Driving a 1956 Daimler Double Decker! Manual steering, pre-selector gearbox!
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- Опубликовано: 12 авг 2023
- This delightful Daimler CVG6 with Northern Counties double-deck, centre door bodywork is a unique survivor, so let's take it for a drive!
It began life with the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport and Electric board, serving until 1972. It has a Gardner 6LW diesel engine, Daimler's own fluid flywheel and Wilson pre-select 4-speed gearbox and is beautifully preserved. Owner David Jones takes us through the history of VTU 76 before I enjoy a drive.
The bus can sometimes be seen and even ridden at Hooton Park Hangers, Cheshire when they hold an open day. A fascinating place to visit! Find them online or on Facebook. 
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I love watching enthusiasts talking about their enthusiasms! The gentleman who owns this bus is to be congratulated for his dedication to preserving such a unique vehicle, and many thanks to him. Terrific video!
Thank you very much!
The bus had been running with the lare-'50s-style front blinds that had been fitted after it crashed into a shop: it's now sporting its original, cramped front-blind layout.
Nicely driven
Marvelous that the guy has preserved such a rare example .
However people like him to this day can't stop themselves knocking British industry and mainly the workers.
A pity he has his head in the sand & probably still votes for those that continue to destroy British industry.
At the time he speaks of British Leyland was exporting buses.
Amsterdam and Den Haag or the Hague were full of Leyland buses.
Plus most of the bicycles were Triumph .
So a big thanks to him . ( Sarcasm)..
I love this guy's enthusiasm and knowledge without being an insufferable anorak. He's clearly very passionate about the design of this awesome old thing but you don't get the impression he's cocky about how much information he has at his disposal.
It's awesome that he's kept this bus looking so good too, legend! Great video as always :)
Marvelous that the guy has preserved such a rare example .
However people like him to this day can't stop themselves knocking British industry and mainly the workers.
A pity he has his head in the sand & probably still votes for those that continue to destroy British industry.
At the time he speaks of British Leyland was exporting buses.
Amsterdam and Den Haag or the Hague were full of Leyland buses.
Plus most of the bicycles were Triumph .
So a big thanks to him . ( Sarcasm)..
For me I just love the sound that it makes, it's just lovely.
I used to (always try to) sit behind the Driver and pretend to drive the bus when I was a youngster, many, many moons ago; the delight in the sounds of this green bus brought it all back! How absolutely delightful it was too! Thanks for saving these lovely old vehicles, and thanks for sharing! Cheers!
It's a lovely bus, so roomy and well laid out. One of our main entertainments in my mis-spent youth was to run after the (Leyland) rear entry buses in Liverpool and hang on to the pole as the bus accelerated, until the conductor (remember them?) came back and chased us off, we would jump at the last second with a loud slap of our feet on the tarmac. Great video, took me back to the 60's so it did..
I’m a bus driver who lives and works in Stalybridge!
Was most pleased to see a local bus.
Love the sound of theCVG 6. Takes me back well over 40years when I was driving them on service in Derby. I could still feel the shuddering and smell of being in the cab , but much less work than driving a Regent with manual box. I’ve driven many many different types of service busses and coaches during my career but being able to say that I worked as a driver and conductor on ‘backenders’ is something that is worth reminiscing about. Superb vehicle!
Been there, done that! Remember Leyland 72 seat 'backender', crash box, manual steering, no indicators-- hand signals only. They were beasts. No lady bus drivers in our depot!
I beg to differ, a Leyland PD2-3 Titan is a pussy cat ,as in your extensive career driving proper buses with proper engines did you get your hands on a Bristol KSW5-6G?. A 1950,s Bristol K Double Decker is the most evil motor bus to drive , a Bristol crash box will BITE !!! you if mishandled.
From the good old days when municipalities owned all the utilities, gas, water, electricity and transport, rather them being owned by a French multinational or the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank 🙄
Indeed. When the first thought was the service in question, not profits for shareholders.
Electric trams replacing horse trams was the impetus in many areas to build coal fired power stations, often because there being no national grid in late Victorian times, they didn't have much choice. The power stations could then offer a domestic electricity supply, and it was entirely sensible that smaller municipalities in an area would join together and spread the costs and benefits of decent public transport along with electric power for local homes and businesses.
I couldn’t agree more.
Correct. Also a time when town council officials had a duty of service, not an opportunity to scam expenses & cream off a lucrative pension.
@@HubNutvery nice love it 👍👍
As good as I expected.
Imagine driving a pre war Titan or Regent with sliding mesh gearbox, and of course no power steering.
As you say, these guys earned their crust.
You really have a great job.
Lawrie from LMM has just tested a Leyland Titan on his channel.
@@bentullett6068 saw that but not watched yet
That’s an ex Portsmouth PD2/12 that I know well.
@@bentullett6068 think that would be the post WW2 one/s
@@highpath4776 it is that bus.
Wearing the obligatory Safety Sandals that only the best drivers at the time would have worn 👞 as always both insightful and great content. The thing that shows up from modern buses is how much easier bus drivers have it now!
In terms of driving, yes but I still think it's an absolute disgrace that they have to manage the passengers and fares now.
@@mediocrefunkybeat I live in London so yes I would hate to drive a night bus no amount of money worth it! Although I have seen some jobs worths on a power trip!
Easier? Dealing with passengers who refuse to pay, passengers who start fights, passengers who try to bring bicycles into the streetcar, is easier? Not to me it wasn't.
Excellent to see some more bus content. Few realise just how much is going on in the cab; and to think these were being operated - towards the end - contemporaneously with Leyland Nationals; what a difference in driving experiences!
That's what i love about HubNut- Filming anything with a wheels and an engine.
Great to see and hear that piece of history alive 🤘
Semi and preselect boxes are OK. The "clutch" pedal is actually called an operating pedal. Now try an old Leyland PD2 or a Bristol FLF with a full crash box and no power steering. I`ve been retired for some years now, but started my 40 years as a PSV driver on half cab buses. Hard work, but I loved it. At my retirement time, the modern buses, like Volvo B7`s were easier than a car too drive, power everything and auto boxes. Great video by the way.
Utterly fascinating. I'm actually a coach and motor builder by trade. Worked for Austral Denning back in the day (who were owned by Jaguar Rover Australia). Cheers
Picture in picture worked very well.
Excellent stuff. Will share this. At the end of September I was back in the UK for the Quorn Bus Extravaganza hosted by the Great Central Railway. The dedication and generosity of the various vehicle owners was humbling. Free bus rides from Quorn to Loughborough and surrounding areas. All the drivers and organisers are volunteers.
What a fantastic video. A passionate owner, and really interesting 'ahem' quirks and features. Thankyou Mr Hubnut!
I grew up in Queens County, in New York. The GM NYC buses had a belt-driven supercharged two-stroke diesel V8, 3-speed automatic transmission and hydraulic-power-assisted steering! Those drivers certainly had it easier. And a good thing, because traffic congestion started early in the morning and lasted until well after dinner time.
The model “8-71” supercharger lived on as the big belt-driven “blower” perched on the top of nitromethane powered dragsters. When the supply of secondhand units dried up aftermarket companies made their own with modifications suited to the dragsters (lower friction seals, better lubrication) but still compatible with the major original parts
Extra Trivia: the 8-71 was sized for V-8s, the ¾ size 6-71 was for straight six diesel engines, and the half-sized 4-71 went on four cylinder diesels such as for pumping water for irrigation. Unsurprisingly the 6-71 and 4-71 were never used in drag racing.
Cheers!
I was so lucky to drive the last of the Gardners at the very start of my career. I didn't know it then, but they would be the best machines that I would get to drive. Yesterday I was driving a Mercedes Tourismo that is less than a month old, but even that still doesn't thrill like the throaty rumble that you get from a Gardner clawing up a steep hill. The V8 Setras came a close second, and would pull like a train, but if you weren't in a hurry, I'd pick a Gardner every time.
Hats off to the bus collectors,
much more maintenance and storage issues than a classic car.
Top review Ian, don't change a thing.
I am so jealous!! Something I've wanted to do since I was about 4 years old. I well remember these Daimlers in Birmingham, and a few of the earlier exposed radiator buses as well. There were also quite a few CVD6s, the same chassis with Daimler's own smooth running CD6 engine. The problem was the CD6 had rather high oil consumption. I remember many happy hours standing at the 29A terminus with my Ian Allen fleet book, watching the drivers putting their key in the Bundy clock to record their departure. A lot of the older drivers used to limp - now I know why.
Ooh - Gardner and pre-selector.....a great combination!
Well that got my attention; it was 1999 when I last patrolled that area in a Volvo T5 traffic patrol car. I've lived in western Canada since 2002 and haven't been to the Hooton area for longer than that. Seeing you toddle along the A41 there was a surprise! Those buses were very similar to those in which I went to school on The Wirral in the 70s and 80s - I think they were Bristols - and just the sight of a green double-decker is enough to bring back lots of memories.
Well....this was all new for me.I did not know Daimler made buses.I love the fluted radiator. Class!
Bravo!
Wow sounds awesome I love the engine sounds. Great job Ian on driving. Thank you from Fresno California.
These days you couldn't do 8hrs in that cab without ear defenders lol
Love how agricultural those old diesels sounded. Thats a bulletproof engine note.
What a brilliant video Ian. I can still vaguely remember the old Daimler busses as a small child growing up in the midlands but most were open back designs. I remember my old dad explaining how the pre-selector gears worked. Many thanks for sharing, it's brought back some very old memories of a time when things were much simpler when people used coins to buy a ticket from the conductor who would press a button and wind a crank in the ticket machine on there belt to give you the ticket with the 'Fair Stage' information. Brilliant!
Have to say Ian, you handled that very well. It would have taken myself ages to get used to get used to operating that. But, what a lovely old vehicle. Real character.
Gday from Perth Australia
What an absolutely lovely introduction to this vehicle, not to mention the wonderful sounds that followed!
Lovely bus, as you mentioned the cowling (Tin Front) that covers the radiator was designed for the Birmingham Standards that started to be delivered to the Second City in the early 50s. Both Daimler and Guy supplied chassis fitted with the Gardner 6LW engine and preselect gearboxes. The Guy gear selector was a floor mounted stick looking a bit like a manual box but I think it was shorter. I have driven The Black Country Living Museum's Daimler CVG6 on many occasions and that too is Gardner powered with preselect gearbox but the selector is a quadrant fitted to the right hand side of the steering column. If you ever get the chance have a bash in a Midland Red D9.
Number 70 is preserved at the transport museum in Manchester. I have happy memories of my father driving one of this fleet from St Michael’s Square in Ashton under Lyne. Stored over night at the Ponderosa.
70 being a unique Atkinson double decker I think?
What a magnificent beast. And the bus was great too!😂. Bus drivers of the day must've had biceps like a carthorse. I do love the variety of this channel. Bicycles to buses and everything in between. Only thing I haven seen yet is a horse and cart. Or have I accidentally stumbled on a secret project for a "coming soon" video? Hahaha.
( See my comment above, I drove these in Glasgow in 73/74 ). Well, no I didn't have arms like hams, or carthorses. I was just out of university, and needed to pay rent. Just to prove it, living in Somerset a few years previously, when the building of the M5 had almost reached Bridgwater, one summer vacation I showed up at the site office looking for labourng work. The man in charge looked up and down at this skinny 17 year old, and said, quite kindly actually..,. "Sorry, son..., you're not really built for it.".
The sound of the engine is 🔥🔥
Stan Bishop owned this bus in the early 1970s when I owned an SHMD CVD6 built in 1952 from the last batch with traditional exposed radiator. Glad to see the bus is still operational.
I'll get you, Butler! 😁👍
More usually 'I 'ate you Butler', but well remembered
I’ve always wondered what the steering was like on these buses. It’s exactly as I expected!
In terms of steering weight, that one is clearly from the way it handled actually very light, being super low geared. I used to regularly drive a 1920 built double decker chassis that had to be moving at 3-4 mph before you could turn the steering wheel at all. Others who drove it got themselves in a pickle by stopping where they could not move again without jacking the front axle up to release the pressure and point the wheels where needed. One regular tight turn with low speed essential had to be best negotiated by hitting a bump to unsettle the tyre grip enough to start the wheel turning. Initially gave me Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow at the same time. But then it did start life with narrow solid tyres and a single deck body, then in 1928 get wide grippy pneumatics and a much heavier double deck body with no steering mods or assistance. Petrol engine, crash double de-clutch box with clutch stop. Rear brakes only. An acquired taste! CMon, Hubnut, seek one out to try, you know you want to!
Beautifully driven 👍 Great to hear the 6LW soundtrack 😊
I love the sweet accent of the old gentleman! Beautiful bus. The shape reminds me a tad of the Lodekka.
I drove one of these for 8 years. great to drive. On cold mornings you could warm your hands on the engine on your left side. And the pre-señect gearbox was a dream. No clutch just a gear pedal. Just look at my avatar to see what I used to drive in Rotherham....
Beautiful, my Grandfather owned Santus Motor Bodywork making bus bodies and sold the business on retirement to Northern Counties based in Wigan
I drove Roberts (?) bodied versions of these for W.Gash & Sons of Newark way back in the early '70s. They were 'million mile' antiques even then & kept in beautiful running condition.
Used on the hourly 'Main Road' service between Newark & Nottm. along the old A46, then a single carriageway Roman road with tarmac on top, & the A52. A busy service, it was often packed & standing room only during rush hour, stopping at farm gates & village lane ends as necessary - getting back out into the almost constant stream of traffic could be fun - anyone letting you out, knew they'd then be stuck behind 70+ people jammed in a steamed-up box of windows as it painfully 'rock & rolled' it's way back up to a blistering 38 mph. - only to then see it pulling in again . . . they must have loved us.
Gardners have their own music too, a soporific symphony of calm 'grunt', easing the nerves! : )
What a fantastic experience, love the variety on the channel and you make driving it so easy.
Looking forward to the next bus experiance already.
What a glorious vehicle. Many thanks to the owner for letting us share the joy!❤
Absaloutly brilliant video Ian miss hubnut ❤👍what a beautiful old bus a pity there not like that any more brilliant
The look of shear terror and excitement at the same time😊😊😊😊
Lovely seeing old bits of kit out and about! and given a secong go!. Nice one!. Nuff said!. 🙂
What a magnificent and stunning bus. Great footage. I like the split screen while you’re driving and the great sound of the engine. Well driven!
Aside of the sound of the engine, the biggest nostalgia spike I got was from all the hand-painted lettering, the black outlined gold letters on the green background. It bring back memories of bus rides to the next town for shopping, or going to see my Grandparents with Mum because Dad was at work and had the car.... the noise of the ticket machine as the conductor set the wheels on the top and cranked the handle.... the ivory coloured button surround with the red button and "Push Once" written on it.
I think I might have to go and lie down!
The sound alone brought back so many memories❤️
I remember as a kid, going to a deaf/hearing impaired school down in Brighton,it was called Ovingdean hall
just outside of Brighton &
get the bus ( same front grill
type in the early 70's) so yes
it brings back memories 🙄
My Uncle Jim used to drive for them, probably drove that very bus.
Fascinating. Takes me back to the time when tasking a double decker meant racing upstairs so we could sit at the front. More Bus tests please.
Ian, that was a superb bit of driving, you mastered it perfectly!
I save these videos for when I can really take time to enjoy them, so 2 pints and a few Hubnuts (and Hubnotes) later, I'm happy 😊 Thanks!
What a nice guy, what a cool bus!
Well I thoroughly enjoyed that Ian and many thanks to David for allowing you to drive this unique survivor !
Local bus company had these when I went to school in the 1960s. They got through the snow in the winter of 63 easily so we had to go to school!
She's a real BEAUTY! This is the best video I've seen of yours, excellent camera 📷 work 😅
Love the way you used the camera different angles at the same time
Thank you for this video, and yes a days work driving these buses, great video thank you 👍🇬🇧
Love the quality of the engine audio. Great video.
I know hardly anything in depth about buses & trains, but I recall seeing these very old double decker buses in my childhood in Dublin in the 1970’s & 1980’s - we lived out in the country areas, so going into Dublin Busaras on the tiny little buses from Cavan to Dublin that CIE had at the time was a huge deal for us growing up - my aunt lived in Cork St near Dublin’s Liberties at the time, so she would meet us at Dublin Busaras in her old banger of a secondhand car and drive us to Cork St, along the Liffey Quays, past O’ Connell Bridge - in later years, Dad would drive us as far as Clonsilla and we got the 39 bus via Blanchardstown and Castleknock into Dublin and we would get the bus back from Busaras, usually with a box of baby chicks in the front of the bus, chirping all the way to Navan
What a lovely sounding engine. Corr.
This film clip was filmed not far from where I live!! Well done Mr Hubnut, You handled number 76 very well!!
This was lovely. Thanks guys. Looks like fun was had.
What a great video, you handled that bus very well 👍
Great sounding engine.
Driving bus seemed to be lot harder work before than today, but at least you just drove and you didn't have to handle difficult passengers...😅
To think that drivers wore uniforms back in the day, can't have made the job any easier. A bit like going to the gym in a greatcoat. I imagine that even in the coldest winters the driver would warm up quicker than the conductor. Fantastic video, lovely engine sound and road test. Hats off to David the owner for saving her and allowing you to have the experience of driving her.
That was great thank you Ian and David. I am not sure I would want to be driving that in congested areas for 8 hours. Full credit to those that did.
Thanks Ian. From that drive, you can begin to understand what bus drivers used to say about 'wearing' a bus. It's a very physical experience. Truck drivers used to work just as hard, and had to endure the same cab conditions. Some Atkinson lorries had a similar Gardner engine in them, and you never forget the soundtrack. The Gardner engine noise in the cab was very similar to the racket in that decker. Absolutely unforgettable. In this day and age, ear defenders would be mandatory, if you wanted to preserve your hearing. That preselector gearbox is a definite improvement on the earlier crash gearboxes. Crash gearboxes are nothing to be afraid of if you understand rev matching, but the preselector definitely simplifies things. As you demonstrated, you still have to give things time to work!.
I remember early 70's rear engine centre door body busses. they had a front door for getting on and the centre door for getting off. They didn't last long. They ended up being used with the centre door clamped shut.
We never really had them in Birmingham. Popular elsewhere.
Many London buses are like that now. I think they are Wright Volvos.
The Mancunian Bus, first on the road in 1968, was the first double decker bus with two sets of doors, the brainchild of Manchester Corporation/City Transport boss Ralph Bennett. Until 1966, when an Act of Parliament was passed, the only one man buses allowed were single deckers. The Mancunian had a front entrance and middle exit door set up, power assisted steering and semi automatic gearbox, one or two of the early models were fully automatic. The ones in Manchester (later Selnec) were either Leyland Atlanteans or Daimler Fleetlines. By around late 1969, these buses tended to be used on the busier routes (because of the two sets of doors) and the newer ones came on the road, with just one set of doors at the front. Most buses in London have double sets of doors, because of heavier passenger usage Then there are White Elephant Boris buses, with 3 sets of doors, the back set have been recently chained off, as many passengers were dodging paying fares by getting on and off the bus using them. Saddiq Khan cancelled further orders of the bus, which were over 50% dearer than a comparable bus with one or two sets of doors.
@@paultaylor7082 They would have been Leyland busses in Liverpool. I guess they got remodelled to one door and put back in use.
@@HubNutWMPTE refused to take any more dual door buses after the Birmingham Corporation ones were delivered after a lady died getting trapped in the centre door when boarding through it instead of the front door and the driver didn't see her. The only exception were Leyland Nationals in 1976 for the NEC special services when it opened.
My dad use to drive for crosville after he came he left the army when the war ended my mother would travel some times in his bus when they were courting
I started driving buses for the Scottish bus group back in the early 80,s. Mostly Daimler fleetlines and Leyland fleetlines. Also had Volvo Ailsas along with y and t type seddons.. loved these old buses
Only live a mile away from Hooton, so went there for their annual open day today, Sunday, enjoying free rides on several of the collection. Absolutely fantastic sights sounds and smells, and a most enjoyable diversion from the classic car show scene. The new model boating lake is a new addition, and most interesting too. You did really well hauling that heavy beauty from the station and back again. Most enjoyable and different vid. If I'd known you were up here, I'd have invited you both here for a brew. I'd have absolutely LOVED seeing that parked outside my house! 🥰
Long nosed ones were the best buses, in my opinion..lov em!
Magnificent bus, lovely Diesel sound.
Was a real pleasant surprise to chance upon this video. My Dad was a driver for SHMD and regularly drove this bus along with the other 5 in the fleet. They used this bus on the No11 route which ran from Copley Estate (or Grey Street alternatively) to Ashton under Lyne then onto Hyde via Newton. My dad was a regular on this route, he was a single parent, and being as the bus stop was directly outside our front door (they moved it further down the street around 1966) he could, sort of, keep his eye on me. Me and my friends travelled on this bus regularly as we went to Ashton on a Saturday, being as we were usually the first on the bus, the back seat upstairs was our domain. My dad had to stop driving due to ill health and went as a conductor for a while before leaving SHMD. as a footnote, my grandfather worked for SHMD, he died in the 1930's which was probably due to being gassed in the first world war. My uncle also drove for SHMD before relocation to Bristol in the 1960's. I wish my dad was still around to see this but, unfortunately, he passed away in 1967.
Now I have to do my anorak turn and point out that the 11 only went as far as the Cheshire Cheese at Newton (well actually it turned at Newton Mill). When we visited my grandparents we would stand in the dark at the Cheshire Cheese and wait for the lights to flicker through the trees, showing that the driver had started up and was about to swing back onto Ashton Road to pick us up. Happy days!
You lucky wotsit! I drove buses for 20 years and never got behind the wheel of anything like this!
Great video, more please?👍😎😎
Salford City Transport had similar but with rear platform access. In the early 60s I can remember my dad driving one . He was always having to have his left shoe resoled due to the clutching.
What a great video your videos about buses are quite special, can't wait to see some more buses.
Great video - love to see how many similarities yet differences there are to our PD3 Leyland. Great stuff! 👍🏻
Really enjoyed watching this. Thanks!
You’re channel just keeps on giving.
Loved this video. I felt exhausted just watching it. Just goes to show how much attention to the road you have to Pay in order to keep moving in a seamless, efficient kind of way. Absolutely loved the Gardner engine sound. Brilliant camera work. Excellent!! 🙂
That was so enjoyable to watch. Thanks very much
That pre select is fascinating well done on such a smooth drive that looked very complicated.
ooo that's lovely. I love old half cab busses, and although Routemasters are great it's always special to see a different model.
Lovely video, Ian. Thank you.
Lovely old bus. The sound of the engine takes me back to when I was young. Thanks Ian
Fantastic video. What an experience
What a amazing sound
Lovely sounds
Great video Ian. Brings back memories of bus rides with my grandma on Lancashire United.
You made it look easy ian i would have been clenched especially with those bridges. Spot on video
I was told that the bridges would be ok. The trees near the station were another matter!
Oh gawd Hubnut this has made my day
Ah Ian, incredible!! Loved it to bits! Seeing you going up a hill in Elli is amusing, but having to work like this is massively impressive. Thanks for doing and sharing this!!!
What a great video! Love the PIP (picture in picture) editing technique. It helps show how much is going on at one time! Well done guys.
Another most excellent and informative video. I knew absolutely nothing about this model. Thank you
Wow a workout! Well done Ian a truly great and insightful video…
It may be sacrileige to say this, but the centre entrance creates a layout which would be great for a camper conversion - kitchen at the front, living room at the back. But it's good that such a rare bus has been kept in proper passenger carrying condition. It looks like it could work a route today.
I just noticed you're driving on the WIRRAL , what a fantastic bus , love the pre selector box , brilliant video , I was breathing down you're neck all the time watching everything you do ...lol