1965 (C) Bristol Lodekka FLF ECW

[@robertp.wainman4094]

The ultimate testament of a Lodekka's strength and reliability were the multiple trips to Kathmandu undertaken by 'Top Deck' in the 70's and 80's.....what a machine!

[@martynelse6121]

There is absolutely nothing which compares to a Lodekka. My earliest memories are brand new West Yorkshire Road Car Co FS6Bs on 36 Leeds-Harrogate-Ripon in the early 1960s. We used to travel by bus from Sheffield to my grandparent’s house in Harrogate. The total journey was around four hours (no M1 in those days), but the highlight was from Leeds onwards. Some 36 journeys worked Leeds-Harrogate and would often become a 10 to Penny Pot Lane, the bus to my grandparent’s house in New Park. More often than not, we would have to get off the bus in Harrogate Bus Station, and then get on again! WYRCC had the prototype FSF Lodekka, which was never popular, and was swapped with a United Automobile FS6B of the same age in early 1967. All West Yorkshire’s FS type Lodekka were Bristol engine, and also fitted with a 5 speed gearbox. My very favourite Lodekka type is therefore the FS6B, although I like them all. West Yorkshire’s later LD types and most of its FSs had the CBC system from new, except for some of the last examples delivered in 1966. It seems the CBC system was particularly problematic with vehicles with the Bristol engine (AVW or BVW), and this often led to overheating, with steam gushing out at an alarming rate. I witnessed one such incident in Harrogate Bus Station, when FS6B DX209 (Double deck, Experimental…a classification ALL West Yorkshire Lodekkas received), came in from Leeds (where it was based at the time), and parked up in a sorry state. It was consequently given a drink of water by the driver, and set off back to Leeds on schedule. This was also quite a rare occurrence, as the 36 had become RE operated by then. Lodekkas allocated to Bradford often lost their CBC units for conventional heating and cooling mechanisms, as incidences like the one above were quite common, due to that city’s hilly terrain. West Yorkshire Lodekkas also had seats covered in very attractive Tilling moquette, and most had the buzzer (not bell), like the Lodekka in the video. Great memories! PS: You could always have the cheapest wedding possible and buy the bus! 😅😅

[@obelic71]

Fun factor a sibling of this bus has a very very interesting second carreer. It was bought by a Brothel ( Club Diana who recently closed after 44 years) in the Netherlands to be uses as a tourbus for the Tour de France and other cyclist courses in Europe. The son of the owner of the Brothel was a profesional cyclist who later became the teammanger of a cyclist team that created famous cyclist (one of the sponsors was the Brothel) Its the first team tourbus EVER used in the Tour de France and profesional cycling overal. As a mobile repairstation and medical aidstation for the cyclist it became an international sports icon (somwhat naughty livery on the outside) for the profesional cycling sport. It was also exhibited in several sport/transport musea and sports jubilea. 2 Years ago the front of the bus was damaged by arson. She is now undergoing a renovation rebuild for so she will be ready for here 3th career as a heritage sports icon.

[@guyharrison4644]

took my test in one in Cambridge 1984....thankyou so much for memz/vid.fantastic...thanks so much.

[@paulbowler2760]

On the original Lodekka's, the upper deck had a ""trench"" aisle on the driver's side, and the seats were arranged 4 abreast to the nearside windows. They were use by Eastern Counties - sometimes on Route 3 (Lowestoft-Oulton Broad circular) although there were no bridges - low or normal! We lived on that route, about a mile or so from the Eastern Coach Works. All gone now!!

[@gordonsimpson729]

Absolutely brilliant - my memories of Eastern Scottish.

[@johncourtneidge]

Lovely, thanks. It seems that there are no videos, even, let alone preserved examples, of Crosville FLF Coaches.

[@paulnolan1352]

Arrr the Lodekka’s toiled and overloaded on School specials in the 70’s but never failed to get us too and from School mores the pity. Thanks for the memories united counties omnibus company.

[@mobiletransportvideo]

Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a cafe or something similar.

[@McGrory69]

Remember these exact buses but in Western SMT livery everywhere in Greenock mid 70s and any bus open day I just race towards them as bring back so many memories. Thanks 👍👍

[@davidmccready6471]

I used to get the Midton bus from Eldon Street in Greenock up to Gourock High School and the same back at home time. Despite moving from Gourock to a house near the old Greenock Academy I had to continue going to school in Gourock. If I remember there were both front and rear door Lodekkas on the route. Good days and I’m sure the fare was 4p a mate got on the bus at Cardwell Bay and he paid 2p!

[@McGrory69]

@@davidmccready6471 For my sins I was brought up in Cardross Road so could get the Bridgend Road or Clynder Road buses.

[@jimmeltonbradley1497]

Where I grew up in Gloucester, the Bristol Lodecker was the standard local bus. And green too. I was surprised, when I got older and travelled elsewhere, to see buses that DIDN'T look like this. Wigan buses, where I had a girlfriend, were an absolute shocker to me.

[@glenngoodall7250]

Remember this bus operating out of Reading in late 70's. Had them to on the 28 to High Wycombe, gutted when replaced by VR's.

[@DoubleDeckerDavid]

It would have been nice to have seen it being driven in the video.

[@warweezil2802]

United Welsh had similar on the Swansea - Llanelli route that ran alongside The South Wales service that used AECs

[@stottybox3185]

There were radiators just behind the top deck vents, not all lodekkas had them i think only the bristol engined version. Air was passed through these radiators then out through the grills either side, this was how the top deck was heated, these were the main engine coolant radiators. There was none in front of the engine, i think only the gardner engined buses had the traditional radiator. A flap in the drivers cab controlled how much air passed through, so in the summer the hot air would be directed outside through vents in the side.

[@Grid56]

It's called the Cave-Brown-Cave system and was available on any engine. It used a heat exchanger not a radiator as such. It was poor in winter and some FS buses had front vane deflectors (which this bus does not have) to change airflow. It did not just provide top deck heating, but both decks. The off-side exchanger was for the upper deck, the near-side one was for the lower deck. It was not a very successful design and many operators removed it and plated over the holes, reinstating the proper radiator.

[@seansands424]

We had loads of them in Stroud

[@DavidJenkins-p3g]

Driven these daily with Hants & Dorset fine for the driver not usually popular with the conductors though,lovely buses but used to prefer the Bristol KSWs that we had until around 1971 when the Ks were withdrawn.

[@kristinajendesen7111]

I used to work for LT in 84 to 86. We were only given automatic licences because the Routemasters were semi-auto. When I went th work for Wilts & Dorset in Poole I had to learn to drive one of their yellow training FLFs to get a manual licence. Don't know if you remember Pete who used to be an instructor? He showed us how to change gear without using the clutch just by getting the revs right. He also showed us that it would crawl along in 4th without touching the accelerator, so much power.

[@Grid56]

Not sure about the rally steering wheel .😂 .. As a kid i rode on LD and FS almost daily. Ours (West Yorkshire) had moquette rather than the sticky seats, much better in hot weather! I didn't realise at the time how slow they were. To me they were glorious noisy beasts, and I practically learned to drive by kneeling on the bench seat, watching and learning from the driver.. Great days, sadly missed now I'm grown up 😢

[@davidwright793]

It was an Australian company I think, during the eighties and perhaps nineties, possibly called TopDeck Travel, ran these as tour buses. They were kitted out to sleep maybe twelve passengers and ran as far as Morocco I believe. Used to see them regularly when driving up the Spain Fance motorways and feel sorry for the drivers but dare say they had some good fun.

[@paulbarham8295]

Love it. In my area I think United Counties had a few of these

[@GEOFF0906]

Cave Browne Cave system does have radiators, except that the radiators serve also as heater matrices, and uses the natural flow of air into the front of the vehicle to cool the engine and heat the saloons. No fans fitted.

[@martynelse6121]

Theoretically speaking, that is. In practice, the air flow wasn’t always sufficient enough, which caused overheating in the system, resulting in alarming scenes of boiling water and steam.

[@davidwright793]

Can remember in mid seventies driving them on Newcastle City centre service for United out of Gallowgate Depot. A good excuse for missing a trip was to pull into the garage and say she was boiling over.

[@neilbucknell9564]

Over the years I have seen many around the world either converted as campers/expedition vehicles or used as tourist "London Buses" - the last one I recall was in Griefswald, Germany in 2010 or 2011. Presumably these have all now been scrapped?

[@VHKDK]

I saw an FLF in Vienna in 2019, hopefully it is still going.

[@lucythemoggy1970]

i drove a lodekka once with that gearbox, the 5th was called supertop, and if you went below 30mph when in supertop, the only way to get out of it was to stop, turn engine off and start again, I would rather drive a pd2, much easier lol

[@AaronCable-tf9tt]

Is it psvar compliant? I'm joking sorry really nice bus if I'm honest

[@leeallen1407]

Wasn't Alder Valley Green and White ????..i remember the crosville ones...thnik we are near the same age Darren

[@neilbucknell9564]

No - this is an ex-Thames Valley bus, so originally post-box red, and later in National Bus poppy red after merged into Alder Valley as stated. It might even have been briefly dark red between the Alder Valley merger and National Bus re-brand

[@glenngoodall7250]

I think there was a green and yellow Alder Valley livery in the company's final days but only in a certain area of operation?

[@briangentle5515]

Aldershot and District were green and cream. They ran Dennis Loline 3s, which were something like Bristol FLFs. When they merged with Thames Valley, they had a maroon and cream livery until NBC put them in poppy red.

[@VHKDK]

@@briangentle5515 I think the Loline was a licensed built Lodekka as the Bristol buses were only available to state owned bus operators. I lived near Guildford until the mid 60s and always liked he A&D livery.

[@taz89ful]

butler get that bus out!!!

[@johnmills7716]

The Routemaster beats these vehicles on looks and interior trim alone, that's before we get onto the mechanics of the buses...

[@simonwinter8839]

The trick is not to compare the two

[@paulnolan1352]

But the Routemasters were designed and built specifically for London use and the Bristol Lodekka’s were built and used all over the country. Poor example to be fair.

[@andrewbowman7631]

Non power steering, that small wheel will be hard work

[@audibell]

Nice

[@livestocknetwork320]

Boring? Nooo!...