(05 Jan 2017, 4:30 pm)Kuyoyo If and when the B5LHs are replaced on the 21, they'll more likely be allocated to something along the lines of the 27 rather than the demanding 6/X70/X71.

(05 Jan 2017, 5:13 pm)JP6004 Agreed especially since they not full size deckers

(05 Jan 2017, 5:22 pm)South Tyne Lad You cannot get a full size Double Decker, Either a Short Wheelbase model ( 8.8m - around 10m ) is offered or a long wheelbase model ( around 10m - 11.5m ) where it then gets to the length where it is logical to go for a 3 axle decker, As the turning circle will get to big for a two axle decker.


The B5LH's are around the same length as the B9TL's GNE have, Its just the modified lower deck seating layout due to the extra packs to be accommodated due to the Hyrbid system and of course the Engine Bay encroaching into the lower deck, Which takes away around 2-4 seats depending on seat config's

Go North East New buses and cascades theory.docx
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(15 Jan 2017, 9:30 am)S813 FVK Something that bypassed me until a couple of days ago was the withdrawl of 6022 from Chester-le-Street:
http://northeastbuses.co.uk/fleet/item.php?operatorF=2&fleetnoF=6022

Does the fact that the issues were deemed uneconomical to repair suggest that a double decker route will be upgraded which will see the first lot of remaining B7s off once all of the cascades have been completed?

(15 Jan 2017, 11:26 am)Jamie M The going is that the N94 Omnidekkas will cascade (based on guess work, of course). I doubt they'd outright replace spare buses with B9s or the sort.
All of the pronto ones have gone due to defects or charity appeal, so I don't feel it's much a surprise that they're failing. I was driving past Emmanuel College at around 5pm a few nights ago and that one was still there with about 5 engineers at work!
The Omnidekkas are too reliable for Stanley at any rate - only one (6127) causes issues ?

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(15 Jan 2017, 11:52 am)S813 FVK No not at all - it would be vehicles such as the Omnidekkas which would replace them. The Pronto ones weren't needed for further use apart from covering projects etc - future planning of Omnidekka arrivals helped with that.

The strongest rumour for a decker route to be replaced is, of course, the TEN. 

The 13 branded B9s could be split up into 12 and 1. The 12 would go to Stanley for the 6/X70/X71 (PVR 10) with 2 corporate liveried spares. The single 1 would be repainted into the Corporate livery and sent to Percy Main to give the Cobalt Clipper 2 spares again (alternatively repaint this B9 into silver and brand it to give them a full branded PVR).

This would replace 12 Omnidekkas at Stanley. These could replace Stanley's own B7s (6009/11/2/3/4/6/32/42) leaving 4, 1 of which would definitely go to Chester-le-Street to replace 6022 with the posibility of the others heading down too. The Percy Main B9 would replace a single B7TL there.

That would mean that at least 13 B7TLs would be withdrawn, not including the extra TEN PVR that would likely remain at Riverside for TTX spares.

(15 Jan 2017, 11:52 am)S813 FVK No not at all - it would be vehicles such as the Omnidekkas which would replace them. The Pronto ones weren't needed for further use apart from covering projects etc - future planning of Omnidekka arrivals helped with that.

The strongest rumour for a decker route to be replaced is, of course, the TEN. 

The 13 branded B9s could be split up into 12 and 1. The 12 would go to Stanley for the 6/X70/X71 (PVR 10) with 2 corporate liveried spares. The single 1 would be repainted into the Corporate livery and sent to Percy Main to give the Cobalt Clipper 2 spares again (alternatively repaint this B9 into silver and brand it to give them a full branded PVR).

This would replace 12 Omnidekkas at Stanley. These could replace Stanley's own B7s (6009/11/2/3/4/6/32/42) leaving 4, 1 of which would definitely go to Chester-le-Street to replace 6022 with the posibility of the others heading down too. The Percy Main B9 would replace a single B7TL there.

That would mean that at least 13 B7TLs would be withdrawn, not including the extra TEN PVR that would likely remain at Riverside for TTX spares.

(15 Jan 2017, 12:37 pm)L469 YVK Not being biased at all here BTW even though it's one of the routes that I use often.

Surely GNE would want the 'binge drinking' (although very lovely indeed) B9s removed from the Cobalt Clippers where the 310 barely goes above 30MPH barring between Station Road and Benfield Road as well as the fact that the Cobalt Clipper (alongside Fab 56) were in the pipeline to get GKN modifications completed to save fuel. Surely GNE wouldn't have considered trying it out if the B9s weren't too heavy on the fuel.

As well as that, there are hardly any hills or challenging parts on either the 309 / 310 and with the fuel savings incurred using Streetdecks, GNE could increase the PVR by an extra vehicle if they needed to by either giving the 310 a long layover in Shields or splitting both routes and only have them interworking during some of the peak times and on Sunday daytime.

If the Cobalt Clippers were upgraded:
* 6101(T); 6102; 6103 could then act as spares alongside 6084(T) at Riverside / Hexham for the TEN and in the case of 6101, the TTX.
* 6104; 6105; 6106 could then make up the PVR shortfall on the TEN to have a full allocation of 16x B9TLs.
* 6107 - 6116 including 6117 as a spare could then transfer to Stanley for the 6/X70/X71

The option would also be there to reinstate a half hourly service between Blackhall Mill and Greenside with 6103 being used to increase the PVR to 17 still meaning that Hexham would have 1x B9 spare for 7x vehicles (including the bus that gets used on layover) as well as Riverside having 6102 as spare for 9x vehicles as well as 6101(T) also helping out should it not be needed on the TTX.

(15 Jan 2017, 1:01 pm)Jamie M They weren't exactly going to trial those modifications on 15 year old buses at Stanley or Crook, though. The B9/B5LHs were the only vaguely new buses then - and at the time the 56/309/310 were the newest deckers (63 reg). I feel it was down to this, more than anything.
Logically, the company would be looking to upgrade the route which costs the most to run by fuel (crawling through town and challenging hill work or travelling flat out along national speed limit). This gives a shortlist of everything BUT the 309/310: X9/X10 (A19), 10/A/B/X (Town -> Station -> Metro -> Stocksfield), 21 (Past Chester to Durham or Bishop), X1 (Wrekenton) and 56 (Donwell -> Wrekenton).

I could be wrong in ruling out the 309/310, but the others seem to have a more challenging route than just coasting at 30, which I'd guess at being the most economical speed for a bus.



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(15 Jan 2017, 1:35 pm)L469 YVK I don't mean that but on a route where a bus isn't being stretched to it's capabilities, surely it would make more sense to utilise the fuel savings there rather than on a more challenging route. Having a B9TL running around the estates around Shields, West Chirton, Battle Hill, High Farm, Cobalt, Whitley Bay Town Centre would surely prove to be costly in comparision to what the operational cost of a Streetdeck would offer.

On top of this, 6101 would also allow a grace period for new 'suitable' buses to be sourced for the X9/X10 as this alongside 6084 could be used to give 6043-48 more downtime to conserve them for one more year as well as allow more maintenance to be carried out on them.

(16 Jan 2017, 2:20 pm)Jamie M Stanley doesn't require quality as such, just something to make numbers meet.

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(26 Jan 2017, 9:46 pm)L469 YVK Update, 6104 missing branding on rear bonnet

(28 Jan 2017, 11:37 am)Michael In July it'll be 5 years since the B9's arrived for the X9/X10...... i would say new buses are due soon.....