(20 Feb 2016, 9:00 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Going back to the point that South Tyne Lad made, the problem hasn't been strictly engine related with the 57 plates.
7501 - 7505 (7506 for a short amount of time) spent time at Blyth Depot. Now, although Redcar depot allegedly didn't look after the 57 plates which they got for the 93/X93, Blyth's engineering is good but, the problem has been down to the lack of spare vehicles to allow these vehicles to be given the required maintenance. If they were late on the 308, they ended up going on the express routes and therefore, got a hammering without the required maintenance.

The only potential for these now would be to be split and used as spares not only in the N.E, but perhaps around the country. And a bigger problem will come when ADL stop the classic bodywork.

Remember seeing them in Whitley Bay when I was younger ( 7504 was the first one I seen ) and they were amazing, Much better than the 306 Tridents of the time.
The point you put about Blyths engineering and that there isn't enough spares must have ended up in the VDL Geminis being battered after only 6/7 ( 59 reg ) and 5 years ( 61 reg )

Didn't get to sample them while at Redcar but by photos online, They didn't look the best Maintained in the fleet.
When some where based at Ashington for the 501/505 I used to use up to Haggerston Castle for Summer weekends and if on one occasion managed to get what I believe was 7504 on the 505( X15 now?)
And for the 50 odd miles back to Newcastle it got hammered with full kickdowns all the way. ( 7511-7513 can still do this )

But when they were Sapphired I think it was a BIG mistake to fit Econospeed to them because that just wrecked the engine and the Gearbox and just made them worse.
7504 is a bit better now that it had its econospeed switched off but its Cummins is very rough and its ZF gearbox is that of the rancid X reg Darts that used to roam the North East.
Yet 7511-7513 still sound ok and do very well without the econospeed that was only fitted to 7501-7510 and still have loads of life left in them.

In my opinion econospeed wrecks buses if not fitted from the factory floor because Gearboxes get used to how the Engine it works along side it after a few months and if interfered with, It wrecks the whole engine bay.
Apparently 7503 still has it turned on and is shocking.