Glenorie Coaches

09/06/2024

A big thank you to the Sydney Bus Museum for the invite to this year’s Deckers in the Night! Was an awesome night riding on vintage double deckers whilst enjoying Vivid Sydney with great company. Special thanks to Maikha Ly for this magic shot under the bridge last night. Our Austral DD2 MAN 22.360 was one of only a tiny handful of Austral double deckers ever built and the last still in passenger service.

01/06/2024

Full credit to the team at Coachcare and Designwriter for our latest project. To see the full transformation check out their page! Even more exciting is the next project that we delivered this morning which will no doubt show up on their page. Thanks again David Bishop!

31/05/2024

What a stunner! Saturday brought us up to the absolute experts in bus refurbishments: Coachcare. Job number 14 has been the one I’ve been most excited about. Here’s a quick shot of a tragic bus nut, the man himself David Bishop and our Ops Manager Michael Kinnaird. Thanks fellas! Could not have done it without you guys. Stay tuned for a few more photos when we get the chance.

09/03/2024

Here’s a short video of our latest Motorcoach including a short demonstration of driving it clutchless. Featuring a 7-speed Eaton Fuller non-synchromesh, a ridiculously heavy clutch and a 500HP Detroit Diesel Series 60, she is a tribute to the former operator McCafferty’s

08/03/2024

Our next madness project finally hit the road today! We never imagined another stretched Motorcoach would enter our fleet and end up a tribute to one of the legendary coach companies to ever grace our highways. McCafferty's was an icon in our industry. I loved watching the coaches on Eddy Ave as a child (even though Firefly's HD1s were my favourite) followed by eventually tailing them up and down the Bruce Highway on my regular Sydney to Cairns tours.

Feel free to scroll through our photos all with captions to learn the story:

19/01/2024

Always guilty of crazy ideas, here's the story how an ex-State Transit Airport Express made it back to Sydney, and a PMC160 made it back into our fleet. It was December 2022, and we happened to already be in Brisbane saving an ex-Glenorie Bus Co B10M. Up in the Sunshine Coast were 2x ex-Brisbane Bus Lines O405s for sale. Whilst a fair way out of service they had gone through the full Queensland Transport life cycle including a frame inspection in 2009 and a life extension in 2015. For those not in the know, a life extension involves the stub axles and all steering arms removed and crack tested, a full overhaul and refurbishment of the complete braking systems, and an inspection to ensure the vehicle is free from oil, water, air, vacuum, exhaust and power steering leaks.

Always wanting to learn more about other state's system it was a case of saving a former Sydney bus but mainly to see how the Queensland system stood the test of time. In a nutshell, it was pretty disappointing and we should never have done it. From what we've seen age limits cause bus companies to give up on their buses, and in their final years maintenance suffers.

To learn more about our PMC160 Mercedes, feel free to scroll through the photos all with captions:

13/01/2024

Overall 2023 was an excellent year re-shaping our operation post COVID. We invested heavily into our depot & workshop, creating a work space to have two coaches on hoists at any time. We were able to re-organise our staff to put together our strongest on-road and management team to date - one that even allowed me to take my first real family holiday in a decade. We rolled out a new IT system to become near paperless and speed up our response times to customers. Our last big achievement was the re-opening of our panel shop, allowing us to get back into what we've always loved - doing up buses and keeping them looking top notch.

Just before the Christmas shutdown we had tidied up the accumulated damage over the last two years. Thankfully there was very little thanks to the amazing team of drivers we have. Our staff are well known for their professionalism which shows in their care for their vehicles but most importantly our customers. We take at-fault accidents seriously. That pole that didn't move could well have been a pedestrian. Hence why we're also looking for a handful of new drivers to join our team in 2024. Here's a snap-shot of the last few weeks of 2023:

16/11/2023

We’ve just wrapped up 2 days of film work in our Hino BG300 and will have it on display at Sydney Bus Museum’s Busfest this Sunday 19th November 2023. Like our Hino CM, the BG has the same half non-synchro gearbox but in a slightly reverse shift pattern and leaf spring suspension. Available from the late 70s until the mid 80s, the BG300 was said to be a Japanese copy of an AEC mid-mount but without the engine oil leaks. Hope you enjoy a short driving demonstration of one of my favourite buses. A true driver’s bus, it provides a real raw driving experience with some unreal engine sounds. Hope to see you at Busfest on Sunday!

11/11/2023

First drive in an Austral HD1 with a 6-speed Spicer non-synchromesh transmission and a Detroit 8v92. It was late in the day during peak hour on an emergency changeover, however the point of the video was to show the process of learning an unknown constant mesh box and the reality that clipping or missing gears is part of the learning process. There are 2 types of grinding: 1 = the grind but it will still go in, 2 = the grind when you’ve completely missed it. This can only be felt by being gentle on the stick but the key thing is the ability to recover from it. Lastly anyone who believes driving a bus/coach without the clutch when they don’t know the vehicle should avoid driving one. Mechanical sympathy is unfortunately missing in many. The shock load when mistakes are made are not only felt by the transmission but also your 50 passengers.

10/11/2023

To date the Austral HD1 continues to elude us but remains high on our bucketlist. From the first time seeing the Firefly and Greyhound Pioneer units on Eddy Ave at Central Station, to riding my first HD1 (admittedly an MAN) driven by the late Richard Dawes on our Year 8 school camp, I've always wanted to own and drive one. This week we did a vehicle swap with Alley's Coaches to keep his tour group on the move whilst in Sydney and we finally got our chance to take one for a spin. This unit was new to Murrays and had been retrofitted with a Detroit 8V92 but retains its very lovely 6-speed Spicer transmission. Feel free to scroll through the photos, most with some commentary.

07/11/2023

Uncle Sam's Corner of our yard is currently a little congested. There's 6V92s, a Series 60 and now an 8V92 to create some great music out the back. Stay tuned for a few more photos and videos when we've got some time.

27/10/2023

Definitely guilty that our latest project has been getting us far too excited. Here’s a sneak peak to end the week. Happy Friday!

13/10/2023

Oh no! Here we go again….. With a Scania in the panelshop after wiping out a Hyundai, and an MAN half dismantled with all the heads pulled off it, the absolute last coach left in the spare corner was none other than the Hino to save the end of the week again…... How’s 270 Horsepower (with probably 40 escaped horses) going to compare to the 440HP Scania, 420HP Volvo and 428HP Merc out of the Colo River……

11/10/2023

Green & gold buses everywhere for a local school camp, however taking it up the rear is none other than the Hino..... Typical of buses, we discovered a frayed seat-belt buckle on the first allocated Volvo, parked it in the workshop and went for the next spare Volvo but it then blew out the air line to the driver's seat. Next in line in the unloved corner was the Hino so it was strategically placed at the rear to not hold up the rest of the buses! At least it sounds alright.......

01/10/2023

The gift that keeps giving….. We’ve bought a few hunks of junks over the years and our Hino would definitely join the list. Just for the few wheelchair accessible jobs we do yearly, our Hino has probably missed 50% of them by being stuck in the workshop. Having burnt through two circuitboards on the Braun wheelchair lifter, it’s now getting king pins, new front brake linings and drums plus wheel bearings. Anyone looking for a super dependable Hino???

24/09/2023

First drive in our Motorcoach Classic III with a Detroit Series 60 and 7-speed Crash Box. This video didn’t quite go as planned! Several weeks prior, we test drove ex-McCafferty’s #407 and stumbled through the gears until we worked out the timing. When we bought #432 back in 2015 we all absolutely butchered it (it needed the remote on top of the box rebuilt). Expecting the worst I was hoping to show the steps of learning an unknown bus however it was an absolute dream drive. Easy and light clutch, really direct and easy gear change and lovely electronic throttle. When first driving any manual it is best to take it real easy first. Too many drivers on their driving test with us floor the throttle and attempt to change gears on the rev limiter, even through the low gears! Always change gears at conservative revs, in this case no more than 1700rpm or even less on the low gears until you’ve worked out the vehicle.

22/09/2023

Friday marked the end of Term 3 and an opportunity to duck up to Miles in Outback Queensland. The top of my bus bucketlist had always been an ex-McCafferty's Motorcoach Classic III with a crash gearbox. In May 2015 we made an offer on both #416 (The Caterpillar C12 Marathon) and #432 but couldn't come to an agreement so settled on just the Classic III and got straight into rebuilding it for our use. The unexpected arrival of a Denning Decker paused these plans, and it went in and out of the queue of the next vehicle to be finished before the floods of 2021 destroyed it for good and the dream was gone.

Enter Rick Palmer, the man and legend who built up Palmer's Coaches before successfully selling it all to Murrays. We had reached out to him to keep us in mind for his last Classic III and true to his word we got the invoice and instruction to pick her up! Formerly #434, it was the very last crash box ever delivered to McCafferty's. Old #432 was a real pig to drive, so expecting the same I setup the camera for a first drive to show everyone that it was normal to butcher a crash box for the first time. How wrong was I? This Classic III is absolutely magic and drives like a dream. Thanks Rick! I owe you one!

22/09/2023

To elaborate more on our earlier Tassie trip, together with our partners in crime at Berry Bus Service we visited Sprent to check out a few possible preservation projects. One that we are really gutted missing out on was this truly unique 1971 Denning AEC Mono. Built by the iconic Aussie body builder just before they designed their own chassis, this one features a Detroit Diesel 6v71 with a 5-speed Fuller Crash Box and drove absolutely beautifully. Check out this video of a cold start followed by a quick lap to move it out of the way:

16/09/2023

After an earlier trip to Tassie, we’ve ended the week in the beautiful Mid North Coast picking up our 2nd Irizar from Coachcare in Nambucca Heads. From the 1st job helping us get through an overload in our in-house refurbishments, today Coachcare looks after our entire fleet presentation needs with stunning results. By dealing with a small team where we know exactly who is working on our vehicles, we have full confidence that each requirement is met and we can be as “hands on” as when we formerly managed it all in-house. With a steady stream of vehicle upgrades still to come, we’ve swapped out the next vehicle to be refurbished, another lovely and economical Volvo B7R. Look forward to seeing it complete and another excuse to take a weekend trip up the coast!

09/09/2023

Three years since we took our Landseer for a blast during COVID lockdown, we finally got a chance to move our Denning Mono over the weekend with my crew - so why not create another training video! With only 3 logged days of movement in 12 months, our Denning is usually tucked deep in storage. As something I never get to drive, there are some basic crash box driving techniques, the most important being to feel and listen to what the gearbox is telling you to do as you need to clip a few gears to work out how to drive it properly. I don’t usually hold the stick with one finger but this was just to demonstrate how little effort is required. I’m always horrified at drivers who use excessive force.

08/09/2023

For anyone interested in the Telstra ad from the previous post see:

When the Emus get stranded before the big game, it is up to the club president Mick to make sure the town doesn't have to forfeit... This isn't country footy...

08/09/2023

We’ve completed a few busy weeks of film shoots in our historic Hino and Denning Mono. Here’s some behind the scenes shots of our BG filming in Goulburn for a recent Telstra ad.

26/08/2023

Best heard with headphones is our Hino CM277 with EK200 motor fresh from our workshop. We’ve finally sorted the throttle and exhaust brake issues and have it running as good as a flogged out old Hino can! The EK200 motor appeared to be a Japanese copy of a British AEC motor but without the standard engine oil leaks. Naturally aspirated and with an old fashioned exhaust manifold, they were capable of a pretty decent exhaust note - something the local birds can attest to.

19/08/2023

Friday’s fun saw the return of our Denning Mono to our depot to get ready for a busy few weeks of film work. As a driver you never got to hear the majestic sounds out the rear, but our Mono definitely doesn’t have the same bark as the 6v71 or even our 6v92 Landseer. Originally new to Martin’s at Albury, this Denning is a 1983 model with a turbo 6V92 mated to a 6-speed Spicer crash gearbox.

12/08/2023

After a big week, a calm weekend gave us the opportunity to go for a weekend cruise in our preserved Hino BG300. Like the Northcoast bodied CM277k this Hino has the same half-crash gearbox with no synchros in 1st and 2nd, no clutch brake and the same EK200 motor with epic exhaust brakes. The main differences though are the leaf sprung suspension, the earlier dash and a reverse pattern gearbox just to make things a bit trickier again.

This Hino was built as a stock unit with a PMC Apollo body and sold through Western Toyota. Unlike today's Vanilla white standard, PMC painted the orange and brown stripes to make it more marketable. The Celi family of Leeton, who had been running Bedfords on their country school runs from the late 70's, were in need of a new vehicle and test drove the Hino. Amazed at the performance, the Hino was purchased as their first new bus for their school runs and charters with the PMC colour schemed adopted for their remaining fleet. With 49 fixed coach seats and an underfloor Konvecta air-conditioner, this bus would have been the ultimate school bus in 1986. During its time in service it was upgraded to 53 metropolitan seats. After 30 years in service it was retired in 2017 and, given its sentimental value, was stored in their shed.

In 2022 Celi's took over Pattens Transport and with an already full shed the Hino had to go. Enter the mad world of Glenorie Coaches and Berry Bus Service who combined to continue preservation of this unique vehicle. A big thank you to the Celi Family for their good old-fashioned hospitality, keeping her in amazing original condition and passing us the baton of keeping the history alive. Keep an eye out for this Hino as well as our other vehicles on ads and TV series coming out soon!

21/07/2023

For a bit of Friday Fun to end a big week, here’s a clip of some epic jake brake and exhaust noise action from our Denning Mono with a 5-speed Fuller, a natural 6v71 and twin stacks. Happy Friday!

21/07/2023

A bit of a milestone to end our week, after many months of planning our secondary workshop setup is complete!

18/07/2023

Intro and a quick training video driving our Hino CM. All manual BG/CG/CM featured a non-synchromesh gearbox in 1st and 2nd, with the remainder fully synchromesh to 6th. Earlier BG models had a reverse gearshift pattern which were easier and had a nicer feel to the later CG/CM models. Without a clutch brake many drivers ground them into gear at every stop. Our particular vehicle had a real tough last few years where it was a loan vehicle for BCI. Understandably on arrival at our workshop its clutch was non-existent, and the transmission oil was full of metal. Definitely not the nicest example to drive, our Hino is still a unique, interesting and slightly challenging drive. Best watched with headphones if you want the hear the engine brake!

15/07/2023

Definitely a poor buy, our Hino CM277K is "close" to be being up to standard. After arriving at our workshop in shockingly poor condition and obviously mistreated by drivers, it spent several months as a side project before being sent to Coachcare for a cosmetic tidy up. The white paint job, whilst also not stunning, still presented ok so rather than respraying it into our fleet colours it was transformed back to a modified version of its original Countrylink livery. On return from Coachcare, its trip to Nambucca Heads and back revealed further mechanical work before we turned our attention to the air-conditioner and the wheelchair lift. Six condensor fans later, a full charge of gas and a full service on the AC, and after 4x visits by the wheelchair Lift man, our Hino was finally registered 14 months later. She'll never pay its way, not that we ever expected it to, but there are no regrets either! Stay tuned for a quick video on how to handle a mighty mid-mount Hino.

16/06/2023

Apologies for the radio silence for more than half a year. 2022 was easily the toughest operating environment we had ever worked under. The shortage of staff was absolutely crippling whilst the relentless enquiries and desperation calls from all over Sydney was exhausting. 2023 heralded a new change with a new booking system, a new management team as well as an awesome bunch of new & existing drivers that has given us one of the strongest teams we have ever assembled.

Despite no new posts over the last 12 months, the weird and wacky vehicles to come through our depot hasn't really stopped. Here's a snippet of some fleet movements over the last 12 months, each with a story to tell when we have some time to sit down and breathe: