1. The first vsnap in this set
shows MPE29 as we found it parked on the day of the move.
MPE29 - Driving MPE29 To Fife
Buying MPE29 from Kelvin Central (actually Strathclyde Buses which had just taken over) was fairly easy - but it was stored at the former Midland bus garage at Kirkintilloch prior to the purchase and had to be moved almost immediately. All but one of the following pictures are taken from camcorder footage I took on the day of the move, which was 1st September 1995.
1. The first vsnap in this set
shows MPE29 as we found it parked on the day of the move.
2. The first problem we had to overcome
was the fact that there was a large hole in the side of the vehicle, with the
ragged edges hanging outward. We spent a few minutes pushing the metal back into
the hole and wedging it tightly so that it would not spring out again or flap
about during the journey.
3. The first problem we had to overcome
was the fact that there was a large hole in the side of the vehicle, with the
ragged edges hanging outward. We spent a few minutes pushing the metal back into
the hole and wedging it tightly so that it would not spring out again or flap
about during the journey.
4. Now for a view taken from the inside
showing the open back area. The clutter seen here was quite genuine, as we wouldn't
have been allowed to pick up just anything lying about in the depot - this stuff
was inside when we inspected it a week earlier and since we weren't asked to remove
it, was included in the sale. (More about this later!)
5. A nice front view taken as my friend
Peter (who had experience of driving older Leyland Leopards and helped me out by
doing the driving) starts MPE29 up.
6. We then started it up (no problem
there - went first time), and started to test the lights and indicators. This
vsnap shows the offside damage after we had prepared it for travel, and as you
can see it still isn't a pretty sight.
7. Peter then started maneuvering
MPE29 around the depot to check the condition of the steering and the brakes.
I had already had to go ande fetch fuel, to make sure that we would have enough.
This picture has a good view of the small hydraulic crane mounted on the back,
used for lifting spare wheels and suchlike.
8. Regrettably I messed up filming our
departure from Kirkintilloch, but I was able to get some footage of MPE29 on the
way to Fife. Since I was myself driving (we had to use my car to get to
Kirkintilloch), this was mainly at junctions and laybys, since I wasn't going to
risk an accident. Here is a typical picture showing MPE29 at a junction near Falkirk.
9. Another vsnap at the same junction as
in the last picture. We avoided motorways and dual-carriageways wherever possible
as a bus like this (converted or otherwise) is not suitable for hammering along at
speed - many engines have been ruined this way. Ironically this route took us past
the place where MPE29 was bodied - Alexanders of Falkirk is less than a mile down
the road from this junction, although they perhaps wouldn't have been proud of
MPE29s bodywork on this date!
10. Still in the Falkirk area, and
off-route to boot! In the mid-90s I seemed to find a newly built roundabout every
time I went to the Falkirk area, and this time managed to lead MPE29 into a new
industrial estate at Larbert by mistake! (And I was only leading because I
supposedly knew which way to go!) This vsnap shows MPE29 after it has passed me,
as it goes further in to turn back at yet another roundabout!
11. Still off-course, but turning back!
Peter fights the heavy manual steering as MPE29 goes round a roundabout to reverse
course.
12. Course reversed, Peter heads back
past me and will turn left at the next roundabout to get back on the road to Fife!
(It's a good thing I wasn't on board!)
13. Not long after we passed over the
Kincardine bridge into Fife, and soon after stopped for a break. I took the
chance to get a shot of both MPE29 and my car. This car was later stolen with
all my tools and was (as far as I know) never recovered.
14. MPE29 moving off from the layby
near Kincardine where we stopped for a break.
15. MPE29 has a fair acceleration when
required, and getting out onto a busy road, even a short dual-carrigeway, was
enough to shake loose the 'verandah door'. Alistair is seen here shutting it again!
16. Our chosen route avoided the Fife
Regional Road, so as not to strain MPE29s engine too much, but instead took us
through Kirkcaldy. As there was very little traffic about, I risked a very short
piece of footage of it passing Kirkcaldy bus garage. Just after this was taken
we stopped for a while in the large car park on the Kirkcaldy sea-front which,
purely coincidentally, had (and at the time of writing still has) a very good
snack bar!
17. The last leg of the journey took
us to the Levenmouth area, and MPE29 is seen here crawling round one of the
local roundabouts.
18. Rather than take the shortest
route to Methil, we made a detour to pick up a friend who wasn't available
to help that day but could spare an hour or so for a quick trip on MPE29 to
Methil. This short stop was probably something of a relief to the late
afternoon traffic stuck behind us!
19. Having driven all the way from
Kirkintilloch, Peter managed to stall MPE29 going in the gate of its new home!
Incidentally the part with the word 'Recovery' on it is removable, and was just
slotted in the wrong way up on the day!
20. Having stalled once, Peter managed
it again while trying to find reverse to put it neatly into its new parking position.
To be fair, MPE29s engine proved to have a tendency to drop it's revs at tick-over
when warm, which isn't bad as such but which was causing this stalling. (And just
in case I haven't thanked him enough over the years, thanks again to Peter for
driving it for me!)
21. MPE29 finally reverses into its
new parking position. Despite many developments in my preservation activities
over the years since, it is still parked at the time or writing (January 2001)
within yards of the position shown here.
22. Finally, to close this section
here is an esnap (scanned photo) I took just after MPE29 had arrived at Methil.
Despite being very similar to the last of the vsnaps, it is included for two
main reasons. First, it was one of the four pictures of MPE29 that I displayed
on this website prior to preparing this feature (in January 2001) and I didn't
want to drop it out, and secondly, it is a good comparison between a bad scan
of a bad photo, and a well chosen vsnap from camcorder footage taken on an
equally gloomy day - although the vsnap should lose by a mile, I'm afraid this
esnap is actually worse! (And cost more to take!)
Disclaimer