@@johng.lidstone2236 yes he certainly was. A credit to his profession. Sadly many drivers have no feel for the gearbox and must have kept the mechanics very busy.
He who drove a classic lorry or such a bus all day is an hero to me. I have got a 50 year old 6X6 tipper lorry 26 tons GVW, after 2 hours of driving the shirt's all wet. I think my ancestors were a wee bit tougher than I am.
Cracking video of a bird's eye view as the driver struggles admirably with excessive steering play and pulls off some super-slick gear changes when the going gets tough! Brilliant !!!
Using a vehicle on the highway with excessive play in the steering is a criminal offence. If he is such an 'admirable' driver how come he didn't refuse to take it out?
@@robertrich663 My comment was in reply to Rob Hughes comment that the driver was 'struggling with excessive play in the steering'.With respect, 'play in the steering' is nothing to do with low or high gearing. It is the amount by which you can turn the steering wheel without the road wheels moving. It is fairly self-evident that using a vehicle with excessive play in the steering is dangerous. I can confirm that the bus in the video passed a PSV MOT shortly before the Kingsbridge event - so it definitely did not have 'excessive play in the steering'. IMHO it does the preservation movement no good whatsoever for comments to be posted stating that vehicles are being used in an unsafe condition.
Lovely video, great perspective and sound, without any excited chatter from the passengers. Good skilled driver too. A treat to see the old girl at work on challenging roads and still up to it.
In 1958 during my college vacation I worked as a conductor out of long-gone Totnes garage, Every bus had its own personality: all the drivers dreaded no. 953. Starting one shift I found Gilbert, my driver in a foul mood: on an overtime stint that morning, returning fronm Pontin's Holiday Camp near Paignton, he had had to ask some of the passengers to get off because he'd got stuck on a hill! Apparently 953 had a five-cylinder engine: most of the others had six. I went on to be a teacher, and often regretted not staying on the buses in idyllic Devon.
So, if one travelled to the provinces in the 50's, this is what they would have used? What a beautiful sounding vehicle. This was what most municipal and provincial bus opertaors would have run, half-cab rear entrance buses. Very nice indeed.
Oh for an extra 200 hp. It takes so long to change gear in craxh boxes that all forward momentum is lost ! I admire all those who did this all day. Must have had popeye arms.
they were easy to drive and steering wasn't that heavy. Bristols were far lighter than Leylands I found. No problem with hills 1st-2nd as you did 'snap changes' to avoid crawling in 1st. I used to find myself going slightly deaf working over 'agricultural' Gardner 5LW engines.
Great stuff and superb changing,a few of the comments obviously havent the faintest idea about about crash boxes with no syncromesh,At least the drivers of front engined vehicles could hear developing faults.This week I had to tell the driver of my local rear-engined bus that he had a transmission problem which he could not hear.
A great piece of driving, but what a pity Bristol Omnibus (unlike London Transport), did not equip their buses with power steering and semi/fully automatic gear boxes!!!
Bristol buses were specified for the job which they did - i.e. carrying the numbers of passengers who travelled by bus in provincial and rural areas at the fare levels authorised by the Traffic Commissioners. They could have had London's fuel guzzling bigger engines and preselect transmissions but they would have had to make big reductions in service levels to remain financially viable.
Not a weak bus at all, that's how it was in the 1950's! If you've never driven an old vehicle, I think you are being a bit unfair. These things only have between 120, 140 bhp to play with so I think it's doing just fine. This isn't like the modern point and squirt buses, which really are crap!
+john smith Agreed - this is a double deck bus I believe, and will weigh in empty at 8 tons or more. I stand to be corrected, but 120 or 140 hp is possibly a bit flattering - in 1950 you might be lucky to break 100 hp. I love the long pause between gears - it's not an automatic!!
I defy most modern trained drivers to have the skill or stamina to push on of these beasts around for a full duty. Most of today’s operators couldn’t drive one of these , manage double declutching or snatch changes, they’d cry without their power steering and wince at the leaf sprung suspension, and the bellow of that engine sitting right alongside them would most likely deafen them
Brilliant drive. Excellent gear changes. 👍Great that these very old vehicles are still on the road for our enjoyment.
yes this driver was spot on
@@johng.lidstone2236 yes he certainly was. A credit to his profession. Sadly many drivers have no feel for the gearbox and must have kept the mechanics very busy.
I admire the gear changes for an engine with lowish torque and maybe 120 Horses. Well driven.
He who drove a classic lorry or such a bus all day is an hero to me. I have got a 50 year old 6X6 tipper lorry 26 tons GVW, after 2 hours of driving the shirt's all wet. I think my ancestors were a wee bit tougher than I am.
Cracking video of a bird's eye view as the driver struggles admirably with excessive steering play and pulls off some super-slick gear changes when the going gets tough! Brilliant !!!
Using a vehicle on the highway with excessive play in the steering is a criminal offence. If he is such an 'admirable' driver how come he didn't refuse to take it out?
What are you talking about? No power steering in those days so very low gearing in the steering box.@@c2757
@@robertrich663 My comment was in reply to Rob Hughes comment that the driver was 'struggling with excessive play in the steering'.With respect, 'play in the steering' is nothing to do with low or high gearing. It is the amount by which you can turn the steering wheel without the road wheels moving. It is fairly self-evident that using a vehicle with excessive play in the steering is dangerous. I can confirm that the bus in the video passed a PSV MOT shortly before the Kingsbridge event - so it definitely did not have 'excessive play in the steering'. IMHO it does the preservation movement no good whatsoever for comments to be posted stating that vehicles are being used in an unsafe condition.
Lovely video, great perspective and sound, without any excited chatter from the passengers. Good skilled driver too. A treat to see the old girl at work on challenging roads and still up to it.
Classic example of text book driving - superb.
In 1958 during my college vacation I worked as a conductor out of long-gone Totnes garage, Every bus had its own personality: all the drivers dreaded no. 953. Starting one shift I found Gilbert, my driver in a foul mood: on an overtime stint that morning, returning fronm Pontin's Holiday Camp near Paignton, he had had to ask some of the passengers to get off because he'd got stuck on a hill! Apparently 953 had a five-cylinder engine: most of the others had six. I went on to be a teacher, and often regretted not staying on the buses in idyllic Devon.
Love the note of a Bristol,'AVW' and that Bristol constant mesh box sounds so much nicer behind it than with a Gardner!
So, if one travelled to the provinces in the 50's, this is what they would have used? What a beautiful sounding vehicle. This was what most municipal and provincial bus opertaors would have run, half-cab rear entrance buses. Very nice indeed.
Yes buses like this were in service circa 1948 to about 1968 (Bristol Ks) and pre-war from around 1936.
Oh for an extra 200 hp. It takes so long to change gear in craxh boxes that all forward momentum is lost ! I admire all those who did this all day. Must have had popeye arms.
they were easy to drive and steering wasn't that heavy. Bristols were far lighter than Leylands I found.
No problem with hills 1st-2nd as you did 'snap changes' to avoid crawling in 1st.
I used to find myself going slightly deaf working over 'agricultural' Gardner 5LW engines.
Superb snatch change!
Just glorious!
I thought a machine could not sound like being tired. After listening to this video I changed my mind.
Superb gear work especially into 1st up that steep bit, I'd of rolled backwards
I'd have rolled back too.
Great stuff and superb changing,a few of the comments obviously havent the faintest idea about about crash boxes with no syncromesh,At least the drivers of front engined vehicles could hear developing faults.This week I had to tell the driver of my local rear-engined bus that he had a transmission problem which he could not hear.
Great footage ,.Thank for posting it .brought back a few memories of when I was a lad ,and a little tear too.a pleasant year though.
Driver's gear changes were so good that I thought he must have had a Wilson pre-selector on a fluid flywheel.
yes he was very accomplished.
Thoroughly enjoyalbe upload John, as indeed are your others.
excelente filmación. esto es un SEÑOR CHOFER
Title states a K6B which was the predecessor of the Lodekkas.
A great piece of driving, but what a pity Bristol Omnibus (unlike London Transport), did not equip their buses with power steering and semi/fully automatic gear boxes!!!
Bristol buses were specified for the job which they did - i.e. carrying the numbers of passengers who travelled by bus in provincial and rural areas at the fare levels authorised by the Traffic Commissioners. They could have had London's fuel guzzling bigger engines and preselect transmissions but they would have had to make big reductions in service levels to remain financially viable.
30mph top speed?
Good for 50mph in 5th gear.
You'd be lucky get 15mph out of most halfcabs, let alone 50!
It would have been better had you taken the view from the passenger side.
He’s not going very fast tho
great bus not bad tbh if I had that bus I wold put quad turbo on and a good engine tune
what a weak bus!
Not a weak bus at all, that's how it was in the 1950's! If you've never driven an old vehicle, I think you are being a bit unfair. These things only have between 120, 140 bhp to play with so I think it's doing just fine.
This isn't like the modern point and squirt buses, which really are crap!
+john smith Couldn't agree with you more John, it's doing just fine a nice climb in third.
+krwl1000 Do you know the area? The hill we see is a serious gradient - the driver and vehicle are a great combination and are doing very well.
+john smith Agreed - this is a double deck bus I believe, and will weigh in empty at 8 tons or more. I stand to be corrected, but 120 or 140 hp is possibly a bit flattering - in 1950 you might be lucky to break 100 hp. I love the long pause between gears - it's not an automatic!!
I defy most modern trained drivers to have the skill or stamina to push on of these beasts around for a full duty. Most of today’s operators couldn’t drive one of these , manage double declutching or snatch changes, they’d cry without their power steering and wince at the leaf sprung suspension, and the bellow of that engine sitting right alongside them would most likely deafen them