Busaholics

NEW FROM AUGUST 26, 2004: See my alternative website www.busshobby.org. This contains more stuff as its capacity is 100 MB compared to 50 on this site. Front Page compatibility makes it also easier to update. Contains versions both in English and Norwegian.

My career in the bus business started when I was a student at the Technical University of Trondheim, Norway back in 1970. I had been a milk driver for a few summers, and had acquired the type of driver's licence required for heavy vehicles. I found it might be better to drive passengers instead of loading heavy milk stuff, and applied for a job as a part time bus driver in Trondheim Sporvei, the local street car company owned by the ciy. The company had some 30 trams and 11 buses. The buses were all fairly new 1967 and '68 models. Büssing Prefekt 13. Robust and reliable vehicles, but slightly undermotorized. The 7 litres U7D diesel enginer delivered 155 hp. I left this job in 1974, I missed it ever since, so this summer - 29 years later- I applied for a part time bus driver job in Sporveisbussene AS in Oslo. July 7th I had my first shift, and since then I've been driving basically 2 out of 3 weekends. I enjoy it more and more. I'm hooked and I have become a busaholic! Below you will find several bus pictures, some of historic buses, some of newer buses. By double clicking the picture, you can downlad a larger picture. I also recommend the French bus web site for the Paris Route 38, prepared by its drivers. Maybe the world's best bus web site!
The BUSAHOLICS test If you are a male, and when looking at the picture to the right first notice the two buses - you really are a BUSAOHLICS.
This is what is left of one of the buses that I drove in Trondheim for Trondheim Sporvei (later merged with Trondheim Bilruter AS to form Trondheim Trafikkselskap AS). It is a Büssing Prefekt 13 from 1968 # 356). It is stored prepared for refurbishment by Sporveismuseet in Trondheim.
Same type of bus operating as a museum bus for Sporveismuseet i Oslo. (A-15835). It was a bit too active two years ago when its gear box chrashed under active operation between the KonTiki museum and the Vikingship museum in Oslo. It has now been fixed, but I guess the tramcar museum is a bit cautious about setting it in operation again, since they have no more spare gear boxes.
When Trondheim Bilruter (TBR) and Trondheim Sporvei merged into Trondheim Trafikkselskap (TT) i 1972 two Scania CR110s were transferred to depot Dalsenget - that corresponded with the old Trondheim Sporvei. TBR had ca. 80 Scania CR. This is a Polish picture that I found on the internet. The colours are similar to TT, so maybe it actually is an old TT-bus?
Scania CR76 (predecessor to CR110) in Stockholm in the 70'-ies. Rear engine. air suspension and factory built bus like Büssing Prefekt, but more power with 220 hp.
September 2003: Sporveisbussenes' Scania CN113 # 838. Shared opinions among the drivers, but I think it is a good bus provided all screws and plastic parts are tightened, otherwise rattling on bad roads may be stressful. Picture taken at the Nydalen final destination of line 30, just before departure for Bygdøy, a peninsula with a beatuiful scenery, beaches and museums.
August 2003: Sporveisbussenes' MAN joint bus NG312 operating on line 20 between Skøyen and Galgeberg. Buses leave every 6-8 minutes most of the day, every 10 minutes on Saturdays and every 15 minutes at night and on Sundays.
August 2003: #818, old beat-up Volvo B10R at end station of line 30 Bygdøy i august 2003. A heavy duty solid vehicle, but not much beauty with its scratches and dents. But the bus is close to 20 years old with a mileage of several million kilometres. Assembled by now discontinued Arna karosserifabrikk in Bergen.
July 2003: #981, Man "Solobus" NL262 at destination Tveita awaiting departure for Lutvann on line 69.

Please contact me by mail on wiik@online.no

Link to Norwegian version