North East Buses

(13 Aug 2018, 10:01 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]I'm a fan of the snakes and ladders with duplicate numbers.

(19 Dec 2018, 8:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Recently spent some time in the Highlands. Did the Highland Chieftan there and back, so lots of new rail miles and easily my longest trip on a Class 43.

I've mentioned elsewhere the spotting of an ex-SNE dart in Inverness, but the main highlight of the trip (bus wise), was a ride out on the 10.
Having been on a spare MMC 300 and a branded MMC 300 on the 11, I managed to bag one of the coaches that appeared last year on the 10.
The power difference between the MMC300 and the B11R was more than evident.
The seating comfort similar (more legroom on the coach), but ride quality on the coach a mile ahead. 
There were some narrow streets to the west of Nairn that could cause issues at certain times, but it was fine when I rode it. 
I didn't need to use the on-board toilet, but on arriving at Inverness Retail Park, the driver made use. 
I'd hope it was cleaned and maintained at each end. 
What was noticeable, was that we left Nairn approx 10 late. The driver wasn't in any rush before leaving either. Without hammering the vehicle at all, it arrived at the Retail Park dead on time.
The ride out on the MMC was laboured and on long stretches of straight, flat road, it needed that extra space in terms of gearing. It was screaming at times. The total opposite to the coach. 

Independant wise, D&E Coaches seemed to be the main player. Wheel forward Streetlites seemed to be the mainstay of work around Inverness, although I did see an old school Merc minibus blinded up for a Private Hire of sorts.

(19 Dec 2018, 8:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Recently spent some time in the Highlands. Did the Highland Chieftan there and back, so lots of new rail miles and easily my longest trip on a Class 43.

I've mentioned elsewhere the spotting of an ex-SNE dart in Inverness, but the main highlight of the trip (bus wise), was a ride out on the 10.
Having been on a spare MMC 300 and a branded MMC 300 on the 11, I managed to bag one of the coaches that appeared last year on the 10.
The power difference between the MMC300 and the B11R was more than evident.
The seating comfort similar (more legroom on the coach), but ride quality on the coach a mile ahead. 
There were some narrow streets to the west of Nairn that could cause issues at certain times, but it was fine when I rode it. 
I didn't need to use the on-board toilet, but on arriving at Inverness Retail Park, the driver made use. 
I'd hope it was cleaned and maintained at each end. 
What was noticeable, was that we left Nairn approx 10 late. The driver wasn't in any rush before leaving either. Without hammering the vehicle at all, it arrived at the Retail Park dead on time.
The ride out on the MMC was laboured and on long stretches of straight, flat road, it needed that extra space in terms of gearing. It was screaming at times. The total opposite to the coach. 

Independant wise, D&E Coaches seemed to be the main player. Wheel forward Streetlites seemed to be the mainstay of work around Inverness, although I did see an old school Merc minibus blinded up for a Private Hire of sorts.

(19 Dec 2018, 9:08 pm)Jamie M wrote [ -> ]WF streetlites are a crime and aren't to be talked about or referenced at any point ever!

...They're hideous!

North scotland is unexplored for me, I'd find it hard to find the motivation to head up that way rather than cheap flights to warmer lands in the summer. Thats if I can have a day off, whatever one of them is [emoji848]

(19 Dec 2018, 9:19 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]I have done the 10 from Aberdeen to Inverness on one of the new coaches and after 4 hours arrived into Inverness.  Quite surprised when we went through some villages the driver got out and got bundles of newspapers which had been put into the lockers at Aberdeen out and people were waiting to collect them.

Going to be a bit of a shakeup in Inverness in the New Year as D&E Coaches hands over Inverness contracts to Stagecoach.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/new...tagecoach/

(19 Dec 2018, 9:22 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Done a few areas up there now. 
Hit on lucky and it can be warmer than back home. No passport concerns (yet) either.

(19 Dec 2018, 10:23 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Would like to get up to the Highlands sometime but unlikely to be anytime soon, however with the recent LNER seat saver sale I am one day going to be catching train up to Dundee then catch a selection of Stagecoach buses down to Edinburgh to meet my train home, my plan should include a mix of coaches and normal service buses.

Other trips in January / February include: Edinburgh, Glasgow plus some stuff down in Lincolnshire and Norfolk (assuming weather doesn't spoil those plans).

Be a shock to the system as I don't seem to be getting anywhere other than Newcastle lately, lucky if I even see Teesside atm.

(19 Dec 2018, 11:12 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]One thing I regret about Dundee is not getting on a RM when they were kicking about. 
The 73 is worth a trip out, if only to get a conductor take your fare! 

The IC network across Lincolnshire is decent. Brylaine's route and stock was a favourite. The IC5 would also connect up Lincoln and Boston, bringing you closer to Norfolk. 
There's always the sight of RAF stuff en-route too. Particularly as the IC5 runs parallel to the perimeter fence, runway and BBMF hangar at Coningsby.

(19 Dec 2018, 10:23 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Would like to get up to the Highlands sometime but unlikely to be anytime soon, however with the recent LNER seat saver sale I am one day going to be catching train up to Dundee then catch a selection of Stagecoach buses down to Edinburgh to meet my train home, my plan should include a mix of coaches and normal service buses.

Other trips in January / February include: Edinburgh, Glasgow plus some stuff down in Lincolnshire and Norfolk (assuming weather doesn't spoil those plans).

Be a shock to the system as I don't seem to be getting anywhere other than Newcastle lately, lucky if I even see Teesside atm.

(20 Dec 2018, 12:17 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Had a go on the IC5 when I was down that way at the start of the year and it is a fun route to do, better still as I bagged a BMC Falcon thing on it which was certainly a fun experience (YouTube video: https://youtu.be/rV4XaeBTFoU), also managed to bag DAF SB200 / Ikarus Polaris MK52XNN for a short trip on service K59 (YouTube: https://youtu.be/1SDhI7aZlkk).

Also pleased I caught Shaws service 100 between Spalding and Market Deeping considering the plug is about to be plugged on that one (although Delaine are offering a replacement service IIRC), Delaine being another I would like to check more out of.

Would quite like to get down towards Skegness again but difficult to do in a day, may have to do some trips where I stay over in the future.

(21 Dec 2018, 11:16 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Did the Falcon you rode, have an 'odd'  seating layout? 
Always got mixed up with some of the fleet, with them looking quite similar externally.
Those two you mentioned are both interesting vehicles. 
Sure Scott mentioned once that MK52XNN had spent time at Stephensons of Easingwold. It lacked power whenever I had it down there.

Skeggy is do-able in a day, depending on where you're starting from. If you end up in Horncastle, the route the PC Coaches 10 is a nicer ride to/from Lincoln than the Stagecoach 56. Breaks up the trip to/from Skeggy a bit too. 
The Brylaine A6 and A8 provides decent links to/from Horncastle with Coningsby or Boston (and the IC5) too.

(21 Dec 2018, 3:49 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]Yup, BMC I had was a mix of 2+2 plastic seats similar to Urban90's whilst towards the back was a 2+3 fabric affair but plastic for the back row.

Think I'm doing IC5 to Tattershall - A8 to Horncastle - 56 to Spilsby then B11 to Boston (although connection at Tattershall is a bit tight, only about 3 minutes).

I may take a crack at Skeggy in the spring/summer once the weather improves and the open toppers are back out there.

Did sample the PC Coaches service 47 between Newark and Lincoln and got a hybrid E400 on that which was a nice ride but the hour and a half long journey did drag on a bit towards the end.

(21 Dec 2018, 7:15 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Even the gazette is getting in on the bus reviews
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teess...o-15567543

(01 Mar 2019, 7:18 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]The month of February featured quite a few outings across the region.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...2371930702

(03 Mar 2019, 10:53 am)Jamie M wrote [ -> ]Was doubtful I was going to feature this time round, but I found myself driving a Vyking at the bottom. Feels like about 6 months ago since I drove that thing!

Some good pictures in there too!

(03 Mar 2019, 2:22 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Thanks Jamie.

You haven't seen me as much in the last month photographing your usual X21 board as you've always had the president instead, seen you numerous times heading into town having just done a short 93.

(03 Mar 2019, 4:52 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]You're seeing him more than I do and that's saying something haha, appears you spotted him yesterday: https://flic.kr/p/2f1U89k

(03 Mar 2019, 7:28 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Hadn't actually noticed to be fair.

We havent had one of these recently!

In two minds whether to report back, but seeing as it's an area that hasn't really featured in the thread, I'd thought it was worth doing.

Saved for prosperity and all that jazz.

Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Wales featured amongst my most recent galavant.

Although Arriva seem to have kept their toes in the water in a number of the areas I travelled in, I was pleased to see some independents floating around. One to note was Lloyd's, who have really upped their game over the last 10/15 years.

They even had an indirect link to back home, with a sister of the local Omnidekka's (YN56 FDL) appearing on the Welsh coastal town of Barmouth - displaying 'Eldon Square' on its blind.

A fair few ADL products featured in the area, looking smart in the Traws Cyrmu livery. Two MMC 200s on trade plates passed us in mid-Wales at one point. No idea where there were going.

A glut of Solo's appeared and surprisingly, I lost count of the number of Versa's I saw. Either in a Traws Cymru or Arriva livery.

http://www.trawscymru.info/routes/ quite an extensive network, well worth an explore. 

Blue Diamond had quite a few Mini Darts kicking around (didn't see if any were ex-NE based) Kidderminster that looked like they had seen better days.

Minsterley seemed to like their Optare products too.

I also sampled the network in and around Shrewsbury.

The odd Centro or ADL product appeared, but most of the work seemed to be carried out by 09/60 plated Optare products. Including the Shropshire Council P&R services.

It seemed odd to see Thurmaston legals so far from Leicester.

Didnt get to ride any of the refurbished Versa's unfortunately.

One other point of note, was the 'decker come diner' parked just off the A49.

A quick bit of digging identified it as this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/132545487@N06/23291133552

An area well worth an explore.

As a self-confessed StreetDeck fan, I thought I’d go into ‘reviewing’ GNE’s new ADL Enviro200 MMC for the Green Arrow 97 service with an open mind. Having been on the demonstration vehicle a few weeks back, I was pleasantly surprised with how nice and rattle free it was compared to previous examples I’ve been on.

I think I’ll start off with what I don’t like about it, I’ve made no bones about hating the look of the E200MMC, and my opinion on that has not changed. I do however think that the bright green base colour is a clever distraction from what is otherwise an ‘unappealing’ design. If we take a look at the livery, in the past when I had only seen photographs, I thought it looked a bit too cluttered with all the arrows, but I’m happy to say in person it doesn’t stick out as much as I thought it would. I might go as far as saying I think it fits well with the overall design of the bus.
Now that I have seen it in person enough times, I’ve think I’ve grown to like the new corporate livery, and I think it lends itself rather well to adaptation into a branded route. Another piece of design that I like is the extra piece of glass above the rear window. It really does let lots of light flood into what I think would be a very dingy back row with the relatively small rear window.

If I move on to the interior, the first thing you notice when you step on board (after the wonderful, yet probably very unhealthy new bus smell) is the drop down vandal screens, which makes it a lot easier to communicate with the driver! As you step further into the bus, you notice how bright and airy it feels, I was expecting the dark red wall panels to make it feel dark and dingy, but the large windows help make up for it.
While on the subject of interior styling, there were a few things which I’m not particularly a fan of, first of which is the mismatched emergency exit door. While I get it may have been intentional in order to make it stand out, I don’t think the grey door fits well with the beige plastic of the rest of the bus. I’m also not a big fan of the ceiling choice, the white plastic with a subtle texture makes it looks like they haven’t peeled the protective film off the ceiling yet, I would have liked to see the same blue-sky vinyl that has been used on the StreetDecks.

These vehicles are fitted with start stop technology to reduce emissions, although it was clear the driver wasn’t a fan as he would keep revving the engine while stopped to make sure it didn’t turn off. At the next stop I found out why he was doing this, the engine is fairly rough on start-up, although I suspect this could just be because it needs running in.
Compared to the demonstrator vehicle that I had a ride on a few weeks back, it felt quite sluggish up the hills around Whickham, and the demo had a full load. There were also quite few not-so-smooth gear changes thrown in as well for good measure. It wasn’t just me that picked up on this as when changing drivers in Gateshead, I overheard the driver saying he thinks there may be an issue with it.

An issue I have with most new buses is ride quality, and the E200MMC is no exception. It’s perfectly adequate over relatively new roads, but as soon as the roads start to fall apart, so does the ride. The firm ride means that you feel every imperfection in the road, but it is no worse than a StreetLite, perhaps a little better, but I’d have to ride them back to back on the same route to pick a winner. I personally feel it’s a downgrade in terms of pure ride quality over the Solars that they replace, but that brings me on to the next part of a good ride.
Now, to me, there is one thing that can make or break a bus, and that’s the choice of seats. It doesn’t matter how quiet and smooth the engine is, if you can only last 5 minutes on the seat, it’s a failure. Go North East decided to fit both the E200MMC single deckers and E400MMC double deckers with ADL’s SmartSeat rather than the Esteban Civic V3 seats that has been standard fit for many years now. Also new is the switch to half leather and half moquette from full leather seats. While I do have a preference for full leather seats, I will say the new style looks considerably better in person than it does in any photograph. The leather is softer than has been used in the past, and the new moquette feels thicker and more ‘grippy’ than their previous design. The rationale behind moving away from full leather is that leather seats are hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. However, I found that the new moquette tends to trap the heat in more than the leather seats, so my back felt very warm after a short while, which doesn’t happen with the full leather seats.

In terms of comfort, on first impressions the seats are very well padded, bordering on the line of being too spongy, but thankfully not crossing over. As I said previously, the texture of the new moquette means it the seats are grippy, but they still allow you to move around and find a comfortable position.
I found the seat base to be a bit too short for my typical ‘slouch’ seating style, but the lack of any form of legroom at most seats meant I had no choice but to sit up right, albeit with my knees still stuck in the chair in front.
My preferred seat on most buses is right beside the emergency exit due to the increased leg room on offer, but the design of the emergency exit door made sure I was uncomfortable there too. I feel like the handle on the door protrudes too far and it was digging into my arm.

For the first 30 minutes or so of the journey I found the seats very comfortable, the backrest had just the right amount of lean, and had a good amount of lumbar support. However, after about 30 minutes I felt like I had sunk through the top layer of padding and was sitting on the hard structure of the seat, granted I’m not exactly the lightest person around, but I’ve never had this issue with other seats (well, I’ve sat on worse, but usually it’s bad from the start). Being a regular user of the X21, I’m used to sitting on the same seat for a good 2 hours and to be honest I expected more of the SmartSeat. I know seats are a very subjective thing, but I personally prefer the Civic V3 seats on board the ex-Castles Express StreetDecks, while they are considerably firmer, they are more supportive over a long period of time. The leather seats on The Angel StreetDecks are a step above this with their extra padded layer, but I prefer the texture of the leather on the older examples.
After that half an hour, I had to move seats, which segues me into talking about the on board technology.

The back of each seat is fitted with an array of features, including a stop button, phone holder, USB port and two coat hooks. The USB port is a standard feature on most new buses now, but what is new is the stop button at every seat, this is a very handy feature especially when the bus is crowded, I’m used to buses like the StreetLite where there are nowhere near enough stop buttons, requiring you to actually stand up to hit the stop button at some seats, and when you hate people as much as I do, it’s better to miss your stop and have to get the bus back than it is asking the person next to you to move. Now, the downside of this is that the buttons are very easy to accidentally press, on my 50-minute journey the button was accidentally pressed twice. In fact, I accidentally pressed it myself when deboarding in Newcastle.

The phone holder is a good idea in theory, however my LG G7 just squeezes in, so people with the latest iPhone 11 Pro Max will probably have an issue. The limited size also means that there isn’t enough room for me to plug in the USB cable in the bottom of the phone while keeping it in the holder. And according to GNE, the main use for this feature would be to watch videos on the go, but without the ability to charge at the same time, I feel like it wasn’t thought through enough. Wireless charging was an option available for the phone holders, but unfortunately this option was not ticked by GNE, and I feel like this would have made the phone holder more useful.
Underneath the seat back console are two hooks, which in my opinion are borderline useless. The hooks are too small to be able to hook a carrier bag on, and too low to hang your coat on, unless you like having your coat touch the floor.

The new Green Arrow buses are among the first to receive Go North East’s updated Next Stop Announcement system, going back to using a TFT display rather than the LED display that has been standard fit for the past few years. While I didn’t get a chance to experience the new system, I have it on good authority that the new TFT displays are considerably better than the TFT displays of yore, and let’s be honest, they can’t be any worse!

To sum up, if I had to pick between the Wrightbus StreetLite and the ADL E200MMC based purely on my experience of GNE’s example, it would be an easy victory for the ADL. Which is something I never thought I’d say based on my previous experience of the E200MMC with other operators, I just hope that Go North East are able to keep it rattle free!

Had a recent one way grice out on the buses.

Wasn't in any particular rush, so made a 'game' of it as I have done in the past.

As the trip was only in one direction, I needed to vary the rules a bit.

This rule meant that I wasn't allowed to use the same type of vehicle or manufacturer. Quite difficult with the lack of choice or variety round here!

Whilst on the trip, I started thinking about some of the poor connections around Co Durham - specifically South East Durham.

GNE sort of wiggle their fingers around meekly at it. A bit like when you fish out food remnants from the plug

ANE get their fingers really dirty, but don't offer many different options, other than South East out of Durham - then North East towards the coast.

There's the X21 and X22, but again, it's north east towards Peterlee from Sedgefield.

[attachment=9235]

The orange indicates (as the crow flies) the current cross county network.

The blue indicates the potential for a north/south service of sorts.

Anyway, the trip went really well. Only one duplicate manufacturer (gutted to see a Temsa on the following X3/X4 board), otherwise it would have been a clean sweep!

X4 (Streetlite), X12 (Pulsar), X21 (MAN), 55 (Citaro), X20 (Solo).

Not exciting, but certainly better than the monotony of the A19 and an X9 or X10! Spend enough time on that road in the car.

If I'd done this trip a few months back, it would have all been X type services. Although apart from the X4, there's not much express about any of the services.

(09 Jul 2020, 2:12 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Think this is probably the best place for this:

Depending on how the coronavirus situation is, as long as it is safe I am looking at a trip to Yorkshire (South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire,York, The Humber or a variety i don’t mind).It’s an area i’ve never really explored.

I am more or less clueless about this area, does anyone have any tips or suggestions - anything unusual or worth trying to get photos of?

Any suggestions would be good

Cheers

(09 Jul 2020, 2:56 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]My area of expertise!
Would probably depend what you're after but there's a huge mix of independents in Yorkshire - everything from Reliance and Pullman in York to Leeds having CT Plus, Tetleys, Fourways, Squarepeg and wider across West Yorks you've got Southpennine, TLC, Stotts, Globe, Ross Travel and many more. Into South Yorks you've got TM Travel, CT Powells, Hulleys all providing a bit of interest.
That's amongst the millions of Arriva (& low cost brand Yorkshire Tiger), First and Stagecoach generally operating major services.