[Closed] What I do at work. Bus in bits content.

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😀

have you thought about making this interesting? perhaps list the tools in your workshop you need and say print a map for them. Then give each tool some points and say a time limit to get them all 😉

what makes you think buses are more interesting than I.T.
they are both very dull.

The tyre is strapped but what stops the axle rotating?

I never wonder what goes on in a garage as long as my car comes back fixed.

But then I don't work in IT either.

LOL @ Junky

I could post pictures of old clocks and clock towers but that is boring but I enjoy my job.

More please!

I work in IT. I'm also a trained/qualified mech engineer. This thread reminds me why I made the choice I did 🙂

[i]"The tyre is strapped but what stops the axle rotating?"[/i]
The brakes are on. The handbrake/parking brake on an air braked vehicle uses a spring at each wheel to apply the brake and air pressure to release it. Once the pipes are disconnected, the brake is automatically locked on.

[i]"...they are both very dull."[/i]

Buses are dull, engineering is interesting.
I've been looking through some old Meccano magazines this morning, reading about a 6000 ton press used to make railway wagon wheels. I find that sort of thing fascinating.
I enjoy the mental and physical challenge of taking something apart, repairing it and putting it all back together again, especially if it involves jacks, cranes and hydraulic lifts.

I find that sort of stuff interesting too, though I am hopeless as mechanics I do like metal work.
Still good to see what goes on, it looks much more organised than I thought, nice photos too.

engineering is interesting

Opinions are subjective... and you enjoy orienteering.

I'm an accountant!

I had an elderly coal-burning voicemail server in bits yesterday. If I'd known there was going to be a show & tell I'd have taken pics.

ROFL @ TSY

I thought some of the STW IT managers might be interested in what goes on in the world of engineering

Interested, and it is interesting - although it looks more like a job for a mechanic than an engineer.

Opinions are subjective

Yep.

The brakes are on.

So does that mean if an air braked vehicle loses pressure the brakes default to on? Or is that just for the parking brake?

I've seen bus drivers get a warning bong from the dash and start revving the engine at lights to make it stop. I always assumed this was something to do with building up air pressure - is that so?

jackthedog - correct.

engineering is cool.

I am a Project engineer working on rather large cranes.
Was on the tools for 14 years before making the move to Project work.

I like this post, more please.

[i]"Opinions are subjective... and you enjoy orienteering"[/i]
It's the combination of physical and mental challenge again. Some people like chess, some people like time trialling, some like a sport that's got a bit of each.

[i]"...it looks more like a job for a mechanic than an engineer"[/i]
My parking space at work. 😛
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jackthedog, yes to all three questions.

The foot brake uses air pressure to apply the brakes.
The biggest difference between air and hydraulic brakes is that in a hydraulic system, the lever or pedal is a pump. Push it harder and it applies more pressure at the wheel.
An air brake pedal is a tap. The compressor creates the pressure, the "tap" allows that pressure through to the wheels.

The parking brake is a fail safe system, it uses air pressure to release the brakes.
In slow moving traffic where the brakes, doors, gear shift and suspension are constantly using air, the compressor may not keep up at low engine speeds.

Dull - but still more interesting than trailquests.

Not being funny, but why is that engineering not mechanicking? It's no different than work I've done myself (other than the scale) but I'd never call myself an engineer. Perhaps I would if I had a sign that said so beside my parking space 😉

You appear to be confusing mechanic with engineer

I'm going to take this opportunity to post STW's new favourite gif:

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Flash +1

the person who designed the diff/ axle etc is an engineer. the guy doing the grinding and welding isn't

The bus industry seems to use some archaic language.
Coming in to buses from haulage, what I think of as the Traffic Office, is called Despatch.
The room with the pool table where the drivers hang around between duties is called the Guard Room.

When I worked at a Mercedes commercial vehicle dealer, we were called Technicians. MAN and Iveco called us Mechanics.

It is interesting, more please Graham.
And try to ignore the snobs/pedants re mechanic/engineer.

I've just got in the habit of using the term engineer as that's what we're called and that's how I answer the phone to let people know they are through to the workshop, not Despatch.
I'm certainly not claiming to be something I'm not.
After all, Engineers only design stuff on paper. Mechanics keep it working in the real world. 😉

And try to ignore the snobs/pedants re mechanic/engineer.

To be fair, it's quite important. If you did a first aid course and slapped a plaster on someone would you call yourself a doctor?

EDIT: not getting at the OP here, just a general beef of mine...

[i]If I'd known there was going to be a show & tell I'd have taken pics.[/i]

I spent the morning yesterday buying underwear... 8)

as part of my job, fireproof, not very alluring, I'm afraid.

Flame-proof pants can be quite useful on here.

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engineering you say?

While in my place of work you wouldn't be an 'engineer' you're entirely correct to use it when that is your job title!!!

Please post more, this stuff is more interesting than the middle-class dilemmas that bulk out the forums!

all the places I have worked I was never called an engineer, it was mechanic or technician.

buses are the worst thing to work on after cars, I'm a truck mechanic by trade but now I fix diggers which is much more interesting than anything else I have worked on

I actually got some action shots a couple of months ago I'll see if I can find them

Mtg, whats your opinion on the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid, that seems to be taking a lot of orders and the enviro 400.

More please Graham.

My current 'engineering' project...
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Sorry MTG, I was grumpy this morning, not having a go at you, it was very rude of me.

I'm an engineer. I have the letters after my name to prove it.

Those qualifications were very useful for getting me my job in IT Management.

I wondered if I would ever find a more tedious thread than that one about trail mapping or World of TrailQuests or whatever it was, and now I have my answer. Thanks I guess

mechanic is more appropriate I think

randomjeremy - Member
I wondered if I would ever find a more tedious thread than that one about trail mapping or World of TrailQuests or whatever it was, and now I have my answer. Thanks I guess

POSTED 13 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Yeah, a discussion about whether to put salt or vinegar on thir chips first is far more interesting 😉

Keep up the good work MTG. Nice to read an interesting thread on here rather than the usual argumentative stuff. All that arguing gets a bit much sometimes! An update on your house renovations would be good too 🙂

I'm working as a mechanic to pay for a degree in civil engineering. They are both respectful and cool jobs, but to be fair the engineering requires the larger brain.

It's all good stuff.............

Positive threads are good.

I reckon you should combine your skills and make this your next project MidlandGraham :

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........the appalachian homestead bus

Sadly the knockers forget all the benefits engineering and buses/trains bring to society, public transport etc.

We where once world leaders in bus and train production and design, sadly its been taken from us, to be replaced by moaners, who have nothing better to do than sit at a computer, rubbishing threads, that some of us have a real intrest in.

I'm an engineer. I have the letters after my name to prove it.

Those qualifications were very useful for getting me my job in IT Management.

lol, +1!

Think I first mentioned mechanic/engineer - not a dig at the thread, this kind of stuff is great as far as I'm concerned, but fixing a bus axle still doesn't seem to be engineering (in the modern sense of the word) to me.

To be fair, it's quite important. If you did a first aid course and slapped a plaster on someone would you call yourself a doctor?

It isn't really that important though is it.

Oh, and your example is a little condescending.

Mind you, if I called for a first aider and got a doctor I'd be pleased. If I called for a mechanic and got an engineer I'd be disappointed 😉

Graham, you fix stuff and have a passion for engineering. That makes you OK in my book.

Daniel - nice looking build, those 2b rims? What vintage is she?

My neighbour what used to be a boilermaker/welder thinks he was an 'engineer'. He has very little understanding of engineering principles, however, or of materials. His bodged shelves and stuff on his balcony are well dodgy. But try telling him he's not an 'engineer'. It seems the term 'engineer' has changed in meaning over time, to now signify one with education to degree standard in Engineering.

MTQG knows a lot of things about stuff, and about engineering. I'd say he is certainly a form of engineer, if not an actual Engineer.

Anyway I find his threads fascinating which is all that matters quite frankly.

I knew a bloke who designed a plane ....wasn't an engineer was a carpenter ...could use his hands though .

I have BEng and CEng. I'm a Software Engineer.

Nice axle BTW

So are we getting any more bus pics?

RichPenny - Member

If I called for a mechanic and got an engineer I'd be disappointed

😀

An update on what's been going on in the Engineering Department at work today. 😉

New bushes in the springs.

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Lifting one of the springs in to place.

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I think that's an old Midland Red gearbox lift we inherited. I wouldn't be surprised if it's older than me.

Two cracks welded, one of them ground down to mate with the spring saddle.

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buses are the worst thing to work on after cars,

whats your opinion on the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid

Daniel, Series 1 80" ? They look like 2B rims to me too.
I did some major repairs to my 110 last year.
I've only got one fuzzy picture of the join between the existing chassis and the new bit I welded on.

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I wonder how many engineers can weld like that? They'd stand over it muttering about X-rays, crack tests, weakening of the alloy due to welding and demand the fitting of a new part to cover their arse. Meanwhile the mechanic gets on with fixing it on the basis that even if it cracks again the suspension will sag enough to tell everyone there is something amiss before it fails catastrophically.

I wonder how many engineers can weld like that? They'd stand over it muttering about X-rays, crack tests, weakening of the alloy due to welding and demand the fitting of a new part to cover their arse. Meanwhile the mechanic gets on with fixing it on the basis that even if it cracks again the suspension will sag enough to tell everyone there is something amiss before it fails catastrophically.

Which is why we need good engineers AND mechanics. One isn't 'better' then the other. Different skills, equally important, but don't confuse them.

Good point, Richmars and I can't see why people think a job title is so important.
In the USA, train drivers are called Engineers.
People who mend washing machines are called Service Engineers.
In the bus industry, it's just a left over term from the early days of motor transport when anyone who worked on engines was an Engineer.

[i]"...even if it cracks again the suspension will sag enough to tell everyone there is something amiss before it fails catastrophically"[/i]
The big clue with a rear axle is that the oil starts leaking out.
They always crack where the axle sits on the spring saddle. The oil leak is easily visible, the crack its self can't be seen until it's all dismantled.

I suspect that the fundamental difference is that 'engineers' don't take the bus to work.

Bradburys make the job so much easier
Back in my day jack bus up (Daimler Fleetline's)remove wheels,shackle pins,propshaft etc bolt on axle trolley,put pit boards down and push and shove axle from underneath.
We even had pits so tight to get onto you had to jack rear of bus up put greasy boards under tyres,remove jacks and half a dozen men would push rear end of bus across to line up with pit and then drive on.

Mind you, if I called for a first aider and got a doctor I'd be pleased.

That is of course based on the common but slightly dodgy assumption that somehow doctors can do first aid so much more brilliantly than first aiders. In fact, for most of my time, I practice third aid after the first aiders and community/primary care have had a go first. Despite 30 years of hospital and pre hospital care experience and training I am still significantly less effective at placing plasters in a neat and useful manner than most first aiders.

MidlandTrailquestsGraham - Member

buses are the worst thing to work on after cars,

Definitely. So many times I look at something and think "If they had moved that bit half an inch that way, this bit would come out a lot easier."
They are built on a chassis, then a body is built round it all, with no thought about how anyone is going to get to the oily bits afterwards.

whats your opinion on the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid

I'll let you know in 15 years time when they get "cascaded" down to us.

Posted 9 hours ago # Report-Post

Wasnt the leyland National built without a chassis ,the bodywork acted as a chassis to hang the engine etc off, then there are the mercedes integrals.

We also seem to get ex london or scotland cascaded buses, as well.

A lot of emergency ambulance staff are called technicians, though they do nothing technical... but anyway, my question MTG is;

I see lots of buses (well, maybe 2 a year) with engine fires. the always have the access flap open and a single comedy flame, about 4 inches tall emerging from the front of the engine (I've never looked closely at a bus engine, so couldn't tell you specifically which bit)

This always seems strange to me, as I would have thought a diesel on fire would be a smokey mess, and by the time the engine actually goes up it would be a significant issue, yet its always the weird single flame? Any suggestions as to what is going on (I've not seen one this year yet).

nice post MTG, keep it up.

Went from working on psv's to building these

That is of course based on the common but slightly dodgy assumption that somehow doctors can do first aid so much more brilliantly than first aiders.

No it isn't. I'm a first aider so it isn't an assumption it's based on personal experience 😉

Project, I don't know, they're before my time.
I know the bodywork, and even the glass, is structural on some coaches.

Meehaja, I don't know what that is either.
Bus engine compartments get very hot, it could be just a small oil leak getting on to the manifold maybe ? Even antifreeze can burn if vapourised on to a hot surface according to a "thermal incident" warning notice we had.

And to all those who think that buses are dull, do you get people peering through the fence where you work, writing down numbers and keeping track of what equipment you have got, then setting up a website all about it ? 😛
http://www.reddibus.com/Vehicle%20Allocations.htm

MidlandTrailquestsGraham - Member
And to all those who think that buses are dull, do you get people peering through the fence where you work, writing down numbers and keeping track of what equipment you have got, then setting up a website all about it ?
http://www.reddibus.com/Vehicle%20Allocations.htm

Posted 1 hour ago # Report-Post

Puts hand up in shame, and then hides, before the naughty man in overalls shouts abuse at me and freinds.
(well it was quite a few years ago, but i still love buses)

And to all those who think that buses are dull, do you get people peering through the fence where you work, writing down numbers and keeping track of what equipment you have got, then setting up a website all about it ?

Bus nutters

Wasnt the leyland National built without a chassis ,the bodywork acted as a chassis to hang the engine etc off, then there are the mercedes integrals

Several buses/coaches have been built with integral chassis.
Latest one I know of was the Plaxton R-Series with Dennis modules, which had a full stainless steel integral chassis, with a ZF independant suspension/steering module bolted on the front, and one of various engine/gearbox combos bolted on the back.
Was the most powerful coach available when it was launched back in 2000, with the option of a Cummins ISC pushing out 410 horses, coupled via the then recently launched ZF AStronic 12speed ASM box (very impressive piece of engineering in it's own right!).

And just to ensure they crammed as much of the latest technology as possible into it, it was also one of the first production coaches to use a full CAN bus system for the body electrics.

Only reason I know so much about it, was a relative bought the first production one, and I done a college presentation on the technology in it.
The gearbox still fascinates me, as it contained no syncros, and instead relied on internal air brakes to match shaft speeds when changing up gear, and then double declutching to match speeds when changing down gears.

Which is why we need good engineers AND mechanics. One isn't 'better' then the other. Different skills, equally important, but don't confuse them

Some bicycle mechanics earlier...
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Nuts to the haters, threads like this are interesting, well to me anyway, better than the usual arguing about politics.

Just to throw another one into the mix, mechanics work on cars, fitters work on hgv's and psv's. Well thats what I always thought, my dad was a hgv fitter for 20 years. I was about to say how can you have an IT engineer then i looked it up on wiki

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical and practical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, safety and cost.[1][2] The word engineer is derived from the Latin root ingenium, meaning "cleverness".[3]

Engineers are grounded in applied sciences, and their work in research and development is distinct from the basic research focus of scientists.[2] The work of engineers forms the link between scientific discoveries and their subsequent applications to human needs.[1]

Oh, and you shouldn't really use a weave that big when mig welding otherwise you risk a lack of side wall fusion (3g coded welder, well I was) 😉

The term 'Engineer' to describe only those who have academic qualifications is elitist and divisive, although you do need some sort of distinction I spose otherwise people like my neighbour think they're 'engineers'. The bloke swore blind that the most important screw on a hanging basket bracket was the lower one. So I suggested he try hanging the basket off the bracket using only the lower screw. Even his dozy wife was squawking 'he's an engineer!' at me, as though I'm some sort of thick ignoramus. Stupid cah. He's forever correcting mistakes he's made simply because he has such limited knowledge of [i]engineering[/i]. Then he's amazed that something simple I've done actually works quite well. 🙄

I'm going to wade into this, as it's a joking argument that I regularly have with my Dad, he too spends his working hours hitting busses with lump hammers, I spend my working hours designing bits of chemical plant, I'm an engineer (the one who designs stuff) he's a mechanic/technician (the unfortunate sod who has to deal with someone like me's lack of appreciation of ergonomics!)

Call me suspicious but I think the reason everybody wants to be called an engineer rather than a mechanic etc is because engineers are better paid, or should.

Edit: Your dad's a mechanical engineer 😉

Edit: Your dad's a mechanical engineer

🙄

😉

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This is an little engineering job i did a bit of work on. I am neither mechanic or engineer, but can make stuff.