The Ribble Vehicle Preservation Group present their Morecambe Vintage Bus Running Day and Display
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00:00Hello everyone, we are here at Moorhub and as you can see there's a bus behind me, yes
00:16we are at a bus fair. So what's happening is loads of vintage buses coming back with
00:20them forward, picking people up, taking them places and we're going to go one on one, we're
00:24going to film all the other buses, it's going to be a great day out so make sure you tune
00:27in to watch the full video.
00:28Ribble Vehicle Preservation Group organise the bus running day and display.
00:32Do you see how popular this event is, we know the people that are getting on the buses.
00:36I know we'll be one of them soon.
00:39Are we going on a bus?
00:40We are going on a bus.
00:41Are we going on a bus?
00:42We're going on many a buses.
00:43I had never told me that.
00:44Yes well I have now.
00:45Did you want to surprise me?
00:46I did.
00:47I thought I'd take you to a bus festival and show you really obviously that there's buses
00:51there so we're going on one.
00:52I didn't, I didn't spot the clue.
00:55Ha!
01:25I quite like that one over there.
01:36Yeah it's a lovely bus.
01:39Just seeing you ladies, you look very summery.
01:41Thank you.
01:42Are you having a great day out?
01:43Oh lovely.
01:44It's lovely, marvellous.
01:45I can't believe how many buses there are, I thought there would be a few but not this
01:48many, it's just unbelievable.
01:49It's fabulous, I've seen the one I went to school on, I've seen the one I went to work
01:54on.
01:55And are you going on one today?
01:57Oh yes, been on one already.
01:58Have you?
01:59Where did you go to?
02:00Came from the village down here.
02:01Oh wow.
02:02They look great.
02:03Well thank you very much, have a wonderful day.
02:04It's a pleasure.
02:05Nice to meet you.
02:06Thank you, bye.
02:07The Vehicle Preservation Group was set up in 1972 by a small group based mainly in North
02:13Lancashire, most of whom were working in the bus industry.
02:16They decided to save some of their favourite Ribble buses which were otherwise destined
02:21for the scrap heap.
02:22They are a charitable trust.
02:24All are volunteers helping to restore and maintain classic buses and are always looking
02:28for new members, particularly from the younger generation.
02:33My name's David.
02:34David, and this is your bus.
02:35Can you just tell me a bit about your bus?
02:37Yeah.
02:38Can I just correct you on something?
02:41It's a coach, not a bus.
02:43Oh, sorry.
02:44Sorry, I don't know much about them, sorry, I'm here to learn.
02:47But you've just taught me, so thank you.
02:49Yes.
02:50I didn't mean to be impersonal.
02:52Oh, no, no, I need to know, I need to know these things.
02:55Yeah.
02:56I've had it since 1988.
03:00Oh.
03:01And brought it back to its original condition.
03:06Was it quite poor condition?
03:08It was in pretty poor condition when I got it.
03:11But are these original, were like, what have you replaced?
03:14I've mainly tried to keep it as original as possible.
03:20Rather than replace every panel, etc.
03:24The major part that I had to replace was the seating that you're on.
03:30Yeah.
03:31The maquette had to be made specially.
03:34What make of coach is it?
03:36It's a Leyland Leopard.
03:39Leyland Leopard.
03:41With a Harrington Cavalier body on it.
03:43Have you been going out, taking trips today?
03:46No.
03:47No?
03:48No.
03:49I don't tend to do that.
03:51I tend to keep it.
03:52So just enjoy the public looking round.
03:54Yes.
03:55And is that, how come you bought it inside the original purpose
03:58is just to restore it and keep it for yourself?
04:01Well, I do go to quite a few rallies up and down the country.
04:06I've had it across to Ireland.
04:08Yeah.
04:09And down on the south coast to rallies down there.
04:13I try and just run it to these rallies.
04:18And if members of the group want to go with me, that's fine.
04:24And what would you say you like?
04:26Little bits on the bus that are a bit more personal to you.
04:29What would you say your favourite bit on this semi-coach is?
04:32Favourite bit?
04:33Just a little bit.
04:34Anything, or not even necessarily your favourite bit.
04:36If you can't say what your favourite bit is because you love it all.
04:39What's the bit that you really like?
04:41Just a little detail bit that makes this unique.
04:44It had what they call a suspension.
04:49All right.
04:50And that wasn't common in the early days.
04:55No.
04:56It was specified by this company, Ribble,
04:59and another company down south called Southdown.
05:03And the coaches were purchased by those two companies
05:09to do extended tour work.
05:12Right.
05:13So the suspension was improved on a standard vehicle,
05:18and also the seating on the vehicle was reduced quite considerably.
05:25Right.
05:26There's only 32 seats on this vehicle.
05:28I noticed that, yeah.
05:29With the wide seat spacing and the cushions.
05:34So more luxurious.
05:35Yeah, I was just about to say that.
05:37Is it more of a higher class sort of, you know?
05:39The seats actually recline.
05:41So they recline.
05:42Can we try and recline them?
05:44Do I just pull this down?
05:45Yeah.
05:46Lean back.
05:49Oh.
05:50Thank you.
05:51Look at that.
05:53It's very nice.
05:54Very nice bus indeed.
05:56So, you know, for its time, it was advancing.
06:01What year was this made?
06:041961.
06:051961.
06:06I mean, it is very much sort of inside.
06:09You can tell that it's old,
06:10but it's sort of ahead of its time at the same time, isn't it?
06:13It's very...
06:14Well, you've done a wonderful job.
06:15Absolutely.
06:16Oh, I love your clock.
06:17It's very...
06:18That is luxurious.
06:20Original type clock.
06:21I had that replaced.
06:23It does work off batteries, but I don't know.
06:28Well, thank you very much.
06:30OK.
06:31Thank you very much.
06:39Thank you.
07:04The collection contains buses from the early 1930s to the 1990s
07:08and they're housed in a facility near Freckleton.
07:13I don't know whether this is...
07:14Oh, this must be the door where they load on.
07:16But it might be separate.
07:19Oh, this must be...
07:20Oh, so the driver's, like, completely separate
07:22and then they just...
07:23Show us that on the camera.
07:24How do they...
07:25How do they pay for it then,
07:26unless they just have somebody...
07:27Ticket person.
07:29So, look, the driver's up there.
07:31It's separate and you have little seats there.
07:33It's a very posh bus.
07:35I don't know how much you can see
07:37because they're collections.
07:39And then look at the roof.
07:41Very posh, very nice indeed.
07:42Wish there was a bit of writing here.
07:44Passengers enter or leave the bus whilst in motion
07:48doing so at their own risk.
07:50Ha!
07:51See, that's what health and safety should be like,
07:53you know, just do it at your own risk.
07:55It's nothing to do with us.
07:56Health and safety, honestly.
07:58Go back in the day, it's so much more easier.
08:07Ah!
08:16Huh?
08:37Ah!
09:07Shall we go on this one?
09:10I don't know, should we?
09:11I think so.
09:12It's a wonderful bus, I've never liked it.
09:14Even though it hasn't got the open top bit.
09:16I know, but everybody's on the open top one.
09:18We can get on there.
09:19Come on, let's go.
09:20So we're on top of the bus now
09:22and we've managed to get on the top bus one.
09:25The open top.
09:26The open top.
09:27It's our first time.
09:28Are we away?
09:29Yeah.
09:30I think we're stopping.
09:33Look, ooh!
09:34Look, ooh!
09:35Traffic light!
09:36I'm not turning back, it's a traffic light!
09:41Look, it's a traffic light.
09:44Look, wait for the traffic light, here it is.
09:46Look at it, I can practically touch it
09:48if the bus driver's got a bit more near it.
09:52Actually, I wish it wouldn't lie.
09:54If I was a bladerunner,
09:55I could quite easily get on top of the bus.
09:57There's a lot of bladerunners need now
09:59and we need a double open top bus.
10:01There's quite a few, isn't there?
10:03There's quite a few in London as well.
10:06There's Eric Morecambe
10:07getting his usual photograph next to him.
10:09There's the cocktail.
10:10It's a bit like we're in London, isn't it?
10:12There's Big Ben.
10:15Going to have a right nosey into people's cars.
10:20Oh, it's going in on that car then.
10:24Right good nosey.
10:26Right, finished on our trip,
10:28so we're going to get off now.
10:56Thank you very much.
11:26Thank you.
11:27Thank you.
11:54So you drive these buses?
11:56And how did you get involved with that?
11:59I've had a vintage bus for 52 years this year.
12:02Wow.
12:03Is your bus here then?
12:04No, it's in the shed in Halifax, Bradford.
12:07What type of bus is yours?
12:09It's a little Bedford OB, 26 seater.
12:12It's like the things that they tend to show
12:14on Agatha Christie on television.
12:18They usually use one of those.
12:20And what kind of bus is this?
12:22This is an Albion.
12:23It was built in 1948.
12:26And is this a bus or a coach?
12:27It's a coach.
12:29There aren't that many coaches about at this period
12:32because they went out of fashion
12:34before the buses disappeared.
12:37So of course,
12:38there aren't as many coaches about in preservation.
12:41And what's your favourite thing about coaches and buses?
12:44What really draws you to them?
12:46I don't know.
12:47Really?
12:48I've just had one for 52 years.
12:51Are you driving around more now?
12:53Yeah.
12:54We're setting off to go back to Halifax.
12:59Nice to meet you.
13:00Which is where we're keeping us.
13:02That's brilliant.
13:03Thank you very much.
13:04Thank you.
13:05Well, I had a wonderful day today
13:07seeing all these buses.
13:08It might have been a bit too hot,
13:09but I suppose it was good for the camera.
13:11It was a lovely day out.
13:13And we saw loads of good people.
13:15So I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
13:17And thank you very much for watching.
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13:25And I'll see you all later.
13:26Have a good day.
13:27Bye!