RF366 A Drivers eye view

[moggs69]

pre select can drive on auto licence ,, cos not classed as a clutch was an opperating pedal on some the pedal could be harsh

[whispertread]

Pre-selective gearboxes were very easy to drive. The clutch was automatic and you changed gear by pressing the pedal that was in the place a clutch-pedal would be.

Moving off was very smooth as I think the clutch was a Daimler Fluid Flywheel.

I had a 4 - speed gearbox just like the RT type buses on an old 1934 BSA Four-wheeler car. I used to watch the drivers on the RT bus routes around North London when I travelled every day to Harrow and back from Watford.

Very laid-back driving.

[moggs69]

the bus has no power steering so steering can b heavy,, u need to look ahead more cos u need to plan your gears, i passed mine in an ole leyland leopard 4 speed split crash

[moggs69]

old pre select ,harder to get the gears right than a manual

[grey8biker]

Ah. Brings back all of those miles I travelled on routes 241 and 228. Was it really half a century ago?

[applesweeter]

is this bus difficult to drive?

[moggs69]

a pre-select gears r harder to master than a manual or a semi auto box

[tileajb1]

Quite agree regarding the comments on the gear changing, I was taught to drive the RT's and the selector should always be one position in front of the gear you were in being a preselector box. Used to pride myself on the smoothness of down snap changes when climbing hills, what would'nt I give for just one more chance to drive an RT again, happy days even if you did roast your left leg/foot in the summer!

[byoungtractors]

well they where made for idiots to drive

[twoslices]

@tileajb1 Did you ever drive an RTL leyland? I loved the sound they made.When I was a kid I used to diliberately miss an RT to wait for an RTL to come along!

[kogvos]

Wellington City Transport in New Zealand used to have 1957 model Reliances with the 7.7 litre motor and 4 speed fluid flywheel (no clutch). They had similar looking bodies aslo by MCW. They had a hard life up and down Wellington's hills but didn't get retired until well into the 1980's.

[stationendproduction]

nice vid, the bottom road in the 1st shot is now 1 way, also the road it comes down is now a pedestrian area

[tiddybumbum]

Having driven dozens of different types of buses with LT the old RF was my favourite .

Used on 215 from Kingston to Cobham was a lovely route...don't remember the trafficators making that racket though.

[merlinbus]

Tut tut. Pulling up the hand brake whilst still moving and missing out gears on the up changes. When I drove RF`s and RT`s in service with LT many years ago, the Mechanical Inspector would have had me back in the driving school for such things.

[omepeet2006]

There used to be a lot of Regal Mk IVs in the Netherlands as well - Amsterdam bought 80 of 'em - and the memories of the sounds they made really came alive watching this vid! Also nice to see a pre-selector bus in action. Most Regals I remember were monocontrols. Cheers!

[video47]

I remember these rally's in Halifax in both October and the Spring. Brings back memorues.

[trakmac]

This bus was a Warminster running day regular. I have ridden in it on many of the occasions that I have visited this event.