Its a gas

There’s a new bus in town, for a few days at least as Plymouth Citybus has this very smart Scania with Alexander Enviro 400 City bodywork DD18GAS

Thanks to BG for the photos.

We end with this nice dramatic shot from Jake Street

The Londoner which didnt stay

With more ex Go-Ahead London buses due to arrive at Plymouth Citybus it seems a good time to have another look at one former GA London bus which didnt stay…

MAL112 BL57OXP August 2010

They were sadly not suitable for Plymouth but eventually this one along with others ended up with Go North East

©Ian Roberts May 2012 [Creative commons]

Social Media Highlights – selected posts from the last few days

#PCB33 Diversion Monday5th/Tuesday6th 0930-1530 buses will operate from town via Wolseley Rd-Henderson Pl- Royal Navy Ave-Moor View- Station Rd- Warliegh Ave-St Levan Rd-Saltash Rd-Admiralty St-Royal Navy Ave-Henderson Pl-Wolseley Rd to town. (see map for details) pic.twitter.com/ZPZpEYCy0H

— Plymouth Citybus (@plymouthbus) August 4, 2019

SERVICE 24 DIVERSION - From 05/08/19 - 16/08/19, we will be unable to serve Charlestown on Service 24 due to roadworks at Holmbush Arch Road. Please wait on the main A390 at Holmbush and near the ARC car wash. Service 25 is unaffected by this closure. (AK)

— Cornwall by Kernow (@by_Kernow) August 4, 2019

Its Electric

A couple of quick phone pics of the most recent arrival at Milehouse!

 

The Enviro200EV brings together the proven battery and electric technology of BYD and the outstanding design and build expertise of Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL). BYD is already the world’s leading manufacturer of all-electric buses having produced more than 10,000. ADL is the UK market leader and one of the world’s fastest growing specialists in designing and building buses that meet the demands of modern operators.

The Enviro200EV pure electric bus may be the shape of the future, but it’s grounded solidly in meeting the needs of today’s operators.

The battery technology at the heart of the Enviro200EV is already well established through millions of miles of passenger-carrying service around the globe and is already delivering significantly lower cost of operation. Add the proven design and build track record of ADL into the mix and you have a world-class bus that’s ready to go into service now.

The infrastructure required to maintain the vehicle, such as charging points, can be supplied by BYD and is easily deployable and more than flexible enough to comply with relevant building and planning regulations.

The new age of urban transport is here.

More… (pdf)

Leyland Worldmaster in Plymouth?

A Saturday post just to ask a question which has been posed by Mark Bailey who writes:

A friend of mine has come across two brief reports in Commercial Motor in January 1958 stating that Glasgow Corporation Transport Committee had agreed to lend a one-man-operated single-decker to Plymouth Corporation for a month.  The inference is that Plymouth wanted to test a single-decker with the Leyland O.680 engine, and the only vehicle available at the time to that specification would have been a newly-delivered Glasgow Leyland Worldmaster. 

I know it was almost sixty years ago, but can anyone confirm, or know of photographic evidence, that this loan ever took place?   The vehicle would have stood out not only by being single-deck in an all double-deck fleet, but also through Glasgow's distinctive green orange and white livery.

It is suggested that this loan never actually happened, but it would be interesting to see if anyone has further information on the matter.

I for one have never heard of this and I am fairly sure it never happened, but has anyone else got anything to add?

 

The Leyland Worldmaster (Wikipedia)

Succeeding the Leyland Royal Tiger underfoor-engined heavyweight single-decker bus or single-decker coach chassis which sold more than 6,000 from 1950 to 1956 was a difficult call, but Leyland answered it with the Royal Tiger Worldmaster, it retained a substantial steel ladder-frame chassis dropped in the wheelbase and overhangs and arched over the axles to which operators could fit a body of their choice. A Leyland O680H horizontal engine (the smaller-volume 0.600H was optional but rarely chosen) was mounted at the middle of the chassis frame, driving back through a pneumocyclic semi-automatic gearbox to an overhead-worm rear axle, steering was via a worm and nut mechanism.

Sales ran from 1954 to 1979 by which time more than 20,000 had been built making it Leyland's most successful bus. In comparison, by 1985 approximately 17,000 Leyland Atlanteans had been built, Leyland Leopard sales terminated in 1983 after deliveries totalled over 12,000.

In global terms only the Ikarus 260 and 280, Bedford SB (45,000 over thirty-eight years) ‘Old Look’ and "fishbowl" GMC single-deckers(around 40,000 each), and the Mercedes-Benz O303 (38,018 over 18 years) beat the Worldmaster for overall sales. The Worldmaster was an unequivocal success for Leyland and an aptly named model.

Very few Worldmasters were sold in the United Kingdom. Glasgow Corporation took 30 RT3/1 from 1956 with Weymannbody frames finished by the corporation's skilled tram-builders over the next two years. Halifax Corporation took ten with complete Weymann bodies in the same year.

Other than these two batches, the only home-market orders for Worldmasters were for the RT3/2 coach version, which attracted a small band of devoted followers comprising Gliderways of Smethwick, Smith’s Tours of Wigan and Ellen Smith Coaches of Rochdale. Gliderways used Harrington coach bodies whilst the Lancashire operators had Plaxtonbody theirs. Between these three fewer than ten coaches were sold, at the time the Leyland Tiger Cub and AEC Reliance dominated the underfloor-engined single-deck coach market. The arrival of the L1/2 Leyland Leopard in 1959 followed by the PSU3 version in 1961 confined UK-registered Worldmasters to a trickle of undelivered export chassis, one of which (an ERT2/2) went to Happiways of Manchester in 1963, bodied by Duple (Northern) in the former H. V. Burlingham factory. Like Smith of Wigan, Happiways became part of today's Shearings coach operation.

The RT3/2 was withdrawn from home market sale in 1961 and the RT3/1 in 1964

The City in the City

A new bus is in town which I am sure is going to generate a lot of excitement once it hits the road. It will be used on the 21 Red Flash service.

Meet the Enviro400 City, the stunning new variant of Britain’s best-selling double deck bus, the Enviro400. It is a vehicle that brings together elegance, practicality and a contemporary new look with a raft of sophisticated yet pragmatic design solutions, all of which give real street presence, while retaining the passenger comfort and dependability that are the core features of the marketleading Enviro400 range.

This is another vehicle from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) that raises the bar for the industry, creating a real desire for ridership amongst passengers. It is lighter, more fuel efficient, more reliable and more competitively-priced than any double deck in its class, yet still capable of carrying up to 100 passengers. Available in lengths from 10.5m – 11.5m, the Enviro400 City is powered by a robust 6.7 litre Euro6 Cummins engine that operators regard as reliable and capable of optimising performance week-after-week, year-after-year. Proven technology, class-leading performance, reliability, durability and serviceability, a stylish, contemporary new bus that exceeds all expectations. ADL 400City

Thanks to Jason Beverley for kindly supplying the excellent photos. Let us know what you think, especially your thoughts if and when you get the chance to have a ride

Target Strata

I must admit I am struggling at the moment to concentrate much on PT after events of the last few days so I am grateful for the supply of quality photos which get sent in as it gives me something to post ‘quickly’

 

Thanks to Richard Smith for these shots of the demonstrator that Target Travel have been using over the last week on a few of their routes.

DF66AEC is a Mercedes Sprinter 613 with Mellor “Strata” bodywork more details of which can be found here

Streetdeck Demo in service

Thanks to Richard Smith I can bring you a few pictures of the latest demo for Plymouth Citybus SN64CTU which is currently in service. Mostly appears to have been used on the 21 and 50 services so far.

Streetdeck Demo for Citybus

Plymouth Citybus have a new toy for a short while and are likely to use it on the 21 service at least. This Wright Streetdeck SN64CTU has been with Go Ahead South Coast for a while now.

© Eastleighbusman (cc)

Its a shame that its not got the more funky front end that most Streetdecks now have but its still good to see something a little different out and about. Go Ahead Group seem to like the Streetdecks where they now seem to be the choice of both Brighton and Oxford and Go Northern at least.

Five Times 200

Another Five Photo Feature for Friday

© Richard Smith: Target Travel YX09FLR 8 April 2015

© Richard Smith: Target Travel YX09FLV 8 April 2015

© Nick Rice:20 January 2007

© Graham Richardson: 11 March 2011

© Graham Richardson: 28 August 2012

Versa

Looking very smart:

©Richard Smith

It has now entered service with Citybus and has been used on the 43 so far, expected to be used on the 45 today

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PT RECOMMENDS

• Yellow Buses may as well buy Streetlites, ’cos they’ve got just about every other type of contemporary bus known to man. Imagine the size of that parts bin. The fleet profile’s certainly diverse: Dorset Bus Blog
• Folkingham is located on the northern edge of the district of South Kesteven with a large market square perhaps out of proportion to the size of the village and its population of seven hundred. Public Transport Experience
• Meanwhile, might we see other big such as Manchester and Yorkshire get the SimpliCITY treatment? Omnibuses
• Rumours abound, but First's registrations from early August will presage the company's exit from the town, or nearly so. Public Transport Experience
• Whilst on a recent visit to Ilfracombe, back out enjoying the delights the South West has to offer, it came as quite a shock to find that the old Bus Station in the town is no longer used for its original purpose, and is instead now infested with cars! PTOTPA

Versa

Just seen on Facebook that Go Ahead Group Optare Versa Demonstrator is due in Plymouth for its next tour of duty. Not sure if its physically here yet but apparently its due to stay for a couple of months before going on to another GA group company.

Its very handy that its in all over red livery as it will fit in with the rest of the fleet quite easily with just a standard Citybus fleet name. Maybe it will even get the swoop added?

YJ62FBB by Sean Blair (Creative Commons)

EuroBus Expo: Versa

Another shot from EuroBus Expo2012.
There is a chance that this one may appear in Plymouth at some stage as its a Go Ahead Group demonstrator and after a while at Go Northern it is apparently going be passed around other Go Ahead Group companies. There is no guarantee that includes Plymouth Citybus, but you never know!
It certainly would not look out of place in this red livery.

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Bloggers

• The dilemma? Should fbb send a cheque for £4 to Uncle Brian as he might be a bit short in the run-up to Christmas, having bought lots of First Bus companies? Public Transport Experience
• And that’s the part that worries me, for there remains a downside to social media. It may not be trendy to say so but, suddenly, a private complaint is anything but. Everyone gets to hear about it and they all chip in. “Yeah, me too”. “And me”. It’s mob rule out there, it’s irrational, it’s without governance and it’s without standards. Omnibuses

In the beginning...

©Bryan Smith
”Parked in Bretonside bus station, Plymouth on 4 September 1989 was Duple bodied Dennis Dart G541 JBV. Owned by Duple Coachbuilders, it was on hire to Plymouth CityBus. To its left are CityBus East Lancs Atlanteans TTT 164X (nearest to it) and VJY 139V.”

Citybus have had a long tradition of borrowing demonstrators of just about every flavour of new bus that’s going, and then ordering ‘same again please’ but every now and again something special comes along and succeeds. When G541JBV was photographed I dont suppose for one minute anyone had any idea of just how successful the Dennis Dart was going to be and just what an impact it was going to have on the streets of Plymouth (and just about everywhere else!) 

 

Thanks to Bryan for the photo more on his Flickr pages here

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Recommended Links

• Now, its certainly not everyday that you hear of First Devon and Cornwall, and Plymouth Citybus working in partnership! PTOTPA
• little things go wrong (a minor engine fire on a boat, and a busted floggle-toggle in a train) and our disintegrated system can so easily forget that many passengers will be confused and disorientated. Public Transport Experience
• I have had two Leyland National operational and both still survive as such. TGP Photos Unlimited
• An old decaying color slide reminds fbb of his childhood routine. It was a walk from Northampton town centre, along Derngate and down to Victoria Promenade. Public Transport Experience
• This September, eleven young people from all over the world quit their jobs and started driving 10,000 miles from London to Sydney in "Tadpoles" in a re-creation of one of the original "Top Deck" trips Public Transport Experience
• BlueStar 5 took off today, replacing the existing Wilts & Dorset service connecting Romsey and Eastleigh. We predicted that the service would be operated by Dennis Tridents from Eastleigh depot, and we were half right.. Southern England Bus Scene
• ainting of United Counties Lodekka 651 back into Tilling Green & Cream has now started, completing the Busworks' work programme for the restoration of this vehicle to operating condition Busworks Blog

Demonstrating

Another Mercedes Citaro demonstrator is currently on loan to Plymouth Citybus. BF60OEZ will be used on the 21.
©Brian George

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Elsewhere on the net

• Oh! Oh! Optio Orange ... ... with the usual SYT mistakes! To be scrupulously fair, not as many as usual. Public Transport Experience
• City Sightseeing–Oxford TGP Photos Unlimited
• Bad news on the High Street last week. Several chain retailers have announced cutbacks, or gone into administration Omnibuses
• Photography–camera or darkroom TGP Photos Unlimited
• Our regular correspondant David Bell spent a few hours in Wisbech last Wednesday and sent in some photographs of the numerous independant operators who run in and out of the fenland town.. Andys Bus Blog

Demonstrating

With the recent good weather last week and the start of this week I have managed to get out into town and take hundreds of photos (giving me a backlog of about 800 photos to process!). On Monday I met up with Graham Smith from London who was down to try and catch the step entrance Darts on camera while they are still out in force. I myself had two main targets to catch - one of them being the current Go Ahead demonstrator BG59FYB Volvo B7RLE with Wright bodywork. This one has been doing the rounds within the Go Ahead Group.

It does seem that Go Ahead are favouring the Volvo/ Wright combination for most of their orders at the moment with even Brighton and Hove switching from Scania this year which was a bit of a shock. When (if) Citybus get the Go Ahead to purchase any new buses I guess there's a good chance it will be some of these. The driver I spoke to when I took these photos was not impressed with the bus though!

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Elsewhere on the net

• I can remember cash registers with glass domes where the value would pop up like a flag as a bell rang. I can remember air tubes that would carry cash to a back office Omnibuses
• A look at Travel South Yorkshire's New Interactive Map Public Transport Experience

proudly showing off

While working over the weekend on a longer term project I came across this drawing of Plymouth City Transport JJY221G from September 1968.
Variety from Park Royal
THE PARK ROYAL-ROE SALES DIVISION, which handles the products of Park Royal Vehicles Ltd. and Charles H. Roe Ltd., has plumped for an all-double-decker display at the Commercial Motor Show which opens at Earls Court, London, on September 20
The Plymouth vehicle will have a Setright ticket machine and coin dispenser for the driver, a coin-operated Setright machine for passengers, and a periscope. A.A.
There is a lot more on the Park Royal Vehicles web site which is worth a read through. To get to this article click through 'Publicity' and then Variety from Park Royal.
©Jos Van Hemert : PCB Leyland Atlantean PDR 221 - Ply., Garage PCB - 07-1984

The Dennis that never dominated

"Plymouth probably tried out just about every type of bus on the market” Others... Omnibuses2.0 PhotoFit TGP Kiss Kiss Pebbles Stumped

©Dale Tringham 25 March 1978. (used with permission) When Leicester Dennis Dominator UFP237S appeared in Plymouth for a trial, Dennis were very much a minnow in the UK bus market. I remember when this one appeared in service and I managed quite a few rides on her, and recall being very impressed and desperately hoped that Plymouth would buy some. Of course as a young bus spotter that might just have been down to the ‘anything but Atlanteans again’ school of though. Of course we all know that Citybus did indeed stick with Atlanteans. Plymouth probably tried out just about every type of bus on the market, but never actually bought anything other than Atlanteans for its double deck fleet. That did though change when they tried a few Olympians, and then bought Volvo’s - although only four of them new! One thing that this Leicester bus did demonstrate successfully was the East Lancs bodywork as it featured in Plymouths orders for the V, W and X reg batches. Back in 1978 I am sure even Dennis would not have expected to be where they are today. Everything changed when the Dart hit the market and Plymouth became a Dart city, like so many others.

A special visitor

"we only had it for a short time” dbg Elsewhere... Photoshopping Penguin Learning PS Part1 Learning PS Part2 Others... TGP Stained glass Omnibuses2.0 New Oxford Tubes

One of my readers mentioned that he had seen a new Enviro out on the road the other day and wondered if I knew anything about it. Well I did and promised him I would be posting details, but it has been a longer wait than I had hoped due to everything else that is going on at the moment! Thanks to Brian George for these photos. ©Brian George The bus in question is a brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400. Its stay was very brief: Unfortunately we only had it for a short time during which it did a trip around Southway and then the 20 route through Laira and Woodford to Plympton (27th May 2009). It is a prototype development model which has no Certificate of fitness and is unregistered. The Trident chassis has been redesigned to incorporate what ADL term a "reverse driveline", so that the transmission is on the opposite side to previous chassis. For those that are interested the chassis number is SFD18SBRC8GX34752 and the Alexander body number is 8418/1. © Brian George