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My Coach Driving Routes video series with captions

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heart-of-wessex

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Hello all,

I have a couple of these videos as part of a new series I'm doing, Coach Driving Routes, and as it's new I'm still trying out cameras, angles, ideas and tweaking it until I find exactly how it should be, based on how I'd like it and from viewers feedback as well.

The first one is just a GoPro from inside looking a bit out front but also around the cab area, the other I've used a dashcam for the front view, and also used the GoPro for the interior shots, which I personally like the 2 camera set up, but the dashcam doesn't seem suitable on coaches. My next one I'm working on is filmed looking out the front window only using the GoPro and the quality is miles better. I'm thinking of investing in another GoPro and doing multiple angles with that.

All these Coach Driving Routes video's have on-screen captions, with some information on buildings or landmarks we pass, some information on the vehicle used, and of any bus or coach that passes as well, and some other general information.

These are the ones I have so far:




I'll post new ones in this thread, any feedback though would be appreicated!


James.
 
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mjc

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Thanks for sharing these, had a quick look at these two and have subscribed so I’ll come back and watch some more. I think I preferred the camera in the first of these two, good picture quality and a good angle for both seeing what you’re doing and what’s going on ahead. I did think that just above/behind you might be better angle (driver’s eye view) but then you’d probably lose the view of what you’re doing, which was interesting to see. I did see another video on your channel with a closer, clearer view of the dash area which was interesting to get more view of what you were doing but at the cost of view ahead, compromises I guess!
In the second video here the dash am quality didn’t seem to good and the angle, looked like it was from over the door, wasn’t so good as it lost some of her view ahead.
No criticism, just feedback and thanks again for sharing these.
Oh, and watching you have to stretch for some of the gears gives me renewed sympathy for you as it can’t be comfortable; maybe not an issue for motorway cruising but can’t be good during urban work!
 

GusB

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Hello all,

I have a couple of these videos as part of a new series I'm doing, Coach Driving Routes, and as it's new I'm still trying out cameras, angles, ideas and tweaking it until I find exactly how it should be, based on how I'd like it and from viewers feedback as well.

The first one is just a GoPro from inside looking a bit out front but also around the cab area, the other I've used a dashcam for the front view, and also used the GoPro for the interior shots, which I personally like the 2 camera set up, but the dashcam doesn't seem suitable on coaches. My next one I'm working on is filmed looking out the front window only using the GoPro and the quality is miles better. I'm thinking of investing in another GoPro and doing multiple angles with that.

All these Coach Driving Routes video's have on-screen captions, with some information on buildings or landmarks we pass, some information on the vehicle used, and of any bus or coach that passes as well, and some other general information.

These are the ones I have so far:




I'll post new ones in this thread, any feedback though would be appreicated!


James.
I've seen a couple of your videos previously - it must be nice to get the chance to drive a coach with a proper gearbox ;)
 

heart-of-wessex

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Thanks for the feedback! Maybe in a different coach I'll try the first style again and see what you guys think, will look for some other attachments for the GoPro other than a window mount as well. I shall carry on with my next one (front view only but with the GoPro in 4K) as it looks nice for the scenery and have started on the captions. Good thing with the GoPro is the hyper stabilisation which is absolutely top notch!

MJC - Yes actually forgot about the other one I did with the camera overlooking the dash but not much view straight on, thing with coach windows is you can put a window mount on, and then there's often some sort of obstacle in the way!
Yes the hydraulic box in the later Bova's were rather strange, what felt like where neutral should be is actually 4th, and where you think 3rd would be is neutral, so then push more forward and there's 3rd! Get used to it though and better than the older linkage system, as seen here when I got someone to film me driving W200 ODE:


I ended up driving these manuals pretty much after passing my PCV test in 2019, in an automatic (Irizar) so despite driving a manual car every day, the first time trying to get used to these big gear sticks took some getting used to!

Now I seem to be the only one happy to take the manual Bova at our place, no one else wants to drive it (apart from the boss, she loves driving it)
 

hst43102

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These look like great videos! I don't think I've ever seen a "cab ride" in a coach before...
 

Aictos

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With the coach with the automatic gearbox, pardon for asking as it's been sometime but is it the type that to change from drive to reverse or neutral etc you press a button on the dashboard?

As that's what I remember from the coaches on many a rail replacement service having as to the manual gearbox how many gears does it have?

Finally in the video with the automatic gearbox, you have the wing mirrors that stick out and you have wing mirrors closer to the driving position, why's that?

Pardon for the many questions but driving a coach is on my bucket list to do before I'm 65.
 

heart-of-wessex

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With the coach with the automatic gearbox, pardon for asking as it's been sometime but is it the type that to change from drive to reverse or neutral etc you press a button on the dashboard?

As that's what I remember from the coaches on many a rail replacement service having as to the manual gearbox how many gears does it have?

Finally in the video with the automatic gearbox, you have the wing mirrors that stick out and you have wing mirrors closer to the driving position, why's that?

Pardon for the many questions but driving a coach is on my bucket list to do before I'm 65.

Is that the automatic coach in the video above from Wellington Barn?

If so its a rotary switch for the gear, from left to right is Crawl Reverse, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Crawl Drive.

It's an automatic manual with 12 split gears like a truck, it will usually pull away in 3rd or 4th gear but is roughly equivalent to 2nd gear in your car.

It has a clutch, but it does it automatically, but can be overriden to drive in manual using the stick on the right of the wheel, very useful to hold the gear when going up a hill, not the best gearbox as it chucks down the gears when you don't want it to, and is sometimes sluggish finding a gear and pulling away.

Our automatic Bova's are push buttons like the type you mention, with D, N, R


As you point out there are two mirrors sticking out, which are awkward as it's easy to smack them against trees, posts etc, and the one by the drivers position is the blind spot mirror, standard on these Irizar i6 models. Not all coaches have these mind, even the newer Mercedes coach don't have them.


Hope that helps, maybe I need to do some other smaller videos showing the layouts and what does what etc?

James.
 

Aictos

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Thank you for replying, yes I for one would be interested in a walk though for a coach say walk around the outside explaining what bits does what and also the view from the driver too.

The automatic coach I saw was from this thread, crawl mode, guess that's restricting vehicle speed to 5mph?

The automatic vehicle in the video at the top of this page, does that mean you can drive it as a manual or leave it and just drive it as a automatic?

Yes, I remember the push button dashboard on many a automatic coach especially at school, do coaches still come with that design?

Thank you for the replies, I look forward to more of your material.
 

heart-of-wessex

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The automatic coach I saw was from this thread, crawl mode, guess that's restricting vehicle speed to 5mph?

Crawl mode, or Turtle mode as they call it, limits the revs, and selects a lower gear. In Drive, it will normally select 3rd gear, if on a hill start or want to do a slow shunt forward, Turtle mode will choose 1st gear.

On a steep hill start, you can select Turtle mode, pull off in 1st, let it slip into 2nd then switch back to Drive and carry on. It also automatically engages a hold brake as well to stop you rolling back.

Turtle reverse gives you a slower smoother reverse, again as it limit's the revs (about 1,000rpm IIRC)

The automatic vehicle in the video at the top of this page, does that mean you can drive it as a manual or leave it and just drive it as a automatic?

Both, by default it's an automatic but there's a mode switch to drive manually if you want to on the right stalk on the steering wheel, flick up goes up a gear, flick down goes down a gear, and then you can switch it back to automatic whenever you want.

Yes, I remember the push button dashboard on many a automatic coach especially at school, do coaches still come with that design?

Yes push buttons still exist, unlike the one above these are full automatics, no manual override.


Hope that helps! Any more questions feel free I'll try to answer the best I can!
 

Flying Snail

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The main difference with crawl mode is it continuously slips the clutch rather than attempting to fully engage/disengage the clutch in standard mode which causes the lurching when attempting slow speed control. The rev limit is to limit the torque applied to the slipping clutch as high revs would quickly burn out the plates.

Push buttons are the most common control used on full autos (planetary gearset and torque converter) these can, and in coaches usually do have extra buttons to manually select certain lower gears.

Really the buttons on autos, stalk controls on Scanias, gearknob style on Volvo and ZFs, circular controls on MANs, etc are just different design of electric switches that essentially do the same thing.

Nice vids there h-o-w, I'd be very much with the rest of your colleagues with regards the manual coach, thanks but no thanks. I learned and passed my test in one and it was the last manual I drove in anger. Thankfully my place only had a short flirtation with manuals before I joined and as they were leased they went and were not missed by the minority of drivers with manual licences who ended up stuck with them constantly.
 
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heart-of-wessex

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The main difference with crawl mode is it continuously slips the clutch rather than attempting to fully engage/disengage the clutch in standard mode which causes the lurching when attempting slow speed control. The rev limit is to limit the torque applied to the slipping clutch as high revs would quickly burn out the plates.

Push buttons are the most common control used on full autos (planetary gearset and torque converter) these can, and in coaches usually do have extra buttons to manually select certain lower gears.

Really the buttons on autos, stalk controls on Scanias, gearknob style on Volvo and ZFs, circular controls on MANs, etc are just different design of electric switches that essentially do the same thing.

Nice vids there h-o-w, I'd be very much with the rest of your colleagues with regards the manual coach, thanks but no thanks. I learned and passed my test in one and it was the last manual I drove in anger. Thankfully my place only had a short flirtation with manuals before I joined and as they were leased they went and were not missed by the minority of drivers with manual licences who ended up stuck with them constantly.

Thank you for explaining that much better than my attempt! :lol:

ZF is pushbuttons normally isn't it? All our ZF's are push button DNR123, I believe buses are the same, our Volvo has the gearknob style as you mention, the good old Volvo I-shift.

You certainly know when you've driven a manual for the day as your arm is knackered, as you probably know! But I can do the school run a few minutes quicker on the basis that I have more control. Do the Irizar i6 with the AS Tronic and sometimes it's just garbage, there are times at roundabouts where you have to plan your move 2 cars ahead, so you can put your foot down and once the two cars have gone round, the gearbox has found a gear it likes and you start to move.
The amount of times it's caught me out and it's decided to finally move as a car is coming round and I mouth 'Sorry!' :lol:

@Aictos

Here is the gear switch I am on about:

20210728_143134.jpg

And here is the stalk on the right, which has the manual override button on the right and you flick it up to go up a gear, and flick down to go down the gears.

Also you pull it down to activate the retarder

20210728_143130.jpg
 
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heart-of-wessex

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Here's a 'Drivers Eye View' out the front window video, captured on a glorious sunny day, on-screen captions included

 

heart-of-wessex

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Hello!

I have taken on some feedback, some adjustments still need to be done as I am looking at other attachments as I still only have the window attachment at the moment, but here is my recent work, filmed in September.

I am running 120 miles empty from the Chandlers depot in Westbury, to Skern Lodge in Appledore (near Bideford) in North Devon, to pick up a group and take them back to Wiltshire. The route out of Westbury is on the A350 to the A303, then East across to the A358 to join the M5 South, have breakfast at Taunton Deane services, then continue on the M5 to Jn 27 to head east on the A361 and A39 to Appledore. A fairly straightforward run, the more tricky bit is the last mile or so down the lane to the Lodge. I was lucky that I was going down on a day with good weather conditions, I have been again since this video and it was cloudy and raining and the views weren't as good as this session. The trip itself is just over 3 hours, so I have condensed it down heavily to 48 minutes, hence the end of the title 'highlights', these are just parts of the route that I thought may be of interest.


Hope you enjoy!

James.
 

heart-of-wessex

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New video published:

In this video we will be taking a trip through the Wiltshire villages from Edington to Bulkington via Steeple Ashton and Keevil. This route also covers our school run route and you can see how challenging it is, and new drivers aren't put on this route until they've had some experience. This was filmed later in the day but in the morning it's busy with cars on the school run, which you can meet on the sharp bends! The vehicle in this video is ex-Redwing Mercedes Tourismo BN17 HZW.

Filmed with a GoPro Hero 9 in wide view 2.7K res, and edited with Sony Vegas Studio Pro 18

 
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