Progress

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daviemck2006
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Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

Ok, so this isn't particularly french or car, but transport. I just was on the local service bus after dropping the car off at the garage. I know the lassie that drives it, she has done for years, and was its driver when I worked there, in fact I have driven the route many times covering days off, holidays etc. When I was first there the bus being used was a 33 seater Mercedes beaver, 4.2 litre, standard manual 5 sped gearbox. It then got upgraded to a optaire solo, using a Cummings engine, I don't know the capacity, it had a 5 speed Allison auto box, totally standard running gear. I have driven both of these buses. Now the bus used is an optaire solo, electric/diesel hybrid, which was sold to the company as a green bus which is cheaper to run, cheaper to service and better for the environment. All good in theory. However real life fuel returns tell a vastly different story! When they changed from the old R reg merc to the first optaire, their fuel use doubled. Then on to this hybrid. It is a fully electrically powered vehicle, which recharges it's battery pack on the overrun and has a diesel generator cuts in automatically when required. Lynn tells me that new not or, well it's 18 months old now, uses twice as mu h fuel as the 05 plate auto! How can that possibly be a green solution? The company still have the old r reg merc. They are using 4 times the fuel for exactly the same days work. The Green solution would be re trim the old beaver and put it back on and dump the new one. If this is the same as hybrid cars, someone is selling the biggest heap of lies possible!
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Re: Progress

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Davie,

I did a little piece here on public transport in Newcastle here. Main point being that Newcastle along with many other cities across the country developed extensive electric public transport networks, with Trams, Trolley Buses, and Electric Trains. This would appear to be the ideal now, but particularly, the trams and trolley buses, as infrastructure aged and needed re-investment, the alternative of the diesel motorbus became the easiest option, and the trams and trolley buses disappeared.

Newcastle Corporation even built a power station to power the tram network, and wonders never cease they did it without any money from Europe! Today's approach to me seems completely haphazard,, Various cities ticking a few boxes with a few full electric or hybrid buses, and the odd few miles of tram track and projects which take ages to implement.

I dont think the movers and shakers behind developing the first tram infrastructures in our cities in the early years of the 20th century would be impressed with the pace of development in 2015 after over a century of "Progress"

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Re: Progress

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

In an attempt to keep to the timetable, Reading Buses did this;

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ld-9293952" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Progress

Post by Stickyfinger »

"The Fastest Poo in the South" !

Compressed BioMethane......sniff
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Re: Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

Hell Razor5543 wrote:In an attempt to keep to the timetable, Reading Buses did this;

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ld-9293952" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
80.73 mph in a bus? That's not the world record. Ask me how I know! On second thoughts, don't lol
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Re: Progress

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

daviemck2006 wrote:
Hell Razor5543 wrote:In an attempt to keep to the timetable, Reading Buses did this;

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ld-9293952" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
80.73 mph in a bus? That's not the world record. Ask me how I know! On second thoughts, don't lol
It is for a gas powered bus though. Mind you, I was watching Fake Britain this morning, and a HGV lorry with an illegal tachograph inhibiter fitted was tested by the Police, and when it was activated a lot of other things got disabled, including (but not limited to) the Speedo and the governor. There were three police cars around it (to provide a safe zone), and the officer driving the lorry was getting radio commentary from a chase car. He was somewhat surprised to hear that he achieved 100MPH!;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... -episode-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Around 21 minutes in.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 28 Jul 2015, 22:03, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Progress

Post by Stickyfinger »

daviemck2006 wrote:
Hell Razor5543 wrote:In an attempt to keep to the timetable, Reading Buses did this;

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local- ... ld-9293952" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
80.73 mph in a bus? That's not the world record. Ask me how I know! On second thoughts, don't lol
Been to Thailand and taken a coach south then ?.............that's comfort speed to them, that and a taxi in India have been the most dangerous things I have done (and I served Q&C !)
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Re: Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

All I will say that a 1998 volvo b12 vanhool, UK registered owned in Huntly, at a firm I may have worked at, with the ignition switch back one click cut out the electrics and therfore the limiter once pulled right off the scale on the speedo on a long downhill stretch of the M6 [emoji4]
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daviemck2006
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Re: Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

I saw that this morning James. When said coach got switched back, the tach no still showed the speed but did not record it on the disc. I did tell the driver on that occasion that he was mad!!!!!!!!!
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Re: Progress

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

BBC News has just said that the driver of the rubbish lorry that crashed in Glasgow had previously passed out at the wheel of a bus.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 29 Jul 2015, 16:44, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

I heard that on STV news last night James. And he refused to go to the hospital that time. It was a few years ago, I think they said in 2011. If it's an auto box, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that doe to poor maintenance it started running on its own oil aka renault 1.9 dci could and the driver could do nothing. I know of 2 stagecoach drivers that happened to and we're lucky they did not have anybody hurt.
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Re: Progress

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

According to the BBC, he had completed a DVLA form in 2011, to which he answered "No" to the question of if he had blacked out within the previous 5 years. However, in 2010 he was off work for 3 weeks after passing out at the wheel of the bus.
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Re: Progress

Post by daviemck2006 »

In that case he should have had his entitlement to drive buses and lorries removed. It's a bit silly really, my entitlement for buses is removed due to my health, and the drugs I am on, yet I'm safe to drive a car or van or 7.5t lorry. I could do as much damage in a car as a bus!
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