North East Buses

Did have a outing today, Though no photos were took as I only found out my camera was dead when I arrived in Thropton!

I have uploaded a photo though, Took in the Cheviots similar to one of my previous uploads.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Reviews seem to be few and far between nowadays, from all people, so I may as well review the weekend that's just passed. A local day using a Get Around day ticket took place on Saturday, followed by the Whitley Bay Rally on Sunday.

Saturday 16th July 2016

08:17 34 3878 Chester-le-Street Corals to Chester-le-Street Red Lion via Urpeth Grange
I walked into Chester-le-Street for about 08:15, spotting Dennis Trident/East Lancs Lolyne 3878 covering for a Lambton Worm-branded Optare Versa on the 34, the first of the four boards out of the depot on a Saturday morning. The driver was an avid reader, flicking through the pages of the novel he was reading at every stop we made to wait time. Along with the Volvo B10BLEs and DAF SB220GSs, the Dennis Trident has always played some sort of role in my childhood thus far, seeing allocation at Chester-le-Street for many years. Even before the first of the batch consisting of 3858-3880 migrated from both Percy Main and Winlaton, 3801-3804 were allocated to the 724 at Bishop Auckland for a lot of the time. 3878 isn't the best nowadays, being one of only three other Lolynes still in service at my local depot, as it's gearbox keeps sticking in gear when the driver tries to use kickdown. Nonetheless, I had an enjoyable ride up to Urpeth Grange and back (having the whole bus to myself until Ouston) and did a bit of filming on my DSLR. Internally, the nostalgic vibes emitted by the original condition allows me to recollect to a previous age, hence it is my favourite of the trio. 

09:04 X25 5202 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Waldridge Village
Having alighted 3878, I wandered around for about ten minutes (I would have taken a few photos, but the sunlight was terrible. I much prefer it when it's wet or damp, anything that'll eliminate the position of the sun ruining photos) until the 09:08 Langley Park-bound X25 arrived, about three minutes earlier than it's scheduled arrival time of 09:06. The first of the five X25 boards to leave the depot on a Saturday morning, commencing from Langley Park at 07:08 with twenty minutes to run light to there from the depot, today it was in the hands of 5202, one of the younger Scania L94UBs at Chester-le-Street, that transferred across from Deptford in late 2015. I alighted at Waldridge Village and casually made my way to Edmondsley, a good mile or so along the road, observing the nice scenery and photographing 5201 and 5202 (once the latter had returned from Langley Park) in places where the sun's position complied. 

10:18 X25 4928 Edmondsley Village to Low Moor Road, Langley Park
I had a wait of about five minutes at Edmondsley before 4928 arrived to take me onwards to Langley Park. Audrey was driving, she used to be a driver at Chester-le-Street years ago and then spent a few years at Bensham in Customer Services, before returning to Chester-le-Street about a year and a half ago. 4928 is in terrible condition nowadays, but the same goes for pretty much all of the Y-reg batch. 4926 and 4930 are both exceptionally bad, 4927 just seems to plod on with things while 4929 and 4931 are the only two that I think would be worth specifically looking for. Hardly anybody else was onboard, except two pensioners who boarded and alighted at different stops, just a few stops apart. Upon arrival at Langley Park, I thanked Audrey and alighted at the stop nearest the turning circle, getting a photograph of it leaving a few minutes later for it's return journey to Newcastle. In spite of their terrible condition, it'll be sad to see the Y-reg Solars leave Chester-le-Street, having seen service here for the last five years or so, in varying roles.

10:48 14 6019 Low Moor Road, Langley Park to Durham North Road
As the X25 departed at 10:38, I had only eight minutes until the inbound 14 from Durham was due to arrive. 14s gets 7 minutes to layover at Langley Park during the daytime, and I opted to get some photos of it. The driver was Geoff Chow, he's been at Chester-le-Street for a few years now, I can remember having him a lot on the Unit 2 routes before they were amalgamated into one rota in July 2014. Traditionally, Unit 2 was the rota that ''new'' drivers would be assigned to. It consisted of more routes than Unit 1, which consisted of the 21, X25 and 71, while Unit 2 picked up everything else. Newly qualified drivers from the training school would be first assigned to Unit 2, which had a variety of routes and in my opinion, the logic seemed to be that they'd get more used to driving buses if they were driving primarily single deckers (longer in length than double deckers) on a lot of windy roads and serving varying locations than just backwards and forwards such as the 21. I had a chat with Geoff as I boarded, he asked if I'd got some good pictures and we spent a couple of minutes talking, before the time came to depart. I took a seat at the back and alighted on North Road in Durham, with a friendly goodbye from Geoff. He's a nice guy, best distinguished by the merit of him being the sole ''Asian'' driver at Chester-le-Street.

11:55 128 5419 Durham Bus Station to Beamish Museum Entrance
Spent a while at my usual spot in Durham, resting against the wall at the entrance to the bus station, managing to photograph a fair few things as the sun was in a great position, including soon-to-be-disposed-of 7438 and 7439, still in active service at Belmont. I noted that I hadn't been on a Streetlite much recently, so I decided to go with 5419 on the 128 to Beamish. Unaware of there being an event on at the museum, I ended up on a fairly packed and stuffy bus for twenty five minutes, getting to Beamish and finding a queue that stretched from the main entrance doors to the steps down, and a constant flow of cars coming in. In the interim period, I photographed 5402 on the 8 and 5216 on the 28, before catching the latter back to Chester-le-Street. 

12:40 28 5216 Beamish Museum Entrance to Chester-le-Street South Burns
This one had a nice ZF gearbox in it, unlike 4928, which just sounded like an overall clatter with either the manifold gaskets or the fan belt on the way out. My first ride on this 54-plate since it transferred in from Deptford just under a month ago, and it made a nice change to the Y-reg Solars that I've become accustomed to. 5217 is to be my next target, and then whatever else comes in after that. Upon arrival back in my hometown, I sourced Point Supervisor Gary Wheatley and chatted to him for about thirty minutes. He told me he'd seen me up on the Waldridge Fell when he'd been driving to work earlier in the morning, and had beeped but I hadn't seen him until he had gone past. Lots of drivers came over due to the confusion surrounding the diversions in Newcastle, with the Northern Pride festival bringing lots of traffic to a standstill in the city centre. Spoke to a schoolfriend who joined me on the centre island for a while, before I noticed Eddie Spence, a driver friend of mine, was going onto 34s for one round trip with 3878.......

13:52 34 3878 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Chester-le-Street Red Lion via Waldridge Park and Urpeth Grange
I decided to round off the outing with an hour on 3878. Now that it's earmarked for withdrawal with the first influx of OmniDekkas from Brighton & Hove having arrived in the region, I need to spend as much time as I can appreciating them while I still can. I often sit and wish that I'd focused more of my time on photographing and riding the Lime B10BLEs that were still in service by the time the Streetlites entered service (4853, 4854 and 4855). I'm fairly pleased with the photographs I've amassed of the Tridents, and once the Lolynes are gone, I think I shall move on to the 51-plates at Stanley and V-reg Volvo B7TLs. After a return trip from Waldridge and loading up again at Corals for the journey to Urpeth Grange, I jumped off for a photograph opportunity when we stopped to wait time at Urpeth Grange: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127739730@...ed-public/. While I've no doubt that the Tridents won't be missed by some enthusiasts, but primarily drivers and engineers, who've had to make it through sometimes up to five hours driving what are commonly known as ''heaps of shite'' and fixing them when they're broken, I'll feel their loss. 

Sunday 17th July 2016

Arrived at Chester-le-Street depot at about 08:40, photographing depot stalwart Pat Armstrong leaving with Angel B5LH 6059. John Westmorland, part of the travelling party for the day, was stood in the depot entrance with one of the Leading Drivers, while Ben Stoves, who was officially taking the Castles Express Streetdeck to the rally, did the First Use Check. In spite of the low PVR on Sundays, I often find that the depot can be rife with activity, usually packed to the rafters with Angels at the front of the depot, as well as stuff like a Coast & Country creeping through from the main garage. 6302 (NK16 BXB) was today's chariot, having been brought up from Crook at about 18:30 the evening prior. I boarded at the depot entrance and we picked up Ben's girlfriend and children at the bus stop just down from the depot, before hitting the A1. Westmorland's suspected caffeine addiction ensured a stop at Washington Services, before travelling to Whitley Bay via Low Fell and then the Coast Road eastwards, with a nice photostop at Shields Road: 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127739730@...ed-public/.

Upon arrival at the rally site, we noticed how tight the gate was, with the Streetdeck only just getting through. We were berthed alongside Percy Main-based Optare Solo SR 680, the driver of which came across and informed us that he was covering for David Thompson. I got to know him over the course of the course of the day, not necessarily an enthusiast himself, but quite interested in buses and seems to enjoy the job. A few other things arrived over the next twenty minutes or so, including freshly-branded Volvo B9TL, miraculously still shining in it's red coat. You'd have thought a few days on the X1 would reduce it back to it's previous state. An NEBPT ''official'' informed the drivers that the shuttles to the Stephenson Railway Museum were to be ran using the four Go North East vehicles. As none of the drivers were aware of the route, when Daniel Duffy arrived with Transbus MPD/Transbus Mini Pointer 556 (NK53 TKU), the eldest MPD at Hexham, it was utilised for a driver familiarisation run. The drivers from Washington and Percy Main joined Ben, John, Daniel and myself for a spirited run up to the museum. Daniel was removed from the cab by Stoves, who has a thing for MPDs and longs to be able to drive one, with his only prior experience of one being 557 at the Riverside Open Day. A resident of Ouston, a village in the district of Chester-le-Street, he had 573 and 574 for a few years on the 734 (Chester-le-Street to Ouston) and it was here that the love for MPDs began. It was no surprise that he was the first driver to take it back to the museum on the first shuttle at 11:05. Two passengers joined us while Westy and I navigated. After reaching the museum, we parked 556 across some empty car park spaces before having a wander into the museum. We spent about half an hour in the café, arguing about the pronunciation of ''Gosforth'' and ''café'' amongst many others (for reference, I say ''Gos-forth'' with emphasise on the ''or'', while they say ''Gosfuth''. I say ''caf-ay'' while they say ''cafee''. Tell me who is right and who is wrong). As we were due back out at 12:10, we walked back across and sat on 556 for a few minutes before departing back to the rally site. 

Had a chat with Ken Weaver back at the rally site, before 6053 was taken out for a spin so that Daniel Duffy and Ben could have a drive of it. A nice little layby was located when we were returning to the rally from Seaton Sluice (surprisingly, I didn't see citaro5284 at the queue for his Fish & Chips), and we took the opportunity to get some photos of it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127739730@...ed-public/. After waiting for about fifteen minutes in the bus stop adjacent to the flat tarmac surface used as the rally site, during which we again argued about the pronunciation of things such as Framwellgate Moor and Redcar (again, for reference, I pronounce these things as they are spelt. So it's ''Red-car'' and not ''Red-ca''). As the site at the Stephenson Railway isn't suitable to accommodate a double decker, I returned to Whitley Bay with Daniel Duffy while Stoves and Westy headed into the museum for a ride on the train. Sat on 680 for a short while before the driver from Percy Main decided to take it out for a spin rather than sit at the rally and do nothing with it, I think it was the only run-out this one did. Got a nice photograph of it at Tynemouth Priory before returning and then immediately jumping back on 556, which Stoves & The Gang were preparing to take out again. Once again, Ben was driving it for this trip, saying numerous times throughout the day that he could drive it for the whole day. Got another photograph in the same place as we did with 6053, with the destination set for the 688 to Allenheads: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127739730@...ed-public/. Once again, we found ourselves at the rally, and after a line-up of the four Go North East buses was formed, we left at about 16:00. John drove back while the rest of us passed the time by jabbering on about anything and everything. Fair to say that after spending so long on 6302, it's now my favourite of the batch. Arrival back at the depot was at 17:05, John took it down into the depot while the rest of us were dropped off in the mouth of the fuel line. I was surprised to see Eddie Spence was right behind us with 6060, didn't expect the first Angel to be back so early.

Had a great weekend overall, had a photo-productive day on Saturday followed by an enjoyable time on Sunday. Thanks to all those involved, and thanks for reading this rather lengthy episode of R852 RPG's Adventures. Not sure when the next one will be, potentially next weekend as I'm in York, Harrogate and Leeds with Adrian and citaro5284. More to follow... 

R852 PRG

Great review

Think I had Geoff on the X22 a few weeks back as he was asking if I got any good photos whilst he was changing onto the X22.

As I mentioned on Sunday I pronounce Gosforth and Café to the opposite of what you do, me plus most people I know pronounce Redcar as "Red-ca" rather than "Red-car" the old train announcements at Newton Aycliffe Rail Station is about the only real place I've really heard Redcar pronounced as "Red-car" although I hated his pronunciation of "Heighington" it was a case of him pronouncing it as "Hay-ington" rather than "High-ington" which everybody including the female voice now used at Newton Aycliffe Rail Station pronounce it as. Stupidest pronunciation for a place name I've heard was from a passenger on the Sapphire 7 one day who pronounced Ferryhill as "Fairyhill" The pronunciation that really infuriates me is people who pronounce the shop Primark as "Premark"

Had a outing to Northumberland in the hope of catching and riding ANEs only remaining T reg DAF DB250, Which failed miserably.
I then made my way to the coast and photographed 7486 on the X20, Which I hoped would be behind the X18 E400 so I could catch that back to Newcastle.
All in all a decent day, Though finding 7455? is a urgent thing to do aswell as photographing GNE's Service 17 and 11 before they go which is shechuled for tomorrow.

Photo of 7486 is here https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Might start writing reviews again in the near future.

(22 Jul 2016, 6:29 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Had a outing to Northumberland in the hope of catching and riding ANEs only remaining T reg DAF DB250, Which failed miserably.
I then made my way to the coast and photographed 7486 on the X20, Which I hoped would be behind the X18 E400 so I could catch that back to Newcastle.
All in all a decent day, Though finding 7455? is a urgent thing to do aswell as photographing GNE's Service 17 and 11 before they go which is shechuled for tomorrow.

Photo of 7486 is here https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Might start writing reviews again in the near future.

7458 is normally on the 2 I think but I've seen it on the 308 before. Good shot too

(22 Jul 2016, 6:31 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]7458 is normally on the 2 I think but I've seen it on the 308 before. Good shot too

I seen it in Morpeth a few weeks ago on the 2, Though I didn't follow it as It was only said it was going to be withdrawn a few days ago.
Cheers Tom

(22 Jul 2016, 7:12 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]I seen it in Morpeth a few weeks ago on the 2, Though I didn't follow it as It was only said it was going to be withdrawn a few days ago.
Cheers Tom  

I got 7458 about 5 weeks ago

Yesterday was my first outing in quite a while. Here’s an overview

Arriva 7513 X15 8.33 Newcastle –Alnwick
Arriva 7529 X18 10.00 Alnwick – Seahouses
Travlesure HX53ODH 418 12.00 Seahouses – Alnwick
Spirit Buses MX14FUG 15 / 16 14.15 Alnwick – Rothbury – Alwinton – Rothbury
Arriva 7414 X14 16.00 Rothbury – Newcastle

A good day with cracking weather. Spirit Buses’ excellent guided tour of Upper Coquetdale is well worth doing. Might type up a full review if I get a chance.

cHARLES

My outings have been few and far between over the last few months. I do retain a small amount of activity on Flickr by taking my camera to work with me and grabbing the odd photo here and there, as well as uploading archive photos (both from my own and Go North East's collection), but it's rare I go out for a full day to take photos.

I'm actually off work for the next two weeks and I really want to make the most of them. My original plan was to split the holidays in two: one week on the buses and taking photos, and one week going out with my friends. My plan was scuppered when I realised that the majority of my friends are actually away on holiday, meaning that we can't all get together until next month. I have however proceeded with my original plan of taking photos for one week, and have purchased a 7-day 'All Lines Rover'. More on that next week!

As I didn't fancy a day in the house today, I decided to head out and catch up with some things affected by service changes at the weekend.

I'm not going to do the usual commentary, but my journey log is as follows: 

1002 #9: Newcastle Road to Park Lane - Go North East 4916
1020 #20A: Sunderland to East Rainton - Go North East 5441
1107 #20A: East Rainton to Houghton-le-Spring - Go North East 5422
1124 #X1: Houghton-le-Spring to Gateshead - Go North East 6001
1233 #X66: Gateshead to Metrocentre - Go North East 5332
1318 #11: Metrocentre to Whitley Bay - Go North East 4972
1549 #1: Whitley Bay to Wallsend - Go North East 5263
1652 #40: Wallsend to Hadrian Park - Go North East 677
1727 #57: Hadrian Park to Gateshead - Go North East 5297
1808 Metro: Gateshead to Sunderland - Tyne & Wear Metro 4033
1852 #9: Fawcett Street to Newcastle Road - Go North East 4916

I'm heading out again tomorrow too - more on that adventure tomorrow night (possibly!)

Sounds like a good day, what were the loadings like on the 11 between Newcastle to Wallsend as they always look quiet when I see them. Still never been on it like.

(26 Jul 2016, 7:40 pm)Tom wrote [ -> ]Sounds like a good day, what were the loadings like on the 11 between Newcastle to Wallsend as they always look quiet when I see them. Still never been on it like.

There was about half a bus in total - two got off in between Newcastle and Wallsend, and the majority got off at Wallsend.

Metrocentre - Lobley Hill
Lobley Hill - Gateshead / Newcastle
Gateshead / Newcastle - Byker
Newcastle - Wallsend
Wallsend - North Shields
North Shields - Whitley Bay

..seemed to be the trend for people getting on/off.

Every seat bar about four were taken at North Shields, actually. I was quite surprised.

(26 Jul 2016, 7:43 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]There was about half a bus in total - two got off in between Newcastle and Wallsend, and the majority got off at Wallsend.

Metrocentre - Lobley Hill
Lobley Hill - Gateshead / Newcastle
Gateshead / Newcastle - Byker
Newcastle - Wallsend
Wallsend - North Shields
North Shields - Whitley Bay

..seemed to be the trend for people getting on/off.

Every seat bar about four were taken at North Shields, actually. I was quite surprised.

Ah right that's quite good then. It normally just runs in front of the 22 as well so picks up passengers from that. The 17 was always quite busy from North Shields-Whitley Bay to be honest and its quite busy between Percy Main and Shields.

When the Q3 starts hopefully that will be a success too

(26 Jul 2016, 7:22 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I do retain a small amount of activity on Flickr by taking my camera to work with me and grabbing the odd photo here and there, as well as uploading archive photos (both from my own and Go North East's collection), but it's rare I go out for a full day to take photos.

Whilst I am currently the complete opposite, I do so many outings that I can't seem to keep up with the uploads anymore, went to Manchester three weeks ago and so far I've only uploaded one photo and things aren't going to get any easier as I'm heading to Leicester on Saturday and I'm now looking to book a trip to Edinburgh in September.

Nice little trip spur of the moment trip yesterday. Had a half day from work, so caught on one of Phoenix’s new 20 seat Mellor bodied Fiat Ducatos working on the 84A. I was a good trip from Newcastle St Thomas Street to Wingrove road. The bus was pretty full and all the passengers were talking about the new bus. The driver was with a mentor and it was a good thrash through the suburbs. I like the door closing announcements. The Mellor bodywork is interesting as such vehicles are usually used by social services and non-psv operators. I noted the bus had tracking for wheelchairs fitted.

I alighted next to Winrove School. In the grounds I noticed they had a new 16 seater transit. I then walked to the General Hospital. The North East Childrens’ Hospital has just constructed a new ambulance station here for their dedicated patient transport Vehicles. These comprise a pair of Fiat Ducatos operated by Darlington based IAS Medical. No vehicles were present on this visit.

I caught Arriva Solo 2844 working the 13.41 46 service back into Newcastle from the grounds of the hospital. I was the only passenger and it was a good a quick journey back into town. I alighted at Haymarket were the bus station was rather congested. It was then back to work for me.

Charles

As mentioned yesterday, I had another outing planned today. It was the first day of the new ASDA Middlesbrough contract for Stagecarriage, and, knowing the allocation would be one of their fleet I'd not previously used, there was all the more reason for having a Teesside jaunt.

I've gone back to my usual format with the journey log first and the commentary following - read on if you'd like to:

0704 #20A: Newcastle Road to Park Lane - Go North East 5425
0724 #X7: Sunderland to Peterlee - Go North East 5336
0759 #X9: Peterlee to Middlesbrough - Go North East 6043
0850 #X93: Middlesbrough to Guisborough - Arriva North East 7424
0935 #468: Guisborough to ASDA Middlesbrough - Stagecarriage 22
1025 #64: Normanby Road to Redcar - Arriva North East 4721
1146 #X3A: Redcar to Skelton High Street - Arriva North East 1560
1246 #5: Skelton High Street to Ormesby Crossroads - Arriva North East 1557
1316 #9: Ormesby Crossroads to Middlesbrough - Arriva North East 1456
1405 #13: Middlesbrough to Stockton - Stagecoach North East 17029
1453 #X12: Stockton to Durham - Arriva North East 7626
1613 #X20: Durham to East Herrington - Go North East 5433
1732 #X1: Doxford International to City Centre - Stagecoach North East 28018
1759 Metro: Sunderland to Stadium of Light - Tyne & Wear Metro 4051

I started off the day on what now seems to be an inevitable: a Streetlite. Most enthusiasts hate them, and it's understandable why. Operators are buying them in their hundreds. This light-weight single decker is wiping out elderly heavy-weight single deckers up and down the country, and is partly responsible for the reduction in variety we see nowadays. They're certainly not my favourite buses but I've become accustomed to the rattles and see the benefits to the operator of having this vehicle type in their fleet: improved reliability, improved fuel economy, and greater income from additional BSOG payments. It's the way this industry works now, and while it's not so good for us enthusiasts, passengers see the benefits of brand new buses and their accompanying features, such as free Wi-Fi, power sockets and Next Stop Announcements.

At Park Lane, I met my connection to a vehicle type I much prefer as an enthusiast: the Mercedes Citaro. Four Mercedes Citaros are allocated to Peterlee Depot for "Wear Tees Xpress" service X7 - a demanding route with plenty of opportunities for the Merc to demonstrate how great a bus it truly is. Go North East fitted Wi-Fi to these four buses earlier this year though they have yet to gain the recognisable Wi-Fi 'blob' (odd on a route with competition!) I sat back, relaxed, and connected. The Wi-Fi worked flawlessly but I didn't look down at my phone too much, as I'd otherwise miss out on the marvellous coastal views from Ryhope to Dawdon.

Another modern-day favourite vehicle type for me is the Volvo B9TL, which I was connecting to at Peterlee on an X9 service. The Tyne Tees Xpress really pushes the B9s to the limit and it will be interesting to see what their replacement will be, when the time comes. I found it strange being back on the A19 in a bus now that I'm so used to driving up and down it in my car - but one thing remained the same: we were often in the fast lane overtaking cars and lorries! This journey didn't last too long, but I regretted my choice of seat upstairs at the front, as I spent most of the time being blinded by the low sun.

It looked like it was going to be a warm day, so I grabbed myself two bottles of Mountain Dew to see me through my next journeys. I was thankful to see one of the ex-London MAX Volvo B7s in the layover bays, as it meant I wouldn't have a cramped journey to Guisborough. It pulled onto the stand 10 minutes early to allow time for loading. I was impressed by how clean the bus was, inside and out, and you really couldn't tell the bus was 11 years old. Whilst I'm not a fan of the inconsistencies within the "MAX" brand, I do think the USB charging points on each seat is a nice touch. The offside upper deck ones didn't seem to be working but I moved seats and found that the nearside ones were. There's a handy little blue light which presumably indicates whether they are working or not - it'd be nice to see something similar on all vehicles with power sockets, to allow for faults to be identified and repaired more quickly.

We soon arrived in Guisborough (which actually couldn't come soon enough as an old woman downstairs had the entire bus smelling like a farm - nobody was best pleased!) I intended to get a photo of the Stagecarriage ASDA bus - a new contract commencing today for Stagecarriage, having previously been in the hands of Stagecoach. The sun came out just in time for the arrival of Stagecarriage 22, an Alexander ALX400.

Having never previously used the ASDA Middlesbrough service, I decided today would be the perfect day to do so. It was an even bigger winner, as I'd not previously sampled the ALX400 allocated. I took my seat upstairs at the front and enjoyed the views paired with Absolute Radio playing through the speakers on the bus. Makes a bit of a change from Next Stop Announcements, which is what usually comes from speakers on buses! Would highly recommend the service - even better that it's free!

I had a 10 minute connection after getting off which was ample time to head into ASDA for some sweets and run back to the bus stop for the 64 to Redcar. I was hoping that a Temsa Avenue would be the bus allocated given that it's so rare I actually get to use them. My luck was in: one of the 'new' Temsa Avenues acquired last year turned up. I found the interior to be a little dull - the native examples are brightened up somewhat by the Arriva fabric seat moquette, but the acquired ones have dark navy e-leather. The e-leather certainly didn't improve the comfort of the seats either. The power of the bus was impressive nevertheless - on par with (or possibly better than) the Mercedes Citaro I'd used on Go North East's X7 earlier in the day.

On arrival into Redcar, I looked into a few different possible journeys. I had the ultimate goal of getting to Stockton for 14:30 for a photo of the Stagecarriage 88 service. They allocated their recently acquired Dart - the first bus to be repainted into the company's new corporate livery - to this service from start of play, and I wanted to get a photograph of it. It would have been a bonus to travel there from Middlesbrough on the Stagecoach 13, which had been allocated a Dennis Trident. The journey I settled for was a trip to Whitby on the X4 with a tight connection to the X93 back to Middlesbrough, but the allocated bus was a Temsa Avenue and I hadn't quite recovered from the previous one at this point (those seats definitely aren't Sapphire standard)... I instead decided to sample another Sapphire service: the X3A to Skelton High Street. I'm usually one to suggest Arriva have nailed their internal presentation of their fleet, so I was quite surprised to see every power socket had "240V" written on in marker pen, and a yellow sticker above the socket (with no Arriva or Sapphire branding) advising the same thing. Alas; it looked quite unprofessional, but I was just pleased the sockets were working (highly unusual for a Streetlite!)

After quite a nice journey on the X3A, I decided to sample Stockton's Sapphire offering on the 5. By comparison to the previous journey I was quite disappointed - the power sockets weren't working, and the Next Stop Announcement display was rarely in sync with the audio. The bus was still smartly presented, though I noticed the absence of a 'text us' cove panel vinyl with the fleet number of the bus on it (which the previous Redcar example had).

I alighted at Ormesby Crossroads - I had time to kill and getting the 9 back to Middlesbrough would allow me to cross another vehicle type off the list: the VDL Pulsar. I'd just missed out on Stockton's 1512 on the 5 earlier, so had to squeeze one in somehow! 1456 was the bus which arrived to take me on this journey, and, again, I was really impressed by how clean and tidy the interior was. I especially liked the advertising posters for the MAX services on the cove panels - it was just a pity they were all for the X93, and there was none for the X12! The VDL Pulsars are quite fun buses with plenty of character - far superior than the Wright Streetlite in my opinion, even if the vibrations while idling are quite bad at the back of the bus!

Back to my plan now, and after taking a few photos in Middlesbrough, I boarded 17029 which was running around five minutes late. I shared the upper deck with two others and there was a nice cool breeze while the bus roared through the streets of Middlesbrough and Stockton. I find I always enjoy my journeys on these Tridents - I've been quite lucky to have sampled two in the past week! It wasn't long before we arrived at a very congested Stockton High Street and it was time to get off. Sadly I didn't manage to get a very good photo of 17029 due to all of the buses waiting to occupy a stand, and the awkward manoeuvre which 17029 had to undertake to get away.

I've never been on one of Stockton's Cadets before, so when I read in the Rare & Odd Workings thread that one was on service 7 to Yarm, I tried to fit it into my plan for the day. Sadly it arrived some 30 minutes later than I'd have liked it to, so I settled for a late-running X12 to Durham instead. The journey was great - there was only two other passengers upstairs on this VDL Gemini and all the windows were open so there was a nice breeze throughout. Approaching Leazes Bowl roundabout was a bit of a nightmare - the traffic was quite bad, which is presumably why the bus was over ten minutes late.

I alighted in Durham and got a few photographs. The bus station was as congested as ever, so buses were having to do loops around the bus station until a stand became available. I slowly made my way home from here, using the peak-time express X20 service to East Herrington and then the peak-time express X1 service from Doxford International to City Centre. I wouldn't usually get the opportunity to sample either, given that I'm usually at work in Gateshead at this time!

Having sampled buses from each of the big three, I thought it was only right to travel home on the Tyne & Wear Metro!

I hope you've enjoyed reading what I got up today - it'd be nice to see what others got up to today too!

Nowt special from me today. Of course being me this would probably be better off in the annoying thread.

1207 Newton Aycliffe - Bishop Auckland (Northern 142021)
1313 X1 Bishop Auckland - Shildon (ANE 1511)
1544 5A Shildon King William - Newton Aycliffe (ANE 1428)

First I headed to Bishop Auckland as I wanted a photo of SB Travel's recently acquired Solo VU52UEF. I opted for the Northern service to Bishop Auckland as who knows when the 5/5A would turn up with it being battered by all the roadworks in Darlington but also the train takes about 10 minutes whilst the 5/5A takes about 40! Pacer 142021 turned up for this journey which was good as I've not had this one, now... this has to be one of the better Pacer's I've been on, now comes the dirty secret... I actually don't mind the 142's, so long as the seats are okay, I actually don't think they are that bad! Most the passengers on-board departed at Shildon for the Shildon Shed Bash Event as I expected, especially as this was one of a number of extra journeys that have been put on for this event, effectively creating an hourly frequency between Darlington and Bishop Auckland rather than the usual two hour frequency... Can Flying Scotsman come to Shildon more often so I can have more train journeys?

After departing the train I walked into the town centre with me heading to Poundland for some Pepsi, annoyingly I got stuck in a bit of a queue and then another till was opened, sadly the woman in front of me seemingly had nowhere better to be than Poundland and as there was a rack of stuff to the side of me I was stuck behind her with the people behind me getting served before me! If you think that was annoying enough, the cashier then said that one of her purchase's was 3 for a £1 so of course she took advantage of the offer disappearing off to add to complete the offer, leaving me to stand in the shop like a melon whilst she went off, you should have heard how loud I sighed when she went off. Eventually I got served and after spending 5 MINUTES!!! in there. Seriously!

Not much happened after that other than two lads shouting BOGIES! seriously, how many years ago is it since Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow was last on TV? Think you need a more up to date TV references lads!

Photographed the thing I came for, pleased as I've had a few failed attempts at catching it, was fearful that it wasn't going to appear today after seeing the usual Solo on the 9 as my friend saw the Solo that normally does the 108 on the 9 on Monday, so I feared it would be back on 108's today, even though it's destination screens are kaput at the moment. Was going to jump on the 5A but just missed it but fortunately was able to get the X1 and mercifully got Pulsar 1511 instead of a StreetLite. Was surprised to see/hear it having next stop announcements especially as at the time they were done the StreetLite's didn't have NSA's, they are in the same style as they are on the 1/5/5A as it's the same set up. think the 1B is as well.

Then snapped the Park and Ride services for the Shildon Shed Bash Event, annoyingly missed the one The Eden was doing which was even worse as it was a bus I didn't have. Then made my way to Shildon King William which is where most of the buses stop in Shildon and was hoping another target would appear which was Weardale's recently acquired ex WebberBus Solo YJ59GGA which I'm pleased to say is what turned up on the 7 this afternoon.

Then 1428 was my chariot home on the 5A.

Thanks for reading, photos in the usual place.

went on a trip around Derbyshire & Nottingham today,took notes of fleetnumbers on my phone but phone crashed & it didnt save


Trent Barton Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse - Comet - Chesterfield > Derby

Great bus & Nice route,a good route for the Volvo`s to show off their power. WIFI Worked & Driver was also very polite,only downside was the Aircon Unit was either turned off or broken,meaning by time it filled up in Alfreton it was very warm - 9/10

Trent Barton Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite - Red Arrow - Derby > Nottingham
Another Very nice vehicle from Trent Barton driven by another friendly driver (do Trent do extra training on how to be friendly because most drivers around here on First are miserable sods!). Coach made great time on a clear run of A52 plus both WIFI & USB Ports worked! - 10/10

2011 NCT Scania Omnidekka - 68 - Nottingham > Bulwell
Decent bus but age is starting to take its toll on it. Leather seating starting to wear & WIFI was broke. Was decent hill climbing but after 2 Great Trent buses was a little bit of a let down. One thing i dont understand is that downstairs they have high backed seating,whilst upstairs the seating is very plastic (almost Urban 90 Style) - 6/10

NCT Scania Omnidekka - 17 - Bulwell > Valley Rd
An Older model to the last Omnidekka (unbranded spare of around 2004-2005)plastic seating on both deck but at least the WIFI Worked on this & had fabric instead of leather! not as powerful on the hills but to be expected due to age - 7/10

NCT Scania Omnitown - 53 - Valley Rd > Arnold
Never been on one of these & as i saw this coming down behind us I jumped off the 17 & Caught this. Very rattly but again at least the plastic seating had fabric,for its age it actually did ok on the hills - 7/10

NCT Scania/ADL Enviro 400 - 79 - Arnold > Nottingham
Making a slight change from the last few Omni range buses,not sure if it was the driver but compared to the 2 omnidekkas this seemed slower,despite being newer.best seating of the 4 NCT Vehicles,WIFI Worked plus gave a smooth rattle free ride - 9/10

Trent Barton Volvo B8RLE/Wright Eclipse 3 - The Two - Nottingham > Ilkeston
Fantastic bus,first time I`ve tried this & now just makes me annoyed the likes of First moved from Eclipes to Streetlites as this is the much better product! Great on speed,smooth engine with all the features working! 10/10

Yourbus Mercedes Citaro - Y3 - Ilkeston > Derby
Not the best sounding Citaro i`ve been on,but did decent speed along the dual-carriage way into Derby - 8/10

Trent Barton Optare Tempo SR - I4 - Derby > Chaddesden
Possibly the worst bus i caught today,Awful build quality rattling all the way (If i remember correctly Trent complained to Optare about this when they first bought them?) I Can see why nobody else every purchased them! - 4/10

Arriva Derby Scania Omnicity - 20 Chaddesden > Derby
compared to the last bus this was a godsend! I Let one of the I4s passed to catch this bus instead,typical Omnicity really,few rattles but decent power - 8/10

Trent Barton Scania L94UB/Wright Solar - 6.X Derby - Belper
Was very impressed by the power on this considering its age & Trent have done a good job both inside & out refurbishing it,if it wasnt for the plate it could easily pass for a bus 10 years younger!  - 10/10

Trent Barton Optare Solo M920 - 7.1 Belper > Derby
Again,very impressed by this bus considering its age & again top marks to Trent for its refurbishment,plus considering its age did very well on the hilly sections of the route (can somebody send some of Trents staff over to Yorkshire to show operators how to properly take care of a solo!).Also if anyone goes around for a day out around this area,I would recommend this route over the Sixes for people who like a quieter journey taking in a couple of nice little villages,timewise it takes around 15min longer than the 6.1/2/3

Trent Barton Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse - Comet - Derby > Chesterfield
Again,another Decent Volvo showing off its power on this route.I Must say trent have done a better job than NCT on keeping the leather from wearing away,considering this batch for the Comet still have their original seating from their days on The Two

all together a very nice day,both NCT & Trent Barton run very good networks & it must be said for NCT,Considering the network of routes its valid on,the Dayrider at £3.50 is very good value!

how many years ago is it since Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow was last on TV?

Still gets repeated occasionally

Due to rain issues i planned to leave the house at 13:00 but it was still raining and after being notified 3831 was the 14:25 of newcastle i was disappointed but didnt let this stop me having a outing.
13:55 20 5427 fullwell grange to Sunderland Homeside
I planned to wait for the 14:00 9 to north shields in hope of getting anything but a omnicity well i couldn't be more inpatient so got 5427 proved ok aswell.
I planned to get the 14:30 to heworth but had 30 minutes spare time so gazed at 34605 on the 20.
14:06 20 34605 Sunderland homeside to hylton road pc world
I couldn't resist a ride i had a short hop on this it was a ok journey but its had better days.
I got of 34605 and went to cross only to find both the 10 and 20 coming at the same time,i angrily missed both.
I checked and seen the 8 wouldn't come till 14;19 so decided to walk to sunderland station on route grabbed a photo of 653 on route back to Peterlee with a engineer but later heared it worked the 37.
14;30 northern 142015. Sunderland to heworth.
I hoped to have anything as i hadnt used a northern service for a while the train was there when i got to sunderland in the form of 142015 one pacer that appears most times on the durham coast line.
We left spot on time we only had about 13 pasengers on the train it was a nice journey, passed 156443 with the new northern livery looking very good.
14:46 Q2 8332 Heworth Interchange to Felling Squre.
This was here first so with pleasure boarded its a fine bus and also noticed that the man on the speaker will be replaced by emma hinett.
14:56 69 4949 Felling Squre to near heworth.
I hoped a renown but reading 4949 was allocated i didnt no what could come but 4949 turned up its a nice vehicle shame 4944 couldnt be the poppy bus as it could be a spare for the ttx with its tachograph.
14;59 69 4902 near heworth to Felling Square.
I was pleased to get this as its ex lime and i loved riding on it to beamish back in the day.
It jurked for a while but it was alright journey.
15:08 TB10 61 Plate taxi. Felling Squre to Wrekenton high street.
After finding out that i missed the 68 back to heworth i looked at the times and found both the 94 and Q1 were due at 15:13 i so 5390 across the road with a q2 to heworth i left it but grew more board so when i so the tb10 i got it.
I planned to connect with the 56 there this was ok about 2 pensioners onboard.
15:13/15:19 56 6097 Wrekenton high street to Wheatsheaf.
I got this just in time it was ok the driver thrashed it before nissan very good fun.
Alighted at the wheatsheaf.
16:16 x36 4945 Wheatsheaf to Southwick green.
I caught this after a pop in tesco i planned to get the 592 after a bus to southwick.
4945 was my ride just a short unnoteworthy journey.
16:40/16:33 592 YX61BJO Southwick green to Thompson road.
A short ride on this a new driver but still early he used to work for compass and was reguarly on the 558 when it was boldon to seaburn then he done 79s.
Annoyingly today he was 7 minutes early if it was the x36 hed be fired.
Thanks for reading

A Small review of my outing in CouquetDale today..

Was originally meant to be doing both Spirit Buses 16 and Perrymans Service 477 to Holy Island today, But a oversleep meant I couldn't do the latter.

Journey 1 Brockley Whins Metro - Haymarket Metro  4007 and 40**

Pretty much the same as usual as other days, Packed all the way to Haymarket.
Played on my phone most of this journey so didn't take in much.

Once off the Metro I walked to Haymarket to meet Ashington's very own Thomas Simms ( GX03SVC on NEB ) at Stand Q, We then walked to the X16 Stand for the X16 to Morpeth.

Journey 2 Haymarket Bus Station - Morpeth Bus Station  ANE 1499

Was hoping for a repeat of 2 days previous when I had 1411 floored all the way to the Haymarket ( Econospeed has been turned off in that one ) but a Generic Eco-Setup Pulsar appeared.
Driver pushed it for most of the journey with one Gear Downshift into 2nd at 28mph when the Driver Applied the power, Which in turn confuses these Voith Gearboxes to downshift rather dramatically.
Got stuck behind a Slow Driver in a red Peugeot once past Clifton and into Morpeth, With us arriving into Morpeth with the sight of PCL Travel's S1 Branded, Former London United Dennis Dart SLF, And a DAF DB250 on the 35A.

Thomas Went to get some photos outside while I had a Toilet Stop, Which then on the X14 7446 appeared..

Journey 3 Morpeth Bus Station - Rothbury Front Street ANE 7446

I sat downstairs at the back while Thomas went upstairs for " The Scenery " I got my camera out and started recording sounds I needed from this type of B7TL ( 4 Speed Voith as opposed to the Ususal 5 Speed ZF Ecomat or 2005 onwards 6 Speed Ecomat's ) The reason I needed sounds is for a Omsi Mod I'm about to start on, Which Involves modifying the sounds in the B7TL In Omsi, Now I've got my Voith sounds in, I only need a ZF Example now to record before I get on to the boring stuff.

Putting that aside, I enjoyed looking out from the tinted windows this vehicle features, This and sister 7445 were new in the short lived " Viva " Spec, Which featured High Backed Esteban Seating, Tinted Windows and a totally new design of Fabric which was a massive improvement over the likes of previous investments. However this was short lived, And the only examples new to the North East to feature this spec were these 2 B7TL's, The 57 reg batch of Coast and Castle's VDL DB250 Lowlanders and the 57 reg batch of Euro 4 Enviro 400s, The latter batch all being refurbished to MAX and Sapphire Spec now, The Fabric gone but the tinted windows are still in place.

Another thing to note about this trip is that this was my first time on the Original Route this service took until Winter 2013, When a Landslide cut off any traffic movements on that stretch of road, While the diversion via Cragside was more over the moors style, This route winds through the bottom of the Valley next to the River Couquet, Before joining the main road into Rothbury at the bottom of Cragside.

We alighted in Rothbury and headed for something to eat.

We spent around 2 and a half hours in Rothbury, Mostly on our phones using the free wifi just outside the Turks Head Pub, Having a chat and getting a shot of the next X14 to pass through, In the form of Scania CN94UB 4653.

Me and Thomas split up from then to go photos of the Scania at different locations, My photo of it can be found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...372502230/

At 1440 Steve Hirst arrived in his Enviro 200 to take up Service 16 to Alnwinton and back, Via the stunning Northumberland National Park.

Journey 4 Rothbury Front Street - Thropton via Alnwinton Spirit Buses MX14FUG

A unknown Lad, Who Thomas believes has driven for Arriva in the past at its Morpeth Drivers Base arrived at the Wheel while Steve was helping route learn him.
Commentary started after we pulled out of Rothbury, And once past the familiar areas of Thropton we entered Northumberland National Park, A Untouched area stretching from here to the border with Scotland.
One of the best routes I have ever ridden on in my entire life, Miles upon miles of untouched land, The Cheviot Hills , The Simonside Hills and various Hamlets , Wildlife and Villages to see, I will not say anymore as people might want to see for themselves and why wouldn't you? Its brilliant and worth the £2 child Daysaver fare.
Once back in Thropton, We passed 7446 again while on layover at the Three Weat Heads Terminus, We then carried on the 2 and a half miles to Rothbury, Where this mysterious driver had a chat with Steve and left, With Steve taking over the driving for the 15 to Alnwick.

Journey 5 Rothbury Front Street - Alnwick Spirit Buses MX14FUG  

4 Mins late, We pounded over the Cheviot Hills in the middle of a freak rainstorm at 56mph, The Touque Cutoff point or to put it straightforward, The maximum speed this bus is limited too.
Steve doesn't like to hang around either, Testing the Suspension to the limit going through Big Puddles at this speed, Being flung back in my seat in the process.
We rather quickly arrived into Alnwick, With the rain still pouring down... And the masses of Pizza Boxes and all other sorts of rubbish lying around the bus station.
Around 20 Chavs had gathered inside the Bus Station drinking away and doing all other sorts of stuff.
I went into Morrisions and Thomas went into a Takeway for something to eat, We then walked round the back of the takeaway to catch the X20 to Amble from there instead of the Bus Station.


Journey 5 Alnwick - Warkworth Castle ANE 7413

A Sapphire driver, From the Ashington rota on this route was driving, We trundled through the countryside and onto the Northumberland Coastline at around 25 Mph for most of the way, With the driver making no effort whatsoever to keep to time, Nothing more to say about this journey.

We alighted in Warkworth to the sight of the ever increasing presence of Nexus Style Timetables appearing throughout Northumberland, Weird seeing Services advertised to Edinburgh appearing on Timetables exactly the same to what I see at my local stop in South Tyneside for services to Lukes Lane! That's what we saw when we were in Berwick 2 days prior.

Journey 6 Warkworth Castle - Alnwick Travlesure YN09LCM

A Cummins Engined Example, Equipped with the 6 Cylinder ISBe6 5.9L and a Allison gearbox which the name of the type eludes me.
As expected, The 5.9L Cummins climbed the steep inclines around Shilbottle with ease, Even accelerating which isn't normally found on newer buses.
We passed Steve Hirst again running to his E200 from the Petrol Station shop at the Services in Alnwick, This is where Service 15 starts and this journey has around a hour layover at the Petrol Station.
After passing the various housing estates in Alniwck, We alighted just past the Library to catch the final X20 of the day off Alnwick, Which finishes short at Ashington.

Journey 7 Alnwick - Wansbeck Hospital ANE 7445

The other Voith Gearboxed B7TL Turned up, Equipped to the Viva Spec mentioned a few journeys above, This journey was also worked by a Ashington rota Sapphire Driver, Which is pretty unusual to see on this route.
Though Thankfully this time the driver put his foot down once outside of Alnwick, With us being the only ones on the top deck for the majority of the journey.
We passed 7412 around Amble which was on the only Alnwick Board on the X20, This is worked by a Alnwick Leading driver and swaps with another B7 every Wednesday.
All the rest are worked by Ashington Rotas.
Thankfully my connection onto the X21 to the Haymarket was guarantied as the X21 was running 7 Mins Late, Though as it gained time towards Ashington, it all of a sudden caught up with us at Northumbria Hospital, So we made a dash from upstairs onto 7501, Which was operating this X21.

Journey 8 Wansbeck Hospital? - Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station ANE 7501

While I was expecting this one to be knackered, It was anything but that, With semi-Kickdowns happening throughout the journey.
A former Econospeed Equipped example, They were turned off after widespread complaints from the drivers that drove them, As Econospeed has messed up the gear changes, Due to forcing through gear changes to " Improve Fuel Efficiency " This has messed up the rhythm of the original Gear Changing Map, Which to put it easily means the gear changing patterns are messed up on some occasions. However this one performed brilliantly bar them few hiccups.
I arrived into Haymarket with the sight of my favourite B7TL in the North East, Arriva's 7486, Leaving on the X15.

I headed for the Metro and to my delight found my South Hylton train was Due, 4073 and sister Metrocar 4074 were my ride home today.
Didn't take notice again of this Metro Journey as it was packed, Played on my phone for most of the journey and alighted at my local metro Station for the short walk home

My first photo off today can be found here  https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Hope to do a few more reviews over the Holidays, I have a few more interesting days planned too.

Thanks for Reading
STL