North East Buses

(12 Jul 2015, 7:28 pm)Davie wrote [ -> ]I agree there. Horden, wasn't it?

More Castle Eden if it helps others the X35 is due at the stop at 21/51 and the 24 at 08/38.

(12 Jul 2015, 7:34 pm)danpick wrote [ -> ]More Castle Eden if it helps others the X35 is due at the stop at 21/51 and the 24 at 08/38.

Couldn't have been Castle Eden as only the 206 and one X35 journey serves there.

(12 Jul 2015, 7:35 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Couldn't have been Castle Eden as only the 206 and one X35 journey serves there.

Not that sure on its name.

(12 Jul 2015, 7:41 pm)danpick wrote [ -> ]Not that sure on its name.

Was it not Blackhall or Crimdon somewhere like that?

(12 Jul 2015, 7:45 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Was it not Blackhall or Crimdon somewhere like that?

I'm sure It wasn't that far all I have are them times and that the 23 goes through also.

(12 Jul 2015, 7:52 pm)danpick wrote [ -> ]I'm sure It wasn't that far all I have are them times and that the 23 goes through also.

The 23 goes through Blackhall and Crimdon - as does the X35 and 24.

Ho'way lads, surely you knew where you were yesterday!!

Sorry for not posting it last night, I was shattered that's all!

My day started at Central Station as opposed to my native Brockely Whins as my Dad had something to do around there. Immediately spotting 6131 on the 43 which I missed. I then waited for the next 44 which of course was one of my stalkers up there, 5337 so I abandoned that idea and caught the 47 up to Blackhall Mill..

Journey 1 Central Station - Blackhall Mill, Mill Race  GNE Volvo B9TL 6121   15:24 - 16:13

Ive only ever rode the Eldon Square to Metrocentre section of the 47 so thought it would be good to ride the full section, And it didn't disappoint!
You leave the Metrocentre and go 2 mile down the road and then its like your in another planet, through Rowlands Gill and up through the Hills to High Spen were the route meets with the 11 and then through very rural areas to Chopwell were we arrived to find the V9 to Consset operated by a unidentified Solo, That route I will have to do in the Summer Holidays. The most Spectacular part of the route is the 1 and a half mile hill. From up top you can see Chopwell , Blackhall Mill various landscape and woodlands and a vast amount of hills and moors, after all this area is the start of the Pennines. I alight at the Mill Race stop and wait 15 mins for the 11.....

Blackhall Mill is a stunning place, the bus will drop you off by the small river that marks the boundary between Tyne And Wear and County Durham. its very scenic and a place I recommend for Photos aswell as the top of the hill just before Chopwell.
My next journey would be on a Toonlink Omnicity on the 11 back to Eldon Square....

Journey 2 Blackhall Mill, Mill Race - Eldon Square Bus Station    Scania C230UB Omnicity 16:33 - 17:40  GNE 5235

The Bus was 5 minuets late but that didn't bother me, it was a nice day. The driver came flying up the street in his Omnicity and quickly braked to let me on, I board and sit at the back on the engine. Going from past experiences with Omnicitys I knew climbing the 1 and a half mile bank out of Blackhall Mill and Chopwell was not going to be easy and it wasn't, with the driver with his foot to the floor only managing 5 mph up the steep bank also have to comment on the engine. It was not in good shape by the sound and performance of it with the typical Scania whooshing sound to go with it. Passenger count was good for the full journey with most staying on all the way to Eldon Square.          Other things to note is that High Spen bus stand is quite a good place to get photos It is served by daytime 11s and Evening 47s.

I alight to find 4843 on the 28A, 5148 on the 11 and 6018 on the 21 though I was tempted to get 4843 to Gateshead I missed it so waited 4 mins for the Omnidekka on the X70.... Also to note I seen a Bus Enthusiast taking photos of buses, I ask if he's on Flickr and says no but hes on Facebook so I say thanks and leave him to join my next bus

Journey 3 Eldon Square Bus Station - Gateshead Interchange   Scania N94UD East Lancs Omnidekka  1745 - 1808  GNE 6128

What should of been a quick hop over the Tyne came to a halt when Gridlocked roads around the Gate meat we were stuck in the same place for a Agonising 15 mins!
the rest was just like anyother Omnidekka, Fast, Smooth and spacious and before I knew it, I was in Gateshead Metro.
Note the rear of the inside of the buses lining hade gone so the rear of the bus was actually detached from the rest of the bus though I didn't think no more of it as I've seen this before..       After letting one Citaro go past cause I ridden it I find a surprise for my 27 home......

Journey 4 Gateshead Interchange - Jarrow Bus Station  Volvo B7TL 250hp Wright Eclipse Gemini  GNE 3963 18:33 - ? Note this service terminated short at Jarrow.

Yes I have the beast that's 3963 on my 27! I've never been on this B7 in ages, Kickdowns galore and the nice sounding ZF made this journey the best today.
The bus was packed lower and upper deck but reduced once past Hebburn and Monkton Lane. One thing that I did notice was how slow it was pulling off the spot in 1st gear
but then back to normal in 2nd Gear. Apart from that nice bus and I managed to get a headache of how loud the bus was.....A headache I've still got today

I don't wait in Jarrow for long as my 88 was due 2 mins after me arriving on the 27 and guess what....litrally out of 3 Versas in service that day I manage to get one  

Journey 5 Jarrow Bus Station - Brockely Whins Perth Avenue   Optare Versa 8296?

I didn't take notice of which one I got on because all 09 reg Versas are terrible anyways. Nothing much else to comment on apart from that the Versas on the 88 are rank
Give me a SPD anyday.

I then alight off the bus and walk the short distance to my home and that is todays ( Saturdays ) outing.

Hope you enjoyed it and have a good rest of your weekend

Thanks for reading

(12 Jul 2015, 7:59 pm)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]Ho'way lads, surely you knew where you were yesterday!!

We were heavily delayed so didn't take note.

(12 Jul 2015, 7:35 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Couldn't have been Castle Eden as only the 206 and one X35 journey serves there.

If you can work out where this photo, https://www.flickr.com/photos/109436376@...ed-public/, was taken, that's where we were

(12 Jul 2015, 8:10 pm)Davie wrote [ -> ]If you can work out where this photo, https://www.flickr.com/photos/109436376@...ed-public/, was taken, that's where we were

Ah i know where that is. That is Blackhall and providing that i am right in saying i know where that is, did you see a takeaway and local shop on the corner (out of shot on the left)?

(12 Jul 2015, 8:13 pm)S813 FVK wrote [ -> ]Ah i know where that is. That is Blackhall and providing that i am right in saying i know where that is, did you see a takeaway and local shop on the corner (out of shot on the left)?

Yes I think so.

(12 Jul 2015, 8:10 pm)Davie wrote [ -> ]If you can work out where this photo, https://www.flickr.com/photos/109436376@...ed-public/, was taken, that's where we were

Is it just me who finds it rather amusing that Davie didnt know where he was when taking the above photo, yet it is clearly signposted in the Photo itself.

(12 Jul 2015, 10:10 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Is it just me who finds it rather amusing that Davie didnt know where he was when taking the above photo, yet it is clearly signposted in the Photo itself.

Tbh I wasn't paying attention to the signs, we got off 4955, and I don't think any of us actually knew where we were.

(12 Jul 2015, 10:20 pm)Davie wrote [ -> ]Tbh I wasn't paying attention to the signs, we got off 4955, and I don't think any of us actually knew where we were.

In fairness haven't we all done that? I did that recently where I jumped off the 46 in Rowlands Gill for this photo https://flic.kr/p/r7fjoc

I have to spend a fair amount of time on Google Street View trying to figure out where I've taken photos

In my Moorsbus outing I am planning making a connection between the EYMS 128 and Arriva Moorsbus in Kirkbymoorside, I have little idea where this is.

As I've got nothing better to do at the moment, I've just recalled when about a month or two ago, I created an outing where I went back in time to 1998, and had a day out. After a quick look in the bygone era, and some assistance from aureolin; I've decided to create another outing, based in August 2003, when I would have been 2, nearly 3, years old. Apologies if you get bored, or fail to follow the plot, but thank you for reading nonetheless. 

#775 – Chester-le-Street Durham County Cricket Ground to Sunderland, Park Lane Interchange – (07:35 --- 08:10) - Go Northern 4900 – Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
Ready for the day ahead, I arrived at the local bus stop for bang-on 07:30. Within a few minutes, I saw my Sunderland-bound service coming down Ropery Lane, and I prepared myself to board. As it waited to cross the roundabout, I looked hard at the fleet number; which blended in with the attractive red, blue and yellow livery the bus was wearing. It was a 49xx-series Wright Renown, when it came to a stop at my request; I found out it was 4900. Not a soul was aboard this early Thursday morning service, meaning I had a choice of seats. I opted for the pair of seats on the driver's side, just above the step. An elderly woman boarded in Great Lumley, that was the only passenger I bothered to take note of as the bus soon began to fill up after Shiney Row, with commuters going to work using the service through to Sunderland. When we got to Hastings Hill, some passengers had to stand. However, I just watched the journey go by; deciding what I was going to do with my day out. I enjoyed the ride on this B10BLE, still sounded brand new; the ''Arrow'' moquette on the seating looked very smart with the grey interior. As it was due just after I would arrive in Park Lane, I decided I was going to give the 638 a go...

#638 – Sunderland, Park Lane Interchange to Winlaton Bus Station – (08:30 --- 10:06) – Go Wear Buses 4760 – DAF SB200/Optare Delta
After floating around Park Lane for a while, I hung around the stand for the 638 service to Crawcrook. The queue consisted of seven other passengers; before long, an Optare Delta with the blind set for the 638 appeared. Driving this machine was quite a happy man, I admired his good spirits at 08:30 in the morning. Decided to sit towards the rear, three rows from the last; we departed on-time. One of the passengers who boarded in Sunderland alighted at Grindon Mill, while a handful of passengers boarded at Fatfield Bridge. More loads piled on at Harraton, and then Lambton; although the bus emptied, barring myself, at the Galleries. Throughout the remainder of the journey, the bus remained quiet; never carrying more than ten passengers at any one time. Although I enjoyed the fantastic noises of the DAF engine, the route did start to drag on by the time we'd passed through Low Fell; the sight of Winlaton was a good one. Despite going around the world, the service remained on-time, arriving in Winlaton Bus Station a couple of minutes before scheduled. Wandering around like a lost sheep, I saw 4760 depart for Crawcrook; then I noticed a 648 service, which I knew could take me to Gateshead. 

#648 – Winlaton Bus Station to Gateshead Transport Interchange – (10:11 --- 10:45) – Go Gateshead 4846 – Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
My second Renown of the day; 4846. I was the sole passenger when the driver pulled away from the bus station, again, I opted for the row of seats on the step up towards the rear, on the driver's side once more. Having never travelled on this service before, I watched my surroundings go past. The service started to fill up after the Dun Cow in Dunston, entering Gateshead Metro with only a small amount of seats remaining. Although 4900, which was my first bus of the day, was younger than 4846; I enjoyed the latter more. It just had more of a ''kick'' in it's engine, as if it had been built to have more power than the younger example. Upon arrival in Gateshead, I considered catching a 723 back to Chester-le-Street, or possibly to continue onwards to Durham, which I then boarded a few minutes later.

#723 – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Chester-le-Street Red Lion – (10:51 --- 11:28) – Go Northern 3671 – Leyland Olympian/ECW
I sighted this attractive Leyland Olympian pulling into the stand, with a small queue to board. Joining the end of said queue, I noted around fifteen passengers sat in the lower saloon, and then just shy of ten passengers upstairs. As the front seats were unoccupied, just above the driver, I sat down at that spot. Although the power in this beast's engine was unfaultable, the traffic on Durham Road around the Low Fell and Birtley areas meant the bus lost quite a bit of time, losing just over five minutes from it's timetable when we reached Chester-le-Street. Add to this, passengers stopping the bus every couple of stops to either board or alight. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant ride back to my home town. Along with the majority of passengers, I alighted here. After a bite to eat, I returned to the Durham-bound bus stop for the next service through, deciding to head there next. When I looked up, I saw a

#724 – Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Bishop Auckland Bus Station – (11:45 --- 12:22) – Go Northern 3806 – Leyland Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine 1
When the vehicle came to a stop, along with another 723 service running just behind it, the sardines fell out of the door and poured out onto the Front Street. The bus was practically deserted when the two elderly folks in front of me boarded, and the driver closed the doors the moment I showed him my ticket. I held onto the railings of the staircase as the bus climbed up the Front Street, eventually stumbling up to the upper deck, and pulling myself up by my hands. I checked to see if anybody had witnessed my embarrassment; fortunately, nobody else was upstairs. As I had the pick of the seats, I went with my favourite; front seat on the driver's side. As we reached the top of Front Street, I remembered that 3806 is a former OK Motor Services vehicle, making the journey seem a little more special. As with the Leyland just before, the smoothness of the vehicle and the magnificent engine was just fantastic, and I enjoyed having the upper deck all to myself for the entire journey, I was quite sad to have to get off in Bishop Auckland bus station.

#12 – Bishop Auckland Bus Station to Darlington Tubwell Row – (12:25 --- 13:25) – Go Northern 3736 – Leyland Olympian/ECW
After much contemplation as to whether or not to have a ride back to Chester-le-Street on 3806 or not, I saw an ECW-bodied Olympian standing with it's engines off, on the 12 service to Darlington. It looked so appealing in it's red, blue and yellow colours, and I couldn't see anybody sat upstairs, so I decided to go for it. My third Leyland Olympian of the day! The driver was a very pleasant chap, and greeted me as I boarded. After he checked my ticket thoroughly, he smiled and told me to take a seat. Half a dozen OAPs were sat in the lower saloon, as soon as I reached the top of the staircase, the engine kicked into life, and the bus pulled away the moment I sat down at the front. I'd never done this route before; having no need to. However, it was something that had always been appealing to me, as I've noticed whenever I've been in Darlington, it appears to be allocated a Leyland Olympian. As ever, I wasn't disappointed. Being a native to Bishop Auckland depot, I think I'd been on this vehicle before, but on the 724 as opposed to any of their other services. It was a very nice journey to Darlington, I'll do this route again at some point, hoping the allocation doesn't change.  

#723 – Darlington Tubwell Row to Durham Bus Station – (13:40 --- 14:34) – Go Northern 4705 – Leyland National Mk2/Leyland
After finding the 723 stand, and noticing I had ten minutes before the next service back, I had a quick walk up and down Tubwell Row, observing the various buses in service. Being a rare visitor to Darlington, this was new to me. Before long; I was treated with the sight of a red, blue and yellow Leyland National. It was a Mk2 example, with the destination blind already set for the 723 back to Newcastle. I couldn't see the fleet number at first, but determined it was a FTN-W example, as I could see the roof pod at the back. Thoroughly enjoyed my ride on this, despite getting quite busy towards the Durham section of the route. In true National fashion, I sat at the back. Whenever I catch the 809 service to the MetroCentre, it is usually allocated a National, although I do see them on other routes in Chester-le-Street – I rarely get the chance to ride them on anything other than the 809. When we came to Durham Bus Station, I considered staying on until Chester-le-Street, but for the sake of variety; I opted to disembark.

#720 – Durham Bus Station to Stanley Bus Station – (14:40 --- 15:10) – Go Northern 4905 – Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
Within a few minutes of the 723 leaving, I sighted the 720 service enter the bus station. Knowing this would take me up to Stanley, where I could catch either the 729 or 775/778 back to Chester-le-Street, I went with it. The vehicle was yet another Wright Renown, this time 4905. As we pulled away from Durham, with a handful of passengers on board, I realised this was the youngest B10BLE I'd been on so far today. The scenery on the route between Durham and Stanley was fantastic, some of the sections of countryside are beautiful. Just a shame I've never been on this route, with a double decker allocated. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sights and sounds of this ride, arriving into Stanley on-time. As we pulled into the bus station, I could see the 729 to Chester-le-Street was boarding passengers. Rather than stick around for the next thing back, I decided to run for it. 

#729 – Stanley Bus Station to Chester-le-Street South Burns – (15:11 --- 15:42) – Go Northern 4864 – DAF SB200GS/Plaxton Prestige
Luckily, I made it just as the last OAP was getting their ticket. The driver nodded at me after showing my ticket, and I made my way towards the back. It was quite busy, with about thirty passengers at a guess. I sat down at one of the few available seats at the back, in the quadrant. I do love the melodic noise of the DAF engine, in any bus. Despite being crowded, the ride was fantastic and I enjoyed it very much. The gearbox seemed a bit eager to slip every now and then, resulting in a few kickdowns. One of my favourite sections for them on the route, is Pelton Lane between South Pelaw and Pelton; a very scenic view as well. Once I'd disembarked at the terminus of Chester-le-Street, I walked home. 

Once again, this was just due to a mixture of boredom and interest in the past. Apologies if I've missed a few details, got an allocation wrong, a bus I've been on here was withdrawn by the time this is set, or anything along those lines. As I've got a lot of time off over the summer, I imagine I'll do another review of this nature. However, I hope to go elsewhere in the past, and I might go a bit further back. Thanks for reading.  

Marcus

Should be heading off to Whitby and Scarborough tomorrow

Should hopefully get a decent selection of photos in and around Scarborough including the open top buses on the sea front. Anyone know if there is anything else I should be looking out for?

It's late but here is my review of my trip to Whitby and Scarborough today.

The day got off to a bad start as I realised I hadn't charged the battery's for my camera so quickly had to put it on charge as the spare was pretty close to being flat. Then it got worse as I was late leaving the house so had to pick my feet up to make my first bus of the day.

0836 21 Newton Aycliffe - Sedgefield (ANE 4812)
Thankfully I made it, I chose to head to Middlesbrough via Sedgefield to get a change of scenery and add a bit more variety in terms of haulage with this being the first bus. Not a good start, the bus was making a buzzing sound whilst it was in motion for pretty much the whole journey so I was worried we weren't going to make it to Sedgefield but thankfully we got there in the end. This is probably the reason 1799 ended up out on the 21/X21 this afternoon.

0855 X12 Sedgefield - Middlesbrough (ANE 7619)
This is where the jokes come about the X12 always being late although this journey was actually on-time some of you are gasping at this I imagine. These aren't the best buses in the world but this has to be one of the better examples in the fleet, seemed okay in terms of speed, wasn't totally fast but it was okay. Pretty laid back relaxing journey on this where I made use of the free WiFi on this journey. We actually arrived into Middlesbrough a few minutes early so this gave me a few extra minutes to go the bog and run into Poundland for some provisions for the long journeys for the day then took my place in the queue for the X93.

0950 X93 Middlesbrough - Whitby (ANE 7487)
Thankfully we got a double decker for this journey which made me happy as this was rather a busy journey so would have been no fun on a Pulsar or Tesma. Quite enjoyed my journey on this, I thought it looked incredibly smart inside. I thought the bus performed not too badly considering this bus is now 13 years old and has probably had a hard life even before joining Arriva North East so was not that surprising that it wasn't the best on hills but I feel it did well for it's age. Sadly the WiFi didn't work on this bus so I ended up having to look at the view out of the window instead. Before I knew it we arrived in Whitby.

Got a selection of bus photos in the space of half an hour, some of which didn't turn out that well unfortunately. Then I headed to the bus stop to make my way to Scarborough.

1136 X93 Whitby - Scarborough (ANE 7401)
This was a surprisingly quiet journey so I had a fair few options of where to sit with me choosing to sit behind the stairs upstairs as I think on these examples this is probably the best seat for leg room upstairs. Thankfully the WiFi actually worked on this unlike 7487 so made sure to use it although I was still taking in the breath taking views along the route. This bus performed pretty well on this journey although I feel the driver probably could have drove a little faster than he did. The additional running time has improved the reliability of the service although it is a little annoying waiting time in places such as Robin Hoods Bay and Flask Inn. Quite enjoyed this journey and I think these are cracking buses.

Scarborough
Took a few photos of buses round by the train station where the X93 starts/terminates. After getting a few photos here I decided to see if there was any trains due at the train station but there wasn't really until around 1450 so I decided to head back then. I decided to head to onto the seafront for some photos of the open top buses and much to my delight Shoreline Suncruisers had two step entrance buses out on their 109's today and got decent photos of both of them plus another good few photos of both service 109's. I decided to have chippy for lunch where I went to Winkin' Willes (I imagine some of some are giggling now) so I went along eating my trips before sitting down somewhere out of the sun for a bit. Decided to head back towards the Town Centre but instead of walking back through the town centre I walked up to near where the Spa is and walked up the hill which comes out next to where that bridge is. After getting some good photos round here I headed to the train station where there was a First train heading to Liverpool and a Northern Rail service to Hull? Not sure what to make of these photos at the moment, the First train photo was probably not the best although this photo was made worse by someone washing the signs on the platforms. There seemed to be a young lad in the train station who also looked interested in trains whilst I was there. Got a few more photos around by the train station before making my way back to the X93 bus stop for my long, long wait for the journey back to Middlesbrough.

1655 X93 Scarborough - Middlesbrough (ANE 7404)
Took the front seat on this bus which meant I had a front row seat of the views and it also meant I ended up in someone's photo of this bus (not seen it yet). Another cracking journey on a B9 these are brilliant on this route. Used the WiFi again and took in the views although annoyingly the sun was in my face for much of this journey. Was not as busy as I thought it would be. I found the seats pretty comfortable on this journey. Good journey although rather long.

1912 X66 Middlesbrough - Harrowgate Hill, Elmcroft (ANE 4655)
Another MAX bus, driver put his foot down on this journey so we got to fly down the A66 on this journey. Pretty good journey on this and another bus I can use the free WiFi on offer. Not a great deal else to say.

1953 5A Harrowgate Hill, Ashleigh House - Home (ANE 1427)
And for my final bus of the day, pretty standard journey on a Pulsar, I do like them but I have done this route thousands of times on this bus but I still do enjoy them on this route. Nice to be back on a bus with fabric seats. Settled back and soaked in this journey home.

Well there you have it, that was my review from today. Being out in the warm sun all day has left me rather sun burnt which I'll be honest I hate but other than that it has been a pretty enjoyable day even though some of the photos didn't turn out how I wanted them to.

The photos from Whitby are now on my Flickr, the photos from Scarborough should be getting uploaded tomorrow (Friday 17th July).

Enjoy the rest of your evening, night, morning, afternoon - whenever your reading this!

Initially, I went out to today in hopes of riding the two demonstration vehicles that Go North East are currently trialing on the ''Pronto'' X21 route between Newcastle and Bishop Auckland; Wright Streetdeck Gemini 3 9119, and ADL Enviro400MMC 9109. Unfortunately, due to the traffic caused by the Pride event in Newcastle City Centre, I did not manage to ride the Streetdeck, just a second ride on the Enviro400MMC. Here is how the day went; 

#36 – Chester-le-Street Durham County Cricket Ground to Houghton-le-Spring Church – (09:17 --- 09:40) – Go North East 4936 – Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
Something different from the normal routine I've adopted recently, of walking into Chester-le-Street and catching a Newcastle-bound service into the city centre. Usually, if I do go to catch the 36 service, it's the 09:50 rather than the 09:20, but I decided to go with the earlier service. It turned out to be Wright Solar 4936 working this run; I can't believe I'm going to say it, but I was almost looking forward to a Mercedes... Just one elderly man was sat at the front when I boarded, the service was running three minutes early, which is a surprise for the 36! I once stood waiting for fourteen minutes after it's timetabled arrival. The bus never picked up a great load, an old woman boarded in Great Lumley while another old man boarded on Avenue Vivian; the two men then alighting together just a few stops after. The woman then alighted with me in Houghton-le-Spring, meaning the bus left without a soul on it. One thing I did pick up from this journey, was a very annoying ''whoosh'' noise that I associate with some buses closing their doors. It sounded every three or four seconds; I've been on too many Solars to count, and failed to notice this noise, however it's possible it just mixed in with background noise. 

#X1 – Houghton-le-Spring Church to Newcastle, Eldon Square Bus Station – (09:47 --- 10:32) – Go North East 6001 – Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini 2
After watching 4936 depart, a few minutes later, a ''Red Arrows'' branded Gemini 2 appeared. I was planning on catching the X1 through to Newcastle anyway. I noticed, while I allowed the passengers who wished to alight here disembark, that this particular example was 6001; the first in fleet number terms of Go North East's B9TLs. It was a particularly smooth runner, despite being one of the oldest ''Red Arrows'' vehicles, it didn't appear to have many faults when we headed along the Washington Highway between Shiney Row and the Galleries. We even arrived at the Galleries three minutes early at 10:01; only a few boarded here, which was quite a surprise. The queues normally go back to the escalators on the Saturday morning X1s. While I was on board, I used the time to plan the rest of my day. Eventually deciding I would catch the 12:05 ''Pronto'' service from Eldon Square; the Enviro400MMC, knowing the board afterwards would be the Wright Streetdeck, I then proceeded to head to the spot at the top of Eldon Square and Haymarket to take some photos. 

#X21 – Newcastle, Eldon Square Bus Station to Bishop Auckland Bus Station – (12:08 --- 13:29) – Go North East 9109 – Dennis Trident 2/Alexander Enviro400MMC
After killing time until 12:05, I queued to board 9109 just before 12:00. There was about fifteen others in the queue; amongst them were two young enthusiasts. The driver came along Percy Street, rather than around from St. Mary's Place and past the Haymarket as the X21 sometimes does; I saw a few enthusiasts rush to get photos of it descending down into Eldon Square. Despite pulling in at his departure time, the driver saw fit to close the door, light up a cigarette and quickly do a perimeter of the bus with it, before getting back in the cab and allowing passengers to board. I had a ride of this demonstrator between Newcastle and Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, and was very, very impressed. Again, I was not let down. Throughout the entire route, I didn't feel many rattles and squeaks at all. Normally, when a bus is powered down the A1(M), it can be a bone shaker. Not for this one; the seating was also absolutely fantastic. I sat at a table seat, on the left hand side towards the rear; which I had all to myself for the entire journey. Did I mention the air conditioning? Very impressed; I really hope Go North East go-ahead (bad pun) and buy these for the ''Pronto'', I think they'll be true workhorses on the route.  

Volvo B5TL, Wright Streetdeck, or Enviro400MMC?
The only thing that disappointed me about today's outing was that I could not sample the Wright Streetdeck for myself. However, I will do so at some point during the week, to be able to give a better verdict. I'm going on the word of some others with the following... When I tried the Volvo B5TL/Wright Gemini 3, which saw a long period of use with Lothian Buses in Edinburgh, and retained it's madder and white livery from it's time there; I wasn't impressed to be honest. The seating was adequate, I felt it was quite hard. When I first boarded, and checked out the seating; I thought they looked like Urban90s. The bus lacked power on the A167 between Chester-le-Street and Pity Me; if I remember correctly, we also had a near miss with a car at Chester Moor. I didn't do the whole route, so I couldn't see it on other parts of the route, but nevertheless... With the Wright Streetdeck, I've gathered it's basically just two Wright Streetlites slapped together and called a double decker. I know that the Wright Streetlites currently used on the ''Coast & Country'' services won't see their whole working lives on there, unlike the Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renowns... The Streetlites are basically Super Pointer Darts. They'll be lucky to make it to ten years of age. I imagine I'm going to be unimpressed with the Wright Streetdeck when I try it during the week. Personally, I think it's because it is a Wright integral product. I don't know what went wrong with the Volvo B5TL, perhaps it is because of being a B5 rather than a B9, and so lacked power on a route how more demanding than it's capable of; but if you get a Volvo chassis and put a Wright body on it, you're good to go. However; with the E400MMC, I can see potential. It ticked all of the boxes; the seating was luxurious, the interior lighting was fantastic, the smoothness of the bus was great, the air-conditioning was a great feature... I'd hope Go North East go for these with their eventual order, and order them to the same specification as this demonstrator, perhaps without the tables to maintain capacity, although that could draw more people towards it; a bus with tables. Sadly, I have a feeling that Go North East are going to maintain their relationships with Wrightbus; and buy the Streetdeck... It will be unfortunate if they do, as the Enviro400MMC is just far superior.

#X21 – Bishop Auckland Bus Station to Durham Bus Station – (14:07 --- 14:42) – Go North East 6034 – Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President
Back to the review – once we'd arrived in Bishop Auckland, I got photos of the Enviro400MMC, before descending into the town centre for a bite to eat. About five minutes later, I returned to the bus station. Deciding that standing at the top of the bus station, getting photographs of vehicles entering through the roundabout, would be the best option, I spent some time taking photos there. I was quite happy with the variety. During this time, Adam sent me a Snapchat informing me that he was on the bus in front of the Streetdeck in Gateshead, and that it was running about 20 minutes late due to the traffic surrounding the Pride event. I looked down into the bus station; two ''Pronto'' B7s were present, 6021 and 6034. I accepted that due to this late running, one of them would operate the 14:04 service back to Newcastle. When the time did come, 6034 was the example brought out of the layover bays. A queue of roughly a dozen passengers boarded, myself towards the back. It was an uneventful journey back to Durham; I sat three rows from the front on the upper saloon, listening to my music and watching the journey go by. It must be said, the route between Durham and Bishop Auckland does have some very scenic parts to it.  

#21 – Durham Bus Station to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace – (14:46 --- 15:00) – Go North East 6059 – Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2
After alighting in Durham, I let 6034 carry on to Newcastle, while I queued to board 6059; which was standing at the drop-off stand in Durham Bus Station. About fifteen passengers were aboard when we pulled out, with a couple disembarking in Framwellgate Moor and two men boarding at the Red Lion in Plawsworth. It wasn't an eventful journey, I thought for a while before concluding that the Enviro400MMC was the best option for the ''Pronto'' services. In my opinion, it would look fantastic in the ''Pronto'' livery... But my only request, is that it gets a new name.

I do apologise if today's outing seems very short, but there is a good reason for that. Tomorrow, I'll be heading to an event over in Workington called ''Built in Workington Day''; which celebrates the now defunct Leyland factory's many buses. Attendees include Leyland Nationals, Leyland Olympians, Leyland Tigers, Leyland Lynxes and Leyland Titans. It show be a fantastic day. Due to spending quite a few hours of travelling; I won't have the review of the rally up tomorrow evening, and instead on Monday. I hope you enjoyed reading nevertheless, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Marcus

(18 Jul 2015, 4:56 pm)R852 PRG wrote [ -> ]I do apologise if today's outing seems very short, but there is a good reason for that. Tomorrow, I'll be heading to an event over in Workington called ''Built in Workington Day''; which celebrates the now defunct Leyland factory's many buses. Attendees include Leyland Nationals, Leyland Olympians, Leyland Tigers, Leyland Lynxes and Leyland Titans. It show be a fantastic day. Due to spending quite a few hours of travelling; I won't have the review of the rally up tomorrow evening, and instead on Monday. I hope you enjoyed reading nevertheless, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Marcus

I dont drive that slow.....ask Dan!