🚌 Behind the Scenes Recap A breakdown of what never made it to camera during our free public heritage bus service for the Newton-le-Willows Town Show on August 1, 2026.
Morning Preparations & Air Pressure Gremlins
Jordan and Scott’s day kicked off at 8:00 AM sharp. Before hitting the road, we had to finish emptying and cleaning the bus, followed by a rigorous first-use safety check—critical given that we’d be carrying members of the public all day.
- Fluid Checks: Checked the oil levels; everything was in good order.
- Startup & Air Pressure: Fired up smoothly (unlike bus 114!). The low air pressure warning buzzer screamed on startup, which is completely normal until tanks 1, 2, and 3 reach around 6 Bar of pressure. While letting the cold engine idle to build pressure, we finished sweeping out the last of the rubbish.
- The Handbrake Hurdle: Once the alarm silenced, we ran into our first real hurdle. Despite Jordan driving the bus the day before with zero fuel issues, the bus acted like a moody teenager being woken up early.
- When Jordan put it in gear and released the handbrake, the system dumped its air. Even with a full 10 Bar of pressure, it refused to release.
- With a little force in gear and high revs, we inched forward accompanied by some loud bangs from the brakes.
- We reapplied the handbrake to rebuild pressure, tried again, and the bus finally cooperated, rolling freely. Though it still had a minor air leak, it was safe enough to drive on. By the time we arrived, the issue had completely cleared up—likely just a bit of crud drawn through the valve that worked itself out with use.
The Cruise & Arrival
We enjoyed a lovely, chilled motorway trip down at 40 MPH with the music on full blast. It wasn’t filmed because Jordan and Scott just needed a peaceful drive with a good mate before the rush.
Leaving plenty of time meant we arrived relaxed, allowing the mighty Cummins 5.9L engine to have a breather and cool off before dragging its soul through hell with a full day of service.
Service Highlights & Timetable Hiccups
- Trip 1 (The Big Surprise): Normally, the first trip is pretty much empty. Instead, when we arrived at Earlstown Bus Station, it looked like we were emptying the whole station! We picked up a surprisingly full load with standing room only. We then headed to the Bradlegh Road estate, picking up even more passengers until we were completely packed.
- The Timetable Mistake: On our return trip from the event back to Earlstown, we accidentally departed 10 minutes early on the wrong timetable. Normally we would have waited out our time, but the bus was already crammed to capacity with zero room for buggies. We made the executive call to run early to give the estate residents a chance to board before space ran out completely.
- Trip 3 & Complaints: We fell back onto the published timetable for trip 3, prompting a completely fair complaint from a lady at Earlstown who had missed us. However, that family had a pram anyway, so they wouldn’t have fit on the packed bus regardless!
- Trip 4 & Beyond: Things settled down as most attendees had already arrived at the event. The rest of the scheduled trips went off without a hitch.
- The On-Demand Mystery: We ran our final on-demand trip from the event and were surprised to find people waiting in the bus station. Moving forward, we will not publish the on-demand trip. Because it was listed on the timetable, passengers treated it like a fixed service. Historically, we added it because people were always waiting when we returned from the final trip, but publishing it caused confusion. Moving forward, we’ll simply run extras organically if crowds are waiting to return.
📊 Day Stats for the Nerds (Approximate)
Total Passengers: Estimated around 150 to 180
Miles Driven:
Dead (Out of Service): 46
In Service: 54
Total: 100 miles
Fuel Used: Roughly 30L to 40L (exact MPG unknown due to analog setup)
