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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2017 22:34:29 GMT
Crumbs, people saying they grew up as children riding on ALX400s and suchlike... Clearly, allegations of bus enthusiasm's demise are well wide of the mark!... I'm 38 and feeling very old reading some of these replies
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Post by vjaska on Aug 5, 2017 22:54:40 GMT
Crumbs, people saying they grew up as children riding on ALX400s and suchlike... Clearly, allegations of bus enthusiasm's demise are well wide of the mark!... I technically did grow up with ALX400's - I rode them from about 10 years old onwards but I know what you mean - those who never got to experience the 'proper' buses I do feel sorry for because I cherise all my rides on L's, M's, T's, RM's, VC's, NV's & anything else I've forgotten
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Post by vjaska on Aug 5, 2017 23:39:29 GMT
Right, lets do a proper one then: All time favourites:as previously mentioned, nothing beats the L's, M's & T's for me. If I had my wish, I'd refill London full of them Other past favourites from the step entrance era:Volvo Ailsa Alexander RV V3 gets a mention for it's unique spec, shame I've still yet to ride it though I've at least actually been inside it Volvo Olympians on practically all bodies with either ZF or Voith boxes - an excellent successor to the Leyland Olympian and universally liked by pretty much everyone Euro II Brighton & Hove Scania N113DRB East Lancs Cityzens - they go like stink and have the rare combination of being a Voith boxed Scania VC class Volvo Citybus Northern Counties - enjoyed my childhood rides on the 133 & 196 as well as that one ride on a private hire on to Brighton - lots of glorious thrash along the M23 Daimler Fleetlines - okay, I've only rode two examples but come on, it's a Gardener engine so of course I'm going to like it MD60 - sounds so beastly even if it only has 2 gears and has great MCW body styling - just glad that one actually survives to tell it's story ZF boxed Optare Spectra high floor versions - rode only one SP on the 3 and can't remember a lot from the journey so it's one of my biggest regrets to have never had a proper journey on one The Low Floor Era:DAF/VDL DB250's - the first low floor deckers I ever rode and I instantly liked them from the off. Just a shame that a ZF box wasn't specified alongside the Voith option. They reminded me a lot of the MCW Metrobus in having a similar sound due to the gearbox as well as being a sort of descendant as the MCW Metrobus rights were brought by Optare who based the Spectra on it to an extent Trident's, especially new to Connex TA1-20/22-128, Euro II Voith Tridents & Euro III 3 spd Voith versions - my favourite low floor chassis just in front of the DB250. I liked them more for the fact that Brixton was never a big area for Tridents as everything was either DAF DB250's or Volvos and I didn't start out liking B7TL's apart from the early ZF Euro II ones Darts - seriously who doesn't like them. Notable ones for me were early Euro III ones with the Euro II style gearbox especially Mitcham Belles Caetano Nimbus Darts, the 51 reg Connex DP's & London General's 51 reg LDP's. Other notable ones I liked were roaring Euro II Darts especially the P & R reg LDP's & Euro II Cummins ISBE engine Darts like Connexs DA's new to the 315 X reg Super Pointer Darts new to Stagecoach Selkent for the 227 - yes I know they should belong with the other Darts but for me, these were the best as they oozed tons of character. Yes, some were slow, VERY SLOW, yes some could only climb hills in 1st, yes they had stupidly small fuel tanks so ran out fuel often but they certainly made the 227 such a fun and varied route Old model Enviro 400's & 500's - both are great despite their differing designs and chassis. The old style Enviro 400 body felt like a really good replacement to the ALX400 and ticked many boxes with me being fairly similar in many departments but introducing some style as well. E1-39 are and still are my faves out of the whole lot even if some are beginning to sound a little ropey. The Enviro 500 I've only sampled once but it was an impressive ride especially as it was a Euro IV B9TL version Volvo B9TL's - in the beginning, I wasn't a big fan of these as I felt they were a bit cumbersome, slow and very boring. However, a ride on the 89 changed my opinion on them and now, I always look forward to riding them. My last ride on one was absolute thrash but I'll mention that elsewhere Euro IV MAN single deckers - be it MCV or Alexander Dennis, these are absolutely great buses just for the surreal acceleration - shame the 246 no longer has an allocation of them The Here & Now:The MMC Enviro 400 Integral - for me, this is the current best decker - it looks absolutely great with no unnecessary curves unlike the City, it's comfortable to ride on, handles well and the legroom was increased a bit at the downstairs rear which is great for me. The Gemini3 would of rivalled it had it not got that facelift as they are also lovely to be on as a passenger The MCV Evoseti - this divides opinion but I really like them because they didn't decide to follow trends involving curves but instead make a more 'boxy' bus which is more my style. I've also yet to ride on with uncomfortable seats and I find them as a good to ride as MMC's & Gemini3's The MMC Enviro 200 Integral - for me, this is the current best single decker and a 100% improvement on the old model (more on that later). Looks stylish, comfortable to ride and good legroom at the rear makes this a winner in my eyes - it also sounds really nice on Euro VI with any box but preferably Allison Dislikes:LT's, ST & VHR's - this is no secret to anyone but I'll leave it at that Old style Enviro 200's - possibly the worst single deckers I've ever had the pleasure (of should that be displeasure) of using. The body looks cheap and nasty on a single decker, legroom is horrific in places especially at the rear and the interior styling looked like it was designed by a 5 year old. The suspension is worse than on Darts and whilst most are quick, they are exceedingly dull. The 3 MAN ones at C are only bearable because of the chassis and the fact they've got some character but they still leave a lot to be desired. I was so happy when it was finally discontinued when ADL made massive improvements with the MMC - to me, the MMC Enviro 200 is the real successor to the good old Dart SLF
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Post by astock5000 on Aug 6, 2017 0:09:49 GMT
those who never got to experience the 'proper' buses I do feel sorry for because I cherise all my rides on L's, M's, T's, RM's, VC's, NV's & anything else I've forgotten While the RM is the only one of those I ever went on in normal service, at least I can say I travelled to/from school on ex-London NVs, a T and an L, and also a couple of non-London Metrobuses. So the Citybus is the only one of those types I completely missed out on.
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Post by vjaska on Aug 6, 2017 0:58:29 GMT
those who never got to experience the 'proper' buses I do feel sorry for because I cherise all my rides on L's, M's, T's, RM's, VC's, NV's & anything else I've forgotten While the RM is the only one of those I ever went on in normal service, at least I can say I travelled to/from school on ex-London NVs, a T and an L, and also a couple of non-London Metrobuses. So the Citybus is the only one of those types I completely missed out on. I was quite lucky growing up as whilst M's were generally in the North West & South West & T's were in the North East & South East, Brixton straddles both South East & South West so managed to have both types as well as the proper L's (by that I mean new to London Transport L's). I missed the RM's on the 2 & 3 (2 became 322 whilst the 3 was a route I hardly ever used as a kid) but had them on the 137 & 159 whilst only had the VC class Citybuses on the 133 & 196 which stuck out like a sore thumb. Then the NV's came along and they ended up mainly on the 35, 45, 133 & sometimes 345 with ultra rare appearances on the 37 & 196 I also missed the DMS although I probably did ride some as a baby as some of the B20's did survive into the 90's
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Post by Alex on Aug 6, 2017 1:30:44 GMT
To be honest, I looked at this thread and didn't think I would answer. It's one of those questions that seems to change over time - with me it's a lot to do with where I'm living at the time and what's around. However, I'll give it a go.......
London:
Go-Ahead LDPs.....I used these on the 163/164 a lot when I lived in Morden. The older Go-Ahead seat covers, coupled with green poles and various other features gave the impression of an old school LBL type suburban bus. Probably the most traditional atmosphere of more modern times. Also the sensible rectangle design gave them a good, functional look.
Stagecoach MMC's - I use the diesel ones on the 62 a lot, and used the hybrid ones on the 177 before I moved from PD. The seat covering/comfort is fantastic, legroom is far and beyond what I would expect from a London bus (well, upstairs anyway, as that's where I go) and the ride quality is top notch too. Also, I like the bonded window look, as this is a great nod to the original TA's and the MMC is a very suitable replacement for the aforementioned vehicles on SLN routes.
Stagecoach Tridents - last but not least. I have a massive soft spot for these as they represent many happy times in my life. I've been most happy and got back into my bus hobby more since living by PD and out in East London too. I developed an interest in the older Tridents as normally wherever I am, I am interested in the oldest the area has to offer. Spotting the older (the bonded windows being a giveaway) ones round PD such as 17404, 17427, 17441, 17449 and a few others got me interested in the type. Then I met my girlfriend (now wife) from East London land so while the Tridents were getting replaced at PD, I was using a load of other ones on the 86/104/238/330. I have happy memories of getting the last 330 home on many times, feeling pleased catching the Trident. To me they are a no nonsense bus. The basic rectangle design and being functional (a bit like the LDP) fitting in with the no nonsense, hard nosed gritty areas they serve. My interest in buses is largely about the areas served and learning about localities, I find London fascinating. The Trident fits in with many areas it works in perfectly.
Outside London:
Big soft spot for the old Stagecoach Alexander Dash bodied Darts. These were the mainstay of evening/Sunday routes out in Stagecoach Hampshire Bus land where my mum lives. A great workhorse for the size of bus it was.
Similar for the Alexander RL Volvo Olympians out in Hampshire too. Such a powerful bus, and glad to see some survived on regular work out in East Kent until fairly recently. At the time was a very modern and formidable piece of kit, but now thinking of step entrances, low ceilings (on both decks) and bendy staircases seems a long way away. The other powerful beast was the Volvo B10M, and with the Alexander PS body this was a very classy affair. To me this was the sleekest single decker design I've seen, and would still look modern now.
There was a sizable number of Bristol VRs there at the time, though I wasn't keen, without sounding silly, I found them quite creepy. Maybe it was the way that Stagecoach Hampshire Bus (and Hants & Surrey - which was a lot worse for vehicle presentation) kept them. They were in a real state. Liked the Leyland Nationals for their old-ness, but in the wrong hands they were a very uncomfortable ride.......
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Post by paulsw2 on Aug 6, 2017 2:06:15 GMT
MY favourites would be RF RM RT DMS SMS LS also PD3 that worked on the OLD 190 back in the 70's
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Post by snowman on Aug 6, 2017 5:28:54 GMT
Unlike those who seem to have grown up with ALX400s, when I was young, my local routes were Bristol chassis with nondescript lodekka double deck bodies, initially with rear door, later with a door behind front wheel. Rather sluggish if I remember.
But my favourite remains from my time at University, Daimler Fleetlines built in early 1970s for Coventry Corporation (I'm not that old I used them in mid 1980s when they were mixed with new Metrobus in standard West Midlands PTE blue), yes the metrobuses were new but the old Daimlers seem to have more character and were smoother. The Metrobus gearboxes always seemed more clonky as Coventry buses always accelerated hard and ran fast. None of this modern London eco snail-pace stuff
Don't really have an all time favourite single deck type, although the new Citaro are miles ahead of most London single decks for quality and lack of road noise
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Post by planesandtrains on Aug 6, 2017 8:02:47 GMT
All those answers with Citaros is the reason why there should be more in London (there were heaps of them at one point). Buses I grew up with was funnily enough not Olympians and Darts and all that funny sounding 90's stuff. Because of Mr. Livingstone and because I lived next to the 9/10 it was RM/RML's. Although later I moved to Teddington where I was surrounded by darts of all ages (and still am to some extent).
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Post by vjaska on Aug 6, 2017 11:07:32 GMT
All those answers with Citaros is the reason why there should be more in London (there were heaps of them at one point). Buses I grew up with was funnily enough not Olympians and Darts and all that funny sounding 90's stuff. Because of Mr. Livingstone and because I lived next to the 9/10 it was RM/RML's. Although later I moved to Teddington where I was surrounded by darts of all ages (and still am to some extent). Ahem, funny 90's stuff - I'm afraid you missed out on some absolute belters of a bus lol.
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Post by Volvo on Aug 6, 2017 21:46:59 GMT
I'm going to be selfish now
Leyland Olympian especially with the 'sneezing' sound Mcw Metrobus Volvo b5tl Volvo b5tl euro 4 Certain Volvo B7tls Volvo Olympian Volvo b10m Volvo b6le DB250 euro 3 MAN 14.240 ZF & voith Trident euro 2 ZF Mercedes citaro euro 3 ZF & voith E400 euro 4 ZF E200 euro 6 ZF All euro 3 engine euro 2 gearbox darts DB300 euro 4 & early euro 5 with kickdown
That is all thanks
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Post by capitalomnibus on Aug 9, 2017 15:33:29 GMT
MCW Metrorider, also have a very close soft spot for the Leyland Titan. Do you still have your former London Forest MR? Yes as you can see a pic of me. Selfie, lol I am the bus itself
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Post by snoggle on Aug 9, 2017 18:26:34 GMT
Do you still have your former London Forest MR? Yes as you can see a pic of me. Selfie, lol I am the bus itself Well I don't recall a Metrorider in the driver seat of those special last Stagecoach runs on the 58 all those years ago. And if you know where to look on Google streetview you could find the house where your MR is parked. It doesn't look like a living entity in those photo images.
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Post by JaysBusPhotos on Aug 11, 2017 9:15:40 GMT
Another Fav of mine, The Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer, both the MkI and MkII models. Since I was born in 1999 I don't really know much about the older buses such as Metrobuses and Leylands, but oh well 😊 Same here, I love the Dennis Dart. I prefer the MkII models my self as thats what I remember using alot when whilst growing up. I'm only a year older being born in 1998. I mostly remember the Eastbourne buses ones back in 2007/8 when I lived down there. I now ues the 410's Darts daliy and love them.
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Post by selondon on Aug 15, 2017 15:32:38 GMT
Mine would be the Dennis dart with wright handybus body found on the P4 in the mid 90's. The bus that got me into buses!
Modern day would be a WVL (Gemini 2)
Other favourites would be optare excel from the 108 Harris bus days and northern counties bodied dart in Kentish bus livery.
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