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R852 PRG's Reviews

R852 PRG's Reviews

 
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21 Dec 2016, 11:56 pm #281
(21 Dec 2016, 11:08 pm)Ambassador As usual,  a great read. I enjoy your style of writing very much.

Yes,Walker isn't the greatest, the Riverside is nice and under regeneration but there are still parts (including where the bus terminal is) that are slightly sketchy, though students are slowly encroaching. 

Agree on those Hybrids, far more impressive than Angel examples GNE went for.

Thanks very much, the kind comments are greatly appreciated. Aiming to do an Explorer next Tuesday, so hopefully there will be another review on Wednesday 28th.

I don't mind the Angel Hybrids too much, admittedly they haven't been looked after as much as one would have hoped, but for what they do, I don't think they do too bad a job. That said, I'd probably grow frustrated with them if I had to use them day in, day out, at peak times. The Stagecoach E400Hs are very quick off the mark in comparison to them.
R852 PRG
21 Dec 2016, 11:56 pm #281

(21 Dec 2016, 11:08 pm)Ambassador As usual,  a great read. I enjoy your style of writing very much.

Yes,Walker isn't the greatest, the Riverside is nice and under regeneration but there are still parts (including where the bus terminal is) that are slightly sketchy, though students are slowly encroaching. 

Agree on those Hybrids, far more impressive than Angel examples GNE went for.

Thanks very much, the kind comments are greatly appreciated. Aiming to do an Explorer next Tuesday, so hopefully there will be another review on Wednesday 28th.

I don't mind the Angel Hybrids too much, admittedly they haven't been looked after as much as one would have hoped, but for what they do, I don't think they do too bad a job. That said, I'd probably grow frustrated with them if I had to use them day in, day out, at peak times. The Stagecoach E400Hs are very quick off the mark in comparison to them.

Charles41



474
22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm #282
Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. X
Charles41
22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm #282

Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. X

Charles41



474
22 Dec 2016, 1:20 pm #283
(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one.
Charles41
22 Dec 2016, 1:20 pm #283

(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one.

22 Dec 2016, 2:01 pm #284
(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. 

Cheers, Charles. Will bear that in mind next time I'm changing at Regent Centre.
R852 PRG
22 Dec 2016, 2:01 pm #284

(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. 

Cheers, Charles. Will bear that in mind next time I'm changing at Regent Centre.

29 Dec 2016, 2:57 am #285
Tuesday 27th December 2016

Hope everybody had a good Christmas. As I did last Tuesday, today, I embarked on another North East Explorer.

07:53 GNE X21 6303 Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace to Newcastle Eldon Square
The first bus of the day was the 0830 arrival into Eldon Square; the 0753 from my local bus stop on the Durham-Newcastle stretch. As it was a Saturday service from Go North East, this trip was the first X21 of the day. This morning, it was in the hands of 6303. This was the first of the seven Wright StreetDecks that I claimed haulage on, back on Saturday 12th March, during their first week of service on the X21, on the exact same journey as I had it on on this occasion. To be honest, I was expecting a pretty busy bus when I boarded at my stop, along with three other passengers, but when I made my way upstairs, I found it was almost totally deserted. One thing I still like about the StreetDecks is the consistency in charging sockets working. While the WiFi can be a bit hit and miss, with it sometimes working faultlessly and sometimes being a pain; the sockets tend to mostly work, and I struggle to recount an occasion where they haven't.

08:41 SC&NL 685 27142 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
The service terminated at Eldon Square and I alighted here, with the intention of catching the 0845 685 service to Hexham, so I could check out the recently opened bus station, which replaced an older building that had been present in the town centre since 1933, but was sadly no longer capable of coping with the heavy bus traffic and congestion. I will definitely remember it as a quaint, traditional structure. Another recent introduction is the ''Cross Pennine'' brand on service 85/685 (Newcastle-Carlisle), with three Stagecoach vehicles; two Enviro300s and one Solo SR, and a few Arriva Omnicities, sporting the rather smart livery. To try and kill two birds with one stone, I caught the 685 over. This morning, the first Stagecoach-operated journey to leave Eldon Square was in the hands of 27141. I found the vehicle to be alright; seating was comfortable, but the low traffic and passenger numbers meant the driver just restricted it to trundling along the route to keep to time.

10:05 GNE 74 670 Hexham Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
Spent about twenty minutes looking around the new bus station and getting photographs of vehicles leaving. I noticed the 74 coming into the bus station, with Optare Solo SR 670 (required for haulage!) being the allocated vehicle and decided I would catch this back across to Newcastle. Following a driver changeover, I boarded at bang-on 1000 and patiently waited for the departure. This was the first time I used the 74, and it has to be said, the scenery is brilliant on this route. The country lane running and timetable allows one to see how quick off the mark Solos can be, and I also noted we passed several horses along the desolate roads, with the friendly driver waving to their riders. Will definitely be doing the 74 at some point in 2017. I was the only passenger until the Ponteland area; rather than face a wait in Ponteland for a Stagecoach X78 service, I decided to carry on with 670 to Newcastle, where I would meet Adrian around 1145. 

11:59 SNE 62 10638 Newcastle Blackett Street to Chapel House
As 670 was waiting to descend Prudhoe Place and into Eldon Square, I noticed a couple of police officers were directing traffic due to severe congestion. Took a good five minutes to get into the bus station. Adrian notified me that he had 6142 on the X1, so I headed up to Percy Street for a photograph, seeing one of my driver friends from Chester-le-Street with 4957 on the Waggonway, conversing across the road before chatting in the bus station while he was waiting to depart. After meeting with Adrian, I was again momentarily distracted when I saw another friend in the cab of 3965, who thanked me for the photo of him I had had printed and dropped in the mail for him on Christmas Eve. With that done, we headed out to Blackett Street with the aim of catching a 62 to Chapel House and a 40 back, to get an MMC and a Hybrid. 10638 was our chariot, with a pretty light loading of passengers, and everything working as it should. I remain a huge fan of the Enviro400MMC.

12:38 SNE 40 12072 Chapel House to Newcastle Blackett Street
We realised we were at the terminus of the 62 when the driver turned the vehicle off, so we quickly alighted. I attempted a photo, but was faced with the poor light due to the position of the sun, so returned to the bus stop to stand with Adrian. Our plan was to catch the 40 back to the city centre then look for an Enviro200MMC on the 30/31. As stated in my last review, where I travelled on an E400H on the 39 from Walker to Newcastle, I am a fan of these Hybrids. They're in pretty good condition given they will be six years of age in 2017. It is just a shame that the 39 and 40 serve some absolute dire places, meaning you sort of have to surrender your dignity for some half-decent modern-age haulage. The service filled up pretty quickly shortly after leaving Chapel House, and at the risk of being controversial, I think Adrian and I may have been the only White people sat in the downstairs saloon...! 

13:17 SNE 30 26063 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Whickham View to Newcastle Grainger Street
Now back in Newcastle, we jumped off 12072 at Blackett Street, making a quick walk across to Pilgrim Street for a 30/31 towards Whickham View/Montagu Estate respectively. While this outing was not the outing dedicated to getting photographs of the E200MMCs, which I do intend to do at some point in January or February, with the E400MMCs thrown into the mix too for some variety; it was decided that it would be a poor choice to not have a ride on at least one of them while we had the opportunity. This wasn't the busiest journey, but it wasn't quiet either. Aside from the USB ports not playing ball, I was highly impressed by this example, 26063. With a similar mechanical set-up to the Wright StreetLite, and a direct competitor as well, I couldn't really notice any difference in the sounds, except for the absence of a rattling emergency exit door! Bodywork was very sturdy, and the vehicle overall just seemed to be very well-built.

14:25 SNE 38 19670 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Freeman Hospital
While we were on the 30, I had planned to alight at Whickham View and then catch a 38 to the Freeman Hospital, I didn't actually notice the turning circle for Whickham View at any point along the route. I blame my lack of attention, I was enjoying the E200MMC too much. When Adrian pointed out that we were back in Newcastle, I realised we could still catch a 38 from there, but chose to alight on Grainger Street after sitting there for a few minutes doing nothing. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before making our way round to Pilgrim Street, noticing heavy congestion on Market Street as we walked there. 19670 was our bus to the Freeman, a nice vehicle that was quite fast when let loose on an open road, we took a seat at the back downstairs. I have to admit that, in terms of ease to use between notable locations, the 38 is probably one of my favourite Stagecoach routes. We began leap-frogging our next intended target, the 54, close to the Freeman, which had me on edge...

14:53 ANE 54 4523 Freeman Hospital to Newcastle Haymarket
As I had noticed the Cramlington-bound 54 departing just ahead of us on 19670, we reviewed the timetables in the hope that a Stagecoach service would be following quickly behind us, to take us to Four Lane Ends, so that we could stick to the plan and get another Enviro400MMC in for haulage on a 62/63 move back to the city centre. Adrian had no issues mocking me for my clear inability to read a Nexus timetable (being a County Durham resident and all that), and we established we had just missed an 18 as well. Rather than face a wait until 1514 for the next Arriva 54, we crossed the road for something back to Newcastle. Quite luckily, we managed to catch Volvo B10BLE 4523. Having travelled on this example earlier in the month, ironically, on the 54 between the Freeman and Newcastle, I had high expectations because I recalled it having a very melodious gearbox. I wasn't disappointed, will definitely miss these when they go. A more 'in-depth' bash of them may be in order. Wink

15:14 ANE 43 7468 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre
Arrival back into Haymarket was at 1507, and one of my plans had been to catch the Nexus-secured 33 service up to Gosforth the long way round, then get another Stagecoach Enviro200MMC on the 30/31 back to the city centre. However, I knew that the 33 departed from Pilgrim Street on a half-hourly basis at xx:07 and xx:37 minutes past each hour, so rather than walk there and get photos to kill time, Adrian suggested we caught something up to Regent Centre. 7468, an ex-London DAF DB250RS/Alexander ALX400, was waiting to depart with a 43 to Cramlington, and as we both quite like this vehicle type, we chose to catch that. Passenger numbers were decent, with the lower deck being pretty much fully occupied. One trait of the DAF ALX400s that I quite like is the sideways-facing seats downstairs, they're just a bit different to what I am used to. I don't think they're present on the Volvo B7TLs cascaded north earlier this year, but then again, I've only been on one.

15:39 T&WM 4008+4084 Regent Centre to Heworth
We attempted some photos at Regent Centre after we alighted, but the low light conditions made it quite difficult. After debating where to head next, we decided to make our way to Heworth, then catch a Go North East 82 to Concord, followed by an 85/86 to Washington, where we would part ways. As we had not made a journey on the Metro on this day, we decided to catch the next service to Heworth from Regent Centre so we could get a decent-length run on the Metro in. When we got down to the platform, which was void of any other intending passengers, to find we had a wait of eight minutes until the next train. When it rolled to a stop, with 4004 leading and 4084 on the rear, we opted to sit in 4084 as it looked to be quieter. Managed to secure two seats facing each other in the middle of the body of the carriage. The train got very busy all of a sudden at Gateshead, but we didn't have to suffer it for long as Heworth was only a few minutes away.

16:17 GNE 82 682 Heworth Metro to Concord Bus Station
With dusk now slowly creeping across the sky above, we made our way outside for some photos. I find the dusk to be frustrating because grainy photos seem more common; low-light conditions tend to be a bit of a bane in my life when it comes to photographs, I prefer complete light or pitch black, just so I know for sure what sort of settings I should be shooting in. Our plan was to catch the 1617 82 service to Concord, then an 85/86 to Washington, so I could hopefully tick off a winner ex-Thames Solo. When it showed up, the driver in the cab was a new starter, being mentored by a young woman with red hair, who I overheard telling him about the ups and downs of being a depot mentor. Much like 670 earlier in the day, 682 had a pretty decent ride quality, although it was, unfortunately, a 'dud' for haulage. Passenger numbers remained pretty much the same throughout this journey; no more than half a dozen on board.

16:52 GNE 86 705 Concord Bus Station to Washington Galleries
By now pretty much pitch black, we alighted in Concord Bus Station with the intention of catching another indiGo service, an 85 or 86, across to Washington, to try and get another M880 Solo for haulage. I reviewed the timetable; there was an 85 due at 16:38, with the 86 behind it expected to depart at 16:52. The 16:38 service never turned up, but during our wait, we observed a driver bringing 5249 from Washington depot to change over with 5259, only to find out there wasn't a need to swap the vehicles over! 705 eventually turned up with the 16:52 86, which I rolled my eyes at, as it was the sole example of the original-bodied Solos acquired earlier in the year that I had already been on! The driver seemed nice enough, making the effort to exchange with passengers. I don't mind these Solos, they aren't as nippy as the Solo SRs, but do the job they're destined for pretty well, I suppose.

17:18 GNE 8 5396 Washington Galleries to Chester-le-Street South Burns
Adrian carried on with 705, while I alighted at the Galleries. It was 17:05, and after reviewing the timetables, I had a fifteen-minute wait until my bus back to Chester-le-Street, the 17:21 number 8, was expected. At Stand A, a disorderly queue for the X1 and 4, both due before the 8, had formed. To my appeasement, the X1 came in the form of 6141, which I still needed a photograph of. May I offer my sincerest apologies that it is a bus station shot - I'm ashamed of myself... https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/. I eventually saw the distinct white destination blind on a StreetLite coming along the road, so prepared to board. The vehicle was 5396, a mega dud, but not a bad bus overall. Plug socket was working without any issues, which was refreshing for a StreetLite! Got back to Chester-le-Street at 17:40, at which point I alighted and began to make my way home.

In summary, it was a thoroughly enjoyable outing. With thirteen journies, it took quite a while longer than I expected to get this published. Hope you all enjoyed reading. As it's unlikely I'll be out properly again until the New Year, I'd like to wish all readers all the best for 2017.

R852 PRG
Edited 12 Jan 2017, 7:28 pm by R852 PRG.
R852 PRG
29 Dec 2016, 2:57 am #285

Tuesday 27th December 2016

Hope everybody had a good Christmas. As I did last Tuesday, today, I embarked on another North East Explorer.

07:53 GNE X21 6303 Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace to Newcastle Eldon Square
The first bus of the day was the 0830 arrival into Eldon Square; the 0753 from my local bus stop on the Durham-Newcastle stretch. As it was a Saturday service from Go North East, this trip was the first X21 of the day. This morning, it was in the hands of 6303. This was the first of the seven Wright StreetDecks that I claimed haulage on, back on Saturday 12th March, during their first week of service on the X21, on the exact same journey as I had it on on this occasion. To be honest, I was expecting a pretty busy bus when I boarded at my stop, along with three other passengers, but when I made my way upstairs, I found it was almost totally deserted. One thing I still like about the StreetDecks is the consistency in charging sockets working. While the WiFi can be a bit hit and miss, with it sometimes working faultlessly and sometimes being a pain; the sockets tend to mostly work, and I struggle to recount an occasion where they haven't.

08:41 SC&NL 685 27142 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
The service terminated at Eldon Square and I alighted here, with the intention of catching the 0845 685 service to Hexham, so I could check out the recently opened bus station, which replaced an older building that had been present in the town centre since 1933, but was sadly no longer capable of coping with the heavy bus traffic and congestion. I will definitely remember it as a quaint, traditional structure. Another recent introduction is the ''Cross Pennine'' brand on service 85/685 (Newcastle-Carlisle), with three Stagecoach vehicles; two Enviro300s and one Solo SR, and a few Arriva Omnicities, sporting the rather smart livery. To try and kill two birds with one stone, I caught the 685 over. This morning, the first Stagecoach-operated journey to leave Eldon Square was in the hands of 27141. I found the vehicle to be alright; seating was comfortable, but the low traffic and passenger numbers meant the driver just restricted it to trundling along the route to keep to time.

10:05 GNE 74 670 Hexham Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
Spent about twenty minutes looking around the new bus station and getting photographs of vehicles leaving. I noticed the 74 coming into the bus station, with Optare Solo SR 670 (required for haulage!) being the allocated vehicle and decided I would catch this back across to Newcastle. Following a driver changeover, I boarded at bang-on 1000 and patiently waited for the departure. This was the first time I used the 74, and it has to be said, the scenery is brilliant on this route. The country lane running and timetable allows one to see how quick off the mark Solos can be, and I also noted we passed several horses along the desolate roads, with the friendly driver waving to their riders. Will definitely be doing the 74 at some point in 2017. I was the only passenger until the Ponteland area; rather than face a wait in Ponteland for a Stagecoach X78 service, I decided to carry on with 670 to Newcastle, where I would meet Adrian around 1145. 

11:59 SNE 62 10638 Newcastle Blackett Street to Chapel House
As 670 was waiting to descend Prudhoe Place and into Eldon Square, I noticed a couple of police officers were directing traffic due to severe congestion. Took a good five minutes to get into the bus station. Adrian notified me that he had 6142 on the X1, so I headed up to Percy Street for a photograph, seeing one of my driver friends from Chester-le-Street with 4957 on the Waggonway, conversing across the road before chatting in the bus station while he was waiting to depart. After meeting with Adrian, I was again momentarily distracted when I saw another friend in the cab of 3965, who thanked me for the photo of him I had had printed and dropped in the mail for him on Christmas Eve. With that done, we headed out to Blackett Street with the aim of catching a 62 to Chapel House and a 40 back, to get an MMC and a Hybrid. 10638 was our chariot, with a pretty light loading of passengers, and everything working as it should. I remain a huge fan of the Enviro400MMC.

12:38 SNE 40 12072 Chapel House to Newcastle Blackett Street
We realised we were at the terminus of the 62 when the driver turned the vehicle off, so we quickly alighted. I attempted a photo, but was faced with the poor light due to the position of the sun, so returned to the bus stop to stand with Adrian. Our plan was to catch the 40 back to the city centre then look for an Enviro200MMC on the 30/31. As stated in my last review, where I travelled on an E400H on the 39 from Walker to Newcastle, I am a fan of these Hybrids. They're in pretty good condition given they will be six years of age in 2017. It is just a shame that the 39 and 40 serve some absolute dire places, meaning you sort of have to surrender your dignity for some half-decent modern-age haulage. The service filled up pretty quickly shortly after leaving Chapel House, and at the risk of being controversial, I think Adrian and I may have been the only White people sat in the downstairs saloon...! 

13:17 SNE 30 26063 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Whickham View to Newcastle Grainger Street
Now back in Newcastle, we jumped off 12072 at Blackett Street, making a quick walk across to Pilgrim Street for a 30/31 towards Whickham View/Montagu Estate respectively. While this outing was not the outing dedicated to getting photographs of the E200MMCs, which I do intend to do at some point in January or February, with the E400MMCs thrown into the mix too for some variety; it was decided that it would be a poor choice to not have a ride on at least one of them while we had the opportunity. This wasn't the busiest journey, but it wasn't quiet either. Aside from the USB ports not playing ball, I was highly impressed by this example, 26063. With a similar mechanical set-up to the Wright StreetLite, and a direct competitor as well, I couldn't really notice any difference in the sounds, except for the absence of a rattling emergency exit door! Bodywork was very sturdy, and the vehicle overall just seemed to be very well-built.

14:25 SNE 38 19670 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Freeman Hospital
While we were on the 30, I had planned to alight at Whickham View and then catch a 38 to the Freeman Hospital, I didn't actually notice the turning circle for Whickham View at any point along the route. I blame my lack of attention, I was enjoying the E200MMC too much. When Adrian pointed out that we were back in Newcastle, I realised we could still catch a 38 from there, but chose to alight on Grainger Street after sitting there for a few minutes doing nothing. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before making our way round to Pilgrim Street, noticing heavy congestion on Market Street as we walked there. 19670 was our bus to the Freeman, a nice vehicle that was quite fast when let loose on an open road, we took a seat at the back downstairs. I have to admit that, in terms of ease to use between notable locations, the 38 is probably one of my favourite Stagecoach routes. We began leap-frogging our next intended target, the 54, close to the Freeman, which had me on edge...

14:53 ANE 54 4523 Freeman Hospital to Newcastle Haymarket
As I had noticed the Cramlington-bound 54 departing just ahead of us on 19670, we reviewed the timetables in the hope that a Stagecoach service would be following quickly behind us, to take us to Four Lane Ends, so that we could stick to the plan and get another Enviro400MMC in for haulage on a 62/63 move back to the city centre. Adrian had no issues mocking me for my clear inability to read a Nexus timetable (being a County Durham resident and all that), and we established we had just missed an 18 as well. Rather than face a wait until 1514 for the next Arriva 54, we crossed the road for something back to Newcastle. Quite luckily, we managed to catch Volvo B10BLE 4523. Having travelled on this example earlier in the month, ironically, on the 54 between the Freeman and Newcastle, I had high expectations because I recalled it having a very melodious gearbox. I wasn't disappointed, will definitely miss these when they go. A more 'in-depth' bash of them may be in order. Wink

15:14 ANE 43 7468 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre
Arrival back into Haymarket was at 1507, and one of my plans had been to catch the Nexus-secured 33 service up to Gosforth the long way round, then get another Stagecoach Enviro200MMC on the 30/31 back to the city centre. However, I knew that the 33 departed from Pilgrim Street on a half-hourly basis at xx:07 and xx:37 minutes past each hour, so rather than walk there and get photos to kill time, Adrian suggested we caught something up to Regent Centre. 7468, an ex-London DAF DB250RS/Alexander ALX400, was waiting to depart with a 43 to Cramlington, and as we both quite like this vehicle type, we chose to catch that. Passenger numbers were decent, with the lower deck being pretty much fully occupied. One trait of the DAF ALX400s that I quite like is the sideways-facing seats downstairs, they're just a bit different to what I am used to. I don't think they're present on the Volvo B7TLs cascaded north earlier this year, but then again, I've only been on one.

15:39 T&WM 4008+4084 Regent Centre to Heworth
We attempted some photos at Regent Centre after we alighted, but the low light conditions made it quite difficult. After debating where to head next, we decided to make our way to Heworth, then catch a Go North East 82 to Concord, followed by an 85/86 to Washington, where we would part ways. As we had not made a journey on the Metro on this day, we decided to catch the next service to Heworth from Regent Centre so we could get a decent-length run on the Metro in. When we got down to the platform, which was void of any other intending passengers, to find we had a wait of eight minutes until the next train. When it rolled to a stop, with 4004 leading and 4084 on the rear, we opted to sit in 4084 as it looked to be quieter. Managed to secure two seats facing each other in the middle of the body of the carriage. The train got very busy all of a sudden at Gateshead, but we didn't have to suffer it for long as Heworth was only a few minutes away.

16:17 GNE 82 682 Heworth Metro to Concord Bus Station
With dusk now slowly creeping across the sky above, we made our way outside for some photos. I find the dusk to be frustrating because grainy photos seem more common; low-light conditions tend to be a bit of a bane in my life when it comes to photographs, I prefer complete light or pitch black, just so I know for sure what sort of settings I should be shooting in. Our plan was to catch the 1617 82 service to Concord, then an 85/86 to Washington, so I could hopefully tick off a winner ex-Thames Solo. When it showed up, the driver in the cab was a new starter, being mentored by a young woman with red hair, who I overheard telling him about the ups and downs of being a depot mentor. Much like 670 earlier in the day, 682 had a pretty decent ride quality, although it was, unfortunately, a 'dud' for haulage. Passenger numbers remained pretty much the same throughout this journey; no more than half a dozen on board.

16:52 GNE 86 705 Concord Bus Station to Washington Galleries
By now pretty much pitch black, we alighted in Concord Bus Station with the intention of catching another indiGo service, an 85 or 86, across to Washington, to try and get another M880 Solo for haulage. I reviewed the timetable; there was an 85 due at 16:38, with the 86 behind it expected to depart at 16:52. The 16:38 service never turned up, but during our wait, we observed a driver bringing 5249 from Washington depot to change over with 5259, only to find out there wasn't a need to swap the vehicles over! 705 eventually turned up with the 16:52 86, which I rolled my eyes at, as it was the sole example of the original-bodied Solos acquired earlier in the year that I had already been on! The driver seemed nice enough, making the effort to exchange with passengers. I don't mind these Solos, they aren't as nippy as the Solo SRs, but do the job they're destined for pretty well, I suppose.

17:18 GNE 8 5396 Washington Galleries to Chester-le-Street South Burns
Adrian carried on with 705, while I alighted at the Galleries. It was 17:05, and after reviewing the timetables, I had a fifteen-minute wait until my bus back to Chester-le-Street, the 17:21 number 8, was expected. At Stand A, a disorderly queue for the X1 and 4, both due before the 8, had formed. To my appeasement, the X1 came in the form of 6141, which I still needed a photograph of. May I offer my sincerest apologies that it is a bus station shot - I'm ashamed of myself... https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/. I eventually saw the distinct white destination blind on a StreetLite coming along the road, so prepared to board. The vehicle was 5396, a mega dud, but not a bad bus overall. Plug socket was working without any issues, which was refreshing for a StreetLite! Got back to Chester-le-Street at 17:40, at which point I alighted and began to make my way home.

In summary, it was a thoroughly enjoyable outing. With thirteen journies, it took quite a while longer than I expected to get this published. Hope you all enjoyed reading. As it's unlikely I'll be out properly again until the New Year, I'd like to wish all readers all the best for 2017.

R852 PRG

29 Sep 2019, 9:13 pm #286
Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG
R852 PRG
29 Sep 2019, 9:13 pm #286

Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG

Dan

Site Administrator

18,084
30 Sep 2019, 12:51 am #287
(29 Sep 2019, 9:13 pm)R852 PRG Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG
I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Dan
30 Sep 2019, 12:51 am #287

(29 Sep 2019, 9:13 pm)R852 PRG Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG
I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Jimmi



10,961
30 Sep 2019, 11:18 am #288
(30 Sep 2019, 12:51 am)Dan I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Agreed. The dynamic that was once here has gone which could be why some of the key members from that period may no longer be stopping by or have owt to say, I find some of the discussions now just painful to read particularly the service suggestion threads which is the same over and over again despite points being made as to why those suggestions are not good ideas, so why bother?

Beginning to think my ramblings in the annoying threads kept things interesting on here although don't expect that to return as I'm not like that anymore which is reassuring to know especially considering I passed my driving test last week otherwise that would be a terrifying prospect, also because I became more self aware what I was doing and how people were reacting to it.

So yeah, anything that would be of real insight would be welcomed. I would be interested in seeing some reviews and insights surrounding Aberdeen as it's somewhere I want to venture to in 2020 along with other parts of Scotland and other new areas.
Jimmi
30 Sep 2019, 11:18 am #288

(30 Sep 2019, 12:51 am)Dan I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Agreed. The dynamic that was once here has gone which could be why some of the key members from that period may no longer be stopping by or have owt to say, I find some of the discussions now just painful to read particularly the service suggestion threads which is the same over and over again despite points being made as to why those suggestions are not good ideas, so why bother?

Beginning to think my ramblings in the annoying threads kept things interesting on here although don't expect that to return as I'm not like that anymore which is reassuring to know especially considering I passed my driving test last week otherwise that would be a terrifying prospect, also because I became more self aware what I was doing and how people were reacting to it.

So yeah, anything that would be of real insight would be welcomed. I would be interested in seeing some reviews and insights surrounding Aberdeen as it's somewhere I want to venture to in 2020 along with other parts of Scotland and other new areas.

Andreos1



14,143
30 Sep 2019, 1:03 pm #289

As long as it's something that is going to provoke debate, discussion and conversation - that isn't shot down in a ball of flames, I'm all for it.




'Illegitimis non carborundum'
Andreos1
30 Sep 2019, 1:03 pm #289

As long as it's something that is going to provoke debate, discussion and conversation - that isn't shot down in a ball of flames, I'm all for it.




'Illegitimis non carborundum'

Charles41



474
30 Sep 2019, 6:39 pm #290
I too would like to see more reviews and debate. I'd also enjoy reading about the Aberdeen bus scene.

I tried the Coquetdale Community Transport service a couple of weeks ago. Very nice friendly driver. Well worth a go. The Cheviots are beautiful this time of year. Queens Head at Rothbury has now reopened.

Congratulations on passing your test Jimmi.

Charles
Charles41
30 Sep 2019, 6:39 pm #290

I too would like to see more reviews and debate. I'd also enjoy reading about the Aberdeen bus scene.

I tried the Coquetdale Community Transport service a couple of weeks ago. Very nice friendly driver. Well worth a go. The Cheviots are beautiful this time of year. Queens Head at Rothbury has now reopened.

Congratulations on passing your test Jimmi.

Charles

BusLoverMum



5,273
30 Sep 2019, 7:28 pm #291
I've missed seeing the reviews and opinion pieces.

And well done, Jimmi!
BusLoverMum
30 Sep 2019, 7:28 pm #291

I've missed seeing the reviews and opinion pieces.

And well done, Jimmi!

01 Oct 2019, 3:08 pm #292
Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG
R852 PRG
01 Oct 2019, 3:08 pm #292

Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG

Stanleyone

6358

451
01 Oct 2019, 3:38 pm #293

(01 Oct 2019, 3:08 pm)R852 PRG Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG


Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

Stanleyone
01 Oct 2019, 3:38 pm #293

(01 Oct 2019, 3:08 pm)R852 PRG Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG


Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

01 Oct 2019, 8:41 pm #294

(01 Oct 2019, 3:38 pm)Stanleyone


Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

I have a student pass for the academic year. Unrestricted access to the First network. I turned 19 end of September so was still 18 over the summer.

R852 PRG
01 Oct 2019, 8:41 pm #294

(01 Oct 2019, 3:38 pm)Stanleyone


Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

I have a student pass for the academic year. Unrestricted access to the First network. I turned 19 end of September so was still 18 over the summer.

06 Oct 2019, 9:39 pm #295

Saturday 5th October 2019


Well, almost three years following my last review, here I am with my report of my adventure this Saturday. I embarked on a Bluebird Explorer, priced at £10.95 for students, and tried to navigate the Stagecoach Bluebird network around Aberdeen for the first time.


10:17 SNS X17 29019 Aberdeen Union Square to Kingswells Park & Ride

My first vehicle of the day was 29019, an ADL E350H electric hybrid. I boarded in Union Square bus station and was greeted by a fairly amicable driver who expressed confusion as to the Bluebird Explorer I asked him for. After about twenty seconds of looking through the ticket machine, he found it. I assume it's not a particularly common ticket, at least with the Bluebird network. Come to think of it, I can't ever recall an instance during one of my adventures back home where a driver hasn't been familiar with the North East Explorer. As I made my way towards the back of the empty saloon, which still retained its Stagecoach Gold interior from its previous existence in Perth, I was somewhat surprised to find there was no gradual ascent of the gangway but then realised this was due to the 'engine' being on the roof. After we reversed off our stand in Union Square - which I only today realised is allowed after blasting the horn twice to alert others - we picked up a couple more passengers on Union Street (essentially Northumberland Street in terms of shops and facilities but not pedestrianised and always with a heavy flow of traffic) before the journey to Kingswells was underway.


11:44 SNS 747 47606 Kingswells Park & Ride to Aberdeen International Airport

I spent some time at Kingswells getting photos of the steady stream of vehicles on the X17s heading to and from the city on a regular frequency, also photographing an Enviro on the 747 heading to Stonehaven and a Mercedes Sprinter on the 44 shuttle service to the nearby housing estate at Countesswells. The X17 appeared to be a toss-up of just about anything Tullos depot had, with electric hybrid Enviro300s, ex-Highlands ALX400 18111 and regular Enviro300s making up the boards I observed in the time I spent there. Running about ten minutes late, old-style 2008 vintage Solo 47606 came in with a 747 heading towards the Airport. The last time I was on a Stagecoach Solo was way back in May 2015, when Dan and I had a run on one on the 302 from Workington Bus Station back to Lillyhall depot at the open day there one Saturday. I was surprised to find its seats were all equipped with seatbelts and also by how violently the seats in this one shook when idling in traffic. It was quite something. It was otherwise a fast run to the Airport, and we were on time for arrival at 1155.


11:58 SNS 727 10531 Aberdeen International Airport to Aberdeen Union Square

After taking a photograph of 47606 while it took a minute or so to layover, I immediately crossed to board the 727-branded Enviro400MMC which was standing ready to depart. I had wrongly assumed that this would be much like a shuttle between the Airport and Union Square but found that the bus picked up a great deal of passengers as it approached the city centre. It had been quite a while since my last journey an Enviro400MMC and it reminded me of my intention to try and catch the Cumbria example on the 685 next time I do a North East Explorer (potentially when I'm home at Christmas). Not much else to say really, 10531 provided a smooth ride and showed no real sign of the ageing and vibrations we're all fairly accustomed to on other 16-reg deckers such as 6301-6307. It was a reminder of which is the infinitely better product. Very much looking forward to trying Go North East's handful hopefully soon. I debated between having a ride out to Banchory on the 61-reg Panther 2s that dominate the 201/202 allocation or to Inverurie to tick off an 'A96 City Connect' Elite on the 10.


13:05 SNS X37 27111 Aberdeen Union Square to Inverurie Town Centre

After patrolling Union Square for a short while, I didn't see the 1245 service out to Banchory on its allocated stand. It would leave some ten minutes late in the end, by which point I'd decided to head north west to Inverurie instead on the X37 at 1305. The driver rather gruffly demanded to see my University ID card on presentation of my Bluebird Explorer - something no driver earlier in the day had asked to see - I complied and took a seat on the back row. The vehicle for the ride out to Inverurie was 27111, a 14-reg Enviro300 with 'Inverurie Connect' branding. Pretty much your standard Enviro300, nothing particularly worthy of discussion. I did notice that the bus gradually got fuller and fuller as we left Aberdeen with most passengers travelling a good forty minutes or so to Inverurie. Seems a well-patronised route, but I imagine I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd had 19369, which I saw heading out to Inverurie on the X37 earlier in the morning. I alighted in the town centre with the majority of passengers and 27111 went on its way.


14:27 SNS 10 54827 Inverurie Town Centre to Aberdeen Union Square

My next journey was on the 'A96 City Connect' 10 service back to Aberdeen from Inverurie. I took in the sights of the town centre and have to say it did seem, on the surface, to be quite a nice place. I took a photograph of another Stagecoach Solo on the local town service heading to Tesco as I killed time for the 10 to arrive outside the Town Hall. Running seven minutes late, Elgin-based Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite 54827 approached on the last leg of its run down from Inverness. A handful of passengers alighted and I was the only passenger to board - I climbed up the stairs at the door, showed the driver my Explorer and took a seat about two thirds of the way towards the back on the offside. Had a great journey back into Aberdeen, the route along the A96 was great and very scenic, less suburban than the trip on the X37 had been and my goodness, did this coach fly. It was so effortless in pulling and very responsive, and good enough to convince me to think about having another ride out to Inverurie next time I do a Bluebird Explorer, perhaps breaking the hour-long wait between 10s in each direction with a run on the circular to Tesco. Arrival back into Union Square was on-time.


15:20 SNS 68 54243 Aberdeen Union Square to Ellon Park & Ride

After having had such a good journey on 54827, I decided I'd finally have a go on the Buchan Express. Standing on the final stance in the bus station was Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite i 54243 with the 1520 68 service to Ellon Park & Ride. Much like with a ride on a 62-plate example on the X74 between Glasgow and Dumfries with citaro5284 in March 2018, I found myself walking in through the entrance door, going to the left to present my ticket to the driver and then going right to ascend the stairs to the passenger saloon upstairs. The service wasn't very busy but it seemed the majority of passengers were sitting in the forward half of the upper deck rather than towards the rear. I was able to bag a pair of seats to myself with a lot of legroom thanks to the seating arrangement changing to just a single seat in front of me rather than a pair. I was thoroughly impressed with the speed this Elite i was able to get up to on the ride up to Ellon and decided to brave the twenty minute wait at the Park & Ride site for the next one back down.


16:20 SNS 67 54241 Ellon Park & Ride to Aberdeen Union Square

After a wait in the very exposed bus stop at the Park & Ride site, during which I mused to myself as to why on earth somewhere as far inland as Kingswells had a waiting room available and somewhere as cold and windy as Ellon didn't, I was greeted with the sight of 54241 with a southbound 67 for Aberdeen. Also occupying the bus stop and waiting to board was a group of walkers, each of whom commented on the harsh climate and how grateful they would be for the bus to arrive. I boarded first and took a seat towards the back of the upper deck this time to get a feel for the perspective when sitting further towards the back. I have to say, you realise these things are longer than they feel when you sit towards the back. I couldn't help but feel that these would be ideally suited to the X9 and X10, although there would be obvious capacity issues particularly at peak times, and they'd perhaps be the next logical step to take those services to the next level so to speak. After a smooth run back into Aberdeen, I once again alighted in Union Square.


17:15 SNS 202 19174 Aberdeen Union Square to Peterculter

As the day drew to a close, I decided I'd have a ride out to Peterculter on the 201/202 services which I'd decided against doing today in favour of Inverurie. A full ride out to Banchory is definitely on the cards for a future trip, though. Seems to be a nice enough place. The vehicle for the 1715 departure was 19174, a 12 year old (!) Enviro400 with high back seats and seatbelts. I'd previously had sister (or should that be 'sibling' or another non-gender specific term, given how far the social justice warriors have taken us towards oblivion in the last few years) 19171 on the free university shuttle service and was astonished at how quick off the mark it was and how it maintained speed on climbs. 19174 didn't quite have the opportunity to show what it could do due to a fairly flexible timetable but it certainly seemed to manage the route without any difficulties. I did notice how uncomfortable the seats on the very back row in the downstairs saloon looked.


18:14 SNS 202 53639 Peterculter to Aberdeen Union Street

My reason for alighting in Peterculter was not only as it was a nice, twenty minute connection in a fairly nice location, but because it was a good spot to try and catch the First B9TL/Geminis on the 19 service. I had visited the same spot earlier in the week (chauffeured by mb134) but found the decreasing light made moving shots difficult. Once again, I had misjudged how dusk it would have been by the time 19174 got me there given how light it had been at Union Square on departure, but no matter. Ex-Megabus Panther 2 53639 was my chariot back to the city centre on the 202, and I took a seat towards the back. I could tell, even for an eight year old coach, it was a bit tired and had been through the wars in its previous capacity, but enjoyed the journey back to Aberdeen nonetheless, alighting on Union Street rather than in the bus station. I've always had a bit of a thing for the Stagecoach moquette on coach seats - perhaps my only complaint about the younger coaches sampled earlier in the day was the absence of them in favour of leather over fabric.


All in all, a great day exploring the Stagecoach network. I hope to do another Bluebird Explorer before the year is out. It's been a while since I last did one of these, so I'm a bit rusty. Pleased I've made the effort though and hope they'll become routine again. If you haven't fallen asleep yet, thank you for reading.


R852 PRG


R852 PRG
06 Oct 2019, 9:39 pm #295

Saturday 5th October 2019


Well, almost three years following my last review, here I am with my report of my adventure this Saturday. I embarked on a Bluebird Explorer, priced at £10.95 for students, and tried to navigate the Stagecoach Bluebird network around Aberdeen for the first time.


10:17 SNS X17 29019 Aberdeen Union Square to Kingswells Park & Ride

My first vehicle of the day was 29019, an ADL E350H electric hybrid. I boarded in Union Square bus station and was greeted by a fairly amicable driver who expressed confusion as to the Bluebird Explorer I asked him for. After about twenty seconds of looking through the ticket machine, he found it. I assume it's not a particularly common ticket, at least with the Bluebird network. Come to think of it, I can't ever recall an instance during one of my adventures back home where a driver hasn't been familiar with the North East Explorer. As I made my way towards the back of the empty saloon, which still retained its Stagecoach Gold interior from its previous existence in Perth, I was somewhat surprised to find there was no gradual ascent of the gangway but then realised this was due to the 'engine' being on the roof. After we reversed off our stand in Union Square - which I only today realised is allowed after blasting the horn twice to alert others - we picked up a couple more passengers on Union Street (essentially Northumberland Street in terms of shops and facilities but not pedestrianised and always with a heavy flow of traffic) before the journey to Kingswells was underway.


11:44 SNS 747 47606 Kingswells Park & Ride to Aberdeen International Airport

I spent some time at Kingswells getting photos of the steady stream of vehicles on the X17s heading to and from the city on a regular frequency, also photographing an Enviro on the 747 heading to Stonehaven and a Mercedes Sprinter on the 44 shuttle service to the nearby housing estate at Countesswells. The X17 appeared to be a toss-up of just about anything Tullos depot had, with electric hybrid Enviro300s, ex-Highlands ALX400 18111 and regular Enviro300s making up the boards I observed in the time I spent there. Running about ten minutes late, old-style 2008 vintage Solo 47606 came in with a 747 heading towards the Airport. The last time I was on a Stagecoach Solo was way back in May 2015, when Dan and I had a run on one on the 302 from Workington Bus Station back to Lillyhall depot at the open day there one Saturday. I was surprised to find its seats were all equipped with seatbelts and also by how violently the seats in this one shook when idling in traffic. It was quite something. It was otherwise a fast run to the Airport, and we were on time for arrival at 1155.


11:58 SNS 727 10531 Aberdeen International Airport to Aberdeen Union Square

After taking a photograph of 47606 while it took a minute or so to layover, I immediately crossed to board the 727-branded Enviro400MMC which was standing ready to depart. I had wrongly assumed that this would be much like a shuttle between the Airport and Union Square but found that the bus picked up a great deal of passengers as it approached the city centre. It had been quite a while since my last journey an Enviro400MMC and it reminded me of my intention to try and catch the Cumbria example on the 685 next time I do a North East Explorer (potentially when I'm home at Christmas). Not much else to say really, 10531 provided a smooth ride and showed no real sign of the ageing and vibrations we're all fairly accustomed to on other 16-reg deckers such as 6301-6307. It was a reminder of which is the infinitely better product. Very much looking forward to trying Go North East's handful hopefully soon. I debated between having a ride out to Banchory on the 61-reg Panther 2s that dominate the 201/202 allocation or to Inverurie to tick off an 'A96 City Connect' Elite on the 10.


13:05 SNS X37 27111 Aberdeen Union Square to Inverurie Town Centre

After patrolling Union Square for a short while, I didn't see the 1245 service out to Banchory on its allocated stand. It would leave some ten minutes late in the end, by which point I'd decided to head north west to Inverurie instead on the X37 at 1305. The driver rather gruffly demanded to see my University ID card on presentation of my Bluebird Explorer - something no driver earlier in the day had asked to see - I complied and took a seat on the back row. The vehicle for the ride out to Inverurie was 27111, a 14-reg Enviro300 with 'Inverurie Connect' branding. Pretty much your standard Enviro300, nothing particularly worthy of discussion. I did notice that the bus gradually got fuller and fuller as we left Aberdeen with most passengers travelling a good forty minutes or so to Inverurie. Seems a well-patronised route, but I imagine I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd had 19369, which I saw heading out to Inverurie on the X37 earlier in the morning. I alighted in the town centre with the majority of passengers and 27111 went on its way.


14:27 SNS 10 54827 Inverurie Town Centre to Aberdeen Union Square

My next journey was on the 'A96 City Connect' 10 service back to Aberdeen from Inverurie. I took in the sights of the town centre and have to say it did seem, on the surface, to be quite a nice place. I took a photograph of another Stagecoach Solo on the local town service heading to Tesco as I killed time for the 10 to arrive outside the Town Hall. Running seven minutes late, Elgin-based Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite 54827 approached on the last leg of its run down from Inverness. A handful of passengers alighted and I was the only passenger to board - I climbed up the stairs at the door, showed the driver my Explorer and took a seat about two thirds of the way towards the back on the offside. Had a great journey back into Aberdeen, the route along the A96 was great and very scenic, less suburban than the trip on the X37 had been and my goodness, did this coach fly. It was so effortless in pulling and very responsive, and good enough to convince me to think about having another ride out to Inverurie next time I do a Bluebird Explorer, perhaps breaking the hour-long wait between 10s in each direction with a run on the circular to Tesco. Arrival back into Union Square was on-time.


15:20 SNS 68 54243 Aberdeen Union Square to Ellon Park & Ride

After having had such a good journey on 54827, I decided I'd finally have a go on the Buchan Express. Standing on the final stance in the bus station was Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite i 54243 with the 1520 68 service to Ellon Park & Ride. Much like with a ride on a 62-plate example on the X74 between Glasgow and Dumfries with citaro5284 in March 2018, I found myself walking in through the entrance door, going to the left to present my ticket to the driver and then going right to ascend the stairs to the passenger saloon upstairs. The service wasn't very busy but it seemed the majority of passengers were sitting in the forward half of the upper deck rather than towards the rear. I was able to bag a pair of seats to myself with a lot of legroom thanks to the seating arrangement changing to just a single seat in front of me rather than a pair. I was thoroughly impressed with the speed this Elite i was able to get up to on the ride up to Ellon and decided to brave the twenty minute wait at the Park & Ride site for the next one back down.


16:20 SNS 67 54241 Ellon Park & Ride to Aberdeen Union Square

After a wait in the very exposed bus stop at the Park & Ride site, during which I mused to myself as to why on earth somewhere as far inland as Kingswells had a waiting room available and somewhere as cold and windy as Ellon didn't, I was greeted with the sight of 54241 with a southbound 67 for Aberdeen. Also occupying the bus stop and waiting to board was a group of walkers, each of whom commented on the harsh climate and how grateful they would be for the bus to arrive. I boarded first and took a seat towards the back of the upper deck this time to get a feel for the perspective when sitting further towards the back. I have to say, you realise these things are longer than they feel when you sit towards the back. I couldn't help but feel that these would be ideally suited to the X9 and X10, although there would be obvious capacity issues particularly at peak times, and they'd perhaps be the next logical step to take those services to the next level so to speak. After a smooth run back into Aberdeen, I once again alighted in Union Square.


17:15 SNS 202 19174 Aberdeen Union Square to Peterculter

As the day drew to a close, I decided I'd have a ride out to Peterculter on the 201/202 services which I'd decided against doing today in favour of Inverurie. A full ride out to Banchory is definitely on the cards for a future trip, though. Seems to be a nice enough place. The vehicle for the 1715 departure was 19174, a 12 year old (!) Enviro400 with high back seats and seatbelts. I'd previously had sister (or should that be 'sibling' or another non-gender specific term, given how far the social justice warriors have taken us towards oblivion in the last few years) 19171 on the free university shuttle service and was astonished at how quick off the mark it was and how it maintained speed on climbs. 19174 didn't quite have the opportunity to show what it could do due to a fairly flexible timetable but it certainly seemed to manage the route without any difficulties. I did notice how uncomfortable the seats on the very back row in the downstairs saloon looked.


18:14 SNS 202 53639 Peterculter to Aberdeen Union Street

My reason for alighting in Peterculter was not only as it was a nice, twenty minute connection in a fairly nice location, but because it was a good spot to try and catch the First B9TL/Geminis on the 19 service. I had visited the same spot earlier in the week (chauffeured by mb134) but found the decreasing light made moving shots difficult. Once again, I had misjudged how dusk it would have been by the time 19174 got me there given how light it had been at Union Square on departure, but no matter. Ex-Megabus Panther 2 53639 was my chariot back to the city centre on the 202, and I took a seat towards the back. I could tell, even for an eight year old coach, it was a bit tired and had been through the wars in its previous capacity, but enjoyed the journey back to Aberdeen nonetheless, alighting on Union Street rather than in the bus station. I've always had a bit of a thing for the Stagecoach moquette on coach seats - perhaps my only complaint about the younger coaches sampled earlier in the day was the absence of them in favour of leather over fabric.


All in all, a great day exploring the Stagecoach network. I hope to do another Bluebird Explorer before the year is out. It's been a while since I last did one of these, so I'm a bit rusty. Pleased I've made the effort though and hope they'll become routine again. If you haven't fallen asleep yet, thank you for reading.


R852 PRG


20 May 2021, 7:02 pm #296
Wednesday 19th May 2021

Yesterday, I enjoyed an outing with Dan and citaro5284, with a brief and unexpected appearance from a friend of ours whom I shall refer to as 'the Captain'. 

08:51 GNE 50 6930 Chester-le-Street to Durham North Road
My first vehicle of the day was ex-London President 6930 on the morning duplicate 50 to Durham. Having arranged to meet Dan and citaro5284 in Newcastle later in the morning, I had sufficient time to have a trip through to Durham then make my way round to Newcastle via Washington. I had also noticed that the 50 board this run dupes has a tendency to throw up either 6172 or 6173, but unfortunately I noticed it was 5256 pulling onto the stand as I emerged onto Front Street. At the same time, I saw 6930 coming in with the 78 dupe from Lumley, having earlier operated a couple of school runs on the 34. After turning around at South Burns, it pulled onto the stand just as a fully-loaded 5256 departed. The driver was an old hand from Crook depot who I believe may have been one of the many employees to come from OK Travel in 1995 following its acquisition. I sat at the back next to the emergency exit and enjoyed the slow but sure run to Durham with the cooling fans blaring all the way. We leapfrogged 5256 all the way and beat it to North Road, at which point 6930 headed back to the depot.

09:19 GNE 50 5256 Durham North Road to Washington Galleries
Immediately afterwards, 5256 arrived. A great number of passengers, mostly young people, alighted here. I can see why Washington seem to allocate a decker to this board, although I imagine various other boards experience similarly busy runs. I noted that the driver was rigorously enforcing face coverings as others boarded ahead of me. I have always been a fan of the Omnicities and have always had a particular fondness for 5255-5260, with that batch of six having been allocated to Chester for the 50 while I was a teenager and at the 'peak' of my enthusiasm for buses. I am of course still an enthusiast, but there are other interests which I pursue nowadays. I try to make the most of my downtime. I know the Omnicities have had something of a mixed reception. I feel that, at various points in their working lives, they have been poorly deployed onto routes which they weren't necessarily unfit for, but simply unsuitable for capacity. The Angel and the Cobalt Clipper come straight to mind. Nonetheless, they've been good workhorses and I will be sad to see them go. 

10:12 GNE X1 6367 Washington Galleries to Newcastle St. Mary's Place
After a spirited run through from Durham, I alighted 5256 at the Galleries and joined the queue for the X1. I have only been on the X1 a couple of times since the Streetdecks were introduced: 6364 from Washington to Newcastle in December and 6366 from Washington to Houghton in April. I found them perfectly suited to the route and appropriate replacements for the B9TLs that preceded them; while I've always found the B9s to be solid all-rounders, I feel that they were becoming a little tired on the X1 after nearly ten years. I was a little surprised by the decision to rebrand the 56 rather than similarly get Streetdecks for that. I dare say Streetdecks would be even better suited to that route. We departed from the Galleries with a healthy load and picked up another handful at Wrekenton, with more boarding as we headed down Old Durham Road. A woman argued with the driver over something which was hard to pick up from my table seat upstairs. We fell a little behind schedule as a result of that and the roadworks at Deckham, and I alighted at St. Mary's Place just after 10:50. 

11:35 GNE 74 729 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
I met with Dan and citaro5284 at the Five Swans and we had a Wetherspoons breakfast - an ironic staple of many an outing. They expressed amusement at my liking for black pudding which they felt was unbefitting for a man of my estate. Shortly after 11:15, we made our way round to Eldon Square and waited for the 74 to arrive. I had decided we would get the 74 so that I could sample one of the Sprinters in service, having been confined to non-service contract work whenever I had been in the area. I also factored in citaro5284's fondness for complaining and felt this would be funny. We left Newcastle on time and headed north-west out of the city. For those of you who have not done the 74, it is a nice run through the countryside but one with lots of twists and tight turns. It was a shame that the driver didn't think to turn the air-conditioning on. At various points, I will admit I was surprised as to how this service runs with Solos, let alone full-size single deckers in the past. 729 proved itself a nimble vehicle but its sensitive brakes don't seem to be worn in yet. There were a number of instances where I was thrown forward by the driver having to slam on the anchors. As anticipated, citaro5284 was full of joy throughout this journey.

13:41 GNE 689 670 Hexham Bus Station to Consett Bus Station
We arrived on time in Hexham and Dan and I crossed the road to get some photos as the position of the sun was good enough. Next on our agenda was the 13:41 689 service to Consett with 'Tynedale Links' branded 670 doing the honours. I last did the 689 in early September last year, from Consett to Hexham on a weekday morning run. Much like the 74, it is a nice run through mostly countryside. I would say I preferred this run to the Sprinter on the 74, purely for the air circulation enabled through the open windows. I also feel that the route this service traverses is a little more scenic and doesn't feel as never-ending as the 74 does in places. A couple of other passengers boarded with us in Hexham, with one doing the full route to Consett; a similar number boarded as we passed through Ebchester. Upon arrival in the bus station, we headed into the Company Row for a bite to eat. Dan and citaro5284 forced some alcohol on me. 

16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

18:22 GNE X21 6314 Newcastle Newgate Street to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
After a nice catch-up with the Captain, I departed from the group and left them to carry on while I went to catch a service back to Chester-le-Street from Newgate Street. I was fortunate in that the first to arrive was the 18:15 X21 from Eldon Square, with 6314 and one of Chester's leading drivers at the wheel. I am still yet to tick off all of the ex-X9|X10 B5TLs on the X21 and was slightly frustrated at the fact that 6314 was a dud. I could, of course, do what some degenerates do: manipulate the rules to meet my needs and claim the lot of them by proxy on account of all of them having already been claimed by friends of mine. But my word is my bond and I play according to the rules. I think the B5TLs are fine runners on the X21 and think they would have been better-suited to having been bought brand new for it. It is ironic that the X21 pretty much killed the Streetdecks that were bought new for it and the X9 & X10 all but summarily executed the B5TLs which were bought for it, yet the X21 seems to be a perfect fit for the latter. If only cost-saving measures hadn't been the single aspect considered when they were ordered...


It is somewhat embarrassing that we ended up on just as many buses as did Wetherspoons but I suppose it was nice to have more of a social outing for a change of pace. I hope that it is not nearly two years before I next post a review. Please let me know if you have enjoyed this and I will try to keep them going regularly.
R852 PRG
20 May 2021, 7:02 pm #296

Wednesday 19th May 2021

Yesterday, I enjoyed an outing with Dan and citaro5284, with a brief and unexpected appearance from a friend of ours whom I shall refer to as 'the Captain'. 

08:51 GNE 50 6930 Chester-le-Street to Durham North Road
My first vehicle of the day was ex-London President 6930 on the morning duplicate 50 to Durham. Having arranged to meet Dan and citaro5284 in Newcastle later in the morning, I had sufficient time to have a trip through to Durham then make my way round to Newcastle via Washington. I had also noticed that the 50 board this run dupes has a tendency to throw up either 6172 or 6173, but unfortunately I noticed it was 5256 pulling onto the stand as I emerged onto Front Street. At the same time, I saw 6930 coming in with the 78 dupe from Lumley, having earlier operated a couple of school runs on the 34. After turning around at South Burns, it pulled onto the stand just as a fully-loaded 5256 departed. The driver was an old hand from Crook depot who I believe may have been one of the many employees to come from OK Travel in 1995 following its acquisition. I sat at the back next to the emergency exit and enjoyed the slow but sure run to Durham with the cooling fans blaring all the way. We leapfrogged 5256 all the way and beat it to North Road, at which point 6930 headed back to the depot.

09:19 GNE 50 5256 Durham North Road to Washington Galleries
Immediately afterwards, 5256 arrived. A great number of passengers, mostly young people, alighted here. I can see why Washington seem to allocate a decker to this board, although I imagine various other boards experience similarly busy runs. I noted that the driver was rigorously enforcing face coverings as others boarded ahead of me. I have always been a fan of the Omnicities and have always had a particular fondness for 5255-5260, with that batch of six having been allocated to Chester for the 50 while I was a teenager and at the 'peak' of my enthusiasm for buses. I am of course still an enthusiast, but there are other interests which I pursue nowadays. I try to make the most of my downtime. I know the Omnicities have had something of a mixed reception. I feel that, at various points in their working lives, they have been poorly deployed onto routes which they weren't necessarily unfit for, but simply unsuitable for capacity. The Angel and the Cobalt Clipper come straight to mind. Nonetheless, they've been good workhorses and I will be sad to see them go. 

10:12 GNE X1 6367 Washington Galleries to Newcastle St. Mary's Place
After a spirited run through from Durham, I alighted 5256 at the Galleries and joined the queue for the X1. I have only been on the X1 a couple of times since the Streetdecks were introduced: 6364 from Washington to Newcastle in December and 6366 from Washington to Houghton in April. I found them perfectly suited to the route and appropriate replacements for the B9TLs that preceded them; while I've always found the B9s to be solid all-rounders, I feel that they were becoming a little tired on the X1 after nearly ten years. I was a little surprised by the decision to rebrand the 56 rather than similarly get Streetdecks for that. I dare say Streetdecks would be even better suited to that route. We departed from the Galleries with a healthy load and picked up another handful at Wrekenton, with more boarding as we headed down Old Durham Road. A woman argued with the driver over something which was hard to pick up from my table seat upstairs. We fell a little behind schedule as a result of that and the roadworks at Deckham, and I alighted at St. Mary's Place just after 10:50. 

11:35 GNE 74 729 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
I met with Dan and citaro5284 at the Five Swans and we had a Wetherspoons breakfast - an ironic staple of many an outing. They expressed amusement at my liking for black pudding which they felt was unbefitting for a man of my estate. Shortly after 11:15, we made our way round to Eldon Square and waited for the 74 to arrive. I had decided we would get the 74 so that I could sample one of the Sprinters in service, having been confined to non-service contract work whenever I had been in the area. I also factored in citaro5284's fondness for complaining and felt this would be funny. We left Newcastle on time and headed north-west out of the city. For those of you who have not done the 74, it is a nice run through the countryside but one with lots of twists and tight turns. It was a shame that the driver didn't think to turn the air-conditioning on. At various points, I will admit I was surprised as to how this service runs with Solos, let alone full-size single deckers in the past. 729 proved itself a nimble vehicle but its sensitive brakes don't seem to be worn in yet. There were a number of instances where I was thrown forward by the driver having to slam on the anchors. As anticipated, citaro5284 was full of joy throughout this journey.

13:41 GNE 689 670 Hexham Bus Station to Consett Bus Station
We arrived on time in Hexham and Dan and I crossed the road to get some photos as the position of the sun was good enough. Next on our agenda was the 13:41 689 service to Consett with 'Tynedale Links' branded 670 doing the honours. I last did the 689 in early September last year, from Consett to Hexham on a weekday morning run. Much like the 74, it is a nice run through mostly countryside. I would say I preferred this run to the Sprinter on the 74, purely for the air circulation enabled through the open windows. I also feel that the route this service traverses is a little more scenic and doesn't feel as never-ending as the 74 does in places. A couple of other passengers boarded with us in Hexham, with one doing the full route to Consett; a similar number boarded as we passed through Ebchester. Upon arrival in the bus station, we headed into the Company Row for a bite to eat. Dan and citaro5284 forced some alcohol on me. 

16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

18:22 GNE X21 6314 Newcastle Newgate Street to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
After a nice catch-up with the Captain, I departed from the group and left them to carry on while I went to catch a service back to Chester-le-Street from Newgate Street. I was fortunate in that the first to arrive was the 18:15 X21 from Eldon Square, with 6314 and one of Chester's leading drivers at the wheel. I am still yet to tick off all of the ex-X9|X10 B5TLs on the X21 and was slightly frustrated at the fact that 6314 was a dud. I could, of course, do what some degenerates do: manipulate the rules to meet my needs and claim the lot of them by proxy on account of all of them having already been claimed by friends of mine. But my word is my bond and I play according to the rules. I think the B5TLs are fine runners on the X21 and think they would have been better-suited to having been bought brand new for it. It is ironic that the X21 pretty much killed the Streetdecks that were bought new for it and the X9 & X10 all but summarily executed the B5TLs which were bought for it, yet the X21 seems to be a perfect fit for the latter. If only cost-saving measures hadn't been the single aspect considered when they were ordered...


It is somewhat embarrassing that we ended up on just as many buses as did Wetherspoons but I suppose it was nice to have more of a social outing for a change of pace. I hope that it is not nearly two years before I next post a review. Please let me know if you have enjoyed this and I will try to keep them going regularly.

20 May 2021, 7:14 pm #297
(20 May 2021, 7:02 pm)R852 PRG Wednesday 19th May 2021


16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?
Clifton Hignett III
20 May 2021, 7:14 pm #297

(20 May 2021, 7:02 pm)R852 PRG Wednesday 19th May 2021


16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?

Dan

Site Administrator

18,084
20 May 2021, 8:28 pm #298
(20 May 2021, 7:14 pm)Clifton Hignett III Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?



One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Dan
20 May 2021, 8:28 pm #298

(20 May 2021, 7:14 pm)Clifton Hignett III Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?



One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

20 May 2021, 8:43 pm #299
(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dreadful
Clifton Hignett III
20 May 2021, 8:43 pm #299

(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dreadful

Jimmi



10,961
20 May 2021, 8:45 pm #300
(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.

God that's a phrase I ain't heard in a while!
Jimmi
20 May 2021, 8:45 pm #300

(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.

God that's a phrase I ain't heard in a while!

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