Remember seeing these in Sheffield when I was a kid, think they carried Van Hool bodies that were manufactured in NI. They made a noise like no other bus on the road to my (young) ears.
I know SYPTE had a few of them but can’t say I remember seeing them in Rotherham. Perhaps they were mainly used in Sheffield and Doncaster. (Though I have seen a photo of one in Rotherham on the 69 Sheffield Rotherham service).
I remember always seeing the odd WM Travel Ailsas when visiting Birmingham. They were still a rare sight amongst the huge numbers of Fleetlines and Metrobuses, but instantly recognisable with that huge and imposing front grille.
As I started driving in fife in 1998 there was still loads of ailsa's around and has to be my favourite double decker to drive loved them as a kid with their characteristic noises then was over the moon to drive them when I started with stagecoach Fife, looking forward to part 2 keep up the good work
@@JakeSCOC remember playing 5 a side one Sunday and having an early start Monday and getting to my ailsa looking up thinking with aching legs how am I getting up there lol would have one over any of the modern tin cans we have now
You’re teasing us by making this in two parts. 😂 Thank you for the informative video. I know SYPTE had some of these but I don’t remember them in Rotherham. I think they were mainly in Sheffield and Doncaster. But other experts might correct me here.
Brilliant stuff Jake. Can’t east for part 2. I didn’t know that it was weight distribution for the reason for the seating. Learned something there. Happy New Year
These were one of my favourite buses - they had a unique sound. As a kid, I used to fall asleep at night listening to them screaming along the nearby main road. Looking forward to part 2.
Living in Dundee, I remember the time almost every bus in Tayside's fleet was an Ailsa, I have very fond memories of travelling all over the city on these magnificent machines, it was a sad day when National Express took over bus operations in 1997, they quickly moved to replace the last of the aging Ailsas and that distinctive TD70 sound was gone... luckily we have a half dozen of them in preservation up here so the old memories can be relived at various rallies over the season, great buses, dearly missed.
I often imagined Ailsa's in a Thomas the Tank Engine World as the very sad bus. Sitting at a junction in the Cardiff Bus or Derby Bus Ailsa's, I couldn't help but notice at tinckover they said "No no no no no no no" as either they just wanted to get going or they wanted to go back to the depot! 😄
I wonder if our mates at 55 Broadway were keeping an eye on these ,I’ll comment more next one mate on the V AVE buses,the chassis looked neat and I imagine good to work on All the best Jake Mark 😊😊
@@JakeSCOC I was not pleased with the AVE ailsas for one reason only you’ll laugh ,you know the front sidelight indicator clusters they used the older style instead of what the metro and titans were using to me made the dash label look odd ,hehe but that’s me Jake 😂
When you say that the engineers preferred the engine at the front of the bus so that the driver could keep an eye on it, what about Stan and Jack putting their fish and chips under the bonnet to keep warm until clouds of steam emerged as the number 11 to the Cemetery Gates (a Lodekka I believe) and the bus ground to a halt with steam coming out of Blakey's ears. Thanks for an excellent video and I use Christmas as an excuse to be flippant but did this sort of thing really go on under the bonnet of a front engined bus ? The script writer must have got the idea from somewhere.
@@nickgiles7568 Ha I remember that one Nick. Between you and me, I've actually done that with a Guy Arab. From the chippy to the garage was ten minutes and the chips were hotter than when they came out the shop!
Hi Jake,do you think the staircase facing forward was a real issue with operating companies on the Guy Wulfrinian. It was said that passengers could fall down the stairs under heavy braking conditions. Do you think this was significant in it's failure to sell as well as it's mechanical issues ?
Hi Simon, I don't think so. I think if that was an issue it would have affected buses like the Atlantean, VR and such which also had that layout. I think it was more down to mechanical reliability. Too many new things at once.
I think you are exaggerating the effect of 'Ram Air Cooling' on a service bus that rarely gets above 25 mph and spends at least half the time standing still at Bus Stops, traffic lights and other assorted traffic holdups in urban areas! Never a fan of the Ailsa - seemed very crude to me. Now the later Citybus was rather wonderful!
THS was sent for export demonstration to Thailand, then Hong Kong where it became an early member of the Citybus fleet. They fitted it wit a Leyland 600 engine.
Remember seeing these in Sheffield when I was a kid, think they carried Van Hool bodies that were manufactured in NI. They made a noise like no other bus on the road to my (young) ears.
I know SYPTE had a few of them but can’t say I remember seeing them in Rotherham. Perhaps they were mainly used in Sheffield and Doncaster. (Though I have seen a photo of one in Rotherham on the 69 Sheffield Rotherham service).
@@davefarrow4351 They certainly made a distinctive noise.
Van Hool McArdle built bodies in Dublin. As well as the batch for SYPTE there were two for A1 Service in Ayrshire, one of which is fully restored.
I remember always seeing the odd WM Travel Ailsas when visiting Birmingham. They were still a rare sight amongst the huge numbers of Fleetlines and Metrobuses, but instantly recognisable with that huge and imposing front grille.
@@fuzzynutter8344 It was massive wasn't it? Certainly made them stand out . They used the same one on the Alexander bodied Bristol VRs
They used to run on the 42, 107 and 113 routes
Great video Jake, up to your usual high standards!
@@WOLFIE-96B-UK Thanks Wolfie, very kind.
As I started driving in fife in 1998 there was still loads of ailsa's around and has to be my favourite double decker to drive loved them as a kid with their characteristic noises then was over the moon to drive them when I started with stagecoach Fife, looking forward to part 2 keep up the good work
@@duncanwheelan6890 Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed this video. Did the buses live up to your expectations when you drove them?
@@JakeSCOC remember playing 5 a side one Sunday and having an early start Monday and getting to my ailsa looking up thinking with aching legs how am I getting up there lol would have one over any of the modern tin cans we have now
Cut my teeth on Ailsa’s at Potter Bar in 1988 loved the West Mids Ailsa’s to this day, ours were knackered but they could move
@@BerlietGBC I bet they were great to drive?
You’re teasing us by making this in two parts. 😂
Thank you for the informative video. I know SYPTE had some of these but I don’t remember them in Rotherham. I think they were mainly in Sheffield and Doncaster. But other experts might correct me here.
@@adamlee3772 Might even be three parts, there's so much! And those wonderful South Yorkshire ones will definitely feature.
Very nice 👍👍👍
Built just up the road from me in Irvine. Bring on part 2... I'll even look past the Falkirk mispronunciation lol.
@@craigsibley8161 Yes,looking forward to part two.
@@craigsibley8161 Thanks guys 👍🏻
Brilliant stuff Jake. Can’t east for part 2. I didn’t know that it was weight distribution for the reason for the seating. Learned something there.
Happy New Year
@@smogmonster1876 Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.
roll on part 2 Jake
Thanks 👍🏻
@@JakeSCOCyes roll on part 2 Jake. When you releasing that? 😅
interesting first view of the Guy, not seen that shot before
@@highpath4776 Very enigmatic isn't it? Right there in service.
These were one of my favourite buses - they had a unique sound. As a kid, I used to fall asleep at night listening to them screaming along the nearby main road. Looking forward to part 2.
@@unclenolly3207 Thanks Uncle Nolly. Yes they sounded lovely
Living in Dundee, I remember the time almost every bus in Tayside's fleet was an Ailsa, I have very fond memories of travelling all over the city on these magnificent machines, it was a sad day when National Express took over bus operations in 1997, they quickly moved to replace the last of the aging Ailsas and that distinctive TD70 sound was gone... luckily we have a half dozen of them in preservation up here so the old memories can be relived at various rallies over the season, great buses, dearly missed.
@@daviestewart2510 Ahh such a shame when vehicles we've grown up with go. It's like saying goodbye to old friends.
I often imagined Ailsa's in a Thomas the Tank Engine World as the very sad bus. Sitting at a junction in the Cardiff Bus or Derby Bus Ailsa's, I couldn't help but notice at tinckover they said "No no no no no no no" as either they just wanted to get going or they wanted to go back to the depot! 😄
@@PaddyWV That's brilliant 😂😂
I wonder if our mates at 55 Broadway were keeping an eye on these ,I’ll comment more next one mate on the V AVE buses,the chassis looked neat and I imagine good to work on
All the best Jake
Mark 😊😊
@@marksinthehouse1968 Hi Mark. The AVE ones will definitely appear in the next episode. How could I not feature AV3?
@@JakeSCOC I was not pleased with the AVE ailsas for one reason only you’ll laugh ,you know the front sidelight indicator clusters they used the older style instead of what the metro and titans were using to me made the dash label look odd ,hehe but that’s me Jake 😂
And being Scottish, appropriate for New Year
@@highpath4776 Of course. Very good point
They were reliable buses they roamed around Cardiff for an amazing 25 years
@@andrewbutler6477 They certainly set Volvo up to be a builder of reliable motors over here in the UK
When you say that the engineers preferred the engine at the front of the bus so that the driver could keep an eye on it, what about Stan and Jack putting their fish and chips under the bonnet to keep warm until clouds of steam emerged as the number 11 to the Cemetery Gates (a Lodekka I believe) and the bus ground to a halt with steam coming out of Blakey's ears. Thanks for an excellent video and I use Christmas as an excuse to be flippant but did this sort of thing really go on under the bonnet of a front engined bus ? The script writer must have got the idea from somewhere.
@@nickgiles7568 Ha I remember that one Nick. Between you and me, I've actually done that with a Guy Arab. From the chippy to the garage was ten minutes and the chips were hotter than when they came out the shop!
Hi Jake,do you think the staircase facing forward was a real issue with operating companies on the Guy Wulfrinian. It was said that passengers could fall down the stairs under heavy braking conditions. Do you think this was significant in it's failure to sell as well as it's mechanical issues ?
Hi Simon, I don't think so. I think if that was an issue it would have affected buses like the Atlantean, VR and such which also had that layout. I think it was more down to mechanical reliability. Too many new things at once.
@JakeSCOC I didn't realise other types of buses had this layout. Thanks for the info and wishing you a happy new year.
Originally A Guy Wulfurian Volvo Copied It Have A Look....
@@carabara3947 Improved rather than copied I think 😉
I think you are exaggerating the effect of 'Ram Air Cooling' on a service bus that rarely gets above 25 mph and spends at least half the time standing still at Bus Stops, traffic lights and other assorted traffic holdups in urban areas! Never a fan of the Ailsa - seemed very crude to me. Now the later Citybus was rather wonderful!
@@timbounds7190 Ram air thanks to a big hydraulic fan... probably more sucked through than rammed through by momentum.
Not a type I was ever familiar with given the majority of them were built for Scottish operators but a number ran in London post deregulation.
@@markcf83 No I didn't see them either.
THS was sent for export demonstration to Thailand, then Hong Kong where it became an early member of the Citybus fleet. They fitted it wit a Leyland 600 engine.
@StephenAllcroft That's right. Apparently it ended up with a 'snout' because the Leyland engine was bigger.