One Old Green Bus

Post details: Busly Saturdays - Thinking green... and I don't mean the colour of the old bus.

01/12/08

12:00:01 am, by

, 522 words

Categories: Busly Saturdays

Busly Saturdays - Thinking green... and I don't mean the colour of the old bus.

I can't say I've taken a lot of flack... in fact, I've taken none really at all about the concept that I'm all for saving the environment AND YET am looking at getting this great honking piece of diesel-burning equipment (if we're lucky).

Without question I've pointed out that the bus would be only used for the odd "day trip" and not in "regular running" anywhere. It's not like I'm going to start commuting to work in it... and plan on continuing my use of public transport for day-to-day and even most of my weekend plans.

This means, as far as the "dreaded carbon footprint" goes, the bus wouldn't be at all that bad. In fact, the average SMALL SUV used day in/day out would be far worse.

Still, I remember a while back doing a post on "healthier" vehicles... and even mentioning how if there was a way to do it, I'd be overjoyed to make the bus into a hybrid.

Now, I'm not saying I've FOUND anything that absolutely could be done... heck, as good as I am at knitting workable medical grade computer systems out of two bits of string and an old rubber-band, my knowledge of the internal combustion engine outside the chemical and "energy" principals behind them could be fit into one page... without spilling any ink.

I have to think though... I know that RLH buses are capable of a bit of a refit. (The sound you heard reading that last sentence was the sound of the rivet-counting purists having a stroke at what I'm talking about...)

For example, RLH 8 (seen below) has been refitted with a standard gasoline engine (petrol, not diesel,) from a Dodge truck.

So, basically, it is possible.

Knowing what I do know about the bus and her existing engine, if complete replacement wasn't an option, I wouldn't bother trying so hard to get her... but content myself to try and find a dignified home for her as a "static display" somewhere.

Could our bus, RLH 3, become a "Green Machine" in more ways than colour?

It's a possibility... and although the purists would FREAK just knowing I have a small chance of getting our bus... and am even contemplating the idea of engine upgrade/replacement, I have pledged to keep the bus as "restorable" to it's original condition with London Transport as possible.

...I'd be lying, however, to say that things like these folks (click here) don't intrigue and inspire me...

Could "One Old Green Bus" truly live up to it's more modern interpretation of it's name???

Time, hopefully, will tell.

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HELP US GET RLH 3 - OUR ONE OLD GREEN BUS!

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Permalink 4 comments

Comments:

Comment from: Penelope Anne [Visitor]

· http://cafeendofuniverse.blogspot.com/

Wow, now that would be a concept.
Corn burning engine, something like that?

Just popped in for a weekend hello, and oh just a reminder you can vote now :)

http://wannabeawritersomeday.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-am-entering-poetry-contest-yikes-and.html

Permalink 01/12/08 @ 14:15

Comment from: admin [Member]

· http://www.doubledeckerbuses.org/

Hey Penelope Anne... En route to vote!

Permalink 01/12/08 @ 19:31

Comment from: Jane [Visitor]

· http://justjanebond.com/

lolol - sorry, but I thought it was a bit ironic. lolol You know I live in the Midwest and someone recently did a feature on the news how this guy was able to get his Diesel truck running on used cooking oil waste from the restaurants.

Permalink 01/15/08 @ 18:04

Comment from: admin [Member]

· http://www.doubledeckerbuses.org/

Hey Jane... No offence taken... it CAN be done though. Have a look at http://www.thebiggreenbus.org/

It's cool... but a LONG way off from being a normal option on any vehicle.

I'm probably just going to look into Scania low-emission diesel engines which they use in the new buses in Europe. Apparently, they are VERY good on "gas" and excellent for the environment (for what they are.)

Thanks again... sorry for being so passionate about things... but "geek" really made my point, eh? It's sad... you DON'T need to believe the world is ending... but you should (regardless) do what you can to make things better in my opinion. I'm not an advocate of "extreme" measures... but little ones over time I'm all for.

Permalink 01/15/08 @ 19:07

Allow me to start with we do not own nor are we selling a bus. Just had to get that out...

This blog was started in April of 2006... during a very bad time for me and my family when money was very tight and life was very hard.

We maintained a happier outlook on life by fantasizing... talking about what we would do when times were better... and as Sue and myself are Anglophiles, England factored greatly into our "plans".

During these bad times, while looking at news items which, at the time included items about London removing their venerable old Routemasters, I came across one photo of an old green bus... and somehow, my whole family adopted it. It became very much "our bus". (Details about "our bus" are available by clicking here.)

Like most of you, I'd heard about the fellow who'd made a million dollars selling tiny ads online... and the fellow who did trades and turned a paper clip into a house... so I thought, since we couldn't make our bus actually into "our bus" (well beyond our means,) I'd try an "online" appeal... to make the focused item of our hopes into a tangible thing in our lives...

More specifically, in a burst of adult/juvenile optimism, I had hoped to show the youngest member of the family, who at the time was still very youthful and impressionable, that dreams really could become reality if you hope and, more importantly, try.

Well, I'm pretty sure you figured it out... we had limited succes in this venture... and the youngest has now reached an age where she is more traditionally "teenaged" cynical than much else about the world, which isn't a dreadful thing... but there's a "good news" portion to this... our personal situation with money is better, life has improved, and some people really liked my rambling here... so, I decided to keep things going... Yes, I will "give up" on asking for help on a bus... and have to give up on even trying as hard to get the bus through online means... and yes, be far more realistic... but I don't mind this "turn" of things as I actually enjoy venting, trying my hand at humour, and generally keeping on online presence outside my usual things.

Thanks to those who were/are "Busly Dream" enthusiasts... I suppose that our buses for now will be single-deck with the letters "TTC" emblazoned on them... but this blog will live as does our dream! (It's just a little quieter on that latter bit...)

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