(16 Feb 2016, 11:47 pm)S813 FVK wrote Thats exactly how it was, only without the period of time when the 8 ran between Castleside and Chester-le-Street. The Stanley - Castleside section was replaced by service V8.
You worked it out before I had a chance to remember!
The 2a/c were replacements (in part) to the 73/74.
The latter two did a circular route - similar to the 2a/c between Sunderland - Galleries, but it also did Waterview Park and parts of North Sunderland.
Essentially merging parts of the 185/6, 638 and 777 into one circular route.
I think the 73/74 had an additional prefix of a 7 in for a very short time.