Classic Bus Histories Episode VIII: Bristol Lodekka.

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

I passed my PSV in a Lodekka back in the 70s and drove them in service with West Yorkshire Road car. I quickly learned how to make clutchless gear changes by listening to the engine revs, it made life a lot easier. Power steering would have been nice lol!

[@BillMrWild]

I use to travel on Esatern National route 151-251 from Wood green, to Southend. Grand old Buses... and a great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it.

[@Tirana44]

This is the first bus video I have ever watched on KZbin, and I enjoyed every minute. My teenage school years back in the early 60s, saw me travel daily on Green line RTs or if I was lucky, one of their RMCs. A move of area, and a change of school meant a change of bus company. I used a mixture of Eastern National ,and for my final year of my education, Eastern Counties Lodekkas. For the first year or so of my Technical College, I had to use the Lodekkas of United Counties. Thereafter I learnt to drive, and bought my first car. Despite that, I’ve always had a ‘soft spot’ for busses, especially the Lodekkas. Happy days!

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you enjoyed the video and it rekindled many happy memories.

[@stephengrocock9964]

Trained on a Lodekka in 1976 with Lincolnshire Road Car. Awesome

[@fmcb269]

Joined Road Car in 1977 [Scunthorpe depot] did my training in Lincoln, and took my test there on a Lodekka. Great buses!

[@briangentle5515]

Oh, Christmas has come! My favourite bus and company. As a young boy, we went to see our grandparents on the IoW and always enjoyed travelling on Southern Vectis, especially the LDs; so different from the London Transport vehicles at home. We loved the crash gearboxes, perhaps as much as the drivers hated them? Thanks for this trip up memory lane.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it.

[@marksinthehouse1968]

When LWT moved to their new south bank studios the studio doors were not big enough to allow a bus into the studio like they could at Wembley so I believe ECW supplied LWT with parts to make up a bus as a set this was for the last two series I maybe wrong ,all the best Mark 😊😊

[@JakeSCOC]

Yes you're correct Mark. They had a mock up Lodekka.

[@chrisrand5185]

This is the bus which I grew up with operated by Eastern National. On rear entry models I would kneel on the bench seat behind the driver and watch him. It was also a good position to see the conductor change the destination board by climbing up the radiator shroud to reach the winding handle projecting down from the overhang. With forward mounted doors this was not an option, so it was upstairs to the front seats. If I recall correctly, the Eastern National fleet had white steering wheels.

[@Grid56]

I grew up with the West Yorks Lodekkas. There's a big place in my heart for them. I believe all the hours I spent as a toddler kneeling on the glorious front bench, watching the driver, learning about changing gears and mechanical sympathy , lead me to being able to actually drive at a very young age. Obviously their low power and slow speed weren't forefront in my mind af that age, they were just magnificent beasts. That moquette brings back memories

[@99672]

Me too, but with York- West Yorkshire. We also still had the Bristol K Series buses.

[@scottwalker2619]

Our local bus company in Airdrie was Baxters who by that time were owned by Scottish Omnibuses. They had a large fleet of Bristol Lodekka's , all longwheel base models that came via the swap with National. They ran them right up to 1978 when a fleet of Leyland Nationals replaced them. I always though the Lodekka had a great sound and I would have loved to have had driven one.

[@garrymartin6474]

One of my favourite buses of all time ! To me, growing up in Sheffield Transport territory (later South Yorkshire PTE) they were something exotic I only ever saw when I went on holiday or day trips.

[@unclenolly3207]

Same here. I usually saw the Lodekkas in Skegness - unfortunately we stayed at Chapel St Leonards (routes 90 & 91) that used VR’s, so didn’t get to ride a Lodekka very often.

[@highpath4776]

Ahh, Sheffield's AECs were good things. I suppose crosville might have been nearest !!

[@martynelse6121]

I’m also from Sheffield, which had a fine fleet of buses, but my grandparents lived in Harrogate, so I became familiar with Lodekkas from an early age. My favourite part of the long journey (about 5 hours by bus in the early 1960s), was on a West Yorkshire Lodekka from Vicar Lane bus station in Leeds, on the 36 to Harrogate. At that time, the company policy was to operate the newest models on this trunk route, so the FS6B became my favourite Lodekka model. Externally, they looked so smart in Tilling red with their complementary cream bands outlined in black. They smelled so new inside, with their smart moquette covered seating, which irritated my legs a bit in short trousers, (but I didn’t care or notice much), green rexine interior panels and cream rubber around the windows. DX2 (MWY618) was one of the pre production Lodekkas for West Yorkshire (the only red example), and spent many years based at Harrogate. It achieved 17 years of service with the fleet, and even in later life, could be seen in all day service. The second prototype had a short life by comparison. It was originally 822 and became DX1 in the 1954 fleet renumbering. It lasted until 1961, spending its last years on Harrogate local services. The ‘X’ classification meant experimental, but all West Yorkshire Lodekkas had this classification. All but three (DX3,4 and later DX48) had Bristol AVW/BVW engines. The aforementioned three were LD6G.

[@smogmonster1876]

This is the bud that started my life king obsession with buses. Many happy journeys on the 268 to Middlesbrough town centre to visit grandma and grandad or to Redcar. The LD or FS being my favourite of all.

[@andrewcrombie9455]

Great memories - I used to drive these everyday along the Fife coast from Dunfermline to Leven - I remember the later ones having cream coloured rubber widow surrounds, strip lighting inside, air brakes (instead of vacuum) and much lighter steering.

[@algiefeatherstonehaugh1091]

17:35 I probably went to school on those, although I remember my favourite bus was BL211.

[@mervwhitney7229]

A very enjoyable video. As a kid in the 50/60s, I grew up with the buses in Eastern National livery. They were a very regular feature on many routes in and out of Southend, linking all the main Essex towns and into Wood Green, North London, There was a nice smell of hot oil and warm water from the front of the bus as it pulled up at the bus stop. We also had the blue and cream livery of Southend Transport.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked the video 👍🏼

[@theolderigetthewrongbitget4746]

I passed my test in one in 1979 (Western SMT), retired in 2021 but still remember my training.

[@stephendey5056]

I can well remember back in the 60s seeing the chassis being driven along Colman Road in Norwich on their way to ECW Lowestoft, this in all weathers, to have their bodies fitted. The drivers with their thick coats on and wearing goggles for their protection and just a cap on their head. Funny thing is I do not ever remember seeing a completed bus going the other way, strange.

[@frasermathers2287]

Thanks for the video. Many many years ago I loved my time learning to drive and gain my PSV on a manual Bristol Lodekka which was owned and I believe is still owned by Ritchies Training Glasgow. The registration was RAG 400

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you liked it. I think RAG 400 was a Central Scottish one?

[@StephenAllcroft]

​​@@JakeSCOCWestern SMT, AG was the Ayrshire index as Western had their central works and HQ in Kilmarnock. The RAG batch were the last LDs. Ritchie still own that one and another of the batch is restored at Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, sat next to a Central SMT example in Bridgeton Bus Garage.

[@adamshaw2932]

Coming from Leigh in Lancashire, we never had any Lodekkas in the area (plus im 25 so wouldn't have seen them in service anyway!) however its thought that in about 1966/67, the Leigh Corporation transport department considered 4 ECW bodied Lodekka FSFs after their favoured AEC Renown was discontinued. I'm told if this order had gone ahead, they would have been some of the only Municipally operated Lodekkas (not counting the Dennis Loline! of which Leigh already had 6). In the end even Leigh Corporation had to move with the times and ordered 5 East Lancs bodied Leyland PSU4 Leopards instead, which ended up being their last new buses before SELNEC PTE took over. Fascinating video as always! 😁

[@JakeSCOC]

That's really interesting. Something I certainly didn't know. I think they would have looked great in the Leigh livery. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@martynelse6121]

By the time Bristol/ECW were free to trade with an open market, the FSF model had been discontinued. United Counties wanted some, but had to be content with further FS types. I’m sure I’ve read that Sheffield were interested in a highbridge Lodekka, which seemed to defeat the object, though operators took delivery of VRs with highbridge bodies, including Sheffield Transport, though theirs had East Lancs bodies.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@martynelse6121 yes there were plans for a high frame Lodekka but these never put into production.

[@StephenAllcroft]

I didn't know about Leigh, but Lowestoft had an option on five FS5G for 1966 which they eventually cancelled.

[@MisterHampshire]

What a brilliant video. Pleasant speaking voice, and best of all... none of that simply dreadful unnecessary background music that seems to be a modern obsession which all it does is fight the narration, the whole point of such a video. I remember the Lodekka FLF with such clarity: I used to get one when we lived in Yeovil from home to school (and back in those days, we walked home no matter what the weather), or town on Saturday. I was also so taken by the conductor's Setright with that gorgeous whirring sound as he turned the handle for the ticket, I bought one in recent years. How on earth he ever did his job with a leather pouch of coins and half a tonne of armour plate round his waist I shall never know, but do it he did. More though - it was the way the conductor turned the exposed handles under the overhang to change the destination and number blinds.

[@JakeSCOC]

Many thanks. Glad you liked the video.

[@simonuden8450]

I grew up in the Bristol area from 1959, and spent all my school days travelling to school on a variety of Bristol Buses. Initially, we lived outside Bristol in the countryside, so we caught an LD on the route 29 or 30. Then when we moved into Bristol itself, it was more likely to be an FLF, on route 5, and that was for many years. There were also still a lot of K-types on the number 3 route then too. Towards the end of my school days, I tended to travel a cross-city route on the number 16, and that was one of the first services that Bristol Omnibus introduced with the dual door REs. However, for me, it's the sound of the FLF, LD or FS, with a Gardiner engine and manual gearbox pulling away from a standing start that will remain forever etched in my memory, and never fails to transport me back over the years. There are a set of four videos on KZbin taken from inside one of those late Eastern Counties coaches which, even though they have the 6LXB or 6LXC engines, and semi-automatic transmission, still have the final drive whine and an almost identical engine note to the old Gardiner's, and it sounds glorious

[@aswclassicsiow8588]

Born and bred on the Isle of Wight, used these bus often in the 70s/80s still remember them when entrance was at back of bus and no doors from the late 60s, and in 70s the number 8 use to run from Ryde to Bembridge

[@coreyellisart6877]

Just purchased a 1962 Bristol lodekka Here in the usa it still has the Bristol bvw inline 6 diesel going to pull it out and put a dt466

[@JakeSCOC]

@@coreyellisart6877 Ah yes I saw about that online. Good luck!

[@kevinmothers904]

@12.32 Lincolnshire Road Car, OVL 473. My old school bus, based at the Boston Depot in the early 1970s I caught this and others of the fleet in the mornings on the way to the Gleed Boys Secondary School, Spalding. Just been reading about its history and so glad it made it into preservation.

[@Grid56]

Regarding on the buses, only one FLF was real in the inside shots, the one at the rear was a wooden mock up decorated with a few genuine parts such as the radiator cowling . These were at the film studios. The outside shots of buses leaving the garage were at wood green depot, Luxton and district being a fictitious company.

[@a11csc]

on the bucket list to ride on

[@stiletto56]

I drove several marks of the Lodekka, starting with a stick box and then the luxury of a semi-auto with overdrive! The fleet belonged to a hospitality catering company, BUS FARE, based in Cranleigh, Surrey. The vehicles were beautifully converted to suit various clients and were fitted with an 3/4 awning system that effectively formed a pavillion for exhibition space or bar and table seating. One of their clients sponsored formular 1 racing and the buses were often seen at most of the European Grand Prix circuits to provide catering for their guests. The distances we covered were bonkers as we travelled accross Europe. Rain and snow running into the cab on your right leg and first degree burns on the left from the engine housing. Brake fade was always in our minds during several hours of mountain descent. Lower gears of little help either as it would just spin up the transmission until it sounded like a Stukka bomber! Scary too, looking over the edge of some of the mountain bends ( think, Italian Job film) There were often the burned-out remains of artics in the ravines to keep us focussed. Having gone to school on these in Bristol when little, I could never have imagined driving one over/under the Alps when old enough to know better. I do miss it though. Thanks for the informative history. Keep up the good work.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@stiletto56 That's fascinating to read. Thank you for sharing your memories. I bet that was a bit hairy on some of those descents down! I've only driven a crash box down the Kentish hills - nowhere near like a mountain! Glad you liked the video.

[@ViatronTumpington]

Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield once again, I'm very pleased of bringing the Bristol Lodekka lowhight double deck bus back to life & with another episode on the way with a slightly similar version known as the Dennis Loline series in a future video what features many different double deck bus body designs which include the very unique ultra-low northern counties wrapped round front windscreen & upper deck window above from Barton buses of Nottingham via being preserved. But your next task is to feature the Guy Wolfrounian front engined double deck bus what features in West Riding in Wakefield, West Yorkshire subjecting to many problems via they were also replaced by second hand Bristol Lodekkas from other tilling bus groups. Thanks for your co-operation on this very special Bristol lodekka subject from David Viatron Esquire of crookes in Sheffield. HOLD VERY TIGHT PLEASE! DING! DING!

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks David. I need to do a LOT of research on the Guys before I can do them justice.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

My father drove these for United. Got him the EFE model of the United Lodekka.

[@jamesfrench7299]

These were really innovative and predate the much hyped Routemaster. I never knew Bristol came out with their own motor. Respect. Sydney's AEC Regent IIIs used those flat wheel rims and large diameter tyres as well as Adelaide's AEC Regal IVs. This was clearly a successful model that was winding down in use by thy time I was born back in March of 1973.

[@paulbowler2760]

Good video, Jake. I grew up between Lowestoft and Oulton Broad - on Eastern Counties Route 3. The chassis's from Bristol would drive past nearly every day on their way to Eastern Coach Works, and finished buses would drive past in the opposite direction to all parts of the UK, with their bright shiny colour schemes and their strange (to us boy collectors) number plates. In those days (late '50's) you could cycle or walk past the front of the Works and see which buses were ready to be driven away to their new owners. Today, the Works is gone, replaced by a large industrial estate, and a road bypass. Lodekka's were used on the route 3 - the "trench" was not very wide, and headroom was very low! Anyway, thanks for the memories!!

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks Paul. That's an amazing memory. I'm very envious about taking a peek at ECW. Something I wish I'd been able to do.

[@steviethomson2221]

​@@JakeSCOCwould love to see a history on the Volvo Ailsa. Love the channel!

[@JakeSCOC]

@@steviethomson2221 thanks

[@JaveyEL6369]

Brings back lots of memories of going to and from school on the green Lodekkas in Gloucester in the 70s 😊

[@krakatoa1200]

In 1989, I took a Bristol Lo-Dekka on a trip around Italy, no it wasn't a Summer Holiday trip. I was doing a trip for the Common Market. It was a campaign against cancer. In Italian Contro il Cancro. The top deck was done out like a mini cinema, where a video was shown to anyone who wanted to come aboard, the video was talking about bad habits, ie smoking, bad diets etc. I really enjoyed the trip, and the bus proved very popular amongst the Italian school children.

[@boyfromblackstuff7859]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

Love the stories of how certain bus designs came about, namely Lodekkas, Leyland Atlantean and the Routemaster. Nice little documentary. The FLF is a really smart vehicle, very clever design.

[@craigsibley8161]

Another fine video from the series 👍👍👍

[@JakeSCOC]

Thanks

[@johnmontgomery9149]

Trained and passed my PSV on a FLF PBL57F with Western Scottish in 1984.

[@tonykeggin8906]

Went on one at the Birkenhead show. wonderful.

[@JakeSCOC]

@@tonykeggin8906 they're lovely busee

[@ablestringer9063]

The first vehicle I ever drove was a Lodekka. I was 13. Norfolk Showground bus show September 1980. Paid a pound and I was in the cab.

[@JakeSCOC]

Lucky man!

[@johncourtneidge]

My recollection is that of the beautiful FLF variants, Crosville had a number of black and cream dd coaches. At least as smart as the Eastern National sisters. Who said that Nationalised Companies, when properly run, couldn't outclass the Capitalost firms? Bristol and ECW certainly did!

[@highpath4776]

Just about everything I could think of that you wouldnt cover, you did! For afterlife vehicles somewhere I may still have a photo I took in torbay of EF and SAS? Language school buses parked up in a car park, I think both were Lodekkas. Some of the oddest to me were a pair of probably ex Western National either converitble or converted to Open Top and painted in Devon General NBC colours , odd because Devon General, even after common management , tended to prefer AECs for the double deck fleet (exeter Guys incorporated excepted) and Fleetlines/Atlanteans after they became avalible- having 9 convertible open top buses of those types so the Bristols were a late addition - they might have had some reversed colour AECs for their open top services but I cannot recall how many, and over what years they were done.

[@JakeSCOC]

Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sharing your memories. I can't think of anything better than beautiful Torbay in a Lodekka.

[@yan24to]

My School Bus was a Loddeka,Crosville ,North Wales,1971.

[@rayaspo4893]

Was this the model used in on the buses?

[@JakeSCOC]

@@rayaspo4893 yes they were!

[@warweezil2802]

My local independent operator tried to stay a Bristol operator. I’m told that the last 6 new double deckers they had were from a chassis order placed before nationalisation. They ran these till the late 60s when they acquired 2 KSWs one of which I’d in preservation (HAP 985), after this they had 4 ex Crosville lodekkers including one with platform doors. I understand that in later years they had a couple of later series lodekkas although by that time falling passenger numbers saw them largely relegated to school work. Wouldn’t have minded the low reg no off of one of the ex Crosvilles SFM 8.

[@carabara3947]

If You Can Drive A Lodekka You Can Drive Anything Sure Those Stagecoach GDL Plates Had Five Gears From 4Th To 5Th Was In A Horse Shoe Type Change With No Neutral

[@JakeSCOC]

I could be wrong but I think on the 5 speed gearboxes, 5th gear was an overdrive - hence no neutral. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[@fmcb269]

Yes, 5th was a rarely used overdrive, accessed through a sprung gate from 4th. So if you were changing down from 4th to 3rd and accidentally went into 5th, by the time you sorted yourself out the bus would often have ground to a halt. Ironic applause from your passengers, and much ribbing from your mates when you got back to the depot!

[@erniehogan2404]

When a teenager, I remember Lodeccas travelling between Glasgow and Edinburgh. To my memory, these had an additional gear that was accessed to the right and forward from 4th. Perhaps someone could fill me in with the history of this gear...was it an overdrive? And was it an extra for some services?

[@StephenAllcroft]

Scottish companies not only took to the FLF, but Central was the largest customer for the FSF and rather resented having to go back to rear entry and manual doors for their last 60 seaters in 1964.

[@BrianAbbott-vt1wl]

Did my apprenticeship at BCV ended working in the experimental dept until that women destroyed engineering but have many new chassis to my work list until 1983

[@NextSound170]

I wonder who designed these buses as they had regal class to them, the half cabs. Buses today, are what they are but these were like big cars in comparison

[@JakeSCOC]

@@NextSound170 I believe it all went wrong when computer aided design came in to being and it replaced real craftsmen with drawing boards and pencils.

[@highpath4776]

Did any lodekkas have a body that was not made by / at ECW ( for example on the VR I think ECW subcontracted some builds to Willowbrook ) - the mid life VR also claimed a lot of the ECW styling used on the Late Lodekkas - earlier VRs seemed more upright and different "spacing" of pillars - probably an illuision and more different to the LS versions .

[@peterw29]

All Lodekkas were bodied by ECW.

[@martynelse6121]

@peterw29 Thank goodness!