As I started driving in fife in 1998 there was still loads of ailsa's around and has to be my favourite double decker to drive loved them as a kid with their characteristic noises then was over the moon to drive them when I started with stagecoach Fife, looking forward to part 2 keep up the good work
@@JakeSCOC remember playing 5 a side one Sunday and having an early start Monday and getting to my ailsa looking up thinking with aching legs how am I getting up there lol would have one over any of the modern tin cans we have now
I remember always seeing the odd WM Travel Ailsas when visiting Birmingham. They were still a rare sight amongst the huge numbers of Fleetlines and Metrobuses, but instantly recognisable with that huge and imposing front grille.
These were one of my favourite buses - they had a unique sound. As a kid, I used to fall asleep at night listening to them screaming along the nearby main road. Looking forward to part 2.
Living in Dundee, I remember the time almost every bus in Tayside's fleet was an Ailsa, I have very fond memories of travelling all over the city on these magnificent machines, it was a sad day when National Express took over bus operations in 1997, they quickly moved to replace the last of the aging Ailsas and that distinctive TD70 sound was gone... luckily we have a half dozen of them in preservation up here so the old memories can be relived at various rallies over the season, great buses, dearly missed.
The first Ailsa's I was aware of where when Merseyside PTE got some around 1983. I thought they were something new at the time, didn't realise they'd been in production nearly 10 years by that time. I don't think I ever managed to ride on one though.
Brilliant stuff Jake. Can’t east for part 2. I didn’t know that it was weight distribution for the reason for the seating. Learned something there. Happy New Year
I often imagined Ailsa's in a Thomas the Tank Engine World as the very sad bus. Sitting at a junction in the Cardiff Bus or Derby Bus Ailsa's, I couldn't help but notice at tinckover they said "No no no no no no no" as either they just wanted to get going or they wanted to go back to the depot! 😄
You’re teasing us by making this in two parts. 😂 Thank you for the informative video. I know SYPTE had some of these but I don’t remember them in Rotherham. I think they were mainly in Sheffield and Doncaster. But other experts might correct me here.
I remember when they were used on the 107, replacing Metrobuses. I remember they still had all the WM signange inside, such as "no spitting". They felt very old and worn from a passenger's perspective.
@Flipper-1201 Poor old things were worn out , but I loved them still my favourite to drive and I have driven everything from a 1914 Tillings to a Neoplan Skyliner
Volvo were only minority shareholders when the frame was drawn up. Unlike big companies Ailsa Bus had one man on chassis design and he was Norman Watson. He and Jim McElvie also collaborated on the Stonefield off-road vehicle. Mr Watson's inspiration for the the central chassis spine was semi-trailer design and the perimeter frame was developed from Bristol's framing around the rear axle of the Lodekka. I can understand Volvo wanting to tie the design into their objectives but it wasn't designed by Volvo Bus and the perimeter frame was not a side impact system but a way to tie body to chassis. That Hamworthy hub reduction rear axle was specifically designed to enable the Lowheight version, I am sure you will get to the saga of RTO1R in due course.
When you say that the engineers preferred the engine at the front of the bus so that the driver could keep an eye on it, what about Stan and Jack putting their fish and chips under the bonnet to keep warm until clouds of steam emerged as the number 11 to the Cemetery Gates (a Lodekka I believe) and the bus ground to a halt with steam coming out of Blakey's ears. Thanks for an excellent video and I use Christmas as an excuse to be flippant but did this sort of thing really go on under the bonnet of a front engined bus ? The script writer must have got the idea from somewhere.
@@nickgiles7568 Ha I remember that one Nick. Between you and me, I've actually done that with a Guy Arab. From the chippy to the garage was ten minutes and the chips were hotter than when they came out the shop!
I wonder if our mates at 55 Broadway were keeping an eye on these ,I’ll comment more next one mate on the V AVE buses,the chassis looked neat and I imagine good to work on All the best Jake Mark 😊😊
@@JakeSCOC I was not pleased with the AVE ailsas for one reason only you’ll laugh ,you know the front sidelight indicator clusters they used the older style instead of what the metro and titans were using to me made the dash label look odd ,hehe but that’s me Jake 😂
Remember seeing these in Sheffield when I was a kid, think they carried Van Hool bodies that were manufactured in NI. They made a noise like no other bus on the road to my (young) ears.
I know SYPTE had a few of them but can’t say I remember seeing them in Rotherham. Perhaps they were mainly used in Sheffield and Doncaster. (Though I have seen a photo of one in Rotherham on the 69 Sheffield Rotherham service).
ua-cam.com/video/TPl7mCXZAu8/v-deo.htmlsi=NCI2mLtMWIKVPhbu&t=586 Yep, we had loads of them in South Yorkshire, and that photo is in Balby near the Peverelli Bakery - this bus, will be heading for A60 Sanford Road and going in towards A628 Balby Road into Doncaster
Hi Jake,do you think the staircase facing forward was a real issue with operating companies on the Guy Wulfrinian. It was said that passengers could fall down the stairs under heavy braking conditions. Do you think this was significant in it's failure to sell as well as it's mechanical issues ?
Hi Simon, I don't think so. I think if that was an issue it would have affected buses like the Atlantean, VR and such which also had that layout. I think it was more down to mechanical reliability. Too many new things at once.
I think you are exaggerating the effect of 'Ram Air Cooling' on a service bus that rarely gets above 25 mph and spends at least half the time standing still at Bus Stops, traffic lights and other assorted traffic holdups in urban areas! Never a fan of the Ailsa - seemed very crude to me. Now the later Citybus was rather wonderful!
THS was sent for export demonstration to Thailand, then Hong Kong where it became an early member of the Citybus fleet. They fitted it wit a Leyland 600 engine.
As I started driving in fife in 1998 there was still loads of ailsa's around and has to be my favourite double decker to drive loved them as a kid with their characteristic noises then was over the moon to drive them when I started with stagecoach Fife, looking forward to part 2 keep up the good work
@@duncanwheelan6890 Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed this video. Did the buses live up to your expectations when you drove them?
@@JakeSCOC remember playing 5 a side one Sunday and having an early start Monday and getting to my ailsa looking up thinking with aching legs how am I getting up there lol would have one over any of the modern tin cans we have now
We can all thank Leyland for being so uptight that it spurned a world of change
That's probably the best thing that came out of it. We ended up with more variety
I remember always seeing the odd WM Travel Ailsas when visiting Birmingham. They were still a rare sight amongst the huge numbers of Fleetlines and Metrobuses, but instantly recognisable with that huge and imposing front grille.
@@fuzzynutter8344 It was massive wasn't it? Certainly made them stand out . They used the same one on the Alexander bodied Bristol VRs
They used to run on the 42, 107 and 113 routes
These were one of my favourite buses - they had a unique sound. As a kid, I used to fall asleep at night listening to them screaming along the nearby main road. Looking forward to part 2.
@@unclenolly3207 Thanks Uncle Nolly. Yes they sounded lovely
Living in Dundee, I remember the time almost every bus in Tayside's fleet was an Ailsa, I have very fond memories of travelling all over the city on these magnificent machines, it was a sad day when National Express took over bus operations in 1997, they quickly moved to replace the last of the aging Ailsas and that distinctive TD70 sound was gone... luckily we have a half dozen of them in preservation up here so the old memories can be relived at various rallies over the season, great buses, dearly missed.
@@daviestewart2510 Ahh such a shame when vehicles we've grown up with go. It's like saying goodbye to old friends.
Great vid as usual! We have 5 ailsas on our site at the 4738 group including the official first prototype ailsa 4527 (Chassis no. 74001)
@@SSN248S Thanks. Very nice. What are they like to look after? Are they easy to work on?
@JakeSCOC, Not too bad. They are usually quite reliable aswell.
Very nice 👍👍👍
Built just up the road from me in Irvine. Bring on part 2... I'll even look past the Falkirk mispronunciation lol.
@@craigsibley8161 Yes,looking forward to part two.
@@craigsibley8161 Thanks guys 👍🏻
The first Ailsa's I was aware of where when Merseyside PTE got some around 1983. I thought they were something new at the time, didn't realise they'd been in production nearly 10 years by that time. I don't think I ever managed to ride on one though.
@@1171karl Hi Karl. There's a mention of them in part 2
Brilliant stuff Jake. Can’t east for part 2. I didn’t know that it was weight distribution for the reason for the seating. Learned something there.
Happy New Year
@@smogmonster1876 Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.
interesting first view of the Guy, not seen that shot before
@@highpath4776 Very enigmatic isn't it? Right there in service.
Great video Jake, up to your usual high standards!
@@WOLFIE-96B-UK Thanks Wolfie, very kind.
roll on part 2 Jake
Thanks 👍🏻
@@JakeSCOCyes roll on part 2 Jake. When you releasing that? 😅
Ailsa bout that for a Part 1
@@johnrafferty8087 Love it 😂
I often imagined Ailsa's in a Thomas the Tank Engine World as the very sad bus. Sitting at a junction in the Cardiff Bus or Derby Bus Ailsa's, I couldn't help but notice at tinckover they said "No no no no no no no" as either they just wanted to get going or they wanted to go back to the depot! 😄
@@PaddyWV That's brilliant 😂😂
You’re teasing us by making this in two parts. 😂
Thank you for the informative video. I know SYPTE had some of these but I don’t remember them in Rotherham. I think they were mainly in Sheffield and Doncaster. But other experts might correct me here.
@@adamlee3772 Might even be three parts, there's so much! And those wonderful South Yorkshire ones will definitely feature.
@ looking forward to it. HNY to you and yours.
@adamlee3772 Happy New Year
Cut my teeth on Ailsa’s at Potter Bar in 1988 loved the West Mids Ailsa’s to this day, ours were knackered but they could move
@@BerlietGBC I bet they were great to drive?
I remember when they were used on the 107, replacing Metrobuses. I remember they still had all the WM signange inside, such as "no spitting". They felt very old and worn from a passenger's perspective.
@Flipper-1201 Poor old things were worn out , but I loved them still my favourite to drive and I have driven everything from a 1914 Tillings to a Neoplan Skyliner
They were reliable buses they roamed around Cardiff for an amazing 25 years
@@andrewbutler6477 They certainly set Volvo up to be a builder of reliable motors over here in the UK
Volvo were only minority shareholders when the frame was drawn up. Unlike big companies Ailsa Bus had one man on chassis design and he was Norman Watson. He and Jim McElvie also collaborated on the Stonefield off-road vehicle. Mr Watson's inspiration for the the central chassis spine was semi-trailer design and the perimeter frame was developed from Bristol's framing around the rear axle of the Lodekka.
I can understand Volvo wanting to tie the design into their objectives but it wasn't designed by Volvo Bus and the perimeter frame was not a side impact system but a way to tie body to chassis.
That Hamworthy hub reduction rear axle was specifically designed to enable the Lowheight version, I am sure you will get to the saga of RTO1R in due course.
@@StephenAllcroft very interesting. Thanks Stephen. Yes I mention the low height one in the next episode
When you say that the engineers preferred the engine at the front of the bus so that the driver could keep an eye on it, what about Stan and Jack putting their fish and chips under the bonnet to keep warm until clouds of steam emerged as the number 11 to the Cemetery Gates (a Lodekka I believe) and the bus ground to a halt with steam coming out of Blakey's ears. Thanks for an excellent video and I use Christmas as an excuse to be flippant but did this sort of thing really go on under the bonnet of a front engined bus ? The script writer must have got the idea from somewhere.
@@nickgiles7568 Ha I remember that one Nick. Between you and me, I've actually done that with a Guy Arab. From the chippy to the garage was ten minutes and the chips were hotter than when they came out the shop!
I wonder if our mates at 55 Broadway were keeping an eye on these ,I’ll comment more next one mate on the V AVE buses,the chassis looked neat and I imagine good to work on
All the best Jake
Mark 😊😊
@@marksinthehouse1968 Hi Mark. The AVE ones will definitely appear in the next episode. How could I not feature AV3?
@@JakeSCOC I was not pleased with the AVE ailsas for one reason only you’ll laugh ,you know the front sidelight indicator clusters they used the older style instead of what the metro and titans were using to me made the dash label look odd ,hehe but that’s me Jake 😂
And being Scottish, appropriate for New Year
@@highpath4776 Of course. Very good point
Remember seeing these in Sheffield when I was a kid, think they carried Van Hool bodies that were manufactured in NI. They made a noise like no other bus on the road to my (young) ears.
I know SYPTE had a few of them but can’t say I remember seeing them in Rotherham. Perhaps they were mainly used in Sheffield and Doncaster. (Though I have seen a photo of one in Rotherham on the 69 Sheffield Rotherham service).
@@davefarrow4351 They certainly made a distinctive noise.
Van Hool McArdle built bodies in Dublin. As well as the batch for SYPTE there were two for A1 Service in Ayrshire, one of which is fully restored.
ua-cam.com/video/TPl7mCXZAu8/v-deo.htmlsi=NCI2mLtMWIKVPhbu&t=586
Yep, we had loads of them in South Yorkshire, and that photo is in Balby near the Peverelli Bakery - this bus, will be heading for A60 Sanford Road and going in towards A628 Balby Road into Doncaster
Thanks John.
Hi Jake,do you think the staircase facing forward was a real issue with operating companies on the Guy Wulfrinian. It was said that passengers could fall down the stairs under heavy braking conditions. Do you think this was significant in it's failure to sell as well as it's mechanical issues ?
Hi Simon, I don't think so. I think if that was an issue it would have affected buses like the Atlantean, VR and such which also had that layout. I think it was more down to mechanical reliability. Too many new things at once.
@JakeSCOC I didn't realise other types of buses had this layout. Thanks for the info and wishing you a happy new year.
Originally A Guy Wulfurian Volvo Copied It Have A Look....
@@carabara3947 Improved rather than copied I think 😉
I think you are exaggerating the effect of 'Ram Air Cooling' on a service bus that rarely gets above 25 mph and spends at least half the time standing still at Bus Stops, traffic lights and other assorted traffic holdups in urban areas! Never a fan of the Ailsa - seemed very crude to me. Now the later Citybus was rather wonderful!
@@timbounds7190 Ram air thanks to a big hydraulic fan... probably more sucked through than rammed through by momentum.
Not a type I was ever familiar with given the majority of them were built for Scottish operators but a number ran in London post deregulation.
@@markcf83 No I didn't see them either.
THS was sent for export demonstration to Thailand, then Hong Kong where it became an early member of the Citybus fleet. They fitted it wit a Leyland 600 engine.
@StephenAllcroft That's right. Apparently it ended up with a 'snout' because the Leyland engine was bigger.