T minus and counting - 2015

[carlosj]

Fill yer boots

George Schlitz must have thought big, in 1914 he converted the 120 passenger Stephenson bus below, so that it could be pulled by motive power. Previously it was considered to be the largest horse drawn bus in the world and it was pulled by ten horses. George modified it so that it could be pulled fifth wheel style by a Martin Tractor which was produced by the Knox Automobile Company of Springfield, MA.

Schlitz used this Martin pulled bus to transport passengers to and from Brooklyn into New York City. Stop and think about it for a moment and envision what this operation must have really looked and sounded like at the time in crowded city streets. It appears that Schlitz may have increased the capacity of the bus by also putting passengers on the roof, which we have observed in photos of other buses of the time. The roof was accessible from ladders on the bus body.

[Gnomicide]

[guypjfreak]

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

[grumpyhack]

[whisty]

Beers anybody?

[guypjfreak]

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I don't want to do the toy car thing anymore, and this just jumped out at me;

A tasty little four there.

[grumpyhack]

Toys for the boys

And a reg no for James Bond and me

[whisty]

I don't want to do the toy car thing anymore, and this just jumped out at me;

You're in a Rut, you gotta get out of it, out of it, out of it:)

I'm stuck with trams till the end I fear, maybe with an odd interjection of other stuff.

Edited February 25, 2015 by whisty

[grumpyhack]

I'm stuck too with my self-imposed challenge of not just a bus route number but the actual number we're looking for on the number plate.

A bit of advanced warning, I'm off on holiday next Tuesday to Vietnam for a fortnight so will have to leave you carrying the torch for a while.

[Pear_Cider]

I'm still free as a bird! No self-imposed restrictions Now, let's have a look for today's offering...

Oh, and well done on the quadruple score there Yog ;-)

Edited February 25, 2015 by Pear_Cider

[Pear_Cider]

[guypjfreak]

[grumpyhack]

Off to the seaside at Porthcawl

Plus a toy

And three 117s on this one

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

A bit of advanced warning, I'm off on holiday next Tuesday to Vietnam for a fortnight so will have to leave you carrying the torch for a while.

Vietnam is my favourite country to have visited. We did the north to south route. Are you going to Halong Bay? It's a magical place. Anyway, good luck crossing the roads - at many times you've just got to step out and steadily walk and all the mopeds and motor bikes will weave around you. Don't stop suddenly or pick up your pace suddenly and all will be OK.

Here's a taster of their non existent traffic control arrangements;

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

[LondonTom]

Big up the Westside massive!

[grumpyhack]

Thanks for the Vietnam warning Yog. Not a place for timid drivers.

We're doing four days in Saigon, four in Halong and four in Hanoi with train links between.

[whisty]

Have a great time Grumpy. We'll miss you for sure

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Thanks for the Vietnam warning Yog. Not a place for timid drivers.

We're doing four days in Saigon, four in Halong and four in Hanoi with train links between.

Hello grumpy.

Is it a pre-organised tour or are you taking things in as you think fit?

We were able to take internal flights because they were cheap at the time. The trains aren't supposed to be the best experience, but I guess you get to see more of the country that way.

The only bad experience I had was going to see the water puppets in Hanoi. To me it was excruciatingly boring. That said, some people seem to like it. Horses for courses I suppose.

[grumpyhack]

Hi Yog,

It's pre-organised in that we have vouchers for all the flights, trains, hotels and even tours with a 'personal' guide for the four of us.

But most of the hotels are only booked for B&B so we'll explore for our evening meals.

For the train trip we have a four berth cabin booked so we don't have to travel 'cattle class.'

It's about as sanitised as you can get - not my choosing. The whole thing was fixed up and booked last June by Mrs Grumpyhack and my mate's wife when they had a Travelzoo offer while we were at Glasto. So the first we knew was when a text came through from home to say we were off to Vietnam.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Hi Yog,

It's pre-organised in that we have vouchers for all the flights, trains, hotels and even tours with a 'personal' guide for the four of us.

But most of the hotels are only booked for B&B so we'll explore for our evening meals.

For the train trip we have a four berth cabin booked so we don't have to travel 'cattle class.'

It's about as sanitised as you can get - not my choosing. The whole thing was fixed up and booked last June by Mrs Grumpyhack and my mate's wife when they had a Travelzoo offer while we were at Glasto. So the first we knew was when a text came through from home to say we were off to Vietnam.

You'll have great fun. Only doing B&B is a good choice as there's loads of lovely food places. We tried the street food on many occassions and never once had an upset stomach. If you get the chance then go to The Rooftop Bar and Restaurant in Hanoi, if only to have a drink. The reason for this is that it gives you a fantastic view over the city. Dress smart / casual.

[guypjfreak]

safe travels grumpy old son ..

[Gnomicide]