The group acquired F805FAO back in November 2012, with the initial plan to tidy up the bus over the winter to then rally it for a few years in its current condition. The long term plan was to retain it's unique Cumberland Motor Services colours but apply Carlisle Bus fleet names instead of the cms Cumberland ones. Restoration would also turn to the interior of the bus, and restore original features where possible inline.
One of the first outings of 1005 as a Carlisle Bus preserved vehicle was to Stagecoach's West Cumbria Lillyhall depot to recover various parts off other Leyland Olympians which were up for disposal and heading for scrap.
As you can imagine, the weather for such trip in December to the West Coast was rather brisk, as can be seen from a photograph taken on the day.
Olympians pending scrap at Lillyhall included fellow Cumberland example
14259 (H119SAO).
Back at the Carlisle garage, the first job of the new year was to remove all seats from the bus and begin the task of sanding down and repainting the seat frames.
With almost forty seats to restore, this task would take time and patience. The job also allowed us to clean throughly where the seats had been.
As January progressed, the bodyshop team began to replace some of the damaged panels on the near-side of the bus.
Being nearest the curb, the near-side in particular had picked up a few injuries from trees and debris from the side of the road. The panel straps between damaged panels were removed by drilling out the rivets which allowed the panels to be taken off the bus and discarded. Brand new aluminum panels and panel straps were then fixed to the bus, which could be primed and painted at a later date.
The roof also required the attension of our bodyman. Some areas of the roof line had been damaged by trees, so panels here had to be replaced.
Further panels were also replaced around the bottom of the bus which had been damaged by crubs and ground debris.
As January progressed, the bodyshop team began to replace some of the damaged panels on the near-side of the bus.
Being nearest the curb, the near-side in particular had picked up a few injuries from trees and debris from the side of the road. The panel straps between damaged panels were removed by drilling out the rivets which allowed the panels to be taken off the bus and discarded. Brand new aluminum panels and panel straps were then fixed to the bus, which could be primed and painted at a later date.
The roof also required the attension of our bodyman. Some areas of the roof line had been damaged by trees, so panels here had to be replaced.
Further panels were also replaced around the bottom of the bus which had been damaged by crubs and ground debris.
