(15 Jun 2020, 4:36 pm)L469 YVK wrote I went a bit OTT during my last order breakdown prediction / suggestion. So I've simplified it without taking any vehicles from Riverside.
New vehicles (including 6338-6340) are highlighted in blue
Consett (3x spare covering PVR 30x):
- Volvo B9TL 6096-6099 - X-Lines X5/X15
- **Spare (X-Lines)** Volvo B9TL 6100
- **Spare (X-Lines)** Wright StreetDeck 6307
- Wright StreetDeck 6326-6333 - X-Lines X31/X45/X46
- **Spare (X-Lines)** ADL E400MMC 6336
- ADL E400MMC 6338-6341 - X-Lines X30
- Wright StreetDeck 6364-6372 - X-Lines X47/X70/X71
- Wright StreetDeck 6373-6377 - X-Lines X31/X45/X46
Washington (1x spare covering PVR 14x):
- **Spare (X-Lines)** ADL E400MMC 6337
- ADL E400MMC 6342-6355 - X-Lines X1
Deptford (1x spare covering PVR 11x):
- **Spare (GoNE)** Volvo B9TL 6084
- Volvo B9TL 6085-6095 - Fab 56
Chester Le Street (2x spare covering PVR 23x):
- Wright StreetDeck 6301-6304 - Angel 21
- **Spare (GoNE)** Wright StreetDeck 6305-6306
- Wright StreetDeck 6315-6325 - Angel 21
- Wright StreetDeck 6356-6363 - X-Lines X21
Percy Main (3x spare covering PVR 29x):
- Volvo B5LH 6056-6068 - Coaster 1A/1B
- **Spare (GoNE)** Volvo B5LH 6069-6070
- **Spare (GoNE)** Volvo B9TL 6101
- Volvo B9TL 6102-6117 - Cobalt & Coast 309/310/311
Riverside (PVR 30x) & Hexham (PVR 7x) (5x spare covering PVR 37x):
****Higher spare ratio at Riverside & Hexham due to X9/X10****
- Volvo B9TL 6001-6007 - Crusader 26/27
- **Spare (GoNE)** Volvo B9TL 6043-6044
- Volvo B9TL 6045-6047 - Tyne Valley Ten 10/10A/10B
- **Spare (GoNE)** Volvo B9TL 6048
- Volvo B9TL 6049-6055 - Crusader 26/27
- Volvo B9TL 6071-6083 - Tyne Valley Ten 10/10A/10B
- Volvo B5TL 6308-6314 - X9/X10
- **Spare (X-Lines)** Volvo B5TL 6334-6335
Are GNE really going to go to the trouble of repainting 6326-6333 out of Angel/X21 livery but repainting 6301-3 into Angel 21 livery and repainting 6096-6098 out of Fab 56 livery but 6085 and 6086 into Fab 56 livery especially given how recently some of these have been repainted?? Surely you must know it's not realistic for all of these buses to be repainted only to be replaced by like-for-like vehicles? I like your plan to try and keep fleet numbers together but given how much Dan has said about the current economic pressures GNE are facing are they really going to go to the expense of repainting all these vehicles?
Personally I think the fact that there are 22 Streetdecks arriving and there's a PVR of 22 for the X31/45/46/47/70/71 is no coincidence. As for everyone's obsession with the X21, the PVR can now be met with the existing vehicles at Chester-le-Street (including 1 fleet-liveried Streetdeck permanently allocated which is no great crime). Given the fact Dan mentioned that the vehicles going elsewhere are going to have to be repainted I reckon the 2 Blue X-Lines vehicles will be part of those 9 that go elsewhere and will get repainted given that they are no longer required for the X21...but that's just my guess! As for the X5/15 I'm sure 4 of the existing double deckers in the fleet could quite easily be refurbed for that, perhaps 6118-6121 might not go to EYMS after all given how much plans have changed!