Into May

So we move on into May and despite the drought warnings it seems to be colder wandering about than it was in January. However, this time of year does mean the rally season starts and one of the earliest transport events was at Carlton Colville, where RTL453 operated having just received its new engine and gearbox and having been repainted only days before. As soon as it arrived back though it was made ready for signwriting for period adverts and I thought a shot of it with first layers on would be interesting without giving to much away! 


Meanwhile the Southdown TS7 continues to take shape with the reframing of the offside largely complete and the rear end now being tackled. Fortunately the nearside is much better and only the door area and one pillar need to be replaced on this side. Hopefully therefore the reframing of the cab can start in earnest in June, following Tony’s (whose baby this is) holiday. We have also worked out how to reinstate the long since closed shut sliding sun roof and thanks to some of the original parts being returned to us by a previous owner, for which we are very grateful for. As to when it will be ready… I dont usually stick my neck out but I think we are going to be very close come the end of the year, lets hope I havent now jinxed it.

 

The other major project that inches ever closer to completion and really has been the problem child of bus restorations is the Cub that Pete has been working on now for longer than he cares to remember. The wings have needed to be adjusted to ensure a good fit and thus allow us to put the bonnet area together, once this is completed we can finally start on some proper road tests. All that though however was reliant on finding a front wheel, which took some time and I am delighted to say eventually ended in a successful conclusion and is now fitted, which is a huge relief as that was starting to look like it would be the major bottleneck. Next on is final adjustments and then its time to fit the headlights.

 

So that’s the progress on the major projects this month which I think overall has been really good. Added to these is obviously T499 which has progressed really well this month and RTW335 and MD60 which have also made progress. Lets hope 2012 sees some of these back on the road after extensive restorations and increases the number of roadworthy types of our vehicle heritage that can be seen out and abou
Cheers for now
Steve

Whats new in March 2012.

Lots of people have been asking to have a look at the various projects and the state of play of each of them. So with that in mind I will concentrate on the projects that are being done and start with these two views of the 10T10. As can be seen the reframing with the exception of the cab is now complete and the first section of interior panelling and flooring are now in place. On July 1, 2013 it will be 75 years since T499 entered service in Grays and that surely is our target date for completion…

 

The next full scale project is the Southdown TS7 DUF179 which has been undergoing a major strip down to rectify the rot. The nearside is not in bad shape whereas the offside requires the replacement of all the pillars. Throughout this month we have been stripping this down and just today ‘the tide has turned’ and the new pillars are being cut in readiness to being fitted. The two shots below show the various stages of the strip down.

 In amongst the rotting pillars on the rear we found this name inscribed into one of them, can anyone shed any light on who J. Pavett was? Is that from its days in preservation or does it date back further?

 And here are the six pillars being readied to be added to the offside and start seeing us putting back together some of what we have had to strip off.

 Meanwhile taking shape up at Busworks Blackpool is our RTW335 which is now ever nearing completion and the progress can be followed directly on the RTW335 blog, which can be seen at http://rtw335.blogspot.co.uk/

 And the reason that the Cub has not featured this month is that we have been working on RTL453 to start getting her all set to take her place in the Wartime London Tour fleet, that starts operating on April 3, have a look at the website if you are wondering what I am talking about www.wartimelondon.com and whilst out having tacho fitted a careless truck driver damaged the rear end… This has needed to be tackled and a new pillar fitted as well as the panels, it has however meant that the vehicle will now need a full repaint and we will also now add signwritten adverts to her for the late 1940s so she will end up looking special, so every cloud and all that… Apologies for not having rotated the photo as I am damned if I can find the rotate button on this new blog feature so will get someone to explain it to me…!!

And lastly up is RTL1014 that returned to us after 45 years in California. The vehicle was sold by our Chairman here Peter Newman way back in 1967 and he delivered it to the docks at Southampton for its new owners UniTrans at University College Davis. They have owned, operated and loved the vehicle all that time and due to Californian emission regulations RTL1014 became an outcast from their fleet as she still has her original engine, so we acquired her back. She sailed back on the same shipping line she went out on, came back to the same port, and was collected by myself and Peter, bringing the story full circle. I commented to him as he got out of the cab back at PT ’45 years and you got the bus back, must be a record breaking period for a money back guarantee!’ The intention will be to restore to London 50s condition but preserving her 45 years of US service… looking forward to that one…

So thats it for the month
Cheers for now
Steve

1 March 2012

Well firstly welcome to the new site and indeed the new blog. Excuse me in advance if I make a mess of this post as it has already taken me longer than the restoration of RT8 to actually insert images and rotate them!

Perhaps not the most exciting of views or jobs but clearly the point of this blog is to show some of the work that goes behind the scenes to put and keep these vehicles on the road. So we decided to take a look at ourpre war Southdown Tiger, which is a lovely vehicle and could be ‘bodged’ to get a season or two more out of her but in reality requires some pretty decent sized reframing to bring her back into the land of the healthy and secure the future. It would seem that this bus having passed througha few hands has put off people tackling the work as clearly one job here is going to lead to another. The shot above shows the emergency door that was already hanging at a slant and with a window that would not open or close was the first thing we decided to look at. As feared the wood was rotten in 75% of it, and where it had been repaired many of the repairs were done in poor quality wood, so we rebuilt it….

With new framing, the right sized screws (as they always get longer when the rot gets worse and was what was blocking the window from opening) the door is just about done. Now whether this is our next large scale project is still up for debate here but either way when you take something off to inspect it, the very worst thing you can do is not repair and refit it, as things left to one side for ‘later’ generally have a nasty habit of being mislaid and thus causing more work later. Personally I really like the vehicle and can imagine that with a good quality repaint on a decent flat surface the coach could be made to look wonderful. That said I will have to do some homework on Southdown paint colours and liveries as its not my strong point and there are at least five different shades of green that I have counted on her thus far. If anyone out there can help on these  be great to hear from you?

And off site the 10T10 progresses really well but we still tackle many parts of it from here. This is the front axle (lying next to the Cubs new bumpers) that has required a lot of work on it to free it up, fit new bushes and bring it up to PSV standard. It is now complete and ready to go back and be reunited with the bus itself which progresses well and I will update on next month. The target date for it being ready is July next year which would mark the 75th aniversary of it entering service at nearby Grays depot, which is surely an aniversary we just cannot miss… or will we?

Lastly, is another one thats come back to life. Our ex JMT Tiger had an engine failure last year. For some time she sat and waited whilst we looked to find a replacement which was duly delivered and fitted, and runs like a dream. Whilst we had the bus in bits we have taken the opportunity to reline the clutch as whilst not worn to its limits it was getting low and with whats shaping up from the bookings thus far to be a busy season as well as some of the buses being used on the new London Wartime Tour, have a look at www.wartimelondon.com it was prudent to tackle the job now we felt.
The Cub now is also back with us having been away for some further work on its engine, which in due course has shown up some other minor system problems associated from it now running under its own power, but we are getting ever nearer with that, and now that I think I am mastering this new format, I will endeavour to do a more detailed update next month.
Cheers for now
Steve

New Year... New Blog.... New Site

Well we have finally got the new website up and running which for the first time houses all our vintage and PH fleet on one site and allows me to put the blog there for a wider audience to view...

So if you go to

www.ensignbushire.com and click on the blog section you will see the latest post and whilst you are there you can have a look about the site.

Cheers

Steve

Happy New Year

Well indeed all the fun and festivities are over, so certainly time for an update.



First up is our backlog or poorly engines has started to be unblocked. The first to get its reconditioned lump put back in was RTL453 that we had running on Christmas Eve, and she sounds superb, and was a great Christmas present for us all here. This vehicle has not been out and about as much as we would have liked and we have some jobs for it in the New Year so we can now at last concentrate on getting the interior brought up to speed.



Well as everyone knows we are never averse to the odd acquisition, and this month has been no exception with a few vehicles joining us. First up was RB51 one of the Green Line AEC Duples. Sadly we could not get it ready in time for our own running day, as to Class 6 it took some time, happily however it did debut in Southend on New Years Day, which is quite fitting as I remember the old 795 running there in years gone by and of course later the X1 became a Green Line service, albeit after the hey day of the service.



One that we did get ready in time for our running day was RF319 which joined us in very late November. The vehicle is in wonderful condition and makes a nice change from our ususal basket case condition. The vehicle is seen here on its debut on our running day in a photo taken by Russell Young and kindly sent in. If anyone does have any shots of this vehicle from the past be really grateful.



At the same time we collected the RF and had a family day out, we also bought back a superb addition to the fleet. A wonderful 1937 ex Southdown, Harrington bodied Leyland TS7. Taken at Clacket Lane services on our final run for home, it proved faultless on the drive back. The vehicle has some rot and requires some attention in places but is a fantastic survivor of a by gone era and one we look forward to having on the road sooner rather than later.



Another lucky survivor is the STL breakdown tender that we recovered from Florida and which finally arrived back in the UK on December 28 and here in PT the following day. Our fitters instantly took a shine to it and decided it was far more appropriate than our Transits or Scanias. The intention will to to retain it as a service vehicle, as whilst the attraction of owning it as Bluebird STL175 is there, we would be into the realms of replcas rather than restorations, so as 739J she will remain.





Last but not least is the Cub restoration here which is nearing completion. The vehicle has been run a few times but is smoking quite heavily so we are completing all the exterior work now before it is moved to the specialists who reconditioned the engine so they can resolve the smoking issue. Once that is done it will be returned to us for bonnet and front mudguards to be fitted before once again moving on for painting.

I will update a few more of the jobs that have been done on the buses as winter maintenance as they prepare for the summer season as well as an update on the 10T10 which is coming along very well in my next update.

Cheers for now

Steve

October...

Been a very busy period with some personal projects as well as some company disposals that have kept me away from the PH fleet more than ususal, but as always we have been busy...



First up we are off to sunnier climes, Florida to be precise, where 739J the former STL175 has spent her time since 1994, the humid climate having taken its toll... To svae the vehicle being loaded on a container ship, we need her to be able to drive to qualify for a ro-ro boat. So one of our chaps was despatched and after 48 hours had it running. All things being equal later today he will oversee the loading of its departure from Florida and onwards to the docks in Georgia. I will keep you posted on progress with some more detail on the journey when shes back.





Couple of pictures to try and show the strides that have been made in both the improvement of the area the operational buses are garaged and their all round presentation. The new arrangment means that all the buses are far more accesible then they have ever been and we ae able to get any bus out without having to move numerous other vehicles. They are also away from the body and restoration bays which helps with far less dust gathering on the vehicles. Also a full time member of staff dedicated to presentation, restoration and cleanliness has helped no end.



But sadly this has been a period about engines... RT1499 overheated badly on the road during the October heatwave which left the engine in a poor state. As such whenever we reach that point we take a vehicle off the road, as a tired engine is repairable, a blown one is not. So 1499 had its engine removed and had a replacement out of scrap RT3865 put in. At the same time we alos fitted an isolator to 1499 to save on battery wear and also an alternator to replace the old style dynamo. This was all completed within 10 days and 1499 is now fit and sounding great. The tired engine will go away for recon this week and be swapped over with the now ready engine for T499, when complete the reconditioned engine will go into RT624 which has been off with its own engine issues for to long.



And to make the point about 624 still being in sick corner here it is... However its engine will soon be back with us, the parts for RTL453 are due in anytime to get her back on the road, and the PS1 engine went away for recon this week as the Cub engine (below) was returned to us. Hopefully this run on needing engines reconditioned will now end and we can catch up on putting them back on the road!



Lastly the Cub engine, which has been our bottle neck on this project for sometime now is back with us. We are hoping to have it in and fitted by the end of the week. If all is well and systems are all good, we can hopefully push on to finish the project relatively quickly.

We are also now working on a new vintage/hire website which will be going fully live shortly and where this blog will then move to allowing for more interaction and photos to be put up, quicker and easier but I will post all the details up here, once the move is ready and some one has explained it to me!

Until then Cheers for now
Steve

Aug 2011

I'm getting used to apologising for missing deadlines, but holidays, work commitments here, running day and just about everything else have eaten away my time.



Of course on of the downsides to running vintage vehicles in service is that they sadly get pranged from time to time. RML2405 had its rear end taken out by a colossal speed bump at the bottom of a hill and what a mess it made. In the end we had to strip off the entire rear end and fit a complete new framework to the vehicle.



The work took approx 10 days but fortunately no lasting damage done. We took the opportunity to then do other body work on the vehicle and decided to repaint it as well, as its a very popular performer on PHs and is now at the three year point since last repaint. A few amendments have been made to its livery, which you can see below, yes I know not authentic LT but eyecatching and a good advert for our vintage fleet and by getting work for them we can keep them on the road.






I have been asked to keep everyone abreast of how other projects are moving on, and one which there is great interest on is the 10T10. The vehicle is being done off site and such has been the workload here I have not got down to look over the actual project this month. However, one part is with us, which is the front axle, seen here getting new bushes and brake cylinders readied. The engne is also away being restored and should be ready for collection and refit onto the chasis shortly. I will certainly endeavour to get down and see it later this month.



Talking of engines and projects, these are the reworked pistons and new rings and pins for the Cub. The Cub itself has been delayed by having to recover, find, restore and build many of the engine components, not a quick task. The completed engine is expected back with us mid to late September, at that point the project will be able to move on to system testing and into the final stage as 90% of the interior is done and its now largely complete on the exterior with the windows being the latest to go in. I will focus a bit more on that next month, when hopefully the engine refitting can be covered.



With it being the celebratory 50 year of the RML, heres on of the first resting after having been out on wedding duties. The vehicle itself is one of our most popular for hires and very popular with drivers as it is a lovely vehicle to drive. We have as those of you who know the site here moved most of the vintage fleet into the opposite 'barn'. This is due to the fact that we are carrying out more and more work in the original barn and dust is becoming an issue, so the front line fleet are now stored together as can be seen in the background.



Sadly and despite our very best efforts, our RTL453 failed to make the running day following a very nasty engine failure. Despite us sourcing another engine, time was aganist us and the replacement engine not fit enough to go straight in, so an in house rebuild of the original is taking place. Seen here from the offices looking forlorn with its front ened removed, she awaits the road again...



But for everyone that doesn't make it we try and get something else new into our running day... This year was no excpetion with our Royal Blue Bristol, making its debut back in passenger carrying service after many years out. We like vehicles witha colourful history and this one is no exception. Having completed its life with Royal Blue/Western National it went through various owners before ending up with Asian Greyhound, doing a UK to India service! Now thats quite a run, even by our standards and the vehicle even used to boast 'jacked up' suspension to cope with the road conditions. Seen here in far more sedate Lakeside on its inaugrual journey back in service in a photo kindly sent in by Mark Lyons, many thanks.



Linking in buses with international connections and the running day here is a picture of RLH61 under the moody showery skies we had here on Saturday and kindly sent in by Russell Young, as is the phot below of RM371 which we got out for a rounder in between showers to enjoy the last of the summer sunshine, on a very enjoyable day