coomsey:
01
You’d get past Luton n think it was busy! Compared to nowadays it was empty .Of course headlights on main beam ROF especially if you’d got a S80 so you could see the next cats eye I think that Octopus could be one of E Spencer’s Dave.as above. Cheers Coomsey
They were the days all right. As said before, we didn’t realise how lucky we were. I remember them there Atlanteans flying past, leaning over to one side in the cross wind.
I remember the Midland Red coaches, ya buga those guys used to fly. I also recall when you got to the chimneys the smell n the London Brick lorries joining the motorway doing about 25mph. It always made me think they were moving a lorry museum en masse. Later on the Fodens /Volvo 86s started to appear n things speeded up a bit cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Your mention of the London Brick chimneys on the left side of the M1 when going South brought back memories from the 1970s.
I used to try counting the chimneys as soon as they came into view on the nearside, as well as trying to concentrate on the road ahead.
I think it was an optical illusion, but the chimneys farthest away seemed to be moving, as though they were on wheels. I never did manage
to do an accurate chimney count. Regards, Ray Smyth.
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
coomsey:
0
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
coomsey:
0
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
and another link which wont work so an excerpt from it.
In developing the motorway express versions of the type C5 coach, BMMO engineers at Central works took an early unfinished vehicle from the second production batch of BMMO C5 coaches, fleet number 4801 (registration number 801HHA), and experimented with fitting turbochargers, thus this vehicle became the prototype CM5T coach. The standard BMMO 8.028-litre engine was fitted with a CAV turbocharger, increasing the power output by 37bhp, and a five-speed “crash” overdrive gearbox replaced the standard four-speed unit. Engineers also upgraded the differential, changing the ratio from 4.78:1 to 4.44:1. The Prototype underwent extensive testing at the MIRA test track near Nuneaton, in both semi-finished and completed forms, and achieved speeds of up to 85mph. This speed was extremely impressive as the legal speed limit for coaches prior to this time was 30mph, and the average family car struggled to reach 70mph. BMMO officially listed the top speed at 76mph, with a surprisingly fugal fuel consumption of around 15mpg."
Oily
coomsey:
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
and another link which wont work so an excerpt from it.
In developing the motorway express versions of the type C5 coach, BMMO engineers at Central works took an early unfinished vehicle from the second production batch of BMMO C5 coaches, fleet number 4801 (registration number 801HHA), and experimented with fitting turbochargers, thus this vehicle became the prototype CM5T coach. The standard BMMO 8.028-litre engine was fitted with a CAV turbocharger, increasing the power output by 37bhp, and a five-speed “crash” overdrive gearbox replaced the standard four-speed unit. Engineers also upgraded the differential, changing the ratio from 4.78:1 to 4.44:1. The Prototype underwent extensive testing at the MIRA test track near Nuneaton, in both semi-finished and completed forms, and achieved speeds of up to 85mph. This speed was extremely impressive as the legal speed limit for coaches prior to this time was 30mph, and the average family car struggled to reach 70mph. BMMO officially listed the top speed at 76mph, with a surprisingly fugal fuel consumption of around 15mpg."
Oily
Beasts only ever seen in the outside lane n not for long at that.
Hi coomsey, Ray and Oily, Yes coomsey as you say driving an S80 Foden with those huge headlight you could just about manage to see the next cats eye, I remember coming through York with my 8 wheeler at rush hour one foggy miserable November evening, how I did not manage to kill a cyclist I will never know, those lights were zb useless.
Th BMMO coaches had a problem with the luggage boots filling with water when it rained and the staff could not work out why, anyway one very wet day they took one out down the M5 I believe from the Carlyle works where they were built with a senior designer/engineer shut in the boot, he soon solved the problem. There were two small bore curved drainage outlet pipes facing forward in each front corner of the boot, when travelling at speed in heavy rain the air pressure drove the water back up the pipes into the boot, all they did was to reverse the pipes so that they faced towards the rear of the coach and the problem was solved.
Who remembers the days before flashing indicators or brake lights when a couple of quick flicks of the tail lights from the wagon in front meant be on your guard I am slowing down or about to turn off right or left. Also the pencil beam spotlight on on the near side handy for flashing an overtaking wagon in . Or the cab light on in an approaching wagon the driver vigorously giving the thumbs down when the Fuzz were lurking further down the road or perhaps an accident.
Happy memories, Cheers, Leyland 600.
Leyland600:
Hi coomsey, Ray and Oily, Yes coomsey as you say driving an S80 Foden with those huge headlight you could just about manage to see the next cats eye, I remember coming through York with my 8 wheeler at rush hour one foggy miserable November evening, how I did not manage to kill a cyclist I will never know, those lights were zb useless.
Th BMMO coaches had a problem with the luggage boots filling with water when it rained and the staff could not work out why, anyway one very wet day they took one out down the M5 I believe from the Carlyle works where they were built with a senior designer/engineer shut in the boot, he soon solved the problem. There were two small bore curved drainage outlet pipes facing forward in each front corner of the boot, when travelling at speed in heavy rain the air pressure drove the water back up the pipes into the boot, all they did was to reverse the pipes so that they faced towards the rear of the coach and the problem was solved.
Who remembers the days before flashing indicators or brake lights when a couple of quick flicks of the tail lights from the wagon in front meant be on your guard I am slowing down or about to turn off right or left. Also the pencil beam spotlight on on the near side handy for flashing an overtaking wagon in . Or the cab light on in an approaching wagon the driver vigorously giving the thumbs down when the Fuzz were lurking further down the road or perhaps an accident.
Happy memories, Cheers, Leyland 600.
Churchill lights L600.Never in the history of lorries have headlights so large given so little to so many Foden drivers
peterm:
I was on me way to Bristol from London early one morning, still dark… flat out at about 45 on the A4. A lorry caught me up and gave me a flash on the high beams, but I couldn’t see the road was clear so left him there. He flashed again, but still couldn’t see. He got impatient and pulled out anyway; got halfway past and over the hill came a car. I braked to let him in and he braked as well, so I tried flooring it… so did he. Meanwhile the poor bugger in the car took to the verge, if only to empty his undercrackers. I managed not kill any kittens, puppies or children, but if I could have caught the prick… Bloody near caused a right smash up cos he had to be in front.
Hi Peterm, your memory reminded me of a similar incident in Saudi between abqaiq and Hofuf corner on the Dammam Riyadh road about 1980 when I was doing internals. I had about 25 ton on my Saviem, which wasn’t the most powerful beast and was heading up a long steady pull. A 1418 long nosed merc with a 60’ car transporter trailer started overtaking. When our cabs were level a Toyota Land Cruiser came the other way. We played the stop go game you did. The Merc and the Toyota both headed into the desert at exactly the same moment and met head on just off the road with a hell of a smash! Since the foreigner always got the blame I didn’t stop to see if anyone was hurt, I kept going to Riyadh! Both vehicles were still there buried into each other when I came back past and I was a bit nervous for a day or two, since there were only 2 blue Saviems on that route, mine and Eric Collins’s, but I never heard any more about it and the vehicles disappeared after a few days.
Leyland600:
Hi coomsey, Ray and Oily, Yes coomsey as you say driving an S80 Foden with those huge headlight you could just about manage to see the next cats eye, I remember coming through York with my 8 wheeler at rush hour one foggy miserable November evening, how I did not manage to kill a cyclist I will never know, those lights were zb useless.
Th BMMO coaches had a problem with the luggage boots filling with water when it rained and the staff could not work out why, anyway one very wet day they took one out down the M5 I believe from the Carlyle works where they were built with a senior designer/engineer shut in the boot, he soon solved the problem. There were two small bore curved drainage outlet pipes facing forward in each front corner of the boot, when travelling at speed in heavy rain the air pressure drove the water back up the pipes into the boot, all they did was to reverse the pipes so that they faced towards the rear of the coach and the problem was solved.
Who remembers the days before flashing indicators or brake lights when a couple of quick flicks of the tail lights from the wagon in front meant be on your guard I am slowing down or about to turn off right or left. Also the pencil beam spotlight on on the near side handy for flashing an overtaking wagon in . Or the cab light on in an approaching wagon the driver vigorously giving the thumbs down when the Fuzz were lurking further down the road or perhaps an accident.
Happy memories, Cheers, Leyland 600.
I remember the night trunkers in Grantham and Newark switching their back lights off and on a couple of times when slowing for traffic lights etc.,this was early 60s.
coomsey:
0
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
coomsey:
0
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
coomsey:
0
This is Ridgmont works Ray you can count them at your leisure. While I’ve got you was Midland Red coaches Leopards or am I imagining all wrong n do you know what top speed was cheers coomsey
Hi Coomsey, Thanks for your comments and picture. I don’t know vey much about Midland Red vehicles, but I do know that the
company built a large number of its own buses. Regarding the motorway coaches, it was fairly common to be overtaken by one
of their coaches on the M1, usually doing the best part of 80 M.P.H. It would be interesting to learn what engine and transmission
was in these “Flying Machines”. Kind Regards, Ray.
I believe on test BMMO CM5s could reach 85mph.
My brother who worked at Midland Red North told me that the handbrake was a bit of a weak point as it was a transmission brake.
Oil would get thrown back onto it rendering it dodgy.
I think that Octopus could be one of E Spencer’s Dave.as above. Cheers Coomsey
