(07 Jan 2018, 7:30 am)Dan wrote It was 6064 (I was close!)

6061 branded 15/12/2017, 6056 18/12/2017, 6060 and 6063 between Christmas and New Year, 6062 on 04/01/2018 and 6064 yesterday.
6066 should be branded on Monday, following repaint this week, along with another Angel double-deck.



Saltmeadows Road don't fit the vinyls to branded buses, just the small amount of vinyl on buses in fleet livery.

An external company, local to us based in Pelaw, fit the vinyls to branded buses - they received a small mention on the Daft as a Brush livery, as they designed the livery and fitted the vinyls together in partnership with Go North East and Daft as a Brush. The designs are usually done by another local company whose portfolio contains a lot of work for Disney, Nickelodeon and Coca Cola, based near the Tyne Bridge.

The length of time it takes to fit the vinyls depends on how detailed the design is, and how many fiddley bits there are! The recent Angel double-decks also contain more vinyl inside (covering the two back windows, and a blue sky vinyl along the upper-deck ceiling) which adds to the time. I would expect that the team of fitters would have been at Saltmeadows for around 10-12 hours to fit an Angel and a Coaster yesterday.

(07 Jan 2018, 11:24 am)Tom wrote Getting through them quickly then! Hopefully they will be out on the 1 soon.

(07 Jan 2018, 12:14 pm)Michael wrote Oh ye, i forgot a different company applies the branding!

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Aye hopefully, hopefully Monday or Tuesday.

With confirmation that the Eclipses are staying on the 19, here is the allocations of the Omnicities, i think will happen: (Some are already on the routes but to make it easier, I've added them) 



Toonlink: 5234 – 5242, 5250, 5253
Whey-Aye-Five-0 – 5243-5247, 5254- 5261 
Blue Arrow – 5262 - 69 


Spares:
5249 – Stanley 
5251 – Stanley
5270-72 – Percy Main 
5252 – Washington 
5273 – Washington  
5274 – Washington  



Shame they can't all be repainted and put in to batches. (So all of Toonlink etc is together)


How much of a chance will the 5/50 be giving WIFI?

(07 Jan 2018, 2:12 pm)JP6004 wrote And if the ex London B9s go on 6/X70?

(07 Jan 2018, 2:43 pm)Michael wrote So new allocations would be:

Omnicities: 

Toonlink: 5234 – 5239
Whey-Aye-Five-0 – 5243-5247, 5254- 5261 
Blue Arrow – 5262 - 69 
5242, 5249, 5250, 5251 – 19 (although confirmed keeping Eclipses, it wasn't said how long)

Spares:
5240/41/53 (3)- Stanley
5253/70-72 (4) – Percy Main 
5252/73/74 (3)– Washington 


Omnidekka's move to a spare role.

(07 Jan 2018, 2:59 pm)V514DFT wrote isnt 5261 also in corprate colours

(06 Jan 2018, 6:44 pm)Andreos1 wrote Cheers. Appreciate it.
Going to have to work out which buses will use the bus gate now. Another example of partnership scheme that has used taxpayers money until it suits?
The other local bus gate (at Wardley) is another example.

In the Bus Changes thread, one of th documents I uploaded last week contains a map showing how much of the population are able to use the 88/88A when visiting the hospital.
Keen to see a comparison once the upcoming changes come in to play.

(07 Jan 2018, 12:28 am)thetravelman wrote What services will the new drivers at Riverside be deployed onto now, when the 88’s are withdrawn at the end of the month?

(07 Jan 2018, 3:17 pm)peter wrote With the removal of the Waggonway and Lambton Worm brands from the timetable list on the GNE site seemingly implying the brands will be withdrawn in the near future, I think it might be worth introducing a generic brand for 'Chester-le-Street services' (similar to the principle of Black Cats) which could be applied on top of the corporate livery. This could be given to the Versa's and L94's to encompass the 13, 14, 28/28a, 34/34a, X22 and X25.

(07 Jan 2018, 3:17 pm)peter wrote With the removal of the Waggonway and Lambton Worm brands from the timetable list on the GNE site seemingly implying the brands will be withdrawn in the near future, I think it might be worth introducing a generic brand for 'Chester-le-Street services' (similar to the principle of Black Cats) which could be applied on top of the corporate livery. This could be given to the Versa's and L94's to encompass the 13, 14, 28/28a, 34/34a, X22 and X25.

(07 Jan 2018, 3:36 pm)Michael wrote Ye, shame about the "Waggonway" brand, if they were to put the Chester services under one brand, what would they brand it as?

Didn't someone mention that the Waggonway brand could be put on the Go North East colours? A bit like the 9/49.

(07 Jan 2018, 3:33 pm)JP6004 wrote No doubt once newer vehicles are allocated instead if the L94, may see some re-introduction of branding. Specially on the above

(07 Jan 2018, 3:41 pm)Malarkey wrote "Indigo Chester-Le-Street" 

(07 Jan 2018, 3:44 pm)Michael wrote I can see more Versas moving to Chester at later date too, if that happens i can see a brand introduced.

Don't think it would happen this year, due to the fact it was said single deckers won't be on order. (expect for the 3 baby Solos on order for the 40/A/B and local Chester services, as the contract states need to be Euro 6)


Once the South Tyne Versas arrive at Chester, they should have 4 spare, this will allow at least 2 Scanias to Deptford for the 35.

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It'll be #Indigogate

(07 Jan 2018, 3:59 pm)Malarkey wrote I would think unless stated otherwise that this would only affect the services which have Scania L94's which have the Euro 5 upgrade allocated to them till 2019, so that would be the Black Cats, Green Arrow and Loop examples, can't see any reason why other single deck services wouldn't receive new vehicles e.g. 4/58 & 60 which should be inline another upgrade given the vehicles on there are nearly 5 year old and are also due a repaint this year.

(07 Jan 2018, 3:09 pm)MrBoyt wrote Well brand new drivers started being sent to the Q3s back in October, and I think this is still the case.

As for me and the others who currently do the 88s and 516, we're moving to the 29, 67, 69, M6, M7 and M8.

(07 Jan 2018, 4:05 pm)peter wrote This issue is though what would the vehicles from the 4, 58 and 60 displace. By the time all the current 'projects' are completed it looks like the majority of the (older) L94's that haven't received upgrades will be withdrawn.

(07 Jan 2018, 2:43 pm)Michael wrote So new allocations would be:

Omnicities: 

Toonlink: 5234 – 5239
Whey-Aye-Five-0 – 5243-5247, 5254- 5261 
Blue Arrow – 5262 - 69 
5242, 5249, 5250, 5251 – 19 (although confirmed keeping Eclipses, it wasn't said how long)

Spares:
5240/41/53 (3)- Stanley
5253/70-72 (4) – Percy Main 
5252/73/74 (3)– Washington 


Omnidekka's move to a spare role.

(07 Jan 2018, 6:35 pm)busmanT wrote Stanley are getting 5251/52
Washington 5254/5261-63
PM keeping the rest

unless anything changes by the end f the month

(07 Jan 2018, 7:34 pm)V514DFT wrote so are the coaster deckers going to be drip fed into service,noticed a few of the old angel deckers still in service yesterday (6067 was one of them)

(07 Jan 2018, 8:15 pm)Citaro5326 wrote with 17 Ex London B9's possible for
3941-3943 to Chester
4 B9s to Washington
3 to Percy Main
2 to Deptford
rest to Riverside or divided between depots

(07 Jan 2018, 8:15 pm)Citaro5326 wrote with 17 Ex London B9's possible for
3941-3943 to Chester
4 B9s to Washington
3 to Percy Main
2 to Deptford
rest to Riverside or divided between depots

(06 Jan 2018, 8:24 pm)Dan wrote 6062 is at Riverside to be taken out for NSA testing tomorrow, as mentioned previously.

Will join the others at Percy Main after testing is complete tomorrow.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

(07 Jan 2018, 7:43 pm)Michael wrote The first lot should be entering service early this week, while some are at Saltmeadows waiting repaint, not sure on how many are now at Percy Main etc.

Go North East are still waiting on 3 more to arrive, 1 Angel and the 2 spares, hopefully they head to Heysham docks this week so there should be at least 3 older Angels in service in for however long.

(07 Jan 2018, 9:46 pm)Dan wrote Couple of photos of 6062, which was out and about for a few hours today.

Go North East: 6062 / NK62CJJ by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 6062 / NK62CJJ by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

Go North East: 6062 / NK62CJJ by Daniel Graham, on Flickr

(07 Jan 2018, 11:43 pm)Tom wrote Out tomorrow then?
Nice shots too, look even smarter than I remembered.

(08 Jan 2018, 7:05 am)Dan wrote Thanks, they really do look good. Hope it isn't spoiled too much by the advert! 6062 is numerically the last of the batch which will receive an advert frame.

They won't be out in service today - there's some final driver familiarisation required, and some of the Next Stop Announcement units have developed faults which (hopefully) will be repaired today prior to entering service on the 1.