The Quest VMs were not the happiest of vehicles. Excelsior ended up with 17 out of an order for 20 and of these 17, one lasted for only a few weeks before being destroyed by fire.Point of order, those were different Quest models.
Quest 80 was the company, the Merseyside midibuses were Quest B types. The Excelsior ones were VMs - built to the specification of Excelsior's MD, Vernon Maitland, hence the VM designation.
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A futile Quest
Quest 80 and the U-drive I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the failures of the motoring world so much more fascinating than the suc...rustyoldrubbish.blogspot.com
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Trivia: Rare and unusual bus and coach types
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Yes the famous Urban 90s!
I took one the other week around Otley, the bodywork is starting to suffer in it's age.
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Steve440
Member
Only one B10M single deck - NCME for GM Buses, 5 were ordered but only 1 built.
citybus2500
Member
But there were over 200 Volvo engined Tigers though!
There were 5 Lynx for Citybus (fleet 3006-10) and 2 for Ulsterbus (fleet 3011-12), which ended up at Stevensons of Uttoxeter (fleet 256-262). These followed on from the batch of Bristol B21s that also had Alexander Belfast bodies (3000-5) which ended up at Ipswich, joining the 4 they had from new.
Describing them as Optare bodies was a bit of a stretrch. They arrived as nearly complete buses and Optare basically stuck in most of the glass, seats and handpoles! Similar with the "UVG" bodied Mercedes O405Ns.Connexions Buses have this one off:
Connexionsbuses: YP52CUU
Connexionsbuses - Scania N94UB / Castrosua City - YP52 CUU seen on Station Parade, Harrogate operating a duplicate journey on service X52 as far as Otley Bus Station on April 29th 2021 This operated with Kings Ferry as their B8, later operating with South West Coaches with the registration L55BUSwww.flickr.com
Also, whilst pushing the original limit, Irisbus AgoraLine with Optare bodywork seen here had around 23 orders:
AU05FKB Norfolk Green 124
Irisbus AgoraLine Optare at Wells-next-the-Sea Norfolk named Florence Ada Coxon during May 2012. New in 2005 to Norfolk Council Services (NORSE) as fleet number 5605.
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Jordan Adam
Established Member
Grampian Regional Transport / First Aberdeen K1GRT was rare in a number of ways. It was the only Mercedes-Benz O405G built for the UK market, it was one of only two Alexander CityRangers built and it was the only articulated bus to be bodied in Scotland.
www.flickr.com
K473EDT was the other Alexander CityRanger that was built, albeit on the rigid Mercedes-Benz O405 chassis which was fairly common in the UK.
www.flickr.com
Orders were placed for more Alexander CityRangers however unspecified production issues at the time combined with lukewarm reception internally at Grampian Regional Transport saw the order transferred to Wrightbus who quickly developed their own version of the CityRanger based on the Wright Endurance body. Only 22 Wright CityRangers were built.
victoryguy.smugmug.com
From the rear the similarities between the Wright CityRanger and other Wrightbus products of the time become far more visible.
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Grampian Regional Transport 1 K1GRT (14th August 2022)
Preserved Grampian Regional Transport Mercedes-Benz O405G Alexander Cityranger 1 K1GRT (Ex-First Aberdeen 10046) is seen here on the circuit at Grampian Transport Museum during the 2022 Bus Collection At Alford Open Day. Photo Date: 14th August 2022
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K473EDT was the other Alexander CityRanger that was built, albeit on the rigid Mercedes-Benz O405 chassis which was fairly common in the UK.
Mercedes 0405, Alexander Cityranger Demonstrator, K473EDT
Nottingham City Transport, Trying to find a replacement for the Leyland Lynx. Photo taken 1993
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Orders were placed for more Alexander CityRangers however unspecified production issues at the time combined with lukewarm reception internally at Grampian Regional Transport saw the order transferred to Wrightbus who quickly developed their own version of the CityRanger based on the Wright Endurance body. Only 22 Wright CityRangers were built.
Grampian Part 2 : Grampian Regional Transport Ltd into the privatised Grampian Holdings era, July 1986 - April 1995 - Victoryguy
The largest of the four galleries of scanned Grampian slides, this collection covers the period from July 1986, when the Grampian Regional Transport Limited arms length company was founded through to the formation of First Group. This was a period of operator acquisition by Grampian.....Midland...
From the rear the similarities between the Wright CityRanger and other Wrightbus products of the time become far more visible.
Midland Bluebird Ltd 53 (L553 GMS), 1993 Mercedes Benz 0405 / Wright Cityranger B51F, SVBM, Whitburn, 28 August 1993.
Midland Bluebird 53 L553 GMS 19930828 scneg be cpy
www.flickr.com
Have we had this yet? The unique MAN / East Lancs “Kinetec+” decker? Built as a demonstrator, I believe it still earns its living - or at least it certainly did until fairly recently. A smart and substantial looking thing, and deceptively low height.
Image from Flickr showing the above vehicle new when on display as a demonstrator at a bus & coach expo.
Image from Flickr showing the above vehicle new when on display as a demonstrator at a bus & coach expo.
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Statto
Established Member
Point of order, those were different Quest models.
Quest 80 was the company, the Merseyside midibuses were Quest B types. The Excelsior ones were VMs - built to the specification of Excelsior's MD, Vernon Maitland, hence the VM designation.
More here>
A futile Quest
Quest 80 and the U-drive I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the failures of the motoring world so much more fascinating than the suc...
The Merseyside Quest B types were quite peculiar vehicles, bought by Merseyside PTE, only a couple entered service for the PTE, the rest were stored at the depots & never entered service, Merseybus sold them all just after deregulation, one of them i think the C reg (C844 OBG) wasn't even registered until after it was sold.
Leyland Dab Artics, how many were bought for UK operators, as i only know about the ones in Sheffield?
Any reason they had Optare involvement at all then?
It's not like Irisbus would be incapable themselves.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Yeah but Stagecoach had loads of them delivered to South Coast, Transit, Oxford and Manchester! I think TrentBarton also had a reasonable batch.Only one B10M single deck - NCME for GM Buses, 5 were ordered but only 1 built.
Some from South Yorkshire:
Leyland DAB articulated buses.
Dennis Dominator with Northern Counties bodywork, only 10 were built & had more Alexander parts than you think including the side windows. A317 XAK is the only survivor.
L456 JCK a Volvo B10L Saffle, originally with double doors, not many were built at all.
Dennis Dominator with East Lancs bodywork, was essentially the Alexander version copied by East Lancs, not many built for SYPTE & for Hull.
Volvo B6 with Plaxton Pointer step entrance bodywork, most around had the Dart chassis.
Yorkshire Traction has a number of interesting vehicles, some of these are:
The Unique Kirn Mogul with ELC bodywork, built in 2001 & the only one that existed.
Some MCW Metrobuses with low height bodywork, not many with this variation were built.
The 2 single deckers with Spartan Chassis & ELC bodywork.
A number of former Scania coaches rebuilt with ELC Flyte bodywork, still in service until 2008 & some gained Beachball livery, not bad for a chassis originally on a D plate.
Leyland DAB articulated buses.
Dennis Dominator with Northern Counties bodywork, only 10 were built & had more Alexander parts than you think including the side windows. A317 XAK is the only survivor.
L456 JCK a Volvo B10L Saffle, originally with double doors, not many were built at all.
Dennis Dominator with East Lancs bodywork, was essentially the Alexander version copied by East Lancs, not many built for SYPTE & for Hull.
Volvo B6 with Plaxton Pointer step entrance bodywork, most around had the Dart chassis.
Yorkshire Traction has a number of interesting vehicles, some of these are:
The Unique Kirn Mogul with ELC bodywork, built in 2001 & the only one that existed.
Some MCW Metrobuses with low height bodywork, not many with this variation were built.
The 2 single deckers with Spartan Chassis & ELC bodywork.
A number of former Scania coaches rebuilt with ELC Flyte bodywork, still in service until 2008 & some gained Beachball livery, not bad for a chassis originally on a D plate.
Eyersey468
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EY had 5 of them. As a bit of extra trivia I'm told the reason they bought then with E400 bodies and not Geminis was Wright's couldn't deliver the buses in the timescale EY wantedHere's a couple of "rare" types including probably one of the most famous one-offs:
London's future:
Arriva took this DAF SB220/Ikarus Polaris - was ita one off? https://www.flickr.com/photos/190667959@N08/52020435824/in/photolist-2nfSkcW-2nMXbB8-2nNLh2J-2p1T9jc
BYD complete vehicle (only 2 in the UK?)
If we are stretching the boundaries abroad, there were only 30 of these MAN/Berkhof double deckers that were originally ordered by Citybus but the order was cancelled and the majority went to KMB with one going to Kwoon Chung Motors:
The original E200 design including the rear door:
A couple more that come to mind...
The Northern Counties Foden double decker:
The Wright bodied hybrid single deckers supplied to Go Ahead London (13) and Travel London (5?)
Also, the Volvo B9 with Enviro 400 bodywork wasn't exactly popular with 3 in London and a handful with East Yorkshire. As far as I recall the only big order for that combo was Dublin Bus:
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Perhaps in small numbers for South Yorkshire but not certain NC bodied Dominators were that rare. Think GM Buses had about 30, and Cleveland Transit had 20-odd.
Funnily enough, Transit also had B6s with Pointer bodywork. I seem to recall that Merseybus had a fairly substantial batch too
86247
Member
merseybus had 50 of them 7201-7250 they were awful buses.
madannie77
Member
Another South Yorkshire oddity was Atlantean 431 (NAK 431R) which had a Van Hool McArdle body of the same style as the Ailsas.
busesrusuk
Member
I think these may qualify as per the OP's original post...
Northern Counties bodied Metrobuses - 30 built, all for GM Buses:
Sth Yorkshire PTE had a unique batch of dual door Metrobuses with the centre exit immediately behind the front axle - one seen here in its second life:
I think this one is unique in the UK; electric UNVI double decker:
A couple of images of a few already mentioned:
Northern Counties bodied Metrobuses - 30 built, all for GM Buses:
Sth Yorkshire PTE had a unique batch of dual door Metrobuses with the centre exit immediately behind the front axle - one seen here in its second life:
I think this one is unique in the UK; electric UNVI double decker:
A couple of images of a few already mentioned:
Clydeflyer
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Does the Magicbus Megadekka qualify? The tri-axle 110-seater Alexander Olympian F110 NES that Stagecoach bought for Magicbus Glasgow in those early deys. Think there was another two built with it with smaller seating capacities.
McGills had something on their fleet inherited from Harte Buses called a "Fast Carrier" body on a MAN A91 chassis... "YN10 FNW"... is that a rare thing or did other operators have them?
McGills had something on their fleet inherited from Harte Buses called a "Fast Carrier" body on a MAN A91 chassis... "YN10 FNW"... is that a rare thing or did other operators have them?
Happy to concede regarding the Lowland Volvo-engined Leyland Tigers. Unique on the UK mainland, but not so across the water! (The Lowland four were diverted from Ulsterbus, IIRC.)
I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Strathclyde's single-deck Ailsa AS1, NHS782Y. The only Ailsa to be built as a single-decker, it was one of the casualties of the Larkfield depot fire in 1992.
I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Strathclyde's single-deck Ailsa AS1, NHS782Y. The only Ailsa to be built as a single-decker, it was one of the casualties of the Larkfield depot fire in 1992.
The Grey Green rebodied B10M coaches as double deckers with East Lancs bodies (and short rear overhang) https://www.flickr.com/photos/14580...2igrEZA-2jjXKGM-2pz3iky-2kRaUYr-PvM8G7-bE4Yw6
LT812 - shorter than the normal new Routemasters https://www.flickr.com/photos/78213...t-NL4Kqa-2khgdP7-WMPPt3-K3uubs-U3owr5-2gkWMU6
Renault PR100 G286VML https://www.flickr.com/photos/90039...xX6-pQahKt-qwhnMJ-GNPbDg-4kr9De-96q8r6-qCjRsJ
LT812 - shorter than the normal new Routemasters https://www.flickr.com/photos/78213...t-NL4Kqa-2khgdP7-WMPPt3-K3uubs-U3owr5-2gkWMU6
Renault PR100 G286VML https://www.flickr.com/photos/90039...xX6-pQahKt-qwhnMJ-GNPbDg-4kr9De-96q8r6-qCjRsJ
Stan Drews
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The West Midlands example also resides at the NWVRT premises in Kirkby, Liverpool.
The WYPTE one in particular is an absolute hoot to travel on, and even more fun to drive! All sorts of competing sounds to provide a great ‘musical’ accompaniment!!
Statto
Established Member
I know Nottingham had a load of Atlanteans, & specified their own bodywork to go with it, however their is one Nottingham Atlantean that stands out as the only bus built to that shape which makes it very rare.
www.flickr.com
Nottingham 666 (ARC666T)
Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R Northern Counties H47/32D 1978 Quorn and Woodhouse Railway Station Loughborough Leicestershire 9-10-2021
www.flickr.com
busesrusuk
Member
It certainly does:
I am not sure if you would count this but only one LHD Optare Tempo was ever built. Obviously the RHD Optare Tempo was very common with a couple hundred built but only one LHD Optare Tempo was ever produced. It was for a bus company in Germany somewhere.
Named after a local youngster who died from a fatal condition. 666 was his favourite bus.I know Nottingham had a load of Atlanteans, & specified their own bodywork to go with it, however their is one Nottingham Atlantean that stands out as the only bus built to that shape which makes it very rare.
Nottingham 666 (ARC666T)
Leyland Atlantean AN68A/1R Northern Counties H47/32D 1978 Quorn and Woodhouse Railway Station Loughborough Leicestershire 9-10-2021
90019
Established Member
As a more recent example, how about the Wright StreetAir - with only the demonstrator and 6 production models produced.
www.flickr.com
www.flickr.com
GAL WES1 - LJ17THF - Q CAMBERWELL BUS GARAGE - MON 9TH OCT 2017
Explore Bexleybus' 17782 photos on Flickr!
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Lothian Buses Wright StreetAir EV Electric Bus 286 SK67FLE due to enter service in October takes a run out on Edinburgh streets to take up a duty on the 26 running day on 'Doors Open Day'.
Explore Gobbiner's 12998 photos on Flickr!
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Bedford OB
Member
I don't think anyone has mentioned the Renault PR100s. Of the five built for the UK market, three were for Luton Airport, leaving just two that worked in normal service, of which one was the demonstrator, which survives and is preserved. I regularly used them in East London as a break from the usual types; I also travelled on the one that went to Parfitt's in South Wales and on them both when they wound up at Hornsby's for the rest of their working lives.
If you mean MCW-bodied low-height Metrobuses then yes, as there were only these 16 built for Yorkshire Traction.
However, Alexander also built low-height bodies on Metrobuses and these were rather more numerous. Most were for the Scottish Bus Group though Leicester also took a small batch.
Now that was a dud, and deservedly so. The Lothian six failed to live up to expectations and quickly proved to be very unreliable, which resulted in a repeat order being cancelled. They were all off the road within two years. Wrightbus going under sealed their fate.As a more recent example, how about the Wright StreetAir - with only the demonstrator and 6 production models produced.
GAL WES1 - LJ17THF - Q CAMBERWELL BUS GARAGE - MON 9TH OCT 2017
Explore Bexleybus' 17782 photos on Flickr!
Lothian Buses Wright StreetAir EV Electric Bus 286 SK67FLE due to enter service in October takes a run out on Edinburgh streets to take up a duty on the 26 running day on 'Doors Open Day'.
Explore Gobbiner's 12998 photos on Flickr!
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Interesting! What was the deal with 812?
Talking of B10M deckers, Aldermaston Coachlines still have the gloriously bizarre and much tarted up G611 BPH, again with East Lancs body. It’s quite ‘imposing’!
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Lewisham2221
Established Member
Not sure if this one falls into the latter category, being more of a rebody, but as far as I'm aware, this was the only ZigZag bodied Dennis Dart, RIB 7002 - originally Carlyle bodied IIRC.
RML TRAVEL ZIG ZAG BODIED DENNIS DART RIB 7220
A unique bus in the RML Travel fleet was this Dennis Dart with its unique Zig Zag body RIB 7002,seen here at Birches Head
www.flickr.com
(Not my photo)
iantherev
Member
The two Van Hool bodied Volvo B10Ms new to Hutchison, Overtown B947/8 ASU. 947 seen here with Rhondda Buses Rhondda Buses 705 (B947 ASU) Pontypridd 29 December 1995. 948 is preserved in West Wales.