Borismaster (New Bus For London) launch delayed by one week . . .

LordSutch

Thanks for that MGWR, so it looks like they really are going for sales in the US with the NBFL/Borismaster. Realistically it can only function in a City environment due to its technical spec, so I guess New York is their 1st target for sales.



Sadly I don't think the 'Three doors' would go down too well in Dublin, hence I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing a Dublin version of the NBFL/Borismaster, unless of coures they redesign it, with just one door up front, as per this pic from Post#29 http://www.flickr.com/photos/km_edinburgh/8585825055/

AlekSmart

LordSutch wrote: »

Thanks for that MGWR, so it looks like they really are going for sales in the US with the NBFL/Borismaster. Realistically it can only function in a City environment due to its technical spec, so I guess New York is their 1st target for sales.



Sadly I don't think the 'Three doors' would go down too well in Dublin, hence I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing a Dublin version of the NBFL/Borismaster, unless of coures they redesign it, with just one door up front, as per this pic from Post#29 http://www.flickr.com/photos/km_edinburgh/8585825055/

Interesting to note that the bus pictured in NYC has no opening windows,which suggests it is fully Air Conditioned,indicating a significant "Americanization" of the NBfL for this trip.

LordSutch

AlekSmart wrote: »

Interesting to note that the bus pictured in NYC has no opening windows,which suggests it is fully Air Conditioned,indicating a significant
"Americanization" of the NBfL for this trip.

The NBFL has never had opening windows!

Its always had a form of Air conditioning/Climate control which is very much an integral part of the design of the NBFL/Borismaster.

See the grills above the rear doors, that's where the climate control system lives . . .

AlekSmart

LordSutch wrote: »

The NBFL has never had opening windows!

Its always had a form of Air conditioning/Climate control which is very much an integral part of the design of the NBFL/Borismaster.

See the grills above the rear doors, that's where the climate control system lives . . .

Sorry,My bad,your lordship !!

My several NBfL trips so far never flagged ventilation as an issue,so Wrights appear to have sorted this old-chesnut,although it will take a London Mid-Summer to really prove it.

Air Conditioning on Urban Buses has always been a huge problem for engineers and designers,even in Dublin,as the 1966 Atlantean introduction proved .

Urban Bus design is becoming a highly complex area,with issues such as climate control assuming stand-alone significance.

The main problem is the knock-on effects of the new technologies being utilized,such as refrigerants and compressors.

Volvo/Alexander's,for example,faced substantial and unexpected problems with their Enviro Tri-Axle order for Las Vegas,which after substantial work was deemed to comply with the USA's strict EPA requirements...however,when they tested the MASSIVE Air Conditioning pack required for Las V's 100 degree temperature norms,the passing noise test meters flew off the end of the scale,such was the roar from the Aior-Con packs.

The Volvo/Alexander drawing boards were overheating in attempts to engineer a solution,but they succeeded and the vehicles are performing today !

But,it's still sad that the NEW Bus for London does'nt have quarter-drop winding windows of the type to be found on a few of the remaining RM's ...:)

MGWR

LordSutch wrote: »

The NBFL has never had opening windows!

Its always had a form of Air conditioning/Climate control which is very much an integral part of the design of the NBFL/Borismaster.

See the grills above the rear doors, that's where the climate control system lives . . .

That would have to be altered for the USA. Most buses (although not all) with air conditioning over there also have opening windows; the New York MTA certainly has openable windows on all modern buses. Kinda helps in the case of air-conditioning failure on a day when it is, for example, 35°C outside with 100% relative humidity...

murphaph

MGWR wrote: »

That would have to be altered for the USA. Most buses (although not all) with air conditioning over there also have opening windows; the New York MTA certainly has openable windows on all modern buses. Kinda helps in the case of air-conditioning failure on a day when it is, for example, 35°C outside with 100% relative humidity...

Indeed. The buses in Berlin have air conditioning but the windows can be opened with a key by the driver should the system fail. The Boris bus is really a copy of the standard Berlin double decker by the way, just a bit shorter.

testarossa40

At risk of causing some forehead-slapping, might I point out that the "New York Borismaster", being quite clearly a right-hand drive, is hardly indicative of a US sales push... For instance I recall that KDs that were destined for overseas demonstrations were built as LHDs.

AlekSmart

testarossa40 wrote: »

At risk of causing some forehead-slapping, might I point out that the "New York Borismaster", being quite clearly a right-hand drive, is hardly indicative of a US sales push... For instance I recall that KDs that were destined for overseas demonstrations were built as LHDs.

Yes indeed,This is,I suspect,just some clever marketing assistance to the broader UK Business in the manner of the original Routemaster visit 40 years ago...?

However,the NBfL manages to have that highly individual (and marketable) uniquely London Bus cachet..fair play to both TfL and Wrights for getting the Industry well up a notch or two in the Public Eye ...;)

MGWR

testarossa40 wrote: »

At risk of causing some forehead-slapping, might I point out that the "New York Borismaster", being quite clearly a right-hand drive, is hardly indicative of a US sales push... For instance I recall that KDs that were destined for overseas demonstrations were built as LHDs.

Yes, and some Atlanteans ran in NYC that were left-hand drive as well. (This one was on Fifth Avenue, headed for Penn Station.)

I've heard rumours that the Atlanteans didn't last in Manhattan because Irish-American bus mechanics, raised on old prejudices, refused to maintain British-built buses. But then again, double-deckers didn't last too long after the MTA takeover of formerly private companies such as Fifth Avenue Coach...

AlekSmart

MGWR wrote: »

Yes, and some Atlanteans ran in NYC that were left-hand drive as well. (This one was on Fifth Avenue, headed for Penn Station.)

I've heard rumours that the Atlanteans didn't last in Manhattan because Irish-American bus mechanics, raised on old prejudices, refused to maintain British-built buses. But then again, double-deckers didn't last too long after the MTA takeover of formerly private companies such as Fifth Avenue Coach...

It's equally incredible to realize that one of the largest overseas fleets of Atlanteans was in Baghdad of all places !!!!

Our own Bombardier plant produced a LHD Rolls-Royce engined vehicle which it despatched to Iraq,where it arrived just in time for the 1st Iran-Iraq war

LordSutch

Today was the 1st day of the NBFL taking over a full London route!

Route 24 in London now has 27 Borismasters all to itself