MidlandRed.net

Volvo 32067 (KP51VZR) suffered a major engine failure yesterday and needed to be recovered by tow truck. Could be off the road for quite some time.

This beastie is back in service.

I hope that this bus ( - that also gave LOADS of trouble, when based at Leicester) -
will now be reliable !

- If not, please replace it Adam !

It has not been a very reliable vehicle with us. It had an engine rebuild a few weeks ago only to fail with something else while working the Christmas Park and Ride from County Hall (WR1st was driving at the time).

I notice on our luverly Fleet List, that 32067 is shown as "store" -

Is this just a "throw-back" to it's last period of sickness, or has it been taken out of service again ? (please).

I worked a late on Saturday night and well after dark I spotted a double-deck being towed through Lowesmoor towards the depot. I was too far away to see the fleet number, but I knew it wasn't a Trident as it has a rear window on the lower deck.

Always the possibility that one was being sent down from Potteries for a bit of work, but alas no... 32067 is parked up out of action at the top of the patch.

I would love to read a report / study a detailed investigation of this vehicle !
(and other unreliable rear-engine DDs).

Bearing in mind that it's problems started while at Leicester, I wonder if it had suffered a rear-end shunt (perhaps causing some mis-alignments ?)

I have read that complex electrics make these buses difficult to work-on, and perhaps as older vehicles develop wear+tear, certain bits of the electrics need to be "spot-on" or modified ?

I would "love" to think that Alexander-Dennis, Volvo, and Wrightbus, would be keen to undertake a very thorough investigation of some of their troublesome old buses -
starting with the rear-end structure and the rear suspension and rear axle -
this as part of a scheme to improve their durability.

(After all, the manufacturers want to be able to sell their products world-wide).

First's head office have, apparently, just decreed that the book life of their buses be extended - so older DDs will be expected to do an extra year (or two ?) - including hundreds of Volvo B7TLs.

I wonder if First have increased their maintenance £ allowance (enough) for the older buses -
and whether they will dispose of more of their "ROGUE" older buses earlier than previously - rather than waste money on them ( )

P.S. - I have just read on today's "Route One", that First bus UK are creating a new senior position of Engineering director -
- let's hope his good !

- I nominate our own "Mechwr26" for the job !

32067 was towed in for a blown gearbox cooler hose that unfortunately we do not keep a stock of. The good news is that I found one in my "saved" items collection from the donor bus that I pulled the engine from at Xmas time. After changing the hose and starting the bus I noticed that the alternator belt idler bearing was badly worn and in danger of failing completely. The correct parts finally turned up on Thursday and she's back on the road.
The B7 deckers aren't complicated vehicles but our biggest obstacles to keeping them reliable are that we have no electrician now, keep very little in the way of spares and we only have 2 of them.
DD, I'm flattered but I am certainly not management material. I still love most aspects of my job and I can't do anything else

Had the pleasure of this beauty on Saturday morning on the 0740 144... Yes ME and Yes BIRMINGHAM

Fantastic motor. Full marks to Worcester Engineering staff

May possibly have been on the afternnoon S45 today, I glimpsed one on the bridge over the M42 earlier.