(04 Feb 2016, 12:27 am)GMitchelhill wrote 85/86 were the old 325/326 circulars.
325 ran anti-clockwise from North Shields - Tynemouth - Marden Estate - Cullercoats - Whitley Bay - Monkseaton - North Tyneside Hospital - New York - West Chirton - Meadowell - North Shields. 326 ran the opposite way around.
The 325/326 were also the first service in the North East of England to be operated by low floor buses. Namely by Dennis Lance SLF / Wright Pathfinder 320s. 5 vehicles were brought for a service with a PVR of 4. However in later years the frequency was increased to every 20 minutes before being numbered the 85/86. In the end the services were discontinued as they were uneconomical to run as a circular service. It has been replaced as follows....
1 replaced Whitley Bay - Cullercoats - Marden Estate - Tynemouth - North Shields
310 replaced North Shields - Meadowell - West Chirton
W3 replaced Whitley Bay - Monkseaton - North Tyneside Hospital - New York - West Chirton.
Four of my memories:
- Drivers reving the knackers out of the Lances at Shields Metro on the early morning 326 later 86, to get the air pressure up.
- Driver changeovers on Verne Road where I always thought the radios were associcated with the Wayfarers.
- Driver with a lit fag in the cab of 4771 on a Verne Road changeover on the 325 (wasn't sitting but was sorting the bus out).
- A driver called 'Super Stew' showing me around an ELC Lolyne on the 326 when relatively new particularly the CCTV system.