A tribute to Alan: March 2015

As we moved out of February, we pressed on into March with a touch of sadness at the news that reached us after a chance visit to Carlton Sheet Metal.

Last March, I posted on this very blog about a man known as Alan whom was responsible for moving our fledgling project forward in a big way at a time when things looked bleak. 2599's exhaust manifold was broken clean in half, and we were at a loss as to what to do. Paul had paid a visit to Carlton Sheet Metal and it was Alan very kindly took on the task of looking at our broken manifold, and did an amazing job of repairing this cruicial item that is now working fine and fitted once again to the bus.

Now we were most saddened as a group to hear that Alan passed away just before Christmas after a short illness. A very skilled man, both he and his expertise will be sorely missed by many, and as always our thoughts go out to his family. This post is a tribute to Alan, without whom our project may have halted completely over a year ago, so I leave now with a photo taken a year ago of Alan proudly admiring his handywork (and rightly so).

The big weekend: the Ulsterbus 2599 Group attend their first rally 22/02/15

We press on into February, which continued to be cold and icy, and onto our biggest weekend. Following on from "Rommel's" embarassing little incident just a fortnight before, 1321 was duly jump started and a trip to Hammonds was made (this time after checking the tank) on Saturday 21 February for Dominic to look into the issues with the starter motor. Upon further inspection, it was revealed the wiring to the secret 'anti-terrorist' switch in the cab had perished and was the cause of all our issues, so after a bit of surgery all was once again well and 1321 was ready for her next big day...

05:30hrs on Sunday 22 February dawned (well, no it didn't actually, it was still dark), bringing with it below freezing temperatures and a thick layer of ice to clean from 1321's windscreen before we could proceed anywhere. It was at this point Paul spent almost half an hour cursing and being showered in sparks to reconnect the battery. Bus started and walk-round check done, we were off to our first bus rally of the season...destination Swansea!

Leaving at around 06:00hrs, we pressed on and made good time, with just one stop at Strensham services, leaving Englandshire behind and venturing into a Welsh rainstorm to arrive at Swansea Bus Museum around 10:30hrs. Sadly it was at this point the rain set in for the duration, but this was not to dampen the spirits of our intrepid band of travellers.

Nevertheless, we were here. The Ulsterbus 2599 Group were exhibiting one of our own vehicles at a bus rally for the first time, and all three shareholders (myself, Calum and Paul) were all in attendance for this momentous occasion.

Even better, 1321 got her moment in the limelight too, with her first passenger run on a shuttle service to Swansea City Centre in place of an open-top Bristol VR that had been confined to barracks to the 'slight downpour' (it was like a monsoon all day!!!) At 11:15hrs, she set off from Swansea Bus Museum on her maiden voyage with a near full load for a circuit of the city, a truely amazing feat for all concerned. Sadly numbers were down on previous years due to the appalling weather (which is such a shame, as the event is well organised and comes highly recommended), but we kept ourselves dry and otherwise entertained shuttling to/from Central Swansea on an assortment of suitably proper buses, and our band of loyal supporters who had joined us for our first rally all commented on what an excellent day it was.

While in Swansea, we jumped off an impressive Morris Bros. Volvo B58 to pencil in the local Wetherspoons for luncheon before Paul announced to myself, Michael Evans and Peter that he needed to visit Primark. Curious as to why, all was duly revealed...sadly 1321's heating was not quite upto the standards we had expected on this cold damp day, so Paul treated everyone on the bus to a warm blanket to throw over themselves for the return journey. Our return to the museum site was made on a beautifully restored Red & White Bristol MW, before we said our farewells and took our last photos. Before leaving, there was just enough time to allow good friend of the group and Yardley Wood Bus Club member Peter Turland to have a short drive before we set off for home.

(C) Calum Maclennan/Calumbus

We'd done it...the Ulsterbus 2599 Group had exhibited its first vehicle on the rally circuit. Big grins all round, an emotional day for all concerned. So finally, thanks must go to all at Swansea Bus Museum for being so accommodating, and to our followers Jack and Carl Needham, Michael Evans, Peter Wilkinson, Mark Ashton, Andy and Neil on that maiden voyage for coming along and offering their support.

Here's to the future, and hopefully soon 2599 will follow in the tyre tracks of 1321 on the rally field...

'Rommel of the empty tank brigade' strikes...07/02/15

So as January drew to a close, and we all froze our way into February, a road test a few days prior to the date on this post saw the dreaded low water buzzer rear its ugly head again on 1321. As a result of this, it was decided that a return visit to Hammonds at Bilborough needed to be made, which Paul pencilled in the diary for 7 February.

D-day dawned and Paul set off in the direction of Hammonds, but sadly fate was going to deal a cruel hand at this stage, when three miles away from its destination 1321 expired at the roadside just off Cinderhill Island (mercifully it had cleared the roundabout), turns out our leader had forgotten to dip the fuel tank and 1321 was somewhat lacking in forward propulsion fluids! A frantic phone call later, and mechanic Dominic came to the rescue, but with no room to work to bleed the system at the roadside and with the bus in a precarious place where it was a sitting duck for some careless tit to come along and bin a car (or worse a wagon) into the rear end, it was time to phone Burrows Recovery for a tow.

(C) Jonathan Johansson

Safely at Hammonds Dominic bled the system, gave the engine a boost and 1321 duly burst back into life. A quick check through the system for any water leaks revealed none, and Paul proceeded to return to group HQ via the nearest petroleum filling station. And if his luck was not bad enough, after topping up the tank the bus refused to start on the forecourt and his phone was now totally dead. So with a bit of charm and persuasion (Paul is good at that, bless him) he managed to charge his phone enough to phone mechanic Nik, who came out with his jump leads. Initial attempts were to no avail, but a bit of tinkering with some wiring under the floor trap around the starter motor and 1321 duly burst into life as if nothing was wrong! Paul assures me it was a quick trip back to the farm after all that!!

A curious attempt to start her up again on arrival at the farm and she'd been stood a while was unsuccessful, so it appeared we now had an issue with the starter motor. But that, dear readers, is as they say another story...

Putting wood in t'hole: 30/01/15

Following on from our post about 2599's battery box at the beginning of the year, we had managed to acquire a piece of plywood to cover the hole where the floor trap had once been, and on 30 January Gary returned to cut the wood to size, in the comfort of his new warm wokshop...Tiger 1321! First he set about cutting the wood down to size to fit the hole in the floor, and ensuring it was of the correct thickness. Gary tested if the wood fitted (it did), and after plating the area around the battery box used to be, the new wood will be fitted in place and hidden with a new piece of lino. It has been a lot of time-consuming work, but the light was finally at the end of the tunnel, and once this job has been completed our attentions can be turned to the next task...the brakes.

Shakedown: 1321's first proper road test 25/01/15

With the previous day's developments fresh in our minds, it was down to your humble blogmaster and project leader Paul to take 1321 for a proper shakedown and put it through its paces. Sunday 25 January dawned a cold, yet sunny day, and Paul stunned all concerned by turning up to pick me up at home a whole TEN minutes early! After the shock had subsided, it was off to the farm to pick 1321 up, and once the batteries had been connected (yes, Paul even braved his phobia of potential sparking to connect the battery), we set about turning the bus around to take her out of the farm. It was at this point that Paul decided to shunt the bus at the bottom of the yard rather than reverse up the yard, and managed to get it temporarily bogged in the soft ground at the end of the farm...still not sure what was more brown, the ground where the grass had been uprooted or Paul's trousers!!

(C) Michael Rogan

Once un-bogged and out on the farm track, we set off in the direction of Eastwood Morrisons for some forward propulsion fluids, before heading for a trip around Heanor to surprise Mr Michael Rogan whom we had heard was working on loan to Trent's Langley Mill depot piloting plastic Optare Versas between Nottingham and Ripley on the 'Rapid One' service. As it turns out, he was actually working even harder with his feet up supping tea in the Langley Mill canteen on spare duties (like all good busmen), although the temptation of having a quick look around 1321 soon brought him outside when we pulled up to say hello.

We pressed on in the direction of Derby via the M1 and A52, with a quick photo stop in the sun at Pride Park near to your blogmaster's workplace and for Paul to grab a brew from the local Subway, prior to a trip up the A6 and the scenic lanes around Wirksworth and Middleton (complete with a visit to the 'world's end' at Middleton Top for more photos) and a visit to Matlock where a hearty lunch was consumed. We then returned via the back lanes around Lea Mills and Crich to Alfreton, where a stop was made to pick up some shopping for Paul's tea on the way home, before putting 1321 back to bed at the farm.

And the verdict of all this madness?? Apart from the water buzzer coming on when she was started, which was soon silenced once the tank was topped up, 1321 never missed a beat, and performed faultlessly. We were now quietly confident that if she could handle what had been asked of her on this road test - everything from steep hills and narrow lanes to fast motorways and dual carriageways - she could cope with anything we threw at her

Roll on the rally season...

Checking the old girl's plumbing...1321 gets a check-up: 24/01/15

Not as dubious as the title sounds, since 1321 had returned to the good shire of Nottingham she had sadly been blighted by a constant water buzzer screeching away in the cab, indicating potential problems in the system. Was it as serious as a water leak? Or a storm in a teacup such as a defective sensor. The weekend of Saturday 24 January saw 1321 heading in the direction of Silverdale Coaches, where mechanic Nik had kindly agreed to investigate the problem.

So Gary made the journey to the farm at some ungodly hour to jump 1321 so that she would start (we since found the tachograph clock had a knack of draining the batteries), after which Paul set off in the direction of Silverdale where upon arrival the bus was duly placed over a pit for Nik to inspect. Within five minutes had found the source of all our problems had been found...the clips holding one of the heater pipes on were badly corroded, so the pipe was reattached, two new jubilee clips fitted and hey presto, problem solved! While over the pits, Nik had been joined our good friend Paul Seaman who between them kindly greased the king pins and the area around the S-cams, before she was backed off the pits for the lads to give her a good wash prior to returning to 'HQ' at the farm.

(C) Paul Seaman

(C) Paul Seaman

Plans were hatched between Paul and your blogmaster for a road test to blow off a few cobwebs and check everything was as it should be. More in the next chapter...

New year, new developments: 16/01/15

Its been a while in the making, but they say good things come to those who wait. This latest blog post moves us into 2015, and with the dreaded Ch******s festivities out of the way for another year, it was time to crack on with 2599's restoration. Our night in Peachykeens but a faded memory, Paul and Gary met up on 16th January to sort out collecting plywood to replace 2599's floor trap now Gary had finished the required welding work for the support beams.

Initially Paul had planned on pulling up 1321's floor traps to investigate the source of the water buzzer problem, however after much to-ing and fro-ing to fetch the plywood for the RE, time was not on side, and with light slowly fading Gary set about replacing one of the foglights on 2599 instead with a replacement unit kindly sent over from Northern Ireland by Robert Nogues of the Ards Bus Preservation Group. The next task was for Gary and Robin to shave the plywood to the correct thickness and cut it down to fill the hole in 2599's floor, before new lino can be fitted.