(16 Sep 2013, 9:33 pm)northern156 wrote Hi guys
Just been planning a possible future 'Key bash' where I can use my Get Around Key for a £3.65 day ticket.
I am maybe thinking of a Citaro bus bash - basically, trying to run on as many routes that utilise Mercedes Citaros on a regular basis (bendy or standard).
Can anyone therefore help me please? I understand that Winlaton, Stanley, Deptford, Gateshead and Percy Main use the buses but can anyone please list the routes that they are normally used on please?
Might sound a bit odd but I love these kind of days out!
TIA
Sean
(16 Sep 2013, 9:33 pm)northern156 wrote Hi guys
Just been planning a possible future 'Key bash' where I can use my Get Around Key for a £3.65 day ticket.
I am maybe thinking of a Citaro bus bash - basically, trying to run on as many routes that utilise Mercedes Citaros on a regular basis (bendy or standard).
Can anyone therefore help me please? I understand that Winlaton, Stanley, Deptford, Gateshead and Percy Main use the buses but can anyone please list the routes that they are normally used on please?
Might sound a bit odd but I love these kind of days out!
TIA
Sean
(16 Sep 2013, 9:33 pm)northern156 wrote Hi guys
Just been planning a possible future 'Key bash' where I can use my Get Around Key for a £3.65 day ticket.
I am maybe thinking of a Citaro bus bash - basically, trying to run on as many routes that utilise Mercedes Citaros on a regular basis (bendy or standard).
Can anyone therefore help me please? I understand that Winlaton, Stanley, Deptford, Gateshead and Percy Main use the buses but can anyone please list the routes that they are normally used on please?
Might sound a bit odd but I love these kind of days out!
TIA
Sean
(16 Sep 2013, 9:48 pm)aureolin wrote X66 - Gateshead
58 - Heworth to Wallsend
27 - shields to newcastle
43/44 - Newcastle to Durham
35 - Shields to Houghton way
2A/2C - Sunderland to Washington
49/49A/49B - Gateshead
309/310 - Newcastle to North Shields/Blyth
(17 Sep 2013, 4:00 pm)BJ10VUS wrote Just be aware that service 309/310 also use Scania Omnicity vehicles. But with the service being every few minutes between Newcastle and Cobalt South, you won't have long to wait for a Citaro if it isn't one!
(17 Sep 2013, 4:02 pm)Daniel wrote ..and don't forget you're likely to get a "North Tyne Links" MPD, "Centurion" Renown or "Yellow Bus" Olympian before any "Cobalt Clipper" branded vehicles show - because these services are operated by Percy Main!
(17 Sep 2013, 5:45 pm)BJ10VUS wrote Without making a return journey on the same service, it isn't possible. I can do it solely on Gemini 2s and Citaros, however?
(17 Sep 2013, 6:07 pm)Andreos1 wrote Whey that's easy that. Stick an SPD in the list and you have cracked it :p
Speaking of which, I thought I did....
310: Newcastle - Corner House
309: Corner House -Battle Hill
58: Battle Hill - Gateshead
X66: Gateshead - Metrocentre
49B: Metrocentre - Swallwell
43: Swallwell - Metrocentre
49A: Metrocentre - Gateshead
27: Gateshead - Shields
35A: - Shields to Sunderland
2A: Sunderland - Washington
2C: Washington - Sunderland
35: Sunderland - Shields
(The 27 ends up being used twice)
49C: Gateshead - Metrocentre
44: Metrocentre - Newcastle
(05 Oct 2013, 9:53 pm)northern156 wrote Thank you all for your replied - very helpful indeed.
I'm going on BJ10VUS's suggestion with a few changes:
Greenhead Eldon Square 685 0940 - 1118
Eldon Square Metrocentre 43 1135 - 1153
Metrocentre Blaydon 49B 1158 - 1209
Blaydon Metrocentre 10 1222 - 1230
Metrocentre Gateshead X66 1238 - 1248
Gateshead Battle Hill Dr 58 1304 - 1334
Battle Hill Dr Haymarket 310 1344 - 1406
Market St East South Sh Kep St 27 1434 - 1543
South Sh Kep St Sunderland Int 35 1552 - 1630
SunderlandInt Washington Gal 2A 1643 - 1715
Washington Gal Gateshead X1 1731 - 1752
Gateshead Metrocentre X66 1800 - 1810
Metrocentre Haltwhistle TRN 1832 - 1921
Will pencil in for a couple of weeks on Saturday
Sean
(02 Nov 2013, 10:00 am)northern156 wrote I did this trip just the other day on Thursday. Got a £3.65 Get Around day ticket with my Key - great value! Unfortunately I didn't get a Citaro on routes 58 (despite a couple of attempts, sigh) and 2A/2C.
© denotes a Citaro. dep. indicates timetabled departure; any notable delay to that service is shown as [x late].
Anyway, this is what I had on the day:
5233 X85 Hexham - Newcastle Eldon Square dep. 0843
5293 43 Newcastle Eldon Square - Metrocentre dep. 0935 ©
5275 49B Metrocentre - Winlaton dep. 0958 ©
5275 49A Winlaton - Metrocentre dep. 10xx ©
5347 X66 Metrocentre - Gateshead Int. dep. 1052 ©
4918 58 Gateshead Int. - Heworth dep. 1114
5359 4 Heworth - Washington Gall. dep. 1146 [8 late] ©
4920 2C Washington Gall. - Sunderland dep. 1241
5303 35A Sunderland - South Shields dep. 1327 [4 late] ©
5328 27 South Shields - Heworth dep. 1413 ©
3978(?) 58 Heworth - Gateshead dep. 1520 [1 late]
3965 21 Gateshead - Newcastle New Bridge St. dep. 1553 (actual)
5338 309 Newcastle Haymarket - Battle Hill Dr. dep. 1613 ©
*(Arriva North East)* 7622 308 West St. Wallsend - Newcastle Haymarket dep. 1644 (actual)
*(Arriva North East)* 4664 685 Newcastle Eldon Square - Haltwhistle dep. 1745 [18 late]
All in all, a good day out. The 1510 Heworth to Hadrian Park 58 didn't show up at all so everyone went onto the 1520, which was an 02-reg Vyking (absolute shed) which only went as far as Newcastle. I bailed at Gateshead Interchange and hoped to get the next bus up to Eldon Square. I got on a 21 (not a B5LH hybrid unfortunately) and immediately I was hit with the smell of poo; there was a drunk man asleep and I guessed it was him (barf) so I bailed again at New Bridge Street and walked up to Haymarket.
I then got the 1613 309 up to Battle Hill Drive - the light was fading and it was cold; to add to the problem I didn't know where the hell I was and I had to be at Eldon Square for the last 685 of the day back home.
I got off at Battle Hill Drive (Wallsend) and then an artic 58 passed me going to Heworth - annoyed was not the word! Because of the delays/cancellations on the 58 earlier I decided not to wait for the next one and I got an Arriva VDL DB300 back to Haymarket where I pondered what to do for the next 45 minutes or so. It was rush hour and I was half-tempted to have a small trip on the Metro but I (probably for the best) didn't.
I noticed that, at Eldon Square, 5 minutes before my 685 home, there was an announcement saying the 1745 685 to Carlisle will be 5 minutes late. I never knew they announced things like these on the buses?!
5 minutes late was too good to be true, and, in true Arriva style, 4664 was at the stand at 1803 - 18 minutes late.
Absolutely great day, I really did enjoy it. Its a shame I didn't get a Citaro on all routes but I didn't want to risk waiting for the next service where the previous bus wasn't a Merc because it would no doubt mess my plan up.
What really did annoy me was the amount of buses on the 58 route that weren't bendy Citaros - yeah there were a few, but a lot of the buses were the Vykings and generic single-deck Volvos.
I've got plans for another similar day out; next time chasing Wright Solars. However I'll ask for info on those later on.
Sean
P.S if you've got this far, thanks for reading!
(02 Nov 2013, 10:00 am)northern156 wrote I've got plans for another similar day out; next time chasing Wright Solars. However I'll ask for info on those later on.
(02 Nov 2013, 2:07 pm)BJ10VUS wrote Wright Solars are on the following routes:
'Prince Bishops' 20, 20A and 20X
Sunderland - The Raintons - Belmont - Durham
'Waggonway' 28 and 28A
Chester le Street - Beamish - Birtley - Gateshead - Newcastle
'Laser' 35, 35A, 35B and 35C
South Shields - Sunderland - Houghton - Low Moorsley/Rainton Bridge/South Hetton
'Toon Link' 11, 31, 32 and 47
Newcastle - Blackhall Mill/Winlaton
'Fab Fifty-Six' 56
Newcastle - Gateshead - Wrekenton - Hylton Castle - Southwick - Sunderland
'Loop' 93 and 94
Gateshead - Heworth - QE Hospital - Team Valley - Gateshead
'Highwayman' 97
Newcastle - Lobley Hill - Whickham - Fellside Park - Metrocentre
'Highwayman' 98 and 98A
Newcastle - Dunston - Whickham
'Fast Cats' X35
Sunderland - Peterlee - Hartlepool
'Great Park and Ride' X40
Newcastle - Gosforth - Regent Centre - Great Park
'Tynedale Express' X84 and X85
Newcastle - Heddon-on-the-Wall - Corbridge - Hexham
(02 Nov 2013, 2:49 pm)Andreos1 wrote Having never conciously ridden an Eclipse, apart from the engine, is there much of a difference between the two?