Historic buses

Here the last two which I have posted in other threads before.
I have an unscanned photo of one at Mt Beauty, advertising a ski-hire established. I can't find it fast.
I travelled in one in Tasmania in Jan.72, Zeehan - Strahan, but didn't photograph it.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

901125Su Dandenong: HCVC Display. Flxible Clipper & Grenda MC8. R Smith.



911013Su Emerald: PBR Olde Time Festival. Flxible Clipper. R Smith

Adding some international flavour from the "udder side of the world", a couple of pics from Israel. First - taken by my dad on a road trip to the south of the country - is of a Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster on the ascent from the Dead Sea to the Negev desert, most likely on the Eilat to Tel Aviv route which was the longest bus route in Israel (laughable - to Australian eyes - 350 Km). These, with local body by Haargaz were the first air-conditioned coaches in Israel. The aircon was driven by a separate monkey engine which used to live behind the rear axle. Usually those were reserved for foreign tourists but on that route the powers that be at the operator, Egged, allowed the plebs to enjoy what was in Israel until the 70s a luxury...

That road was a killer on engines, g/boxes and axles, with speeds dropping to 30 Km/h at some points - unless you got stuck behind a potash road train doing 5 Km/h (yes, they did go up from the Dead Sea to the north before the government put an end to this). Overtaking was hazardous due to all the blind corners. Going the other way was no fun either before things like retarders and disc brakes and more than one poor bugger lost his life there.

The second pic (by Israel Haramaty) shows one of these coaches (nicknamed in Israel as "camels" on account of the raised window and floor line) fresh out of the assembly hall at Haargaz.

...a decade earlier you needed Border Guard escort on the same road. Flxible was one of very few we had - too advanced, too soon. Operators were more familiar with US school bus types and didn't want to know (pic by Fritz Schlezinger, Harvard U Israel archives) :-[

This was an iconic bus model in 1950s Australia, and was very prolific. When a UK diecast-model maker wanted an Australian bus in its range, this was chosen.

571201Su La Trobe Valley Buslines Bedford SB GNX849 (fleet no 53) outside Walhalla Lodge Hotel. (N Smith, Roderick Smith collection). I count the vehicles as a 1955 Ford V8, and a ~1955 Wolseley 6/90. I can't guess the derelict 1920s rhs.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

From Australian Transport Discussion Board comes the reminder that West Australian Government Railways pioneered air suspension for buses with its seven Guy buses dating from 1961. The c1968 Hino buses also had air suspension. How widespread the that become? Is it universal now? Was the technology adopted for trucks too?

Roderick

690123Th Brookton (WA). WAGR Hino H103's suspension. R Smith.

These introduced new standards to Austalia, including underfloor luggage lockers, and airbag suspension.

Roderick

The 1965 publicity brochure, for the three buses introduced in 1961.

Shame about these Guys. I reckon that they were on 'stiff bars' behind a Foden, more times than powering on their own.

TDU

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In the 1950s, VR ran bus routes Sandringham - Beaumaris (the most important, replacing a VR tram), East Camberwell - East Kew (replacing a train) and Hawthorn - Kew (replacing a train, and suspended before 1960). Here is Bedford SB 232 at East Camberwell. Later, the route was upgraded to Comair Bedford, then ceased entirely. The SBs and Comairs had perimeter seating. AFAIK that was banned by TRB/VicRoads, but is now back in favour for wheelchair-access zones.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

780408Sa East Camberwell (Melbourne, Vic.). Victorian Railways Bedford SB 232. R Smith.

Transferred from a 'Where is it'. The SBs were being replaced with Bedford Comairs, but an SB was still in use for East Kew for a couple of years more. I don't know if the battering caused premature withdrawal, or the battering is the result of squeezing up bush tracks after the reallocation. The main Mildura railway line is just behind that Mallee scrub.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

760519W Hattah-Kiamal (Vic.). Calder Hwy. Victorian Railways Bedford SB 234, cascaded from Sandringham or Kew to transfer track gangs to work sites. R Smith.

Here's a couple in Shepparton



BENALLA SHEPPARTON UNDERA ECHUCA is on the top of Bus, do you know any history of these Rodrick. photo says 1940

Colin