Basil Jet wrote:
On 2011\12\20 23:06, Ross wrote:
On Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:02:04 +0000 [UTC], Basil Jet wrote:
On 2011\12\20 18:02, John Williamson wrote:
Recliner wrote:
Which might mean that the (diesel) fuel gauge is also innacurate in
this early model.

Of course, if it's like the original Routemasters, the fuel gauge is a
piece of calibrated plywood which goes through the fuel filler.

Please explain.

I assume John is referring to a dipstick, which is also the way
Midland Red traditionally gauged fuel levels on its buses. There was
no fuel gauge dial/indicator in the cab itself.

stares at screen in shock

Chuckle When they designed the London Buses in the '40s and '50s,
someone spent a lot of time working out how much fuel they would need to
do a full day's work, then put a tank in that held half as much fuel again.

The daily routine was that the driver and conductor on the last shift of
the day left the bus in a queue for the pump at the end of their shift,
and garage staff cleaned, fuelled and serviced it (If scheduled) for its
next day's work.

Drivers weren't even allowed to check the engine oil, but were allowed
to open the engine cover to check the water in the radiator, except on
vehicles where a water level alarm was fitted, in which case they were
allowed to push the test button. Fitting a fuel gauge just meant there
was something else to go wrong, so they didn't. The dipstick was only
for workshop use to determine whether the vehicle had enough fuel to get
to the central repair and refurbishmant facility.

Most of the big bus operators had similar systems. Bournemouth, for
instance, had a service lane in the garage into at least the '80s, and
the last digit of the fleet number matched the service rota day, so
every bus got a safety check every ten days, and a full service every month.

The operator I currently work for still has a very similar system, so
fuel gauges on buses are redundant.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.