Post Inferno, JAA 708 - 1950 Leyland Olympic | March 2024 Update | Friends of King Alfred Buses

The March 2024 update from the Friends of King Alfred Buses: The JAA 708 (1950 Leyland Olympic) is now back to it's Winchester home.
Please visit KingAlfredBuses.org.uk for more details.
More on JAA 708:
The April 2024 Update: • April 2024 Update | Le...
JAA 708, Part 1: • (PART 1) Leyland Olymp...
JAA 708, Par 2: • (PART 2) Leyland Olymp...
The news clipping 1: • JAA 708 News on South ...
The news clipping 2: • JAA 708 on itv Meridia...
00:00 Start
00:05 The fire site on 23 Feb 2024
03:19 Pulling out JAA708
04:27 Update on 02 March 2024
08:02 Start changing the wheels
09:38 Start loading
10:24 Arriving Winchester
11:56 Into the garage
12:38 Thank you to all supporters of FoKAB

[@alwynjones2286]

Fate that she survived and looks like a very talented and determined group of people determined that she will once againe grace the show field's and bus rallies. Good luck to you all

[@philtucker1224]

This type of volunteer restoration project is one of the finest ways to maintain excellent mental health in later life. I am a retired engineer myself and always relish the opportunity to work with other like minded folk. Very best wishes to all of those that will ultimately contribute to this most admirable resurrection.

[@user-cn4rg2bs4p]

Good luck James and the team. Caroline Cleaveley.

[@pooletownandbusenthusiastjosh]

Really Happy for 708 to be Restored, However I do realise its going to take a number of years and a lot of volunteers/bus owners to help the Olympic. 1950, that's literally 74 years old. Keep Strong😀

[@Farney-gy1qo]

I feel sad for the Sherpa van 😭! Get well soon Olympic 708 🥰!

[@louis-pierretalbot9151]

Hello there chap's. FAN-TAS-TIC this combined determination to get her back on the streets again... Lots of RESPECT to do this major job onces again. Please let us know how works progress 🥰💪💪💪.

[@hellowallace]

Thank you and will keep everyone updated!

[@user-fn2ee1di3c]

Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield, well I'd watched your new video on the mass rescue of the remains of the very unique Leyland Olympic integral single deck buses from King Alfred with your future plans to be finally restored back to the original condition as new. So sad for the other seven vehicles (6-service buses & 1-tourest coach) now sadly being scrapped in the process, but now we got the A.I. technology to rebuild & restored this very unique Leyland bus icon known as the 1950 Leyland Olympic HR40 integral single deck bus from King Alfred & it will finally strikes back onto the free vintage bus service once again. The Leyland Olympic bus of King Alfred will never die on our british roads. Thanks for your co-operation on this great news subject from David Viatron Esquire of crookes in Sheffield.

[@johnUB4478]

I do hope she can be brought back to her former glory

[@Sohave]

That requires some very brave and talented men, You basically have a bus chassis and a few surviving body parts.

[@asp383]

Shame so much history has been destroyed and hopefully the businesses and people affected soon recover from their losses. Fingers crossed you'll b able to bring her back. I've been involved in bringing back fire damaged and destroyed vehicles, although we're only getting a cursory look at it, the chassis looks straight and a lot of the body substructure looks like it's mainly salvageable, with the rest there to take patterns off. While it may not end up as original as it was, preservation is the key word here. Good luck if you decide restoration is financially viable.

[@michaelkither2620]

Well filmed and edited...good luck if the recreation goes ahead, and i hope the other owners had insurance to slighly ease the pain...

[@timstubbs3394]

Truly excellent video, well done the team. And what a big task ahead. Wishing you every success with the project. TS

[@hellowallace]

Much appreciated! Thank you!

[@northernblue1093]

Very well-made video that is both sad and uplifting at the same time.

[@hellowallace]

Glad you enjoyed this video...

[@grahamc887]

I don’t think it is as bad as it looked at the start of the video. The chassis and running gear seemed to be intact. Given that you were able to restore it from where it was when you first acquired it, with the experience gained it should be possible to bring it back. All that is required is time, effort and most importantly money. Good luck with the project.

[@crazyleyland5106]

In the Second World War, it was quite common when buses were wrecked by bombing, for their chassis to be repairable, and they were rebodied.

[@crazyleyland5106]

I'm really glad that it has been kept, whether it gets fully restored or not. It's so easy to weep and wail "It's lost," without making an effort to save what's left. I wish that fire precautions could be tightened at places where heritage vehicles are stored, although it's easier said than done. Ring style CCTV maybe? I wonder if old theatre safety curtains could be installed in some places where heritage vehicles are stored, to act as a fire break? I assume they need replacing from time to time. I trust that re- usable items were salvaged off all the other buses (and Sherpa?) before they were scrapped. When one of my favourite VRs was destroyed in an arson attack, 30 years ago, its Gardner engine was retrieved, along with some of the other engines of 6 other VRs, 2 Olympians and a Tiger.

[@ithewonder]

That is going to ba one hell of a restoration, at least the wheels still go round lol. Good luck !

[@stevedoesdiesel]

Horrible subject matter, But an amazing video! Be sure to keep us updated!

[@hellowallace]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed the video, we will keep everyone updated regularly on this …

[@michaelfoster3959]

what caused the fire at the site ,were the bus was housed, i hope they can restored the bus back again. good luck.

[@hellowallace]

The cause of the fire at Staddlestones Farm units has not yet been established. It is not believed to be arson and it has been established that the fire started in another part of the complex, away from FoKAB's Unit, but spread from unit to unit, eventually engulfing Unit 5, where the buses were stored.

[@nicksayajirao1730]

Going to be long term and a lot of work, but looks saveable. I hope you prove the naysayers wrong on this.

[@SaltimusMaximus]

Can’t see it myself, I hope to be proven wrong best of luck to you all

[@RML2305]

A fantastic film of an immensely sad occasion. but, if anybody can rescue this bus, it will be the Friends of Kinf Alfred Buses. Look what they have done with the rest of their fleet, although nothing has started as badly as this Olympic.

[@andysessford2659]

A Brighton& Hove Bristol VR 273 was destroyed in the fire also a bus I saw and got on as a kid in Sussex to be honest 😭

[@crazyleyland5106]

30 years ago this year, one of my favourite VRs was destroyed in an arson attack on a local depot of mine, along with 6 other VRs, 2 Olympians and a Tiger. And it happened just after Christmas.

[@andysessford2659]

@@crazyleyland5106 not good 😭

[@BusesJourneysMore]

Oh my how sad. Fingers crossed that something can be done to bring the bus back to as it was.

[@philtucker1224]

Sad in its demise, but joy in the prospect of so many devoted souls being able to work together to resurrect it. Peace and love to everyone Involved! 🙏🇬🇧

[@highpath4776]

Careful clean of seat frames and rebuild. What are the running units (gearbox, engine , rear axle like?) . The rest is the ali too thin to be reusable- so it will end up being a reframe from the middle in each direction with new ali skin on the frame ? really its a lot of bit that would get replaced in service.overhauls over time , just all needs doing in one go

[@hellowallace]

We will have to wait for the proper assessment, will keep everyone updated.

[@philtucker1224]

Mainly sheet aluminium on timber framing I think…

[@terry987654]

Wouldn't be impossible but like everything it will come down to cost. Good luck with it anyway.

[@paulkandi]

That looked a massive fire, loads of vehicles destroyed, what started it.? good luck with this huge resto project...

[@hellowallace]

The cause of the fire at Staddlestones Farm units has not yet been established. It is not believed to be arson and it has been established that the fire started in another part of the complex, away from FoKAB's Unit, but spread from unit to unit, eventually engulfing Unit 5, where the buses were stored.

[@chrisoconnell5143]

Must of been a he'll of a fire!!

[@hellowallace]

Most of the aluminium panels were melted, it was quite a severe fire that night.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

Was the fire accidental or deliberate? If the latter, have the culprits been identified?

[@hellowallace]

We were told the fire was spreading from another nearby unit, not from any vehicle of this unit.

[@andrewtaylor5984]

What else was destroyed?

[@bokhans]

If that bus is renovated it’s a recreation and not really the bus it once was! 😢

[@harrypenn611]

Whay a bloody shame

[@a11csc]

get a go fund me up

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

Have all the other vehicles been destroyed?

[@hellowallace]

For the Friends of King Alfred Buses fleet, only the JAA 708 was involved. All other vehicles at the same location that night, all gone.

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

@@hellowallace So nobody knows what was the cause of the fire. If it was started deliberately, have the culprits been recognised?

[@hellowallace]

The cause of the fire at Staddlestones Farm units has not yet been established. It is not believed to be arson and it has been established that the fire started in another part of the complex, away from FoKAB's Unit, but spread from unit to unit, eventually engulfing Unit 5, where the buses were stored.

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

@@hellowallace I believe it could have been an electrical fault.

[@davidmarc2683]

This is the saddest vision I've seen in ages.

[@22pcirish]

Scrap the lot and put your money into other do-able projects than need it.

[@stottybox3185]

Its gone, leave it as is.

[@simonspider]

Backhander given for new housing development I gather? Mystery fire destroys buses and buildings....