Відео

It's a Turner 5 speed gearbox, but first is so low it's practically a crawler gear.

@plaxtonsupreme would have been better off being an 8-speed gearbox

And a more powerful engine, and better steering, and air suspension, but this coach is completely original and that's how they built them back then!

@plaxtonsupreme how much horsepower would it have?

@@trainsme7919 Was supposed to have 159hp when new but I don't think it has that much now!

The earlier Supremes (and Panorama Elites) had all the switches on the right hand side. The Supreme IV, like mine, has the switches on both sides of the dash. The switches on the left are all for heaters, the one under the dash for the windscreen demister and drivers vent, and then up to 4 heaters along the saloon. The switches on the right are mostly for lighting, but also has the rack blowers and drivers overhead fan. I have uploaded close up photos to Flickr for your perusal. flic.kr/p/2pS9UMY flic.kr/p/2pSb5ob flic.kr/p/2pS4acq

@@plaxtonsupreme Thank you. I really don't know why those banks of switches would fascinate me so much, but as a lad, it's the sort of things that do isn't it.

@@MisterHampshire I totally agree with you. It's one of the many aspects of a coach that had me fascinated as a youngster as part of my "how does it work?" curiosity that led me towards being an engineer!

@@plaxtonsupremeI'm rather guessing yours is not fitted with a Telma? That was something else that fascinated me at the time, how the driver was apparently able to slow down without apparently braking as such. It wasn't until many years later I understood what it was.

@@MisterHampshire Absolutely correct.... no retarder on my coach.

When this coach was built, nearly all had manual gearboxes. Automatics were quite rare back then.

ZF made stick boxes too! Our YNT has a 6-speed manual box.

It is a synchro gearbox, so double declutching shouldn't be necessary, but at more than 40 years old, some of the synchro capability has been lost and so double declutching allows a smoother and quicker change to the next gear.

It is a 5 speed but first gear is very low. It was regular practice to set off in second gear. Changing up from 1st to 2nd can be a bit tricky, by which time, you've stopped again! I use 1st gear more frequently now that I've got used to it. As for engine power, it is rated at 157bhp but probably has less than that now.

What do you think is unusual about it? It's fairly standard for a late Supreme. Seats are a different moquette than when new, but other than that, it's original.

@plaxtonsupreme I seem to remember the supremes I travelled in having mottled beige roof panels.

The Dominants always seemed to have the nicest interiors. The mixture of interior finishes- nice use of chrome- mahogany style laminates, proper eyeball vents for each passenger, and comfy stylish seats.

@@Ltee28 That "Pearl discus" or "Grey Damask" used previously was increasingly replaced by wood and moquette by the 1981 season. It was an optional extra on my coach.

@@plaxtonsupreme I'm not sure I've ever travelled in one as recent as a 1981! Most were from '77-79

Yep, very vague. Vehicles designed in the 70s didn't have as precise steering as modern vehicles do. Bedfords weren't great to start with and 400,000 miles use hasn't improved it!

@plaxtonsupreme well you cope very well ! The distance the gear lever has to travel is enormous, you practically have to push it out of the front window for first. After the best looking coaches (RELH with ECW body), the Plaxtons always looked better than any of their contemporaries no matter which chassis they were on .

The description in the title of the video states it was the AEC Gathering road run.

Beautifully driven

The earlier Supremes had "Figured Rosewood" panelling where as the later ones usually had the lighter "Rustic Bronze" panels. The additional switch on the gear lever would probably have been an optional two speed rear axle which acted as a splitter to offer gear ratios in between the standard gears in the gearbox. When you've got as little power available as you have in a Bedford, being able to optimise your engine speed is very useful! If you're interested in Plaxton Supreme coaches, there's a good Facebook group with all sorts of interesting photos and stories. facebook.com/groups/plaxtonsupreme

@@plaxtonsupreme Many thanks for your reply, all makes sense now. Don't see many about nowadays makes them more special. I'm on a Facebook group already, takes back to my past.

Yes, Turner 5 speed. Somewhat agricultural in its operation!

On the one I drove the veneer in the middle of the dashboard was cracked for some reason. I found out why the first time I went for reverse, there was so much play in the lever I trapped my knuckles against the dashboard

Thanks. HFL14W is having a day out at the South Yorkshire Transport Museum today.

@@plaxtonsupreme Our first 45 seater Bedford was MFE 391V, and came from Hornsby Travel in Scunthorpe

Thanks for your question Andrew. When changing up, after you press the clutch down and move into neutral, the engine revs will drop (lots of pumping losses and friction to slow it down) but the gear box input shaft can still be rotating quite quickly (on roller bearings), meaning there is too big a speed difference between gearbox input shaft and output shaft for the synchroniser ring of the next gear to easily cope with. The result is either a longer wait for the synchroniser to work (slow gear shift) or it goes into the next gear with a graunch, as my third gear is prone to do. By lifting the clutch pedal in neutral just before selecting the next gear, it allows the slower engine to reduce the gearbox input shaft speed so there's less work for the synchroniser ring to do. The result is a quicker gear change without any graunching. It doesn't have to be as accurate as with a crash gearbox, but it does help. It isn't always required, for example, if the up-shift takes place whilst engine revs were quite low in the preceding gear then the synchroniser ring can cope with the speed difference anyway. The technique isn't necessary on newer gearboxes but on old, worn out gearboxes, it makes life easier. My gearbox is also prone to jumping out of 2nd gear, which is why you see me holding onto the gear lever more than would be normally required. The joys of old worn out machinery.... but I still love this coach to bits!! 🥰

@@plaxtonsupreme Thanks for explaining that. Very interesting and helpful. And you are right to love that coach to bits. Much enjoyed your video and I have learnt something new too. Best wishes, Andrew

Beautiful comment.

Just for info, the wood is real, but the "leather" isn't!

Also the smell of damp and diesel...

@@Ltee28 diesel, yes, but no damp on this one

I liked the Volvos the best, 80s school trips really were amazing

Yes, I guess I do, a bad habit I guess. I'm sorry my driving doesn't meet with your approval. That wasn't why I posted the video though.

A friend of mine had a few coaches (incl a Bedford a bit like this)... he always said, "Clutch for go and brakes for slow", easier to change brake pads than clutches so as long as you're in control, which you clearly are, it doesn't matter. Nice memories, thanks for the video.

I can understand that viewpoint but I'm preserving a Bedford as it was what I remember our local operators using. It was a very popular choice back then, mainly because they were more cost effective to own. One advantage of owning an old Bedford nowadays over an old Volvo or DAF is the spare parts are usually very easy to find and not too expensive to buy!

Bedfords and Fords are good, honest classic coaches from that era. Brings back lots of memories!

@@Ltee28 Bedford engines and gearboxes were good enough for the British and commonwealth armed forces for decades! One ex WW2 officer commented post-war that for the job they did. AEC, Bedford, Rover and Austin engines were just as good as the Rolls Royce they superceeded at a fraction of the cost, and no frills.

Synchro on some gears aren't as good as they used to be! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For a reliable swift gearshift, double declutching works well.

@@plaxtonsupreme Big boxes will always give a better change double declutching if if synco is fitted. No employer will sanction a box overhaul just because the syncro is worn. Start off double declutching and see how it goes with single declutching or even zero declutching. Hot oil in the box makes a big difference. On vehicles with a aux box it was recommended to have the aux box in neutral and have the main box in gear with the engine running to get the oil circulating and warm.

I used to go to AMVC, there where some cool buses & coaches lined-up on the playground daily

Thanks for your comments. It is lovely to listen to. I wish it was a turbo version but this one is the naturally aspirated version. It's all remarkably original though.

Oh sounds like a 500 turbo

Coming out of Blackpool at night the coach's would sing with the cold air.

Llandudno Transport Festival and the AEC Gathering in Newark are my next bookings for 2024.

Thanks.... glad you enjoyed it.

At 7 mins 55 seconds, the red Harrington coach is an AEC.

Bedford Y series coaches are mid engined.

Synchro on some gears aren't as good as they used to be! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For a reliable swift gearshift, double declutching works well.

@@plaxtonsupreme I even find it effective in modern cars with notchy gear shifts.

What is double clutching?

@@brianmoran. Double de-clutching is where you depress the clutch, then take it out of gear, then lift the clutch in neutral before dipping it again and selecting the next gear. It's essential on crash gearboxes as the driver has to do the speed synchronisation of the gearbox input and output shafts for the gears to mesh. On synchro gearboxes it isn't necessary, but at more than 40 years old, some of the synchro capability has been lost and so double declutching allows a smoother and quicker change to the next gear.