As soon as i heard that engine idle, it brought back to my school days in the 60s. The 177 from Abbey Wood to my school at Charlton. Mother was a clippie at Abbey Wood, on the 161a, then the 180, and on to the 177 all the way to Blackfriars Embankment. LOVE IT.
Love it! Takes me back a bit! My dad was a conductor at Godstone Garage (GD) from around 1948. I was not born then! I used to spend hours with him on the buses and in the Garage during my formative years. I remember when they got their first Routemasters in 1965. They were all CUV registrations. I think they were RMLs. My favourite spot was behind the driver watching him with his controls. I remember the start in those days was a big sort of hook switch high up to the left and the indicators was on a massive red switch to the right.
Thanks for comment, Colin. Yes, a lot of CUV registrations around. Mine is one of the SMK lot. The starter was changed in the refurbishment program of the 1990's but indicator switch still the same as you describe.
I have been a fan of Routemasters, RTs and RFs since a child mid 1960s. They were everywhere, you could hear the throaty roar of the Leyland engine RMs from afar, so much a part of the London scene. RMLs were kept to certain routes. Love the ride, in this beautiful place.
The little black box you pointed at was the Coles Microphone, designed to pick up drivers' voices anywhere in the cab. A remnant of the on bus radio installation programme of the early 80s
That programme and the intro of the Code Red emergency function paved the way for the introduction of control by speech radio and ultimately the start of AVL systems such as Busco and today's IBus
I had my first drive of a Routmaster the other day. Loved it, So much more fun then the moden things we have to drive these days. I want one. Sadly i can't aford one and i've no where to park one.
When I passed my PSV test at LT Chiswick works central driving school in 1980, we trained on an RMC with the 11.3 litre engine and had to change gears manually as that type of RM did not have the automatic position. The instructor always told us to “ASSOCIATE GEARS WITH FORWARD MOVEMENT ONLY” never use the engine for slowing the bus down, so although you didn’t have a clutch pedal, you still had to perform the equivalent of doubling the clutch when changing to a lower gear on an incline……. The RM originally had a switch called the “ARUN” ( not sure if I’ve spelt that correctly) switch which when pushed in enabled you to start the engine and when pulled out, stopped the engine😇
Blimey! A lot easier with semi-auto mode I use. The gearbox changes down automatically if the engine revs are too low. I can see the original 'Arun' switch casing, though the original switch was removed during an earlier upgrade.
i worked down in london from 1999 to 2001 & when waiting for a bus, when a modern bus came i would keep back in the bus shelter etc. & let the modern bus go righ past, but when a routemaster came along, i was right at the kerb incase i missed it, also loved the old bristol lodeka where you got on at the back, although the later bristol had a manual door hinge in 2 halfs.. that was rarely if ever closed, both these buses look lovely & were great for getting on & off, & i much prefer them anyday to any modern bus
It is interesting to compare the old Routemasters from the current Routemasters. I find the seating on the old vehicles much more comfortable than the current ones. Thanks for your thoughts!
@@alanandhisbus3416 yeah i find that too on any modern bus, i,m always shuffling about trying to get comfortable,(prob cos i hate been on them) but i thought it was just me, lol, & even if it were the other way round, i would much prefer to travel on the old routemaster, & would get on one just to do a full lap to where i started from, just to sit there listening to the engine, & i would be enjoying been on it that'much that i wouldn,t know whether i was comfortable or not, same as the bristol lodeka, that were used near me up north..but have been gone since the 1980s, if they still had them, i would def leave the car at home & get on the bus, but modern buses with windows that don,t open & sealed up door.s make me closterphobic, even with air conditioning, i think the bus companys would be surprised how much more money they,d make by people like me, that would get on them just through nostalga, even some people that were too young to remember them would get on them..but its like everything else..health & safty wouldn,t allow it, i,m pleased i grew up when i did, before the idiots ruinned everything.
Comfort isn't just about passengers. I drove Routemasters in London and Bristols in Essex The Routemaster designers made the driver as comfortable as possible to cope with a stressful job. The Bristol designers were still building stuff for the 1920's - no thought for the driver, if he could just about reach a control then that would do. It was not even possible to adjust the seat to be comfortable for the pedals at the same time as comfortable for the steering wheel. To work the pedals you had to be right back from the wheel and risk your back to steer. Bearable on country runs but unworkable in London. A friend of mine in his 50's died of a heart attack trying to manoeuvre a Lodekka in a tight area outside a school.
Hi Alan, you did really well there pausing between gears when changing up the box. Only advice I would offer you changing back down the box is to pause and rev in neutral before selecting the lower gear. One thing I also noticed you are doing is knocking the bus out of gear and coasting in neutral , doing that is bad for the flywheel as it deprives it of oil. If you are coming to a stop then make sure the bus is in 2ND gear and don't select neutral until you have come to a full stop.
Thank you for your advice, Graham. Much appreciated. Imagine if I hadn't of done these RU-vid videos, I wouldnt have realised I was doing anything wrong!!
you dont know shit,coasting in neutral can sometimes overspeed gears inside box,the fluid flwhell is either filled with oil that goes nowhere else or it is fed from pump that runs anytime engine is running
@@alanandhisbus3416 I drove a Leyland Atlantean for my 50th Birthday present a few months ago and I absolutely loved it. It was on an airfield track but nonetheless, the feeling of the pedals, the steering and semi-automatic gearbox (that was on the right hand side) made me realise how much trickier they are to drive than cars these days (only comparison I can make because I've not driven a new bus yet). Thank you for this video, it's great to see how other older buses drive and how you start them. :)
@@michaeldance1122It has to do with how fluid circulation within the transmission works, causing abnormal patterns of fluid circulation and abnormal pressure differentials that can literally destroy the transmission.
Hi Alan absolutely love your channel great stuff! I think you are referring to a speaker above your head that would have gone back to your controller at base or in emergency London Transport centrecom, I worked as a driver on buses years ago on metrobus sadly never drove routemaster, regards Tim from Norwich
Hello Alan once again another excellent video very enjoyable thank you for taking us along for the ride. Your gear changes look and sound a lot better compared to the last video that you put out. You can definitely tell that you’ve been practising keep up the good work Alan I look forward to the next video.
@@alanandhisbus3416 thanks Alan. The one way valve will stop the diesel flowing back downstairs with the gravity .woudnt help at all with the noise Ime afraid.if you tell me the internal bore size of the red diesel pipe at the generator end Ile send you one gratis😎.you just need to jubilee clips to fit 👍
thank you for your vids, I really enjoy watching you go out in your amazing red bus and seeing all the features that it has. Keep up the great work my friend.
Changing up, just allow the revs to slow. Changing down, you need to increase the revs. Just listen to your engine. I drove RML's and many other london buses between 1976/93. I worked at Stonebridge, Westbourne Park and Alperton Garages. There is a lot of praise heaped on these old buses but they had their faults. Of course it was a tough assignment, a big ask, these buses were on the road from early morning to late into the evening accelerating away from bus stops just to stop a short distance away at the next, and this repeated hundreds of times a day. Quite remarkable really! I'm glad there are enthusiasts, such as your self, keeping this old buses going. Ding Ding, hold tight.
Thanks for your comments Martin. I often think of the strain on the mechanical parts when these buses were in constant use on the streets of London - stopping and starting after short distances!
Thank you. My late father drove these in the 60s in london out of kilburn and battersea garages. His view from the cab would have been different though.
Great video but...select gear then release hand brake. Likewise, hand brake then in to neutral. RM's in the original configuration can be driven as auto or semi auto, like the BL class and a few others. From a gear in to neutral then in to the next gear is the correct way.
A great video Alan. Do you still run the mobile chip shop on your bus? It must be great owning this iconic vehicle. It’s interesting seeing you driving it around. I think you are mastering the gear changes well.
Hello Alasdair. Yes, I'm still driving the bus and taking it to local villages to sell Fish & Chips. We have a lot more challenges now than when I first started.
What a lovely old bus, built to last forever, engine runs on just above tickover through all the gears, you can keep all your modern eco boom plastic engines that will be lucky to do 90,000 miles
These are not original engines (I believe they all got Cummins in the big refurbishment) but they do sound similar. Maybe that is the exhaust. However at Victoria in the 70's we had RM2000 with a Leyland engine and it sounded awful. Not as bad though as the Routemaster I caught at a bus day at Brooklands which had been fitted with a feeble engine and gearbox from a Dennis Dart (or something). At 7.25 tonnes the engine from a single decker coped but the sound is part of the experience, especially if you're deaf in your left ear from sitting next to it for hours on end. "A price worth paying" though.
Hi Alan, enjoying the video's. I agree with Grahams comments regarding moving into neutral and perhaps I should suggest not releasing the handbrake before selecting a gear.....just in case !! I did used to instruct on these lovely old vehicles with London Country Buses.
Adrian Gidding In an earlier post I have stated that in order to prevent a lurching stop from an AUTOMATIC Routemaster us drivers would put the bus in neutral when slowing down and put it back into gear at around 3 MPH. The Routemaster (with an automatic gear box)was not originally designed to change down as you braked .It was supposed to stay in either top gear or third gear until it reached 3 MPH when it would select second gear unless you put your foot back on the gas where it would briefly go into neutral so the driver could give a short burst of gas so the engine would be turning at the correct speed for the gear change. Putting the bus into neutral for the short time it takes to stop should not really cause damage to the flywheel but prolonged coasting wouldn't be a good idea. You state you instructed on green Routemasters(which would have been RML's, RMC's or RCL,s. but no RM's as the country area didn't have any.All three types of Routemaster you did have had a semi automatic gearbox so the lurching when stopping wouldn't have occurred as the bus stayed in which ever gear the driver had selected until he/she selected another gear .l passed my test on a country area RCL,still painted green but with a white London Transport roundel in 1979 and this was from Brixton garage. As the London Country area converted to entirely one person operation their Routemaster fleet were bought by London Transport (note bought not transferred as since 1970 London Country was no longer part of London Transport but part of the National bus company). Also some of the training buses were RMA's with the "A" standing for Airways as they had operated on the Gloucester Road (Cromwell road) to Heathrow airport route. Originally fitted with a luggage trailer you will be relieved to hear that this was not connected to training buses!!
Thanks, Adrian, for your endorsement of the correct way to change gear on a Routemaster. I'm afraid I've caused a bit of a STRAMASH, as we say in Scotland by criticising RCL2226'S driver on the Routemaster Application Facebook group for pulling the gears through instead of pausing them as I have done in the thirty three years I have been driving them.
Hi Alan, Im enjoying your videos, I did make a cheeky comment once about "gear changing",,i see now you looking after the old girl now. pausing and in better control..The purpose of me messaging again is because I remember the driver training video worth watching is "They Dont Grow On Trees",,you will like it im sure,,lots of good information,, hope your not offended as I only message you for the best intentions.
Hi there! Yes, far more aware of proper gear changing, though surprised that many say "pull away in 2nd. 1st is only for hill starts"! And yet in the video you mention he says to start in 1st - how do you believe! I personally prefer to start in 1st. as I think it is less stress on gearbox/transmission. Cheers.
Lovely gear changes there. May have been mentioned before. Maybe work on the downward changes. Same as upward changes but with a blip on the accelerator in neutral. Rather like double de clutching with a manual gearbox. Keep the videos coming. Thoroughly enjoyed. 😊
Hi Alan, I live in Devon and i am looking for a Routemaster to convert it into a food/coffee sales vehicle, whilst keeping it looking true to its heritage on the outer. I have always liked routemasters and remember them trundling around London well. I am loving your videos, and the way you have converted your Routemaster into the F&C shop! Have you any mechanical pointers that you would advise looking out for when buying?? Also who would be selling a good one?? I have reasonable mechanical knowledge because i have worked on and owned a number of classic cars and motorbikes in the past. Regards
Hello Tom. I bought my bus on Ebay but these vehicles are quite a bite more expensive now. I wanted a late model as I thought it would be more reliable than earlier vehicles. It has proven very reliable. The only thing that was an expense was a new set of brake accumulators and brakes, generally, on the buses seem to be one on the things that could need funds. You might be interested to know that my bus is now for sale as I have other commitments I have to concentrate on, see www.redbusfood.com/red-bus-sale You could contact the Routemaster Association for latest on bus sales. Best of luck
As I have previously pointed out to Alan, you cannot operate old Routemasters or indeed any other old buses as commercial ventures of any kind, such as cafes and F&C shops, whilst also claiming historical exemptions from Driving Licence, MOT, Road Tax, Tachograph, Drivers hours regulations and Operators Licence. You require all of the above if operating even old buses as a business of any kind. As such, I suspect that it simply isn't worth all of those associated costs, regulations and licences which are required once the conversion is completed and the business gets underway.
Hello :) Could I offer you some advice? I noticed in your video that you don't check your mirrors very often, Ideally you should be checking near and offside mirrors every 5 to 10 seconds, Bus drivers need excellent situational awareness and will be aware at all times of what's happening in front of and around the bus. This is especially important now that their are so many cyclists on the road, cyclists will and do end up in your blindspots, so before you have even released the parking brake you should turn and have a good look left and right before moving the bus. hope this is useful :)
Its not like he is in central London mate, chill out. Also in no way do you have a clue if he is flicking his eyes to the mirrors without moving his head. Stop being a busy cunt
Well said. Also, knitting hands when turning the wheel! Hands shouldn’t overlap. Easy to lose control in an emergency when your hands get in the way of one another.
That bus it's quite valuable now and will only go up, despite being heavily fiddled with, not the least it's more modern powerplant which doesn't make anywhere near the beautiful sounds of the AEC 590.
Is this semi automatic manual transmission with automatic clutch ? We never had this in mass production in Germany, only manual transmission, oder Automatic Transmission with TorqueConverter.
Without a clutch. It has a fluid flywheel similar acting to a torque converter in an auto. You just lift of the throttle, move gear lever to neutral then move into next gear and throttle again. Gear lever is electric which activates pneumatic air cams that change the gear. No physical linkages.
Are these fitted with a pre selector gearbox? If so why are you shifting the gear lever like a manual gear box bus? On our Regal Mark III we select 1st gear, operate the change speed pedal and get underway, once the bus starts moving and anticipating accelerating, we shift the gear lever into the 2nd gear position, even though the bus is still accelerating in the 1st gear, then when it is ready we push down on the change speed pedal selecting 2nd gear, once it engages we move the gear selector lever into the 3rd gear position and so on. Regards a Fan from Aus
Routemasters are fitted with an automatic gearbox. I use the semi-auto mode. Much easier for London drivers continually changing gears! Very easy to drive.
@@alanandhisbus3416 some I’ve seen over the years is just drivers slamming The gear through the gate and be dropping into first gear before it’s stopped and it’s like ouch, I only put into first gear once completely stationary unless on a steep hill if I need to push into first and it’s slowly creeping and I need to start moving again if use first
Hi Alan. Please clear up a mystery for me. I always thought the RM ( the best bus every made ) had a pre selector gearbox, i.e. put in 1st, press the "clutch" and it was in gear, move the gear to 2nd move off in 1st, press the clutch then went to 2nd and so on. You seem to be driving it like a conventional gearbox. Or have I got it wrong ? I used to watch the LT drivers like a hawk when I was a kid and live in London.
The bus you're refering to is the RT, forerunner of the RM/RML. They had the pre-select gearbox whereby you would select the gear and when ready to engage, depress the operating pedal.
@@robertgtaylor RFs also had an air driven semi auto pre select. Having had the opportunity to drive one for 10 minutes I can tell it’s a complete art!
Hi CGB-75. Yes, all OK. We've had a couple of mechanical issues, but they got fixed before I could setup a video! I'm thinking of doing a video of us actually working on the Fish & Chips in the bus, but its a bit more difficult as needs 2 or 3 cameras! We'll see....
I always put my foot on the foot brake, select gear then release the handbrake. Also it ‘s important to keep the bus in gear until you stop, the engine braking is kinder to the passengers and bus. iI suggest you were spending too long in the lower gears especially 1st, speaking from experience of driving buses of most types including Routemasters and crash boxes
@@alanandhisbus3416 I've listened to an AEC engined Routemaster and can tell the difference now. The Cummins C series engine sounds older than it is as it probably has no air filter and heavily detuned so it doesn't destroy the gearbox.
The advice I would give you for a smoother gearchange is to “drive it off the bands”. That is, move the gear selector to neutral, then take your foot off the throttle. You’ll not get that awful lurch I can hear and your passengers would definitely feel.
Hi Guy's my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't you Rebuild a nice fresh shiny Volvo D10A Cummins L10 Scania N230UD and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Enviro 400 MMC’s and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 24, 168, 125, 173, 179, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 77 Volvo D10A Cummins L10 Scania N230UD and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Enviro 400 MMC’s please could you Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour's and put them on the London Bus Routes witch are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41 and N26 for us because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour's and I'am a Big Fan of all of those Volvo D10A Cummins L10 Scania N230UD and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Enviro 400 MMC’s Please?
Hi Guy's my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't you Rebuild a nice fresh shiny Leyland TL11 Volvo TD102KF Cummins L10 Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH’s and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 24, 168, 125, 173, 179, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 91 Leyland TL11 Volvo TD102KF Cummins L10 Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH’s please could you Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour's and put them on the London Bus Routes witch are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41 and N26 for us because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour's and I'am a Big Fan of all of those Leyland TL11 Volvo TD102KF Cummins L10 Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH’s Please?
Do you still require a PSV license, and where would you even start to get an insurance quote on such a vehicle? Fond memories of trying to get to the front seat when younger to watch the driver. Cheers.
Hello Magnets! No PSV required as not carrying paying passengers. Our insurance company specialises in vintage vehicles, though the catering/public liability aspect presented a challenge!
@@magnetsplace Alan is most certainly not correct with his understanding that he does not need an additional licence to drive his Bus. First of all, PSV licences were dropped over 30 years ago on 1 April 1991 and replaced with PCV licences in order to close the loop hole of not requiring a PSV (public service vehicle) licence when a bus wasn't actually being used as a PSV. From 1 April 1991, a PCV (passenger carrying vehicle) licence was now required at all times to drive a large bus regardless of what activity it was being used for. With regard to buses declared as a vehicle of historical interest, these are only exempt from requiring a PCV licence if they are over 30 years old and not being used for business purposes of any kind whatsoever (including a mobile fish & chip shop), and not carrying more than 8 passengers (paying or not). Unfortunately, Alan chooses to deliberately ignore one of those conditions when falsely claiming the PCV driving licence exemption. The following is taken straight from the Governments own publishing site.... Buses you can drive with a full car(category B) licence. You can drive any of the following vehicles known as ‘exempted passenger’ carrying vehicles: • a bus made more than 30 years before the date it is being driven, and NOT used for business purposes or for carrying more than eight passengers • MOT Exemption at 40 Years..... Large goods vehicles (i.e. goods vehicles with a maximum laden weight of more than 3.5 tonnes) and buses (i.e. vehicles with 8 or more seats) that are used commercially will NOT be exempted from periodic MOT testing at 40 years • Road Tax Exemption for vehicles built before 1 January 1981...... Large vehicles and buses You can apply for these vehicles to be made exempt: buses used for voluntary or community purposes private heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) - they CANNOT be designed or adapted for transporting goods, or used commercially for a trade or business, or be used for driver training. Vehicles used commercially or “for hire and reward” are NOT exempt from paying tax. . Tachograph Exemption...... Larger buses with 17 or more seats (excluding the driver’s seat) will come within the scope of EC Drivers’ Hours Regulations (EC Regulation 561/2006) however they are driven, except where the vehicle being driven is more than 25 years old and is not being used for the commercial carriage of passengers or goods. (The carriage of Fish & Chips, whether sold direct from the vehicle or not, would clearly be considered as goods) If Alan's understanding of the law was correct, everyone would be getting hold of 30 or 40 year old buses and stripping them out to affectively become goods vehicles yet seemingly free of all licenses, testing and registration fees that everyone else has to pay whilst running newer vehicles for commercial purposes. Again, there is no driving licence exemption, no mot exemption, no road tax exemption, no tachograph exemption for 30 year old buses if being used for business purposes of any kind. Further, it is extremely likely that this vehicle would no longer actually be categorised as a bus (and has therefore now lost any non commercial driving licence exemption) considering the significant conversion which has taken place to now become a mobile fish & chip shop and should therefore have been declared and reregistered as a HGV. As such, this would require a full LGV C driving licence with no historical driving licence exemption available. In any event, Alan is falsely claiming numerous non commercial historical exemptions (including driving licence exemption) whilst clearly using the vehicle on a commercial basis. Preserved and historic vehicles benefit from a number of relaxations to the normal regulations in respect of driver licensing, drivers’ hours, vehicle testing and excise duty, but it remains the owner’s duty to ensure that the vehicle is being used in full compliance with the law at all times.
@@xj358 Spot on with your very detailed information. The rules change as soon as you start using exempt vehicles on a commercial basis and this would also have a knock on effect with the validity of the insurance if the driver is driving otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of his licence.
@@SB-rw5gu LC20 offence code. Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence. 3 - 6 penalty points and remains on your licence for 4 years. Driving without a valid licence will more than likely invalidate any insurance policy held by the driver, so the charge of driving without insurance may also apply.
I now realise that it could be worse, my neighbours only have works vans and a motorhome.... Jealous of your reversing ability as I struggle to reverse my Viva into my (wide) driveway and have given up even attempting to reverse it into the garage 😓
Hi Guy's my name is Mr C. T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why coudn't you find a nice fresh shiny Leyland Titan B15's and Repaint them to a Grey Green Color's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 125, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guy would like to find about 11 Leyland Titan B15's, please could you Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Color's for us because it would be a Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Color's and I'am a Big Fan of all of the Leyland Titan B15's😉😉😉😄😄
With practice you could quickly flick up through the gears,going down you paused in neutral and gave it a rev. Driving in automatic was boring and was more Jerry and was not appreciated by your conductor or "clippy".
Alan would love to have a trip on your bus would it be possible for you to give me conductor training as I'm going to become a conductor at a local bus museum
Hello Guy. At the moment, I only get to run the bus on 2 days a week for a couple of miles between our two village Fish & chip stops. I must admit not know much about the conductors role (except 1 bell ring to stop, 2 bell rings to go)!
Hi Guy's my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't you Rebuild a nice fresh shiny Gardner 6LXCT Gardner 6LXC and Volvo TD102KF 3 speed Voith DIWA Northern Counties Palatine 1’s and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 168, 125, 173, 179, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 93 Gardner 6LXCT Gardner 6LXC and Volvo TD102KF 3 speed Voith DIWA Northern Counties Palatine 1’s please could you Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour’s and put them on those London Bus Routes witches are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41, and N26 for us because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour's and I'am a Big Fan of all of those Gardner 6LXCT Gardner 6LXC and Volvo TD102KF 3 speed Voith DIWA Northern Counties Palatine 1’s Please.
I've been working on London's buses since 1974 and driving them since 1979. I spent many years driving Routemasters both before and after refurbishment. The RML you are driving there is after refurbishment. Please don't take this the wrong way but you are making a few mistakes in your driving technique. I would be happy to iron them out free of charge if you are interested. (I couldn't legally charge you) If you are interested please leave a comment.
@@alanandhisbus3416 Hello Alan, Please remember I'm not a driving instructor I am only giving advice, not criticism, in my capacity as a bus driver. I've been working on the buses since I was seventeen, that was 1974.I started as a bus operating trainee which was basically a glorified tea boy.At eighteen I became a conductor and at twenty two a driver. I'm still driving at the age of sixty four. I spent a good few years driving Routemasters and since you are open to it I would like to make a few suggestions. When you were pulling out of your drive you used first gear.You yourself said that the bus can pull away in second gear. First gear is only really to be used when the bus is not on a level surface and for just getting it rolling.The criteria for establishing wether the bus is on a hill or not is if you put the bus in neutral, will it roll backwards. So no matter how slight the gradient that is the only time you should use first gear.Another reason is you should have always, except in an emergency, changed into second gear before you brake. The bus will not "run away with you"if you move around in second gear whilst exiting your drive,just cover the brake and don't give it any gas(that's a bus drivers term for don't put your foot on the accelerater) until you're on the road. I note your bus hasn't had the automatic gear facility removed as you stated it will change down of it's own accord (that only happens if you leave it in top - forth gear.Just a little by the by here,the Routemaster was originally designed to be brought to a standstill in automatic and would not select second gear until 3 MPH unless you went back on the gas where for a short time it would go into neutral in order for the driver to give a short burst of gas so the engine would be turning at the right speed and the bus would go into the appropriate gear smoothly. Unfortunately as the buses got older the engineers would have to adjust the engine speed to stop the bus stalling etc.. and as a result even though the driver is off the gas the gearbox thinks it is being given gas and changes down even though you are braking.I never drove as far as I can remember, a refurbished RML,yours being an example of one,that didn't change down when braking. To combat this drivers would put the bus into neutral whilst braking before it had a chance to change down and slip it back into gear at around 3MPM.The reason we did this was for the comfort of your conductor and passengers.It might not seem too uncomfortable in the cab but get a friend to ride in the saloon and not hold on(as if they were trying to collect fares)and they will soon tell you. Getting back to driving .You don't check your mirrors nearly enough. Even on quiet roads a motorcycle can speed up on your inside and you must be ready for them.I would strongly advise you to take some instruction before you venture onto busier roads. Now I may just be being pedantic but when you are stationary you take the bus out of gear before applying the hand brake.Handbrake first then take it out of gear.Likewise when moving off you take the handbrake off and then select the gear.It's select gear first then take off the handbrake. These are not mentioned as negative criticisms as you are not a professional bus driver and you have after all achieved the ownership of your own Routemaster which is something I wish I had managed because the Routemaster, in my opinion is the best bus ever built.
Extended Bodies for Most of the Buses Much as I am not comfortable to ask the depot why they stopped running the London Suburban Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW’s on routes N26, 30, 121, 230, 271, 349, N279 And 158 why can’t we make the same make of the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Buses but Modernise the insides of these Buses. Also make it low floor up and down and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more so there will be more space for the wheelchair users. By the way, if you could remake and Modernise these vehicles could they also make it into a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Version’s that if it will be possible and to Modernise the insides of these Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW’s make it low floor up and down and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a Little bit more so there will be more space and even a London Suburban Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more. Why couldn’t we have those London Suburban Buses Pale red on the top roof Pale red again on the top middle Milk Chocolate brown on the middle Creamy white on the Bottom Middle and Milk Chocolate Brown again on the Bottom on most of those kind of those Particular Double Decker Vehicles. Could you put the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox in the Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and also put the Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox in the Volvo TD102KF Engine East Lancs Olympus and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more and also turn most of them to a London Suburban Buses. By the way could you also make the routes N26, 349, 121, N279 and 271 into a London Suburban Buses and have a mixture of a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Version’s. Could they also transfer the Arriva Bus Depots from Hackney to Stagecoach company so they can replace all the Arriva buses so that all of them can go to Birmingham and Leeds and they can be replaced by Stagecoach Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox Volvo TD102KF Engine East Lancs Olympus and also Extend the Middle body part of these Vehicles and that includes A Mixture of a Stagecoach Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox Volvo TD102KF, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LXCT Engine Northern Counties Palatine One and that Includes a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles A Little Bit More. Can Arriva London Bus Company’s Replace Most of their Wight Buses so they can also transfer them to Birmingham and Also Manchester so they can be Replaced by Loud 3-Speed ZF Ecomat Gearboxes Volvo D10A Engine East Lancs Olympus and also Extend the Middle body part of these Vehicles A Little Bit More Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Much. Oh buy the way could the bus Factory Companies also Make More of Those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel engine Olympian ECW Vehicles And that also includes Those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC And also Extend the Middle Body part of those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Vehicles and the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and that also includes The Loud 3-Speed ZF Ecomat Gearboxes Volvo D10A Engine East Lancs Olympus A Little Bit More And Paint Those 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and also those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel engine Olympian ECW Vehicles and that also includes The Northern Counties Palatine One with a Volvo TD102KF, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LXCT Diesel engines with a Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearboxes and The Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and also The Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles to the Grey Green Colours Just Like The Other Original Scania Grey Green on the Bus Route 313 and the 103, If all The Leyland Titan B15’s are Fully Red and even Mostly Red, could they also Repaint All of The Leyland Titan B15’s into Grey Green Colours Just Like The Other Original Scania Grey Green on the Bus Route 313 so they can Reuse them for Only Every 5 and a Half Months and also Reuse them on those Rail Replacement London Bus Routes if that will Be Alright for Only Just Every 5 and a Half Months and also Reuse Those Buses Only on the London Bus Routes witch are The 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, N26 so Please make sure that the builders can do as they are told!!!!!!!!!! And Please do something about these Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Important Professional Ideas Please Please Prime Minister and also Includes the Mayor of London.😉😉😅😅😀😀😀
ALAN YOU GET PRAISE FOR YOUR ""GEAR CHANGES""" BUT YOU ARE DRIVING A SEMI-AUTO gearbox in a Routemaser bus """NOT EVEN AN RT with a pre-Select gearbox ""the way you talk you should be driving an old bus with a ""crash gearbox""" then you would understand about engine rev's and proper gesrchanges Yes i am a retired coach and bus driver having driven all sorts of vehicles with ""crash gearboxes """ constant mesh""" semi auto'/ pre-select
