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• 
  @MisterHampshireАй бұрын

  I always preferred the similar, but I think far more handsomely proportioned, Dominant 2. But as others have said, so evocative to see this Supreme: the school trips in a baking coach with skylights that did nothing, frustrated teachers shouting 'quiet the driver is trying to concentrate' and oh yes those smells. Can I ask - though out of view here, on coaches of that era there was a huge bank of switches to the driver's right. It may be a silly question, but what did so many switches control? I always imagined it to be the individual lights on the luggage racks, but that seems a bit daft.

• 
  @plaxtonsupremeАй бұрын

  The earlier Supremes (and Panorama Elites) had all the switches on the right hand side. The Supreme IV, like mine, has the switches on both sides of the dash. The switches on the left are all for heaters, the one under the dash for the windscreen demister and drivers vent, and then up to 4 heaters along the saloon. The switches on the right are mostly for lighting, but also has the rack blowers and drivers overhead fan. I have uploaded close up photos to Flickr for your perusal. flic.kr/p/2pS9UMY flic.kr/p/2pSb5ob flic.kr/p/2pS4acq

• 
  @MisterHampshireАй бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme Thank you. I really don't know why those banks of switches would fascinate me so much, but as a lad, it's the sort of things that do isn't it.

• 
  @plaxtonsupremeАй бұрын

  @@MisterHampshire I totally agree with you. It's one of the many aspects of a coach that had me fascinated as a youngster as part of my "how does it work?" curiosity that led me towards being an engineer!

• 
  @MisterHampshireАй бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupremeI'm rather guessing yours is not fitted with a Telma? That was something else that fascinated me at the time, how the driver was apparently able to slow down without apparently braking as such. It wasn't until many years later I understood what it was.

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  @plaxtonsupremeАй бұрын

  @@MisterHampshire Absolutely correct.... no retarder on my coach.

• 
  @drbob7282Ай бұрын

  Brilliant coach design; bright, light and comfortable. And a lovely engine, too.

• 
  @Sandra-bq1ii2 ай бұрын

  ThoSe Vintage Engine Sounds....😇😇 PleaSe Come Back tO Me. Lol. 😁

• 
  @robertlittle82932 ай бұрын

  Bedford YMT are YRQ's were my memorable plaxton supreme coaches I went to school or to the seaside

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  @darrenfarrell-bn2cb4 ай бұрын

  Throttle is Starting To Act Up On it , I’m a HGV Mechanic it’s A Lovely looking Coach , I worked on Them When They were Operating Plaxton Made Lovely Coaches ,

• 
  @sonofatwitch825 ай бұрын

  not many coaches have a manual gearbox, most have zf boxes

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme3 ай бұрын

  When this coach was built, nearly all had manual gearboxes. Automatics were quite rare back then.

• 
  @davidrumming47345 ай бұрын

  School trip memories Not fast but very smooth As per the video the ones I remember were 4 speed….but I think there was a semi-automatic version as well…..little gear shifter next to the steering wheel and without a clutch pedal. Anyway the 4 speed manuals I remember had some kinda “J” brake….a lever control which when activated increased engine braking…they used it a lot down steep hills. I remember when the local bus company moved to DAFs to replace these….and these seem to feature some sort of Splitter gearbox, essentially doubling the number of gears thru using a switch on the gear shifter. Not sure on this…all seemed very complicated. Then again 4 speed did seem rather limited as well. I can vaguely remember an early version (older styling) which was removed from service a few years into my school years, several like in the video, and I seem to recall when the DAFs were brought in there was 1 new end of run Bedford bus which was clearly still the same platform but significantly upgraded….with a 5 speed transmission.

• 
  @MRPAD7445 ай бұрын

  do you have too double de-clutch with this gearbox ?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme3 ай бұрын

  It is a synchro gearbox, so double declutching shouldn't be necessary, but at more than 40 years old, some of the synchro capability has been lost and so double declutching allows a smoother and quicker change to the next gear.

• 
  @user-ly8bi5xp1b6 ай бұрын

  Very pleasant, Bedfords and Fords were the mainstay of the independents, I grew up with those of Grayscroft and Applebys. Too many enthusiasts tend to disregard them in favour of heavyweight stuff so its good to see some saved.Sadly, by the time I started at the former after over a decade at RoadCar with Tigers ( a thoroughly enjoyable vehicle) etc, the last Bedford had long gone, was mostly B10Ms by then, I always double declutched up and down the box a much smoother change. Driving a Bedford Y series is something I hope to one day achieve.

• 
  @andrewcassidy77956 ай бұрын

  Like getting dropped off at school. Great memories

• 
  @CreRay8 ай бұрын

  Is it only a 4 speed box? Or does he always drive off in 2nd? How much power does the engine have?

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  @plaxtonsupreme8 ай бұрын

  It is a 5 speed but first gear is very low. It was regular practice to set off in second gear. Changing up from 1st to 2nd can be a bit tricky, by which time, you've stopped again! I use 1st gear more frequently now that I've got used to it. As for engine power, it is rated at 157bhp but probably has less than that now.

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  @robertanderson-yx8mo8 ай бұрын

  Great upload takes me back.cant help think how beautiful the old coaches were.

• 
  @Ltee289 ай бұрын

  Unusual interior for a Supreme. Great camera work!

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  @plaxtonsupreme9 ай бұрын

  What do you think is unusual about it? It's fairly standard for a late Supreme. Seats are a different moquette than when new, but other than that, it's original.

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  @Ltee288 ай бұрын

  @plaxtonsupreme I seem to remember the supremes I travelled in having mottled beige roof panels.

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  @Ltee288 ай бұрын

  The Dominants always seemed to have the nicest interiors. The mixture of interior finishes- nice use of chrome- mahogany style laminates, proper eyeball vents for each passenger, and comfy stylish seats.

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme8 ай бұрын

  @@Ltee28 That "Pearl discus" or "Grey Damask" used previously was increasingly replaced by wood and moquette by the 1981 season. It was an optional extra on my coach.

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  @Ltee288 ай бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme I'm not sure I've ever travelled in one as recent as a 1981! Most were from '77-79

• 
  @Grid569 ай бұрын

  Steering on straight roads looks a bit vague, is that a symptom of age and wear or of the type of steering common to buses ?

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  @plaxtonsupreme9 ай бұрын

  Yep, very vague. Vehicles designed in the 70s didn't have as precise steering as modern vehicles do. Bedfords weren't great to start with and 400,000 miles use hasn't improved it!

• 
  @Grid569 ай бұрын

  @plaxtonsupreme well you cope very well ! The distance the gear lever has to travel is enormous, you practically have to push it out of the front window for first. After the best looking coaches (RELH with ECW body), the Plaxtons always looked better than any of their contemporaries no matter which chassis they were on .

• 
  @ELPaso1990TX11 ай бұрын

  Was this during a pcv test?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme11 ай бұрын

  The description in the title of the video states it was the AEC Gathering road run.

• 
  @greatbritannialine Жыл бұрын

  Proper good bus driver that!

• 
  @Ltee289 ай бұрын

  Beautifully driven

• 
  @vulcathene Жыл бұрын

  I agree, always loved the sound of a Plaxton Bedford. I went to school on one between 1994-99. Our default coach was V reg; the oldest T which had red floral seats with black headrests.

• 
  @vulcathene Жыл бұрын

  I went to school in a Bedford from 1994-99, the coach company now doesn't have any. For some reason I prefer the 'older' coaches. they had 4 of them at the time, always remember the loud floral red and black head rests from the late 70's. The older of the 4 was an S reg, the wood veneer was darker, same layout buttons etc, wipers used to be switched individually, one particular driver used to always use 1 on. I wondered if the older ones had overdrive attachment to the gear knob? I remember the gear shift stick is identical as in this video but below was an attached small 'box' with a cable going down the stick and a button at the top of this small box clipped on.

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  The earlier Supremes had "Figured Rosewood" panelling where as the later ones usually had the lighter "Rustic Bronze" panels. The additional switch on the gear lever would probably have been an optional two speed rear axle which acted as a splitter to offer gear ratios in between the standard gears in the gearbox. When you've got as little power available as you have in a Bedford, being able to optimise your engine speed is very useful! If you're interested in Plaxton Supreme coaches, there's a good Facebook group with all sorts of interesting photos and stories. facebook.com/groups/plaxtonsupreme

• 
  @vulcathene Жыл бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme Many thanks for your reply, all makes sense now. Don't see many about nowadays makes them more special. I'm on a Facebook group already, takes back to my past.

• 
  @mauricebarnett6951 Жыл бұрын

  Was that a 5 speed gearbox

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Yes, Turner 5 speed. Somewhat agricultural in its operation!

• 
  @dudleyserious9985 Жыл бұрын

  Bedfords were awful in comparison to AEC's Leyland and Volvos. Under powered and after a week on the road would be lathered in oil. The grub screws on the gear linkage would wear loose and make the gear change like a pudding stick. The 4 gearbox lugs where the gear box connects to the bell housing would brake off. They just wasn't up to the job.

• 
  @philipstanbridge6535 Жыл бұрын

  On the one I drove the veneer in the middle of the dashboard was cracked for some reason. I found out why the first time I went for reverse, there was so much play in the lever I trapped my knuckles against the dashboard

• 
  @TomRelubbus Жыл бұрын

  Back in the 1990s I used to operate the 1st rear engined DAF, with a Mk4 Supreme body, that Plaxton ever built. Her body number was DCR001. Lovely old coach, that was quiet, went well and was as smooth as silk to ride in. Wish I'd kept it now!

• 
  @ronaldocabrera6097 Жыл бұрын

  Eieofoefieidiwdis iie8efisidgueiru😮😮😅😅😊😊❤❤

• 
  @Mike_5 Жыл бұрын

  Some new bus / coach drivers would be scratching their head at the strange floor pole sticking up

• 
  @TomRelubbus Жыл бұрын

  I drove a few of these in my time, plus other Bedford Coaches such as PJK, YLQ, YRQ, YMPS, YRT, YMT, YNT, etc, at one time these were the workhorses of just about every small coach operator in the UK. Good to see them preserved in such good condition

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Thanks. HFL14W is having a day out at the South Yorkshire Transport Museum today.

• 
  @TomRelubbus11 ай бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme Our first 45 seater Bedford was MFE 391V, and came from Hornsby Travel in Scunthorpe

• 
  @CarlosAlberto-ii1li Жыл бұрын

  The exterior mirrors are the same as i had on my J4 van in 1971.

• 
  @user-qc5gs9wf1j Жыл бұрын

  I'm interested in the driver 's gear changing. I can see him double declutching when he changes down, which I understand, but he also seems to do the same thing when changing up but without 'blipping' the throttle. Please can someone who understands these things explain why it is desirable or necessary to life the clutch when changing up when the gear lever is in the neutral position? Thanks.

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Thanks for your question Andrew. When changing up, after you press the clutch down and move into neutral, the engine revs will drop (lots of pumping losses and friction to slow it down) but the gear box input shaft can still be rotating quite quickly (on roller bearings), meaning there is too big a speed difference between gearbox input shaft and output shaft for the synchroniser ring of the next gear to easily cope with. The result is either a longer wait for the synchroniser to work (slow gear shift) or it goes into the next gear with a graunch, as my third gear is prone to do. By lifting the clutch pedal in neutral just before selecting the next gear, it allows the slower engine to reduce the gearbox input shaft speed so there's less work for the synchroniser ring to do. The result is a quicker gear change without any graunching. It doesn't have to be as accurate as with a crash gearbox, but it does help. It isn't always required, for example, if the up-shift takes place whilst engine revs were quite low in the preceding gear then the synchroniser ring can cope with the speed difference anyway. The technique isn't necessary on newer gearboxes but on old, worn out gearboxes, it makes life easier. My gearbox is also prone to jumping out of 2nd gear, which is why you see me holding onto the gear lever more than would be normally required. The joys of old worn out machinery.... but I still love this coach to bits!! 🥰

• 
  @user-qc5gs9wf1j Жыл бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme Thanks for explaining that. Very interesting and helpful. And you are right to love that coach to bits. Much enjoyed your video and I have learnt something new too. Best wishes, Andrew

• 
  @deanwelsh5702 Жыл бұрын

  Bus wankers

• 
  @AndreiTupolev Жыл бұрын

  Plaxtons of that age bring back so many memories of school trips. The nylon moquette on the seats, the headrests with the leather inserts on the back, the very obviously imitation wood laminates, the big windows with the rubber grommets, the soft lino on the floor ...

• 
  @tommytippee2437 Жыл бұрын

  Beautiful comment.

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme11 ай бұрын

  Just for info, the wood is real, but the "leather" isn't!

• 
  @Ltee289 ай бұрын

  Also the smell of damp and diesel...

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme9 ай бұрын

  @@Ltee28 diesel, yes, but no damp on this one

• 
  @garethjones80474 ай бұрын

  I liked the Volvos the best, 80s school trips really were amazing

• 
  @alanoliver535 Жыл бұрын

  Driver likes going into neutral be4 he has stopped?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Yes, I guess I do, a bad habit I guess. I'm sorry my driving doesn't meet with your approval. That wasn't why I posted the video though.

• 
  @kristan99910 ай бұрын

  A friend of mine had a few coaches (incl a Bedford a bit like this)... he always said, "Clutch for go and brakes for slow", easier to change brake pads than clutches so as long as you're in control, which you clearly are, it doesn't matter. Nice memories, thanks for the video.

• 
  @darrenlacey6473 Жыл бұрын

  These where the days when you really had to start driving

• 
  @adrianpoole6858 Жыл бұрын

  Never really keen on driving Bedford's, much preferred the Volvo B10M & Daf sb.

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  I can understand that viewpoint but I'm preserving a Bedford as it was what I remember our local operators using. It was a very popular choice back then, mainly because they were more cost effective to own. One advantage of owning an old Bedford nowadays over an old Volvo or DAF is the spare parts are usually very easy to find and not too expensive to buy!

• 
  @Ltee289 ай бұрын

  Bedfords and Fords are good, honest classic coaches from that era. Brings back lots of memories!

• 
  @holdtightadele8017 Жыл бұрын

  No synchromesh?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Synchro on some gears aren't as good as they used to be! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For a reliable swift gearshift, double declutching works well.

• 
  @snorb1tz Жыл бұрын

  This took me back to when I was at school. Shaws of Maxey had two Bedford Paramount 3200’s in their fleet of Paxton bodied Bedfords in the early 90’s. I can still hear the sound of the engine at motorway speeds along the A1 from Wittering through to the A47, then along the back roads through to my school. Thank you for sharing this video.

• 
  @mickkm799511 ай бұрын

  I used to go to AMVC, there where some cool buses & coaches lined-up on the playground daily

• 
  @mauricebarnett6951 Жыл бұрын

  Love the sound of those Bedford 500 Turbos. I remember Roberts of Wingate getting one back in 87 and being a coach company with a fleet of Bedfords on Plaxton Panorama Elites with naturally aspirated engines, the turbo version was a breath of fresh air, nit much changing down the box on the hills. Nice video and nice to see a good example of yhe Bedford

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Thanks for your comments. It is lovely to listen to. I wish it was a turbo version but this one is the naturally aspirated version. It's all remarkably original though.

• 
  @mauricebarnett69516 ай бұрын

  Oh sounds like a 500 turbo

• 
  @simongreasley8643 Жыл бұрын

  Why all the freewheeling? Use the gears.

• 
  @andrewhollingsworth8481 Жыл бұрын

  Which bus rallys do you get too

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme3 ай бұрын

  Llandudno Transport Festival and the AEC Gathering in Newark are my next bookings for 2024.

• 
  @jamesfrench7299 Жыл бұрын

  That Beddy 500 diesel hum brought back memories from Sydney. I used to catch mid engine Bedford buses both manual and Allison auto. That is the most modern looking driver's area I've seen in a Bedford. I remember a few had that thicker steering wheel but most had the skinny four stick affair. The newer one didn't come soon enough as it looks so much smarter. A shame Bedford fell behind and didn't have long to go by 1980. Here's a 1986 video showing various Bedford buses including a ride in an Allison automatic example. kzread.info/dash/bejne/hJhszKOHhMrMldI.html

• 
  @alangordon3283 Жыл бұрын

  A rare sight indeed a bus that reverses .

• 
  @anthonyhiggins3135 Жыл бұрын

  Spent many hours driving Bedford coaches. Cracking video. Brought back many memories.

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  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Thanks.... glad you enjoyed it.

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  @olepedersen5420 Жыл бұрын

  I remember we had a Plaxton bus with Ford engine and 8 speed range box, I guess it was som Ford Cargo engine ?

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  @harbourwoodlandvisitor2445 Жыл бұрын

  i remember in the early 80s always walking past our school coach in car park where it was always parked up a a lot. i liked its mid 1960s iconic design. i think it was a Bedford in part white and blue had chrome slips on it sides. was a great looking coach in immaculate condition. i remember asking the driver on a class day out about it. it had only covered 14,000 miles from the mid 60s to the early 80s. after some time had pasted by i walked by my old school in the late 80s with a friend we noticed the old coach wasn't there anymore. I'm guessing it be owned by the council it would have been sold off in auction someplace and some lucky person would have ended up with a good looking coach in top condition. how do i find out where that coach ended up. i would think its in preservation by a loving owner. my old school was demolished in 2021 so its not as if i could ask what happened to the coach by going there. as if anyone would have been still working there from the early 80s anyway. most of my old teachers from there had passed away by the 2000s. would love to find out what happen to that coach. any suggestion how to. are there council records i can request to see and such like?

• 
  @davidluck4608 Жыл бұрын

  Can we see some AEC coaches …..

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  At 7 mins 55 seconds, the red Harrington coach is an AEC.

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  @blesschacko3264 Жыл бұрын

  Are these front engine or mid engines?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Bedford Y series coaches are mid engined.

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  @michaellecaplain3377 Жыл бұрын

  Lovely piece of kit - reminds me of when I was a school kid. Slightly surprised that it needed double de clutching, but nice to see that such an arcane art hasn't been lost! 🙂

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme Жыл бұрын

  Synchro on some gears aren't as good as they used to be! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For a reliable swift gearshift, double declutching works well.

• 
  @jamesfrench7299 Жыл бұрын

  @@plaxtonsupreme I even find it effective in modern cars with notchy gear shifts.

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  @brianmoran.4 ай бұрын

  What is double clutching?

• 
  @plaxtonsupreme3 ай бұрын

  @@brianmoran. Double de-clutching is where you depress the clutch, then take it out of gear, then lift the clutch in neutral before dipping it again and selecting the next gear. It's essential on crash gearboxes as the driver has to do the speed synchronisation of the gearbox input and output shafts for the gears to mesh. On synchro gearboxes it isn't necessary, but at more than 40 years old, some of the synchro capability has been lost and so double declutching allows a smoother and quicker change to the next gear.

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  @themanmaschine Жыл бұрын

  I was taught to drive in a Bedford YMQ but that one had a unicar body.

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  @doveronefoxtrot44172 жыл бұрын

  Beautiful sound.

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  @alasdairvincent62482 жыл бұрын

  They don’t make coaches with such character now. I used to travel on similar ones on school outings etc, back in the day.

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  @finlaymcdiarmid5832 Жыл бұрын

  Some early 2000's ones are quite nice but the new ones have lost 99% of their quirky character. Ashame.

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  @kieranmccaffrey34593 жыл бұрын

  I can just imagine the smell. Busses these days dont have that beautiful engine smell to them

• 
  @citroenfil3 жыл бұрын

  These used to be my school bus home in 1980 to 1984. Britannia coaches. Telford. Sadly now gone.

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  @raylawrence21093 жыл бұрын

  When Noah was a lad back in the day i worked for Biss Brothers from Bishops Stortfofd In Herts and we took AEC chassis Paramount's overland to Grease