North East Buses

1595 and 7521 on 43.

1524(?) Heading up the A1 with "caution!" On the front destination.

1412 on 23.

(09 Sep 2016, 3:57 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]1524(?) Heading up the A1 with "caution!" On the front destination.

You wouldn't happen to know why would you?

(09 Sep 2016, 10:30 am)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]1491 is about to go out on the 5/5a to replace a Streetlite
And as everyone is reporting then (despite the fact they are currently booked to appear as Stockton have more MAX boards than buses plus the two extra Stockton workings are down for standard vehicles) 1444 is today's non-MAX on the X12 but it will only be working one trip (1105 from Middlesbrough)

Still supposedly a Max service so non Max vehicles are reportable.

(09 Sep 2016, 9:06 pm)Cock Robin wrote [ -> ]Still supposedly a Max service so non Max vehicles are reportable.

Tell me how Stockton are meant to cover 6 boards (yes, 6 - the 9 board that does the last X66 is now booked for 1415) with only 4 spare Pulsars?

(09 Sep 2016, 7:11 pm)OW1762 wrote [ -> ]You wouldn't happen to know why would you?

Absolutely no idea! I couldn't see anything wrong with it on the offside and it wasn't dawdling, so I can only speculate that it had a broken window on the nearside, or something - it was heading Northbound, but we'd passed the A690 exit, so it could feasibly have been heading back to Belmont, though could have used the "new" bit of the A688 (sorry, yes, it's an addictive website) for that.

(08 Sep 2016, 3:21 pm)mb134 wrote [ -> ]That isn't great, but if that's the worst, then that signals that the rest are doing okay?

Maybe but the whole batch will be coming to 9 year old in December / January and considering what the vehicles have been through (Blyth Depot, X93 et al) they'll be due for replacement very soon or they'll end up in a similar way to the Pronto Presidents. Big question will be how to replace half the batch on the X21 /  X22 with the classic bodywork going out of production very soon, if not now.

1491 on 5/5a again (although I understand we nearly ended up with 1516 on there)
1440 is working the first of Redcar's X93 boards

(09 Sep 2016, 10:03 pm)L469 YVK wrote [ -> ]Maybe but the whole batch will be coming to 9 year old in December / January and considering what the vehicles have been through (Blyth Depot, X93 et al) they'll be due for replacement very soon or they'll end up in a similar way to the Pronto Presidents. Big question will be how to replace half the batch on the X21 /  X22 with the classic bodywork going out of production very soon, if not now.

Classic Bodywork is more or half gone now,
Might be some lurking round in dealer stock I'd imagine.

The classic bodywork or the E200 is still going atm believe it or not, But it's mostly small independents taking them.

2816 on the 49
7626 on x24

(09 Sep 2016, 9:08 pm)Kuyoyo wrote [ -> ]Tell me how Stockton are meant to cover 6 boards (yes, 6 - the 9 board that does the last X66 is now booked for 1415) with only 4 spare Pulsars?

Well that's their problem. Why put a Max on the 9 all day for the sake of doing one evening run on the X66 while putting a standard bus on the X12 all day.

(10 Sep 2016, 9:08 am)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Classic Bodywork is more or half gone now,
Might be some lurking round in dealer stock I'd imagine.

The classic bodywork or the E200 is still going atm believe it or not, But it's mostly small independents taking them.

Why should the fact they can't get the old bodies be a problem in replacing them?!

(10 Sep 2016, 1:06 pm)Cock Robin wrote [ -> ]Why should the fact they can't get the old bodies be a problem in replacing them?!

It shouldn't, I was just replying to his query about whether the E400 is still offered with the old bodywork.

I'd replace all of them with MMCs and transfer the 14 plate E400s to the 7 to make it fully Double Deck imo

(10 Sep 2016, 1:37 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]It shouldn't, I was just replying to his query about whether the E400 is still offered with the old bodywork.

I'd replace all of them with MMCs and transfer the 14 plate E400s to the 7 to make it fully Double Deck imo

I think they could do it the following ways either on the cheap or properly (probably the former given the current climate)

On the Cheap:
- 10x ADL Enviro 400 MMC to Belmont / Darlington for Sapphire 7
- ADL Enviro 400s 7534/35/36/37/40 to Ashington for Sapphire X21 / X22 alongside ADL Enviro 400s 7522-28 (incl 7518) = PVR 13/15
- 2x of the best out of 9x ADL Enviro 400s 7501-09 making up the total PVR of 15 + 2x being kept back as spares

For disposition (either locally or nationally)= 5x ADL Enviro 400s (57 reg) + 5x (?) Sapphire Spec VDL SB200 Pulars

Properly:
- 15x ADL Enviro 400 MMC to Ashington for Sapphire X21 / X22
- ADL Enviro 400s 7522-7526 alongside 7527 and 7518 as spares, transfer to Belmont for Sapphire 7 (making service fully double deck)
- ADL Enviro 400 7528 remains at Ashington as spare

For disposition (either locally or nationally)= 9X ADL Enviro 400s (57 reg) + 10x (?) Sapphire Spec VDL SB200 Pulsars

(10 Sep 2016, 1:37 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]It shouldn't, I was just replying to his query about whether the E400 is still offered with the old bodywork.

I'd replace all of them with MMCs and transfer the 14 plate E400s to the 7 to make it fully Double Deck imo

Although the 7 is quite a popular service, I don't feel that it warrants full double decker operation especially in the evenings and on Sundays which are both operated by the Darlington branded Pulsar's.

Can't see any allocation changes happening anytime soon, I think if Arriva really wanted to spend a fair amount of money on a full batch of new buses for the X21/X22 they would have done it back in 2014 rather than refurbishing old stock.

(10 Sep 2016, 2:31 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Although the 7 is quite a popular service, I don't feel that it warrants full double decker operation especially in the evenings and on Sundays which are both operated by the Darlington branded Pulsar's.

Can't see any allocation changes happening anytime soon, I think if Arriva really wanted to spend a fair amount of money on a full batch of new buses for the X21/X22 they would have done it back in 2014 rather than refurbishing old stock.

But that's where the problem lies with the X21 / X22. They should never have put such vehicles in that position given their age (particularly history) and when their time comes to a close, what suitable role could they be given as well as potentially ending up theoretically ending up having to run 2x vehicle types on the X21 / X22. They can't just exactly chuck them on the 43/44/45 as that will dilute the whole purpose of 'Sapphire'.

2869 on 21.

Lots of services are run using more than one vehicle type. Not sure why the X21/X22 needs to be different?

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I still feel that the 57 reg Enviro 400's aren't as anywhere near as bad as some people make them out to be on here, don't know if it's just down to the locality of forum members to the routes but on here there is far less odd workings reported on here on the X21/X22 than the other Sapphire routes and half of the time the odd workings on the X21/X22 often seem to be down to the E400's being allocated elsewhere (usually X14/X15/X18). If you think the X21/X22 are bad, I suggest visiting Darlington and seeing our rotten Omnicitys on the MAX X26/X27 and X66/X67.

(11 Sep 2016, 12:47 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I still feel that the 57 reg Enviro 400's aren't as anywhere near as bad as some people make them out to be on here, don't know if it's just down to the locality of forum members to the routes but on here there is far less odd workings reported on here on the X21/X22 than the other Sapphire routes and half of the time the odd workings on the X21/X22 often seem to be down to the E400's being allocated elsewhere (usually X14/X15/X18). If you think the X21/X22 are bad, I suggest visiting Darlington and seeing our rotten Omnicitys on the MAX X26/X27 and X66/X67.

Mentioning the Omnicities, whilst I was on 4644 on X67 on Wednesday, a rather large man was using one of poles to help him get out of his seat and unfortunately pulled the pole out of its socket in the ceiling.
Not sure if a 10 am journey on the X67 is always like this, but 4644 was full with 14 standing by the time we arrived at Stockton and X66 behind had overtaken us. Though despite such a full bus there were probably only about 4 paying passengers including myself.

(11 Sep 2016, 1:11 pm)John_R wrote [ -> ]Mentioning the Omnicities, whilst I was on 4644 on X67 on Wednesday, a rather large man was using one of poles to help him get out of his seat and unfortunately pulled the pole out of its socket in the ceiling.
Not sure if a 10 am journey on the X67 is always like this, but 4644 was full with 14 standing by the time we arrived at Stockton and X66 behind had overtaken us. Though despite such a full bus there were probably only about 4 paying passengers including myself.

Yeah, I was on the X66 just behind that on Pulsar 1404 on Wednesday. 4644 has had that issue with a pole for a few weeks now. The X66/X67 at that time of the morning can be horrendous for being busy, I arrived in time for the X67 having come off 7535 on the 1 but decided not to board it with how busy it was, plus I fancied a Stockton Pulsar for a change. The loadings on that X67 probably wasn't helped by the fact it was due out at 09:50 but didn't leave until about 10am.

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1473? On 6.

Alx300 44

(11 Sep 2016, 12:47 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I still feel that the 57 reg Enviro 400's aren't as anywhere near as bad as some people make them out to be on here, don't know if it's just down to the locality of forum members to the routes but on here there is far less odd workings reported on here on the X21/X22 than the other Sapphire routes and half of the time the odd workings on the X21/X22 often seem to be down to the E400's being allocated elsewhere (usually X14/X15/X18). If you think the X21/X22 are bad, I suggest visiting Darlington and seeing our rotten Omnicitys on the MAX X26/X27 and X66/X67.

Ashington seem to have got majority of them sorted out. They were hideously unreliable when they first went Sapphire, though I feel that the absence of 7504 for a while initially made it a lot more noticeable. 

However, as much as they now seem pretty reliable, a couple still don't seem very good for an 'express' route, which is what I have more of an issue with. (Although, having said that, when compared to a Blyth Gemini, there's only ever one winner. Hate pretty much everything about those things.)

2845 55

(11 Sep 2016, 6:22 pm)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Ashington seem to have got majority of them sorted out. They were hideously unreliable when they first went Sapphire, though I feel that the absence of 7504 for a while initially made it a lot more noticeable. 

However, as much as they now seem pretty reliable, a couple still don't seem very good for an 'express' route, which is what I have more of an issue with. (Although, having said that, when compared to a Blyth Gemini, there's only ever one winner. Hate pretty much everything about those things.)

ashington have spent a lot of money tidying up the engines on the 57 reg enviros and giving them bigger batteries to for the plug sockets and doing what it has to do in the engines

7485 on 62 ( redcar)

Durham is nuts today.

1325 on 43.There will be others!

Frequenta 63 branded 1439 on sapphire X3/X3A

(12 Sep 2016, 11:00 am)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Durham is nuts today.

1325 on 43.There will be others!

I wonder if there's a reason for Enviro200s being allocated to service 43 at the moment? They seem to be on every day?