Monday, April 9, 2012

Ex-SBS Leyland Olympian 2 axles/ Walter Alexander R YL8508R (SBS7196Z)

YL8508R at Pat's Schoolhouse.
New in service as SBS7196Z, it was converted near the end of its lifespan to a gym/playground for children known as Bobbie the Gymbus and was re-registered as YL8508R. Apart from the current livery and the interior modifications, it is the last very near intact Leyland Olympian 2 axles with Walter Alexander R bodywork in Singapore while most of its cousins were scrapped.
The offside of YL8508R as seen from the outside of the compound.
The rear of the bus as seen from outside.
The full length of the Leyland Olympian 2 axles.

The rear of the bus as seen in the compound.

Closeup of the Alexander R rear.
The emergency exit door, with the older white panel from the (what used to be rear row of seats) still intact)

The expired road tax and stuffs.

This used to be a square destination plate holder, with the door opening button and the signal indicator.
Stepping on board the Leyland Olympian 2 axles.

The front steps were laid with a new flooring which continues into the bus.

From the entrance, the driver's cabin can be seen.
Driving cab of the Leyland Olympian 2 axles.
View of the dashboard,which is covered in a lot of dust.

The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plate mounted on the left side of the dashboard.
The onboard fan for the driver.
Leyland logo, fuel indicator and the ignition button (?)

The driving gear selector, handbrake and the door opening and closing buttons.
Right above the driver,  the switches for controlling the fans for internal air circulation.
The olden type of periscope for viewing by the bus captain to the upper deck.
And the entire view of the front windscreen from the former side facing seats in the interior.
Alexander R front view from interior with the SBS plate retained.
Close up of the former registration plate number of the Leyland Olympian 2 axles..
A red notice cautioning the non-SBS driver(s) of the bus that this is a 4.44m high double decker bus.
The non-functioning door, with the older type of bigger leaf with smaller leaf door system used on older SBS buses.
And behind the front left windscreen :

The old bus stopping bell placement facing outwards. Today's modern buses do not feature this anymore.
 The interior of the bus is reconfigured to be the children's exercise playground, though it retains most of the non-airconditoned features of the Leyland Olympian 2 axles including the fans and lighting.

The interior of the lower deck. There used to be seats and partioning but were removed.
The exit doors were retained, though the steps are probably hidden from view.
The view from the rear to the front.
The lower deck rear window. With most of the current double deckers (excluding the currently still in service Volvo Olympian 2 axles non-aircon buses), the lower deck rear window will soon walk into history.
Onwards to the upper deck

The staircase leading up to the upper deck.
The older type of periscope for the driver only sees the portion after the staircase, newer double deckers had the mirror above at the front.

The upper deck Alexander R front view from the interior, with the SBS plates retained.
The old SBS plate with the current YL registration plate.

The upper deck from front to rear.
And the view from rear to front.
The sticker warning against litering in the (SBS) bus, hidden above the window of the rear deck.
And before this yellow paint scheme was applied, it was in a bright red livery when brand new.

Bobbie the gymbus, photo from http://gymbus.blogspot.com/
And this is the mascot for Bobbie the gymbus.

Mascot, photo from http://gymbus.blogspot.com/

Apart from this Leyland Olympian 2 axles, there is also another decomissioned unit that was converted into an office at the National Youth Council (NYC). The Qbuzz Leyland Olympian 2 axles is the first in the SBS fleet.

Unlike Bobbie, the NYC Qbuzz Olympian is heavily modified on the exterior.
The offside of the Qbuzz Leyland Olympian 2 axles.

The nearside of the Qbuzz Leyland Olympian 2 axles.
The current fate of Bobbie the gymbus is unknown as of today, according to the Pat's schoolhouse management, it may be heading for the scrapyard or will be refurbished.

My special thanks to the Pat's Schoolhouse (Jubilee)'s management for allowing the documenting of this bus.

5 comments:

  1. I hope that they will not scrap these 2 buses,an inportant role for the future generaions of singapore.

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