R852 PRG's Reviews
R852 PRG's Reviews
I've decided, as I've spent a day absent from school due to ill health, to create a mini review summarising my thoughts on a vehicle type to keep myself busy and avoid insanity. If this sort of piece is of interest, comment and I may start doing them from time to time when boredom hits.
Dennis Trident/East Lancs Lolyne
The East Lancs Lolyne-bodied Dennis Tridents have held membership of Go North East's fleet since the millennial year. The first four to be delivered, 3801-3804 (V801-V804 EBR), were destined for Bishop Auckland depot (now closed) for use on the 724 service between there and Newcastle; a service acquired by the company upon takeover of regionally-recognised OK Travel in 1995. The remaining vehicles, 3858-3880 were delivered shortly afterwards, taking up residence at Winlaton depot (again, no longer open, and now demolished). 3858's registration was V858 EGR, the only member of the fleet to hold a V-EGR registration. 3859-3866 were registered W859-W866 PNL, while 3867-3880 were W-SCU registered. The Dennis Trident chassis was very popular in the country, first manufactured in 1997 and replacing the Dennis Arrow and the first low-floor chassis suitable for double deck vehicles to be produced by Dennis. The engine was a Cummins ISCe, which could be attached to a Voith DIWA or ZF Ecomat gearbox (the latter of which was the gearbox that Go North East's examples carried), and the chassis was made available for Alexander ALX400, Plaxton President and East Lancs Lolyne/Myllenium Lolyne bodywork.
I have a personal liking of the Lolynes. My first encounter with one was on a shopping trip to Newcastle around 2004/2005 time with my mother, I had seen them previously in Chester-le-Street. To my young mind, the front of the vehicle represented something of a frown, forming a ''sad face'', thus I denoted them the nickname ''sad buses''. The Plaxton President-bodied Dennis Tridents, new in the fleet shortly after the Lolynes, were the opposite, with the front of the vehicle's body appearing to be ''happy'' to me at that age, and so I named them ''happy buses''. When I started primary school in 2005, my outings on buses with my late grandad became less and less frequent, only occurring in school holidays, and so I had an absense from riding buses such as Lolynes for some time.
When I entered secondary education in the 2012-2013 academic year, I began to use the scholars services in November, having had a previous arrangement prior to then. The first time I used one of the scholars buses, from the upper site to the lower site, I made passage between the two on the 888 service, which was always a Lolyne, as it then ran light to Waldridge Park from my school after terminating the 888, then travelling down to Chester-le-Street on the 09:10 X25 service to Newcastle. On this first occasion, I can vividly remember the vehicle was 3878 (W188 SCU). This is still in service at Chester-le-Street, one of only four that currently remain, having been a stalwart at the garage for many years, and it is my personal favourite as it was the first Lolyne I recorded as having been ridden.
As time went on, I continued to use the scholars services, although I mixed it up for the sake of some variety, occasionally travelling on ''Pronto'' Presidents that were at Chester-le-Street for minor defects to be corrected, prior to being transported back to Crook or replacing a loaned Chester-le-Street bus when it passed through the town on the X21; a procedure that is still common today. Lolynes were always a common allocation for the scholars services, as the depot housed so many at the time (at one point I can recall 3803/04/59/64/65/68/69/72/77/78/79), and these memories of the good times on the scholars buses are still very vivid in my mind. As of the 2014-15 academic year, I ceased using the scholars services as I no longer had any need to do so. Consequently, I no longer frequently used the Lolynes, unless one has appeared on one of my outings since then.
As of the week commencing 27 April 2015; the first Lolyne was removed from Go North East's fleet, in the form of 3803 (V803 EBR) at Stanley depot, the reason being given as due to a mechanical fault that was not worth repairing. It was cannibalised in the depot, to keep the other Lolynes based at Stanley depot on the road. I did not think much of it at the time, but then on the week commencing 1 June 2015, a second Trident was withdrawn from service; Percy Main's 3858 (V858 EGR). Then, just two weeks later, four Tridents were withdrawn from service at Stanley depot, as a result of the arrival of Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekkas from Brighton & Hove, another Go-Ahead Group subsidiary, these vehicles being 3801 (V801 EBR), 3802 (V802 EBR), 3862 (W862 PNL) and 3871 (W181 SCU). A few weeks then passed, and the first Trident resident at Chester-le-Street depot was withdrawn, 3804 (V804 EBR), and like sister 3803, was cannibalised for parts. 3877 followed a couple of weeks after, and then 3865 and 3879; the latter two of which actually saw service on my scholars the morning they were withdrawn, later being shipped to independent operator Garnett's of Bishop Auckland for school contracts that afternoon.
It was at this moment that I realised the Lolynes were going, thick and fast. Slowly, their numbers continued to dwindle. I decided to try and take every opportunity I had to ride one in service. Even now, with only 4 beastly Lolynes left in service at Chester-le-Street depot, I try my best to hunt one down, as I never know when my last chance will be. To the remainder of the enthusiast community, the Lolynes are very much like marmite; they are either loved or loathed. However, to me, they will always be some of the best buses to serve in Go North East's fleet.
