Rear window off side is indeed stepped up on a B5LH but not on a Streetdeck IIRC. There's probably clues with vents etc but you'd need a real expert
Great, thank you bothThere is one design cue that is apparent when seeing the buses from the nearside. The Streetdecks have the nearside destination box "sunk" into the window line whereas the Volvo's do not. Certainly apparent on the Go Ahead WSD class and I believe on other London Streetdecks but there aren't that many of them. Tower Transit have a large batch which also have the "sunken" destination box whilst Arriva have a relatively small (and apparently unloved) batch but I don't have pics of those. I can't think of any other TfL London operators of Streetdecks. Here are a couple of nearside pics to illustrate the blind box layout on Go Ahead London buses. First pic is a Streetdeck the second a Volvo B5:
It also means that the centre door on the Volvo is a half a bay nearer to the front door than the Streetdeck. The upper window arrangement is also different - I think its easier to spot the differences on the nearside than the offside!
Agreed, must cause quite a bit of damage going over speed bumps!
I think that the Streetdeck has the engine placed transverse whilst the Volvo is longitudinal which results in the longer overhang. A bit like the original Bristol VR (coded VRL) before operators turned their nose up at it and the engine was swung round 90 degrees which, at the time, was more acceptable to operators (known as VRT's). Of course there were VR's with the longitudinal engines that formed the basis for the Standerwick coaches. Considerably more VRT's were built than the original VRL design.
It's because the Volvo "BxL" chassis that they're based on is designed for 12 metre single deckers. The rear overhang isn't that long, it's the same as any full size Volvo single decker, it's more that the wheelbase is short.
