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tyresmoke



5,299
25 Nov 2013, 10:18 pm #21
Dales & District review

Another new bit of territory covered for me today...
One of my mates (also a driver and enthusiast) likes to go on days out riding around so when our days off meet its always good to do something different. So today saw us off on a Freedom tour of North Yorkshire with a Dales & District Freedom ticket (£9).
We drove to Darlington as we figured it would be easier given the time constraints I had today (going out for a family meal on the evening... Just been to Toby Carvery!) and started from Tubwell Row.
Our first move was the MAN 14.220 with MCV Evolution bodywork, in the form of London reject AE60GRX, on the 0900 service 72 to Northallerton. This was a fairly quiet journey into Northallerton, gradually picking up more on the way as the bus entered North Yorkshire (where concessionary passes are valid from 0900 rather than 0930 in majority of the rest of the NE).
Getting into Northallerton at 0950 proved to be at the start of a busy period with no less than 4 other vehicles arriving and departing plus the town bus which we wandered down the High St to see. A rather smoky Solo (MX07JNJ) arrived and was replaced with an E200 before departing to Richmond on the 55, providing a rare working opportunity! The other independent operator operating in Northallerton is Abbotts of Leeming who run the hourly services 80/89 between there and Stokesley with two new Optare Solo SRs, of which we saw both during the hour or so we were there.
The next bus provided was one time Stagecoach Optare Solo MX04VLP on the 1042 service 153 to Thirsk, which proved to be rather flat and not quick by any stretch of the imagination! I believe this to be a former Devon County Council owned vehicle as it certainly wasn't to Stagecoach spec, though it did carry its Stagecoach fleet number above the cab. A rather stately ride saw us arrive into Thirsk around 1120, in time to see the Reliance vehicle (a Volvo B6BLE) and the Hutchinsons town bus (a ropey looking Cheetah) arrive.
We had over an hour break here due to the way the timetables work, but this allowed us time to see the other Thirsk town bus which was D&D Primo YX07HPC, and also wandered round to the coach park to find 2 Shearings vehicles and the Glenton Palmer branded Panther from Stanley Coaches all stopping enroute to/from various holidays, Monday being market day in Thirsk.
After a nice lunch from the chip shop in the town square, it was time to depart to Ripon, on board ADL Enviro 200 MX10DXM (which had earlier replaced the Solo in Northallerton). This provided a very steady run to Ripon on service 70, still sporting its (rather home made looking) luggage racks from its previous life on service 767 Harrogate-Airport.
Once we arrived in Ripon, we saw a few of Transdev's 36 deckers (Volvo B7TL's) which look very smart in their 'City Connect' livery, though I think I preferred the last version. Also around was Eddie Brown Solo KX04HPU on their town services and Dales & District's silver Iveco Daily NX10CCA on the 138/139 services.
The next move on the Freedom tour was onboard Optare Solo MX55BXR, operating the 1340 service 159 to Richmond. This being one of the Cummins powered Solos, it provided a quicker ride via Lightwater Valley to Masham where we jumped off and had a quick wander round the village. Its not hard to see why service 159 has recently been improved with a Sunday operation, with a decent loading even on a Monday afternoon, though it was a shame that the Wright Streetlite that is usually found on service 159 was nowhere to be seen!
After a 25 minute break here we jumped onto another of the same batch, MX55BXS on 1430 service 144 to Bedale, which has to be high on the list of tightly timed routes! A ride which I'm not sure could be provided by anything other than a Cummins powered flying machine, saw us whisked (literally...) upto Bedale in no time whatsoever! A 10 minute connection onto the service 157 departure to Hawes at 1505 saw us board another ADL E200, MX10DXY this time which appeared to show plenty of battle scars and seemed to agree with my perception that these E200s are not up to the demands of rural operation. This E200 struggled up along the country roads and a few jumpy gear changes and the low power certainly suggested that it was stuck in limp mode... A quick glance at the dashboard upon disembarking seemed to agree!
A 5 min connection in Leyburn from the 157 to the 159 turned into a -2 min connection (although this was partly attributable to leaving Bedale 4 min late thanks to waiting for the inbound connection off service 73). Luckily the 159 was sat there in Leyburn waiting for our arriving 157 in case of any connecting passengers, something which Dales & District seem to excel at! The driver of the E200 on 157 even contacted their office via the cab phone in Bedale to ask where the 73 was for a concerned customer wondering if he'd missed it, excellent customer service (especially from a driver which seemed to take delight in annoying everyone else...).
Another rather empty ride on the 1535 service 159 from Leyburn to Richmond was onboard former Leven Valley Solo NT06GKA, which was noticeably slower than the 55 plates which we had been on previously, despite also being a Cummins engined example! It still retained all of its internal notices from Leven Valley too, including its former fleet number. We were the only two passengers on this entire journey, albeit it was a short run from Leyburn to Richmond only, not starting all the way up in Hawes.
A quick (long enough given the cold!) stop in Richmond allowed some evening shots to be attained of the town service (which had dropped to a Sprinter by 4pm, usually a Solo through the day) as well as one or two of the Arriva Solos passing through on services X26/X27.
The last trip of the day was on Mini Pointer Dart MX06ULP on service 29, covering for the more usual Plaxton Primo. It had no destination displayed and only one operational number blind from what I could tell, so a board in the windscreen displayed the intended "29 Darlington" destination, not ideal in the dark for customers joining enroute (of which there were none), only one other passenger onboard on departure from Richmond Market Place, and they departed the bus within the confines of Richmond itself, leaving just the two of us on the remaining ride to Darlington via Melsonby and Cleasby.

All in all a good day out sampling some of the lesser used bus territory, and hard to believe Arriva used to run across the majority of it (in former guises for parts!) and its quite easy to see how Procters Coaches have built up a very large network. Unfortunately a lot of it now has the axe hanging over it, with North Yorkshire County Council having to find savings and proposing to chop a lot of services. The £9 Freedom ticket gives good value for travel across such a wide area, it may seem expensive to some (comparing it to the North East Explorer perhaps) but I don't mind paying that little bit extra in rural areas, its quite a nice change from riding around between towns.

Total log from today was:

0900 72 Darlington-Northallerton AE60GRX (MAN / MCV)
1042 153 Northallerton-Thirsk MX04VLP (Solo)
1229 70 Thirsk-Ripon MX10DXM (E200)
1340 159 Ripon-Masham MX55BXR (Solo)
1430 144 Masham-Bedale MX55BXS (Solo)
1505 157 Bedale-Leyburn MX10DXY (E200)
1535 159 Leyburn-Richmond NT06GKA (Solo)
1625 29 Richmond-Darlington MX06ULP (MPD)

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Service Manager, Coatham Connect

tyresmoke
25 Nov 2013, 10:18 pm #21

Dales & District review

Another new bit of territory covered for me today...
One of my mates (also a driver and enthusiast) likes to go on days out riding around so when our days off meet its always good to do something different. So today saw us off on a Freedom tour of North Yorkshire with a Dales & District Freedom ticket (£9).
We drove to Darlington as we figured it would be easier given the time constraints I had today (going out for a family meal on the evening... Just been to Toby Carvery!) and started from Tubwell Row.
Our first move was the MAN 14.220 with MCV Evolution bodywork, in the form of London reject AE60GRX, on the 0900 service 72 to Northallerton. This was a fairly quiet journey into Northallerton, gradually picking up more on the way as the bus entered North Yorkshire (where concessionary passes are valid from 0900 rather than 0930 in majority of the rest of the NE).
Getting into Northallerton at 0950 proved to be at the start of a busy period with no less than 4 other vehicles arriving and departing plus the town bus which we wandered down the High St to see. A rather smoky Solo (MX07JNJ) arrived and was replaced with an E200 before departing to Richmond on the 55, providing a rare working opportunity! The other independent operator operating in Northallerton is Abbotts of Leeming who run the hourly services 80/89 between there and Stokesley with two new Optare Solo SRs, of which we saw both during the hour or so we were there.
The next bus provided was one time Stagecoach Optare Solo MX04VLP on the 1042 service 153 to Thirsk, which proved to be rather flat and not quick by any stretch of the imagination! I believe this to be a former Devon County Council owned vehicle as it certainly wasn't to Stagecoach spec, though it did carry its Stagecoach fleet number above the cab. A rather stately ride saw us arrive into Thirsk around 1120, in time to see the Reliance vehicle (a Volvo B6BLE) and the Hutchinsons town bus (a ropey looking Cheetah) arrive.
We had over an hour break here due to the way the timetables work, but this allowed us time to see the other Thirsk town bus which was D&D Primo YX07HPC, and also wandered round to the coach park to find 2 Shearings vehicles and the Glenton Palmer branded Panther from Stanley Coaches all stopping enroute to/from various holidays, Monday being market day in Thirsk.
After a nice lunch from the chip shop in the town square, it was time to depart to Ripon, on board ADL Enviro 200 MX10DXM (which had earlier replaced the Solo in Northallerton). This provided a very steady run to Ripon on service 70, still sporting its (rather home made looking) luggage racks from its previous life on service 767 Harrogate-Airport.
Once we arrived in Ripon, we saw a few of Transdev's 36 deckers (Volvo B7TL's) which look very smart in their 'City Connect' livery, though I think I preferred the last version. Also around was Eddie Brown Solo KX04HPU on their town services and Dales & District's silver Iveco Daily NX10CCA on the 138/139 services.
The next move on the Freedom tour was onboard Optare Solo MX55BXR, operating the 1340 service 159 to Richmond. This being one of the Cummins powered Solos, it provided a quicker ride via Lightwater Valley to Masham where we jumped off and had a quick wander round the village. Its not hard to see why service 159 has recently been improved with a Sunday operation, with a decent loading even on a Monday afternoon, though it was a shame that the Wright Streetlite that is usually found on service 159 was nowhere to be seen!
After a 25 minute break here we jumped onto another of the same batch, MX55BXS on 1430 service 144 to Bedale, which has to be high on the list of tightly timed routes! A ride which I'm not sure could be provided by anything other than a Cummins powered flying machine, saw us whisked (literally...) upto Bedale in no time whatsoever! A 10 minute connection onto the service 157 departure to Hawes at 1505 saw us board another ADL E200, MX10DXY this time which appeared to show plenty of battle scars and seemed to agree with my perception that these E200s are not up to the demands of rural operation. This E200 struggled up along the country roads and a few jumpy gear changes and the low power certainly suggested that it was stuck in limp mode... A quick glance at the dashboard upon disembarking seemed to agree!
A 5 min connection in Leyburn from the 157 to the 159 turned into a -2 min connection (although this was partly attributable to leaving Bedale 4 min late thanks to waiting for the inbound connection off service 73). Luckily the 159 was sat there in Leyburn waiting for our arriving 157 in case of any connecting passengers, something which Dales & District seem to excel at! The driver of the E200 on 157 even contacted their office via the cab phone in Bedale to ask where the 73 was for a concerned customer wondering if he'd missed it, excellent customer service (especially from a driver which seemed to take delight in annoying everyone else...).
Another rather empty ride on the 1535 service 159 from Leyburn to Richmond was onboard former Leven Valley Solo NT06GKA, which was noticeably slower than the 55 plates which we had been on previously, despite also being a Cummins engined example! It still retained all of its internal notices from Leven Valley too, including its former fleet number. We were the only two passengers on this entire journey, albeit it was a short run from Leyburn to Richmond only, not starting all the way up in Hawes.
A quick (long enough given the cold!) stop in Richmond allowed some evening shots to be attained of the town service (which had dropped to a Sprinter by 4pm, usually a Solo through the day) as well as one or two of the Arriva Solos passing through on services X26/X27.
The last trip of the day was on Mini Pointer Dart MX06ULP on service 29, covering for the more usual Plaxton Primo. It had no destination displayed and only one operational number blind from what I could tell, so a board in the windscreen displayed the intended "29 Darlington" destination, not ideal in the dark for customers joining enroute (of which there were none), only one other passenger onboard on departure from Richmond Market Place, and they departed the bus within the confines of Richmond itself, leaving just the two of us on the remaining ride to Darlington via Melsonby and Cleasby.

All in all a good day out sampling some of the lesser used bus territory, and hard to believe Arriva used to run across the majority of it (in former guises for parts!) and its quite easy to see how Procters Coaches have built up a very large network. Unfortunately a lot of it now has the axe hanging over it, with North Yorkshire County Council having to find savings and proposing to chop a lot of services. The £9 Freedom ticket gives good value for travel across such a wide area, it may seem expensive to some (comparing it to the North East Explorer perhaps) but I don't mind paying that little bit extra in rural areas, its quite a nice change from riding around between towns.

Total log from today was:

0900 72 Darlington-Northallerton AE60GRX (MAN / MCV)
1042 153 Northallerton-Thirsk MX04VLP (Solo)
1229 70 Thirsk-Ripon MX10DXM (E200)
1340 159 Ripon-Masham MX55BXR (Solo)
1430 144 Masham-Bedale MX55BXS (Solo)
1505 157 Bedale-Leyburn MX10DXY (E200)
1535 159 Leyburn-Richmond NT06GKA (Solo)
1625 29 Richmond-Darlington MX06ULP (MPD)


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Service Manager, Coatham Connect

Adrian



9,566
26 Nov 2013, 9:52 pm #22
(25 Nov 2013, 10:18 pm)tyresmoke Dales & District review

Another new bit of territory covered for me today...
One of my mates (also a driver and enthusiast) likes to go on days out riding around so when our days off meet its always good to do something different. So today saw us off on a Freedom tour of North Yorkshire with a Dales & District Freedom ticket (£9).
We drove to Darlington as we figured it would be easier given the time constraints I had today (going out for a family meal on the evening... Just been to Toby Carvery!) and started from Tubwell Row.
Our first move was the MAN 14.220 with MCV Evolution bodywork, in the form of London reject AE60GRX, on the 0900 service 72 to Northallerton. This was a fairly quiet journey into Northallerton, gradually picking up more on the way as the bus entered North Yorkshire (where concessionary passes are valid from 0900 rather than 0930 in majority of the rest of the NE).
Getting into Northallerton at 0950 proved to be at the start of a busy period with no less than 4 other vehicles arriving and departing plus the town bus which we wandered down the High St to see. A rather smoky Solo (MX07JNJ) arrived and was replaced with an E200 before departing to Richmond on the 55, providing a rare working opportunity! The other independent operator operating in Northallerton is Abbotts of Leeming who run the hourly services 80/89 between there and Stokesley with two new Optare Solo SRs, of which we saw both during the hour or so we were there.
The next bus provided was one time Stagecoach Optare Solo MX04VLP on the 1042 service 153 to Thirsk, which proved to be rather flat and not quick by any stretch of the imagination! I believe this to be a former Devon County Council owned vehicle as it certainly wasn't to Stagecoach spec, though it did carry its Stagecoach fleet number above the cab. A rather stately ride saw us arrive into Thirsk around 1120, in time to see the Reliance vehicle (a Volvo B6BLE) and the Hutchinsons town bus (a ropey looking Cheetah) arrive.
We had over an hour break here due to the way the timetables work, but this allowed us time to see the other Thirsk town bus which was D&D Primo YX07HPC, and also wandered round to the coach park to find 2 Shearings vehicles and the Glenton Palmer branded Panther from Stanley Coaches all stopping enroute to/from various holidays, Monday being market day in Thirsk.
After a nice lunch from the chip shop in the town square, it was time to depart to Ripon, on board ADL Enviro 200 MX10DXM (which had earlier replaced the Solo in Northallerton). This provided a very steady run to Ripon on service 70, still sporting its (rather home made looking) luggage racks from its previous life on service 767 Harrogate-Airport.
Once we arrived in Ripon, we saw a few of Transdev's 36 deckers (Volvo B7TL's) which look very smart in their 'City Connect' livery, though I think I preferred the last version. Also around was Eddie Brown Solo KX04HPU on their town services and Dales & District's silver Iveco Daily NX10CCA on the 138/139 services.
The next move on the Freedom tour was onboard Optare Solo MX55BXR, operating the 1340 service 159 to Richmond. This being one of the Cummins powered Solos, it provided a quicker ride via Lightwater Valley to Masham where we jumped off and had a quick wander round the village. Its not hard to see why service 159 has recently been improved with a Sunday operation, with a decent loading even on a Monday afternoon, though it was a shame that the Wright Streetlite that is usually found on service 159 was nowhere to be seen!
After a 25 minute break here we jumped onto another of the same batch, MX55BXS on 1430 service 144 to Bedale, which has to be high on the list of tightly timed routes! A ride which I'm not sure could be provided by anything other than a Cummins powered flying machine, saw us whisked (literally...) upto Bedale in no time whatsoever! A 10 minute connection onto the service 157 departure to Hawes at 1505 saw us board another ADL E200, MX10DXY this time which appeared to show plenty of battle scars and seemed to agree with my perception that these E200s are not up to the demands of rural operation. This E200 struggled up along the country roads and a few jumpy gear changes and the low power certainly suggested that it was stuck in limp mode... A quick glance at the dashboard upon disembarking seemed to agree!
A 5 min connection in Leyburn from the 157 to the 159 turned into a -2 min connection (although this was partly attributable to leaving Bedale 4 min late thanks to waiting for the inbound connection off service 73). Luckily the 159 was sat there in Leyburn waiting for our arriving 157 in case of any connecting passengers, something which Dales & District seem to excel at! The driver of the E200 on 157 even contacted their office via the cab phone in Bedale to ask where the 73 was for a concerned customer wondering if he'd missed it, excellent customer service (especially from a driver which seemed to take delight in annoying everyone else...).
Another rather empty ride on the 1535 service 159 from Leyburn to Richmond was onboard former Leven Valley Solo NT06GKA, which was noticeably slower than the 55 plates which we had been on previously, despite also being a Cummins engined example! It still retained all of its internal notices from Leven Valley too, including its former fleet number. We were the only two passengers on this entire journey, albeit it was a short run from Leyburn to Richmond only, not starting all the way up in Hawes.
A quick (long enough given the cold!) stop in Richmond allowed some evening shots to be attained of the town service (which had dropped to a Sprinter by 4pm, usually a Solo through the day) as well as one or two of the Arriva Solos passing through on services X26/X27.
The last trip of the day was on Mini Pointer Dart MX06ULP on service 29, covering for the more usual Plaxton Primo. It had no destination displayed and only one operational number blind from what I could tell, so a board in the windscreen displayed the intended "29 Darlington" destination, not ideal in the dark for customers joining enroute (of which there were none), only one other passenger onboard on departure from Richmond Market Place, and they departed the bus within the confines of Richmond itself, leaving just the two of us on the remaining ride to Darlington via Melsonby and Cleasby.

All in all a good day out sampling some of the lesser used bus territory, and hard to believe Arriva used to run across the majority of it (in former guises for parts!) and its quite easy to see how Procters Coaches have built up a very large network. Unfortunately a lot of it now has the axe hanging over it, with North Yorkshire County Council having to find savings and proposing to chop a lot of services. The £9 Freedom ticket gives good value for travel across such a wide area, it may seem expensive to some (comparing it to the North East Explorer perhaps) but I don't mind paying that little bit extra in rural areas, its quite a nice change from riding around between towns.

Total log from today was:

0900 72 Darlington-Northallerton AE60GRX (MAN / MCV)
1042 153 Northallerton-Thirsk MX04VLP (Solo)
1229 70 Thirsk-Ripon MX10DXM (E200)
1340 159 Ripon-Masham MX55BXR (Solo)
1430 144 Masham-Bedale MX55BXS (Solo)
1505 157 Bedale-Leyburn MX10DXY (E200)
1535 159 Leyburn-Richmond NT06GKA (Solo)
1625 29 Richmond-Darlington MX06ULP (MPD)

Sounds like a good day out, and certainly good value for money. The only thing for me is that the thought of almost an hour on an MPD quite frankly terrifies me. Tongue

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Adrian
26 Nov 2013, 9:52 pm #22

(25 Nov 2013, 10:18 pm)tyresmoke Dales & District review

Another new bit of territory covered for me today...
One of my mates (also a driver and enthusiast) likes to go on days out riding around so when our days off meet its always good to do something different. So today saw us off on a Freedom tour of North Yorkshire with a Dales & District Freedom ticket (£9).
We drove to Darlington as we figured it would be easier given the time constraints I had today (going out for a family meal on the evening... Just been to Toby Carvery!) and started from Tubwell Row.
Our first move was the MAN 14.220 with MCV Evolution bodywork, in the form of London reject AE60GRX, on the 0900 service 72 to Northallerton. This was a fairly quiet journey into Northallerton, gradually picking up more on the way as the bus entered North Yorkshire (where concessionary passes are valid from 0900 rather than 0930 in majority of the rest of the NE).
Getting into Northallerton at 0950 proved to be at the start of a busy period with no less than 4 other vehicles arriving and departing plus the town bus which we wandered down the High St to see. A rather smoky Solo (MX07JNJ) arrived and was replaced with an E200 before departing to Richmond on the 55, providing a rare working opportunity! The other independent operator operating in Northallerton is Abbotts of Leeming who run the hourly services 80/89 between there and Stokesley with two new Optare Solo SRs, of which we saw both during the hour or so we were there.
The next bus provided was one time Stagecoach Optare Solo MX04VLP on the 1042 service 153 to Thirsk, which proved to be rather flat and not quick by any stretch of the imagination! I believe this to be a former Devon County Council owned vehicle as it certainly wasn't to Stagecoach spec, though it did carry its Stagecoach fleet number above the cab. A rather stately ride saw us arrive into Thirsk around 1120, in time to see the Reliance vehicle (a Volvo B6BLE) and the Hutchinsons town bus (a ropey looking Cheetah) arrive.
We had over an hour break here due to the way the timetables work, but this allowed us time to see the other Thirsk town bus which was D&D Primo YX07HPC, and also wandered round to the coach park to find 2 Shearings vehicles and the Glenton Palmer branded Panther from Stanley Coaches all stopping enroute to/from various holidays, Monday being market day in Thirsk.
After a nice lunch from the chip shop in the town square, it was time to depart to Ripon, on board ADL Enviro 200 MX10DXM (which had earlier replaced the Solo in Northallerton). This provided a very steady run to Ripon on service 70, still sporting its (rather home made looking) luggage racks from its previous life on service 767 Harrogate-Airport.
Once we arrived in Ripon, we saw a few of Transdev's 36 deckers (Volvo B7TL's) which look very smart in their 'City Connect' livery, though I think I preferred the last version. Also around was Eddie Brown Solo KX04HPU on their town services and Dales & District's silver Iveco Daily NX10CCA on the 138/139 services.
The next move on the Freedom tour was onboard Optare Solo MX55BXR, operating the 1340 service 159 to Richmond. This being one of the Cummins powered Solos, it provided a quicker ride via Lightwater Valley to Masham where we jumped off and had a quick wander round the village. Its not hard to see why service 159 has recently been improved with a Sunday operation, with a decent loading even on a Monday afternoon, though it was a shame that the Wright Streetlite that is usually found on service 159 was nowhere to be seen!
After a 25 minute break here we jumped onto another of the same batch, MX55BXS on 1430 service 144 to Bedale, which has to be high on the list of tightly timed routes! A ride which I'm not sure could be provided by anything other than a Cummins powered flying machine, saw us whisked (literally...) upto Bedale in no time whatsoever! A 10 minute connection onto the service 157 departure to Hawes at 1505 saw us board another ADL E200, MX10DXY this time which appeared to show plenty of battle scars and seemed to agree with my perception that these E200s are not up to the demands of rural operation. This E200 struggled up along the country roads and a few jumpy gear changes and the low power certainly suggested that it was stuck in limp mode... A quick glance at the dashboard upon disembarking seemed to agree!
A 5 min connection in Leyburn from the 157 to the 159 turned into a -2 min connection (although this was partly attributable to leaving Bedale 4 min late thanks to waiting for the inbound connection off service 73). Luckily the 159 was sat there in Leyburn waiting for our arriving 157 in case of any connecting passengers, something which Dales & District seem to excel at! The driver of the E200 on 157 even contacted their office via the cab phone in Bedale to ask where the 73 was for a concerned customer wondering if he'd missed it, excellent customer service (especially from a driver which seemed to take delight in annoying everyone else...).
Another rather empty ride on the 1535 service 159 from Leyburn to Richmond was onboard former Leven Valley Solo NT06GKA, which was noticeably slower than the 55 plates which we had been on previously, despite also being a Cummins engined example! It still retained all of its internal notices from Leven Valley too, including its former fleet number. We were the only two passengers on this entire journey, albeit it was a short run from Leyburn to Richmond only, not starting all the way up in Hawes.
A quick (long enough given the cold!) stop in Richmond allowed some evening shots to be attained of the town service (which had dropped to a Sprinter by 4pm, usually a Solo through the day) as well as one or two of the Arriva Solos passing through on services X26/X27.
The last trip of the day was on Mini Pointer Dart MX06ULP on service 29, covering for the more usual Plaxton Primo. It had no destination displayed and only one operational number blind from what I could tell, so a board in the windscreen displayed the intended "29 Darlington" destination, not ideal in the dark for customers joining enroute (of which there were none), only one other passenger onboard on departure from Richmond Market Place, and they departed the bus within the confines of Richmond itself, leaving just the two of us on the remaining ride to Darlington via Melsonby and Cleasby.

All in all a good day out sampling some of the lesser used bus territory, and hard to believe Arriva used to run across the majority of it (in former guises for parts!) and its quite easy to see how Procters Coaches have built up a very large network. Unfortunately a lot of it now has the axe hanging over it, with North Yorkshire County Council having to find savings and proposing to chop a lot of services. The £9 Freedom ticket gives good value for travel across such a wide area, it may seem expensive to some (comparing it to the North East Explorer perhaps) but I don't mind paying that little bit extra in rural areas, its quite a nice change from riding around between towns.

Total log from today was:

0900 72 Darlington-Northallerton AE60GRX (MAN / MCV)
1042 153 Northallerton-Thirsk MX04VLP (Solo)
1229 70 Thirsk-Ripon MX10DXM (E200)
1340 159 Ripon-Masham MX55BXR (Solo)
1430 144 Masham-Bedale MX55BXS (Solo)
1505 157 Bedale-Leyburn MX10DXY (E200)
1535 159 Leyburn-Richmond NT06GKA (Solo)
1625 29 Richmond-Darlington MX06ULP (MPD)

Sounds like a good day out, and certainly good value for money. The only thing for me is that the thought of almost an hour on an MPD quite frankly terrifies me. Tongue


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Adrian



9,566
27 Nov 2013, 9:54 pm #23
Has anyone been up to Berwick before? I'm thinking of a day trip up there to get some photos of the Perryman's Versas mainly, but I've never actually been. What routes are the Versas primarily allocated to?

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Adrian
27 Nov 2013, 9:54 pm #23

Has anyone been up to Berwick before? I'm thinking of a day trip up there to get some photos of the Perryman's Versas mainly, but I've never actually been. What routes are the Versas primarily allocated to?


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Dan

Site Administrator

18,099
27 Nov 2013, 10:08 pm #24
(27 Nov 2013, 9:54 pm)aureolin Has anyone been up to Berwick before? I'm thinking of a day trip up there to get some photos of the Perryman's Versas mainly, but I've never actually been. What routes are the Versas primarily allocated to?

I believe 10 are allocated to the 51/52, assuming that is the PVR?
The 0905 Kelso 52 doesn't appear to get back to Kelso again until 1910, given that the 51/52 appear to interwork at Edinburgh with just under an hour's layover.

The other two, I believe, are shared between serrvices 60/68 - the 60 has a PVR of 2, while the 68 has a PVR of 1.
So you may be lucky and catch one of 'em on the 60 at Berwick!
Dan
27 Nov 2013, 10:08 pm #24

(27 Nov 2013, 9:54 pm)aureolin Has anyone been up to Berwick before? I'm thinking of a day trip up there to get some photos of the Perryman's Versas mainly, but I've never actually been. What routes are the Versas primarily allocated to?

I believe 10 are allocated to the 51/52, assuming that is the PVR?
The 0905 Kelso 52 doesn't appear to get back to Kelso again until 1910, given that the 51/52 appear to interwork at Edinburgh with just under an hour's layover.

The other two, I believe, are shared between serrvices 60/68 - the 60 has a PVR of 2, while the 68 has a PVR of 1.
So you may be lucky and catch one of 'em on the 60 at Berwick!

Adrian



9,566
27 Nov 2013, 10:20 pm #25
(27 Nov 2013, 10:08 pm)Dan I believe 10 are allocated to the 51/52, assuming that is the PVR?
The 0905 Kelso 52 doesn't appear to get back to Kelso again until 1910, given that the 51/52 appear to interwork at Edinburgh with just under an hour's layover.

The other two, I believe, are shared between serrvices 60/68 - the 60 has a PVR of 2, while the 68 has a PVR of 1.
So you may be lucky and catch one of 'em on the 60 at Berwick!

Scuppers that plan then. Tongue I think I'll head up Edinburgh instead and see what I can get.

Forum Moderator | Find NEB on facebook
Adrian
27 Nov 2013, 10:20 pm #25

(27 Nov 2013, 10:08 pm)Dan I believe 10 are allocated to the 51/52, assuming that is the PVR?
The 0905 Kelso 52 doesn't appear to get back to Kelso again until 1910, given that the 51/52 appear to interwork at Edinburgh with just under an hour's layover.

The other two, I believe, are shared between serrvices 60/68 - the 60 has a PVR of 2, while the 68 has a PVR of 1.
So you may be lucky and catch one of 'em on the 60 at Berwick!

Scuppers that plan then. Tongue I think I'll head up Edinburgh instead and see what I can get.


Forum Moderator | Find NEB on facebook

07 Dec 2013, 11:44 pm #26
Did a trip to try out the Venture Solos and the Sapphire today.
Vehicles marked * are vehicles that I required for haulage.

0815 - 1 - Rosehill to Newcastle - GNE 4911
0858 - X71 - Newcastle to Consett - GNE 4905
The following 10 are around the Consett Area
1000 - V2 - Bus Station to Delves Lane / Chapel Drive - GNE 650*
1021 - V1 - Delves Lane / Chapel Drive to Bus Station - GNE 643*
1035 - V8 - Bus Station to Leadgate - GNE 645*
1043 - V8 - Leadgate to Bus Station - GNE 642*
1111 - V8 - Bus Station to Number 1 - GNE 648*
1118 - V8 - Number 1 to Bus Station - GNE 652*
1134 - V9 - Bus Station to Shotley Bridge, Snow Green - GNE 641*
1150 - V4 - Shotley Bridge, Snow Green to Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd - GNE 644*
1153 - 689 - Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd to Ebchester - GNE 647*
1203 - 46 - Ebchester to Consett Bus Station - GNE 5241
1245 - 15A - Consett to Durham County Hall - GNE 6009
1351 - X2 - County Hall to Bus Station - ANE 1457* (Saw someone using a flash when photographing the vehicle).
1436 - 7 - Durham to Ferryhill - ANE 1523*
1511 - 7 - Ferryhill to Chilton - ANE 1514*
1520 - 7 - Chilton to Ferryhill - ANE 1522*
1529 - 7 - Ferryhill to Darlington - ANE 1518*
1658 - X66 - Darlington to Middlesbrough - ANE 4647
1811 - X9 - Middlesbrough to Gateshead - GNE 6047
1927 - 54 - Gateshead to Newcastle - GNE 8346*
1952 - 1A - Newcastle to Rosehill - GNE 5262

Enjoyable day out, impressed by the Solos in Consett and the Sapphires are nice. Those Pulsars look so much better with bonded glazing.

Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.
Rapidsnap
07 Dec 2013, 11:44 pm #26

Did a trip to try out the Venture Solos and the Sapphire today.
Vehicles marked * are vehicles that I required for haulage.

0815 - 1 - Rosehill to Newcastle - GNE 4911
0858 - X71 - Newcastle to Consett - GNE 4905
The following 10 are around the Consett Area
1000 - V2 - Bus Station to Delves Lane / Chapel Drive - GNE 650*
1021 - V1 - Delves Lane / Chapel Drive to Bus Station - GNE 643*
1035 - V8 - Bus Station to Leadgate - GNE 645*
1043 - V8 - Leadgate to Bus Station - GNE 642*
1111 - V8 - Bus Station to Number 1 - GNE 648*
1118 - V8 - Number 1 to Bus Station - GNE 652*
1134 - V9 - Bus Station to Shotley Bridge, Snow Green - GNE 641*
1150 - V4 - Shotley Bridge, Snow Green to Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd - GNE 644*
1153 - 689 - Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd to Ebchester - GNE 647*
1203 - 46 - Ebchester to Consett Bus Station - GNE 5241
1245 - 15A - Consett to Durham County Hall - GNE 6009
1351 - X2 - County Hall to Bus Station - ANE 1457* (Saw someone using a flash when photographing the vehicle).
1436 - 7 - Durham to Ferryhill - ANE 1523*
1511 - 7 - Ferryhill to Chilton - ANE 1514*
1520 - 7 - Chilton to Ferryhill - ANE 1522*
1529 - 7 - Ferryhill to Darlington - ANE 1518*
1658 - X66 - Darlington to Middlesbrough - ANE 4647
1811 - X9 - Middlesbrough to Gateshead - GNE 6047
1927 - 54 - Gateshead to Newcastle - GNE 8346*
1952 - 1A - Newcastle to Rosehill - GNE 5262

Enjoyable day out, impressed by the Solos in Consett and the Sapphires are nice. Those Pulsars look so much better with bonded glazing.


Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.

Tom



6,138
08 Dec 2013, 8:27 pm #27
Out of Peterlee and Stockton, which is the best in your opinion?
Tom
08 Dec 2013, 8:27 pm #27

Out of Peterlee and Stockton, which is the best in your opinion?

Adrian



9,566
08 Dec 2013, 8:45 pm #28
(07 Dec 2013, 11:44 pm)GMitchelhill Did a trip to try out the Venture Solos and the Sapphire today.
Vehicles marked * are vehicles that I required for haulage.

0815 - 1 - Rosehill to Newcastle - GNE 4911
0858 - X71 - Newcastle to Consett - GNE 4905
The following 10 are around the Consett Area
1000 - V2 - Bus Station to Delves Lane / Chapel Drive - GNE 650*
1021 - V1 - Delves Lane / Chapel Drive to Bus Station - GNE 643*
1035 - V8 - Bus Station to Leadgate - GNE 645*
1043 - V8 - Leadgate to Bus Station - GNE 642*
1111 - V8 - Bus Station to Number 1 - GNE 648*
1118 - V8 - Number 1 to Bus Station - GNE 652*
1134 - V9 - Bus Station to Shotley Bridge, Snow Green - GNE 641*
1150 - V4 - Shotley Bridge, Snow Green to Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd - GNE 644*
1153 - 689 - Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd to Ebchester - GNE 647*
1203 - 46 - Ebchester to Consett Bus Station - GNE 5241
1245 - 15A - Consett to Durham County Hall - GNE 6009
1351 - X2 - County Hall to Bus Station - ANE 1457* (Saw someone using a flash when photographing the vehicle).
1436 - 7 - Durham to Ferryhill - ANE 1523*
1511 - 7 - Ferryhill to Chilton - ANE 1514*
1520 - 7 - Chilton to Ferryhill - ANE 1522*
1529 - 7 - Ferryhill to Darlington - ANE 1518*
1658 - X66 - Darlington to Middlesbrough - ANE 4647
1811 - X9 - Middlesbrough to Gateshead - GNE 6047
1927 - 54 - Gateshead to Newcastle - GNE 8346*
1952 - 1A - Newcastle to Rosehill - GNE 5262

Enjoyable day out, impressed by the Solos in Consett and the Sapphires are nice. Those Pulsars look so much better with bonded glazing.

That's one long day, but at least you got 15 winners. Wink

Forum Moderator | Find NEB on facebook
Adrian
08 Dec 2013, 8:45 pm #28

(07 Dec 2013, 11:44 pm)GMitchelhill Did a trip to try out the Venture Solos and the Sapphire today.
Vehicles marked * are vehicles that I required for haulage.

0815 - 1 - Rosehill to Newcastle - GNE 4911
0858 - X71 - Newcastle to Consett - GNE 4905
The following 10 are around the Consett Area
1000 - V2 - Bus Station to Delves Lane / Chapel Drive - GNE 650*
1021 - V1 - Delves Lane / Chapel Drive to Bus Station - GNE 643*
1035 - V8 - Bus Station to Leadgate - GNE 645*
1043 - V8 - Leadgate to Bus Station - GNE 642*
1111 - V8 - Bus Station to Number 1 - GNE 648*
1118 - V8 - Number 1 to Bus Station - GNE 652*
1134 - V9 - Bus Station to Shotley Bridge, Snow Green - GNE 641*
1150 - V4 - Shotley Bridge, Snow Green to Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd - GNE 644*
1153 - 689 - Shotley Bridge, Woodlands Rd to Ebchester - GNE 647*
1203 - 46 - Ebchester to Consett Bus Station - GNE 5241
1245 - 15A - Consett to Durham County Hall - GNE 6009
1351 - X2 - County Hall to Bus Station - ANE 1457* (Saw someone using a flash when photographing the vehicle).
1436 - 7 - Durham to Ferryhill - ANE 1523*
1511 - 7 - Ferryhill to Chilton - ANE 1514*
1520 - 7 - Chilton to Ferryhill - ANE 1522*
1529 - 7 - Ferryhill to Darlington - ANE 1518*
1658 - X66 - Darlington to Middlesbrough - ANE 4647
1811 - X9 - Middlesbrough to Gateshead - GNE 6047
1927 - 54 - Gateshead to Newcastle - GNE 8346*
1952 - 1A - Newcastle to Rosehill - GNE 5262

Enjoyable day out, impressed by the Solos in Consett and the Sapphires are nice. Those Pulsars look so much better with bonded glazing.

That's one long day, but at least you got 15 winners. Wink


Forum Moderator | Find NEB on facebook

08 Dec 2013, 8:46 pm #29
(08 Dec 2013, 8:27 pm)Tom Out of Peterlee and Stockton, which is the best in your opinion?

Stockton would be better. More variety and generally safer.

Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.
Rapidsnap
08 Dec 2013, 8:46 pm #29

(08 Dec 2013, 8:27 pm)Tom Out of Peterlee and Stockton, which is the best in your opinion?

Stockton would be better. More variety and generally safer.


Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.

Tom



6,138
08 Dec 2013, 8:48 pm #30
(08 Dec 2013, 8:46 pm)GMitchelhill Stockton would be better. More variety and generally safer.

Cheers Smile - I'll go to Stockton/Middlesbrough and Consett then on my Christmas trip out.
Tom
08 Dec 2013, 8:48 pm #30

(08 Dec 2013, 8:46 pm)GMitchelhill Stockton would be better. More variety and generally safer.

Cheers Smile - I'll go to Stockton/Middlesbrough and Consett then on my Christmas trip out.

Dan

Site Administrator

18,099
08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm #31
(08 Dec 2013, 8:48 pm)Tom Cheers Smile - I'll go to Stockton/Middlesbrough and Consett then on my Christmas trip out.

Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?
Dan
08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm #31

(08 Dec 2013, 8:48 pm)Tom Cheers Smile - I'll go to Stockton/Middlesbrough and Consett then on my Christmas trip out.

Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?

08 Dec 2013, 9:13 pm #32
(08 Dec 2013, 8:45 pm)aureolin That's one long day, but at least you got 15 winners. Wink

Done loads of long days.

This is the one with 75 different buses in. Cannot remember where I travelled to and from. Date was 11/04/2012 and I had 19 winners that day.

Codes:
ARN - Arriva Northumbria
CLA - Classic
CON - Connect Community Transport
GNE - Go North East
SCN - Stagecoach in Newcastle
SCS - Stagecoach in Sunderland
SSS - Stagecoach in South Shields

0703 - 17 - GNE 8213
0711 - X4 - ARN 7618*
0717 - X63 - SCN 21155
0724 - 56 - ARN 7464
0730 - 518 - ARN 7501
0736 - X10 - ARN 4005
0751 - X40 - ARN 1799
0811 - 30 - SCN 33489
0819 - 10A - GNE 6027
0840 - 49 - GNE 5156
0905 - X25 - GNE 3870
0911 - 56 - GNE 8237
0919 - 24 - GNE 3969
0944 - 21 - GNE 6019*
1000 - 58 - GNE 4951
1007 - 31 - SCN 22485
1014 - 43 - GNE 5290
1029 - S1 - CLA Y293PDN
1034 - 10A - GNE 5330
1042 - 69A - GNE 5165
1057 - 49B - GNE 5155
1103 - 100 - SCN 22028
1118 - 62 - SCN 19384
1128 - 40 - SCN 12078
1137 - X47 - SCN 22413
1152 - X87 - SCN 22034*
1158 - X88 - SCN 22480
1207 - 72 - SCN 39722
1232 - 38 - SCN 19683*
1240 - 58 - GNE 4952
1255 - 57 - GNE 5168*
1320 - 52 - GNE 8335
1333 - 27 - GNE 8217
1359 - 27 - GNE 4844
1411 - 88A - GNE 8252
1434 - 18 - SSS 39710
1445 - 12 - SSS 35195
1458 - 17 - SSS 39706
1505 - E2 - SSS 27733*
1519 - 8 - SSS 36478*
1526 - 516 - GNE 631
1543 - 88A - GNE 8250
1547 - 4 - SSS 36461*
1550 - 18 - SSS 39701*
1606 - 35 - GNE 9143 (MAN EcoCity Demo)
1616 - 3 - SSS 36477*
1624 - 27 - GNE 4907
1638 - 18 - SSS 39714
1644 - 30 - SSS 39709*
1653 - 4 - SSS 36470*
1708 - 5 - GNE 8202
1731 - 50 - GNE 4931
1748 - M3 - GNE 568*
1755 - 56 - GNE 4943
1804 - 56 - GNE 6013
1812 - 73 - GNE 636
1826 - 73 - CON YJ61JHV
1839 - 56 - GNE 5203
1859 - 3 - SCS 22464
1909 - 26 - GNE 3938
1921 - 8 - GNE 4993
1929 - 701 - GNE 629
1948 - 2C - GNE 5324
1955 - 36 - GNE 8324*
2020 - 13 - SCS 34608
2025 - 16 - SCS 22080*
2029 - 26A - GNE 8326*
2101 - 58 - GNE 5353*
2117 - 52 - GNE 8334
2133 - 94 - GNE 5226
2156 - 21 - GNE 6009*
2211 - 39 - SCN 12073
2219 - 62 - SCN 19670*
2232 - 353 - GNE 512
2243 - 53A - ARN 1774

That was a long day.

Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.
Rapidsnap
08 Dec 2013, 9:13 pm #32

(08 Dec 2013, 8:45 pm)aureolin That's one long day, but at least you got 15 winners. Wink

Done loads of long days.

This is the one with 75 different buses in. Cannot remember where I travelled to and from. Date was 11/04/2012 and I had 19 winners that day.

Codes:
ARN - Arriva Northumbria
CLA - Classic
CON - Connect Community Transport
GNE - Go North East
SCN - Stagecoach in Newcastle
SCS - Stagecoach in Sunderland
SSS - Stagecoach in South Shields

0703 - 17 - GNE 8213
0711 - X4 - ARN 7618*
0717 - X63 - SCN 21155
0724 - 56 - ARN 7464
0730 - 518 - ARN 7501
0736 - X10 - ARN 4005
0751 - X40 - ARN 1799
0811 - 30 - SCN 33489
0819 - 10A - GNE 6027
0840 - 49 - GNE 5156
0905 - X25 - GNE 3870
0911 - 56 - GNE 8237
0919 - 24 - GNE 3969
0944 - 21 - GNE 6019*
1000 - 58 - GNE 4951
1007 - 31 - SCN 22485
1014 - 43 - GNE 5290
1029 - S1 - CLA Y293PDN
1034 - 10A - GNE 5330
1042 - 69A - GNE 5165
1057 - 49B - GNE 5155
1103 - 100 - SCN 22028
1118 - 62 - SCN 19384
1128 - 40 - SCN 12078
1137 - X47 - SCN 22413
1152 - X87 - SCN 22034*
1158 - X88 - SCN 22480
1207 - 72 - SCN 39722
1232 - 38 - SCN 19683*
1240 - 58 - GNE 4952
1255 - 57 - GNE 5168*
1320 - 52 - GNE 8335
1333 - 27 - GNE 8217
1359 - 27 - GNE 4844
1411 - 88A - GNE 8252
1434 - 18 - SSS 39710
1445 - 12 - SSS 35195
1458 - 17 - SSS 39706
1505 - E2 - SSS 27733*
1519 - 8 - SSS 36478*
1526 - 516 - GNE 631
1543 - 88A - GNE 8250
1547 - 4 - SSS 36461*
1550 - 18 - SSS 39701*
1606 - 35 - GNE 9143 (MAN EcoCity Demo)
1616 - 3 - SSS 36477*
1624 - 27 - GNE 4907
1638 - 18 - SSS 39714
1644 - 30 - SSS 39709*
1653 - 4 - SSS 36470*
1708 - 5 - GNE 8202
1731 - 50 - GNE 4931
1748 - M3 - GNE 568*
1755 - 56 - GNE 4943
1804 - 56 - GNE 6013
1812 - 73 - GNE 636
1826 - 73 - CON YJ61JHV
1839 - 56 - GNE 5203
1859 - 3 - SCS 22464
1909 - 26 - GNE 3938
1921 - 8 - GNE 4993
1929 - 701 - GNE 629
1948 - 2C - GNE 5324
1955 - 36 - GNE 8324*
2020 - 13 - SCS 34608
2025 - 16 - SCS 22080*
2029 - 26A - GNE 8326*
2101 - 58 - GNE 5353*
2117 - 52 - GNE 8334
2133 - 94 - GNE 5226
2156 - 21 - GNE 6009*
2211 - 39 - SCN 12073
2219 - 62 - SCN 19670*
2232 - 353 - GNE 512
2243 - 53A - ARN 1774

That was a long day.


Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.

08 Dec 2013, 9:18 pm #33
(08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm)Dan Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?

Usually I work it out at how much it cost me per bus I got on.

For example my explorer on Saturday was........
£9.30 for ticket, which means it cost around 42p per bus I got on. I think overall my fares if I purchase singles would come in excess of £100.

For my record breaking 75 buses in a day. My day rover for £6.80 equalled to 9p per bus I got on.

Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.
Rapidsnap
08 Dec 2013, 9:18 pm #33

(08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm)Dan Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?

Usually I work it out at how much it cost me per bus I got on.

For example my explorer on Saturday was........
£9.30 for ticket, which means it cost around 42p per bus I got on. I think overall my fares if I purchase singles would come in excess of £100.

For my record breaking 75 buses in a day. My day rover for £6.80 equalled to 9p per bus I got on.


Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.

Tom



6,138
08 Dec 2013, 9:29 pm #34
(08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm)Dan Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?

Yeah, I always make one in each holiday I get! I might just do what you said there. Seems a decent plan! Smile
Tom
08 Dec 2013, 9:29 pm #34

(08 Dec 2013, 8:58 pm)Dan Generally speaking, I'd say half an hour at each location is all you need before the boredom starts to kick in and your photos start to become repetitive.
On an average Saturday, I'd say you could easily do Newcastle > Consett > Durham > Peterlee > Stockton > Middlesbrough.
That said, it depends how early you start. If it's a large one like that, I can start any time from 5am, and be out late too. Longer days are much more interesting in summer rather than winter though.

We often talk of GNE's pricing structure, but I often do 100+ miles for just £3.65.
In summer it's probably double that.
Not bad, eh?

Yeah, I always make one in each holiday I get! I might just do what you said there. Seems a decent plan! Smile

Andreos1



14,155
08 Dec 2013, 9:33 pm #35
(08 Dec 2013, 9:29 pm)Tom Yeah, I always make one in each holiday I get! I might just do what you said there. Seems a decent plan! Smile

Dare you push it and add Whitby, Saltburn and Redcar in to the day?

'Illegitimis non carborundum'
Andreos1
08 Dec 2013, 9:33 pm #35

(08 Dec 2013, 9:29 pm)Tom Yeah, I always make one in each holiday I get! I might just do what you said there. Seems a decent plan! Smile

Dare you push it and add Whitby, Saltburn and Redcar in to the day?


'Illegitimis non carborundum'

Tom



6,138
08 Dec 2013, 9:50 pm #36
(08 Dec 2013, 9:33 pm)andreos1 Dare you push it and add Whitby, Saltburn and Redcar in to the day?

That'll be for another trip Wink

Here is my plan:
‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 46 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0940) to Consett Bus Station (1041)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)
Tom
08 Dec 2013, 9:50 pm #36

(08 Dec 2013, 9:33 pm)andreos1 Dare you push it and add Whitby, Saltburn and Redcar in to the day?

That'll be for another trip Wink

Here is my plan:
‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 46 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0940) to Consett Bus Station (1041)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)

Andreos1



14,155
08 Dec 2013, 9:53 pm #37
(08 Dec 2013, 9:50 pm)Tom That'll be for another trip Wink

Here is my plan:
‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 46 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0940) to Consett Bus Station (1041)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)

Your 46 leaves before your 310 arrives according to that mind Wink

'Illegitimis non carborundum'
Andreos1
08 Dec 2013, 9:53 pm #37

(08 Dec 2013, 9:50 pm)Tom That'll be for another trip Wink

Here is my plan:
‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 46 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0940) to Consett Bus Station (1041)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)

Your 46 leaves before your 310 arrives according to that mind Wink


'Illegitimis non carborundum'

Tom



6,138
08 Dec 2013, 9:56 pm #38
(08 Dec 2013, 9:53 pm)andreos1 Your 46 leaves before your 310 arrives according to that mind Wink

‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 45 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0955) to Consett Bus Station (1056)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)

Changed Big Grin
Tom
08 Dec 2013, 9:56 pm #38

(08 Dec 2013, 9:53 pm)andreos1 Your 46 leaves before your 310 arrives according to that mind Wink

‘’Cobalt Clipper’’ service 310 – Battle Hill Drive (0926) to Newcastle Haymarket (0949)
‘’The Red Kite’’ service 45 – Newcastle Eldon Square (0955) to Consett Bus Station (1056)
‘’Northern’’ service 15A – Consett Bus Station (1115) to Durham Bus Station (1155)
‘’East Durham’’ service 260 – Durham Bus Station (1200) to Peterlee Bus Station (1250)
‘’Wear Tees Express’’ service X7 – Peterlee Bus Station (1311) to Stockton High Street (1348)
‘’Tyne Tees Express’’ service X10 – Stockton High Street (1443) to Gateshead Interchange (1540)
‘’Coaster’’ service 1 – Gateshead Interchange (1545) to Rosehill (1620)

Changed Big Grin

Dan

Site Administrator

18,099
08 Dec 2013, 10:16 pm #39
(08 Dec 2013, 9:18 pm)GMitchelhill Usually I work it out at how much it cost me per bus I got on.

For example my explorer on Saturday was........
£9.30 for ticket, which means it cost around 42p per bus I got on. I think overall my fares if I purchase singles would come in excess of £100.

For my record breaking 75 buses in a day. My day rover for £6.80 equalled to 9p per bus I got on.

I'd buy Explorers but it just seems so expensive really. An Explorer is like three days out to me, if I was buying a Get Around each day.

Last time I bought one, I came over rather ill in Hartlepool after just two hours of being out. Took the train home (costing even more money). I wouldn't be as annoyed if I was just £3.65 out of pocket.

They certainly allow for greater flexibility, but I love a good bargain. Tongue
Dan
08 Dec 2013, 10:16 pm #39

(08 Dec 2013, 9:18 pm)GMitchelhill Usually I work it out at how much it cost me per bus I got on.

For example my explorer on Saturday was........
£9.30 for ticket, which means it cost around 42p per bus I got on. I think overall my fares if I purchase singles would come in excess of £100.

For my record breaking 75 buses in a day. My day rover for £6.80 equalled to 9p per bus I got on.

I'd buy Explorers but it just seems so expensive really. An Explorer is like three days out to me, if I was buying a Get Around each day.

Last time I bought one, I came over rather ill in Hartlepool after just two hours of being out. Took the train home (costing even more money). I wouldn't be as annoyed if I was just £3.65 out of pocket.

They certainly allow for greater flexibility, but I love a good bargain. Tongue

08 Dec 2013, 10:49 pm #40
The only days I don't do explorers on as a rule are Xmas / New Years Eve and on Sunday service. Only time I done an explorer on a Sunday was to go to the 500 group running day in around 2004/2005.

Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.
Rapidsnap
08 Dec 2013, 10:49 pm #40

The only days I don't do explorers on as a rule are Xmas / New Years Eve and on Sunday service. Only time I done an explorer on a Sunday was to go to the 500 group running day in around 2004/2005.


Please feel free to visit my Flickr page - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photogenic/
Who needs heroes anyway? Villians have more fun.

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