Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

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drpeps
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Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by drpeps »

Last month I spent a couple of weeks in the South of Scotland and the North of England during their 'heat wave'. Glorious weather and blue skies everywhere.

I managed a few hours 'free time' in Edinburgh and photographed a sample of their buses. Initially, I thought there were only double deckers, but there are in fact single deckers as well. Most of them are run by Lothian, with an odd smattering of First Scotland East buses. Their fleets are almost exclusively Volvos.

I also noticed a tram route under construction in the centre of Edinburgh. I've since found out this has been a long going, frustrating saga for the people of Edinburgh. Originally scheduled to open in 2011, now it looks like a 2014 start (fingers crossed).

Here's some pictures for you, starting with older through to newer buses. Details are in the filenames.
2_SN04NHPLothianEdinburghVolvoB7RLEFleet122F_800.jpg
2_SN04NHPLothianEdinburghVolvoB7RLEFleet122F_800.jpg (281.79 KiB) Viewed 11419 times
These double deckers are tricky. It's hard to tell if they're coming or going with full destination display on the rear as well as the front.
These double deckers are tricky. It's hard to tell if they're coming or going with full destination display on the rear as well as the front.
3_SN55BLXLothianEdinburghVolvoB7TLFleet721F_800.jpg (281.33 KiB) Viewed 11419 times
4_SN55BLXLothianEdinburghVolvoB7TLFleet721R_800.jpg
4_SN55BLXLothianEdinburghVolvoB7TLFleet721R_800.jpg (286.5 KiB) Viewed 11394 times
This First bus is sporting an All Over Advertising for Vodaphone.
This First bus is sporting an All Over Advertising for Vodaphone.
5_SN55HFLFirstScotlandEastVolvoB7TLFleet32683F_800.jpg (293.2 KiB) Viewed 11394 times
6_SN55HFLFirstScotlandEastVolvoB7TLFleet32683R_800.jpg
6_SN55HFLFirstScotlandEastVolvoB7TLFleet32683R_800.jpg (283.03 KiB) Viewed 11419 times
7_SK07CAXLothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet831F_800.jpg
7_SK07CAXLothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet831F_800.jpg (267.63 KiB) Viewed 11394 times
The First Logo looks suspiciously like the Transperth Logo.  Wonder which one came first?
The First Logo looks suspiciously like the Transperth Logo. Wonder which one came first?
8_SN57HCZFirstScotlandEastVolvoB9TLFleet37140F_800.jpg (284.63 KiB) Viewed 11419 times
9_SN08BYULothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet924F_800.jpg
9_SN08BYULothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet924F_800.jpg (267.12 KiB) Viewed 11419 times
10_SN10DKULothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet943F_800.jpg
10_SN10DKULothianEdinburghVolvoB9TLFleet943F_800.jpg (267.88 KiB) Viewed 11394 times
Love the full colour desto.  This one is a hybrid.
Love the full colour desto. This one is a hybrid.
11_SN61BBULothianEdinburghDennisEnviro400HFleet209F_800.jpg (256.81 KiB) Viewed 11394 times
Last edited by drpeps on Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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drpeps
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Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by drpeps »

This is a hybrid too.
This is a hybrid too.
12_SN13BDXLothianEdinburghVolvoBRLHFleet9F_800.jpg (232.59 KiB) Viewed 11416 times
This old ex London AEC Routemaster is owned by Lothian and used for city tours -
1_IMG_2640_VLT163LothianEdinburghMacToursAECRoutemasterFleet126_800.jpg
1_IMG_2640_VLT163LothianEdinburghMacToursAECRoutemasterFleet126_800.jpg (280.39 KiB) Viewed 11416 times
Now for a couple of coaches -
13_SN05DWJHighlandHeritageVolvoB12BVanHoolAlizeeT9F_800.jpg
13_SN05DWJHighlandHeritageVolvoB12BVanHoolAlizeeT9F_800.jpg (279.85 KiB) Viewed 11391 times
Couldn't find the gen on this one, so does anyone know the chassis maker?
Couldn't find the gen on this one, so does anyone know the chassis maker?
14_P80PCLParnhamUnknownChassisMakeVDLBovaBodyF_800.jpg (226.96 KiB) Viewed 11416 times
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Bedford-29
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by Bedford-29 »

The Parnhams coach is a Bova Futura there is quite a number of them around the UK.
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by drpeps »

Thanks for that Bedford-29. I was after the chassis maker, ie a Mercedes, Volvo etc and which model.
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by Mr OC Benz »

Bova Futura is an integral by the now called VDL. There's an updated modern version, both the old and new versions are popular all over Europe, but only just got my first shot of one in Krakow, Poland the other day!

Also that Volvo Hybrid is also an integral Volvo 7900. Volvo's European integral Euro 6 range only consists of the 7900 Hybrid rigid and Artic from now on.

Nice shots, great to see some areas I didn't get to.
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by boronia »

IIRC, the Bovas that came to Australia had DAF running gear?
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by drpeps »

Thanks for that explanation Mr OC Benz. Now I understand what Bedford-29 was saying. Buses are going the way cars did some 70 odd years ago.

As a kid, our family car was a 1936 Chevrolet. The chassis & running gear was made by General Motors and the body was made by the Holden Body Works company in South Australia. It had a Holden badge on it on the left hand mudguard down behind the front wheel just above the running board. Eventually, General Motors bought Holden, and the 48/215 (FX) Holden came into existance in 1948 as an 'integral' and most car makers have now moved over to producing the 'whole' car.

Here's my shot of the rear of the Bova showing its badge in the rear window -
15_P80PCLParnhamVDLBovaFutura_800.jpg
15_P80PCLParnhamVDLBovaFutura_800.jpg (249.72 KiB) Viewed 11347 times
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by Bedford-29 »

The Parnham`s Bova Futura is just called a Bova the VDL part of the name came in when VDL took over Bova in 2003.VDL also own the Berkhof and Jonckheere names.VDL is a part DAF in the Netherlands.
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by Mitch »

drpeps wrote:As a kid, our family car was a 1936 Chevrolet. The chassis & running gear was made by General Motors and the body was made by the Holden Body Works company in South Australia. It had a Holden badge on it on the left hand mudguard down behind the front wheel just above the running board. Eventually, General Motors bought Holden, and the 48/215 (FX) Holden came into existance in 1948 as an 'integral' and most car makers have now moved over to producing the 'whole' car.
Unless I'm reading it wrong, I think you're getting confused. My understanding of an integral bus is that the bus is made entirely by the one company or person. I think almost every chassis builder produces an integral bus for the European market. MAN has the Lion's City, Mercedes has the Citaro range, Scania has the OmniDekka/City range, Volvo has the 7/8/9##0 range. As far as I'm aware, Australia don't have integral(*) buses as most of the European integrals are too wide for our roads.

I'm open to being corrected, though. :lol:

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Are the BCIs considered integrals?
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by bussie »

Mitch wrote:
drpeps wrote:As a kid, our family car was a 1936 Chevrolet. The chassis & running gear was made by General Motors and the body was made by the Holden Body Works company in South Australia. It had a Holden badge on it on the left hand mudguard down behind the front wheel just above the running board. Eventually, General Motors bought Holden, and the 48/215 (FX) Holden came into existance in 1948 as an 'integral' and most car makers have now moved over to producing the 'whole' car.
Unless I'm reading it wrong, I think you're getting confused. My understanding of an integral bus is that the bus is made entirely by the one company or person. I think almost every chassis builder produces an integral bus for the European market. MAN has the Lion's City, Mercedes has the Citaro range, Scania has the OmniDekka/City range, Volvo has the 7/8/9##0 range. As far as I'm aware, Australia don't have integral(*) buses as most of the European integrals are too wide for our roads.

I'm open to being corrected, though. :lol:

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Are the BCIs considered integrals?
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by busrider »

Bustech ADi, CDi, MDi, SDi, TDi, XDi? I suppose there's the ADL Enviro 200 as well, but there's only one of those (integral version) in Australia that I'm aware of...
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by Mitch »

Oh, you're right! I forgot about those!

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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by MaxHeadway »

drpeps wrote:Here's my shot of the rear of the Bova showing its badge in the rear window
Why is there a figure of 100 in (what's presumably) the speed limiter sign, given that speeds are in miles per hour? Is the UK switching to km in the near future?
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by wyth »

That coach with the 100k on the boot is used for long haul tours to Europe, no, the UK is not switching!!!! Its still miles, feet, yards, inches, pints, LB's, ect...... When I visit friends in Northern Ireland, the distances are all in miles and milk is in a pint bottle, in Dublin, we still ask for a LB of butter, a pint of beer, when looking at cars, we ask whats the mileage!!!! How much to a gallon, how many furlongs in a mile, how many guineas in the next race!!! So, in a world gone mad thanks to Germany and their grip, the UK still uses imperial and so does the republic of Ireland to a big degree. BTW, theres a Dennis Hybrid in the pics above, a lovely bus, we had a Wright hybrid here in Dublin, on the pits more than on the road, we sold it last yr to Ensign who put it to use in their fleet in Essex rather than putting the bus for sale with their stock, they had it 3 weeks and it burst into flames.
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by drpeps »

Also explains why the Parnham's coach is wearing European style numberplates with the GB on the plate, if it regularly flits off to Europe.

Even though most measurements in the UK are still in imperial units, strangely, fuel is sold by the litre!!!
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Re: Some of the buses I saw in Edinburgh.

Post by wyth »

ERM 163, (extended route master) above pics, this is the only one exteded this length, it was the subject on the model section recently here, its unique as the chassis was extended!!! BTW, the livery worn on the Enviro 400 Dennis Hybrid is the old style livery being re applied to buses as they go for repaints, the scattered diamonds was the tempory livery introduced to bridge the gap between their standard madder and cream and when the fleet would reach 100 low floor, Lothian is well respected and admired by councils all over Great Britain as they never sold out to the private operators.... their buses are imaculate and they use the old style cloth blinds rather than dot metrix and their seating material may still be leatherette...... Not 100% but they were up to recent. Edinburgh is beautiful, but Id be different to liking a Scottish city and prefer Glasgow, Glasgow is a friendlier place and has an underground metro.... rumour was THAT was budgeted for Dublin by Queen Victoria as a gift to Dublin as it was the jewel in the crown but prep work took a few yrs as is the case today and the queen died, the king visited Dublin and got a poor reception and rumour was it was his decision to cancel the project and move the metro to Glasgow instead although the prep work had been done in Dublin!
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