North East Buses

Had a bash down Cambridge fairly recently. Although I saw the usual players kicking around, my focus was on Whippet. 
Quite a varied fleet and one that has a lot of ex-London stock.

I'd noticed on their website that some of their fleet was off being refurbished/modernised and apart from the standard dual door Gemini's, managed to blag rides on an E200 (that seems to have seen service in all four corners of the UK according to Flickr!) and a dual door Nimbus (still in London red).
Each of the vehicles I used, were clean, tidy and well kept.

Whippet tend to use Drummer Street Bus Station as a hub for their network of services, with their ticketing options being very attractive.

Obviously part of a much bigger group, it is nice to see the Whippet name being used and the smaller local services, getting a brand name that plays on this.

(20 Jun 2017, 7:44 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Had a bash down Cambridge fairly recently. Although I saw the usual players kicking around, my focus was on Whippet. 
Quite a varied fleet and one that has a lot of ex-London stock.

I'd noticed on their website that some of their fleet was off being refurbished/modernised and apart from the standard dual door Gemini's, managed to blag rides on an E200 (that seems to have seen service in all four corners of the UK according to Flickr!) and a dual door Nimbus (still in London red).
Each of the vehicles I used, were clean, tidy and well kept.

Whippet tend to use Drummer Street Bus Station as a hub for their network of services, with their ticketing options being very attractive.

Obviously part of a much bigger group, it is nice to see the Whippet name being used and the smaller local services, getting a brand name that plays on this.

I had a ride on a ex First London Volvo B7TL on service X3 between Cambridge and Huntingdon when I was down that way earlier in the year, was a nice ride although the interior could have been a bit fresher IMO, although I always tend to find that the First fabric seats look rather faded and manky looking.

Don't think this was the one I rode, but it does give an idea.
Whippet: LK04HXP / WD445 by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

Also, one of the 'Whippet Puppy' E200's (didn't ride these).
Whippet: WS318 / MX12CFD by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

I also sampled bits of the Busway network down there, I only managed to get haulage on the Stagecoach E400's along there though.

That day out was a bit of a mess though as I was originally heading to Cambridge for a enthusiast tour but was cancelled a few days before it was due to take place but I had already bought the train tickets, so had to try and make up something at the last minute.

(20 Jun 2017, 8:03 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I had a ride on a ex First London Volvo B7TL on service X3 between Cambridge and Huntingdon when I was down that way earlier in the year, was a nice ride although the interior could have been a bit fresher IMO, although I always tend to find that the First fabric seats look rather faded and manky looking.

Don't think this was the one I rode, but it does give an idea.
Whippet: LK04HXP / WD445 by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

Also, one of the 'Whippet Puppy' E200's (didn't ride these).
Whippet: WS318 / MX12CFD by Matthew Jimmison, on Flickr

I also sampled bits of the Busway network down there, I only managed to get haulage on the Stagecoach E400's along there though.

That day out was a bit of a mess though as I was originally heading to Cambridge for a enthusiast tour but was cancelled a few days before it was due to take place but I had already bought the train tickets, so had to try and make up something at the last minute.

Having checked my notes, it was the E300 I rode and not an E200.

The Whippet network is pretty decent, with a mix of regular and infrequent services. Enough of a network to make a day of it.

My next trip further afield is all booked up, I will stopping in Leeds for 2 Nights from Tuesday 8th August to Thursday 10th August 2017, the trip has been named "The Grand Yorkshire Tour" which will include Scarborough, York, Leeds, Harrogate, Bradford, Keighley and possibly Wakefield.

(23 Jun 2017, 9:50 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]My next trip further afield is all booked up, I will stopping in Leeds for 2 Nights from Tuesday 8th August to Thursday 10th August 2017, the trip has been named "The Grand Yorkshire Tour" which will include Scarborough, York, Leeds, Harrogate, Bradford, Keighley and possibly Wakefield.

I recently had a trip down to West Yorkshire with Scott, and we met up (by coincidence) with Jimmi on arrival at Leeds. I had little to no knowledge of the West Yorkshire network, so was happy to have Scott as my tour-guide. He's definitely more familiar with the area than me!

I drove down to Wetherby in my car and then we purchased a £6 West Yorkshire Metro dayticket, allowing me to travel on all operators in the West Yorkshire area. It represents excellent value for money - so much so, I decided to have another trip down to West Yorkshire yesterday, doing the same thing.

There is an interesting and varied fleet down in West Yorkshire, and I sampled a good amount of different buses from different operators yesterday. I managed to put together a log of my journeys yesterday, which I've forgotten to do on the majority of my recent outings.

0813 X99: Wetherby to Leeds - First West Yorkshire 37673 (Volvo B9TL)
0924 446: Leeds to Wakefield - Arriva Yorkshire 700 (Spectra)
1050 231: Wakefield to Huddersfield - Yorkshire Tiger 666 (VDL SB180)
1256 X63: Huddersfield to Bradford - First West Yorkshire 32506 (Volvo B7TL)
1400 697: Bradford to Keighley - Transdev 1077 (Volvo B10BLE)
1540 662: Keighley to Bradford - Transdev 1805 (Volvo B7RLE)
1640 X6: Bradford to Leeds - First West Yorkshire 35238 (StreetDeck)
1730 X62: Leeds to Junction 32 Retail Park - Stagecoach 53208 (Volvo B7R)
1820 411: Junction 32 Retail Park to Castleford Bus Station - Arriva Yorkshire 1478 (VDL Pulsar)
1838 189: Castleford to Leeds - Arriva Yorkshire 1957 (ADL E400MMC)
1920 771: Leeds to Wetherby - Transdev 1701 (Volvo B7RLE)

The Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 on my first journey left a lot to be desired. The (proper) leather seats were incredibly worn, many of the seat backs were either discoloured or had been vandalised, and almost every window had been etched. It's been a good few years since I've seen etched windows - something which doesn't seem to be an issue on our buses up here in the North East, now. The bus was quite sluggish, although I'm not sure if the slack Saturday morning timetable was partly responsible for the driver dawdling. I much preferred my journey on Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 32684 (WX56 HJZ), which was my steed two weeks prior.

On arrival at Leeds, I took a few photos and then quickly opted to travel on the first Optare Spectra I saw. The driver greeted me and was very cheerful. Although the 15-year old bus didn't have Next Stop Announcements, the driver provided a commentary along the route. He joked with passengers - suggesting that a concessionary pass holder's fare would be £50. Many of the passengers seemed to like him, although one eventually came upstairs, suggesting that he's "always like this", and "sometimes needs to give it a rest". It reminded me of an old driver who worked for Stagecoach North East, at Sunderland Depot. The driver, David Hands, provided a commentary on every route, informing passengers of historical facts about the City of Sunderland, and also provided  news about current events about what was going on in the city at the moment, to get involved in.

It's a pity that the Optare Spectras are being replaced - they're great buses, really sturdy, and look very smart inside. Although all of the workings on services 444/446 that I observed, excluding the one that I was on, were allocated Volvo B5 Hybrids and VDL Geminis, the Optare Spectras were still plentiful in Wakefield itself. I managed to get a few more photographs of them at Wakefield, followed by a large hot chocolate from a nearby Caffè Nero. I'll be working my way through the photographs today and over next week - uploading any photos of those I have not previously photographed, and keeping back those which I already have, for my archives, to share at a later date.

After finishing my hot chocolate, I noticed an MCV Evolution on the stand in the bus station. Thinking it was going to be one of the Dart variety, I quickly scurried to the stand and boarded. Much to my disappointment on departure, I soon realised it was not a Dart, but one of the VDL variety (and not a lively one, at that!) The journey to Huddersfield is a long one, and one which would benefit from a buses which have had a bit of TLC internally. On my last trip to West Yorkshire, I managed to have a ride on a 'baby Solo' - this had really comfortable seats with plenty of padding, in an orange tiger-like moquette, and the bus was like a little rocket. It's a pity more of Yorkshire Tiger's fleet isn't presented to this high standard.

On my previous trip to West Yorkshire with Scott, we stayed in the more southern towns and cities in the region. On this trip, I wanted to visit some different places, so I opted for a trip to Bradford, then Keighley. I found myself disappointed with the quality on the First Volvo B7TL on the X63 journey - the seats weren't in the best condition again, and it was just generally quite messy inside, but it was my first experience on a guided busway, which I quite liked! The Volvo B10BLE which followed on the leg of the journey between Bradford and Keighley was completely different - quite smart inside, but the one thing I did notice was that the performance seemed quite 'limited' in comparison to Go North East's similar Volvo B10BLEs.

I was impressed by the high standard of presentation on the buses in Keighley. There seems to be a fleet replacement scheme in place at the moment - there is still a large presence of older single and double-deckers, though Transdev have introduced newer Optare Solos and Versas in recent years. I opted for a Volvo B7RLE on the service back to Bradford, and my, what a bus! I travelled on a Volvo B7RLE in Go North East's fleet from Ashington to Cramlington last weekend, and this sounded quite rough and would bang into gear every time, jerking passengers in the process. I'm a real fan of Volvo B7RLEs - some are even more lively than B10BLEs - but it's a shame that the B8RLE I recently sampled on East Coast Buses between Dunbar and the Scottish capital wasn't quite as fun.

Sticking with the Volvo theme - so I thought - I wanted to catch the X6 service back to Leeds. I thought I had read that the double-deck buses on this service were Wright-bodied Volvo B5TLs, but I soon realised that they were in fact StreetDecks, similar to the ones used on Go North East's Castles Express X21 service. I doubted that I would make my 10-minute connection in Leeds to the Stagecoach X62 service, with the X6 service running slightly behind schedule having been caught in traffic, but I did manage to make it. Another B7 was in store: this time a B7R, with Plaxton Prima bodywork, in Stagecoach East Midlands' fleet. This was a lively coach - it was an excellent journey. Stagecoach seem to have quite an unrealistic timetable for the X62 service - the coach couldn't have gone any faster (it overtook many cars!) but we still arrived into the Junction 32 Retail Park around 5 minutes late, meaning that I missed my (very small) connection to Castleford Bus Station, and I had to wait for around 20 minutes for my next bus.

From Castleford back to Leeds, I was able to sample one of Arriva Yorkshire's new ADL Enviro400 MMCs. I was quite impressed with the demonstrator ADL E400MMC in Go North East's fleet last year, but sadly I found this bus was completely different. The bus had 'start stop' technology - presumably required so that Arriva can claim an enhanced rate of BSOG payment, by operating these buses. I remain unconvinced by the technology on a bus: although I'm all for making buses more environmentally-friendly from a passenger perspective (obviously not as an enthusiast!), I find myself being irritated by the bus pulling into a bus stop, and going absolutely silent. Everyone on the bus can hear everyone else - whether you're letting off, talking to your friend, or eating a snack. The slight flicker of the lights and passenger CCTV monitor just added to how irritating the technology was. I'm not much of a fan of the technology in my car either, but it's so much worse on a bus, which is naturally quite a noisy environment.

I was pleased to see a Volvo B7RLE on the stand once I arrived back into Leeds City Bus Station. This was my final steed of the day, for the journey back to Wetherby. Normally confined to operation on service 1, this Volvo B7RLE was being given the chance to stretch its legs on the run out to Leeds and back to Harrogate. Although we would have benefited from a double-decker being allocated from a capacity perspective, the B7RLE was a lot of fun and a great way to end the day.

Top marks - and would definitely recommend anyone having a day out in West Yorkshire with the £6 WY Metro dayticket.

Further to Yorkshire outing posts, I have been finding myself over that way more often recently, in fact I'm currently on my way to the rally at Saltaire right now.

Starting to get more familiar with Yorkshire and I am probably going to be spending more and more time over that way in the next few months considering that I am still aiming to learn to drive but need to save money and Yorkshire outings don't cost me too much and it's still somewhere different to the North East with a different variety of buses.

(02 Jul 2017, 7:04 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]I opted for a Volvo B7RLE on the service back to Bradford, and my, what a bus! I travelled on a Volvo B7RLE in Go North East's fleet from Ashington to Cramlington last weekend, and this sounded quite rough and would bang into gear every time, jerking passengers in the process. I'm a real fan of Volvo B7RLEs - some are even more lively than B10BLEs - but it's a shame that the B8RLE I recently sampled on East Coast Buses between Dunbar and the Scottish capital wasn't quite as fun.

I was pleased to see a Volvo B7RLE on the stand once I arrived back into Leeds City Bus Station. This was my final steed of the day, for the journey back to Wetherby. Normally confined to operation on service 1, this Volvo B7RLE was being given the chance to stretch its legs on the run out to Leeds and back to Harrogate. Although we would have benefited from a double-decker being allocated from a capacity perspective, the B7RLE was a lot of fun and a great way to end the day.

First in Aberdeen have quite a few B7RLEs, and while most are now 'Platinum', the remaining 10 often find their way onto my main routes. I can't think of another 'modern' vehicle that I enjoy quite as much as them. It is a shame that First only really operate inner-city routes, with no real opportunity for any of them to stretch their legs, as they always seem to want to do. 

One evening I did manage to catch one to Danestone and back on the 1, which includes a small 50 mph section. It went up the hill with ease, leaving cars well behind it, and it was slightly disappointing when we turned into the 20 zone at the top. 

I also find, and I'm unsure if this just applies to those I've sampled with First, that they seem to have some character, which is quite hard to come across in newer vehicles.

Brief write up about my trip to Keighley Bus Museum's Saltaire Rally yesterday

1005 Darlington Rail Station - Leeds Rail Station (CrossCountry 221141 + 220026)
1109 Saltaire Rail Station (Northern 333???)

Eastern Counties - Bristol VR/ECW - OCK995K
ex Shoreline Suncruisers - MCW Metrobus - B56WUL
ex First Huddersfield - Volvo Olympian/Alexander Royale - R641HYG
ex First Leeds - Volvo Olympian/Alexander Royale - R610JUB
WYPTE Metrocoach - Leyland Olympian/Roe - B144RWY
Road Car (ex Johnson Bros) - Leyland Olympian/ECW - B516UWW
ex Shoreline Suncruisers - MCW Metrobus - B56WUL (again)

1637 Saltaire Rail Station - Leeds Rail Station (Northern 333004)
1705 Leeds Rail Station - Darlington Rail Station (CrossCountry 22032 + 221139)
1815 7 Darlington - Newton Aycliffe (ANE 1515)

Must say, an enjoyable day out. Few things I missed that I would have liked to have sample but there will probably be more chances to get some of them.

Time to plug my album of photos which took ages to upload: https://flic.kr/s/aHskYAUbZB

Before going home, I also managed to snap one of the new Flying Tiger Enviro200 MMC's on the 737 in Shipley: https://flic.kr/p/V7ZpG8

Video of ex Shoreline Suncruisers MCW Metrobus B58WUL: https://youtu.be/D-WeOqhEQew
(more videos will be uploaded soon)

(02 Jul 2017, 7:04 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]The driver, David Hands, provided a commentary on every route, informing passengers of historical facts about the City of Sunderland, and also provided  news about current events about what was going on in the city at the moment, to get involved in.

I remember having that driver a few times in Sunderland, he was certainly unforgetable and was always a enjoyable trip on his bus.

In the last fortnight, I've had two outings on the Borders Buses network, seem as they've been doing their 'Borderless £5 Day Ticket' for the last few weeks, so decided to give it a whirl. Here's a account of the two outings

Outing 1 - 14/11/17

0606 7 Newton Aycliffe - Durham Bus Station (ANE 1514 - Pulsar)
0724 Berwick-upon-Tweed (VTEC - 91116)
0905 60 Kelso (Borders Buses: 11209 / AE12AZC - Merc/MCV)
1015 20 Jedburgh Bus Station (Peter Hogg of Jedburgh: MX60BXD - Wright StreetLite WF)
1105 68 Galashiels Interchange (Borders Buses: 11309 / YA13AEL - Optare Versa)
1250 60 Earlston Square (Borders Buses: 11208 / AE12AZB - Merc/MCV)
1340 52 Edinburgh, North Bridge (Borders Buses: 11302 / YA13AEC - Optare Versa)
1610 253 Berwick-upon-Tweed (Borders Buses: 11618 / YJ66AED - Optare MetroCity)
1852 Durham (CrossCountry - unknown Voyager)
2020 7 Newton Aycliffe (ANE 1515 - Pulsar)

The Peter Hogg journey on the 20 cost about £3.30 I think, StreetLite sounded like it didn't like going down the A68 as fast as it could manage, YouTube vid: https://youtu.be/IvebtFREV5M


The 52 journey was boring, Versa just had no soundtrack whatsover which for a journey that long made me want to fall asleep (not helped being up at 04:50!)

The USB ports on 1515 managed to charge my phone just 8% in 40 minutes, poor but better than nothing!

---

Outing 2 - 23/11/17

0606 7 Durham Bus Station (ANE 1516 - Pulsar)
0724 Berwick-upon-Tweed (VTEC - 91122)
0909 253 Edinburgh Bus Station (Borders Buses: 11502 / SN15LJJ - Enviro 300)
1215 X62 Pebbles (Borders Buses: 11001 / BK10MFP - Volvo B7RLE/Wright)
1403 X62 Galashiels Interchange (Borders Buses: 11229 / BF62UYT - Volvo B7RLE/Wright)
1502 X95 Carlisle, English Street (Borders Buses: 11708 / YJ17FWY - Optare MetroCity)
1825 685 Newcastle, Eldon Square Bus Station (ANE 4660 - Omnicity)
2035 47 Metrocentre Bus Station (GNE 5417 - Wright StreetLite)
2100 X66 Gateshead Interchange (GNE 5394 - Wright StreetLite)
2117 21 Durham Bus Station (GNE 3965 / Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini)
2220 7 Newton Aycliffe (ANE 1516 - Pulsar)

Was pleased to have a E300 over a MetroCity on the 253, just as I figured I would have one later on in the day, also because I had a MetroCity on this route last week.

On the 12:15 X62 out of Edinburgh, it took us 20 minutes to get from the Bus Station to Princess Street, as a result the journey was delayed by 15 minutes.

The X95 was a bit chaotic, road closures forced us to divert, no clue via where as it was in the dark but it was seemingly via the middle of nowehere, had no mobile signal for over an hour! Got stuck for nearly 10 minutes at one point as on the diversion signposted 'no HGV access' we ended up stuck when two lorries came in the opposite direction, had to pull into a farm junction to let them past. As a result, we arrived into Carlisle a whopping 45 minutes late, meaning I missed the 17:30 685 back to Newcastle.

The 18:25 685 was nice and quiet, took a few passengers to Brampton then it was me and one other lad as far as Haltwhistle then just myself until just outside of Hexham where a old bloke boarded who got off opposite the old bus station with two more passengers boarding at the new Hexham Bus Station. The USBs on this one managed to charge my phone almost 20% just between Carlisle and Brampton (starting from about 48%) and was fully charged by Newcastle. We passed the 17:30 685 from Carlisle which was a Stagecoach Carlisle CrossPennine E300 as it had broken down somewhere near Newcastle.

The two StreetLite's journeys to the Metrocentre and Gateshead were just to kill time as I didn't want to stand around in Eldon Square Bus Station for 30+ minutes bored out of my mind.

Was pleased to get a Volvo B7TL on the 21 as I don't mind the hybrids but I prefer the sound of a B7, at least the seats are fresh now on this, looked manky as owt last time.

Because of the issues encountered resulting in me being delayed by an hour, I was out from 05:55 until 23:05! The longest outing I've ever had.

---

These outings were quite fun, despite a few hiccups on the second one. May have to do some of the network again.

Photos and videos are now starting to appear on my Flickr and YouTube accounts (links in my signature).

Thanks for reading

Was thinking earlier that there hadn't been any contribution to this thread for a few months - 4, it turns out!

I get really disorientated on a bus, in the dark, on country lanes. More than once, I've had a panic on the 22, after it's left durham, because it took a turn when my brain wasn't ready for it. It's particularly bad when the windows are mucky, so you can't see anything at all that isn't brightly lit, out of the window.

We had a very different Saturday, this week. We didn't catch any buses to anywhere. Bigun did want to take a crawly bus trip to Morpeth, but he wasn't up to going to school, yesterday, so the trip was off.

(25 Nov 2017, 9:34 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Was thinking earlier that there hadn't been any contribution to this thread for a few months - 4, it turns out!

I get really disorientated on a bus, in the dark, on country lanes. More than once, I've had a panic on the 22, after it's left durham, because it took a turn when my brain wasn't ready for it. It's particularly bad when the windows are mucky, so you can't see anything at all that isn't brightly lit, out of the window.

We had a very different Saturday, this week. We didn't catch any buses to anywhere. Bigun did want to take a crawly bus trip to Morpeth, but he wasn't up to going to school, yesterday, so the trip was off.

Coincidently, was just thinking the same regarding reviews last night - whilst on a bus, in an unfamiliar area.

Mentally wrote it out in my head incase I decided to write it up.

A great review Jimmi you've certainly been doing some travelling. I drove around the Scottish Borders one Sunday about a month ago and had a cracking day out. I visited the borders buses garage at Berwick. Like you I had diversion issues and no mobile signal. It was around Newcastleton. I was looking for the Telford coaches garage. Ended up driving across a big field full of sheep on the edge of kielder forest. Looking forward to your next review.

Charles

(26 Nov 2017, 11:10 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Coincidently, was just thinking the same regarding reviews last night - whilst on a bus, in an unfamiliar area.

Mentally wrote it out in my head incase I decided to write it up.

Not a 'normal' bus review, but thought I would jot down my experiences and thoughts of a trip on a bus, in the dark and in an area I'm not too familiar with.

So, I spent part of the weekend in Manchester. Down there for a wedding, I was taking the little ones and catching up with everyone else during the evening celebrations.

We used the train down to Piccadilly and then jumped on the tram to Bury. Based on costs, availability and the fact we could get a tram straight from the hotel to the wedding venue in the city centre, I suggested we stop out of town, to the rest of group. The suggestion was agreed and the rooms were booked on our behalf.

We had checked in to the hotel, got stuff from other rooms (not daft enough to bring kids AND clothes - the clothes went down in a seperste car) and got sorted.

Unfortunately, that is when it started to go wrong. A short journey to Bury Interchange followed and a seemingly long wait on a tram preceded a tannoy announcement. Issues with the network meant we weren't going anywhere. Tickets were valid on a selection of buses so after a pause, a wait and a sigh at the duration of the bus versus the tram, we traipsed up the stairs to get a bus.

I have already commented in the past about Bury Interchange. Apart from First, Rosso operate in the area. Nowt exciting seems to be kicking about these days. It looks like the bendies I spied last time out had gone and the scourge of the Streetlite had struck the Rosso fleet.

As we stood in the queue waiting , I harked back to the days of yore, thinking about the GM Atlanteans roaring around. How one of those pulling up would have put a smile on to my cold, tired and fed up face. Even a Lynx or bendy-bus would have done.
In the end, the 135 turned up. A Gemini 1 followed by a Solar/Eclipse.
Spoilt for choice () we plumped for the decker, taking a seat near the back for both tactical stop spotting and warmth from the engine.

The cold, condensed windows and crowded saloon didn't help with the tactical stop spotting. Hearing confused locals chatting with 135 regular locals, along with a map on my phone that plotted our every move, helped ease our confusion. Slightly.
Until we hit the maze of streets in Manchester - which look totally different in the dark.

We disembarked, found our bearings and made our way to the wedding venue.
Cold, wet, tired and thirsty - just 2 hours late...

That orange Atlantean would have made all the difference. Don't ask why. It just would.

While in Newcastle I had a short outing.
10:22 #Northern - Newcastle to Metro Centre (Class 156486)
10:53 #ScotRail - Metro Centre to Newcastle (Class 156447)
13:00 #X10 - Newcastle to Middlesborough (6312)
14:33 #45 - Middlesborough to Billingham (YJ60 LTY)
15:00 #X9 - Billingham to Peterlee (6312)
15:20? #X6 - Peterlee to Dalton Park (694)
16:02 #X10 - Dalton Park to Newcastle (6310)

It was a fairly good day with excellent timings between all the transport I had used.


Firstly, I sampled a Northern class 156 which had been recently refurbished, I was extremely impressed with the outcome of the interior as it was marvellous. I then procceded my journey and returned to Newcastle on board a very overcrowded 156447. The service was 12 minutes late upon arrival with half a train load alighting at Metro Centre, however the service was still a quite rammed for the journey to Newcastle. I must say the interior was quite worn and is very much in need of a refurbishment!

Secondly, after having a bite of lunch and a tour of Newcastle I boarded the 13:00 X10 service to Middlesbrough, the allocation was in the form of 6312. Upon boarding I thought the exterior branding was amazing and very eye catching, boarding the service the interior was very Gold Standard and a Premium to the customers who use this service. As we hit the A19 we were making good timing, what brightened the journey was the added announcements about the West Boldon stop removal. Observing the passenger numbers I had noticed that a few alighted and boarded at Dalton Park which was good to see. After Dalton Park we pretty much just time machined ourselves to Middlesborough (it was that quick!)

Thirdly, After alighting at Middlesborough I observed a Solo I had come across in York on a previous visit, I went to board and noticed that it was operating with Stephensons North East as such I purchased a single ticket (priced at £2.70) from the driver. The Solo preformed well, although was not giving much power by the driver. I alighted at Billingham and awaited the arrival of my X9 service towards Peterlee.

In addition, my haulage was 6312 again which was no surprise to myself, I enjoyed a peaceful and stress free journey to Peterlee. Having alighted 6312 I boarded Solo 694 operating service X6 to Sunderland, my decision was to travel to Dalton Park and join the 16:02 X10 service to Newcastle. The journey upon 694 was ok straight onto the A19, the passenger numbers were good with pretty much all seats taken. My final journey of the day came in the form of 6310, this service was thriving with passengers in comparison to the X9. The journey was lovely with comfortable seating and the 'limited' 100 MB WI-FI!

All in all it was a excellent day and a good one to make on my first review!

Booked up for my first trip away of the year on the 15th/16th of February to Glasgow and Edinburgh, main purpose of the trip is to see Celtic FC vs Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League on the 15th.

Also plan on doing some Bus Spotting catching the First Airport E200MMC's and Various Coaches which have entered service with Stagecoach etc since I was last up nearly two year ago, then on Friday before I return home i'll be heading into Edinburgh to catch the vast array of new vehicles which entered service with various operators.

(28 Jan 2018, 7:48 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Booked up for my first trip away of the year on the 15th/16th of February to Glasgow and Edinburgh, main purpose of the trip is to see Celtic FC vs Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League on the 15th.

Also plan on doing some Bus Spotting catching the First Airport E200MMC's and Various Coaches which have entered service with Stagecoach etc since I was last up nearly two year ago, then on Friday before I return home i'll be heading into Edinburgh to catch the vast array of new vehicles which entered service with various operators.

First batch of photos uploaded from Thursday with Photos at Halbeath Park & Ride and Dunfermline Bus Station with some familiar old faces amongst this batch, further uploads to come with photos from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Click link to view the first upload - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...5843239498

(17 Feb 2018, 6:41 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]First batch of photos uploaded from Thursday with Photos at Halbeath Park & Ride and Dunfermline Bus Station with some familiar old faces amongst this batch, further uploads to come with photos from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Click link to view the first upload - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...5843239498

A few photos from Glasgow now added, didn't get to many here as I photographed most of what is up there back in 2016 and I was going to the Celtic Match on the night - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...5843239498

(20 Feb 2018, 6:32 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]A few photos from Glasgow now added, didn't get to many here as I photographed most of what is up there back in 2016 and I was going to the Celtic Match on the night - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...5843239498

Further photos have been uploaded from Edinburgh last Friday - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...5843239498

Had a trip up to Glasgow this week, my first visit there so was interested to see the buses in use in the area. Local city routes are mainly operated by First using a mixture of Volvo B7TL's, Enviro 400's and Enviro 300's with a smaller number of Enviro 200 MMC's and Volvo B9TL's. Possibly of more interest was the longer distance services within the area operated by operators including McGills and Stagecoach. Longer distance services run by Stagecoach use a mixture of coaches including Plaxton Elite / Elite i and Van Hool Astromegas. Was an enjoyable visit with quite a good variety, particularly the different coach types at the Buchanan Bus Station which I do not get to see often.

I have created a photo album on flickr although its quite empty now and will take me a while to upload everything as I am trying to write proper descriptions.

Album Link  https://flic.kr/s/aHskziLcFJ

Plaxton Elite i - Route X74
[img]Stagecoach Western 54261 / YY65 SXZ by Pulsar Photos, on Flickr[/img]

(13 Apr 2018, 5:16 pm)Pulsar wrote [ -> ]Had a trip up to Glasgow this week, my first visit there so was interested to see the buses in use in the area. Local city routes are mainly operated by First using a mixture of Volvo B7TL's, Enviro 400's and Enviro 300's with a smaller number of Enviro 200 MMC's and Volvo B9TL's. Possibly of more interest was the longer distance services within the area operated by operators including McGills and Stagecoach. Longer distance services run by Stagecoach use a mixture of coaches including Plaxton Elite / Elite i and Van Hool Astromegas. Was an enjoyable visit with quite a good variety, particularly the different coach types at the Buchanan Bus Station which I do not get to see often.

I have created a photo album on flickr although its quite empty now and will take me a while to upload everything as I am trying to write proper descriptions.

Album Link  https://flic.kr/s/aHskziLcFJ

I have to say, I do like Buchanan Street Bus Station, what a place and been on the X74 a couple of times now, I enjoy that route to Dumfries as well.

(13 Apr 2018, 8:00 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]I have to say, I do like Buchanan Street Bus Station, what a place and been on the X74 a couple of times now, I enjoy that route to Dumfries as well.

I would like to explore more of that area and what there is on offer in the future, I've been to Dumfries this afternoon travelling on the X75 to/from Carlisle, had Volvo B9R / Plaxton Elite - 53710 / AE10JTX for the journey up to Dumfries and bagged X74 branded Volvo B11RT / Plaxton Elite - 54259 / YY65SXW on the return, not a bad route but on the journey back to Carlisle, I was having flashbacks to the X55, great big coach, no other passengers although it was one more passenger than it departed Carlisle with! [emoji23]

(13 Apr 2018, 8:00 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]I have to say, I do like Buchanan Street Bus Station, what a place and been on the X74 a couple of times now, I enjoy that route to Dumfries as well.

Agreed. I like how it works like clockwork too with the use of stewards.

(14 Apr 2018, 5:42 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I would like to explore more of that area and what there is on offer in the future, I've been to Dumfries this afternoon travelling on the X75 to/from Carlisle, had Volvo B9R / Plaxton Elite - 53710 / AE10JTX for the journey up to Dumfries and bagged X74 branded Volvo B11RT / Plaxton Elite - 54259 / YY65SXW on the return, not a bad route but on the journey back to Carlisle, I was having flashbacks to the X55, great big coach, no other passengers although it was one more passenger than it departed Carlisle with! [emoji23]

If you can get further west towards Newton Stewart and Stranraer, I would recommend it. 
Then, there is the opportunity to head north towards Ayr, Irvine and Troon - continue north to Glasgow via the Clyde coast and Greenock or inland to Glasgow via Kilmarnock.
I'd recommend the former, despite it taking longer.

If you're feeling even braver, cross the water at Gourock and try some of the West Coast Motors stuff around Dunoon/towards Loch Fyne and then a Citylink back towards Glasgow.

Here's my travels yesterday afternoon.

Whilst in town I jumped on the Yutong by chance at about 13.00 working the 100. It was a good ride with about twenty passengers. Shame the TV was showing the time to reach Birmingham. Well worth a trip if you haven't tried it already.

Then I caught the 13.25 x22 from the metrocentre. It was operated by 5408. It had ten passengers. This was a good thrash along the Western Bypass and past the Angel. I alighted at Birtley and got some lunch in Morrisons.

Finally I caught 6308 on the, 14.03 Angel back to Gateshead. This was quite busy and stopped at most points along the way. I got home about, 15.00.

Not bad for a spur of the moment trip. I should be at the Quayside on Sunday.

Thanks for reading.

Charles

Had an enjoyable and successful visit to Wakefield and Leeds today.

First I began on the 9:42 CrossCountry Service from Newcastle due to arrive into Wakefield Westgate at 11:22, Im no expert when it comes to trains but I know this was the usual 4 coach Voyager, Journey passed quickly until Leeds but then we were stuck behind a local service and our train filled up fast at Leeds, possibly due to people making local journeys due to the northern strike. We arrived around 10 minutes behind schedule at Wakefield.

Walked straight to the bus station to see what was there. Took me less than 10 minutes from the train. This is a fairly large bus station served mostly by Arriva but there is also a small stagecoach presence and a few others. Some interesting observations I made include a large amount of buses painted in the new Arriva livery. There seems to be a greater percentage of the Yorkshire fleet repainted into the new livery than the north east fleet although this observation is only based on what I saw today. Whilst I would not say that I am a fan of the new livery, I must say that it is growing on me and I quite liked the look of the new Sapphire livery on a route 110 branded Enviro 400. Spent time around the bus station and then left for Leeds in a bus familiar to me.

My ride to Leeds was in the form of Volvo B5LH 1713 (NK13 AZB), ex Blyth Depot 7802. Whilst I know the Volvo B5LH divides opinions, I have always liked them and found that they stood out against the VDL DB300's on my local Blyth routes. The journey on the 444 took 58 minutes compared to the quicker Sapphire 110 which takes 35 but it was definitely worth it to ride a vehicle which has took me home so many times on my local Blyth routes.

The biggest observation I had in Leeds is just how many new buses there is since I was last there in August. This I believe is due to new air pollution rules introduced by the council. The new buses include the large fleet of First Streetdecks including those on the Park and Ride. I like the green Leeds City livery which stands out against the normal First livery. 

After exploring Leeds city centre, I caught the 15:30 CityZap service to York which was either 3609 or 3610 (unfortunately I have become confused between the reg YL02 ZAP and LY02 ZAP). This gave me plenty of time to catch my train at 16:54

My train was the 16:54 service to Stirling, this was operated by a Virgin HST. It arrived into Newcastle at 17:49. I decided to catch the metro from Central Station to Haymarket which was a mistake as I had 13 minutes to wait and then ended up on a packed carriage with a large group of children on board that looked like they had been on a school trip. I guess that might teach me to walk next time rather than catch the metro 2 stops.

My bus home was, possibly appropriately given where I had been, ex Yorkshire 7635.

Hope this is not too long and thanks for reading!

Arriva Yorkshire 1713 (ex Blyth 7802)
Arriva Yorkshire 1713 / NK13 AZB by Pulsar Photos, on Flickr

I enjoyed a good day out yesterday sampling the intensive rail replacement centred around Derby. I generally found the operation to be well organised and as the blockade is in place through to October I'd recommend heading down if bashing some vehicles which are generally a bit different to the norm is of interest. I started my day in Uttoxeter - with easy access to the A50 and abundant free parking was perfect for me, though it could be just as easy to do a day trip from the NE on Cross Country into Chesterfield. 

All the journeys I made were valid on a Derbyshire Wayfarer, which covers all the blockade routes except the Nottingham Route, which would be available as a £6.60 day return. There's the added bonus with the Wayfarer that it's also valid on local buses if, like I did, you end up off on an unplanned wander. That said, my first journey from Uttoxeter was a freebie. I did attempt to buy a ticket from the Portakabin used as an office but was told by staff just to buy in Derby. The service is hourly throughout the day from here, with peak time extras & expresses. Yesterday this route was in the hands of Viking Travel of Swadlincote, who were using various mid-1990s era Plaxton goodness; all outfitted in a smart livery with friendly drivers. My service was the 11:08, in the hands of UJI 8661. It was scheduled to call only at Tutbury & Hatton en route; one station, serving two villages which are actually in two different counties, the station is pretty much exactly on the border of Staffordshire & Derbyshire. The curtailed train service actually extends as far as Tutbury & Hatton. I understand extending to Uttoxeter as a bus terminal as Tutbury & Hatton's lack of car park would make it logistically difficult as a terminus, but also having the train running between the two as a dupe seems a bit excessive for a rural station, especially as the extension leaves the train with a 50 minute layover. Neither my inward or outbound journeys picked up or dropped any passengers at T&H, the detour from the A50 serving only to fill the coach with the aroma roast coffee from the large Nescafe factory which dominates the village, akin to childhood memories of the Cameron's Brewery fumigating Hartlepool with the scent of fermenting beer.

Scheduled for 50 minutes, the journey to Derby was completed in 45. First impressions at Derby were good, for an almost train-less hub of a mainline station. The incoming coach was met with a welcome party of sorts, a handful of officials greeting passengers and advising where to make their next connection from. There was even a 'Derby 2018' uniformed lollipop man to escort passengers across the road into the station, which was nice. From what I could see there seemed to be more staff than passengers throughout the station. They seemed to be usefully colour-coded into 3 camps - green tabard for Derby Resignaling 2018, offering general advice on timetabling, directions and even giving out chocolate biscuits at one point. Purple tabards represented Stagecoach Rail Replacement, the contractor for road transport and were usually draped over a dispatcher with a clipboard and a furrowed brow. Blue was for East Midlands Trains staff, the operator of most of the affected stations and pretty hot-on revenue protection with ticket inspections on departing buses. EMT formed the weak link of the chain in terms of service, an understandably extra-busy ticket office with just 2 counters open meant a 15 minutes wait to purchase a Wayfarer, not available from self-service machines. Other than this the customer service from everyone was outstanding, I must have been asked 5 times on the brief walk across the station if I was okay needed help from various patrols and fixed information points. A far cry from my experience of the Bolton rail replacements a few weeks ago; Transit vans, taxis and little to no information at stations.  

The areas under construction at Derby were a hive of activity, seeing what is usually 5 or 6 lines towards Derby depot almost completely ripped up puts the scale of this operation into focus. You get a good view of what's happening from the glass walled over-platform bridge, the only practical was to get from the front bus stops (Uttoxeter, Derby, Willington & Matlock services) to the rear Pride Park entrance of the station (Nottingham, Chesterfield & Long Eaton services). The rear of Derby station has been well set-up for the next couple of months as a bus station. Passenger-wise, there were extra toilets, seating and a little pop-up Pumpkin Cafe in a Marquee. 

I hung around for a few while to observe the comings & goings. Observed operators included Stagecoach, Arriva, Johnson Brothers, Notts & Derby and National Holidays, who I'd never seen on such work previously. The busiest services seemed to be the Chesterfield & Burton routes. I only observed light loadings for the Nottingham shuttles, perhaps passengers are defecting to Trentbarton's Red Arrow, with it's higher frequency and more convenient stopping places in the absence of the train? 

It was Stagecoach's Panther 54048 which I plumped for haulage to Chesterfield on. It was looking tired in megabus.com livery, still adorning the recently controversial £1 fare adverts. There were a few Panthers on the Chesterfield route, though this was the only megabus liveried example, most had been repainted in allover white. Can anybody shed any light on these? Are they being prepped for sale after this contractual work? Similar vehicles worked the M35 which I used regularly when I lived in Manchester to return back to Teesside, it was nice to see how they've aged, which other than being expectantly ragged around the edges, was reasonably well. I enjoyed the 50 minute trip to Chesterfield. The non-stop route itself is a good mix of city road, rural, dual and single carriageway national speed limit roads to keep the ride interesting enough. 

Chesterfield Station had the expected gaggle of hi-vis and clipboards dispatching vehicles. Whereas Viking Travel on the Uttoxeter route seemed to have layovers at each end, the Stagecoach operation seemed to have the vehicles immediately turned around at either end, with driver changeovers at Chesterfield. My inbound coach was running about 10 minutes behind by the time it re-loaded, which meant by the time it departed the next working was just pulling in. Realising I had an outside change of being the sole passenger on this next run I foregone my planned lunch stop and sure enough, the driver changeover was complete and the vehicle dispatched with only myself and the driver aboard. My loneliness was aplified by the fact that the working was Stagecoach's Astromega 50235. Making the most of the rare opportunity to have such a humongous vehicle to myself I had a good explore before opting for the downstairs-front seats before we departed. The friendly Mansfield based driver initiated conversation and we had a pleasant chat about the rail replacements and Stagecoach generally for much of the journey. On the subject of them as an employer her offered "If you shut up and do your job they pay you every week, what more do people want?". Sound advice indeed. The Van Hool had no trouble with the inclines demanded by the A61 en-route, cementing these vehicles as one of my favourites to be a passenger on - the driver complimented what a nice vehicle it was to drive and how the work in general was a nice break form Mansfield town services. 

On the journey back in to Derby I planned my next move. An option was to catch the bi-hourly rail replacement to Willington only, connect onto a Trenbarton V3 to Burton from there and back into the city on a Burton rail replacement. The haulage I could hope for would be an Arriva Mercedes Sprinter, Trentbarton Scania & Arriva Pulsar, Streetlite or Citaro, so an okay mix - I'd been wanting to tick off the Sprinter for a novelty anyway and until Arriva Click launches in Liverpool this is the closest they'll operate to me. 

I had enough time to grab some chips from the shop opposite Derby Station when the plan went entirely out the window as Notts & Derby 21 pulled up on unibus service 6. SA52DVZ, a Volvo B7L East Lancs Nordic, is an absolute people moving machine. It wasn't until I was at the driver's cab I realised I spend my change on the aforementioned chippy lunch. I enquired about card payments, not yet available despite Notts & Derby using Ticketer machines. The driver very kindly offered to wait if I went to the cash machine, I ran over to withdraw a tenner and whilst waiting I remembered the Derbyshire Wayfarer in my possession - Doh! I sheepishly returned to the bus offering my valid ticket, an understandable tut and wave on by the driver. I didn't have a clue where I was heading on the 6 so looked the route up to plan alighting, wonders of modern technology! It seemed the terminus, part of Derby University's campus, held a reasonable level of service even in the holidays, so I could enjoy the 20 minute ride to the end. I moved upstairs to sit near the back to really appreciate the length & capacity of these ex-Scotland deckers. The journey carried 5 passengers in total so a Sprinter would have sufficed, but I guess it proves it's worth in term time. 

My onward journey options from the university were a N&D Solo on an inter-site shuttle, meaning I'd have to make another journey to get back to the city, or wandering down to the main road to catch a Trentbarton Allestree, I opted for the later. The offering on this route is E200 MMCs, specifically Trentbarton 166. While I was glad of the USBs after my frantic Googling, my gosh it was banging and crashing around - particularly for a bus under a year old - perhaps the noise was amplified after the relative comfort of my coach journeys so far. The Allestree drops on-street in Derby, a short walk from the bus station. Not fancying the 15 minute walk between the bus & train stations I went to see what was on offer to shuttle me down the road. A Skylink Citaro was just shutting it's doors leaving a Gemini on Arriva's 1/1A or a Yourbus Citaro on their competing service of the same number. Never having sampled a Yourbus vehicle I went for Yourbus Citaro 3018, which was carrying a healthy load despite the intense competition on this corridor. Admitantly I don't know too much about Yourbus, but my impression is they compete commercially with copycat routes on key corridors in the area. My own experience was of a clean & tidy service with a pleasant driver, so all seems well on the surface. 

Back at Derby Station just before 4pm I was in time for the 15:57 back to Uttoxeter. Operated by the capable Van Hool Y303 HIS, I had not noticed this was an 'all stops' via Peartree which added a significant detour on the way to the A50, all for no passengers. Factoring in further traffic delays, I would have been better off waiting for the 16:16 ex Derby express, timetabled to arrive in Uttoxeter at the same time, though in reality probably earlier. It also looked like this would have been worked by their 1998 Volvo B10M which would have been a nice reminder of the type worked in Hartlepool when new, alas 'you win some, you loose some'. In theory I could have added a few more runs the the start and end of my day, as the intensive frequency on the core routes extends well into the evening, but i decided I'd had my fill for the day. I intend on heading back in a few weeks with more of a focus on local travel around Chesterfield during the day as is possible with the £13 Wayfarer ticket and would recommend it as something of a bit different day out for any enthusiast.               

Had a decent trip out around Leeds,Bradford & Keighley the other day,so got up fairly early & set off.

- Transpennine to Leeds -

SN15 AEF - 476349 First WY Wright Streetlite,Route 5 Leeds City Loop - York Road 8:48 - 9:21

After leaving the Train stn i jumped on this & got my MetroDay,before doing the loop around the City Centre & up York Road,leaving at the Dawlish Row "Layby" stop.Compared to some Streetlites i`ve travelled on,this one is in fairly decent condition,with less rattles than i was expecting plus the WIFI worked,whats always a bonus!

V74MOA - 2721 Transdev Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President,Route 7 York Rd - Seacroft 9:34 - 9:45

After departing the Streetlite i checked the live times screen & decided to wait for the Service 7,nipping into the local shop getting a drink in the meantime. As i was expecting a red Wright Eclipse it was abit of a surprise to see a Pride of the North President turn up! Ever since being bought by Transdev this seems to spend most of its time being passed between Harrogate & York depots,so must of got lucky for the day! Its old NXWM interior was starting to look abit worn out,but gave a decent ride with little rattles,with the engine notably lacking the "hoovering" noices that would be expected & sounded in much better mechanical than some of the newer First Examples i saw during the day!

Y169 HRN - Fleetnumber? Squarpeg Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown,Route 9 Seacroft - White Rose Cnt 10:10 - 11:08

As we entered Seacroft Bus Stn,i saw the Renown parked up so decided to hang around waiting for it to depart,killing time by taking a few pics of the other vehicles coming & going from Seacroft but was worth the wait,as this Renown was in fantastic condition,with Squarepeg managing to maintain the standards Transdev kept it in.The interior still in decent nick despite it being a fair few years old (If i remember correctly it had a referb in 2009 for the Mainline network,the same time Burnleys Wright Eclipse 2s turned up) Once it out of Seacroft & Crossgates it managed to hold a great turn of speed & even with a few delays once we hit Middleton we still managed to arrive at the White Rose Cnt bang on time.

YJ08 DVK - 1106 Arriva Yorkshire Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse,Route 221 White Rose Cnt - Morley 11:30 - 11:45

After a quick look around the White Rose Cnt,once I got back to the Bus Stn 1106 was just about to enter,with this being the only Wright Eclipse in the new Arriva livery at the moment. It is easy to see why some think of these as the unloved vehicles of Arriva Yorkshire,with almost every other vehicle in the fleet gaining a referb in the last few years (Both newer & older vehicles) these have remained with their original interiors & apart from 1106,the original paintwork,with it showing on the Interior of this example. Despite the Interior looking fairly shabby but gave a decent turn of speed with little rattles,the driver also did a great job getting around the back streets of Morley with its many parked cars!

NK13 AZL - 1719 Arriva Yorkshire Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2,Route 425 Morley - Bradford 12:08 - 12:46
Upon learning what routes went from where in the new Morley Hub set up (not much improvement on the last set up,apart from the stops being in 1 line rather than an T shape before) I saw a Bradford bus was due in around 10 minutes wait. The Wakefield - Bradford routes can get a good mix of vehicles during the daytime,with my vehicle being a 444 Branded hybrid. As it was not too longer ago it was refurbished to MAX standard the interior was in decent nick,even though i forgot how little leg room there seems to be on these! I`m not too sure how these Hybrids work,but when entering Bradford on the main downhill section it sounds like it entered Electric mode,but as it was going around 30-35MPH i carnt say for sure if it was!

YJ51 RFK - 60910 First WY Volvo B7L/Wright Eclipse,Route 680 Bradford - Bingley 13:29 - 14:30

After hitting Bradford,i was looking at getting on the Transdev Shuttle service,but it seemed like there was a fair few delays going on,so decided to get the only service i have not got on between Bradford & Bingley. When it arrived i was tempted just to hang around & wait as i`m not a big fan of the B7Ls & this example reminded me why! Sluggish,worn out rock hard interior & rattled at every chance! Its hard to think this was once one of Yorks flagship fleet for the Park & Ride services,age has not been kind to it & was thankful when i arrived at Bingley,no surprise we ended up arriving 5min late.

YJ16 DWG - 240 Transdev Optare Versa,60 Bingley - Keighley 14:49 - 15:03

Once i arrived at Bingley,after nipping for a quick drink & snack i decided just to jump on the first vehicle that turned up towards Keighley. The Versa gave a decent performance on the main AireValley road,but did notice a fair few rattles for a vehicle thats only around 2 year old. Maybe Versas was not the best choice of vehicle for this service (both for the type of route plus capacity,as it was the start of rush hour & after Bingley it quickly filled up towards Keighley) The Next stop announcements was also interesting,as it being in a strong Yorkshire accent i dont think everyone could fully understand them!

LN18 EWE - 53 Transdev Mellor Strata,K14 Keighley - Keighley 15:05 - 16:14

After arriving in Keighley i decided to rush & quickly jump on this,as upto then i had never been on any Mellor vehicle so was interested in finding out what these was like! They a great little vehicles,plus with Transdev purchasing them with normal bus seats,free WIFI & USB Ports they are a huge step up from the Solos used before! The route itself is a nice little scenic service with some decent views to offer! Once i got back into Keighley,i ended up speaking with the driver as he guessed i might of been an enthusiast by me doing the full circle. He also gave positive views on the Mellors,saying they was fun to drive & the stearing was alot better than the Solos. I`m guessing this could be why they went for purchasing Mellors instead of going for the 7.1m Solo.

FJ08 BZS - 1845 Transdev Wright Eclipse,67 Keighley - Bradford 16:35 - 17:37

Once getting some a bite to eat at a little bakery across from the Bus Stn,i jumped on the more scenic trip to Bradford from Keighley. As like the the Arriva example i travelled on earlier this Eclipse was also starting to show its age,but as its leased rather than owned i assume its somewhere in the small print that they cannot referb the bus without outright buying it. Once leaving Denholme the driver got a good chance to build up some speed,with us ending up having to wait a few minutes in Thornton,with a First Gemini overtaking us,with the 2 of us leap frogging between there & Bradford

YJ17 NJY - 1071 Yorkshire Tiger Enviro 200MMC,747 Bradford - Yeadon 17:45 - 18:20

On approach to Bradford Int,I noticed one of Yorkshire Tigers Enviro 200MMCs coming up behind us,but assumed it would park out as the next Airport service was a 737 due in around half an hour,but once i departed 1845 I noticed it was starting to load & it turned out to be the 17:35 747 service running around 10 minutes late so jumped on. The Blue interior is very smart,but i hope they maintain these better than the Optare Versas used on the LBA - Leeds service,what are not in the best of nick. The amount of rattles was surprisingly bad,even worst than alot of the Olden style E200s. I thought ADL said the MMC range was ment to have no rattles? think they need to take a second look! The driver did a good job making up time despite the odd bit of late peak time traffic & i departed at Yeadon,were we was only 4 minutes late.

SL67 VXH - 35280 FWY Wright Streetlite,97 Yeadon - Leeds 18:25 - 19:20

After arriving in Yeadon,i took a quick look at timetable & had to plan for a 30minute wait,but a few other passengers in the Shelter told me there was a late one due,so after a couple of minutes wait a late 18:20 turned up & i hoped onboard. These new Streetdecks are a little bit of a letdown,being sluggish on the hills & again the amount of rattles was shocking for such a new vehicle. The next stop announcements need work also,as on some parts half way through the sentance it would cut back to the start,when going through Horsforth it didnt anounce the stops at all then when whilst travelling through Headingley for 2-3 stops it decided to say it was a service 28,i`m guessing they are still ironing out the problems as its the first batch of vehicles for First WY to have NSAs.

YJ09 OAA - 37687 FWY Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini,16 Leeds York St - Leeds Rail Stn 19:25 - 19:30

After departing 35280,I walked across the road & jumped on the first bus heading towards the Stn. Not much to say as it was a standard B9TL,but i will say apart from the interior it was a big improvement on the Streetdeck i just left,in a way its almost a shame they just could not upgrade & refurb these instead of purchasing mass amounts of Streetdecks.Upon leaving this at the Train Stn i went for a quick bite to eat before getting my train home.


Altogether it was a decent day out,with me using a number of different vehicles & companys,with me getting my usage out of the MetroDay,priced at £6 it worked out at 50p a journey so i carnt complain!

We haven't had one of these for a few weeks now.

Managed to get an excuse to do some gricing over the weekend and got to use the X9/10 for the first time since the new vehicles were introduced.
Managed to get one service one way and the other, in the other direction. 

Both had decent loads and what was noticeable after being on a Streetlite prior, was that it seemed a lot more solid. Far fewer rattles and compared to the Geminis, the integrated monitor did assist with dampening down rattles.

The drives up and down the A19 were steady. Engines were generally smooth, but they did struggle on the inclines up and down the route.
The southbound trip beyond Hylton Bridge, towards the A183 and A690 was painful.
There was no power at all and the gears just weren't letting us pull at all. I could hear them dropping down, but saw very little improvement at all. 
What was a late run, began to fall behind by another few minutes. 
Northbound, I didn't monitor progress so much, but looking at timetables and corroborating with other trips, what started off on time, ended up approx 10mins late. 

I didn't use the WiFi on either service, so can't comment on that. 

Verdict: Smooth journey, but not sure the engine management is cut out for the route. 

It would be interesting to see what timetable reliability is like across the week, not just on a Saturday. 

Dying to know what the uptake on those table games actually is. 
Having been on the X9/10 now and the 21 on other occassions, I have yet to see anyone actually making use of the opportunities to play solitaire or whatever else.

(13 Aug 2018, 9:31 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]We haven't had one of these for a few weeks now.

Managed to get an excuse to do some gricing over the weekend and got to use the X9/10 for the first time since the new vehicles were introduced.
Managed to get one service one way and the other, in the other direction. 

Both had decent loads and what was noticeable after being on a Streetlite prior, was that it seemed a lot more solid. Far fewer rattles and compared to the Geminis, the integrated monitor did assist with dampening down rattles.

The drives up and down the A19 were steady. Engines were generally smooth, but they did struggle on the inclines up and down the route.
The southbound trip beyond Hylton Bridge, towards the A183 and A690 was painful.
There was no power at all and the gears just weren't letting us pull at all. I could hear them dropping down, but saw very little improvement at all. 
What was a late run, began to fall behind by another few minutes. 
Northbound, I didn't monitor progress so much, but looking at timetables and corroborating with other trips, what started off on time, ended up approx 10mins late. 

I didn't use the WiFi on either service, so can't comment on that. 

Verdict: Smooth journey, but not sure the engine management is cut out for the route. 

It would be interesting to see what timetable reliability is like across the week, not just on a Saturday. 

Dying to know what the uptake on those table games actually is. 
Having been on the X9/10 now and the 21 on other occassions, I have yet to see anyone actually making use of the opportunities to play solitaire or whatever else.

I'm a fan of the snakes and ladders with duplicate numbers.