The bus that forms the base vehicle for Shed-in-a-Bus is detailed at the end of this page. The plan is to conver the upper saloon to a workshop. To do this we will remove all of the seats and install benches, power and tools. We will improve the lighting and install dust extraction and heating systems. The stairwell will be boxed and a door installed so that we minimise the amount of dust that gets downstairs.
While the workshop is clearly an important part of a Men’s Shed, so is an area to socialise, over a cup of tea/coffee. To this end, the rear of the lower saloon will be converted into a 17 seat cafe, arranged as in 4 clusters. This area will also be usable as a training area.
The front of the lower saloon will be a combination of a clean area for working on things where dust would be a problem, and an information area where visitors can find our about relevant services and men’s health.
Here are some details of the Bus we have acquired from Stagecoach London.
| Current | Planned changes | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Alexander Dennis | |
| Model | ALX 400, Trident 2 | |
| Engine | Cummins ISCe 226-30 (8.3 litre diesel to Euro 4) | |
| Colour | London Transport Red | |
| Transmission | Voith | |
| Length | 10.5m | |
| Width | 2.55m | |
| Height | 4.39m | |
| Max Weight | 18 tonnes | |
| Number of doors | Front and centre passenger doors, with emergency door on the rear offside | Front passenger doors, with emergency and driver access door on the rear offside |
| mpg | 6 to 6.5 – equivalent to about £1 a mile | |
| Top speed | Unknown | Will be limited to 50mph |
| Number of seats | 65. | None upstairs, 17 downstairs of which a maximum of 8 will be usable for transporttion |