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[Seth]

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordYNTEngine.jpg

In 1981, the Bedford 'YNT' model was born, and here's the heart of the latest chassis.

It's the 'Blue Series' 8.2-litre '500' unit, though now turbocharged to produce 206 BHP at 2500 rpm.
For the 10-metre 'YMQ' chassis a 175 BHP 'low blow' version of the same engine was specified.

Love 'em or hate 'em - the '500 turbo' certainly performed well when compared with it's predecessor, the '466' as employed in the YRQ and YRT models.
However, operational experiences with the Blue Series units was decidedly mixed, and tales of catastrophic failures (especially if driven hard), were all too common.
Some operators, on the other hand, reported excellent operational reliability with 'em! 


http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordY-Series.jpg

Here's a late-model YNT with Plaxtons 'Paramount I Express' body from the long-established Yeomans of Hereford fleet, resting at Barry Island in Summer 1990.

From the outset, this model was offered with the six-speed Turner M6 gearbox, which proved to be quite troublesome in service.
Bedford counteracted this by fitting the renowned ZF six-speed 'Synchroma' 'box, which was a highly-regarded unit throughout the bus industry.
A ZF-boxed YNT was quite a fine machine in my opinion!

Production of the 10-metre YLQ and 11-metre YMT continued alongside the turbocharged models, and featured the naturally-aspirated '500' engine, known as the 'Red Series' units.

Yeomans were ardent Bedford operators for many years, and their fleet was then 100% Bedford-based.
They were obviously very happy with the marque.

Maybe something of a swansong ........
One final 'Y-series' model would be Bedford's final attempt at the 'heavyweight' market .........

In the presumed absence of a climate control system how was the passenger area of these coached heated and ventilated?

Given the large amount of glass used, the condensation must have been significant when carrying more than a few passengers.

I can't recall any problems regarding heating/ventilation Z.

There were individual passenger-controlled vents mounted in the overhead luggage racks, plus floor-level heating, which conventionally utilised the engine coolant.
We had similarly-bodied coaches on Leyland 'Tiger' chassis, and these were specified with the addition of a Webasto diesel-fired combustion heater, which was plumbed into the cooling system. It could be pre-set to operate prior to a cold start, so the interior was nice and cosy before the driver boarded.
A brilliant and reliable set-up!

[Lizzie_Zoom]

All the way through this "Bedford" part of the thread we have been designating Y / YNT / and other prefixes to the various types.  Asking maybe a stupid question, but did they actually mean anything, or were they just a designers method of coding?  :-/ :-/

[Lizzie_Zoom]

................and talking about prefixes...................

This is the Bedford "Y" series chassis in detail, which we all know is beneath the floor but rarely see!



Byron no doubt will tell us all a lot more about this one!

[Seth]

All the way through this "Bedford" part of the thread we have been designating Y / YNT / and other prefixes to the various types.  Asking maybe a stupid question, but did they actually mean anything, or were they just a designers method of coding?  :-/ :-/

Without going into too much detail Lizzie, here's a couple of examples ..............

YRT: Y = Mid-engined; R = '466' engine; T = 13000kg gross weight

YLQ: Y = Mid-engined; L = '500' 'Red-series' engine; Q = 11400kg GVW



And to add further interest (and/or probably confusion too!), at around this point in time .......
The little 'VAS' model became the 'PJK' whilst the evergreen 'SB' was redesignated as the 'NJM' 

[CaptainZok]

You'd need some fair jump leads to get to the batteries.

[Seth]

Here's Bedford's final foray with the mid-engined chassis concept.

Launched in Autumn 1984, the Venturer was designated 'YNV' - and was their first model to be named.

The Venturer was of 12-metre length, with a creditable weight of just under 4.5 tonnes, and modestly retailed at just over £24k.
The specification was quite impressive too, with the 206 BHP 'Blue-series' engine and 6-speed ZF 'Synchroma' gearbox being retained from the 'YNT' model. Full air suspension was incorporated, along with spring-assisted parking-brakes. The picture clearly shows that the longitudinal chassis members were swept outward around the engine area to improve accessibility without compromising structural rigidity.

With a simulated full passenger/luggage load, the bodied coach grossed around 14.5 tonnes, at which weight the turbocharged '500' engine was quite satisfactory. Optional higher-rated tyres would allow higher-spec bodywork, pushing the GVW up to over 16 tonnes, and this was when the problem of power again reared it's ugly head. This made many operators suspicious of the durability of the sole engine option, given their previous experiences with this unit.

The Venturer probably came too late in the day for Bedford to recapture it's share of a market that was becoming increasingly dominated by foreign-built chassis. Although I personally liked their relative simplicity, in reality it was probably doomed from the start, with only 120-odd chassis being sold in the first year of production.

Ironically, despite poor sales figures, the YNV was a lovely coach to drive.
What a pity then, that it didn't receive support from those who should have done so. :-?
 

 

[Seth]

You'd need some fair jump leads to get to the batteries.

Aye John, though some body-builders moved them into the side lockers.

[lyndon creamline]

hi byron,, seems your a wealth of information when it comes to creamline,, would love to hear from you if you have some time,, great to see the photo of creamline
it was my great uncles company

cheers
lyndon

[Vamps]

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordYNTEngine.jpg

In 1981, the Bedford 'YNT' model was born, and here's the heart of the latest chassis.

It's the 'Blue Series' 8.2-litre '500' unit, though now turbocharged to produce 206 BHP at 2500 rpm.
For the 10-metre 'YMQ' chassis a 175 BHP 'low blow' version of the same engine was specified.

Love 'em or hate 'em - the '500 turbo' certainly performed well when compared with it's predecessor, the '466' as employed in the YRQ and YRT models.
However, operational experiences with the Blue Series units was decidedly mixed, and tales of catastrophic failures (especially if driven hard), were all too common.
Some operators, on the other hand, reported excellent operational reliability with 'em! 


http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordY-Series.jpg

Here's a late-model YNT with Plaxtons 'Paramount I Express' body from the long-established Yeomans of Hereford fleet, resting at Barry Island in Summer 1990.

From the outset, this model was offered with the six-speed Turner M6 gearbox, which proved to be quite troublesome in service.
Bedford counteracted this by fitting the renowned ZF six-speed 'Synchroma' 'box, which was a highly-regarded unit throughout the bus industry.
A ZF-boxed YNT was quite a fine machine in my opinion!

Production of the 10-metre YLQ and 11-metre YMT continued alongside the turbocharged models, and featured the naturally-aspirated '500' engine, known as the 'Red Series' units.

Yeomans were ardent Bedford operators for many years, and their fleet was then 100% Bedford-based.
They were obviously very happy with the marque.

Maybe something of a swansong ........
One final 'Y-series' model would be Bedford's final attempt at the 'heavyweight' market .........

In the presumed absence of a climate control system how was the passenger area of these coached heated and ventilated?

Given the large amount of glass used, the condensation must have been significant when carrying more than a few passengers.

I can't recall any problems regarding heating/ventilation Z.

There were individual passenger-controlled vents mounted in the overhead luggage racks, plus floor-level heating, which conventionally utilised the engine coolant.
We had similarly-bodied coaches on Leyland 'Tiger' chassis, and these were specified with the addition of a Webasto diesel-fired combustion heater, which was plumbed into the cooling system. It could be pre-set to operate prior to a cold start, so the interior was nice and cosy before the driver boarded.
A brilliant and reliable set-up!

I have memories of cold steamed up side windows in the winter and being like a greenhouse in the summer, even with the roof vents open, and terrible if stuck in traffic.......we had electric cooling fans for the driver, pure luxury......

[Seth]

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordYNTEngine.jpg

In 1981, the Bedford 'YNT' model was born, and here's the heart of the latest chassis.

It's the 'Blue Series' 8.2-litre '500' unit, though now turbocharged to produce 206 BHP at 2500 rpm.
For the 10-metre 'YMQ' chassis a 175 BHP 'low blow' version of the same engine was specified.

Love 'em or hate 'em - the '500 turbo' certainly performed well when compared with it's predecessor, the '466' as employed in the YRQ and YRT models.
However, operational experiences with the Blue Series units was decidedly mixed, and tales of catastrophic failures (especially if driven hard), were all too common.
Some operators, on the other hand, reported excellent operational reliability with 'em! 


http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk247/lizziefreeman/Trains%20Planes%20Buses%20%20Cars/BedfordY-Series.jpg

Here's a late-model YNT with Plaxtons 'Paramount I Express' body from the long-established Yeomans of Hereford fleet, resting at Barry Island in Summer 1990.

From the outset, this model was offered with the six-speed Turner M6 gearbox, which proved to be quite troublesome in service.
Bedford counteracted this by fitting the renowned ZF six-speed 'Synchroma' 'box, which was a highly-regarded unit throughout the bus industry.
A ZF-boxed YNT was quite a fine machine in my opinion!

Production of the 10-metre YLQ and 11-metre YMT continued alongside the turbocharged models, and featured the naturally-aspirated '500' engine, known as the 'Red Series' units.

Yeomans were ardent Bedford operators for many years, and their fleet was then 100% Bedford-based.
They were obviously very happy with the marque.

Maybe something of a swansong ........
One final 'Y-series' model would be Bedford's final attempt at the 'heavyweight' market .........

In the presumed absence of a climate control system how was the passenger area of these coached heated and ventilated?

Given the large amount of glass used, the condensation must have been significant when carrying more than a few passengers.

I can't recall any problems regarding heating/ventilation Z.

There were individual passenger-controlled vents mounted in the overhead luggage racks, plus floor-level heating, which conventionally utilised the engine coolant.
We had similarly-bodied coaches on Leyland 'Tiger' chassis, and these were specified with the addition of a Webasto diesel-fired combustion heater, which was plumbed into the cooling system. It could be pre-set to operate prior to a cold start, so the interior was nice and cosy before the driver boarded.
A brilliant and reliable set-up!

I have memories of cold steamed up side windows in the winter and being like a greenhouse in the summer, even with the roof vents open, and terrible if stuck in traffic.......we had electric cooling fans for the driver, pure luxury......

Oops - I forgot to mention that the Plaxton Paramount range had double-glazed side windows as standard Mike!
 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

You'd need some fair jump leads to get to the batteries.

Aye John, though some body-builders moved them into the side lockers.

Yes, I remember that the batteries were positioned under the floor just ahead of the back seats in my 1958 Duple, but the guy who looked after the mechanics on her always found it very straightforward to carry out work on them.  Once the floor openings were lifted they were easily accessed.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

This is the next Bedford for looking at, and how lovely is that!!

It is a Bedford YNV, or Venturer:



Byron, over to you!

[Martin_1962]

All this information needs collating and publishing on the internet on its own site.

I am willing to help if necessary.

[The Red Baron]

All this information needs collating and publishing on the internet on its own site.

I am willing to help if necessary.

i agree, would be a shame for it all to be lost. 

[Seth]

Ms Zoom is spot on here - 'tis indeed a Bedford YNV, or 'Venturer' - and also one of the very last of this model to enter service!

From the immaculately-presented fleet of Ledbury-based Newbury Coaches, it has a 57-seat 'Paramount III 3200' body by Plaxtons of Scarborough.









The location is Cheltenham's Royal Well Bus Station, in the Summer of 1990.

This view portrays the 12-metre length of the Venturer very well, though when fully-loaded with (in this case), 57 passengers, it would've been pretty well on it's limit, performance-wise. Still, with a good driver in charge, she'd eat the miles away, though would be no real challenge to a Volvo B10M or Leyland B43 Tiger.
That said, both the latter models had around 20% more horses under the floor.

There had already been thoughts on offering the Venturer with a 250 BHP Cummins L10 engine, though nothing came of this. It's a great pity that this option never materialised, as the Bedford would certainly have then been capable of giving the competition a run for it's money!

Contemporary Bedford publicity extolled the Venturer as "The heavyweight challenger with middleweight economics" though it seemed as if someone within the higher echelons didn't want the YNV to succeed - this model really deserved to be a success .............