THE SCOTTISH VINTAGE BUS
MUSEUM – 2010 LVVS RUNNING DAY, LINCOLN
CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR LARGER IMAGE
On the 6th November 2010,
a group of members and friends headed off on a trip to Lincoln for the LVVS
Annual Running Day aboard the museum’s Seddon ‘T’ Type DSD 936V. After picking
up additional passengers at Dreghorn, on the Edinburgh By-pass, we settled down
for a fairly long trip.
Unfortunately, we had only started
down the A1 when we heard an ominous sound from the engine, the bus lost power,
and we had to limp along till we came to a slip road, on which we stopped. By
this time we were all coughing and spluttering from the fumes coming up through
the floor from the engine, so made a quick exit for some fresh air! It turned
out that a cylinder block liner had moved causing enough damage for a new block
to be required.
Luckily, the Stagecoach ‘Baby
Bristol’, HDV 639E, was offered as a replacement for the weekend and was
gratefully accepted. After a not-to-long wait, HDV arrived at the same time as
the tow truck for the Seddon. If we thought that was ‘problem solved’ we had
another think coming! However, we did get to Lincoln.
|
On Haddington Slip awaiting rescue (Graeme Fraser) |
Help
Arrives (Andrew Reid) |
Transferring the essentials (Mike Dickson) |
Fter a convivial evening with a meal
and a few drinks, we were all up bright and early on the Sunday – the big day –
and it stayed fine all day. There was a comprehensive timetable and I would
have liked to present a photo of every bus on it, plus additional vehicles
(including our chariot). As I forgot my camera, I had to rely on fellow
travellers, Andrew Reid, Graeme Fraser, Jim Methven and Mike Dickson for the
content of this page.
For me, there was no master plan, no
bus that ‘I had to see’, so it was just a case of jumping on whatever was at
the terminus at the same time as I was, the first being Lincolnshire 1411
(FW5698), a 1935 Leyland Tiger TS7 / Burlingham. After spending some time in
town with Graeme Fraser, admiring the older parts on the way up to the
cathedral and visiting the cathedral itself, we headed back down the very steep
cathedral approaches and to the free bus terminus.
We were just in time to catch
Roe-bodied AEC Regent III (JDN 668), York Pullman’s 64, for the journey back to
Pyke Road, the terminus opposite the museum. It is seen below with Leyland Lion
VL 1263, on which I travelled later. This bus is similar to RU
8678 being restored at Lathalmond by the Scoulars.
|
FW5698 (Centre)
(Graeme Fraser) |
JDN668 &
VL1263 (Graeme Fraser) |
My next trip, with Graeme again, by
chance, was on United 6080 (SHN 80L), a 1973 Bristol RE / ECW. The difference
between us was that Graeme sat at the back to take in the engine sound, whilst
I sat near the front to enjoy just sitting in an old bus taking in the view.
This journey took us on a round trip to Whisby (Natural World Centre). After
that it was North Western 206 (CDB 206), a 1950 Bristol L5G / Weyman, of which
I have no photo, followed by VHK 177L, Eastern National’s 1404, a 1972 Bristol
RELH / ECW.
|
SHN80L (Graeme
Fraser) |
VHK177L
Prominent (Graeme Fraser) |
I travelled on quite a few more
buses over the day, as shown below with others photographed by my SVBM
companions
|
DBE187, DFE383, NML616E Prominent (Andrew Reid) |
GUF727; GWT630
(Andrew Reid) |
|
RFE482, CFN121, DBE187 (Andrew Reid) |
FX10AFK, VL1263 Old meets New (Andrew Reid) |
|
VL1263, WH1653
(Andrew Reid) |
VV8934 (Andrew
Reid) |
|
Uknown (Mike
Dickson) |
5789AH (Mike
Dickson) |
|
HVH472D (Mike
Dickson) |
Uknown (Mike
Dickson) |
|
HDV639E (Jim
Methven) |
HDV639E (Mike
Dickson) |
|
LTA629 (Andrew
Reid) |
225LRB, HDV638E Prominent (Andrew Reid) |
|
HD7905 (Andrew
Reid) |
KHA301, MDJ918E
(Andrew Reid) |
|
D278FAS (Graeme
Fraser) |
HDV638E (Jim
Methven) |
|
The Evening City Tour DBE187 (Jim
Methven) |
The Evening City Tour DFE383 (Jim
Methven) |
So, it was all over after the
evening city tour, which comprised a comprehensive run round Lincoln with a
lengthy photo-stop outside the cathedral, where the above photos were taken.
Another good evening followed, this time as the guests of the organisers of the
event, then to bed, an early rise, and we were off.
However, we were not far into the
journey when lady luck frowned on us again. Once again a strange sound from
under the floor lead to an unscheduled stop at the side of the road. This time
it was an alternator flexi coupling that had failed because the alternator had
become loose in its mounting. Luckily, our resident mechanics, Jim Methven and
Rab Paterson managed a temporary repair and we headed for Stagecoach Worksop,
the nearest Stagecoach garage and thankfully not too far out of our way. When
we got into the garage we weren’t allowed out of the bus until we were all
fitted with hi-viz vests, and once the bus was ready a group photo w as taken
with the bus. From Worksop, the journey home was without further mishap.
|
Ready for the
mechanics (Graeme Fraser) |
Ready for the
off (Andrew Reid) |
