The decker....

Hey all here are a few pics of former LA183 at Terrey Hills on the day of it's departure.

In the intervening time I have found one of it as m/o 7374 with Palmers of Doonside, it appears to be performing a shuttle service to the now defunct "Australia's Wonderland" out at Eastern Creek (I believe this company was sold onto Busways, I certainly remember seeing their vehicles out at Wonderland)

A big thank you to Peter Kane for allowing me to use this pic

Just today I found a pic of the bus before this, LA 182 taken in Glasgow's Parkhead depot - and like stumbling on a pic of the Merc O305 , 2419, I feel I have found the look, it seems to be in it's original livery and it has the large GG logo :)

Mid Year Round Up.....

Hey all,

Well it's been a while since my last post, nigh on half a year actually, anyways the purpose of this is to give an update of what has happened in the past few months and where I feel I'm going...

Another bus?

I surprised a few people by buying a half of another bus - a 1964 Leyland Atlantean from Glasgow - it ran with Glasgow Corporation Transport, Greater Glasgow Public Transport Executive, it was imported by Wraight of Brunswick Heads NSW and ended up with Port Macquarie as MO 4675, then ended up being sold via J.A Gilbert in Fairfield in 1985, then to Palmers Bus Service Doonside as m/o 7374 - in 1988 it bounced to a Lotto agent in Blacktown, then at DHL Mascot (basically a billboard) by March of that year. By 1992 it ended up locally at Crossways with ACT rego YSA 167 - after that, presumably it got sold before Allways Bus Service took over and after that ended up at Dundas where it sat by a house for many years. Structurally it is solid, big problem, no seats (but we have a solution or two) and somewhere along the line, someone's repanelled parts of it with galvanised steel and didn't treat the underside, so the panels are rusting from the inside.

We've since found out that the panels would have been aluminium, the structure is galvanised steel

It's a long term restoration, for me, the mercs will come first (easier to tackle hehehe)

Moving right along.....

The Terrey Hills to Oakville move finished with the transferral of the Atlantean, but the last of the mercs were over there by March.

Since the end of April I have been spending as much time as possible assisting in the Sydney Bus Museum's move from Tempe to Leichhardt, all in all a huge task, if I see another pallet cage I'll scream!

The good thing with that move has been getting to know more people involved in the hobby.

Photos soon!!!

More pics

This week the Canberra Merc, ex 646 in Canberra, ex m/o 6409 at Ruttys/Premier Illawarra got a jumpstart and a battery charge and moved for the first time in many months - after I had finished ripping out the remainder of it's seats - now it's full of stuff from 2413, plus other bits and pieces from a scrap yard - where mk3 mercs were getting (and still are) scrapped.

here's a few piccys of it

646 beside 2413 just after movement

2413 all ready for the trip to Oakville - 646 may take a little more time

Pictures tell a thousand words.....

Hey all,

As mentioned in my last post, 2413 spluttered to life and got a wash. Fast forward to yesterday, Saturday 16th January - 2199 had been moved down beside 2413, I took the opportunity part way thru washing to take a few pics with my iPhone

2199 and 2413 in the yard

From another angle - no the witches hat isn't some safety thingy - the hose had an annoying leak and that covered it perfectly :P

Rear view of both

DJ's 2451 looks on.... (Leopard 5257 to left and to the right Merlin 5485 - came from London originally)

2199 after a wash and I even silvered up the rims ;)

a little line up shot

2413 is a little bit of an "in progress" there was some nearside upper damage from it's STA days - til it was fixed water would get in thru there - some other damage on the offside that's been fibreglassed up - the rear bumper was made up of some cruddy steel - needless to say it went in the last scrap bin along with 1930's pushed in rear bumper

Also the mandarin blue from under the rear school lights beside the rear desto...

Last pic of the day, all done for the day.

All that needs to happen is for "the shed" (ex m/o 6409) to come up from the bottom of the yard and I can empty out 2413

Happy 2010

An update on the goings on....

I'm back from spending a few weeks overseas, I had a great time, although in the back of my head, I was back at the yard at Terrey Hills, since it was going to be wound up. Various issues with each bus (bar 1930). However things have worked out for the best and they're off to Oakville instead.

Since September, 1930 had it's rims swapped with another bus, back to the original style split rim - looks rather swish now :) Just a shame that a battery terminal malfunction, on the last of the cheap n nasty ebay purchased batteries meant that 1930 was yard bound for the HCVA November rally. It's now out at Oakville.
Yesterday 2413's engine spluttered to life for the first time in a very long time, it had a wash, plan is to give it another tomorrow and give 2199 a wash as well. I'm going to try and line up all my mercs at Oakville and get a shot :)

In other news, 2411, which became m/o 8586 fleet number 72 at Veolia Transport was withdrawn today. It, 2413 and 2361 were the standouts at Kingsgrove depot - I'm of two minds....

Hopefully things will start moving on various fronts this year, I've half set my mind to restoring 1930 in time for January 2014 - the 13th will mark 20 years since the last run of the mark 1's in government service - the actual bus was scrapped in late 2008, but a small part of it will make it into 1930 ;)