If this wonderful thing steps even an inch into london, the goverment will absolutley shower it with emmission fines

Literally the sound of my youth!!! going to school going out my first job .! ..and the ones that screamed the loudest where the fastest!! And the rattle of the windows when idle!!!

That was absolutely awesome! Who thought we'd ever get that nostalgic over 'just a Dart'. That is a wonderful combination of sounds though - I really do miss them. Thinking I drove 17 and sisters on Padstows when we first expanded that far seems bonkers now, but they really held their own.

Wow she makes an absolutely gorgeous racket!!

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

4 жыл бұрын

Music to my ears she was!

Absolutely lovely. I'm surprised no one decided to preserve this.

God a bloody miss that bus wish we could have it back now. 😍😍

Probably the best Euro 2 Dart video I will ever come across - pure filth in all forms, just what I like to see!!!

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it buddy. Nice to see people are still watching my videos from back in the day!

it's great to hear that engine sound again. miss those R Reg darts alot

Nice sounding Dart. I like these Plaxton Pointer 1s pre 01. The Allison gearbox.

SLF's are durable buses. The AT-545 isn't the best gearbox but they are ten a penny and purely mechanical. The signs of one failing is when they overev or jump in out of gear. This one sounded healthy.

Dennis Darts reminded me of a cross between a go kart and a milk float to drive. They all had milk float pedals, and felt like a long length go kart. No rev counter, just a lonely circular speedometer with a shakey parkinsons diseased speed needle, and a start/stop/run fake ignition key which was a key that could never be pulled away. I drove the last of the 1997/R 421xx fleet at Southampton. 1st is a War Siren, 2nd is a Helicopter turbine, 3rd is bottle blowing, 4th is a worn wheel bearing, the cummins engine and alison gearbox made so much reverberating noise around the interior passenger saloon you could actually drive these based on listening to the saloon room echo behind you. When you turned round a corner with one of these you could always hear the turbine whine from the 2nd gear and you knew you were going round it like a boss. 🤣🤣🤣 Ex first bus driver

@jaggass

2 жыл бұрын

@@derektaylor2941 AT545's never had lock up.

@stoplookingatmeplease1230

2 жыл бұрын

I used to always look forward as a kid to get on these single deckers hoping to catch one with this engine, was always in love with that turbine sound, still am!! Saddens me that these buses are all getting replaced I gotta buy one init

@1ns4ne1d10t

2 жыл бұрын

@@stoplookingatmeplease1230 I caught them as a kid in the original gay 'Barbie' livery from 1997. Went on these to school and all the way through college. Then in 2013 I end up as a first bus driver driving them. They just started pulling them out of service just before I left the firm so I was lucky as they had them up to 2014. Funny things to drive. They were like a very long bumper car or a dodgem car. Bit bouncy and all over the place on a rough patchy road mainly because of the very small wheels which weren't really proportionate to the size of the bus. The brake pedal and brakes were horrendous. Standard Darts were a Bit slow and didn't feel like they were making much forward progress. Air throttle darts like the ex Hong Kong version were better. Didn't have a brilliant full steering lock but then the steering angle was built for 8.5 metres which was then stretched out to 10.5 with the same steering angle plus they were old and dated. Mind you saying that Wright Streetlite Maxi's and 2022 E200 Enviro's are no better on steering lock then older buses really. I suppose Darts were built at a time when there was less traffic around in 1997 so they could use more of the road to turn or corner or overhang the front over the other side of the roads because there wasnt as much traffic for it to interfere with as much as there is now. Nevertheless good buses that pretty much over-stood the test of time. Scratchy clattery naturally aspirated 5.9 cummins engine that filled the room with engine noise as it was driving. Turbine gearbox whine in second gear as your going around street corners. Then got the exhaust 'bellow' or the 'Fart' from the rear down pipe as it leaves. God I miss these buses!

@stoplookingatmeplease1230

2 жыл бұрын

@@1ns4ne1d10t Absolutely! Miss these aswell, especially when drivers let the RPMs go down while in 2nd gear and then give it throttle again , the way it whines, climactic I would say haha - I remember them having tiny wheels! Pretty goofy indeed but I loved them - thanks for this precious info mate

@1ns4ne1d10t

2 жыл бұрын

@@stoplookingatmeplease1230 Dennis Dart SLF's were the last of a 'Proper' bus really. Rough, functional, naturally aspirated, simple. Because of the small wheels they did grab into sunken drain hole covers and wham over road joins a fair bit. But nobody ever complained about any bus body being put on the SLF chassis. Southampton had Solent Blueline Caetano Compasses and First Southampton Plaxton pointer II's. Same buses but different looks. Other companies like Yellow buses of Bournemouth had Alexander Single deckers and Marshall versions of the same bus. I never drove a Compass version because I didnt work for Solent Blueline. Should imagine it's exactly the same as a Pointer. Though I did drive some of the uglier 10m 1st generation Pointers which were 0.5 meters shorter then the usual pointers (Half a window shorter). Exactly the same as a regular later shape Pointer to drive. Same Funfair dodgem car pedals. Basic bus but good fun to drive though. Naturally aspirated so one touch of the pedal had an instant rev change like a banana transit with a York engine.

It's a shame this beast has since been scrapped

What an absolute beast of a bus! Wish we stall had 'em down here

euro 2 darts i miss them

5:53 sounds like a cat gently meowing

@zero-qj5rb

2 жыл бұрын

so cute

Lovely!

The start of the video, gave me goosebumps. Like literally! 🤭🤭

My fav video of a an SLF is R554ABA when a driver made it sound like a manual when taking his foot off throttle between gear changes.

Beast of a bus, this seems in good nick unlike most euro 2 darts.

wow that's some furious airbrake

I wonder who was beside you 😉 What a brilliant run that was! God do I miss these 😭

0:41 RIP headphone users!

I remember riding on these when Pennine Motors used to operate them between Burnley and Skipton. Great old buses. I do miss them. Shame this one was scrapped.

Ooh we all love an Allison 😁

@LJ07EBP

2 жыл бұрын

I don't like it that much with optare chassis, it suits dart and e20d chassis the most

I was driving the Marshall and Plaxton bodied versions for 12 years, usually the short wheelbase version. Windscreens all came loose on the Marshall versions. Great fun to drive, better than the B6 volvo or optare solos I'd be given some nights. Great vid, lovely noise.

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed 😊

Great video. ☺️

WE LIKE THIS! :P

We like this a lot! 😀

This kinda reminds me of a lot of the 1980s-1990s era school buses in the US with that transmission, particularly the Blue Bird bodied flat nose school buses.

Loved this little buses these use to be the w4 in north London

Easily the best dart I've ever heard!!!!

Such a shame, 17 was a beauty

thats one angry engine dang

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

Typical ol’ Cummins 6BT noise 😈😂

OH YES!

It sounds like the Canterbury and district ceatano compass

@1ns4ne1d10t

2 жыл бұрын

Thats because the Caetano Compass is the same bus as the Plaxton. They were all built with the same floor, wheels, chassis, engine, gearbox, brakes, in just one factory. The standard cummins 5.9 SLF Dart and Alison transmission were put in over 10 different styles and makes of Bus bodywork. In Southampton we had both versions. Caetano compass's run by Solent blueline and First Southampton running Plaxton Pointer II buses on 1997/R registrations. They were both the same. Bit like a Ford Mondeo to a Jaguar X Type. The only difference is the way they looked and the style of the body. Seat, steering wheel, dashboard, speedometer, start/stop/run key, dodgem car pedals, seat position were all repeated from bus to bus. So no matter what it looked like on the outside they all drove the same.

i love dennis darts theyre becoming increasingly rare , being replaced by enviro 200s 300s

@cam43002

Жыл бұрын

Even e200s are becoming more rare now especially the older versions (pre 2010) that were basically just a dart its actually quite sad to see

@beamboy07

Жыл бұрын

@@cam43002 we got plenty of 2000s 200s although recently i have noticed a lot more new ones We still got quite a few 04/05 omniekkas quite freshly imported from Brighton But only 2 darts left and i think one js training only

@cam43002

Жыл бұрын

@@beamboy07 wow your lucky a load of our 09/59 plate e200s have gone for scrap the last things we had resembling a dart will miss them

FYI this is a Dennis Specialist Vehicles Dart not an Alexander Dennis, as Alexander and Dennis didn't merge until 2004. Also love the gearbox, 2nd/3rd gears and thrash on this, very audible unlike most Darts this age and the clicking when stationary (guessing that's the gear selectors?) 5:49-6:01 I've not heard a Dart do that for years

@Slncr57

4 жыл бұрын

T305JRH is good for doing that downshifting whine!

@wharris302

8 ай бұрын

Just a "dennis" dart, dennis "specialist " did firetruck and bin lorries

i live in plymouth, very swag

It looks like the brakes need oil

Same drivetrain as our school buses in the 1990s🇺🇸

@beamboy07

Жыл бұрын

really ? not ldv convoys theyre most popular in late 90s early 10s

@wharris302

8 ай бұрын

​@@beamboy07he's obviously not on about LDV bloody convoys, a lot of school buses did use this engine though, and proper school buses, american ones

@beamboy07

8 ай бұрын

@@wharris302 idk what my point even was there XD

@theericfreeze1493

7 ай бұрын

The Bluebird TC2000 and Thomas MVP EF used this drivetrain.

I think this dart is now scrapped

@LiftEnthusiast2020OFFTOPIC

2 жыл бұрын

Yes it has

this dart has be retired?

Was this an ex brighton Dennis dart?

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

3 ай бұрын

Plymouth City Bus from new 😊

Wtf are those brakes? And why is that Allison shifting gears downwards?

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

Gears were being manually downshifted by the selector.

When was this recorded? Also how do you know it is scrapped? It says that it is SORN on DVLA.

@Le-gameur607

Ай бұрын

Cummins 4BT 3.9L Alison world AT-545

@BusesinLondon345

24 күн бұрын

SORN (Statutory off-road notice) is to tell DVLA that a vehicle isn’t, or no longer being used on the road. That should answer your question

@danielr5000-d1s

24 күн бұрын

@@BusesinLondon345 that is different to being scrapped. Being stored or used for parts which technically isn't scrapped

@BusesinLondon345

22 күн бұрын

@@danielr5000-d1s it should still get registered as SORN regardless. Like I said, a SORN is to inform DVLA that a vehicle “ISNT” or is “NO LONGER” being used on the road.

@danielr5000-d1s

22 күн бұрын

@@BusesinLondon345 no it shouldn't. If it is only getting scrapped then it can be left as untaxed and if it is being scrapped it won't return to the road. It needs to be sorn if being used for parts because it technically isn't scrapped and could even be brought back to the road if someone decided to repair it

was this me driving tom?

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

3 ай бұрын

No mate, it was actually me, but didn’t want to get in trouble by saying it was me when I worked there 😂😂

Why does Plymouth look like eastern Europe?

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

1950’s architecture does make it look quite like the brutalist architecture you get in Eastern Europe/ Russia. Not all of Plymouth looks like this however, mainly just the core of the city centre.

😈😈

Beautiful, would sound better with a cooling fan

What a beast! hellfire machine brilliant bus, just a shame a lot of this modern crap just has barely any good sound to it anymore 😞

@ThePlymouthRoadSurfer

Жыл бұрын

Couldn't agree more!