BUSBLOG

Ready to roll...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:32:22 +0000

EAGLE-EYED bus spotters will have noticed that the Computer Bus has had a bit of a problem for the last year or so. Like Albert Arkwrights’ Mobile Store, the bus has had a bit of a list. To the starboard side, thanks to air leaking from the rear offside suspension system.
At last, this is fixed, courtesy of our friends at Outdoor Power and Plant in Union Mills who have sourced and fitted new parts including this immaculate top and bottom plate and air bag (LEFT) - found buried in the spares department of a supplier in the UK.
Now on an even keel, the Computer Bus is ready for 2012 - and a check earlier today revealed that the air system is still tip top and the bus perfectly level 24 hours after the engine was turned off. This is the first time this has been the case since the bus was acquired from IoM Transport back in 1997.
The Leyland National sported many novel features when it made its debut at the 1970 Commercial Motor Show. Integral (chassis-less) construction, low floor and ‘air curtain’ heating for passengers, car-like controls for the driver, all riding on air-suspended softness courtesy of a simple but effective suspension system.
With the exception of the Leyland 510 engine, the new bus turned out to be pretty durable, with most for the 7,000 examples built between 1972 and 1985 giving over 20 years service.
The Computer Bus turns 35 in March next year, and during its time with the Department of Education, has proved remarkably reliable. And the computers (being Mr Apple’s finest) give no trouble whatsoever.

New (old) Badges

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:57:38 +0000

BACK IN OCTOBER, Bus 24 was visited in a search for spares for (similar) No 30 - today the Computer Bus. One of the few parts removed were the “LEYLAND NATIONAL” from the rear of the vehicle. Bashed and with large non-standard holes drilled in them, the Computer Bus man set about making replicas - thanks to aluminium strip supplied by the Steam Packet, and some nifty vectorised artwork created on graphics program ‘Sketch’.
The resultant vector file was converted by Douglas sign writers Edwin Dennis signs limited (who also did the lettering on the main computer bus) into vinyl lettering (BELOW) all paid for by the computer bus man btw.
Over the forthcoming xmas holidays, these will be attached in the appropriate place to the Computer Bus itself - thus restoring its identity since the originals were removed in the 1980s.

In the Shed 1/1

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 17:18:51 +0000

BACK IN 1997, the Department of Education also took delivery of five cases of spare parts when it acquired bus number 30 from Isle of Man Transport. The bus company had had dozens of Leyland Nationals over nearly 30 years, and as what became the Computer Bus was the last one, the parts were no longer needed.
IoM Transport parts guru Derek Killey had carefully catalogued all the several thousand components in a blue ring binder, noting how many and in which case each one could be found.
The cases themselves have been dipped into on a fairly regular basis since then, with body panels in particular finding their way on to the computer bus during the 2007 refit.
Today, an opportunity was taken to tidy through each of the containers, photographing the contents, and putting some of the smaller items into filing cabinets where they are more easily accessible rather than being in the bottom of these big boxes.
Major items include many unused Leyland original parts, including those shown here. Right at the top is one of the two Clayton parking brake activators, engine mounts (left), and some of the very large quantity of Leyland 510 diesel engine spares including crank and cam shafts, valves, connecting rods, pistons, cylinder liners, hundreds of rubber seals, bearings - and a good number of boxed filters, and electrical components.
Also in the crates are yards of window rubber, and even some unused strap hangers. All good stuff !

Ronaldsway 1/1

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:26:19 +0100

It was back in April 1976 that Isle of Man National Transport took what was to be its first batch of buses - seven brand new Leyland Nationals of which No 24 (MAN 24H) was one.
Withdrawn twenty one years later in April 1997, it saw further use at the Isle of Man Airport ferrying passengers to and form planes - gaining a roof-mounted flashing light in the process.
It was later acquired by the Manx Transport Museum in Peel, and having been painted back into ‘bus red’, appeared alongside the Computer Bus back in August 2003 (LEFT).
Since then, No 24 has gone into something of a decline - thanks to several years of outdoor storage (NB Leyland Nationals do not like outside storage...).
Next month, the final chapter of No 24 will be written as it takes part in an exercise for fire fighters at Ronaldsway, doubling as an airliner in distress...
Before this, thanks to the help of Fire Fighter Andy Faragher and the Jurby Transport Museum, an opportunity was taken to acquire a few parts from No 24 for No 30 - the Computer Bus.
As can be seen from the pictures, Jurby Museum have had first choice of most of the usable parts from 24 before it left on its final journey to the airport. These will be used to help bring another surviving Isle of Man National, Barry Edwards’ No 32 back to life at the Museum.
Meantime, bus spotters will be intrigued by the interior shots of 24 (LEFT) , doing an impression of a coach seated National - but curiously minus the interior panels - surely even for a Leyland National - a unique combination?
In fact these are old airliner seats which will be fitted prior to the upcoming exercise to simulate and aircraft in distress..
Meantime, No 30 is off to Outdoor Power and Plant on Monday 31st October for repairs to its air system. And maybe then for the first time in a while it’ll stop doing its impressions of Arkwright’s Van, and sit level rather than doing a lean to starboard...

Marown 1/3

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:00:16 +0100

This first visit of three to Marown School saw Year 2 working for the first time to create original ‘water music’ - to go with their current topic.
Yesterday, the computer bus man had attended with his posh ‘Samson’ microphone, and the boys and girls had recorded water sounds of their own. We had water being poured from teapots, water being poured into bottles - even water being whisked in a bowl...
Today, they began by familiarising themselves with Apple’s GarageBand program, by doing something usually kept for Year 3 - making a music track for a car advert !
Having done this, attention then moved to the main event - dragging the recordings from the previous day onto the GarageBand project area, then mixing these with music loops, sound effects and textures to make a finished piece.
It all worked very well, with some pupils even applying Sound Studio and GarageBand filters to the original recordings.
New headteacher Mr Longshaw and the DoE’s Miss Callister came on board briefly to listen to some of the work and were, as we say in the Isle of Man, “well impressed”.
Next week, the bus returns to reprise the packaging work done last year, with Year 6 - this time as part of the Innocent Smoothie competition.

Commonwealth Youth Games

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:03:18 +0100

AS ATHLETES from around the world went for Gold on the tracks, pools and halls of the superbly refurbished National Sports Centre in Douglas the efforts of Media Coordinators John Moss and Simon Crellin, and a group of keen volunteers, made sure their success didn’t go unreported.
With over 150 accredited journalists on site to record and photograph the events, the Computer Bus acted as a press centre - open from before 9.00am to well past 10.00pm.
Sponsors Manx Telecom had provided two ADSL lines linked to a pair of special wireless networks available in the bus, plus a special SDSL line to allow speedy UPLOAD of photos and videos to the web. The latter was used by Greenlight TV during the live streaming of the opening ceremony.
Results and medals table were also posted in the Bus windows for the benefit of spectators - on printers supplied courtesy of Big Fish in Douglas.
Job now done, the bus is now back in its cosy shed awaiting the re-installation of its computers - before recommencing yet another year touring the Island’s schools...
Well done athletes - well done the media - well done all the volunteers and organisers who made the event such a success...