The dreaded FIRST BUS!

Loiner1960 · Post by **Loiner1960** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 7:06 am

Might be the wrong thread. However, remember the Supertram. Alister Darling (MP for Edinburgh) wouldn't back it as, "Uneconomical." Well he passed the one for Edinburgh, surprise. Now that may be abandoned. At a cost of, £750m...!!! That was the project cost in total of Supertram. !!Perhaps a nice ftr would have been better, or a trolley bus.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 11:08 am

Loiner1960 wrote: Perhaps a nice ftr would have been better, or a trolley bus. I hope you meant for Embra because there isn't much populist support for either in Leeds .More on the story here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... s-13971011 The bill so far is £469m so presmably the additional almost £300 just to close the project is to tie up the loose ends.

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 11:49 am

Loiner1960 wrote: Might be the wrong thread. However, remember the Supertram. Alister Darling (MP for Edinburgh) wouldn't back it as, "Uneconomical." Well he passed the one for Edinburgh, surprise. Now that may be abandoned. At a cost of, £750m...!!! That was the project cost in total of Supertram. !!Perhaps a nice ftr would have been better, or a trolley bus. Presumabley you mean, with tounge in sheek better for Edinburgh,Well I'd be glad to see the end of these purple bendy slugs, they present a significant hazard negotiating the estate roads which were never intended to cope with such large vehicles and from which other large vehicles are banned on safety grounds.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 7:16 pm

Another aspect of First world class annoyance is the almost deafening propensity of lots of their newer double deckers to emit explosive whistles, presumably from a compressed air reservoir, as they drive around.The things are a damn nuisance - in the city centre I've seen people nearly jump out of their skins as one of these buses "let's go" as it passes, and in the recent warm weather they've been loud enough to awaken me at night due to our window being left open.They're a noisy disgrace and I can scarcely believe that they are allowed out in traffic like this.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 9:00 pm

raveydavey wrote: Another aspect of First world class annoyance is the almost deafening propensity of lots of their newer double deckers to emit explosive whistles, presumably from a compressed air reservoir, as they drive around.The things are a damn nuisance - in the city centre I've seen people nearly jump out of their skins as one of these buses "let's go" as it passes, and in the recent warm weather they've been loud enough to awaken me at night due to our window being left open.They're a noisy disgrace and I can scarcely believe that they are allowed out in traffic like this. Yes agreed with the air brake flatulence, I've heard it too, they blow at least once a minute. It's ridiculous isn't it? I've never heard any other vehicle behave in this anti social way before They do it on the move too, and not only that, but when they stand, they go into a body numbing vibration, It actually gives you a bit of a headache. They must be real inferior, cheap and nasty machines.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 10:23 pm

Is it the new hybrid buses that are being referred to? They are in use on the 7A service I use and I have never heard a bad noise from them even when they are passing by. At a stand still they are so quiet it took some getting used to that the bus had not stalled! I have also had no vibration problem with them.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 10:35 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: They must be real inferior, cheap and nasty machines Sad to say Phill that, although they are inferior and nasty, cheap they are certainly not. They are heavyweight vehicles of, ALLEGEDLY, World leading technology, design and construction, but I'm afraid that the entire Industry has progressively lost its way big time in the last forty years or so. Managements are now wallowing to the sinking point in empty marketing promises and zany meaningless ghastly liveries at enormous expense, while new vehicles within weeks of taking to the road are virtually devoid of any meaningful suspension, rear in particular, or of sufficient strength in body construction to allow any comfort in travelling !! If only this was an exaggeration I would gladly admit it, but sadly its an understatement. I am very glad indeed that most of my career was spent working on well constructed and civilised buses , and I now despair at the heaps that I have to ride in and I'm glad that I haven't to try to give the comfortable ride for which I always strove now. Just prior to my 2001 retirement I was becoming sick, tired and ashamed of listening to passengers commenting "by gum, this is a terrible old boneshaker" - while riding on something nowhere near approaching its "mid life" stage.

Phill_dvsn · Post by **Phill_dvsn** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 11:11 pm

Leodian wrote: Is it the new hybrid buses that are being referred to? They are in use on the 7A service I use and I have never heard a bad noise from them even when they are passing by. At a stand still they are so quiet it took some getting used to that the bus had not stalled! I have also had no vibration problem with them. No it's not those new hybrid buses, the buses me and Ravey mean are new ones though. These are the noisey blighters in question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMn_hUwWH-sThat one is blowing off like a good un, there much louder in real life, and as Ravey says they'll make you jump when you pass if it goes off

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Thu 30 Jun, 2011 11:28 pm

Phill_dvsn wrote: Leodian wrote: Is it the new hybrid buses that are being referred to? They are in use on the 7A service I use and I have never heard a bad noise from them even when they are passing by. At a stand still they are so quiet it took some getting used to that the bus had not stalled! I have also had no vibration problem with them. No it's not those new hybrid buses, the buses me and Ravey mean are new ones though. These are the noisey blighters in question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMn_hUwWH-sThat one is blowing off like a good un, there much louder in real life, and as Ravey says they'll make you jump when you pass if it goes off Thaks Phill. That is a noisey bus in the video. I would know if I had heard one of those! Could they be said to be arty farty buses?

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Fri 01 Jul, 2011 8:33 am

Leodian wrote: Thaks Phill. That is a noisey bus in the video. I would know if I had heard one of those! Could they be said to be arty farty buses? Don't forget also folks - how could one forget ?? - that other major fault these days. I'm referring to the infuriating row from defective cooling arrangements (especially in hot weather) when the bus constantly emits a noise like an enormous vacuum cleaner even while at speed, because the fans are operating constantly.On another angle of the discussion though, and to put a fair point where one is deserved, I am just full of admiration for the performance of the modern Volvo engines - turbocharged they may well be, but for such small engines in a colossal heavy vehicle on "stop/start" work they are just incredible. The B7TL double deckers have an engine of only 7 litres while the latest B9TLs are of 9 litres. Also praiseworthy is the performance of the ZF automatic gearboxes which are now as near perfect in terms of smoothness and "intelligence" as you could wish for. This commendation is from one who spent years in despair and condemnation of many earlier fully automatic systems in the 1960s/70s/80s, many of which were unpredictable and rough to the point of being downright dangerous.Nowadays I just marvel at the speed with which buses on service 56 in particular ascend the very steep Royal Park Road, changing up smoothly into at least third gear with seventy or even more passengers aboard and weighing in the region of fifteen tonnes gross. A reasonable degree of interest from the driver is needed to prevent over ambitious upward changes on steep hills but this is very easy to achieve by listening to the machinery and treating the accelerator accordingly.