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The wooden wedges for bus wheels.


Fiddlestick

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Most older back-loaders carried one of these under the stairs. It was a large, tri-angular block of wood with a metal handle and usually there was a separate wooden frame fixed to the floor to rest it in. The rule book probably explained how to place it beneath a back wheel as a precaution against hand-brake failure, but that was the rule book !  In all my time on STD in those days, I never saw one used, even on steep parking bays like Bridge Street. One Townhead driver I remember may have / should have used the wedge however, the chap who was always writing 'ROSPA' on the steering wheels ( Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ) !   What was his name, anyone know ?

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Guest bus man

The use of these wedges went on till quit late,

 

The first Sheffield atanteans had them , when midland road at Rotherham was opened it included a drive a bus opurtunity and I had a drive of one of Sheffield atlanteans that had the notice regarding scotchs in the cab I have a photograph of the notice somewhere

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Thanks ( fellow ) bus man. Although I can't remember the wedges on the first  Atlanteans which I also drove, you show they also had them. Just wondering where they were kept as the luggage space wasn't great. I also can't remember the notices in the Atlantean cabs, but not doubting you, the memory plays tricks. However, the Atlanteans didn't need that other old cab notice of  'Don't rest your foot on the clutch pedal'  as they didn't have one ! That other back-loader cab notice was a laugh,  'You are driving a covered top bus'. As a kid, watching the driver through the glass, I wondered what it meant, not surprising as the open toppers went ages before and I knew nothing about them at the time. A bit daft when you think about it, they must have had a pile of transfers to use up 40 years after they were necessary !

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Speaking purely as a passenger,  in W.W.2  we regularly used  the 28 Bents Green bus  with it's city terminus on the slope from the end of Flat Street down  to Pond Street. As memory serves the inbound 28 reversed at the end of Flat Street, came down to the stand to load and wait for time. They were of course rear loaders with the big wooden triangular block sitting in it's three guides under the stairs. Incidentally that mucked things up if you had any luggage to go under the stairs

The crew often seemed to vanish till departure time and then it was off and away down the slope. So it started this day; start up ring off and nothing happened.  Lots of revs, nothing. More revs, still nothing. Several more attempts and we  began to wonder. Then a almighty bang, a lurch and we were off only to pull up sharply. Careful check round by the crew to see what. Things changed when the driver came back with the block in his hand. He seemed to be somewhat vexed   and expressed himself as to the conductors ability, suitability and knowledge of the Rule Book, particularly the need to use and then remove the block at the start of the journey.

It was quite regularly used at that time and could be heard being heaved into it's mounting. If any one has doubts I can vouch for it's ability to hold a bus on a slope

 

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On 10/1/2017 at 23:04, Keith_exS10 said:

Speaking purely as a passenger,  in W.W.2  we regularly used  the 28 Bents Green bus  with it's city terminus on the slope from the end of Flat Street down  to Pond Street. As memory serves the inbound 28 reversed at the end of Flat Street, came down to the stand to load and wait for time. They were of course rear loaders with the big wooden triangular block sitting in it's three guides under the stairs. Incidentally that mucked things up if you had any luggage to go under the stairs

The crew often seemed to vanish till departure time and then it was off and away down the slope. So it started this day; start up ring off and nothing happened.  Lots of revs, nothing. More revs, still nothing. Several more attempts and we  began to wonder. Then a almighty bang, a lurch and we were off only to pull up sharply. Careful check round by the crew to see what. Things changed when the driver came back with the block in his hand. He seemed to be somewhat vexed   and expressed himself as to the conductors ability, suitability and knowledge of the Rule Book, particularly the need to use and then remove the block at the start of the journey.

It was quite regularly used at that time and could be heard being heaved into it's mounting. If any one has doubts I can vouch for it's ability to hold a bus on a slope

 

In the 1960s the only buses I saw using wheel chocks were the Rotherham Corporation pre-select Daimlers. They terminated on the downwards slope on Exchange Street, the chock was on the end of a chain and was kept in the cab. Before the driver left the bus it was handed to the conductor to place under the O/S/F wheel. Thanks for your very interesting posts Keith.  W/E.

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