Issue 8 – Autumn 2014 - Otago Heritage Bus Society Inc.

Newsletter of the
Otago Heritage Bus Society
Incorporated
PO Box 2467
Dunedin 9044
New Zealand
[email protected]
www.otagoheritagebus.co.nz
Autumn 2014 | Issue 8
Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessary of those of the Otago Heritage Bus Society Inc.
#405 JOINS THE HERITAGE BUS COLLECTION
rd
On the 23 of December, the Otago Heritage Bus Society purchased
the last of the 10 Dunedin City Transport MAN minibuses after 18
months of fund-raising. Prior to the introduction of these buses, the
city's public transport hadn't been in the best of shape; with many
services becoming less frequent or route amalgamations creating
longer journey times. The buses on many routes were showing their
age and often poorly patronised. The 10 MAN 10-100 buses
represented a turning point on the city's public transport fortunes as
they operated during the day every 10 minutes on the Normanby St
Clair route. They were more agile in traffic than their predecessors,
featured modern seating, reliable heating, a space for shopping and
even a sound system. They featured a unique colour scheme and there
was a strong emphasis on good timekeeping; immediately becoming
popular with the users of the service.
Transport through the ages, the heritage urban fleet pose for the first time together.
Despite the abysmal weather, the old transfers and sign-writing were
quickly removed and the bus was washed in hot soapy water and waterblasted, making it cleaner and lighter with very dirty water ending up on
the wash pad. It was then sanded back, with the yellow and blue topcoat creating green dust on the shed floor. The bodywork is in very tidy
order and only required a tiny amount of filling prior to the vehicle being
sprayed back to the original white. Several people have helped
extensively with removing the filth and smell from the interior of the
vehicle, which is really appreciated.
405 at the Transport Place Depot early 1991. Photo by Michael Jarka.
These buses have an engine and chassis supplied by MAN (a Munich
based multinational that has a strong reputation in excellent heavy road
vehicles) and the bodywork was built by Designline in Ashburton.
Eventually time caught up with these futuristic buses and commercial
pressures and low floor technology saw the other 9 members of the
fleet leave initially for Wellington and then deployed further north, with
the majority now scrapped.
Despite the ravages of time, No. 405 seemed to be in sound condition.
th
The club took possession of the vehicle on the 24 of December. The
vehicle was initially lifeless electrically, was filthy and had a strong
stench. However, after wading around the vehicle in ankle deep
puddles, a spare set of batteries were installed, the usual precautionary
checks completed and deputy chairman Ken McGregor turned the key
and was almost immediately rewarded by the 4 cylinder engine bursting
into life. Despite having been laid up for a long time, it made a troublefree run to the Burnside yard, pausing briefly outside the Citibus yard for
it's final time as a yellow and blue Citibus.
It posed with the Leyland’s prior to the older buses operating the
Christmas “Rumbler” services. Mechanic Alistair Stewart took it for a
run around the yard and declared “that... is horrible” which seemed
appropriate for it's smell and poor handling.
#405 masked and ready for spraying.
Continued on page 4.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
UPCOMING EXCURSIONS
The past three months has officially been our busiest. We had promoted
a successful funding campaign for raising funds for the relocation of DCT
#1, raised funds and successfully purchased ex Citibus MAN #405,
relocated after many big and small hurdles DCT #174, operated a rather
dreary Christmas Suburban Rumbler service and we prepped and
painted not one but two vehicles, this is in conjunction of operating many
excursions, private charters and hosting a work day, we even showed up
at the Wings n Wheels show that was held on the Taieri, we even
launched a new brochure and we have a new community partnership with
Pukehiki Church and Community Hall.
Over the coming months our organisation will be focusing on promoting
our services to many segments within our community so we are able to
gain the much needed funds we require to maintain, further restore
vehicles, make much needed vehicle purchases and pay off a little debt
that we have accumulated over the past few months.
Not many people realise that I actually live in Melbourne and commute to
Dunedin for the Society and organise charters, make up quotes, write
funding applications, design brochures, maintain our website and
Facebook page along with working a full time job in aviation. So when I
hit the ground when I visit Dunedin it is usually guns ablaze and I land
running. My last visit was no exception.
I had successful talks with future promotional developments for You Tube
clips with a local film group, this will help us expose to the community to
‘Our Story’ and what we can offer to community and hopefully this will
lead into an oral history project so any information is captured for future
generations.
I also had constructive talks with Pukehiki Church and District Hall, just
like we offer Carey’s Bay Hotel, we have become their preferred transport
provider offering a set rate for any people who hire their venue. Their
potential clients can book our services online at our website, or by
emailing us. To cement this community partnership we will be providing
transport from town to the Pukehiki Community Open Day on Sunday 13
April. I encourage all members to visit Pukehiki during their open day. We
will require 1 or 2 volunteers to man a small stall to help us promote the
services we offer. We have an awesome new brochure to showcase.
Also during my last visit I hosted meeting on 20 February 14 at the
Dunedin Gasworks Museum resurrecting the concept tour of exposing
Dunedin Industrial Heritage. All parties who were involved seemed
positive and Tourism Dunedin and Dunedin City Council’s Economic
Development Unit have encouraged the idea and applaud all of the
volunteer community groups working together cooperatively to produce
what would be a quality tourism product.
The Industrial Heritage Tour will help us expose some areas that are
usually unseen by the cruise ship visitor and will include Dunedin
Gasworks Museum, Ocean Beach Railway, Dunedin’s Warehouse
Precinct, transport provided by us and lunch at a local café. Some minor
details regarding timings, price and what we are to have for lunch are still
being looked at, a website, online booking portal, and a printed brochure
will be created soon. If this trial season for 2014/2015 is successful then
discussions will take place between the groups to whether it is to become
a regular fixture for cruise ship visitors to book.
Easter 2014 will see us operating the ‘Suburban Rumbler’ a training day
will take place on Thursday 17 April. All drivers and assistants who wish
to volunteer over this weekend would need to go through the basic
training of each of the vehicles.
The upcoming winter season is looking rather sparse with booking for
private charters and excursions. I encourage you to hand out the
enclosed brochure and business cards to potential people who may be
interested in using our buses for an event, be it a party, social club,
wedding or a mystery trip.
Subscriptions are now due. You will find enclosed with this newsletter a
copy of your invoice and a membership renewal form. If any details have
changed please correct them or advise us. At the last AGM subscriptions
increased $5. Subscriptions need to be paid by 31 July 2014.
Cheers
Philip J Riley
Chairman (hon.)
DEADLINES & DATES
NEWSLETTER
Edition
Deadline
Winter
Friday 9 June 2014
Spring
Friday 5 September 2014
Summer
Friday 10 November 2014
Autumn
Friday 2 March 2015
If you are interested in contributing articles photos or information
please email: [email protected] or send them to the
Society’s PO Box prior to the above deadline date.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Event
Private Charter
Pukehiki Open Day
Suburban Rumbler
Volunteers Dinner
Suburban Rumbler
Private Charter
(TBC)
Date
Sat 12 April 14
Sun 13 April 14
Fri 18 April 14
Sat 19 April 14
Sun 20 April 14
Vehicle
170,194 & 501
170 or 194
170, 194, 501 (&174?)
501
170, 194, 501 (& 174?)
Sat 14 June 14
501
If you are interested in driving or assisting on any of the above
private charters or events please call Andrew on 0211372129 or
email: [email protected]
WE REQUIRE DRIVERS, CLEANERS & ONBOARD ASSISTANTS
OPERATIONS REPORT
We've been working pretty industriously over the last few months.
501received a rather expensive new tyre and passed its COF with a
clean sheet. We had Peter Williams on the flight deck, who proved
himself to be an excellent driver. At the testing station a few mechanics
clambered underneath for a lesson on how vehicles should be built; there
is no shortage of structural steel under Dennings.
170 received new wiring to the sole heater in the bus (under the drivers
seat). The heater fan looked to have been inoperable for many years, but
following a wiring sort-out, it now makes lots of loud warming noises. It
probably does very little to actually warm the interior of the bus, but at
least now it sounds like it's trying. At the vehicle inspectors' request, it
gained a high beam indicator lamp.
Whilst exploring the wiring birds nest with a multimeter, it was discovered
that a lamp that does nothing is actually the low water warning lamp and
has it's own buzzer. The less than satisfactory left hand wiper arm has
been replaced. Despite the upgrade, these original CAV wipers are
reasonably dismal; surely by the mid 1970s they knew how to scrape
water off a windscreen. 170 also visited the tyre shop and required some
rubber which was also not cheap, but probably a good deal all things
considered. The missing safety glass etchings have reapplied to 170. It
turns out that a lot of the glass isn't original but is comparatively modern
laminated glass, although some of the old toughened glass has survived.
Our patience with 170's number plate light came to and end after the
bulbs rattled loose a few times and it blew a fuse. The old fitting was
badly corroded and the new sealed LED one is a permanent end to the
problem. The horn has also been rewired as it had become unreliable
and appeared to be wired through 3 different relays.
501 was used on a charter to Seacliff. Despite indifferent weather,
the coach proved popular with the guests and made short work of the
Northern Motorway. A few motorists were surprised to see it on the Coast
Road, but the bus made short work of the grades and corners on that
road too. The former Transport Museum site contains an old stone
stables which are now a function centre. Our crew were invited to join the
festivities and it wasn't until many hours later that 501 was finding a path
through the trees on the narrow lane and roaring into the darkness toward
the city.
The weather for our Christmas Day “Suburban Rumbler” service was
appalling, with cold wind and rain driving most people indoors. It was so
bleak that the Leylands operated with both interior lights and headlamps
on. In terms of market share, we did well, as every tourist attraction
seemed to stay shut. We also helped some particularly needy people get
to where they needed to be. But it was pretty hard to sell trips to the
beach during times of horizontal rain. Despite very trying weather
conditions, the buses and volunteers all worked well and every service
ran more or less on time. A big thanks is due to everyone, including those
who worked in the background.
The rather austere ex Dunedin City Transport Leylands continued to
enjoy long dresses and perfume as they provided transport to two
weddings. For the first, 194 was decorated for the occasion and used in
the photo-shoot. It's probably the first time the bus has had hydrangeas
and bunting on the interior, but it certainly looked and smelt pretty classy.
It conveyed the official party to the Quarry Gardens via the main street,
attracting quite a few stares along the way. Mid-afternoon, 170 joined 194
and an array of other buses, classic cars and other wedding parties at the
railway station. One of the guests had been appointed to check off the
guests and dispatch the buses, which made the operation very efficient.
Despite the heavy load and warm temperatures, both buses made good
time up the long gradients to reach Pukehiki. The buses were parked up
until 11pm, with 194 starting the long descent at midnight. The older
guests were in the older bus while the younger ones drowned out the
engine noise in 194. It was a great event and it was nice that our buses
could be part of it.
A fortnight later, the Leylands were once again skulking back into the
shed in the small hours of the morning after providing transport for a
wedding at the Tautuku Fishing Club. The manager was quite taken with
our buses and hopes to see them back there in the future. Some of the
passengers were a bit the worse for their day out but the buses remained
spotless.
501 operated a public excursion to the Gibbston Valley rock concert.
The passengers were a good-natured group. Despite being promoted
heavily, the ticket sales were sluggish. There was hardly any traffic on the
road despite the concert having been very popular. Perhaps the event
isn't popular with Dunedin people. The bus ran very well and attracted
interest every time it stopped. We thought seriously about making this trip
a one-off but the positive feedback was almost overwhelming and all the
passengers want to bring lots of their friends next year, so perhaps the
excursion will live on. Financially, the trip broke even. Special thanks to
Peter and Paul for operating the trip.
A highlight of the trip for our Society (and perhaps for 501 herself) was
visiting Queenstown Airport (without our passengers) for the anniversary
of 50 years of Mount Cook Airline service.
The Society received a last-minute request to participate in the bi-annual
'Wings and Wheels' event at Taieri Airfield. A pristine looking 170 and
motley looking 174 attended to give a "before and after" impression of our
restoration work. This was the first time 174 had been to a community
event. 170 received a recreated DCT logo for the occasion. Both buses
were clambered over and enjoyed by visitors to the show.
DCT 194 looks a little more “retro” following the polishing and repainting
of the wheels and trims. The wheels now match the yellow of the
bodywork and the trims have the Leyland detailing painted red.
194 provided transport back to the city from Port Chalmers for
participants in the second annual St Mary Mackillop Pilgrimage. It was
great to see and hear 194 heading out to assist in a reasonably high
profile event celebrating this newly declared New Zealand Catholic saint.
Waiting outside the church, Peter spent nearly as much time on his knees
as those inside, giving the floor a serious clean and wax, returning it to
the original red colour. It sounds like the trip went really well and they
plan to use our bus again.
The last few months have also seen a considerable amount of work being
done on restoring the bodywork on 174 and 405. This work is covered in
separate reports. However the restoration, maintenance and operation of
our buses over recent months has been reasonably intense, and is a real
credit to everyone involved. There has been an increased focus on
cleaning with the interior of 501 receiving a lot of attention and 194's
seats were cleaned to make double sure the brides' dresses didn't pick
up dust from the yard. The Easter ‘Rumbler’ Service is in the advanced
stages of planning. It should be a really fun event and feature a few new
variations. Please let us know if you'd like to be involved.
Andrew Robinson
Operations Manager (hon.)
OTAGO HERITAGE BUS SOCIETY IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY:
SOCIETY CONTACTS
#405 JOINS THE HERITAGE BUS COLLECTION
Continued from page 1…
Postal Address:
P.O Box 2467
Dunedin 9044
New Zealand
Phone:
(03) 4879585
Email Enquiries:
[email protected]
Executive Committee Members:
Secretary
Peter Williams
[email protected]
Treasurer
Jacqui Hellyer
(03) 4879585 or 0274127242.
[email protected]
Deputy
Chairman
Ken McGregor
(03)4552289
[email protected]
Operations
Manager
Andrew Robinson
021 043 8348
[email protected]
Chairman
Philip Riley
+61 4 22174516 (Australia)
[email protected]
Amongst the smaller jobs undertaken have been the replacement of
the rear interior light cover and bulb, new LH marker lamp and
repairs to the indicators, hazard light switch and tail lights. The
original batteries spent a week on charge and after initially not
responding, have tested OK and have been reinstalled. It's also
received it's MAN name badges (donated by the supplier) and a new
wiper switch. The brakes and air leaks are still to be addressed, as
is the technical issues relating to the wipers.
Whilst it's nice to see significant vehicles preserved for their own
sake, this vehicle will serve the dual purpose of operating the
occasional public excursion and providing trips for community
groups; where the expense and high running costs of the clubs older
buses can't be justified. The society is run by volunteers and is not
for profit, and keeps the "big wheels rolling" using revenue from
charters, donations and grants.
#405 poses in its newly applied paint job, now awaiting the ‘squiggle’ decals.
Majority of the funds for the purchase of this project were
provided by:
Passenger Transport – Citibus / Tony and Kane Baas provided a
significant discount on the sale price, for which we are extremely
grateful; there are numerous other contributes who all made the
purchase possible.
DCT#174 RETURNS TO DUNEDIN – FINALLY!
By Andrew Robinson
When we last reported on this vehicle, it was embarrassingly
unreliable and hadn't found favour with VTNZ who provided us with a
long list of defects that needed to be rectified before it could be
driven to Dunedin. This was an unfortunate turn of events and we
gave serious consideration to giving up on field repairs and paying
for it to travel on a transporter to Dunedin.
Reinstalling 174's fuel tank was even more tricky than taking it off.
However, it was soon securely back on the bus and plumbed up, and
the engine primed. Jamie resolved the water leak below the radiator
filler. We also gave the dip switch an overhaul, replaced an indicator
bulb and resolved the broken wire that prevented the brake lights
from working. With time running short after we returned to the farm,
had to do some trouble-shooting under the bus by torchlight. Jamie
and Jacqui's children operated the controls (note: the engine wasn't
running) while the grown-ups chased volts around one of the
untidiest wiring looms imaginable. Work also started on tidying the
bodywork, with most of the dents being given their first layer of filler
and a start being made on sanding back the window frames for
painting.
We managed to get most of the instrument lights working and the
interior was given a massive clean-out. The Hellyer and Sunderland
children removed most of the Ritchies stripes. AIS, an Ashburton
truck (fire engine, farm machinery and bus) repairer put 174 over
their pit and adjusted and tested the brakes on the bus using brake
rollers similar to those used in testing stations, and checked the
wheel bearing. They also allowed us to steam-clean the engine and
gear box. The bus is a bit lighter following the blasting of the
underside of the vehicle, although their wash bay was looking fairly
murky. They waived their fee which is greatly appreciated.
After a considerable amount of thought and having considered
independent professional advice, we decided to have another go at
getting the vehicle up to the required standard. While the cows
looked on, our volunteers drawn from Christchurch, Timaru and
Dunedin set about overhauling the left rear brakes, removing and
testing all the shock absorbers, installing a freshly scavenged wheel
bearing, and removing and upgrading the driver's seat mounts. The
wheel bearing was in very worn condition and was life expired quite
some time before it left service. During the time the bus had been
parked up, water had entered the bearing and corrosion had caused
pitting in the race.
The gearbox issue was also resolved, it turned out to be a failing air
coupling. It was an unbelievable effort from the volunteers and the
vehicle performed well under test. However, the bus broke down at
the same spot as it had died the month before, so the same
mechanic was summoned (word had got back to them and they
weren't surprised when we burst into their office). The problem had
initially been diagnosed as stale fuel and blocked filters, then as a
stuck non-return valve and this time a foreign object appeared to be
blocking the fuel intake. Once repaired, the vehicle was re-inspected
and the brakes were found to still be out of balance, the replacement
bearing was still rough and there was doubt as to whether our team
could have serviced the shock absorbers and sign them off as being
in good order. We should have guessed that it was “Groundhog Day”
as we'd had to slow for the same rooster, missed the same turn-off,
had the same family of ducks cross the road in front of us and
broken down in the same place, The same man on a mobility scooter
had stopped to offer advice, so getting the same inspection result
was par for the course. As always the vehicle ran well on the way
back to the farm and was more or less abandoned for a couple of
months in disgust.
After Christmas, the crew were starting to miss the wide open
spaces of the bus paddock and the social side of the project, so we
returned to 174. The inspectors accepted that we had completed the
shock absorber work. We initially had a shaky start to the 174 rescue
mission, as we discovered that we'd been supplied with the wrong
wheel bearing. However, we managed to procure a replacement,
which was soon fitted. The left rear brake was torn down and given a
pretty serious spruce-up. The transfer case was realigned and an
overhauled alternator shaft was fitted, which allowed the charging
system to be used for the first time in our ownership.
With more than a little difficulty, the fuel tank was removed and
cleaned out. The dirt, cramped conditions and weight of the tank was
considerable. The ongoing fuel starvation problem was caused by an
almost total blockage in the intake pipe in the fuel tank, with a
substance similar to horsehair or paintbrush bristles being the culprit.
The refurbished electrical system didn't seem to be settling down as
hoped so we took the bus back to the repairer. It was thought that
the problem would be something simple and with multimeter poised,
the start button was pressed. The auto-electrician was rewarded with
a hiss and some sparks, so we cancelled the planned visit to VTNZ
and suddenly our rescue mission was over, again.
In late January the starter and regulator had received their
supplementary repairs. These were done without further cost despite
some of the failed components not being related to the original
repair, so full marks to Newlands (who also did the factory wiring for
405). They'd taken 174 to VTNZ who issued a temporary certificate
for it to be driven under it's own power to Dunedin. It was a relief that
the problem child of the fleet had finally reached a standard of
reliability to pass a test (and a cyclist).
Peter and Andrew returned to Ashburton with very mixed feelings
about the task ahead. The town was decidedly closed for the week,
so it was with some relief that 174 eventually spluttered into life and
grudgingly trundled back to the farm. The overcast night turned to
drizzle, making the job of loading the heavy and awkward seat
frames and spare parts even harder. However, at 11pm, we closed
the bus paddock gate for the last time, which prompted the bus to
break down. Moods became darker than the night as we scrambled
around under the bus looking for the problem. But eventually Peter
had the bus back onto the asphalt and it was finally making one final
trip across the plains, over roads it plied for a decade as a school
bus. In Methven, it found company at the bus terminus with a local
operators vehicle before being led into the Brown Pub's car-park. On
seeing it's arrival, the manageress raced out, panicking that a
busload of people was about to engulf her already crowded bar. On
seeing it was us and what we'd dragged in, we were firmly pointed to
a very distant corner of the car-park
After checking out the many and varied bus yards of Methven and
having a well earned drink and watching farmers in gumboots
singing loudly and badly, we retired to our rooms and had the benefit
of the underfloor sound system until the bar closed.
After the regulation 10-hour rest, Peter felt up to the challenge of
pointing the bus toward Dunedin. Very quickly he found that the
anticipated dawdle via Geraldine toward Timaru was being turned by
the bus into a gallop and good progress was made. Philip Murphy
kindly provided us with a coffee before taking over the reins of the
old bus. The first stop was to visit Philip's own project, DCT Leyland
Royal Tiger Worldmaster No 136, which is progressing very well and
has a very smooth running engine following some major engine
repairs. We thought that 170 had coped remarkably well the previous
year by holding together as it was coaxed down the highway after
being laid up for a decade. These buses have a low speed diff so
Highways were always a scary place that they were ill equipped for.
However, without upsetting too many motorists, 174 was soon
crossing the Waitaki bridge and heading to the service station for a
top-up. We also gave the tyres a top-up, and jokingly advised the
manager the premises needed a new tin of compressed air as the
bus took quite a lot, despite having had the tyres topped up before
the journey. With Peter on the flight deck and Philip compressed into
a Toyota Coaster for the trip back to Timaru, we pushed south. This
was the first time in 2 decades that the bus had encountered a hill.
Fortunately it knew what to do and with a familiar Leyland roar, it
scurried up and down the rolling terrain without any drama. At a rest
stop in Palmerston, whilst we took some photos, a passer-by who
didn't realise we were with the bus, sarcastically asked “what do you
think of our public transport?” He was also perturbed that the driver
was wearing earmuffs. He was suitably intrigued by our brochure
and plans for the bus, as were several other casual admirers we met
along the way. 174 made surprisingly short work of the “Coast Road”
before posing with PT
particularly frustrating and difficult. The roof received similar
treatment. Apart from the dents, it's in pretty good order although we
had to replace another 40 pop rivets.. The large lettering on the roof
reads PHILLIPS, the legacy of an almost forgotten advertising
campaign.
The following weekend both Emslie bodied buses attended the
Wings and Wheels event and proved popular. Being clambered over
and enjoyed by so many people was in stark contrast to the last 10
years of isolation.
We had to completely scrape back the loose paint from the ceiling of
174. It was flaking badly and need to be removed prior to repainting.
It wasn't a very nice job and it was great to have it behind us. The
next job was to mask the surrounding area so that it can be
resprayed. Masking the interior and exterior of this bus was a
massive and at times tricky job.
Citibus 228 (formerly Citibus 211) at Waitati. This is Peter's old
school-bus route and 176 was assigned to him for some years, so
the followers in cars didn't have much hope of catching up with the
bus before the obligatory photo stop at the Normanby Terminus.
Here, Alan Roi took charge of the vehicle. It was highly appropriate
that he should drive the last leg to our base as he bravely drove it the
first few feet when it was derelict in Ashburton. So close to the end of
the journey, we stumbled onto a police check-point. After a little
head-scratching over the temporary permit on the windscreen, it was
devided we'd done everything right, and the new addition finally
joined Leyland stablemates 170 and 194 at Burnside in the mid
evening.
Barely after the bus had cooled, restoration work began in earnest. It
seemed to have suffered no ill effects from its big day on the
highway, although the numerous oil spots on the ground served as a
reminder that it's old and English. We managed to get most of the
sides of the bus sanded back; cleaning up around the pop rivets is
After a few long evenings of preparing 174 for painting, it received a
coat of primer in early March and looked rather ghostly in gray. The
painting went well although there's a lot of surface area in these
rattle traps. 7L of primer! After the roof, the next knee-wrecking job
was the sanding back the portion of the floor that is getting new lino.
There was no shortage of noise and dust. We then introduced the
bus to the vacuum cleaner, a new and scary concept for it. This was
necessary as the sanding dust may be contaminated and the wall
coverings had 10 years of farmyard dust in them. Some new vinyl
floor covering was procured, the decision being largely based on
price although it is a nod to both the DCT green and the Ritchies blue
speckles. During this time, the windows, wall linings, instrument
panel and rear seat received an extreme clean with Philip, Trevor,
Andy and Liam dealing to massive amounts of grime and goo.
Following a light sand down of the primer, the vivid white top-coat
was applied to the front and mid section of the bus. This improved
the vehicles appearance and also allowed us to remove the masking
from the windscreen, making driving it considerably easier. At the
time of writing, the red stripes are drying and about 1/3 of the seats
are in position. Practical completion of the vehicle is near although
dealing with the final odd jobs and sourcing hard to find parts will
mean the project will plod along for a while yet.
Special thanks are due to the volunteers on this project, as they've
had to work in difficult conditions and endure more than their fair
share of frustrations.
- EVENT REPORT WINGS ‘n’ WHEELS
The Society was invited to attend the bi-annual Wings ‘n’ Wheels
evetn which was held on Sat 22 February at the Taieri Aerodrome. It
gave us the opportunity to showcase a before and after of our Emslie
Leopards as 174 arrive in town a few weeks prior to the event.
Many people looked over both of the vehicles and it was a great day
out for the volunteers and the buses. Below are some photos from
the event.
LEYLAND CUB UPDATE
As previously reported (in the Summer Edition # 7 of OHBS News)
we thought we were about to take on a project of an NZRRS Leyland
Cub. This was not the case, we have been even luckier than we
thought, it actually never worked for NZRRS but it’s body does look
like it is designed from a Standard NZR Railcar of the same era.
As lots of conflicting and interesting information turned up after we
published the last newsletter we can say it was built in Invercargill by
H&H Motor Service (it was H&H #9) to a similar design to Ridley
Crawley of Wellington. We believe both companies may have shared
similar design techniques.
Below is a copy of the registration papers and a few photos of its
earlier life. A special thanks goes to Brian Smith and Grant Taylor
who have assisted us in gaining more accurate information, their
help has been most appreciated.
The Society will continue to pursue this vehicle for restoration as it is
of an era of significant history of shaping New Zealand’s road
passenger transport.
MUNICIPAL ERA ENDS IN DUNEDIN
By Andrew Robinson and Peter Dowden.
One of New Zealand's last council-owned bus companies was
privatised in May 2011 as Invercargill Passenger Transport
purchased Citibus from the Dunedin City Council.
Citibus Limited (previously called Citibus-Newton) traces its roots
back to the municipal bus operator Dunedin City Transport. Citibus
operates public transport routes in Dunedin, school bus services,
local charter buses, and leisure and tourism transport services
throughout New Zealand.
The Dunedin City Council had operated other forms of public
transport — the Dunedin cable tramway system (similar to the
famous San Francisco cable cars) operated between 1881 and
1957; electric trams operated on several routes from 1900 to 1956;
and trolleybuses from 1950 to 1982. Some of the tram and cable car
routes were built by property developers to open up access to new
hill suburbs, but before long all were taken over by the city. Dunedin
has also been served by commuter trains and ferries.
By the mid 1950s the people of Dunedin and the City Council had
tired of the concept of commuting in wooden boxes on rails and
widespread investment in buses was undertaken. The city had
operated buses on feeder services and tourist routes since the mid
1920s and a collection of Leyland, Reo and Ford buses
supplemented the trams and cable cars.
By 1947, the tram network had became run down and upgrading and
expansion to cope with the rapid post-war urbanisation of the hills
would have been difficult and costly. It was decided to switch to
trolleybuses, with wires re-using parts of the old tramway power
network.
The first trolleybuses entered service in late 1950. Eventually the
fleet grew to 79 vehicles of three different body types but all sharing
a common motor and chassis design. The first 55 were built by New
Zealand Motor Bodies (NZMB) and the balance by the council's own
workshops. The last trolley bus entered service in September 1962
and the first withdrawal was in March 1966, with major retirements
occurring in the late 1960s and early 1970s following closure of parts
of the extensive network.
The trolleybus system closed in 1982 after a brief stay of execution
due to the oil shocks. There were mutterings of dissent as the trolley
buses had a good reputation for comfort, speed and low noise.
Rumours of dubious accounting practices and unfounded “safety
issues” leading to the demise of the trolleybuses persist among bus
enthusiasts.
The first challenge to trolleybus superiority on hills came in 1959
when short-wheelbase 30ft Leyland Worldmasters entered service.
These featured the Leyland 680 engine block which was going to
provide a backbone for the city's fleet well into the coming century
(the final 680 engined council bus left the Depot in May 2011 to start
a new career with the Otago Heritage Bus Society). The
Worldmaster delivered 150 bhp at 2000rpm from its 11.1 L horizontal
underfloor engine, via a 4 speed epicyclic gearbox and fluid flywheel.
Like all the Leylands to follow, they featured a low speed differential
to allow them to move away with some dignity from steep bus stops
with a full load. The sound of a Worldmaster at “full noise” was
something special, with the throaty roar being accompanied by
vibration from every conceivable part. Later examples were 32 and
35ft. The predominant body builder was NZMB.
In 1970, the fleet was graced with the first of the Leyland Panthers.
These large-windowed vehicles had a low, wide forward entrance,
overcoming some of the access problems inherent in the
Worldmasters. The 680 engine delivered a much softer tone and the
vehicles had a dreamier ride quality. The bodywork was constructed
locally by Emslie (later Emslie Consolidated and still extant as
Emslie and Flockton panelbeaters). Globally, the Panther wasn't
Leyland's best effort, but from a passenger's perspective they were a
large step forward and superior to some of the public transport
offerings that came following deregulation. Some of these buses
soldiered on into the 1990s.
The next move was quite radical, being the delivery of 15 Nissan
Scorpions beginning in 1972. These offerings from the far east
featured a rear engined 4.9L two-stroke diesel that delivered a
staggering 180bhp at 2400rpm. They were also fitted with a very
robust and durable alloy body by Emslie. It could be speculated that
Nissan didn't envisage such a heavy body being fitted to their
chassis or it being pointed up such steep hills with a full load of
passengers. It seemed that not many horsepower was delivered to
the road at anything less than full revs, which lead to a distinctive
and unique scream emitting from these buses whenever they
attempted any mountaineering, often accompanied by an oily heat
haze from the expanded mesh exterior of the engine compartment.
These hard-riding but well presented vehicles had a brief life
extension in the mid 1980's with a refurbished interior; some also
received MAN diesels that drove the original fluid flywheel and
epicyclic gearbox. Once again, they served into the 1990s, when
deregulation and lost contracts saw them released from council
service. Their greatest contribution was probably in the hill suburbs
at times of snow: they were very sure footed and with the aid of
chains, were unstoppable and provided a shuttle service to the
snowline in conditions where modern buses remain in their depots.
In 1975 the first of two very similar batches of Emslie-bodied Leyland
Leopards arrived on the scene. Visually they were similar to the
Nissans but had the enthusiasm of earlier Leylands for hill climbing.
The 680 horizontal mid-mounted engine was now delivering 175 bhp
at 2200rpm. This was the first bus type in the fleet to have air
suspension. They were generally a good bus but always had a
slightly dated feel to them.
The first serious attempt at using under-floor diesel buses was in the
form of 12 AEC Reliances received in 1955. These unspectacular,
scarcely-remembered vehicles delivered 112bhp at 2000rpm and
were 30ft long. Six were bodied by Park Royal and the balance by
NZMB. Dunedin's notorious steep hills provided a challenge these
vehicles weren't entirely suited to. All left service by 1977.
The dated atmosphere was well and truly dealt to with the arrival of
the first two Hess-designed Leopards in 1979, with high back seats
and 5-speed gearboxes, allowing them to be equally at home in the
city or further afield. They wore a new “hockey stick" version of the
fleet's rather tired "peaches and custard" living-room coloured livery.
Wide entrances and mustard yellow Frontrunner interior lining were a
welcome change from the stainless and cream paint interior of the
earlier vehicles. The sharp modern lines of this body design, used in
many parts of the world, meant that these buses often pass for being
much younger than their 30+ years. NZMB eventually delivered 27
Hess-designed Leopards, with a Hawke-bodied one migrating from
Invercargill mid-life.
Dunedin City Transport trialled three Auckland MAN buses in the
1980s. These may have set the scene for three different models of
Designline-bodied MAN buses being purchased in the late 1980s
and 1990s, heralding Dunedin City Transport's change of status to a
Local Authority Trading Enterprise (known by the inauspicious
acronym 'late') and change of name to Citibus Ltd.
There was one new full sized bus but by now Citibus was
experimenting with smaller vehicles as passenger numbers
dwindled. Two batches of three MAN midibuses and 10 MAN
minibuses joined the fleet. The minibuses were a serious attempt to
provide a fast, frequent and convenient bus service that hadn't been
seen since the peak of the trolley bus era. They were smartly
presented in a street-savvy graffiti-inspired livery and ran to a
knuckle-whitening timetable on the Normanby-St Clair route, with a
headway of 10 minutes. These sporty machines proved equal to the
task although startling speeds were required in urban areas to
maintain the timetable (this writer recalls an MOT officer giving a
"naughty, naughty" finger gesture out the window of a patrol car as
he sped up North East Valley at 80km/h). Most of these buses found
a second career with Cityline Hutt Valley, presumably occasionally
rubbing shoulders with the Dunedin Leyland Leopards they displaced
which were working for Newlands. Some MANs migrated again, to
Auckland.
Citibus's fleet was supplemented with strays from Newton's
Coachways when it took over that family firm, whose urban fleet
included ex-Cityline (NZ Railways Road Services) Bedfords and
Hinos. The city council re-named the firm 'Citibus-Newton' for a time,
and attempted to leverage strategic tourism gains for the city by
rebranding many Newton's tour buses with 'City of Dunedin' logos
that were seen around New Zealand.
Following denials by some Dunedin bus operators that low floor
buses could operate on our undulating roads, Otago Road Services
pioneered the use of low floor buses but weren't rewarded financially
for their bold move. After second hand low-floor MAN buses were
introduced by Dunedin Passenger Transport, Citibus saw the light
and the Normanby St Clair route was again blessed with striking new
MAN buses in a parochial blue and yellow livery which made their
already long body (compared to the earlier MAN's) look even longer.
Similar models were purchased by Otago Explorer and Dunedin
Passenger Transport. The latter Invercargill-owned firm cheekily
copied Citibus's new colour scheme, but in the Southland colours.
Second-hand MAN and Dennis buses from Christchurch aided in
bolstering the Citibus fleet, while a number of Dunedin Leylands saw
out their days working for two different Christchurch operators. Very
few Dunedin buses retire in their home town, they invariably drift
north to work gentler terrain in their later years of service.
Post deregulation, Citibus purchased three Designline refurbished
second-hand Japanese-import Isuzus that were nice little buses.
These passed to Otago Road Services Metroline in one of the many
route swaps that beset the contract-run industry nowadays.
It was never entirely clear what the city council's motives were in
holding on to a loss-making bus and coach company for so long.
Occasionally a local politician would extol the firm's status as a
'strategic asset', and the business was certainly a cornerstone of
Dunedin's tourist trade, to the annoyance of a couple of smaller
operators. For many years now, bus services have been a motley
ever-changing series of temporary contractors subsidised by regional
council ratepayers. Citibus circumvented this system by running a
couple of so-called 'commercial' urban routes outside the contract
system, but as the company was loss-making, these routes were defacto ratepayer-subsidised. These routes have long been flagship
routes of the Dunedin bus network, not harmed by a continuity of
management outside the ruthless contracting regime.
Having already pinched the colour scheme idea, Invercargill
Passenger Transport got the whole company. They have said they
intend to merge their Dunedin Passenger Transport operation into
Citibus and adopt the name and colour scheme as their own.
Low floor vehicles now make up the majority of the urban bus fleet,
with Chinese vehicles supplementing the new and second-hand New
Zealand-assembled vehicles. The future direction is difficult to
anticipate, with dissatisfaction levels with the bus service being high.
The door isn't entirely closed on more second-hand Japanese buses
joining the fleet. The quality, reliability and fuel efficiency of cheap
new low-floor buses from China is improving as uncertainty
surrounds the future of local bus body building. Battery powered
buses would seem viable for Dunedin's flat routes as evidenced in
Christchurch, and there are still some Dunedinites envious of
Wellington who would love to have electric buses, or even cable
cars, gliding up the hills once again.
(Acknowledgement to S Millar, Published in May 2011 in the Bus &
Coach Association Newsletter.)
____________________________________
INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE TOUR
After many earlier discussions with multiple volunteer organisations
including the Otago Heritage Bus Society, Dunedin Gasworks
Museum, Ocean Beach Railway and Dunedin Fire Brigade
Restoration Society the groups came together again in February
2014 to resume talks for the an envisaged tour. This time including
people for advise from Tourism Dunedin and Dunedin City Council’s
Economic Development Unit.
The vision entailed is to have all of the above mentioned community
volunteer based groups come together to provide visitors to Dunedin
during the cruise ship season a quality tour showcasing Dunedin’s
Industrial Heritage.
So far the tour will include:
•
A fully guided tour of the Dunedin Gasworks Museum
•
A fully guided tour of the diverse collection at Ocean Beach
Railway and a heritage train ride
•
A guided walking tour of Dunedin’s Warehouse Precinct
(hopefully a guided tour of a building)
•
An inclusive lunch at a local café
•
With all transport on board a heritage vehicle by OHBS Inc.
____________________________________
Feedback has been positive from all key parties and we have several
trial dates when multiple cruise ships will be in port for the 2014
/2015 tourist season.
Proposed Dates
Sunday 16 November 2014
Saturday 29 November 2014
Sunday 14 December 2014
Monday 29 December 2014
Tuesday 30 December 2014
Friday 2 January 2015
Wednesday 7 January 2015
Additional dates maybe added when each venue is open during a
weekend; this would be communicated prior to each group.
If you have any comments, suggestions or you are free to work on
the above dates please email [email protected] .
We are looking for a confident volunteer tour guide for this service.
DCT #1 UPDATE
During late November / early December 2013, the coordinator of the
DCT #1 project, who also happens to be our Chairman Philip Riley
took it upon himself to raise funds and raise our community profile
through a unique new way via a crowdfunding website
www.pleademe.co.nz. He also was curious on how many people will
support our organisation with the return of Dunedin’s first trolley bus.
To his surprise the pledge on was successful and over 24 individuals
and 1 business raised over $3500 towards the relocation of this
vehicle.
The crowdfunding online campaign for DCT #1 saw in excess of
15,000 people around New Zealand click on the crowdfunding
webpage and ‘like’ our project, click on the Society’s website, visit
our Facebook page and get in touch with us for future charters. This
sort of online exposure is priceless as it adds to our community
presents; it also shows that the wider community supports our
projects and support our organisation.
To date we have raised $4500.00. A further $3000.00 is required
prior to DCT #1 embarks on its journey south to Dunedin. As we
write, funding applications are being prepared to help us raise the
remaining funds. Proceeds from this Easters ‘Suburban Rumbler’
services will go to help fund this and other potential projects.
CONDOLENCES
Please join me in sending our deepest condolences and support to
Jacqui and Jamie Hellyer and family with a recent loss within their
family.
Everyone within their family are great volunteers and help cement
our activities and operations. Jamie and Jacqui both hold Executive
Committee positions whilst the kids have been great helping hands
towards getting DCT #170 and DCT #174 ready for their return to
Dunedin.
Our thoughts are with you during this tough time.
THE SUBURBAN RUMBLER
OPERATES THIS GOOD FRIDAY &
EASTER SUNDAY
Join us this Good Friday or Easter Sunday for a ride back in time
along Dunedin’s most popular bus routes; St. Clair – Normanby and
St. Kilda – Brockville / Halfway Bush. Timetables are below and fares
are by Gold Coin Donation.
Proceeds from the Suburban Rumbler heritage bus services go
towards restoration, maintenance and future purchases of Dunedin’s
‘Heritage bus collection” including Dunedin’s first trolley bus – DCT
#1. Further details can be found on our website –
www.otagoheritagebus.co.nz