(31 Aug 2015, 5:21 pm)LeeCalder wrote I agree completely with what is being said on here. I am glad to say though, that Andrew did not hit Bazza and in fact Bazza slipped over. However, that still doesn't mean that Andrew shouldn't be chasing I'm around.

I can also confirm that this whole going to the police station talk is utter bullshit.

I have been on the phone to Bazza, Bazza's Dad and Andrew to try and work out who has caused all of this, and me and Baz's dad came to the conclusion that they are both as bad as each other.

One think I must note though is that this 33 year old man has the mental age of a child.

I am glad to say that Bazza is fine and I had a laugh with him on the phone earlier.

Finally, I must note that Andrew did apologise several times on the phone to me regarding this event. I have now passed this message onto Bazza who appears to be glad that Andrew has apologised.

I hope this post ends all of the speculation.

This did come from Andrew so was expected glad they've sort of made up.

(31 Aug 2015, 5:37 pm)DanPicken wrote This did come from Andrew so was expected glad they've sort of made up.

Andrew was going to go, however, me and Alex were not happy with taking sides because as said earlier, me and Bazza's father came to the conclusion that they were both as bad as each other.

We went to Central Station instead to calm Andrew down. Quite hard when he had anger problems.

I quite enjoyed today's outing to Seaburn despite not knowing when it was on, how to get there or anything else about the event in general. For some reason Geoff and I were drawn to the area, perhaps it was the draw of the open-water or the lure of singing sea-shanties while tucking into our fish and chips, but when we got there, we both noticed a strange gathering taking place in a large field featuring buses and other assorted motor vehicles. After much deliberation, we decided to park the car and have a butcher at what was transpiring. Geoff, who has no sense of adventure, became a little worried and decided to stay in the car and listen to Radio 3 while I decided to take the plunge and venture into the unknown to see what was transpiring...

After handing over £3, I strolled into the venue (not the former nightclub based in Spennymoor) and had a mooch around the stalls. Nothing really took my fancy so I decided to head on towards the outer perimeter of the field where the buses were stationed. While traversing the vast empty plain, I noticed the presence of two other forum members - Dan and Aureolin respectively. I enquired upon the whereabouts of R852 PRG and I was reliably informed he was participating in a meeting being held on 4710. I thought this was strange, after all, how could one bus fit onboard another bus yet alone taking part in a talking shop regarding restoration - I think we must have had our wires crossed somewhere. The three of us gravitated towards 4710, the doors open and Marcus emerged. Suddenly, everything become clear, 'ah, that R852 PRG' - I thought to myself.

After the shenanigans involving Bazza and Andrew Todd, the four of us decided to ride some buses. After waiting in the rain, getting rather drenched in the process, a national rocked up at the bus stop. We all boarded and took our seats to the rear of vehicle. The vehicle had an unusual feature not present on modern vehicles - a manual demister. I quite liked this and I hope other manufacturers take this idea on board. I think Jimmi may have showed up between this and our next trip although it is possible he was with us on the National - if you were, I'm sorry for not mentioning you until now. The next bus boarded was the 500 Group's Bristol VR, unfortunately, this broke-down at the bus stop and we were forced to disembark. A few minutes later, another bus appeared, 33101. This bus seemed quite modern - it was alright but nothing special. I'm sure it holds more sentiment to others though. After getting something to eat and walking along the seafront back to where the rally was located, we boarded the Alder Valley Open Top Bristol VR, LFS296F. I'm a mark for both Bristol VR's and Open-Top buses in general so this was, without doubt, the highlight of the day for me. Aureolin appears to concur and was certainly in good spirits throughout its run around Seaburn and Whitburn, however other enthusiasts seemed, well, less enthused. As well as Aureolin's inadvertent soaking of passengers, the bus also got stuck while attempting to navigate a junction and we all witnessed some car being pulled over in what looked like a drugs-bust. Quite eventful really. The last trip of the day was on the 500 Group's, Bristol VR. This proved to be disappointing, not because of the vehicle which was, overall, pretty decent, but because after boarding we were informed that the South Shields Busways Atlantean was scheduled for the next run. Personally, I would have preferred to have taken a ride on that.

After that, we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I found Geoff fast-asleep in my car, however I was a bit concerned that the engine was running with a hose strapped from the exhaust to the cars' interior...

MurdnunoC

Not quoting that as it's quite long. I was not on the National I turned up just before H106 should have gone for a trip out. We told you and aureolin not to get on H106 again and looked what happened, to rub it in, I very much enjoyed my ride on the Atlantean.

(31 Aug 2015, 6:23 pm)Jimmi wrote MurdnunoC

Not quoting that as it's quite long. I was not on the National I turned up just before H106 should have gone for a trip out. We told you and aureolin not to get on H106 again and looked what happened, to rub it in, I very much enjoyed my ride on the Atlantean.

I thought as much, but I was simply trying to cover my own back in case you were on the National and I'd forgotten.

(31 Aug 2015, 6:27 pm)MurdnunoC wrote I thought as much, but I was simply trying to cover my own back in case you were on the National and I'd forgotten.

Yeah I arrived at around 1110 and went round the site for a bit in the pouring rain which caused problems with the photos then to get out of the rain I went round to the bus stop for a shuttle and I jumped on National Express liveried SHN80L then when I got back I met up with you, aureolin, Dan and Marcus.

Uploading photos to Flickr at the moment.

Slightly sorry to have missed the rally today (though even if we'd been in the area, big'un wouldn't have opted for the soaking). The nearest we got to seeing any vintage buses, this weekend we think might have been this one (or 485, didn't get a clear view of the number), in service in Bridlington!
http://www.eyms.co.uk/images/enthusiastf...%5D483.jpg
We did at least get to a vintage car show, at Sewerby Hall, yesterday. It's a really good one and had a turn out of about 300 cars. I might have fallen in love with a little group of Nissan Figaros.

Now uploaded my photos from the rally today.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127079988@...5691325833

Please bear in mind it was absolutely hammering it down at times when I took some of these photos and I was more interested in riding the buses than photographing them, but please do check the photos out as it's taken quite a while for me to upload them.

---

I'm looking at maybe taking a bit of a step back from bus photography a little bit in the upcoming months as the weather will continue to worsen (today was bad enough) and I have a number of other things coming up in the over the autumn/winter which means I will have less time for the hobby so you can maybe expect a bit less in the way of photos from me although I will try and provide fairly regular updates.

(31 Aug 2015, 7:35 pm)Jimmi wrote Now uploaded my photos from the rally today.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127079988@...5691325833

Please bear in mind it was absolutely hammering it down at times when I took some of these photos and I was more interested in riding the buses than photographing them, but please do check the photos out as it's taken quite a while for me to upload them.

---

I'm looking at maybe taking a bit of a step back from bus photography a little bit in the upcoming months as the weather will continue to worsen (today was bad enough) and I have a number of other things coming up in the over the autumn/winter which means I will have less time for the hobby so you can maybe expect a bit less in the way of photos from me although I will try and provide fairly regular updates.

They came out OK, considering the rain and poor light. The Barlick bus brings back memories, though given that it's nearly as old as me, I'm not sure if I'll have travelled on that particular one! (Brid, East Lancs, I travel to all the most exotic places, me)

The grass looks a lot greener and better kept than I recall.

(31 Aug 2015, 7:48 pm)MurdnunoC wrote The grass looks a lot greener and better kept than I recall.

Thought the same when I looked at my pics!

Bumped up exposure compensation to make my photos a little lighter than Jimmi's though.

(31 Aug 2015, 7:50 pm)Dan wrote Thought the same when I looked at my pics!

Bumped up exposure compensation to make my photos a little lighter than Jimmi's though.

Yeah, I couldn't be arsed to do that. Also I am not the best with the camera settings.

The biggest issue I had was the camera getting a soaking when I arrived which included droplets landing on the lense which did cause a few problems and by the end of the day I had nothing to try and keep the lense clear of rain so it's resulted in some photos coming out blurry due to the lense steaming up. Tried my best to avoid these problems but was difficult for the times I was getting my photos.

(31 Aug 2015, 7:50 pm)Dan wrote Thought the same when I looked at my pics!

Bumped up exposure compensation to make my photos a little lighter than Jimmi's though.

(31 Aug 2015, 7:55 pm)Jimmi wrote Yeah, I couldn't be arsed to do that. Also I am not the best with the camera settings.

The biggest issue I had was the camera getting a soaking when I arrived which included droplets landing on the lense which did cause a few problems and by the end of the day I had nothing to try and keep the lense clear of rain so it's resulted in some photos coming out blurry due to the lense steaming up. Tried my best to avoid these problems but was difficult for the times I was getting my photos.

I think I appreciate an accurate portrait of the days colours.

If it was grim, it should stay grim!

(31 Aug 2015, 5:21 pm)LeeCalder wrote I agree completely with what is being said on here. I am glad to say though, that Andrew did not hit Bazza and in fact Bazza slipped over. However, that still doesn't mean that Andrew shouldn't be chasing I'm around.

I can also confirm that this whole going to the police station talk is utter bullshit.

I have been on the phone to Bazza, Bazza's Dad and Andrew to try and work out who has caused all of this, and me and Baz's dad came to the conclusion that they are both as bad as each other.

One think I must note though is that this 33 year old man has the mental age of a child.

I am glad to say that Bazza is fine and I had a laugh with him on the phone earlier.

Finally, I must note that Andrew did apologise several times on the phone to me regarding this event. I have now passed this message onto Bazza who appears to be glad that Andrew has apologised.

I hope this post ends all of the speculation.

Well done for trying to mediate between them and for trying to sort it out...

Despite not being there, I have spoke to Bazza myself...

Time to move on...

Pleased I did not go now because of the weather

Instead I had to make a mad dash to Heworth racing the bus I left my wallet on lmao

(31 Aug 2015, 8:01 pm)MurdnunoC wrote I think I appreciate an accurate portrait of the days colours.

If it was grim, it should stay grim!

I have issues understanding how to use my camera and I am unsure which modes should be selected for each photo and some results of this are disastrous, photographed 5409 and a Venture Solo SR in Durham this morning with the camera on setting "S" and it looked really dark so I don't know what to do about that. I try to avoid editing the photos (excluding cropping) as much as I can although on some occasions I have had to alter the brightness on some photos and on my shot of 9108 on Friday I altered the sharpness in the hope of making it look less blurry. Sorry if this disappoints you but I do my best to prevent this from happening.

(31 Aug 2015, 8:10 pm)Jimmi wrote I have issues understanding how to use my camera and I am unsure which modes should be selected for each photo and some results of this are disastrous, photographed 5409 and a Venture Solo SR in Durham this morning with the camera on setting "S" and it looked really dark so I don't know what to do about that. I try to avoid editing the photos (excluding cropping) as much as I can although on some occasions I have had to alter the brightness on some photos and on my shot of 9108 on Friday I altered the sharpness in the hope of making it look less blurry. Sorry if this disappoints you but I do my best to prevent this from happening.

S is your shutter speed mode - it's the mode I always tend to use.

The higher your shutter speed, the darker the photo. The lower the shutter speed, the lighter the photo, but lower shutter speeds aren't great for photographing moving objects as it increases chance of blur.

Northern156 has previously stated it's a good idea to use 1/100 for every 10mph a train goes (so 1/1000 for 100mph), which seems to work well based on my few attempts since. Pair this with exposure compensation, and your shot should turn out half decent in terms of light.

(31 Aug 2015, 8:10 pm)Jimmi wrote I have issues understanding how to use my camera and I am unsure which modes should be selected for each photo and some results of this are disastrous, photographed 5409 and a Venture Solo SR in Durham this morning with the camera on setting "S" and it looked really dark so I don't know what to do about that. I try to avoid editing the photos (excluding cropping) as much as I can although on some occasions I have had to alter the brightness on some photos and on my shot of 9108 on Friday I altered the sharpness in the hope of making it look less blurry. Sorry if this disappoints you but I do my best to prevent this from happening.

It wasn't intended as a knock on your efforts, they're fine. Just more of a general realisation/observation. As people are aware, I'm not really into photographs (or art in general - what an uncultured philistine I am!), but I suppose I like to see things how I remember them. However, how I remember things may not necessarily coincide with other people's recollections.

(31 Aug 2015, 8:17 pm)MurdnunoC wrote It wasn't intended as a knock on your efforts, they're fine. Just more of a general realisation/observation. As people are aware, I'm not really into photographs (or art in general - what an uncultured philistine I am!), but I suppose I like to see things how I remember them. However, how I remember things may not necessarily coincide with other people's recollections.

I know.

I was just noting it as I am not the best with camera settings and I am trying to find the best methods to make my photos turn out as best they can. I have had to rethink my approach to settings as I used to just whack the camera in sport as the images would usually turn out alright but on buses made since around the start of 2014 the camera struggles to catch the hanover destination screens clearly so I am having to look into ways to get the screen showing clearly but not seeing a drop in the quality of the photo (blurryness and such) it really is a case of trial and error right now as some photos have turned out great whilst others haven't.

Unfortunately I wasn't at the event, so missed out on all the excitement, arguments, drama and nostalgia.
Which, was unfortunate.

I have heard the tales, both on here and from others at the event.
I don't have much of an opinion of what happened between the two concerned -not because I wasn't there, but because it has nowt to do with me.

It is a shame the weather took a turn for the worse, but nice to hear and see some of the older vehicles that made the trip.
Those volunteering their services and maintaining the vehicles should be the ones (in my opinion), being talked about and ultimately being praised. Not two lads squabbling in a puddle - whether wronged or not.

Something that caught my eye yesterday was the new advert that MCW Metrobus 3501 was sporting. What a great touch to an already fantastic looking bus.


Preserved Northern - 3501 - UTN501Y by aureolindn, on Flickr

(01 Sep 2015, 8:16 pm)aureolin wrote Something that caught my eye yesterday was the new advert that MCW Metrobus 3501 was sporting. What a great touch to an already fantastic looking bus.


Preserved Northern - 3501 - UTN501Y by aureolindn, on Flickr

It shocked me seeing it to be honest.

Most of you know I don't keep up with the buses of a bygone era all too much, but I was of the impression it was just the rainbow one which had that ad.

Obviously I'm wrong, as if they put the wrong ad on a preserved bus, sh*t would hit the fan...

(01 Sep 2015, 8:20 pm)Dan wrote It shocked me seeing it to be honest.

Most of you know I don't keep up with the buses of a bygone era all too much, but I was of the impression it was just the rainbow one which had that ad.

Obviously I'm wrong, as if they put the wrong ad on a preserved bus, sh*t would hit the fan...

I think the ad was quite heavily pushed at the time, as I've certainly seen photos of it on other Metrobuses and perhaps others too.

(01 Sep 2015, 8:20 pm)Dan wrote It shocked me seeing it to be honest.

Most of you know I don't keep up with the buses of a bygone era all too much, but I was of the impression it was just the rainbow one which had that ad.

Obviously I'm wrong, as if they put the wrong ad on a preserved bus, sh*t would hit the fan...

If I recall, quite a few buses sported that ad - at least in Gateshead anyway. It was shortly after deregulation, so I'm guessing the ad would have been most prominent in 1987/88.  

Of course, I could be WRONG~! 

(01 Sep 2015, 8:27 pm)aureolin wrote I think the ad was quite heavily pushed at the time, as I've certainly seen photos of it on other Metrobuses and perhaps others too.

(01 Sep 2015, 8:29 pm)MurdnunoC wrote If I recall, quite a few buses sported that ad - at least in Gateshead anyway. It was shortly after deregulation, so I'm guessing the ad would have been most prominent in 1987/88.  

Of course, I could be WRONG~! 

Cheers, both.

I will trust your historian knowledge on this one, Mr MurdnunoC!

(01 Sep 2015, 8:31 pm)Dan wrote Cheers, both.

I will trust your historian knowledge on this one, Mr MurdnunoC!

Since someone was not even born then 

(01 Sep 2015, 8:32 pm)citaro5284 wrote Since someone was not even born then 

Aye - exactly that haha...

That's why my interest remains more or less limited to what Stagecoach Sunderland / South Shields had in their fleet when I was pretty young - 'tis what I grew up with! Will never be able to understand the Routemaster and Atlantean craze but I guess it's because they were well before my time.

(31 Aug 2015, 3:18 pm)Dan wrote Has it had an issue heading south - or has the event not finished yet?

Given that it had issues heading north and had issues whilst heading out onto a shuttle, it wouldn't surprise me... 

The issue on the shuttle was actually, and quite embarrassingly, simple.

It turns out the fuse in the gear box's 'in gear' indicator.

(01 Sep 2015, 9:20 pm)Kuyoyo wrote The issue on the shuttle was actually, and quite embarrassingly, simple.

It turns out the fuse in the gear box's 'in gear' indicator.

These things happen! I was pleased to get a run out on it in the end, and thankfully it wasn't overly crowded, with only about 10 of us upstairs.

(01 Sep 2015, 9:31 pm)aureolin wrote These things happen! I was pleased to get a run out on it in the end, and thankfully it wasn't overly crowded, with only about 10 of us upstairs.

Was it worth missing the Atlantean though?

(01 Sep 2015, 9:38 pm)Jimmi wrote Was it worth missing the Atlantean though?

6 and 2x 3s for me as I needed both.