalanbowman367 3 года назад +2

    The typical Leyland bus for me is PD1 or PD2, especially those with Roberts bodywork that used to do the London Wood Green to Southend bus service operated by the City Coach Company. They were so comfortable especially on the upper deck that one could easily fall asleep and go past one's stop!

  • @maskedavenger2578
    @maskedavenger2578 3 года назад +3

    I remember going on the first Atlantean buses in Wallasey & Liverpool ,& also one of the last trams in Liverpool .I would consider that bus to be very modern in the scheme of things .

  • @grayfool
    @grayfool 3 года назад +3

    Oh yeah, more buses please. Nice to see the Fens again. My home for 10 years or so before we moved to a sunny island in the Indian ocean. Brilliant guys, thanks.

  • @richardadkins6998
    @richardadkins6998 3 года назад +4

    A sometimes contested point but what became the Leyland Olympian, started as Project B45 was designed and built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles, who Leyland had a 50% share (the other 50% was owned by the National Bus Company), which Leyland ultimately closed in 1983. Production moved to Workington and then in 1986 to Farrington works. The body was project B46, which saw Roe and ECW build their own versions of this body, which look similar but are different under the skin. But overall a good video. If you drive other classic buses you will find they are quite different in character.

  • @gcbus2
    @gcbus2 3 года назад +7

    Yes please, more bus reviews 🚌

  • @theimaginativelad3491
    @theimaginativelad3491 3 года назад +3

    Recently got my PSV license and have to say I'm now tempted to buy a heritage bus. I only really do city driving with rural driving only really when I'm out of service and running to a terminus or something. Great video Lawrie, hope to see more like this.

  • @DrChooChoo109
    @DrChooChoo109 3 года назад +4

    I may have travelled on that at some point in my school days. Nice to see it's still around!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      That's really cool!

  • @jbenekeorr
    @jbenekeorr 3 года назад +3

    This is fantastic! Thanks for the nostalgia trip!
    I followed an Olympian run by Confidence coaches of Leicester just this afternoon!
    I’m late 20’s and travelled to school and college on Olympians run by Ausden Clarke. A large piece of the ceiling of one with a light fitting in it once dropped down on my head! They were always smashing into trees as the bus route was on tight Leicestershire country roads.
    We did go on the Confidence Olympians a couple of times for school trips too, maybe even this bus!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      Really pleased to hear that you enjoyed it!

  • @chrisskelhorn5727
    @chrisskelhorn5727 3 года назад +5

    This was brilliant! Thank you guys! :-)

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      You're most welcome!

  • @MetroTitanD78
    @MetroTitanD78 3 года назад +2

    Hong Kong was a huge user of the Leyland and Volvo Olympian and some of these West Yorkshire PTE Olympians were sold there too.

  • @ThatBusEnthusiastOlli
    @ThatBusEnthusiastOlli 3 года назад +7

    Nice to see you drive and feature a bus on your channel again

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +3

      That we can do

  • @darkwarrior6465
    @darkwarrior6465 3 года назад +4

    in 2002 when i started driving for lothian buses in edinburgh they still had these in the fleet albeit the auto ones

  • @farmertrg
    @farmertrg 3 года назад +3

    On The Buses with Lawrie and Matt. Great video and I love the old school you show and talk about ;)

  • @charlesedwards4160
    @charlesedwards4160 Год назад +1

    My mummy used to drive a Leyland Olympian 700 series with cummins engine when she used to work for Keighley & District back in the early 90's. Happy days.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  Год назад

      Oh really? Good buses

  • @scottishrailwaymaniac9996
    @scottishrailwaymaniac9996 3 года назад +5

    It's a good looking bus, Mind you everything from the 80s is good looking! Especially the DeLorean 😃

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +4

      Isn't it just!

  • @henkbarnard1553
    @henkbarnard1553 3 года назад +40

    4:00 Somone must have got the sack at BL,
    For making something that works.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +6

      Scary isn't it 😂

    • @williamwoods8022
      @williamwoods8022 3 года назад +3

      Leyland truck and bus were very profitable and made very good vehicles but it was only later with the problems of the car division that starved the truck and bus division of money for development because the BL management were taking the truck and bus profits to keep the car division going - of course it didn't help that the government was cutting the money to BL as well as part of the agenda to shut down British industry and transfer the jobs to the cheaper countries in the far east - flooding the country with immigrants and free movement in the EU is also part of this agenda to get rid of countries and bring in a One World Communist Government and to get rid of 95% of the worlds population as well under their UN Agenda 21/UN Agenda 2030 as per the Georgia Guidestones - I wonder how they are going to fool people into agreeing with this agenda - scaring them into taking something perhaps?

    • @thecoachmansfolly
      @thecoachmansfolly 3 года назад +4

      Although it was lumped under the same umbrella, Leyland truck and bus was it’s own entity and not run by the car manufacturer.

    • @henkbarnard1553
      @henkbarnard1553 3 года назад +2

      @@thecoachmansfolly That explains why BL trucks and busses actually work.

    • @obelic71
      @obelic71 3 года назад +2

      @@williamwoods8022 correct industrial products of leyland were good.For example Leyland buschassis and engines were used and build under license in the Netherlands.
      After the collapse of Leyland DAF who build the 6 cilinder Leyland engine under license bought all the rights and they kept improving it.
      The Irony is that a grandchild of that Leyland engine is now put in LDV Leyland trucks in the UK.
      And politicians need to be only in one place.
      THROWN UNDER THE BUS.

  • @davesbusstuffandmore
    @davesbusstuffandmore 3 года назад +1

    The Leyland Olympian was the first double decker I ever drove and is still one of the best. Midland Fox had 14 semi auto and more full auto. At the end of there working service life, they were sold off. Confidence got a lot of them, I expect a later semi auto bus broke and was used as parts, with its gearbox ending up in this bus. Great Video. 👍👍👍

  • @BusBadger
    @BusBadger 3 года назад +12

    I cut my teeth bus driving Olympians out of King's Lynn in the early 2000s.... You should try driving one in the dark and snow through Sandringham ;p
    I also drove for Norfolk Green through Gyhurn and Murrow where you filmed this, boy do I have some stories about those days too! XD

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +5

      Oh I bet! I think I'll avoid the dark and snow 😂

    • @SteamboatWilley
      @SteamboatWilley 3 года назад +2

      Incidentally the Olympian in this video is a similar type to the one I took to the Bo'ness winter diesel gala 2018, and that one struggled to say the least on the hills in and out of Bo'ness, so I can well believe the 45mph top speed featured in this video!

    • @worldcomicsreview354
      @worldcomicsreview354 3 года назад +3

      I think I met you once lol. Do you know a ginger named Kate?
      Anyway, I live in Japan now. The suburban buses here are something else, not as big as Olympians, but the roads the drivers thread them through are insane. More like alleys with traffic.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      @@worldcomicsreview354 depends how long ago - I've not know a Kate for years

    • @BusBadger
      @BusBadger 3 года назад

      @@worldcomicsreview354 yes I do XD small world. Living my dream over there man XD

  • @AJGeeTV
    @AJGeeTV 3 года назад +1

    This brings back memories. I used to drive these in Scotland over 30 years ago for Bluebird Northern, later to be Stagecoach. It was just like in this video because we had very few passengers in the far north and the routes were massively subsidised. We only had deckers then because we needed them for school duties.

  • @SeahorsesJay
    @SeahorsesJay Год назад +1

    Growing up in Leeds in the late 90s-early 00s these things were ubiquitous in the legendary orange, red and white Leeds City Link livery! As a child the Olympians - along with the Atlanteans - used to absolutely terrify me, the stature of the vehicles, the size of the wheels, the groans and growls of the engines and lastly the ominous feeling of insecurity exacerbated by the consistent rattling and smell of diesel fumes. However, just like a roller-coaster ride, all of these fears were tantamount to unbridled thrills and excitement to a child.
    During the early 2000s, the Olympians would be summoned to fill in on virtually any bus route within the network whenever the modern deckers (Alexander Royales, ALX400) had let everybody down - otherwise, they would be found in regular service on the odds 'n' sods routes such as the 38 or the 91 - both of which had terrifying inclines to overcome between Kirkstall and Bramley which were always heart in the mouth moments. However, they always managed to overcome any obstacles, both had life cycles of around 30 years respectively and I honestly cannot ever remember seeing one breakdown. These were reliable powerhouses and the streets of West Yorkshire will never be the same without them! Also, I absolutely loved the yellow, black and brown checked upholstery and would love to be able to purchase an original bench from one of these buses just to have in my house 😂

  • @CharlesTrains99
    @CharlesTrains99 3 года назад +2

    Lawrie and Matt, great video . Thanks for sharing. A very interesting subject of the double decker bus and a great explanation of the workings going on. Not something we see in the US .

  • @noexpensespentstudios
    @noexpensespentstudios 3 года назад +1

    I can feel the itchy orange seats and smell the hot diesel fumes that infused the lower deck back seat just watching this. The thunk of those windows, the smokers all bundling upstairs, the fogged up windows on rainy winter nights.... ah, nostalgia. It seemed that every single bus I rode on up until the end of the 90s was one of these with their distinctive engine note and loping gait.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      It very much is 'the bus' for a lot of people!

  • @tomtalk24
    @tomtalk24 3 года назад +1

    Haha my daily commute is on a double decker across a cliff top feet away from the edge doing 50mph in any wind swerving over 2 lanes.
    Thanks for the video gents!

  • @davidcoleman7674
    @davidcoleman7674 3 года назад +3

    I really enjoyed that! Looking forward to more buses

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Pleased to hear it!

  • @edbrown84
    @edbrown84 3 года назад +3

    Eastern bus enthusiasts brought me here. Great channel. Thanks for the video.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Thank you!

  • @eze8970
    @eze8970 3 года назад +3

    Thanks Lawrie, enjoyed this!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Pleased to hear it!

  • @jonniejam-shovel6405
    @jonniejam-shovel6405 3 года назад +4

    As a 16 year old I joined London Transport in 1971 as an engineering garage trainee.
    I was very fortunate at that time to work with old hands, who saw the brand new Routemasters into service in 1959.
    We had a small allocation of Titan buses, in our garage in East London. Many of these vehicles were brand new direct from Chiswick bus works.
    My colleagues and I found that the Titan bus, with its transverse engine and gearbox, was problematical and not so easy to work on as the old Routemaster.
    Many service drivers experienced a number of frightening situations when the roads were icy (or raining) The Titans could be unforgivable, because of the weight of the engine/gearbox at the rear.
    For us engineers, we were compelled to get to grips with this new bus type. You certainly couldn't change the engine on a Titan in a day like the RM. Plus the fact that many LT garages were having problems with spare parts. All in all, it was all part of the job.
    Thanks for sharing your interesting film, and if I may suggest that should you drive one of these buses in the wet, keep your speed down especially when cornering. Cheers.👍

    • @bridgetown45
      @bridgetown45 3 года назад +1

      You have to take your hat off to those old hands. During my apprenticeship with a Bus Company, many of the old hands had no formal technical education but were required to take the new breed of engineering students under their wings. They were quite knowledgeable.

    • @jonniejam-shovel6405
      @jonniejam-shovel6405 3 года назад

      @@bridgetown45 Many London Transport foremen, and District Engineers would sometimes rely on these 'old hands' if a problem arose.
      Many of these blokes when I joined in 1971, were ex WW2 armed forces. I worked with Chief Petty Officers, a Military policeman all sorts.
      One crusty individual, was ex army, and fought for his country in the 'Western desert'.
      This old bachelor kept himself to himself, and didn't suffer fools. In time when he and I worked together during the weekend shifts I learned more about his war experiences. A great man, and while I remember; I was transferred to RD Hornchurch garage on the closure of Poplar in November 1985.
      A man who worked behind the counter in RD, and a chap who I sometimes spoke with in the course of my duties was W.E 'Bill' Sparks DSM. This man was one of two Royal Marines who survived a raid upon enemy shipping in Bordeaux Harbour, during WW2. A real 'Cockleshell Hero'. His colleague who also survived was Lieut-Col H.G. Hasler; DSO, OBE. Blimey working on the buses, must have seemed tame in comparison. A real shame that I never realised who this man was during my time there. Bless them all.

  • @simonoldroyd8803
    @simonoldroyd8803 3 года назад +1

    I grew up with these buses in West Yorkshire. They sounded really nice I have to say. There were two at Bradford that were fitted with Voith transmission. They sounded like an MCW.

  • @zekeallsopp6665
    @zekeallsopp6665 3 года назад

    I’ve absolutely loved it ! I hope to see more!

  • @jamesfrench7299
    @jamesfrench7299 3 года назад +1

    That was an excellent bus to showcase. It got me to click and I really like your presentation.
    A lot of the features of the Olympian, Titan and the mid mount engined Tiger single decker bus and coach chassis were inherited from the development of the itegral single decker National bus in the late 1960s and released in 1972.
    The driver's dash and controls, as well as the steering and air throttle are lifted from the Leyland National.
    The Titan was developed during the 70s and was an integral bus as well and was quite sophisticated which is what put other operators off buying them, so the simplified Olympian chassis was born which enabled bus companies to have modern features of the Titan but with more traditional construction and simpler mechanical layout.
    London ended up ordering their own batch of Olympians in 1987, their last official bus type before full privatisation. They had some differences over other Olympians that were specified for the London Buses order.
    Engine options were the Gardner 6LXB like this one, the Cummins L10 and Leyland's own TL11 11 litre turbo charged diesel.
    Gearbox options were the Hydracyclic, an automatic version of the gearbox shown here, Voith automatic and the ZF Ecomat auto.
    Other buses you should try out is the Leyland National and National II an updated version released in 1979.
    Make sure the first National has it's unique 510 Leyland diesel as many got Volvo, Gardner and DAF engines fitted later in their lives.
    The National II got the Leyland 680, Gardner and TL11 as options from new.
    Another decker I'd love you to take out is the MCW Metrobus which came mainly with Gardner, but some got Cummins L10s and one London example got a Rolls Royce Eagle engine! All came with Voith 3 or 4 speed DIWA transmissions.

  • @tomforrest7814
    @tomforrest7814 3 года назад +2

    loved this video used to have these for school the company had at least 4, the back seats used to get hot and started smoking good times haha

  • @GNTel313
    @GNTel313 3 года назад +3

    Loving the "Cambus" vinyls on UWW. A fantastic bus indeed 👌

  • @joshmartin152
    @joshmartin152 3 года назад +6

    I'm pretty sure I had one of those as my school bus. It was yellow and the top deck had more holes in the floor than Swiss cheese lol. Anyway another great video lawrie.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Glad you enjoyed it - seems to be bringing back a lot of memories for a lot of folk!

  • @DJ_K666
    @DJ_K666 3 года назад +3

    To be fair the first time you drive a decker is pretty strange. Especially since I trained in a Dennis Dart. I drove things like this for 12 and a half years so I found this highly amusing. It's absolutely true what you say about every bump being like you're about to bottom out but wait til you encounter high winds... Plus in Brighton we had some that were 41 feet long...
    The other "Good" vehicles British Leyland produced were things like the Leyland National, the Atlantean and the Leyland Leopard coach And of course the Titan. the white one at Tinkers Park was a Leyland Titan PD3 "Queen Mary"

  • @Fredstrains
    @Fredstrains 3 года назад +5

    Loved the video and would love to see more bus vids!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +3

      That we can do!

  • @axelrajr
    @axelrajr 3 года назад

    this video was a lot of fun. thank you.

  • @Atlantean1980
    @Atlantean1980 3 года назад +14

    The Leyland Atlanteans and National's were also great busses.

    • @BibtheBoulder
      @BibtheBoulder 2 года назад

      Especially with an Alexander body...

    • @lmm
      @lmm  2 года назад +1

      It's super!

    • @nathanlucas6465
      @nathanlucas6465 2 года назад

      I moved to Leeds in the mid 90s, and spend countless hours sat on the number 41 between the city centre and Kirkstall, and i don't remember anything other than atlanteans on that route. They seemed more welcoming than the volvos that were used on the 65 service

  • @lewiscartwright3609
    @lewiscartwright3609 3 года назад +4

    Hi Lawrie thoroughly enjoyed the Leyland Olympian review video and I would love to see another video

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      Thank you very much! We'll see what we can do!

    • @lewiscartwright3609
      @lewiscartwright3609 3 года назад +3

      @@lmm your welcome Lawrie and how's your little Ruston overhaul coming along as Last time you mentioned her she was stripped down to bare metal and in the process of getting repainted

  • @kavyman1066
    @kavyman1066 3 года назад +1

    Loved this! My new favourite expression for oil is now "Liquid Dinosaur"!

  • @X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X
    @X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X 3 года назад +2

    Now I am envious! I'd love to drive a Mercedes O407, which was my school bus. I also recall the driver driving through the countryside with the doors opened on a summer day. Those were the days...
    I'd love to see more bus content, Lawrie!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      I'm sure we can provide! Opening the doors and getting a through breeze was fantastic!

    • @X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X
      @X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X 3 года назад

      @@lmm
      I look forward to it. Honestly, this video took me way back.

    • @DJ_K666
      @DJ_K666 3 года назад

      @@lmm Back in the day it was how you knew Summer was coming. It is frowned upon though and modern buses either shut them automatically or won't pull away. Or an alarm goes off. In Brighton you had a second door in the middle for people to leave the bus through. Quite a few times I forgot to close them and the bus wouldn't move.

  • @josephharvey9812
    @josephharvey9812 3 года назад +2

    Great video love the content!
    Would be nice to see you drive a first bus or one that they used at least! They are the ones that have stuck around in my memory. Mostly because they still run a few of the old ones on rare occasions 😂.

  • @johnbarham7718
    @johnbarham7718 3 года назад

    What a wonderful film. As always.

  • @joeyjohnson926
    @joeyjohnson926 3 года назад

    My lovely share in that bus will miss it thanks for making me happy to see her running again such a lovely bus 10x was best bus I had the joy to see

  • @bradwakey90
    @bradwakey90 3 года назад

    Really enjoyed that, cheers!

  • @huwdavies6650
    @huwdavies6650 3 года назад +1

    You don't need anything as fancy as a fuel gauge.
    They just top it up when they get back to the depot.
    Now if the adblue gauge were to fail on a modern bus, they would have to fix it as the engine would be put into limp mode to keep emissions down as it thinks its run out.
    Great video guys.
    How about a Bristol VR or a Leyland National next?
    Buses I remember from my youth.
    Maybe Laurie could find a railway with a preserved Pacer to compare with the Leyland National that gave its body to build the prototype rail bus.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      Glad you enjoyed it! A pacer is very much on my list of things to do!
      We've got several more buses offered to us!

  • @DavidJohnston58
    @DavidJohnston58 3 года назад +2

    Wow a decker!
    Few years ago I was marshalling at an IAM event on a race circuit, knew the bus trainer in attendance and got a drive in an Ulsterbus Irzar coach round the circuit! Single decker though so Lawrie trumps me with a decker! 😭
    Made my day

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      Oh that's pretty awesome though!

  • @adamg6331
    @adamg6331 3 года назад

    Great video, you should definitely do another. I'm looking forward to bringing mine to some events in the not to distant future hopefully 🙂

  • @stephensmith4480
    @stephensmith4480 3 года назад +1

    Buses was one of the things I worked on when I started serving my apprenticeship in 1976. They used to suffer with Transmission problems because Drivers used to change gear too fast. The next Brake band would be locking up, before the previous one had released, Nightmare. My Mate worked in the Transmission shop, it was a much sought place to get sent to because there was always loads of overtime 🚌😂.

  • @PeteCswampy
    @PeteCswampy 2 года назад

    Well done on this vid, great presentation style, really enjoyed this. Loved these buses, 1984, school trip, missed the bus, next bus (late for school assembly) Leyland National.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  2 года назад

      Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

  • @Madonsteamrailways
    @Madonsteamrailways 3 года назад +2

    My late mother’s Austin Allegro was a great little car. And it was another vehicle from British Leyland!!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      I really want an Allegro.

    • @williamwoods8022
      @williamwoods8022 3 года назад

      I had a 1980 Austin Allegro 1750 TC Equipe and it was an excellent reliable car and always attracted attention when it was parked with people looking at it and in it and asking me questions about it when I came back to it. My brother then mother owned a 1978 Austin Allegro 1500 LE at the same time and that was also an excellent and very reliable car. I owned a 1978 Morris Marina 1.8 HL/TC previous to my Allegro and that was also an excellent and reliable car and quick for the day as well. Later on I owned a 1983 Mini 1.0 Mayfair that was also an excellent and reliable car. It was how the cars were looked after and maintained and we looked after and serviced our own cars and didn't use cheap parts on them either. I worked in a couple of different garages back then and BL cars were just as good as other cars if they were looked after properly - Yes you got Friday/Monday cars from BL just as you did with the other manufacturers back then especially Ford but people tend to slag off BL all the time and look at these other manufacturers with rose tinted spectacles - I also find that the people who slag off cars especially BL for being crap and unreliable are the people that didn't look after their cars or bought other peoples unlooked after piles of crap.

    • @Madonsteamrailways
      @Madonsteamrailways 3 года назад

      @@williamwoods8022 It’s nice to know that someone else had good times with an Allegro!! The problem was that my mother sold the poor little thing to her cleaning lady for her son. He did the little 1100 Super up so that he had a car to run around in the moment he passed his Driving Test!! When my grotty Marina - a VERY UNRELIABLE car - finally died, I could have done with the Allegro!! My old Marina was so horrendously under powered that it was nearly dangerous. But there again, it was a 1.3 rather than a 1.8!! The Allegro was a much better car in every way. Even considering that it only had the 1100 (1098cc) engine!!

    • @Madonsteamrailways
      @Madonsteamrailways 3 года назад

      @@lmm Sadly, the Allegro was solid to my mother’s cleaning lady, who gave it to her son. You should see the little car after his restoration to decent condition. Great little wagon to drive about the way he does now!!

    • @williamwoods8022
      @williamwoods8022 3 года назад

      @@Madonsteamrailways Correct re the Allegro being a far superior car to the Marina but people forget that it was designed to be that way with the Austins being the more advanced FWD etc cars and the Morris's being the simple RWD cars that the Company/Fleet market wanted easy and cheap to run and maintain and the Marina was a success in that market and sold far more than the Allegro did - BL's big mistake was not making the Allegro a hatchback as it would have sold lots more if it had been and as you are probably aware that was because they did not want the Allegro, and the Princess, to have a hatchback in case they took sales away from the Maxi. A laugh these days when most cars etc are hatchbacks but then again BL had too many of their own cars competing in the same segments against each other the result of all of those cars brands being shoved into one company where as all of the other car companies had only one car in each segment. Strange about your 1.3 A-Series engined Marina as they are usually very reliable engines as well. My Marina was in excellent condition when it was written off in an accident in 1986 when a van drove out without stopping at a junction - I would still have had that car today if that had not happened as I had already decided to keep that car for good and I have only ever seen one of these Mk2 HL's that have survived by the looks of it.

  • @medwaymodelrailway7129
    @medwaymodelrailway7129 3 года назад

    Great video enjoyed it very much .Take care

  • @craigbrown3870
    @craigbrown3870 3 года назад +5

    16:58 love this bit, a Disney reference to George of the jungle.
    (even my old man use to be a bus driver, once apon a time)

  • @MrDOUG575
    @MrDOUG575 3 года назад +2

    Thank you Lawrie and Matt for taking us along for the ride.

  • @nightw4tchman
    @nightw4tchman 3 года назад

    Accidentally drove one of those, long story, but your description of how to drive it was spot on.

  • @HM_007
    @HM_007 3 года назад +37

    You need to get a Routemaster bus on LMM Drives

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +4

      I agree!

    • @Delt1c9013
      @Delt1c9013 3 года назад +3

      The ultimate halfcab the RM, try it you will enjoy

    • @busboymk2
      @busboymk2 3 года назад +5

      Definitely a Routemaster ! I drove one from Bodmin to Bristol at 40mph all the way, took almost 6 hours... Enjoyed every second ! Great noise, hard work but well worth it.

    • @Defendertek92
      @Defendertek92 3 года назад

      You need to speak to Pete and his bus

    • @nedseagoon5101
      @nedseagoon5101 3 года назад +1

      Seen the price of an RM? 50-60k+ for an AEC engine one.

  • @OliversRailwayModelling
    @OliversRailwayModelling 3 года назад +3

    Another day another good video by Lawrie

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Thank you!

  • @kay110
    @kay110 3 года назад +1

    Ha! - I used to get the 64 Bus to Leeds years ago... What a coincidence!

  • @Meengineer100
    @Meengineer100 3 года назад +1

    Great video. I miss seeing the Olympians locally, they used to be a common sight. I remember they were so loud especially if you were standing towards the rear of one as it was pulling off. Interesting story behind this one in the video, hope you get to drive many more buses!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      We've got several lined up! Pleased to hear you enjoyed it!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      We've got several lined up! Pleased to hear you enjoyed it!

  • @yorkie_pudd
    @yorkie_pudd 3 года назад +1

    I remember these buses well with the Yorkshire Rider livery along with some serious bone shakers, I don't miss my head hitting the ceiling as the bus went over many potholes

  • @ICBMPIRATE2
    @ICBMPIRATE2 3 года назад +4

    Loved it, more please!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +2

      Pleased to hear it - that we can do

    • @ICBMPIRATE2
      @ICBMPIRATE2 3 года назад +1

      @@lmm would love to see some steam lorries/ vehicles any big classics, enjoyed the top gear esc team adventures too

  • @jtveg
    @jtveg 3 года назад

    Thanks for sharing. 😎👌🏼

  • @willzrichard6640
    @willzrichard6640 3 года назад

    Awesome video would love to see more bus content 😀

  • @jamieyoudan5620
    @jamieyoudan5620 3 года назад

    Thanks Lawrie it was brilliant and yes please more buses

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      You're welcome - we'll see what we can do!

  • @jix177
    @jix177 3 года назад +1

    A very good duo presenting today.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      Thank you very much

  • @SouthLincsMiniOwnersClub
    @SouthLincsMiniOwnersClub 3 года назад

    Yes please, more bus content, I just discovered you and subscribed 👍🏼

  • @markemarkpsv1
    @markemarkpsv1 3 года назад

    When you learn to drive (psv, now pcv) we had to go on a skid pan. This was scarry for some, but I did it several times and loved it.

  • @tommyhanlon8012
    @tommyhanlon8012 3 года назад

    Quite informative & entertaining Gentlemen thank you.

  • @BobM925
    @BobM925 3 года назад +1

    Nice. Ex bus driver here. Drove Leyland and Volvo Olympians as well as much newer stuff in my time. The old stuff was always better to drive I reckon. It's been a good few years since I've driven one, I must admit I'm, feeling a little nostalgic for the bus days. Get your hands on a Volvo B10 or a Leyland National if you can - awesome buses.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      Thank you! We'll see what we can arrange

  • @BunnetGuy
    @BunnetGuy 3 года назад

    Loved this, need more buses!

  • @BrettCook
    @BrettCook 3 года назад +1

    This bus looks like a Confidence bus livery. Our school used these back in the days.
    Confidence have a massive amount of heritage buses and the depot is round the corner from where I live.

    • @paulhowell5011
      @paulhowell5011 3 года назад

      But marked up as cambus formerly of Cambridgeshire with still some of the cambus blue paintwork

  • @paulwilson3083
    @paulwilson3083 3 года назад +2

    That model of Leyland bus was so successful due to that option of a Gardner diesel engine, I've known them do over a million and a half miles(not km's) without being touched apart for routine servicing of course, what did surprise me though was watching the oil being checked while the engine was running and oil warm, having run Gardner's for over 40 years I have never heard of that, but if it works why not. When Volvo took over there engines were being rebuilt after 300,000 if you were lucky and they used double the fuel of a Gardner but didn't get round any faster for it.

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад +1

      Is that so? That's an amazingly well built engine!

    • @paulwilson3083
      @paulwilson3083 3 года назад +3

      @@lmm Yes each individual engine was built by the same man and individually tested before dispatch it made them expensive to build and buy but in around 3 months the fuel cost savings paid for the premium price option, fisherman say any engine will take you out to sea, but a Gardner will always get you back again.

    • @chrisg6086
      @chrisg6086 3 года назад +1

      Having owned Gardner-engined lorries, I can wholeheartedly concur. Astonishingly good on fuel, but you do need to know how to get the best out of them when fully freighted. When you do, they can cover the ground surprisingly quickly and with no drama

    • @paulwilson3083
      @paulwilson3083 3 года назад +2

      @@chrisg6086 You summed that up a treat Chris, I bought Gardner’s after AECs which felt like racing cars compared with a Gardner but like you said you got them round the same.on nearly half the fuel, we’ve lost our way with modern diesels

    • @chrisg6086
      @chrisg6086 3 года назад +1

      @@paulwilson3083 thank you Paul, and I agree with you. Gardners just get on with it with no fuss, and they don't need a lung-full of ether to get them started either Conversely, anyone driving a 220 Cummins as though it were a Gardner, will end up with slow journeys and glazed bores

  • @theolderigetthewrongbitget4746
    @theolderigetthewrongbitget4746 3 года назад

    I drove Olympians for London&Country out of Leatherhead garage in the mid 80s, always found it a lovely bus to drive.

  • @stuff9009
    @stuff9009 3 года назад +1

    Never seen a Layland bus before and their COOL!!!

  • @rylansrylan
    @rylansrylan 3 года назад +24

    Yesterday I accidentally found this channel and now I’m instantly attached

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      Excellent!

  • @steady_94
    @steady_94 3 года назад +1

    New sub 😁 grew up with these beasts in Leeds and I'm good friends with the folks at the EBE.

  • @locohauledforum
    @locohauledforum 3 года назад

    Loved my time driving Leyland Olympians, I even worked for Cambus for a while and we had three of the UWW-X batch. We also had 3 with floor to ceiling carpets and coach seats! (a bit like what you were suggesting). I got out of the business once the company I was working for sold their last one, it didn't seem worth driving buses anymore.
    As a slight note. Although they look like a Leyland Titan, they are actually based on the old Bristol VR, which is probably why they are such a good bus.

  • @JintySteam1
    @JintySteam1 3 года назад +17

    My name is Matthew so when you said "Hello Matt, want to come for a ride" It felt very strange...

    • @andrewnorris5415
      @andrewnorris5415 3 года назад

      youtube AI may one day get like emails. Say " hash name" and it impersonates Lawrie saying your name. You heard it here first!

    • @Matt-di6nb
      @Matt-di6nb 3 года назад

      When I was a kid I always wanted say for example a cup with my name on it but there wasn't many left and I couldn't understand why there was none with my name on. Well the amount of people I have seen with the same name as main the last month is making sense now why I couldnt get one with my name on

  • @germantanker131johnny2
    @germantanker131johnny2 3 года назад +2

    I wasn't expecting this when I woke up from my nap!

    • @lmm
      @lmm  3 года назад

      Little different!