Does this bus go to Southampton?

Mrs Busman John and I took on a last minute wedding duty to Royal Leamington Spa recently with an ex-Southampton AEC Regent V, where a passer by had his hopes dashed.

My plans to go up to Troopers Lodge Motor Services (Cotswold Vintage Bus Hire) to help move buses around in preparation for the Cotswold Vintage Bus Rally were abruptly changed when Mrs Busman John and I were asked if we would like to take an AEC Regent V out on a wedding duty a day early instead. I could see no reason why not, so replied ‘yes please’. One of the most pleasing aspects of vintage bus hire, especially if the event is a wedding, is the chance to be part of someone’s special day. Those involved will usually have spent money, time and effort in planning the day and we have always enjoyed playing a small part in ensuring that everyone has a great time, as well as being driven safely and smoothly to their destination.

I do have a driving assessment coming up with TLMS to prove my competence with a constant mesh gearbox but the management seemed happy to send us out without even having met us. Our reputation as a competent crew had preceded us, perhaps!

The weather on the Friday was frightful, with rain forecast for most of the morning. The heavens opened with a vengeance shortly after we arrived so I was happy (if more than a little damp) to sit in the cab when my walkaround checks were done. This was a 2-bus job and I was to follow Angus, who was to drive Exeter Corporation No 75 (JFJ875), a 1950 Daimler CVD6. It turns out that he and I have been at several bus events together without realising it!

With Mrs Busman John safely installed on the rear platform, Angus (together with his Conductor Pete) and I headed off to our pickup point at Blackwell Grange. The rain began to ease off as I got to grips with the Regent V, not having driven it before. The throaty roar from the AEC AV590 6-cylinder diesel engine beside me complimented the musical notes coming from the 4-speed synchromesh gearbox. I was immediately transported back to my childhood in Exmouth, where similar Regent V buses were plentiful.

This photo was taken by my late father in 1972 in Littleham (a suburb of Exmouth) and shows Devon General 517 (CTT517C), one of a batch of 6 AEC Regent V buses with Willowbrook double deck body new in 1965. I was fortunate enough to drive sister vehicle CTT518C in 2015. You can read about it here.

Back to the present day, both buses had been clean and shiny when they left the TLMS garage at Bourton-on-the-Hill. Sadly, due to the heavy rain and the fact that we needed to drive along some narrow and very muddy country lanes en-route to the venue, both buses carried the evidence on arrival! This photo shows Southampton No 366 and Exeter No 75 just before wedding guests were welcomed on board. Everybody seemed to prefer the Regent and we departed with a virtually full load, with only the 4 ushers on the Exeter Daimler!

Busman John’s Virtual Bus Rally

Of the many casualties of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the one that I have missed most this year is the opportunity to drive at various bus rallies and running days. Some organisations have run a virtual event instead, so here’s mine!

There are many buses I have driven or have seen that I would like to invite to my Virtual Bus Rally but I’ve narrowed it down to this selection. The captions describe my reasons for inviting them to my event.

I attended the Exeter Twilight Event a couple of times and I’m shown here having just arrived at Crossmead with Bristol Omnibus LC8518 (LD6B 972EHW). I would invite this bus to my event as it is powered by the relatively rare Bristol AVW engine. And because it’s a Lodekka of course.

I’d like to invite this 1947 ex-Bullock of Featherstone Leyland PS1, mostly because it carries one of only two surviving Barnaby bodies. Also partly because I would love to see it restored and fit to attend a rally. When I used to drive it in Torbay it was desperately in need of attention. By the way, the gentleman waving to me is Richard Wilson (AKA Victor Meldrew), who was just about to board the bus.

Bournemouth Corporation received three Burlingham-bodied Leyland PS2s for circular tours of the resort and remarkably all of them survive. I drove this one when it was in service with English Riviera Sightseeing Tours in Torbay where it was performing a similar function to when it was new. It retains its sumptuous 1930s-style coach interior and that helps to ensure its presence at my Virtual Bus Rally.

I would include this venerable 1930 Dennis GL, fitted with a Roberts toastrack body. It’s a bit quirky to drive, having the accelerator pedal in the middle and the footbrake pedal on the right. It messes with your brain! It is shown acting in a promotional role for the English Riviera Sightseeing Tours operator that I used to drive for until I moved to Somerset.

Although this ex-Southdown Bristol VRT was built in 1977, I would still class it as rather modern. However, it deserves its place on my invitation list because it is now a classic design in its own right, being one of many preserved examples of a sucessful first generation rear engined bus. This particular bus was my regular allocation when I drove for Dartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Company in 2013.

This is one of a very few AECs that I have driven. Its owner Steve Goss kindly offered me the chance to drive it when we both attended the WHOTT bus rally in Dorchester. I had driven an open top Bristol Lodekka to the event but was keen to get up close and personal with this Devon General 1965 AEC Regent V because I remember it in service in Exmouth, where I grew up.

Another vehicle that deserves to be included is this 1965 Hants & Dorset Bristol FLF6G. It became my regular bus at Crosville Motor Services on wedding duties. I’m pictured here driving it along Torquay seafront during the Torbay Bus Running Day just a month after I had passed my PCV driving test.

Pictured at the final WHOTT rally to be held at Westpoint Showground, Exeter, is Exeter Corporation No 5, Maudslay ML3 (FJ9424). The superb livery is the brush-painted handiwork of Ashley Blackman (The Revivist). I was chosen (allegedly because of my skill with a crash ‘box and my slim stature) to drive the bus at its debut event, after a long and costly restoration. I later went on to drive the old girl down to Exeter from mid-Devon to transport the Mayor of Exeter and his entourage to the historic Guildhall for a civic event.

Pictured with me at the same WHOTT event is Nick Muir who is wearing the Exeter Corporation uniform he wore as a conductor on the Maudslay’s successors. Photo by Robert Crawley.

Any bus with an exposed radiator gets my attention. If it’s a Bristol, so much the better. And if it’s wearing a Tilling Red and Cream livery that’s better still! Ex-Crosville (and later Thames Valley) Bristol L6A GFM882 is pictured at a wedding in Crowcombe, Somerset in 2019 on a duty I did for Quantock Heritage. It qualifies for entry because it is very similar to the Wilts & Dorset Bristol Ls I remember seeing in Salisbury, although by then they had a modified full front.

Although not a half cab, this early Southern National Bristol RELL (HDV626E) gets an invite mostly because of its aural effects. I’m pictured here arriving back at Coldharbour Mill, Uffculme, Devon, after a trip through nearby Cullumpton. The throaty roar from the exhaust threatened to shatter the shop windows as we passed through the narrow streets! Photo by Paul Carpenter.

My late father would have seen this bus many times as it passed his house in Wilton Road, Salisbury on the Bath Services route shown on the blind. Any Bristol K would be welcome at my virtual bus rally but this one gets an invitation because it retains its Bristol AVW engine as well as having a family connection. On the occasion shown I was driving it around Minehead in association with a West Somerset Railway special event.

This Bristol K6A (Hants & Dorset TD895 – HLJ44, retaining its AEC engine) earns its place because of the stunning restoration carried out by The Revivist (Ashley Blackman). I remember driving it up to Yorkshire from Somerset – that was a long 35mph slog! It is presented in the livery it wore when new – delivered initially to London Transport in 1949 to cover for RT losses and late deliveries due to the war.

Following many years in storage and several more under meticulous restoration by Roger Burdett, this Wilts & Dorset Bristol K made its debut at the 2014 Warminster Bus Running Day. Roger had replaced the original Gardner 5LW with a larger 6LW but it gets an invitation to my virtual event because it completes the hat-trick of engine options and (of course) because it’s a Wilts & Dorset bus!

Seen after I had driven it to the same event as the previous photo, this 1950 Bristol L5G was another of my regular allocations for weddings at Crosville Motor Services and is a delight to drive. It also sports the attractive dual purpose livery and would contrast fittingly with the Thames Valley bus-spec Bristol L6A pictured earlier.

The aural symphony produced by the 4-speed crash gearbox of a Bedford OB would be most welcome at my Virtual Bus Rally. I’m pictured here driving Duple A-bodied Crosville SL71 (MFM39) along Weston-super-Mare seafront during a 2019 bus rally. Photo by Paul Jones.

I remember seeing and riding on this bus and its stable-mates in Salisbury, where I often went to stay with my grandparents as a child. The current owners of Wilts & Dorset Bristol LD6G OHR919 kindly let me drive it at the W&D Centenary event in 2015. I’m seen here with my son on layover at Wilton Market Place. Because of my personal connections to this bus it is guaranteed a place in my virtual event!

A year earlier I had the privilege of driving OHR919 during an event to mark the closure of Salisbury Bus Station. Here I’m leading a convoy of Wilts & Dorset buses on the last ever timetabled departure on a suitably dismal afternoon in January 2014.

Whenever I get the chance, I love to create a ‘then and now’ photo. In 2010, even before passing my bus driver’s test, I was allowed by owner Steve Morris to bring ex-Western National no 1935 (Bristol LDL6G VDV752 of 1957) down for the Torbay Vintage Bus Running Day with a few friends. I have in my collection a photograph of the same bus taking a break while in service in the 1970s with Devon General so I couldn’t resist the chance to recreate that shot with the same bus in the same location. I would love to have this bus at my event because I spent many happy hours conducting on it while in service on the ‘Exmoor Explorer’.

Here’s another ‘then and now’ shot. WHOTT has a photograph in its extensive archive which showed Conductor Wooldridge climbing into the cab of Exeter Corporation’s Maudslay ML3 (FJ6154) while learning to be a driver. The photo on the right is me with the same bus about 80 years later. Photo (right) by Robert Crawley.

Crosville Bus Rally 2017 update #1

A change of plan – the 2017 Crosville Bus & Steam Rally is returning to the Helicopter Museum venue.

The last time I mentioned the rally it was going to be held on the Beach Lawns, Weston-super-Mare but, since then, there have been changes behind the scenes. After a lot of negotiation the good news is that admission will be 100% free for visitors to the rally, which will again be sited within a self-contained ‘paddock’. The Control Tower, which is in the centre of the field and was undergoing renovation last year, is now complete and may be open for visitors. For those who wish to go round the Helicopter Museum itself there will be a separate charge.

Many people will have been disappointed that ‘Elizabeth’ the Sentinel DG6P Steam Bus didn’t show up as planned at last year’s rally. I was one of them – I’ve never seen her in steam, although I’ve walked past her in the garage many times on my way to pick up a bus. During the refurbishment a lot of worn parts and rot were discovered and so much more work was required than anticipated. As I write, the bus is being re-assembled and a boiler test should have been completed successfully. There is still some confusion as to which colour she will wear when she returns. An early suggestion was that she would be outshopped in Tilling Green and Cream to match the other members of the Crosville heritage fleet. But then I heard that she would retain her maroon colour to complement Crosville’s Clayton & Shuttleworth road locomotive ‘Sonsie Quine’. Which will it be? You’ll have to wait and see. Ooh, I do love a good livery debate!

Some readers may remember that I’m also a proud owner of a Morris Minor convertible. To top it all, the Avon Branch of the Morris Minor Owners Club is having a day out at the Helicopter Museum at the same time as the Crosville Rally, but not on the same field. It’s going to be a busy day!

Among the other entries likely to attend is this rather lovely all-Leyland Exeter Corporation PD2/1 bus. I’m helping to coordinate the event and I’ll let you know about some of the other highlights as they are confirmed. You can also check out the Rally page on the Crosville website for latest info.

Maudslay FJ6154 returns to Exeter: Empty to Depot

Having performed faultlessly in Exeter the previous day, Exeter Corporation No 5 gathered up her skirts and headed back to mid Devon, ‘Empty to Depot’.

Only two of us turned up in the morning of Day Three, one to drive the escort car and one to drive the bus. The only other witnesses to our departure from Exeter were some Sunday morning drivers and some bemused pedestrians. Once again I had dressed in my winter uniform. Yes, I know we were not carrying passengers this time but I just can’t bring myself drive a vintage bus in ‘mufti’.

With the Autovac problem still with us we topped up the small reserve tank, did a thorough walkaround check (which included setting the destination blind to ‘Depot’) and set off for the countryside. As you would expect, the city traffic was much lighter than on our outward journey the previous Friday and we made good progress out of the city. As I sat in the cramped cab listening to the wonderful two-tone whine from the gearbox, I silently bade farewell to the city on Maud’s behalf, wondering how long it would be before she returned. Hopefully sooner than 76 years!

Once out of the city we began the gentle climb up the River Exe valley towards Tiverton. The 86-year-old stalwart forged on without missing a beat and soon we pulled over in Stoke Canon where we’d planned to stop and top up the fuel again.

The only real pinch points on our route were the two narrow river bridges at Stoke Canon and Bickleigh. These are particularly tricky to negotiate when the bus has no nearside mirror. I was keenly aware of the stone parapets which, had we scraped them, would have spoiled Maud’s gorgeous paint job somewhat. Not wanting to risk any narrow squeaks, I held back and allowed traffic to pass on the wider parts of each bridge.

Back on the open road, I let the Maudslay gather speed when gradients and visibility allowed. Braking performance is adequate but nowhere near as effective as on a modern vehicle so I needed to plan for greater braking distances than normally, in case we met a hazard on a bend. After a particularly free-running stretch (I was told later that the bus had managed 35mph) we stopped on the side of the road to let a queue of traffic pass by. The engine was quite hot after that burst of speed and the radiator began to boil over with no breeze passing through it. Although my right foot had not yet been on the floor, I made a mental note to ease off the throttle and not push the bus quite so hard!

Another stop was made at the Esso filling station in Tiverton for a final top-up. We also took the opportunity to refill the radiator as there were several stiff climbs ahead of us. Once we had left the town, our progress was more leisurely. Not just because we were travelling along country roads but also because I was keen not to overheat the engine again. Despite my intention, she did boil again briefly but only as a result of climbing one of the aforementioned hills. At one point I had to go down to second gear and the decrease in forward speed turned the radiator into a kettle again.

Maudslay FJ6154 returns to Exeter: Maud does her civic duty

Saturday May 2nd 2015 will always be a landmark day in the life of Exeter Corporation No 5. However, on the day the bus was due to meet the Lord Mayor of Exeter, the weather refused to play ball.

Mrs Busman John and I arrived at the Exeter City Council depot early in the morning to help prepare the Maudslay ML3 for her big day. Our Chairman had arrived even earlier and we found that everything had already been checked and all I needed to do was to climb into the tiny cab (good job I have short legs…) and start her up.

Soon we were out on the city streets again, making our way into the city centre for our rendezvous with the Lord Mayor. This time there was no escort car so the Maudslay had to fight its own battles in the busy city traffic. Again, I was glad to have had the chance to get to know the bus really well on the journey down to Exeter the previous day as this allowed me to focus on navigating my route to the coach station. I chose the wrong lane once at a busy junction but, in my defence, I’m sure the road markings are misleading!

The weather was atrocious and our arrival at the coach station – surely its most elderly visitor yet – was made in very grey and dismal conditions. We had allowed for all sorts of delays but fortunately there were none so we arrived with plenty of time to spare. I parked the bus near the exit onto Paris Street and we waited in the dry interior while the rain dribbled down the windows from the canvas covered roof. It has not been re-covered so is the original but it has been thoroughly waterproofed.