Update: received August 18th 2011

To Albert's Crew! and those thinking about it!

Updating - Albert's RRR usually requires a rainy day, so why aren't there at least three updates per week, you may ask, given we are still waiting for summer to arrive in Scotland (or for winter to go away).

Weather - the fact is that of late even on rainy days restoration work has proceeded, albeit at a slower pace. We do not grizzle here at the Craigend Albion Recovery Centre, but by heck, it's been frustrating!

So what has been going on?

Engine - fully overhauled; re-installed in bus; original fuel injector pump; recon injectors and dynamo all the way from Sydney; new batteries purchased; plenty of cussing to get all finally in place; but, quite literally the CX19 engine started on the first push of the button - as you would expect.

Look at all that copper and bronze! No wonder rascals pinch these things, for their scrap metal value! The arrows show burned areas on the contact surfaces. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Starter - An unpleasant surprise when starting the engine for a move around the yard: the engine ran but so did the starter keep running, to the extent of straining batteries and some nasty noises. The starter switch contacts had welded themselves together as they can, if a bit dirty and overheated.  A recond. switch has been sent.

Mobility - with all 6 cylinders rumbling perfectly to the Albion tune ALBERT turned around to allow easy access to the rear end.

Radiator - original unit expertly reconditioned by Paul and Derek, now proudly and magnificently in place up front (see pic. in earlier post).

Rear platform - reconditioned and sealed all round with new floor covering - looking smart.

Staircase - lower steps re-built to allow clean storage space beneath, with upper section currently being restored.

Top deck - apart from two sections on either side and a piece at the rear the original Aussie hardwood floor (64 yrs old) has been retained in excellent condition, with a brand new plywood topping fitted throughout. Side panels restored, some renewed, all with insulation between inner/outer plus internal gutter sealing (no draughts up yer pillow this time). Floor red, lower panels green; upper panels white.

Rear axle - now here lies a story . . . but more later.   (see 'Rear Axle" post: ed.)
Suffice to say Albert has an as-good-as new high ratio diff in place which, with our existing 2-speed transfer box will give a top road speed of 50 mph / 80kph . . . unheard of for Sydney double-deckers!

Rear wheels - bit of a problem from the past here as it was found the nearside rear wheel studs were badly worn (due to running with loose wheel nuts at some time). The kerbside rear hub: click on the photo to see the grooves worn into the two studs at RHS

So . . . damaged wheel now replaced; replacement wheel studs machined as of yesterday (thankyou Peter Burt) and ready to be fitted in next few days. Rear mudguards being renewed also.

The wheel back on: an Albion fanatic will ask: "how can the exhaust pipe be visible in this shot??" Reason: it was moved to this side to enable larger fuel tanks to be fitted.

On the Crew, Operational and Administrative fronts . . .

Crew - committed all the way; Andy, David; "Popeye"; Rosemary; Trudy

Drivers - we have three Albion experienced drivers for the entire journey (Andy, David, "Popeye")

Reserve Skipper - a capable crew member to take over should Andy step on an IED or fall over laughing with the Kazahks (D G)

Purser - our on-board crew member to run the bus "office" . . . all the way to Sydney(R D)

Finances - ALBERT's restoration remains below budget for the work done, although it must be added that there have been significant contributions of time and expertise by many individuals to make this situation possible and whose efforts will be recognised in an appropriate way, allbeit not at the expense of Albert-Share holder funds. Meanwhile, enlisted crew members are asked to maintain their Albert-Share purchases as per schedule, please.

Open crew portfolios - "Popeye" and Trudy have yet to select their full journey portfolios; opportuntities for sector travellers will be offered a little later in the piece . . . meanwhile, keep talking - please!

Crew Vacancies - there are now FIVE full journey slots to be filled, as well as places on intermediate sectors B & C.

Sector travel - UK to Istanbul - 3 places confirmed (AM, PD x2); Perth to Sydney - 4 places confirmed (AM, LP; KP; HW)

In the wings . . . if just ten per cent of those join who have expressed such a desire, we are full! However, it is well understood that not everyone can make their commitment way in advance. The Crew list will be filled, the only question mark really being . . . will we need a relief Albion double-decker Perth to Sydney?

NEW! Itinerary extension - from Shanghai to Singapore - we are currently researching the route south through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia to Singapore and will make a decision in the next few weeks. If adopted this extension will add another sector to our overall journey (2 more Albert-Shares for those not already on board) and, surely, a most fascinating conclusion to this grand expedition - plus! - a much simplified shipping challenge across the ocean to Fremantle-WA!

Sponsorship - following our discussions with the CPN group in California, so near yet so far but not meant to be, ALBERT is still seeking that special entity to support our shipping expenses and to add a spark of additional glamour to the expedition. Many formal applications have been submitted during the past year; the website is constantly being viewed by sponsor prospects - that we know; still the message continuesd to out . . . likely as not our supporter will come from an unexpected direction!

Schools - now working on the schools initiative with one already keen to follow Albert's round-the-world adventure. This is a subject really worth developing; for school children to have an inter-active connection with the bus; what we are doing; where we are; make friends with schools along the way; etc.. Please extend any thoughts or experience you have on this subject.

Albert Film - regular movie shots continue of the various restoration processes for inclusion in the on-road documentary film. No "big-brother-bus" film here, no way; but an extraordinary and real-life tale of energy, enthusiasm, enterprise and expedition that has the potential to keep schoolies, mums, dads, uncles, aunts, workers, professionals, prime ministers and world-wide royalty glued to our wavelength for as many weeks as it takes us to get there . . and beyond. Anyone in Australia willing to get this one off the Aussie ground?

Web-site - although fairly static for some while there will be more regular updates now on. Anyone with constructive comments about this important window on our activity PLEASE SAY!

Adding your Voice - this is a participation expedition. Everyone involved is asked to chip in. You will be heard. Please let your ideas flow.


Nothing ventured . . . nothing gained . . . just fantastic NEW days to look forward to . . . SMILES to share . . . EXPERIENCES to encounter . . . GOODWILL to exchange . . . LIFE to be enriched . . . and a HAPPY CROWD in Sydney to say . . .

. . . "Hey! - welcome home ALBERT. We were a part of that too . . . "!

The Engine; Albion 6-cylinder diesel

In order for Albert to be mobile again, the engine was removed for overhaul and after re-installation, No. 2004 was to be independently mobile for the first time in 30 years.

The engine comes out for overhaul
The only Albion engine to have been from Britain to Australia five times. Paul Adams, Scottish owner of restored Sydney Albion no. 1877, watches
In every Albion diesel, the engine side plates and their bolts are rusted from the cooling water. Andy gets into some skilled fitting work drilling out the bolts and threading them for new bolts.
Friends, and Albion experts, John Rentoul and Derek remove pistons and connecting rods.
Cleaned, parts laid out, Derek, John and Davie make it look easy.
In the finest traditions of Scottish engineering: Peter Burt, John Rentoul and Derek Ferguson machine engine valves to a perfect finish
Reassembled: the engine is started for the first time in perhaps 20 years, in a cloud of smoke (and deafening noise?) from the exhaust . Note the makeshift oil gauge, battery leads to the starter, and a pipe at right to stop the engine itself spinning around! John Rentoul and Cliff Martin feel quiet pride.Up top, the valve gear clatters in a satisfying sort of way. John's hand is on the exhaust manifold so it can't have been running long!
The rebuilt engine and gearbox at rear is readied for installation. In a double decker you need lifting gear which can reach under the top deck overhang. The piece of orange tube along the bottom casing is where the dynamo should be: more of that later.

This mobility then allowed the rear end overhaul to begin, including a back platform, stairs, rear wheel arches and the rear chassis.

Independently mobile: the engine is back in, running, a lot of new bodywork has been done, but that roof, my dear!!.... Well it had to be made like that to fit under bridges in India, and is to be remade with Andy's skills having matured over the last 35 years!The engine refitted, running, and a temporary radiator from an Albion truck in place. Andy couldn't wait for the original to be finished off in Glasgow before he could take Albert for a run, however brief.

Paul Adams and Derk Ferguson in Glasgow this time, work on Albert's original bus radiator: different in some ways to the truck ones. At left to confuse the issue is another Albion, a truck, under restoration.
The original radiator, polished, and with new gaskets and rubbers throughout, fitted. All the Sydney Albions had a 'Venturer' badge once, but they were souvenired or just left off by staff, and to find one now has been lucky.

The dynamo presented a challenge as the original had been taken sometime during the 2002-2009 era. An original Chullora (NSW) dynamo was donated by friends of Albert, which resolved the problem. Shipping from Australia was a challenge but Roy Bartlett of Freightbiz, himself a Pom, gave us a pretty good deal on the 5okg. crate. Off it went by air, then, just when everything seemed to be going well, the dynamo was ‘hijacked’ by a handling agent wielding ‘red tape’ and imposing amazing import fees at Edinburgh Airport! A nice little earner for an unscrupulous Customs man, referring 'clients' (i.e. victims) to his mate. A direct appeal to a commonsense UK customs official finally saved the day. An original CAV 24 volt dynamo (generator) in amazing condition for its 50-odd years, gets a cleanup at Turramurra Works.

A thing of beauty (in the eyes of some beholders) is a joy forever: the rotating armature from the dynamo polished and ready to be assembled.

The Epic Journeys 1968 to 1976

Sydney to Calcutta:
Albert left Australia on October 8th, 1968, and would take 132 days to deliver the fare paying passengers to their destination. This was to be the first of 15 journeys.
"As the GPO clock struck ten o'clock Albert began to move, bedecked with balloons and streamers. Half-way down George Street there was a distinct lack of power and the bus came to a stop . . ." and so began Albert's log to London!



Leaving George Street Sydney

With a top speed of only 50 kph round-the-clock driving was applied. After finding a low rail bridge at Narranderra, getting lost in SA's Riverland, traversing a bone shattering unsealed Eyre Highway and being shaken by an earthquake in Meredin, Albert finally arrived in Perth . . relatively unscathed . . 6 days later.



Along the Nullarbor: Trip no. 1

The next phase was to find a ship to take the bus to India. Despite earlier research the ship expected to be seen in Fremantle was not there, but others were. In the event it was one to Singapore, a scary floating transfer in a barge, then a second ship to India.


Albert's "crew" of 13 sailed aboard the good ship "Centaur", a wonderful 5 day line voyage from Fremantle to Singapore from a past era, then by "jungle train" through Malaysia to Bangkok, then by air to the "City of Joy", Calcutta."Home away from home" : the galley and forward lounge

Calcutta to Quetta
Once all were safely reunited in Calcutta Albert took to India's Grand Trunk road with the daily challenge of cyclists, ox carts, wandering cows, low bridges and dangerously overhanging trees, all demanding the driver's attention and care. Not surprisingly the journey was slow, but fascinating always.

 A routine soon set in to keep moving until late at night as best protection against intense curiosity from over friendly locals. Early every morning groups of villagers would be crouching roadside talking the name A-L-B-E-R-T and debating whether they were seeing a double or a triple decker bus.

 The next major obstacle was at Dozan in the Bolan Pass, Pakistan, along the route via Quetta into southern Iran, where it was necessary to dig out a dry riverbed plus a piece of the mountain, well assisted by railway workers and the local tourist and highway departments (see picture below - the railway crosses the parallel road via a bridge too low - out of picture).
Quetta to Istanbul

From Quetta a desolate Baluchistan led to the Iranian frontier at Zahedan then long dusty days over stoney desert to Esfahan and Tehran, our half-way point. Now mid-winter and cold . . the engine block froze up, but the lesson learned was invaluable - if it breaks - you fix it. Local tradesmen demonstrated skills long discarded in the west and a few days later Albert was rolling again.

Approaching Tabriz it was so cold the diesel froze. With a 44 gallon drum inside the bus and a fuel line via a window - the engine was kept running 24 hours a day. Entering Turkey the temperature fell even further (-27 C) followed by the vision of Horason bridge necessitating wheel removal and military assistance.
The Turkish military to the rescue

All help unhesitatingly given in the warmest and most friendly spirit (see below).

 Along the Black Sea coast a welcome thaw set in before climbing again to Ankara to join a modern highway and Turkish drivers, who apparently can see round corners. After 4 months of travel, Australia's Nullarbor heat, the tropics, crossing oceans, deserts and mountains, and then into the freezing zone of northern Iran and Turkey, the arrival into Istanbul was a real comfort, a place to prepare for the final leg to London . . .

In the mountains of Turkey: breakfast stop approaching the Black Sea

Istanbul to London
All past obstacles were there to be overcome, an accepted part of the challenge. Now safely in Europe - Albert having crossed the dividing Bosphorus waterway - the crew were looking forward to a smooth ride to the English Channel with, hopefully, some bonus wayside comforts to be included. But not so!



Snow was falling again as the bus departed for the Edirne border and travelling through Bulgaria, a country then closely allied to Cold War Russia, was like the weather, far from welcoming. As the highways became busier with frenzied European traffic Albert was beginning to feel a little bit slow and out of place.

 After Salzburg came the autobahns of Germany; it was late afternoon. The first overhead bridges strangely displayed clearance signs in feet and inches, in English, each just a few inches over Albert's height. Then, without warning - Bang! A long weary night followed stopping at every bridge across Germany.

 The ferryport at Zeebrugge arrived in a misty dawn but with some relief, crew confidence being that across the Channel double-decker bus height would no longer be a problem. Victoria Coach Station staff provided a great reception for the long distance arrival and agreed to make a bay available for Albert should there be a return service to Sydney. However that, friends, is another story too!

Victoria Coach Station, near Buckingham Palace London
A winter Monday: 17th February 1969, 132 days out of Sydney.
Slightly amazed driver, conductress and coach passengers meet the aliens!

The bus returned to Sydney in 1969, departing from Bay 1 at Victoria Coach Station as promised by the superintendent and taking the same route beneath the rail bridge at Dozan where the river-bed had been cleared in advance by the local highway authority after the annual spring water flows.

Dining lounge, downstairs front

In 1970 the third journey, Sydney to London, went via the Khyber Pass and Afghanistan to avoid the Bolan scenario yet again. The new route had only one height diversion (read the book!) and was much enjoyed by travellers as Afghanistan, a starkly beautiful country, was becoming a popular destination.
A year-round timetable was drawn up for a regular service between London and Bombay, being trip Nos 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9, and then trip No 10 running right through to Sydney and Trip No 11 from Sydney back to London. Trip Nos 12, 13, 14 & 15 operated between London and Calcutta.
In 1976, with political tensions rising in Iran, trip No 16 was planned to return ALBERT back to Sydney for a well earned retirement. However, the pace of revolutionary fervour beat our schedule with travel through Iran being considered impractical, so Albert had to be rested in England.
Over the years ALBERT made more than 150 border crossings without ever being held up for serious scrutiny and not once was a bribe proffered to smooth the passage, this at a time when other vehicles were all too often seen marooned at check-posts with neither body panels nor owners.
The bus earned universal respect as a friendly ambassador for all those on board and was always welcomed and smiled upon by officials and the countless friends made along the way for whom the name A-L-B-E-R-T was one they could read, remember and say - in any language!