RATTLER. Issue number 375, November 2003 Monthly newsletter of the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia

Transcription

1 The RATTLER Issue number 375, November 2003 Monthly newsletter of the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia How Not To Park a Bus!!!!!!! Metro Leyland No 34 after an accident at Karragullen cl935, when on an excursion trip

2 Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (incj Postal Address for all general correspondence, including membership enquiries and other matters - Secretary 34 Hannaby Street Dianella, WA, 6059 The Rattler is published monthly and circulated to members of the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (Inc) as part of their subscription. It is not sold separately, through newsagents or booksellers, so does not have a cover price. Copyright 2001 Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia (Inc) and individual authors. Material published in The Rattler may not be reproduced in any form unless prior written approval is sought and received from the editor, except in the case of information extracted from news items which may be used in kindred enthusiast publications provided that acknowledgement is made of the source. The opinions expresse ' \n articles in The Rattler are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily re^ct or coincide with the views of the Bus Preservation Society of Western Australia or of the editor. Editor: Mark Tattersall Distribution: Christopher Bell. Material for publication in The Rattler, Including news items, articles and photos, should be sent to - PO Box 879 Mirrabooka, WA, 6941 Or by brat(g),joinet.net.au Nuts and Bolts Final 2003 general meetings for the BPSWA is November 28 th. Future Sausage Sizzle Allocation Dates - The dates remaining for this year are November 29 th, and for 2004 they are January 10 th, February 21 st, April 3 rd, May 15 th and June 26 th. These are allocated to the Bus Preservation Society by the Rotary Club of Swan Districts, to be held at Harvey Norman, Midland, 8am to 3pm. Please note if and when other groups fail to take up their allotted dates these are offered to us, by their very nature this is usually at very short notice (less than 24 hours). Any help would be greatly appreciated. You Are Invited You and your Partner are invited to our annual Christmas/End of Year wind-up. It's at our depot Sunday the 14 th Dec. at 10am. It's a wonderful opportunity to see first hand the new workshop extension, the new buses in the collection (Parlour car, International SBS #15 and the Dennis Lancet #D24) and see the restoration work on Metro #22 and Tramways. #101. President Cameron Bell has indicated that he hasn't meet half of our members. He is hoping as many members as possible can attend so

3 he and others can meet you. It's a morning tea and, if convenient, ladies please bring a plate. News Flash (supposedly a true story) After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus-stop and offered everyone in the queue a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for three dv - From Front Cover Metro No 34 Leyland Lion LT 5A was imported from the UK complete with a Strachan all steel body in It was recovered after the accident by a team of five, by jacking up onto a makeshift timber platform and towed out backwards. It was not badly damaged.

4 Page four» ; ~. Bristol VRT's (Information supplied by David J Edwards) ) David J Edwards saw these buses operating in Katoomba on one of his trips to the east. All three are now owned by Fantastic Aussie Tours - trading as Blue Mountains Explorer Bus. These three were also owned by Dave Churn who ran London Transport Excursions in the late 1980's here in Perth. The Three buses consisted of one (1) Bristol VRT SL Mark I, chassis VRT SL 215, body by ECW (Eastern Coachworks) No New to Lincolnshire Road Car in 1969, withdrawn from service in 1984, shipped to Australia in July 1984, arriving September 1984.

5 Page five Two (2) Bristol VRT SL Mark II, chassis No's VRT SL2 450 and VRT SL 2 452, ECW bodies numbered and Both buses were new to West Riding in July 1973, both withdrawn from service September That same month both were shipped to Australia, arriving in November Want Your Own Bus There are two half-cab OPS/4 up for grabs. Both have been converted to mobile homes but appear to be in fair shape. One is in the southern end of Thornborough St. Mandurah in a wrecker's yard. The other is in the nr ' \ street of Yarloop. The owners haven't been contacted so if you are interested its over to you. Also found is Tramways AEC Regal 111 carrying the MTT#327. This bus is built into a holiday home. It has a pristine radiator grill and chrome surround. We need to keep this in mind when we start on Fremantle #15. Also in a secret location is a bonneted, wood frame Ford bus - believed also to be ex Tramways. If after evaluation the Society doesn't want it, the location will revealed via this publication. Ramble No 3 to the Scarborough bus Depot, Mt Hawthorn: D Seeker - See Rattler December 2002 No 15 and its twin No 14 were chiefly used on the Brady and Jugan Street routes of the Scarborough Bus Service, i.e. that part of Mt Hawthorn now serviced by the No 15 bus route. They were still in service until the Scarborough Bus Service was absorbed by the MTT, but were then retired. The photograph on page four (December 2002) is an excellent picture of the detailing on many Scarborough Bus Service bodies. \ The Mammoth was one of several semi-trailers in the fleet. All of them had names beginning with M, suggesting size and magnificence, such as Mammoth and Magnificent. Perhaps members can recall other names. From 1957 until Scarborough High School was built, students from Scarborough and Innaloo were transported by Scarborough Bus Service to the Tuart Hill High School, using these semi-trailers. The easiest grades from Scarborough Beach Road to the high school was along Green Street, left into Tyler Street and right into Hodgson Street. I have been a regular user of the old Robert Street and Powell Street services, now extended to the 276, 277 and 278 routes since 1957.

6 Page six In those days each route seemed to be operated by its own group of drivers and the same buses. I particularly remember Paddy, a true Irishman who seemed to be confined to No 12, a 30 seater Daimler (Foden?). He was always cheerful even when having an argument with the gears. After amalgamation we were serviced by Fleetmasters. Not only did we dislike the steps, we found that having no rear door made movement along the aisles very difficult. Presidents Report Thanks to the Whiteman Park management the hard standing area in front of the workshop has been up graded and extended. It is/ \w possible for us to access the eastern bay, with our biggest bus, with ease (we can thank Mr. Ross Parker for this.) I am pleased to report that most of the missing parts off the Parlour car have been found in Fremantle. In the next week or so these will be transferred to our workshop. In 2004 the Western Australian Govt, will celebrate WA's 175 th year by making grants to organizations preserving WA's history. The guide-lines for these grants scream "BPSWA". The Council has asked the Secretary to submit an application for the maximum grant of $5,000. I will keep you posted re our application's progress. There being no takers for the Freo to Whiteman rally we didn't participate. The Council has decided the best way to protect the priceless Howard Cowell photo collection is to have the collection reproduced. The copies will be on top quality paper and the coloured photos will be copied in colour. In the future people wanting to view the collection will be given access to the reproductions while the originals will be ke, jn secure storage. Welcome to another new member. I have previously reported on the valuable free work performed by auto-electrician Bruce Willmott. I am pleased to report that Bruce has now joined the Society. On a sadder note we have apparently lost three members who haven't renewed their membership. I have written to them asking that they reconsider their decision, as we desperately need their continuing support. I am certain one of the factors in us receiving the Lotterywest grant was that we could demonstrate a strong and increasing membership list.

7 Page seven Please continue to keep an eye out for dead batteries. Bob Pierce did and consequently Mr. Carl Brown of Carl's Auto Electrics of Bayswater will donate all his dead batteries (over two tonne already) to us. Well done Bob and a special thank you to Carl. And likewise thanks to Pat Hallahan we now receive the dead batteries from Cummins Engines. An extremely hot day put the dampers on "Have a Go Day". The few brave souls who arrived early disappeared as the temp, rose to 40 degrees. Hence we didn't sell many sizzles but the drinks were popular. W displayed OPS/4 #81 and Pat Hallahan's Bedford plus our photo boards. My thanks to Max Hayles, Glen Boorn, Barrie lies and his wife, Pat Hallahan and David Edwards who made the effort to man the display. History of the Metropolitan Omnibus Company: Max Hayles 1941 May 21 st - Beam Transport had issued winter uniforms to their conductresses. Metro trademark was about to expire and would cost 7/7/0 to renew for 14 years. The Liquid Fuels Control Board required a report of all fuels over previous years. Metro would seek an increase due to extra loadings, due to rationing. Tourist Omnibus Service had been reduced by 100 gallons per month. June 18 th - Drivers who were "called back" after completing a shift would receive a minimum of two hours pay. Drivers / collectors on Bicton and Armadale runs would receive a bonus of three shillings per week for fare collection. Recommended that one Ford V8 bus be fitted with a gas producer and a suitable trailer be procured. Understood that foui- more Fords would be available at the end of June. Agreed to buy the ) and that two be made more comfortable for the Jarradale and Rockingham passengers. Campbell and Mannix to be advised. June 24 { - The chairman and manager had taken a ride on a government bus fitted with a "Powell" gas producer/trailer unit, which performed reasonably well. Metro asked both Powell and Speedy to quote for their gas producers. Later Pederick was also asked to quote. July 9 th - Transport had asked all bus companies to provide a list of all dedicated bus stops as a means of reducing fuel consumption. July 23 r - Deputations to three Road Boards to assist in the removal of

8 Page eight restrictions on Trolley Bus routes were well received. August 6 th - A special conference was called between the Chamber of Commerce, Government Tramways, Metro, Beam and Emu to discuss the heavy loadings and its impact on petrol consumption. Suggestions put forward were - the alteration of school hours, alteration of theatre screening times (daytimes) and petrol retailers to put back sales opening hours. Transport agreed to consider. August 20 th - Spare parts for diesel engines had become difficult. Metro to contact Leyland direct. September 3 rd - Mr Spicer had been successful in Sydney in prodv )g four cylinder blocks, and a further two to arrive in Fremantle soon. October 1 st - A Powell gas producer and trailer had been attached to a Ford bus at a cost of 138. All directors would travel in this bus to Ravenswood on a trial. An interview with Mr Anderson of West End Motors (WA Leyland Agents) had revealed that they had added 10% to all parts from 1940, and that the Price Fixing Commission was already looking into it. The overcharge also included a complete engine which had a defective head and had been very costly to repair. Metro insisted on a refund and in future would check all prices with Leyland in Sydney. October 15 { - The trial run with the gas producer was far from satisfactory, further tests would be arranged before Metro would proceed. A letter from West End Motors admitted that Metro had been overcharged since September 1939 (the start of WW2) and a refund credit note for 347 was enclosed. West End requested refunding nine monthly payments of 40 for eight months then a final 27. Metro agreed. The Metro manager would try to get some reparation fo he welded head on the purchased engine. October 30 th - Campbell and Mannix had delivered a Ford with a new body for 825. December3rd - Another Ford bus had been delivered by Campbell and Mannix. Metro were offered a Reo six cylinder diesel chassis, but decision deferred to the next meeting. December 10 th - The Reo diesel offered by Flower, Davies and Johnson was deferred until the chassis actually arrived. Metro to investigate the availability of any other diesel buses of any make.