Vintage Bristol K6B 959 (KUO 972) grinds to a halt on a steep hill
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Join me aboard ex Western National 1950 Bristol AVW-engined Bristol K6B/ECW 959 (KUO 972) as it climbs steep hills and sets off through the countryside from Salcombe owards Kingsbridge.
However, we don't get far until the bus stalls outright, with a full load in first crawler gear, on a steep gradient, its engine just unable to heave its load up the steep slope.
Prompt action by its skilful and experienced driver prevented a serious situation developing, but requiring all passengers to get off. Even then, it only just managed to struggle away from this steep, awkward stall owing to a standing start on an extremely steep slope, testing clutch and engine to the max and well handled by the driver.
Filmed from the rear of the cab, to give the driver's ear view of engine notes (as well as to avoid loud talking in the saloon of the bus), with thanks to the kind person who enabled me to do so.
When I went to primary school and for the first years at secondary school double deckers stalled on the steepest hills when full with standing passengers. Old and infirm stayed aboard all others walked up the two steep hills, and buses waited at the top for them. Guy Arabs, and Leyland Titans I think. The Leylands were fewest in number and had bigger windows, I remember as a kid. I think they were petrol engined, Red Petrol back then. Every day to school you'd try to guess where they'd stall it was always on the same bit near the bottom, as the bus stop was at the bottom of the hill and they had no momentum.
Older bus enthusiasts will remember having to get off and walk up a steep hill if one of the pre-war Leyland TD4's of TD5's couldn't make it. The early post-war Crossley DD42's were even more notorious.
Our hybrid busses climb hills using only the electric motor with the engine screaming they climb hills slowly but they pick up speed over time
something wrong here. a K6B ought to be able to climb a mountain, as long as it has all day to do it. either the engine is seriously down on power, or the gearing has been raised to give a higher top speed. a too late "into first" didnt help either.
The Bristol AVW engine does not have good torque at low revs and the driver, who was very capable, just got caught out by not quite changing down early enough and with the gradient, the bus didn't have the guts to keep going without having to stop. That was also difficult to make a standing start on a very steep gradient that tested clutch and engine to the max. AVWs sing along better at top end than a Gardner does but they lack pulling power at low revs.
driver should have changed in to 1st gear a lot earlier, or the engine is not correct,.but best in fiuture use an AEC regent !
back when driving required skill
I'm afraid it's vehicles like this which give the preservation movement a bad name. To stall uphill on a left hand bend is at best a nuisance to other road users and at best a danger. Apart from the engine defect, the clutch seems barely functional and the steering almost seized solid. One can only hope the brakes are a bit better maintained. The poor thing should not be on pub,if roads.
The bus passed a full PCV test at a Ministry testing station a few weeks before this video was made. If they have passed a bus with a barely functioning clutch, siezed steering and badly maintained brakes, the DfT obviously needs to find itself some new testers with your superior knowledge, especially if you can diagnose problems from a TH-cam video which they couldn't see whilst examining it at close quarters.