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Birmingham buses

Not sure if you missed this one as well
Did some Guy's have crash gear boxes.?
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Post-war, yes. The last five of the 2901-3000 batch had 'crash' boxes, supposedly for fuel consumption comparison with the preselect ones. (fluid flywheel transmission always has about 5% loss of power, so therefore slightly worse MPG figures).
I guess they would have ended up as driver training buses after their working lives were through, but by then the need for such vehicles had passed.
All of the wartime 'utility' Guy buses were crash-box, some having the gear positions mirror-image to the normal 'gate', nicknamed 'Chinese box' thus:
3 1
l--l
4 2
 
Hi Lloyd,I know this isn't exactly a question about buses,but seeing as we're talking transmissions somewhat,would you know if the Daimler ambulances used in the '50's also had the Fluid Flywheel,Pre-select gearbox,as it was a Daimler favourite.Also what engines were used in these vehicles?........Mal
 
Yes, the Daimler DC27 ambulance chassis had the same transmission - as did almost all Daimler products from the early 1930s to the late 1950s, even the wartime armoured cars! The ambulance chassis was derived from the DE27 Limousine, and used the same 4 litre straight six engine, but with an offset differential in the rear axle to get a lower gangway (buses had the same feature).
There's some fascinating information about them here https://www.independent.co.uk/life-...aimler-dc27-wheels-of-the-old-nhs-458425.html
Some nice models have been produced of DC27s, including this Birmingham one.
 
Hello Lloyd,going back to the various transmissions on the buses of the '50's,would each depot have a particular type(e.g.all Daimler,all Leyland,etc),or was there a random selection of types? A cross selection would lead to difficulties regarding driver training,fleet maintainance,and even spares selection.Or were all drivers trained up on all types of buses?This non-standardisation must have led to some difficulties,but there again I know things were a bit (lot) more lax then..............Mal.
 
Often vehicles were allocated by route, and the crews at each depot were rostered by route (or 'Road' as they would call them) and so generally types were not spread all over the staff. Daimlers had the same controls whatever engine was fitted, and the Guys were preselect as well, although the 'selection' was by a normal gearlever. What would be the clutch pedal on a normal gearbox transmission bus was the 'gear' pedal on Daimlers and Guys, pressing and releasing the pedal engaged the gear. The fluid flywheel took up the slip whilst the bus was stationary, you didn't have to hold the pedal down like a clutch.
 
Whatever buses were allocated to a garage, drivers there would be type trained on every type at the garage in case a bus not normally used on a particular route was used or sent out as a change bus following a breakdown. Drivers might also work off their usual road on their day off. Certain garages would have large allocations of one type such as the Leyland PD2's at Yardley Wood and Hockley. A list of types a driver had been typed on was kept on the drivers record file and updated when a new type was introduced such as the rear engined buses in later years. When in 1975, through the WMPTE, Midland Red buses ended up in former BCT garages, all had to be type trained on. The practice is still carried on by Travel West Midlands.
In contrast Midland Red drivers received no formal type training until the Leyland Nationals appeared and then on a voluntary basis, many drivers happy to "sit in and weigh it up" when the time came to drive one on service although advice was often sought off other drivers as well. As a Midland Red coach driver it was also the case when having to drive coaches belonging to other companies on joint services that "sit in and weigh it up" was the only option.
 
Crash Gear Boxes

Thanks Lloyd I only asked because I spent some time traing on one of those.:)
 
motorman-mike said:
Whatever buses were allocated to a garage, drivers there would be type trained on every type at the garage in case a bus not normally used on a particular route was used or sent out as a change bus following a breakdown. Drivers might also work off their usual road on their day off. Certain garages would have large allocations of one type such as the Leyland PD2's at Yardley Wood and Hockley. A list of types a driver had been typed on was kept on the drivers record file and updated when a new type was introduced such as the rear engined buses in later years. When in 1975, through the WMPTE, Midland Red buses ended up in former BCT garages, all had to be type trained on. The practice is still carried on by Travel West Midlands.
In contrast Midland Red drivers received no formal type training until the Leyland Nationals appeared and then on a voluntary basis, many drivers happy to "sit in and weigh it up" when the time came to drive one on service although advice was often sought off other drivers as well. As a Midland Red coach driver it was also the case when having to drive coaches belonging to other companies on joint services that "sit in and weigh it up" was the only option.
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Type training certainly does not happen with First in Cornwall. If you held a PCV licence then you could and would drive any vehicle in the fleet. This would include mini buses, midi buses (darts), deckers (atlanteans and bristol vr's) and coaches with either manual, semi auto or auto boxes.
 
Thanks for that Nick, I know among Midland Red men it was seen as matter of pride that they could and would get in to any bus or coach and drive it without any prior knowledge of the motor concerned. As long as we could find or were told where the starter was, it was all systems go!
Mike
PS My first go in a London Routemaster had me fooled, the starter was disguised as a coat hook:rolleyes:
 
Hi Paul , I should say this photo was taken mid to late 70s
On here there are other bus nerds who could tell you which
garage the ex Midland Red bus belonged too.
Ragga :)
 
Ragga you are not having a knock at Alf over one on another thread about a photo he thought he had not seen before but Mortorman Kime had used in his thread about where is this are you?. :D:D:D. Off to bed now. Jane.:P:P.
 
ragga said:
Thank you Alf ......... not seen it before until now ......have you ??
ragga :)
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No ragga I thought I'd seen the lot as they are pretty sharp the Bus lads on this Forum:)

But its great having new surprises
 
ragga, your fine pic was of an ex Midland Red D9 type bus taken over by West Midlands PTE in December 1973. Working the 130 it would have been from Stourbridge Garage. (By the way bus nerds live in America, over here we are bus 'nuts' or 'anoraks' and some are 'number crunchers' as well:D. Me, I am more of a 'tramerak'
Mike
 
Birmingham 1845, HOV845, a Daimler CVG6, one of eighty-seven, dating from 1949 with a Metro-Cammell H30/24R body of a typical Birmingham bus at Perry Barr garage and in Navigation St. Len.
 
Thanks were they used on the No8 Inner Circle, I loved the gear change when I was a lad when the Bus jolted.:)
 
The photo on the right shows a building with The Birmingham on, can anyone tell what it is, I remember seeing it but can't remember what it was:)
 
Hi Alf, I know that building as well, i think it is the Birmingham, Skin & Hide Company?, not sure. Len.
 
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