(28 Aug 2014, 3:42 pm)Marcus Yay!!

Is this at Riverside? Saw her on the 34As yesterday.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:38 pm)Dan I get myself aboot yinna!

Been based at Riverside and Bensham; but I've been to Deptford, Chester and Consett too.
Was meant to go to Stanley, Percy Main and SMR but didn't get the chance due to other things cropping up.

She was sat in what I assume was the LD's office.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:40 pm)Marcus The leading driver's room is on the left of the middle door I think. I think it's next to the lost property office.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:53 pm)Dan That's the one, then!

Chester-le-Street depot is quite qwerky. It's an unusual shape, and you really don't get a feel for that from the outside of the depot.
The office side of the depot (the staircase is opposite the leading driver's office) for the likes of the depot manager etc are equally as strange. Lots of stairs, mind.

Riverside lacks all of the photos of the buses. All of the other sites seem to have photos. The ones in the Consett Travel Shop are pretty good. One of a Red Kite in the snow and another of a Great North Run Olympian line-up, from an unusual angle.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:56 pm)Marcus Indeed it is - it's why I bang on about it so much!

I used to draw diagrams of it etc., but could never manage to fit all the buses and coaches in. When I looked on Google Maps, I realised it stretched along the A167 and made some kind of triangular shape.

The personal offices are apparently quite small and oddly shaped. The large office at the front between the middle door and the maintenance section is where the scholars drivers work. They are PAs I gather.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:17 pm)Marcus Seeing as I have several friends who live in Fencehouses and the surrounding area, I personally hope that I have been granted a flag of truce.

Although, considering I reference the FPF to several of Andreos' posts, I may be on a hit list. I can imagine going back on Tuesday and being shot upon entrance!

(28 Aug 2014, 4:59 pm)Dan Oh yeah, I was told today that it's rather snug at night! The same applies to Stanley.

It was more so the stairs that were unusual. You'd go up one flight of stairs, do a walk around a corridor, go up another set of stairs heading in the opposite direction... Quite similar to my school actually, so the unusual staircases must be something to do with interior designers of that period.

(28 Aug 2014, 5:31 pm)Robert Wouldnt recommend walking around Stanley on a night to see its snugness! God knows what might happen. All the gangs emerge which usually include the drug takers and boozers that go to the few bars Stanley actually has. Slightly worse than Newcastle, thats for sure.

(28 Aug 2014, 4:59 pm)Dan Oh yeah, I was told today that it's rather snug at night! The same applies to Stanley.

It was more so the stairs that were unusual. You'd go up one flight of stairs, do a walk around a corridor, go up another set of stairs heading in the opposite direction... Quite similar to my school actually, so the unusual staircases must be something to do with interior designers of that period.

(28 Aug 2014, 10:29 pm)aureolin More snug than the Washington depot? You can go past at 10pm/11pm on an evening and there's still buses on the main road.

Always imagined CLS to be the most interesting depot due to its age. What's it like for asbestos?

(28 Aug 2014, 10:39 pm)Marcus I imagine if the depot does close, asbestos as well as age confinements could contribute to it's closure.

I've seen Washington on Google Maps, there was a MetroLink Scania parked outside the depot grounds, you have to ask why they censor the registration but you can clearly see the fleet number.

(28 Aug 2014, 10:47 pm)Tom If a Super Depot did open, do you reckon it would be merged with Stanley or Washington?

(28 Aug 2014, 10:49 pm)Marcus I reckon GNE will stop renting Crook, and amalgamate those services with Chester, same with Consett and Stanley, that's two depot and two mini-depots. Possibly Washington as well. Can definitely see Stanley and Chester together.

(28 Aug 2014, 10:55 pm)Tom Imagine all the routes you'd have to learn though. I counted at least 42 (4, 8, 13, 14, 15/15A, 21, 28/28A, 34/34A, 43/44/44A, 45/46, 50, 71, 78, 88/88A M2, M3, V1/V2, V3/V4, V5/V6, V8, V9, W5/W6, X1, X22, X25, X30/X31, X43, X70/X71, X88) if Stanley, Consett, Washington and Washington merged.

(28 Aug 2014, 10:57 pm)Marcus I would think they might keep the routes to their respective depots. I don't know how Sunderland Rd and Winlaton work now they're at Riverside, but I would assume they'd keep it similar if they had a super-depot just as big.

Also, Washington and Washington?

(29 Aug 2014, 5:02 am)Dan None of the lads know (in Riverside) that I have an interest in buses, so it's been quite fun for me to ask a few questions to see what they know or have heard.

For the past seven years at the very least, there have been rumours that they were going to shut Stanley and Chester, to merge them on a new site like Riverside, but nothing has ever come of it (yet).

(29 Aug 2014, 10:15 am)Marcus So, are you like one of those Undercover Bosses (or should I say, Undercover Buses! ) who goes into various departments of the company to find out what's wrong?

(29 Aug 2014, 10:19 am)Dan Hahah! Not at all.

Really, I've just been floating around various departments to gain as much 'experience' as possible. As the majority have kids, it's also helped having me there, as a lot of employees have taken annual leave this month.