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Post by guybowden on Dec 20, 2016 16:45:41 GMT
Possibly or it could be glued in so you may have to heat the base up slightly, to loosen the glue and then be able to pull it apart. Other than that its a case of try it and see
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Post by guybowden on Dec 18, 2016 18:17:28 GMT
Those to holes are for securing the model to the base of the box. They are held together similar to Northcord models where the bumpers hold the chassis to the body and everything else slides in and the glazing clips into the body.
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Post by guybowden on Oct 29, 2016 19:08:17 GMT
To change a gearbox on a dart (34360) you don't have to take the engine out. Allison gearbox changes are nice and simple. I would hazard a better guess that it is awaiting a new/ reconned engine.
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Post by guybowden on Aug 29, 2016 12:57:52 GMT
Wow, on my way home tonight I saw what could have been very nasty. At Craven Park an empty TE came flying down from the Harlesden direction and jumped the new crossing hump so violently the front end came smashing down onto the road surface, caused a spark and smoke with a huge, audible bang. Was genuinely quite alarming, I wonder if the driver was unfamiliar with the area (perhaps the bus was on carnival duty) or hadn't been around that area since the speed bumps were put in but it was a shocking lack of attention to not see that (I have a 4x4 and that hump is testy even on my suspension) The worst thing was the rattle the bus made after impact. I suspect someone may have questions to answer to! On Enviro 200s the front shock absorbers/ towers (The part that links the airbag and shock absorber to the axle) are prone to breaking when driven over bumps in the road too fast and believe me driving with broken shocks/ towers is horrible, especially when braking. IMO if a driver drives too fast over a bump and breaks the suspension they should be dismissed as its incompetence and they are breaking the number one rule of a bus driver- the care and comfort of their passengers.
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Post by guybowden on Aug 25, 2016 17:12:02 GMT
There is no point in fitting Hong Kong style air con because it will only be needed for 3 to 4 months of the year. So for 8 or 9 months of the year the bus will have to carry all that extra weight about for doing nothing. Just as I left the air con job for pastures new they were introducing systems that did both heating and cooling but these systems were about 25% more than just cooling systems in terms of cost. If the technology was worked for buses then great but it would be extra cost to buy, service and run. Vehicle weight will be increased, fuel consumption will increase. I will have to disagree with this point. When it's hot in the UK it is hot and I personally believe that this does not negate the fact that passengers still have the right to bask within a chilled and pleasant environment on these arguably few and far between hot days. Passengers (and tourists) pay for the services they use, therefore they should make full use of what they pay for, however if this means having to avoid hot and stuffy buses which could be arguably detrimental to their health and wellbeing then something really needs to be done about this, especially given the fact that most Underground lines don't have Air Conditioning either. Fitting London buses with Air Conditioning units should be the way forward regardless of the extra costs this may incur be it due to weight, fuel consumption etc. I would have no objection to paying tax towards something benefiting the society, unlike certain areas within the transport sector which are not worthy whatsoever. It's easy to forget that Air Conditioning can also be beneficial during winter as they double up as heaters in cold conditions too. There really is little excuse for not having Air Conditioning. When bus fares are double and contract costs go up so there could be less buses on the road which would mean packed buses then you will be moaning as will everyone else just you can be chilled for a few months of the year.
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Post by guybowden on Aug 25, 2016 7:15:34 GMT
Having worked on air conditioning systems in offices and restaurants as well as fitting duct work, Air cooling just does that it chills the air by a little amount. On the fresh air or charge system of a duct work system we use to fit a heater battery that was 3 phase 415 volts a/c (alternating current not air con). These heater batteries pull 15 to 25 amps of current depending on how big the duct work was and all it did was warm the air by no more than 10 degrees. The air con side was an outdoor unit that houses a compressor, a coil, fans and a PCB. To keep it simple the compressor creates pressure and pumps the gas to the indoor unit where is it fed round a coil and the air that travels through the coil is chilled/cooled and then a fan pumps it out of the indoor unit. The gas now is hot and lost its pressure and is pumped back out to the outdoor unit where it is fed through the coil and back to the compressor where it goes through the cycle again. You have two pipes a high and low pressure line and the indoor and outdoor units are connected to each other by a wire that is usually ran with the pipes that are lag.
On single decker buses the cab air con has a pump connected to the crank by a belt and that is the compressor and this system work very similar to as describe above. No air cooling for the saloon. Double deckers upstairs have an indoor unit and I personally think it is under powered. (normally above the stairs) and pumps chilled air out form the slots in the ceiling panel. The outdoor unit is underneath the rear seats upstairs, (grills around the rear route box). The cab air con is shared by this system but takes fresh air from behind the number plate panel below the windscreen at the front. Where the intake is for the upstair cooling I don't know.
The two biggest down falls of the cooling of buses in my opinion is one they are controlled by a pre set thermostat (both heating and cooling). The heating works when the outside temperature is below 16 degrees but the engine coolant temperature is above 60 degrees. Personally 16 is too high especially on a full bus in spring time. I can't remember the settings for cooling. The second is the cooling side is not powerful enough. For it to make any difference I feel as through the air flow should be twice what it currently is and its not as simple as fitting a more powerful fan!!
There is no point in fitting Hong Kong style air con because it will only be needed for 3 to 4 months of the year. So for 8 or 9 months of the year the bus will have to carry all that extra weight about for doing nothing. Just as I left the air con job for pastures new they were introducing systems that did both heating and cooling but these systems were about 25% more than just cooling systems in terms of cost. If the technology was worked for buses then great but it would be extra cost to buy, service and run. Vehicle weight will be increased, fuel consumption will increase.
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Post by guybowden on Aug 23, 2016 6:44:35 GMT
Are there any routes in west London that have electric or hybrid single deckers on? Something in my mind is telling me there is but I'm not sure??
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Post by guybowden on Aug 8, 2016 16:52:22 GMT
I quite like AEC Regent 5s with Park Royal bodywork, some are manuals others are semi-autos. I'll use a manual one for an example here-
Have I got the right license? No. What do I need to do to get the right license? Get my auto PSV upgraded to a manual one by speaking to the DVLA, quite simple. If you don't have an auto PSV then you have to take a theory, hazard perception and practical PSV test most likely an auto one, so you will have to upgrade that to a manual. You also need a car license before you can get any PSV license. (If you have an auto only car license you cannot upgrade to a manual PSV without taking a manual car test)
Can I afford it? Having X amount of thousands in the bank to buy the bus is great, but can you afford the monthly and annual bills? Under cover storage within the M25 is anything from £100 a month upwards, outside storage £50 per month upwards. Naturally you would want undercover to best protect the bus from the elements. Then I believe just historic insurance on limited milage is starting from £250 a year but to use the bus at running days is more and if you wish to do private hires, weddings, parties etc etc you will pay commercial rates that is probably double and then you have all the operators license conditions which is a whole minefield, so I will rule that out to keep this post simple.
The cost of fuel for using the bus, 10 miles to gallon at £1.10 a litre is roughly £4.84 per gallon. So a 50 mile trip out is going to cost about £24.20, say you go out 15 times a year doing 50 mile at a time is £363 in fuel.
Maintenance, If used sensibly and regularly nothing major should go wrong regularly so bills could be low. A once a year inspection and oil and filter change could cost £300 depending on the type of oil used and how much the engine needs. Coolant depends on what type used and how much the cooling system requires.
Depending on how old the bus is then you don't have to pay tax as it is classed as historic but your insurance must match your tax class to keep everything simple. I don't know how much the tax is if the bus isn't a historic bus, so I can't put a figure in.
Lets say you park the bus undercover and get the storage for £100 a month so over a year its £1200, plus your fuel (£363), Insurance (£250) and maintenance (£300) your looking at roughly £2113 for a year.
Then you have the one offs, a half decent repaint without any panels being replaced likely to be £3000 upwards. Have the seats re-trimmed including material is probably £2000 upwards if the material isn't off the self or a roll has to be made up. A tyre and inner tube is probably £150 plus VAT and fitting if you can find somewhere that does split rims. (six on a bus). Then you have to think about parts and the availability of parts, the older the bus the harder the parts could be to find.
Having said all of the above, if you enjoy driving, buses and have the money and aren't afraid on spending it, then go for it because you never know whats around the corner and where life will take you.
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Post by guybowden on Jun 17, 2016 15:55:42 GMT
FFD- Free From Defects NFF- No Fault Found NDF- No Defects Found FT- F***ing Tight or super FT
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Post by guybowden on Jun 10, 2016 17:51:48 GMT
I believe MOT means Ministry Of Transport
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Post by guybowden on May 26, 2016 15:28:49 GMT
A bit of info for people, on Tuesday with the two tunnels shut for various reasons, Catford lost just over 3600 miles and Plumbstead lost just over 5600 miles due to traffic. it took me 2 and a half hours to get from Catford to Plumbstead going any route possible for MOT.
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Post by guybowden on May 15, 2016 14:38:48 GMT
21, 36, 108, 108D, 129, 171, N171, 321, 436. I never drove the Notting Hill Carnival 36 route, 225 and N108. I could very loosely say I've driven the 199 as I had to sub a 47 at Surry Quays from TL one saturday morning.
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Post by guybowden on May 14, 2016 17:44:24 GMT
E215 is doing my head in at C. I rode it twice this week and both times it was beeping for the whole of both journeys. No mechanical issues to report though Has the driver used their blue key? Just before I left NX, they started beeping until you used your key.
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Post by guybowden on Mar 25, 2016 19:50:33 GMT
Is that a euro 5 or 6 engined E400? Euro5 (63 plate) It looks like the air con system has caught light or someone has set fire to it upstairs.
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Post by guybowden on Mar 25, 2016 19:44:13 GMT
Is that a euro 5 or 6 engined E400?
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