Shifting gears - Wilson Epicyclic

[@two9parkave]

I grew up around these buses in Jamaica in the 60's. I even worked for the JOS bus company for a number of years starting in 1968. Our bus drivers never shifted like that at all, they just moved from one gear to the next with no rest or pause in between. However the buses worked fine never the less, these were the best vehicles ever made. They endured years of heavy use carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers with very little down time. I really loved them!

[@garethifan1034]

Good to hear that - thanks!

[@robertcamble3543]

Yes these Jolly buses still remain the best built buses ever operated in Jamaica . No other bus surpassed them . There's a few of them still surviving as homes . They were the O bus ,this was the 1st one from England ,the A bus which was the short version that came with the O units then the G bus With the second batch of A bus that had no billboards & a long string as the bell inside. Then the more modern G bus with the lighted billboards over the windows .Then came the 1st batch of L buses in 1967 . This is considered the 1st true modern looking bus that came to Jamaica . Then the last batch of L bus with larger route display in 1968 & the back windshields tinted with blue at the top like that of a car & 4 headlights . The beauty of the buses come out at night when they turned on the billboard lights at night when they parked up downtown at night . The L bus is considered the best looking bus ever came to Jamaica. I wish they had preserve 2 or 3 of the foundation buses.

[@donretsas1791]

At last someone kows how to SHIFT no problems with the gearbox EXCELLENT.

[@johnsergei]

I saw route drivers slam it through, no wonder the ride was rough.

[@jamesfrench7299]

A real bus as only the British could make. Love the long throw and changed properly.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

So satisfying when changed correctly!

[@robbiehoekstra7727]

The Wilson half automatig gears were also in the Nethelrlands in the buses in the public transport. Built in till the year 1983. Since then only fully automatic gears of ZF, Allison and Voith.

[@CreRay]

Yeah and not all of the dutch drivers were as keen to demonstrate proper shifting as seen here🙂 If I'm not mistaken the "standaard streekbus" with the Wilson box was also equipped with a rev counter, which the automatic ones lacked.

[@ShaneKilpatrick-i4t]

Clutchless manual gear selection. I rode the buses to school. A later model, a coach had the selector mechanism located on left side of the steering column on an extension pillar that put operations outside the arc of the steering wheel. Very easy operation for the driver resulting in less fatigue

[@robinfryer479]

I’ve never heard semi-automatic vehicles as Wilson Epicyclic. The Wilson compound epicyclic gearbox in conjunction with a Daimler fluid flywheel was fitted to approximately 7000 London Transport RT deckers and 700 RF. They, Daimler Dingo Scout cars, and many quality cars, including Lanchesters had the Wilson gearbox. ALSO a third pedal, which was NOT a clutch pedal, but GCP or Gear Change Pedal, which you used only after you had selected the gear, and then only when you needed to use it.

[@Beaver680]

Oh yeas! Nice to see proper pausing between gear changes. Gear bands should last forever. (Cant get gear bands anymore!) Lovely noise! A proper bus.

[@rongeremy6970]

I believe they still recondition them, in Sydney..

[@BerlietGBC]

You just get them re lined

[@deezelfairy]

Any kind of clutch disk/band you can get relined.

[@phil4977]

The buses all had those when I was a kid in Perth Western Australia

[@rongeremy6970]

Yep nice gear change.... my favorite was the Leyland leopard Mark two and the atlanteans.great piece of history,it's a shame we don't have them in Queensland anymore. makes today's buses seem pretty lame.love the pneumatic shifter on them I also restore the shifters for the leopards little bit hard to get parts for.. they do a great job restoring them to show room condition...good to see👍

[@johncunningham4820]

Pneum-O-Cyclic . Old Leyland I presume . Great Gearboxes . Mechanically pretty well indestructible .

[@paulbennell3313]

Sounds good and healthy!

[@cavalheiro2062]

That looks like fun to drive. 😊😊

[@johnmontgomery9149]

Excellent gearchanging 👍🏻

[@rhoancampbell285]

These were in the leyland oympic m.c.w buses that went to Jamaica in the 60,s they were 4&5 speeds.As a kid I used to love watching the driver select the gears,they also accelerate really quick & never slow down under loads.Wish they sratr building them again.

[@amc4568]

Rhoan Campbell In muy country (Uruguay), i used to go to school in those buses and i really like to see the drivers gear shift... The buses were Leyland, English buses..

[@johncaves]

All the Leyland underfloors seemed to run smooth with the semi auto, provided it was driven like this of course.

[@simonmorris3964]

Perfect driver....won't need to ever do maintenance on that trans.

[@oscarzt1652]

peeerrrrrfect very satisfying

[@johnmaddox4403]

Used to have them on leyland leopards ans atlanteans in sydney australia. Made a little coughing sound when changing gears. Jm

[@PhilipKerry]

Exactly the same as changing with a crash gearbox and double declutching , I passed my bus licence in 1978 in a pd2 :)

[@stevesales4263]

Beat you by 2 years! :). Most bus drivers now, haven't got a clue about a crash box or no power steering. It was a good incentive to work on anticipation and planning to save a lot of hard work. I passed in a PD3 but some training was in a Bristol lodecka and PD2. I was also a trainer and for many years we used PD3s. I had my favourite places to "encourage" awareness and planning. Sweat and bulging eyeballs (trainees, not mine) were a measure of my success.

[@PhilipKerry]

@@stevesales4263 They certainly don't make Bus Drivers like they used to :) I retire in 7 months after 43 years :)

[@stevesales4263]

@@PhilipKerry I retired about 18 months ago after knocking up 43 years. I know modern buses are easier and warmer, but they are not a challenge. I remember the satisfaction when I first got to grips with the Southdown crashbox Bristol REs. I went from terror to joy!

[@PhilipKerry]

@@stevesales4263 True mate , I fondly remember the good old days of no cab heaters and the slipstream coming through the pedal holes in the floor and going straight up your trouser legs :)

[@stevesales4263]

@@PhilipKerry That certainly brings back memories. It seemed impossible to get a bus that actually had rubbers round the pedals and of course, the howling gale where the old handbrakes operated. Scraping ice from the inside of the cab windows and trying to avoid water pouring from the blind box. On our absolutely dead evening services I would just play, up and down the box. On the leopards, up and down from 1st low to 4th high . It was a good way to improve techniques.

[@DonRoberts-hz8cs]

That truck has got about as much instruments as Volkswagen Beetle

[@philipmurphy2024]

Guessing it's a 680 engine ? I have one of the same model in Dunedin, New Zealand, the gear selector is attached to the steering column. DCT136

[@nickgodfrey1973]

Our Worldmasters in Perth had O.600's. Our Panthers and Leopards had O.680's

[@rongeremy6970]

Well finally !!!! its taken me 7 years to find one of these gear shifters, by accident.. now the challenge is finding the gasket kits for them. I will be posting a video of it soon. It came off a leopard, obviously someone has swapped the small type for this type. I can't recall ever seeing these ones in the leopards, I've only dealt with the small version

[@ianpegge9967]

Leopards were fitted with both the electric (gear stick attached to a unit coming out from the steering column controlling air solenoid valves remotely) and this style of direct pneumatic changer. Depended on the customers spec when ordered.

[@jamesfrench7299]

A Leyland driver is a contented driver.

[@stevesales4263]

Nah! I was a Bristol man although I must admit the Atlantans were very smooth to drive.

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

I remember the Leyland Royal Tigers and Leopards having the fluid flywheel transmission (no clutch), you were allowed a "snap change" from first to second and then had to pause between 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to fourth. There were some Leyland trucks that had the same transmission except that it was a five speed. For some reason I had no audio of the video, maybe an issue at my end. Great to see though.👌

[@nickgodfrey1973]

Shouldn't be snap changing 1st - 2nd unless you want 2 gears engaged at once. Audio issue is odd. Maybe try a different browser

[@dieseldavetrains8988]

@@nickgodfrey1973 Malcolm Morgan, Driving Instructor with Urban Transit Authority of NSW in 1980's..."A snap change is permissible only between first and second..." Still remember his comment today.

[@AKASH-zi8ok]

Which company (brand) bus is this

[@EdVanMeyer]

more of a semi-auto method like the Routemaster here surely, a pre-selector allows you to select the gear and press the pedal to engage it in the box.

[@CosgroveNotts]

That never happened in my lifetime and I used to repair them too

[@leopoldoenriqueebrard4380]

Leyland Royal Tiger

[@rongeremy6970]

Hi there I'm chasing a gear shifter suitable for this type of bus, would you know where I migh find one thanks..

[@JamesSchem]

whats he driving? the dashboard with square dials tells me Leyland?

[@nickgodfrey1973]

Leyland Worldmaster :)

[@ACERASPIRE1]

Why is the selector so close to the floor?

[@nickgodfrey1973]

They aren't that close to the floor. They just look like they are

[@ACERASPIRE1]

@@nickgodfrey1973 why isn’t it closer to the steering wheel was my point.

[@bustersw1760]

@@ACERASPIRE1 On some buses that this system was fitted to, the changer was closer to the wheel, both further forward and further to the right, as in some of the awful ECW bodied Atlanteans we had. The trouble was, your knee was jammed up against the changer and became annoying after a while.

[@GEOFF0906]

@@ACERASPIRE1 Electric gear selectors (CAV) were mounted on the column.

[@FirstDan2000]

No opportunity to Sniff Petrol here. I wouldn't try Late Braking either.

[@simonmorris3964]

Could be drivers been told when the box wairs out you rebuild it.

[@nickgodfrey1973]

He's just been taught well. :)

[@rongeremy6970]

any parts available do you kno....

[@rhoancampbell285]

Ron geremy , your best shot is Cuba or one of those south American countries, they still run Leyland Olympic with that gearbox check them out& see how lucky you get.

[@rongeremy6970]

@@rhoancampbell285 hey there, just wanted to let you know that I have found a guy overseas who collects these gear shifters, for this type and a few others,,, unfortunately they have cut them off the pedestal base so there missing the tension rods as well ,, so if I brought it it would be useless,. Because of the lack of them in Australia I wouldn't be able to match the parts from a spare one to remake for the one I found. Plus the price to get it over was absolutely ridiculous even if I payed nothing for it, would still cost so much . So no base for it missing rods and unsure of what the gaskets are like, I'm not even sure if the gasket kits I have for the ones I restore will fit so that was disappointing ..

[@ravivijay2741]

This is a Leyland Tiger Cub.

[@nickgodfrey1973]

No, this is a Leyland Worldmaster.

[@valentinionescu750]

"Omul" e BUN !! De ce? Păi dacă, din asta trăiește... 😅

[@christopherhampson265]

Bosting that !

[@basiltaylor8910]

A bit abrupt on the gear changes, me I, d drive it like a crash box let the revs die to unload the gears change pause then select the next gear and bring up the revs. I rode 680 Leyland engined Bristol RE,s with 4 speed SCG electro cyclic boxes with column change, as some drivers hot shifted the box ,that really f--s up the brake bands .

[@nickgodfrey1973]

The point of those boxes is to match the revs to the road speed when changing. Was done perfectly for that bus. Remember each box and engine respond differently to the next

[@basiltaylor8910]

@@nickgodfrey1973 I know and is maybe so ,but a large intensive passenger operation in the 70,s 80,s like Bristol Omnibus Co, it is not always possible to check each and every drivers gear changing habits. The change should be seamless jerk free when rpms road speed are matched, and listen to the engines song when a gear change is needed. My mate Mike Ede has a beautifully restored 680 RE, a rare single jacknife door DP built in 1970, his gear changes are seamless ,smooth and jerk free. Auto boxes became the norm in the late 80,s as large passenger operations like BOC strived to reduce their maintenance costs and downtime.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Pause a sec... if that was my bus I'd put an american automatic in it for smooth operation

[@nickgodfrey1973]

Ellenor Malik umm, the Wilson semi automatics are smooth, if driven properly... An Allison would totally destroy a Worldmaster.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Voith or ZF would be a much more suitable choice if you have to go automatic.

[@ianpegge9967]

@@jamesfrench7299 but in my opinion, neither as smooth as a well driven wilson or scg semi.

[@cidertom5140]

No thanks

[@cidertom5140]

@@ianpegge9967that gearbox is willson