Hello peoples.
Not sure about you, but I've noticed that the placement of engine grilles on Optare Solos is quite haphazard - some have one large grille on the offside whereas others have one large and two small grilles on the nearside, yet I've never been able to work out why. Is it to do with whether they have Mercedes/Cummins/MAN engines, or whether they are Euro 3, Euro 4 or whatever?
(This all stemmed from me trying to work out when they stopped fitting the 'noisy' Allison transmission, which I think is the Allison 2000, and replaced it with the boring sort, which I think is the Allison AT545)
Here are a few buses I've seen:
This is what I'd call a 'proper' Solo - the oldest sort that definitely has the whiney gearbox. This is a Y reg example and has an offside grille.
Think this is a Slimline model, but as far as I can tell that doesn't affect the grille position, and this 04 plate one has an offside grille.
Now for an 05 plate (and a long one at that), but now the grille appears to have moved to the nearside.
Yet this 05 plate has an offside grille.
Assuming the private reg is to be believed, this is an 06 plate and clearly has the grille on the offside.
56 plate, offside grille.
Similar vehicle to above, but an 08 plate and with the grilles on the nearside.
The registration on this one makes me think it is closely related to the one above, but I think that is the grille on the offside (it's hard to see on this though).
Once again assuming the accuracy of a private plate's year, this is an 09 plate (or newer, since you can't give an older than 09 vehicle an 09 plate) - grille back on the nearside though.
Moving onto a 10 plate, there is an extra-large offside grille on this bus.
But then another 10 plate with a similar registration has grilles on the nearside.
More nearside grilles on a 61 plate.
Another private plate - presumably a genuine 61 plate though, and now the grille is on the offside again.
And finally a 12 plate, which is about as new as 'classic' Solos get. Private plate I know but the bus can't be newer than a 12 so it must be a genuine 12 plate. With the grille on the offside.
Some Versas and Solo SRs also have variations too, though I think the classic Solos have the most variation.
If anyone can shed any light on this seemingly randomised feature, plus anything on engines/gearboxes, please let me know (I'm trying to model some Solos!)
TR673
Not sure about you, but I've noticed that the placement of engine grilles on Optare Solos is quite haphazard - some have one large grille on the offside whereas others have one large and two small grilles on the nearside, yet I've never been able to work out why. Is it to do with whether they have Mercedes/Cummins/MAN engines, or whether they are Euro 3, Euro 4 or whatever?
(This all stemmed from me trying to work out when they stopped fitting the 'noisy' Allison transmission, which I think is the Allison 2000, and replaced it with the boring sort, which I think is the Allison AT545)
Here are a few buses I've seen:
This is what I'd call a 'proper' Solo - the oldest sort that definitely has the whiney gearbox. This is a Y reg example and has an offside grille.
Think this is a Slimline model, but as far as I can tell that doesn't affect the grille position, and this 04 plate one has an offside grille.
Now for an 05 plate (and a long one at that), but now the grille appears to have moved to the nearside.
Yet this 05 plate has an offside grille.
Assuming the private reg is to be believed, this is an 06 plate and clearly has the grille on the offside.
56 plate, offside grille.
Similar vehicle to above, but an 08 plate and with the grilles on the nearside.
The registration on this one makes me think it is closely related to the one above, but I think that is the grille on the offside (it's hard to see on this though).
Once again assuming the accuracy of a private plate's year, this is an 09 plate (or newer, since you can't give an older than 09 vehicle an 09 plate) - grille back on the nearside though.
Moving onto a 10 plate, there is an extra-large offside grille on this bus.
But then another 10 plate with a similar registration has grilles on the nearside.
More nearside grilles on a 61 plate.
Another private plate - presumably a genuine 61 plate though, and now the grille is on the offside again.
And finally a 12 plate, which is about as new as 'classic' Solos get. Private plate I know but the bus can't be newer than a 12 so it must be a genuine 12 plate. With the grille on the offside.
Some Versas and Solo SRs also have variations too, though I think the classic Solos have the most variation.
If anyone can shed any light on this seemingly randomised feature, plus anything on engines/gearboxes, please let me know (I'm trying to model some Solos!)
TR673