(04 Dec 2013, 10:04 pm)palatine3833 YD63 UZN is seen here in Belmont depot tonight

It's been doing test runs today with engineering and has had a ticket machine base plate and cash tray added. It's parked where the X1 deckers usually go, so I'm not sure whether it will be coming out on Thursday or Friday but it should be being used on the 64 as Scott has said.

(05 Dec 2013, 3:47 pm)Richard Smiles Dear All,

To reflect the entry into service of the 11 New Sapphire Pulsar Vehicles at Darlington (9) & Durham (2) & the subsequent additional Fleet movements as a result, I have fully updated my Arriva North East Fleet List (Effective from Monday 9 December 2013) and this is attached. This is in line with the "Official" Arriva North East Fleet Allocation Sheet.

Please feel free to download this PDF version for your records, should you wish to do so.

NOTE: Changes to Depot Allocations on the list, are highlighted in Red.

Kind Regards, Richard

(05 Dec 2013, 7:43 pm)Mark Gibbon I was at Walworth this afternoon as they were setting the buses up. From what I know about the launch, I can understand why it was timed for the hours of darkness. I took a few photos while the sun was still shining, but I'm sure the ones of the actual launch will look much more impressive!

(06 Dec 2013, 8:54 am)tyresmoke Good to hear Mark!

Just a reminder to all that the Sapphire Pulsars are out on the road as of this morning - I will put a report on here later of the first day...

(06 Dec 2013, 10:27 pm)tyresmoke

So Sapphire was launched last night at Walworth Castle and they were out on the road this morning.

I had a few rides on them today and can certainly say they're lovely vehicles. The leather seats we're really nice, a far nicer leather than the slippy material used in the Omnicity vehicles. The interior colours are an interesting choice, with the dark blue on the lower half of the side/front panels and then the light grey above, but they seem to work well. I was pleased to note that the wi-fi worked on 2 out of the 3 that I rode on.

I was also impressed with the cove branding which was all matching in Sapphire colours, showing a route map and other information. Each bus also has a different vinyl picture on the back of the cab wall, which provides a change to the plain white we're all used to. It is more visable than on similar projects elsewhere using double deck vehicles and I think it works better.

The next stop announcements are visually on a TV which is placed above the saloon on the bulkhead before the cab, and the audio announcements are voiced by the same woman that does the ones on the South West Trains network (I think anyway, sounds the same!). This means that the "Stopping" display is moved to the left of the cabin which appears to be a good place to have it, different to the Wright standard display too!

There were some issues with timekeeping thanks to the closure of Whessoe Road in Darlington, forcing lots of traffic onto (the already busy!) North Road corridor, and Darlington based Pulsar 1498 was seen on one journey presumably thrown on to help get buses back on time. There were unfortunately a few gaps in service and I was impressed to see some of the loadings, especially at college time this evening. The Pulsar's are only 40 seaters though, same as the Darts they've replaced. The 2+1 formation of seating does give extra standing room, though.

The new timetable produced for the new brand has to be one of the best timetables I've seen for a long time, very much like the Coastliner timetable with fare information, timetables and route map all displayed in similar fashion.

1514 seen entering Ferryhill en-route to Darlington


1520 seen at DurhamGate Business Park en-route to Durham


Rear branding as shown on 1515

(07 Dec 2013, 9:37 am)andreos1 I quite like the Pulsar as a vehicle, but found them to be lacking in quality compared to the Solar.
Are they suitable for this type of upgrade?

(07 Dec 2013, 12:29 pm)Terence Price Bit of an odd Question i know however i think its relevant, is Arriva North East getting smaller?

Now some people will ask why am asking this so let me explain

Arriva North West and Wales are the company up here a use the most but they seem to be on a retreat we have lost 2 Depots in the North West (Skelmersdale and Manchester) in Wales Llandudno has been reduced to an outstation and Holyhead outstation has been shut, later this month 4 more Welsh Depots/Out stations will be shut, going back to the North West most of the tendered services Arriva had have been lost and a lot of none tendered routes have been cut back to the point we think 3 Depots in the North West could be at risk of going, Drivers up here all think they going to be sold of but i do wonder if its not just going on up where i am but maybe here aswell?

(07 Dec 2013, 9:37 pm)northern156 Scania Omnicity 4662 (with a really high-pitched loud air leak by the sound it was making most of the time) was working 0625 685 ex-Newcastle.

Pulsar 1481 worked the last ever 0555 685 ex-Newcastle to Carlisle and then the 0854 back over.

Scania Omnicity 4661 worked the last ever 685 service to go through Greenhead/Gilsland/Low Row this evening, the 1645 ex-Newcastle (pictured). Weirdly it was on-time throughout (probably due to the driver driving as if he was in a rally car).


Sean

(07 Dec 2013, 9:43 pm)tyresmoke Thanks for that, what do you make to the leather seats on these Omnicities? There have apparently been many complaints which seems to be an integral part of the reasoning behind their "refurbishment" next year.

(07 Dec 2013, 9:43 pm)tyresmoke Thanks for that, what do you make to the leather seats on these Omnicities? There have apparently been many complaints which seems to be an integral part of the reasoning behind their "refurbishment" next year.

(07 Dec 2013, 9:47 pm)northern156 They're ok for journeys less than 30 minutes, I dare say comfortable.
Anything more than that (for example 2 and a half hours from Newcastle to Carlisle), they really get irritating.
Talking about irritating, the people who have complained are no doubt the ones who go and bleat to the local press (Hexham Courant being one) saying they should have seatbelts, (I think some of them believe Arriva is breaking the law not having any fitted).
I bet the same ones who will complain will never use them; they're whining for the sake of it.

Mind they're much better than the old DAF seats, should some chewing gum ever get attached to them!

(07 Dec 2013, 10:18 pm)tyresmoke Yeah the leather is so tightly stitched and plus its a very slippy type material, not ideal for bus seats! They were ok when new on the X6 but before transfer we used them on 5s to Whitby, and they weren't great on the country roads!
It will be much better when they have fabric covers I think, I would like to see them add armrests to them too...

More than likely the same people yes! There's a number of letters in the press from before the coaches went. They just like complaining for the sake of it...