Mr Thant wrote

On 4 Feb, 01:34, "Andrew Heenan" wrote:
At the risk of being boring, bendies have managed perfectly well in
Europe
for 40 or 50 years; why is it that they don't have all these
problems, if
they are are 'design weaknesses'?

Rear-engined bendy buses are a modern invention - there's some
ridiculously complicated hydraulics and computer control in the hinge
to stop them jacknifing constantly. It's a miracle they work at all,
and I can well imagine the system can't cope at all with icy roads
(or
more specifically, the centre axle losing grip and sliding sideways).

Check the list of icy European countries and the number of years
rear-engined bendy buses have operated in each ?

Front-engined bendy buses have no such concerns, as they're no
different from an ordinary single decker with a trailer.

Or Artics, which which were required to add anti-jacknifing hydraulics
twenty years back.

--
Mike D

Mr Thant gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

Rear-engined bendy buses are a modern invention

I must have imagined catching them in Sheffield in the very early '80s,
then.

Definitely rear-engined.
http://www.geocities.com/transportpa...ve/bendy04.JPG

Mr Thant wrote:
snip

Rear-engined bendy buses are a modern invention - there's some
ridiculously complicated hydraulics and computer control in the hinge
to stop them jacknifing constantly.

snip

Actually you couldn't be further from the truth. The articulated joint
(manufactured by Hubner) is very simple comprising of a large centre
rotating bearing and two self contained hydraulic rams to passively
counteract the jacknife effect.

Link here http://ischmelzer.com/HNG19_5.html

The same unit is fitted to both the Scania and Volvo bendies.
The computer control is to let the front half know where the back half
is going so the engine and ABS systems can apply power and brake in the
right proportion.

Bob

Andrew Heenan wrote:
"martyn dawe" wrote ..
yes but happens if the bus gets into a bit of a slide or cannot get
traction going round corners, something some of the drivers don't seem
to have mastered in dry weather ?

I've never experienced that, and I was writing on the basis that they'd be
using appropriately trained drivers.
(silly old me, huh?)

I can't remember if it was a bendy bus, but I missed a train in Geneva
one winter because the bus I was on had hit a parked car.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On Feb 2, 8:21*pm, Tom Barry wrote:

I'm not actually aware of any bendy routes operating today, except the
29 and that was rumoured to be with double-deckers. *I'd love to know
the truth of what happened there.

As spotted he
http://flickr.com/photos/nicohogg/3249362458/

On Thu, 5 Feb 2009, martin wrote:

On Feb 2, 8:21*pm, Tom Barry wrote:

I'm not actually aware of any bendy routes operating today, except the
29 and that was rumoured to be with double-deckers. *I'd love to know
the truth of what happened there.

As spotted he
http://flickr.com/photos/nicohogg/3249362458/

That's just round the corner from my house!

tom

--
GOLDIE LOOKIN' CHAIN [...] will ultimately make all other forms of music
both redundant and unnecessary -- NTK