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BENDY BUSES

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_02_2007/post-1-1171387838.jpghttp://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_02_2007/post-1-1171387844.jpg

Who was brave enough to stand on the middle bit during journeys ??

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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Guest coffee cup

We thought these were brilliant. I am not sure if I remember right, but I think at some point these were free to travel on.

I think they replaced the City Clipper which was free to travel around the City Centre, usually from High Street to the bottom of the Moor.

Am I right or is my memory playing tricks.

:unsure::unsure: :unsure:

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Guest mega_monty

We thought these were brilliant. I am not sure if I remember right, but I think at some point these were free to travel on.

I think they replaced the City Clipper which was free to travel around the City Centre, usually from High Street to the bottom of the Moor.

Am I right or is my memory playing tricks.

:unsure::unsure::unsure:

Yes they were free they each had names like Sir Lancelot, can't remember the others though, but all had registrations C***HDT, after being taken off the city clipper service they were put on the 501 Sheffield to Meadowhall express service.

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We thought these were brilliant. I am not sure if I remember right, but I think at some point these were free to travel on.

I think they replaced the City Clipper which was free to travel around the City Centre, usually from High Street to the bottom of the Moor.

Am I right or is my memory playing tricks.

:unsure::unsure::unsure:

If I've got this right, I think they were free to travel on when SYT first decieded to try them out because at that time they wern't legal for use as a passenger transport vehicle.

The M.O.T said they could not be used for fare paying passenger transport so to give them a "shake down" test SYT ran them as free transport until the government changed the rules.

There are some stupid rule when it comes to buses.

At the last Transport Rally I saw one of the Fastline Dominators.

A week later I was talking to someone from First who told me the chap who bought that vehicle was diabetic. This meant he had some sort of trouble with insurance for anything over a eight seater vehicle. So he simply removed most of the seats until this huge double decker became an eight seater "mini bus".

Is this the bigest eight seater you've ever senn.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/hjdary/P9107789-1.jpg

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As a motorcyclist, I hated them.

I've lived in London for the past 20 years and now Ken Livingstone has introduced them down here. I hate them more than ever!

Grrrrrr!

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Guest tsavo

If I've got this right, I think they were free to travel on when SYT first decieded to try them out because at that time they wern't legal for use as a passenger transport vehicle.

The M.O.T said they could not be used for fare paying passenger transport so to give them a "shake down" test SYT ran them as free transport until the government changed the rules.

There are some stupid rule when it comes to buses.

At the last Transport Rally I saw one of the Fastline Dominators.

A week later I was talking to someone from First who told me the chap who bought that vehicle was diabetic. This meant he had some sort of trouble with insurance for anything over a eight seater vehicle. So he simply removed most of the seats until this huge double decker became an eight seater "mini bus".

Is this the bigest eight seater you've ever senn.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/hjdary/P9107789-1.jpg

Sounds like a 'Del Boy' moment. Thats what we brits do best, check the rules and turn them against the daft rule makers!

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Guest Angus Prune

One of the old fashioned type bendybuses

These were the second fleet of bendybuses to grace Sheffield's streets. The first ones were introduced on a purely experimental basis in about 1979-80 and

ran on the number 500 City Clipper for about a year, but were eventually sold on.

The ones pictured above entered service in 1986, again on the Clipper, which if memory serves was always free, until the abolition of SYCC coupled with deregulation later that same year forced the introduction of a 5p flat fare, followed by the route's demise a few years later.

I remember them being launched with a big open day event at Greenland Road garage (long since demolished to make way for B&Q), when they operated a

shuttle service between the depot and Pond Street. At least one or maybe two out of the batch were also painted in "Fastline" livery, had coach-type seating

and two doors instead of three, and were based at Rotherham for use on the X91 (also now defunct).

Towards the end of their use they occasionally cropped up on other routes as well - I definitely remember one turning up on the 287 one morning.

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Of course before "The Bendybus" was introduced onto the City Clipper, this route was home to "The Kneeling National", a single deck Leyland National vehicle with modified front suspension to allow front passenger loading platform to be lowered to allow easier boarding and alighting, particularly for the elderly and infirm.

The first vehicle so modified was even featured on Tomorrows World... cue the late great Raymond Baxter and that theme music.

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Guest transit

Of course before "The Bendybus" was introduced onto the City Clipper, this route was home to "The Kneeling National", a single deck Leyland National vehicle with modified front suspension to allow front passenger loading platform to be lowered to allow easier boarding and alighting, particularly for the elderly and infirm.

The first vehicle so modified was even featured on Tomorrows World... cue the late great Raymond Baxter and that theme music.

.....and the "Kneeling National" came about because it suffered a serious frontal accident when only a a few months old (1975). Whilst in Central Workshops on Queens Road ,when the front end hydraulics were all being renewed, it was found that the suspension on the front could be lowered by the flick of a switch, hence making it "kneel", obviously when stationary. When the bus was fully repaired and roadworthy again , the bus was sign wrote (no vinyl then!) on the brown roofsides "This is the Kneeling National" .Obviously the P.T.E. bigwigs were proud of their achievement and early one Thursday the bus was sent down to the BBC television studios in London, where it made an appearance on Blue Peter around 5pm, then Tommorows World around 7pm (just before Top Of The Pops!). On return ,it made news in the local news programmes and papers before entering back on service on the City Clipper route.

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Guest mega_monty

Towards the end of their use they occasionally cropped up on other routes as well - I definitely remember one turning up on the 287 one morning.

Ones I remember Route 501 Sheffield to Meadowhall and Route 552 Crookes to Woodhouse (via Sheffield Parkway)

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Guest mega_monty

Obviously the P.T.E. bigwigs were proud of their achievement and early one Thursday the bus was sent down to the BBC television studios in London, where it made an appearance on Blue Peter around 5pm, then Tommorows World around 7pm (just before Top Of The Pops!). On return ,it made news in the local news programmes and papers before entering back on service on the City Clipper route.

Did they not choke in the studios with all that black smoke those Nationals used to belch out ;-)

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These were the second fleet of bendybuses to grace Sheffield's streets. The first ones were introduced on a purely experimental basis in about 1979-80 and

ran on the number 500 City Clipper for about a year, but were eventually sold on.

The ones pictured above entered service in 1986, again on the Clipper, which if memory serves was always free, until the abolition of SYCC coupled with deregulation later that same year forced the introduction of a 5p flat fare, followed by the route's demise a few years later.

I remember them being launched with a big open day event at Greenland Road garage (long since demolished to make way for B&Q), when they operated a

shuttle service between the depot and Pond Street. At least one or maybe two out of the batch were also painted in "Fastline" livery, had coach-type seating

and two doors instead of three, and were based at Rotherham for use on the X91 (also now defunct).

Towards the end of their use they occasionally cropped up on other routes as well - I definitely remember one turning up on the 287 one morning.

Could this be one of the earlier models you mentioned as this picture was taken in 1979?.

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The second generation of Bendi buses have another little claim to fame.

They were the last buses that the First group sold to another operator.....The mostly went to a company with the initials B.B.C...something like the Bath Bus Company or some such, who prompmtley put the in to service on a route which First was also running which meant they had, in some way helped their oposition by providing it cheap vehicles.

When the realised what was going on they decided never to sell to anyone other than scrap yards or enthusiasts

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Guest bus man

The buses were not sold to BBC by First they were sold to a dealer who sold them on. These were the coach seated versions some of the bus versions ended up in Southern Ireland.

At least 2 of the fist batch survive in preservation

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The buses were not sold to BBC by First they were sold to a dealer who sold them on. These were the coach seated versions some of the bus versions ended up in Southern Ireland.

At least 2 of the fist batch survive in preservation

Some of them did end up with B.B.C though?.....Im sure I read about them going there in one of the bus mags.....whether they went there directly from First or not.

The rest of the information in my post came straight from the horses mouth as it were....whilst down at OG one weekend I was told the tale about not letting other operators have old First Group vehicles....and again I'm sure B.B.C was mentioned. I seem to remember that they were repainted a burgundy and cream, or the ones I saw in the article were.

I'm sure you will correct me if I'm wrong, bus man.

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Guest bus man

I am not not doubting that they ended up with BBC my comment was that it said

"They were the last buses that the First group sold to another operator....."

they (First ) didnt sell them to BBC they were sold by First to a dealer.

When First sell to dealers or enthusiasts there is now a clause in the contract that prohibits them from selling them on - whether this clause is actually enforceable in law (ie OFT) is another matter

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My first and probably only posting here, so, "Hello" and shortly afterwards - "Goodbye"

The bendibus thing when first introduced (don't ask me the make, model, colour I'm ignorant on such matter) was great fun; just standing watching 70 foot (or whatever) of big bus fail to make it along Leopold Street and down Church Street I found highly amusing. Eventually they worked it out, stop all the traffic and take the bus the wrong way around the roundabout, saves on mileage and the bus didn't have that much bending to do.

So, great new innovation and what did we get, one hour plus to navigate a roundabout and a MASSIVE log jam, laugh, I certainly had my 2p's worth that day lol

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I heard a tale once, that said if they got the angle wrong on one particulaly tight turn, in town, they could lock the back end up and a fitter would have to be called to release the thing.

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Guest wayney g

I heard a tale once, that said if they got the angle wrong on one particulaly tight turn, in town, they could lock the back end up and a fitter would have to be called to release the thing.

your not wrong there was the roundabout richardb mentioned previously !!!!!! lol still makes me giggle :rolleyes:

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Guest bus man

There is a photo in the star archives of one stuck on the roundabout at top of church st

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