Ive uploaded 2 photos from todays outing with both links below

https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Hope you enjoy  

You got some good ones, there

Some of big'un's photo attempts were thwarted by glare, today. It really was incredibly bright with the sun out and the new buses are well shiny! He got a couple of nice ones in Houghton (couple of other enthusiasts there, stalking the streetlites - signing to each other) but the best was of a Connections 4 Citaro, of all things! Had 5 intense minutes of shooting at north Road roundabout, in Durham - bit of a clingon corner, but such a fantastic backdrop with the viaduct and incredibly rich pickings - so long as it's not Sunday!

You got some good ones, there

Some of big'un's photo attempts were thwarted by glare, today. It really was incredibly bright with the sun out and the new buses are well shiny! He got a couple of nice ones in Houghton (couple of other enthusiasts there, stalking the streetlites - signing to each other) but the best was of a Connections 4 Citaro, of all things! Had 5 intense minutes of shooting at north Road roundabout, in Durham - bit of a clingon corner, but such a fantastic backdrop with the viaduct and incredibly rich pickings - so long as it's not Sunday!

Thank you

Id recommend photo editing for them sorts of problems, I regularly get them in my photos.

Was originally meant to be posting photos of the new Streetlite's but that didn't turn out well, Though I got a photo of what was probably 4970's last run as PB Vehicle so that was canny special.

I too seen loads of enthusiast's today, Though I didn't count how many as I ran from Greggs to 4968 to head to Great Lumley for its return photograph, Got a photo of 5407 too not far up the road from where 4968 was taken, Which I will post tomorrow.

Our all Wright day out:

Arrived at Durham marketplace just after 10am on a rather delayed 1598 on the 22.

Laugh of the day: When we were stuck in a queue for Gilesgate roundabout, a couple of women discussing the day and saying "That's why there's a problem. The traffic lights aren't working at all, look."   
Drama of the day: unmarked police beemer whizzing past us, after an Audi, on Silent bank.
NSA screen status: working but misaligned until Gilesgate roundabout, a which point it went into power saving mode.

Didn't have time to do all the jobs I wanted to in Durham, as we'd been so badly delayed, so contented ourselves with buying some sarnies, then walking down to the bus station for the 10:22 24, which was, of course, on the current board of 13 vehicles covering the 22/24, 1598! This time, the screen was completely off. Have never had reason to catch the 24 before. I'm amazed how those great big E400s get through Ludworth without incident, as it was tight enough in a streetlite. We got off at Whitehouse Crescent, just before 11am, as we needed to visit somewhere on the industrial estate.

Our business on the estate was shorter than expected, for reasons I won't go into and, typically, we'd missed the GNE 201 by about 4 minutes. The windchill was horrendous on whitehouse way, so we huddled into a bus shelter to scarf our sarnies as quickly as possible. Blown (quite literally) if we were sitting still and waiting another 15 minutes for the 201, we started walking back towards the main road. Saw the 201 come out from by the Caterpillar place, so raced up to the stop opposite to find it not listed there, so cut back to the stop outside MKM, Whitehouse crescent. Our 22 that was due turned out to be 8 minutes late but, thankfully, the stop was sheltered from the wind and my hands slowly returned to their normal shade of blue pink.

And we got to Peterleebus station, on a Pulsar, with 2 annoying kids with scooters at the front, clearly annoying the driver, just behind the X35 that we'd been hoping for - and just missed it! Nevermind, plan B, the X9 hadn't been yet. Caught 6044 on that, our first B9 gemini of the day. Was surprisingly quiet and got into Newcastle bang on time. By the time we got downstairs, at Eldon Square, the driver and a nexus bod were already arguing with a couple of drunks with a bag full of cans who wanted to get on. The queue behind were torn between amusement and irritation.

We spent about an hour in Newcastle. Big'un was annoyed that there were no blueberry muffins in Bainbridge (had already been miffed at the lack of pret Bars in pret and, of course, we're not allowed into M&S for their flapjack bars!) so we found alternative blueberry muffins (and red velvet cake) in Caffe Nero. Horrible sticky cutlery, too, unfortunately. My own personal entertainment was CD nerd in his 50s and his son in his 20s, firmly of the opinion that small children who are less than happy and coing should not be allowed in such places as it's "not fair on the adults" amongst other Opinions. Pity the poor woman who endes up having to divorce that t....

Moving swiftly on, picked up a few bits in Waitrose, including some flapjack bars, the hopped onto 6053 on the X1. Quite a grunty beast, though not sure it was as soothing as a citaro grunt. Rather more of an uncomfortable smoker's grunt, I think. Encountered a very recognisable passenger who we'd seen on a red kite, a few weeks ago! He slept for most of the journey! We carried on through to Houghton Church - at which point we know we've missed a Prince Bishops by a minute and spent a little while taking pics, while we waited for the next one.

This turned out to be 5421 on the 20A at 3:40-ish. Already covered with bird doings!

Nice run, jovial driver. Had to stop a lot to wait at timing points, so obvious improvement over the solars there, already. Passengers near us commented on the spelling of Granary (I wasn't paying attention at the time, so missed it) and the guy said he'd have to report it. Something rolled past us - looked like a massive e-cig - or part of a walking stick! On one of his stops, driver produced a tenner which someone had dropped. Heard an announcement on the radio about 5433 breaking down, then we passed it on the A690. I suspect those passengers were less than impressed, though Citaro mentioned it had moved on shortly afterwards, so must have been something the driver was unfamiliar with.

It was a very smooth ride with none of the gear crunching you hear on the coast and countries. It felt very much like our own local Arriva streetlites apart from the lack of rattle from the emergency exit! Noticed there's also 4 opening windows on these ones though, as Jimmi mentioned, the bells inside are in the standard GNE Streetlite configuration - all down the left hand side apart from around the front. The foremost front facing seats are also doubles, unlike on the Arriva examples.

Missed a 22 at Durham, so had time for some photos while waiting for our carriage home, which turned out to be 1518. Our journey home would have been the last time we'd catch the 22 from stand J - if it hadn't had to park nearby because J was already occupied by a 57 because H was already occupied by the 43....

So the score for the day was 2 streetlites (one twice), 2 B9 geminis and 2 Pulsars!

Thank you  

Id recommend photo editing for them sorts of problems, I regularly get them in my photos.

Was originally meant to be posting photos of the new Streetlite's but that didn't turn out well, Though I got a photo of what was probably 4970's last run as PB Vehicle so that was canny special.

I too seen loads of enthusiast's today, Though I didn't count how many as I ran from Greggs to 4968 to head to Great Lumley for its return photograph, Got a photo of 5407 too not far up the road from where 4968 was taken, Which I will post tomorrow.

I suspect (I hadn't seen the pic but had noticed the direction of the light) that the one he deleted was completely flared out. We crossed the road while we waited for a suitable PB to catch to Durham.

It's a nice spot for pic taking  - was suprised not to see more cameras, if anything!

Been out today to get the new streetlites:
Q3 10:12 Great Park Wagonway Drive
10:37 Market Street West- GNE 8313
It was your average dull, late running Q3 and did not impress me one bit. In short nothing different.

56 10:43 Market Street West
11:48 Sunderland Wheatsheaf-GNE 6096
Good bus and the driver floored it past Nissan but I very much enjoyed it and this one is one of the single best B9TL's in the GNE fleet (though no match for 6044) and it only had one issue, the NSA speakers were not working

20 11:58 Sunderland Wheatsheaf
12:21 South Shields Town Centre-GNE 5434
I very much enjoyed the journey but the bus sounded a bit tired and I don't think streetlites are very good for the route, the bus was also late and very busy, I very nearly missed my connection but the driver was a speed demon

27 12:26 South Shields Town Centre
12:48 Jarrow Bus Station-GNE 5312
This citaro is certainly one of the best 08-REG citaros and had a seat transplant from London General at the back, the driver yet again was very quick, it left South Shields two minutes late and got to Jarrow six minutes early! For someone who only uses the 27 Heworth-Newcastle I will definitely use it in place of the metro again.

9 12:56 Jarrow Bus Station
13:11 North Shields Rudyerd Street-GNE 5155
I was a bit miffed when this turned up but I was expecting it, it especially annoyed me due to it running late and it being a renown and not an omnicity.

310 13:25 North Shields Rudyerd Street
14:07 Haymarket-GNE 61xx
The bus was waiting upon my arrival at North Shields so I boarded after running to Greggs for my lunch, the bus filled up fast with NUFC fans., due to the large number of passengers it arrived six minutes late at the Haymarket

Q3 14:20 Haymarket
14:40 Great Park Wagonway Drive-GNE 8313
The bus was dull as previously with nothing odd or unusual to report.

Also just as a quick note I saw what I believe to be two enthusiasts at the Wheatsheaf and I then saw them at the back of 5155 and on the 310, I just wondered if it was anyone on here

Had an enjoyable but rather brief outing on a Get Around day ticket yesterday.

08:18 21 6065 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
The day began with an 07:00 alarm, allowing me ample time to get myself ready, leaving my house at 07:45. A leisurely walk into my hometown took place, and I arrived at the bottom of Front Street at 08:10. I had the intention of catching the 08:18 21 to Durham, which was in the hands of 6065 on this occasion. 6065 was the first Hybrid I sampled, back in October 2012, when they were new, so I quite enjoy a ride on it every now and then. The driver was a former Unit 2 driver, which consisted of duties on the Lime, Waggonway, Whey Aye Five 0, Lambton Worm, 13/14 and X22, prior to July 2014, when the rotas were amalgamated (Unit 1 did the 21, X25 and 71). He put his foot down as we climbed the Front Street, I was amazed at how fast it was going, unable to think of an occasion where I'd ever travelled at such a speed on one of these Hybrids. Durham came exactly fifteen minutes later.

08:44 13 4934 Durham North Road to Langley Park Turning Circle
Following a few photos at the roundabout on North Road, I saw 4934 coming in on the 13 to Langley Park, with a friend at the wheel. An enthusiast himself, the driver took 5288 to the Metrocentre Rally at the start of the month, for those who are curious. I was hoping for one of 4926-4931 on this run (the board is booked a Scania L94UB, and, although that batch are in poor condition these days, I enjoy the occasional ride on one). I had also already done a trip to Langley Park and back on the X25 with 4934 and the same driver. The 13 and 14 follow routes that slightly differ, but both start and terminate at the same locations. I am of the understanding that the routes were first operated by Go-Ahead Northern upon the acquisition of independent Gypsy Queen, which was based at Langley Park, who operated the Durham-Langley Park routes as the 53 and 54.

09:27 13 4934 Langley Park Turning Circle to Durham North Road
The journey to Langley Park was smooth and punctual, with a rather nicely scheduled layover time of 9 minutes at the terminus. We sat and talked for a few minutes in the saloon, before he turned 4934 around at the turning circle, where I crossed the road to get a photograph, as the sun was in a good position. Unlike the outbound journey, which carried myself and a handful of others, the inbound journey picked up quite a bit loading, with about twenty five passengers on board from a rough headcount that I observed from the forwardmost seat on the offside. 4934 is one of the faster Solars at Chester-le-Street, so I don't mind it. 5201 and 5202 are alright, while 4926, 4930 and 4931 are all sheds. 4927 and 4928, I am indifferent to, while 4929 is arguably the best in my opinion. 

10:00 20A 5425 Durham Bus Station to Houghton-le-Spring Church
Upon return to Durham, I thanked my friend and alighted, while he set off on a return trip to Langley Park. As nine of the Wright Streetlites recently purchased for the Prince Bishops services entered service in recent days, I had the aim of waiting at the top of the bus station for one to appear, photographing everything coming in in the meantime. Luckily, I didn't have long to wait, as 5425 came after about ten minutes. John Westmoreland, a long-serving driver at Chester-le-Street, was covering at Crook, driving 6301, heading to Bishop Auckland, so I had a brief chat with him as I prepared to board 5425, in the next stand, he had been driving at Deptford for most of the week. I then proceeded to board the Streetlite, sitting on the offside, one row of seats from the back.

11:00 20A 5424 Houghton-le-Spring Church to Durham Bus Station
I took advantage of the charging points and free WiFi for the journey on 5425, which handled the route quite faultlessly. On more than one occasion, we had to wait at a bus stop for a couple of minutes so that the service was back on schedule. I can't count how many times the drivers used to have to put their foot down on a Solar in an attempt to catch back up to the expected time on the running board. After a pleasant journey to Houghton-le-Spring, I alighted and got a few photos. I met with Adam, for those who can cast their minds back, a member who studies at Northumbria University and lives in Eighton Banks (but no longer posts on this forum, who can blame him?), and we returned to Durham together on 5424, another alright journey, aside from being much dirtier than 5425 was. It is amazing how buses can get into such a condition after just a couple of days on the road.

11:45 16A 3887 Durham Bus Station to Stanley Bus Station
After a short wait in Durham Bus Station with Adam, I decided to board the Plaxton President-bodied Dennis Trident that had just entered the bus station with the next 16A for Stanley, while he stayed and waited for the next Castles Express service to Newcastle. I identified it as 3887, which I only just had last Saturday, which was kind of annoying, as I'd hoped for 3886 or 3889, which I haven't travelled on since they left Chester-le-Street in September 2013. The batch of five, which were new to Chester-le-Street in 2001 for the 21/21A/21B services. While the Trident Presidents are now few in number, 3885-3887/89 at Stanley, then 3888/90/91 at Percy Main, they were as a batch of fifteen; with 3881-3891 at Chester-le-Street, and 3892-3895 for Bishop Auckland. As always, I had an overly enjoyable ride on one of them up to Stanley, where it terminated.

12:32 78 5400 Stanley Bus Station to Chester-le-Street Red Lion
I looked around the bus station, to find nothing of any interest was in any of the stands, with a Venture Solo SR on a local run to East Stanley and an unmanned OmniDekka in the uppermost stand, but another Trident President coming in with the 6 from Newcastle caught my eye. I was most annoyed when I saw this was replaced by the OmniDekka, as it would have been a nice trip. However, one of my acquaintances at Chester-le-Street depot, Paul Largue, came in with 5400 on the next 78 to Sunderland, so I decided to go with this. He never fails to amuse me with his thoughts on me and my hobby, but it's merely jesting. A smooth ride back to Chester-le-Street, with standing room only by the time it reached the town centre.

13:36 34A 3878 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Chester-le-Street Corals via Waldridge Park
Yep. Another one of these jaunts on the local Lambton Worm services. I had seen Dennis Trident ELC Lolyne 3878 on a run up to Urpeth Grange as I alighted 5400, and caught have caught it, but I do too many trips up to Urpeth Grange, and decided I wanted a change in scenery, with a trip to Waldridge Park instead. In in the interim period, I stood and made conversation with Gary Wheatley, who has been point supervisor at Chester-le-Street since 1997, and informed me that he is getting an award at the upcoming awards evening for twenty five years of service. When 3878 returned, I boarded and took my seat in the usual spot, at the back on the offside, adjacent to the emergency exit door. The driver, who I think is quite new, must have been confused, as he took the anti-clockwise route that the 34 takes, rather than the clockwise 34A route. Nobody said anything to him, but human error happens. As most will know, I have an attachment to the Lolynes (although not as strong as the B10BLEs), having featured in my hometown for many years, since the arrival of 3801-3804 for the 724 (Bishop Auckland-Newcastle). 3878 is my personal favourite, and I will be deeply saddened when it is finally withdrawn, which isn't too far away from now...

Thanks for reading.

Went out today to Consett for a bus trip with the other half. Here's the rundown.

11:07 10 Prudhoe Waterworld - Eldon Square Bus Station (GNE 6080)

This was a busy journey as the bus was quite full, got off at Eldon Square and went to M&S for some shopping before going back to the bus station to go to Consett.

12:17 46 Eldon Square Bus Station - Consett Bus Station (GNE 5416)

This wasn't the best of journeys only due to the weather being warm and only 3 Windows on the Red Kite Streetlites that can be opened. Quite a nice route though. Got off at Consett Bus Station and went to Barry's Bargain Store and then Iceland and then back to the bus station. Decided to get the train home from Durham due to having frozen food so got the 15A to Durham.

13:49 15A Consett Bus Station - Durham Bus Station (GNE 6009)

Not a bad journey to Durham which didn't take too long. Thankfully the Presidents have plenty of Windows as was quite hot on the bus. Walked to the railway station and purchased tickets and waited.

14:52 Durham Railway Station - Central Station (Cross Country 221???)

Was going to wait for a Virgin East Coast but it would be a 35 min wait so grudgingly got on one of the Cross Country Voyagers which I personally have a severe distaste for and are my least favourite trains. As usual no empty seats resulting in standing by the toilet in the corridor (Coach F) Which isn't the best place to stand. One thing I notice every time I get these there's an awful smell upon boarding, like hot metal or something like that. Also the door into the coach closed as I was halfway through after boarding.

15:24 Central Station - Prudhoe Railway Station (Northern 156484)

This was a much more pleasant journey with the train only stopping at MetroCentre on the way. Managed to get a table seat which was useful as my backpack was full of shopping and quite heavy. This was one of the smoothest journeys I have ridden on the 156 fleet.

15:43 10B Prudhoe Railway Station - Prudhoe Front Street (GNE 6081)

Luckily as we stepped off the train the bus was approaching. And boarded and proceeded up to the Front Street where we alighted.


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Had a good day out today on a North East Explorer ticket.

09:10 X21 6307 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
The first vehicle of the day was Streetdeck 6307, on the first X21 of the day Bishop Auckland-bound from Chester-le-Street, the 09:11 from the Red Lion; 08:39 from Newcastle. When heading north on an Explorer, I have made a habit of catching the same board through to Newcastle, the 07:59 from Chester-le-Street Corals. Boarded 6307 and the driver issued me my Explorer, before I headed upstairs, taking a seat at the front on the offside. I have to say that the added extras to the Castles Express Streetdecks, such as the charging sockets, gives me more incentive to use the X21 over the competing X12. The journey through to Durham was smooth and punctual.

09:32 43 7444 Durham Bus Station to Durham Bus Station via Ushaw Moor
As 6307 entered the bus station, I spied two Y-reg Lowlanders in adjacent stands to one another. I identified one as 7444, still in it's original livery, with the old Arriva logos on the sides, while the second was 7440. The former was on the 43 to Esh Winning, and the latter was due to be the operate 46 to Crook. Given that I'd already had 7440 for haulage, I decided to go with 7444. My original intention had been to travel only as far as Ushaw Moor, then catch a 43 or 48 back, but I ended up enjoying the ride so much that I stayed on for a circular around Esh Winning, then the return trip to Durham. I think 7444 is now my favourite of the remaining Lowlanders, it has an excellent Voith gearbox and retarder, and it rattles like a box of nails. 

10:33 64 2838 Durham North Road to Arnison Centre
Upon returning to Durham, I had a walk out onto North Road, spotting one of the Optare Solos that make up the allocation at Belmont depot on the 64 to the Arnison Centre. As I've had limited experience of the Belmont Solos, I decided to go with it, and then catch something onwards from there. I boarded and took a seat at the back on the offside, next to the emergency exit door. The service left North Road with a fair loading of about fifteen passengers, with a number boarding and alighting on the journey to the Arnison Centre. The Allison transmission (something I rarely experience) was interesting to listen to, accompanied by the usual squeaks of a Solo's brakes. 

11:02 50 5256 Arnison Centre to Chester-le-Street Corals
Following an alright journey on 2838, I decided to head back to Chester-le-Street and then catch a 36 across to Houghton-le-Spring so that I could meet with Adrian. When I checked the times, I was happy to see that I had connected nicely with a 50 that was due within ten minutes. After crossing the car park at Sainsbury's, I had a wait time of around five minutes before the South Shields-bound 50 came into view. It was in the hands of 5256, which was running on-time. I hadn't travelled on 5256 since it left Chester-le-Street depot for Washington last month.

11:44 36 4945 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Houghton-le-Spring Church
I floated around the bottom of the Front Street for around twenty minutes, observing the usual late Saturday morning goings-on, before I sighted Scania L94UB 4945, with the next 36 to Town End Farm. Still looking resplendent in it's recently applied repaint, it turned around at the market place and proceeded to pick up at the usual stand, where I boarded. The journey to Houghton-le-Spring was largely uneventful, just the average Solar journey. I'll probably miss them when they're gone, but right now, there are more rateable things to be on. Adrian was perched around the corner from the church, so I alighted and walked around to meet with him.

12:23 20A 5420 Houghton-le-Spring Church to Durham Bus Station
We got a few photos before the heavens opened, and we decided to catch the next Prince Bishops to Durham. The plan had been to jump on and off where the 20/20A meet on the route, but due to the weather conditions, we decided not to bother and just stay on the bus until Durham. 5420 was operating this run, my third one of the new Streetlites to clear for haulage. We sat towards the rear, one row of seats from the back, as is common procedure for me on Streetlites. The charging sockets and WiFi worked fine, as expected with the new vehicles, but two guys got on at Gilesgate that absolutely stank of urine, so that ruined the journey somewhat. Was pleased to be off.

13:15 16A 4903 Durham Bus Station to Stanley Bus Station
Omnicity 5247 was broken down in the top layover bay at Durham, so I went to get a photo. Not long afterwards, B10BLE 4903 came in with the 16A to Stanley. As it's listed for withdrawal, and on temporary loan to Stanley (where it is likely to live out it's remaining days), I didn't even give Adrian a choice in the matter, and more-or-less dragged him across to board it. We sat at the back for this journey and enjoyed listening to this fine machine as it climbed the hills into Sacriston; the 16/16A have some nice sections to the route, similar to the 43 to Esh Winning that I sampled in the morning, but then have some bad sections. We alighted at Stanley, where the 16A terminates.

14:13 X31 5253 Stanley Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
Our next move was one of the express services to Newcastle. We'd been intending to catch the 14:00 X31 from Stanley, and it eventually showed up, 13 minutes late. After overhearing the drivers talking while they changed over, the driver who was being relieved claimed to have arrived into Newcastle 38 minutes late, so fair play to him for getting to Stanley with such a quick recovery. We sat next to the emergency exit on 5253, which was operating this run, and the driver floored it to Newcastle, arriving into Eldon Square just before 15:00.

15:01 46 2806 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre Interchange
In order to get some more value for money for my Explorer, I encouraged Adrian that heading to Haymarket for something Arriva-operated was best. We boarded Solo 2806 on the 46 to Featherstone Grove, departing on-time and having a short and quick run up to Regent Centre. We spent quite a while getting photos here, observing many Arriva ALX400s on the local Jesmond services, before I decided that we would head up to the Airport on the Metro so that it was included in the day's log.

15:40 T&W Metro 4008+4053 Regent Centre to Airport
We had a 10 minute wait on the platform, but 4008 and 4053 eventually arrived with the service to the Airport. Sat at some of the sideways-facing seats in 4008 for the journey up to the Airport. I quite like this section of the South Hylton-Airport line, it's largely quiet from my experience of it, when compared to the likes of Heworth-Haymarket.

16:05 T&W Metro 4053+4008 Airport to Kingston Park
Just decided to get the same units south, as I'd decided to aim for the 17:09 X21 out of Newcastle home. Adrian managed to get the front seats before me (and proceeded to wind me up about it), with 4053 (now leading the train) carrying only ourselves and a couple of others who had boarded at Callerton Parkway. At Kingston Park, Adrian suggested that we bailed for a few photos and then caught a Stagecoach X47 back to Newcastle, so some Stagecoach had been covered.

16:36 X47 22411 Kingston Park to Newcastle New Bridge Street
We spent about fifteen minutes getting photos of Metros and ALX300s here, including the surprise of a Gateshead Central Taxis 16-plate Wright Streetlite WF on the Tesco Free Bus. Due to the delays in the city centre with the rugby thingy being on, we were waiting quite a while at the bus stop, but 22411 soon appeared, followed closely behind by 22410. We went with the former, I think I've had all of the X47-branded ALX300s for haulage by now so I'm not bothered by any of them. The ALX300s themselves are fine machines if maintained well, but they're Germans so naturally they're heavy drinkers.

17:03 X21 6301 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
Arrived back into Newcastle at 16:55, and walked from New Bridge Street back into Eldon Square. I parted ways with Adrian at the neck of the bus station; he headed up to the stand for the X1 back to Washington while I headed down for the X21. 6301 was operating this run, with my favourite Crook driver at the wheel. He's always pleasant with me when he sees me, and I seem to get him on the X21 quite a lot. Sat downstairs on the nearside at the back (I wish they had a charging socket on the offside, where I prefer to sit, but that would interfere with the emergency exit door).

Thanks for reading, I hope to see some of you tomorrow at the open day.

We decided to head south, this weekend - Big'un had planned a route out, a while back, so we went with that one.

We managed (by necessity) to set off a little earlier than usual and arrived at Durham marketplace on the 22 just before 9:30. The traffic was remarkably light. Our bus was one of the 24 branded Pulsars - can't remember which. I discovered, the other day, that the back seats in this batch of vehicles are surprisingly deep and squishy, so that's where we sat. The trade off was a hot bum, of course!

Popped to the loo and into Pret (M&S still verboten) and walked down to the bus station to watch the goings on for a little while before boarding GNE 660 on the 208 at 10am. Our plan was to take it right through to Peterlee as we'd never done that before. It's a long 70 minute ride (half as long again as the ANE 22 and 24) but it was interesting taking all the back streets we'd never driven down before. Was slightly surprised to see our style of house replicated far wider than our own locality - ours is ex NCB but a lot of ex LA houses have the exact same footprint and basic layout. It was obviously a typical postwar social housing design in the region. The last part of the journey hugs the coast fairly closely, which tied in nicely with the next couple of stages of our journey. There were long sections of this journey when we were the only passengers.

Our next Bus was the 11:17 24 from Peterlee to Hartlepool - ANE 1599. Nowt to write home about, as if done this journey a fair few times, just not on this vehicle, which I more usually catch on the 22!

A very short walk and just a 5 minute wait for the SNE 1 to Middlesbrough. Big'un really wanted to do this and was doubly pleased that we'd ended up with a SPD, 35157. Boarding was a bit disconcerting, as the whole floor at the entrance of the bus bent every time someone stepped on board. There was an alarming amount of movement! Inside, though, the seats were fresh and clean looking and the general effect was quite spartan.

This was a surprisingly fascinating route. Once the driver had had a wazz at Seaton Carew (impressive beach there!), we wound through all the industrial estates along the coast, past the power station, bird sanctuary and so on.

We took a break for lunch and nose powdering in Middlesbrough, emerging from Debenhams (loos and not M&S!) to find the drizzle had become a bit more. We fast walked and then trotted over to the bus station and it started coming down stair rods as soon as we got through the door. Our next vehicle was another Pulsar on the 13:12 X67. The back seats in this Max vehicle were definitely not squishy and it's one of the rather rattly vehicles, so we sat in the 2nd row from the back.

The weather was a little better once we got to Darlo, so we stretched our legs a little before going for a coffee and cake.

The next part of Big'un's plan was to get the X1 on Crook, so we ended up on 1594 at 14:30. Notice that the engine sound was different to what we normally hear in a streetlite. Much less like Chewbacca and ore like the streetdecks on the Castles Express. Of course, this is one of the Euro 6 streetlites in the fleet!

This service is always well loaded, but today it was mostly with people who got on my nerves.

We'd just missed a 46 when we arrived at Crook, so went for a bit of a wander. The Weardale MAN/Wright meridian was parked up, so big'un stopped for a few pictures of that. We then went on a mercy mission to the Co-op because those damned mice had eaten every last biscuit in the house, again.

The next 46 pulled into the stop about the same time as we got back there. This one was another Pulsar - 1477. This one is missing a couple of chrome rings from its Wright badge, at the moment. Unfortunately, we never got chance to find out how good a Pulsar this one is, as we were stuck behind a pigging Fiat Panda, which seemed to be incapable of going faster than 30mph uphill. We were the only passengers for much of this journey.

We got into Durham with about 20 minutes to spare before our 16:37 22 home, so Big'un went to take some photos on the North Road roundabout. Our vehicle was an incredibly workaday streetlite - 1601, this time.

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Canny picture that BLM......must be getting time for a flickr account.

Canny picture that BLM......must be getting time for a flickr account.

I'm thinking that, too. He got a fair few decent pics, yesterday. Cheapy bomb proof camera (needs to be!) But good composition. 

He's got a good mentor as well, of course

Had a good day out today on a North East Explorer ticket.

09:10 X21 6307 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
The first vehicle of the day was Streetdeck 6307, on the first X21 of the day Bishop Auckland-bound from Chester-le-Street, the 09:11 from the Red Lion; 08:39 from Newcastle. When heading north on an Explorer, I have made a habit of catching the same board through to Newcastle, the 07:59 from Chester-le-Street Corals. Boarded 6307 and the driver issued me my Explorer, before I headed upstairs, taking a seat at the front on the offside. I have to say that the added extras to the Castles Express Streetdecks, such as the charging sockets, gives me more incentive to use the X21 over the competing X12. The journey through to Durham was smooth and punctual.

09:32 43 7444 Durham Bus Station to Durham Bus Station via Ushaw Moor
As 6307 entered the bus station, I spied two Y-reg Lowlanders in adjacent stands to one another. I identified one as 7444, still in it's original livery, with the old Arriva logos on the sides, while the second was 7440. The former was on the 43 to Esh Winning, and the latter was due to be the operate 46 to Crook. Given that I'd already had 7440 for haulage, I decided to go with 7444. My original intention had been to travel only as far as Ushaw Moor, then catch a 43 or 48 back, but I ended up enjoying the ride so much that I stayed on for a circular around Esh Winning, then the return trip to Durham. I think 7444 is now my favourite of the remaining Lowlanders, it has an excellent Voith gearbox and retarder, and it rattles like a box of nails. 

10:33 64 2838 Durham North Road to Arnison Centre
Upon returning to Durham, I had a walk out onto North Road, spotting one of the Optare Solos that make up the allocation at Belmont depot on the 64 to the Arnison Centre. As I've had limited experience of the Belmont Solos, I decided to go with it, and then catch something onwards from there. I boarded and took a seat at the back on the offside, next to the emergency exit door. The service left North Road with a fair loading of about fifteen passengers, with a number boarding and alighting on the journey to the Arnison Centre. The Allison transmission (something I rarely experience) was interesting to listen to, accompanied by the usual squeaks of a Solo's brakes. 

11:02 50 5256 Arnison Centre to Chester-le-Street Corals
Following an alright journey on 2838, I decided to head back to Chester-le-Street and then catch a 36 across to Houghton-le-Spring so that I could meet with Adrian. When I checked the times, I was happy to see that I had connected nicely with a 50 that was due within ten minutes. After crossing the car park at Sainsbury's, I had a wait time of around five minutes before the South Shields-bound 50 came into view. It was in the hands of 5256, which was running on-time. I hadn't travelled on 5256 since it left Chester-le-Street depot for Washington last month.

11:44 36 4945 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Houghton-le-Spring Church
I floated around the bottom of the Front Street for around twenty minutes, observing the usual late Saturday morning goings-on, before I sighted Scania L94UB 4945, with the next 36 to Town End Farm. Still looking resplendent in it's recently applied repaint, it turned around at the market place and proceeded to pick up at the usual stand, where I boarded. The journey to Houghton-le-Spring was largely uneventful, just the average Solar journey. I'll probably miss them when they're gone, but right now, there are more rateable things to be on. Adrian was perched around the corner from the church, so I alighted and walked around to meet with him.

12:23 20A 5420 Houghton-le-Spring Church to Durham Bus Station
We got a few photos before the heavens opened, and we decided to catch the next Prince Bishops to Durham. The plan had been to jump on and off where the 20/20A meet on the route, but due to the weather conditions, we decided not to bother and just stay on the bus until Durham. 5420 was operating this run, my third one of the new Streetlites to clear for haulage. We sat towards the rear, one row of seats from the back, as is common procedure for me on Streetlites. The charging sockets and WiFi worked fine, as expected with the new vehicles, but two guys got on at Gilesgate that absolutely stank of urine, so that ruined the journey somewhat. Was pleased to be off.

13:15 16A 4903 Durham Bus Station to Stanley Bus Station
Omnicity 5247 was broken down in the top layover bay at Durham, so I went to get a photo. Not long afterwards, B10BLE 4903 came in with the 16A to Stanley. As it's listed for withdrawal, and on temporary loan to Stanley (where it is likely to live out it's remaining days), I didn't even give Adrian a choice in the matter, and more-or-less dragged him across to board it. We sat at the back for this journey and enjoyed listening to this fine machine as it climbed the hills into Sacriston; the 16/16A have some nice sections to the route, similar to the 43 to Esh Winning that I sampled in the morning, but then have some bad sections. We alighted at Stanley, where the 16A terminates.

14:13 X31 5253 Stanley Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
Our next move was one of the express services to Newcastle. We'd been intending to catch the 14:00 X31 from Stanley, and it eventually showed up, 13 minutes late. After overhearing the drivers talking while they changed over, the driver who was being relieved claimed to have arrived into Newcastle 38 minutes late, so fair play to him for getting to Stanley with such a quick recovery. We sat next to the emergency exit on 5253, which was operating this run, and the driver floored it to Newcastle, arriving into Eldon Square just before 15:00.

15:01 46 2806 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre Interchange
In order to get some more value for money for my Explorer, I encouraged Adrian that heading to Haymarket for something Arriva-operated was best. We boarded Solo 2806 on the 46 to Featherstone Grove, departing on-time and having a short and quick run up to Regent Centre. We spent quite a while getting photos here, observing many Arriva ALX400s on the local Jesmond services, before I decided that we would head up to the Airport on the Metro so that it was included in the day's log.

15:40 T&W Metro 4008+4053 Regent Centre to Airport
We had a 10 minute wait on the platform, but 4008 and 4053 eventually arrived with the service to the Airport. Sat at some of the sideways-facing seats in 4008 for the journey up to the Airport. I quite like this section of the South Hylton-Airport line, it's largely quiet from my experience of it, when compared to the likes of Heworth-Haymarket.

16:05 T&W Metro 4053+4008 Airport to Kingston Park
Just decided to get the same units south, as I'd decided to aim for the 17:09 X21 out of Newcastle home. Adrian managed to get the front seats before me (and proceeded to wind me up about it), with 4053 (now leading the train) carrying only ourselves and a couple of others who had boarded at Callerton Parkway. At Kingston Park, Adrian suggested that we bailed for a few photos and then caught a Stagecoach X47 back to Newcastle, so some Stagecoach had been covered.

16:36 X47 22411 Kingston Park to Newcastle New Bridge Street
We spent about fifteen minutes getting photos of Metros and ALX300s here, including the surprise of a Gateshead Central Taxis 16-plate Wright Streetlite WF on the Tesco Free Bus. Due to the delays in the city centre with the rugby thingy being on, we were waiting quite a while at the bus stop, but 22411 soon appeared, followed closely behind by 22410. We went with the former, I think I've had all of the X47-branded ALX300s for haulage by now so I'm not bothered by any of them. The ALX300s themselves are fine machines if maintained well, but they're Germans so naturally they're heavy drinkers.

17:03 X21 6301 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
Arrived back into Newcastle at 16:55, and walked from New Bridge Street back into Eldon Square. I parted ways with Adrian at the neck of the bus station; he headed up to the stand for the X1 back to Washington while I headed down for the X21. 6301 was operating this run, with my favourite Crook driver at the wheel. He's always pleasant with me when he sees me, and I seem to get him on the X21 quite a lot. Sat downstairs on the nearside at the back (I wish they had a charging socket on the offside, where I prefer to sit, but that would interfere with the emergency exit door).

Thanks for reading, I hope to see some of you tomorrow at the open day.

Quite a long day, good review

14:52 Durham Railway Station - Central Station (Cross Country 221???)

Was going to wait for a Virgin East Coast but it would be a 35 min wait so grudgingly got on one of the Cross Country Voyagers which I personally have a severe distaste for and are my least favourite trains. As usual no empty seats resulting in standing by the toilet in the corridor (Coach F) Which isn't the best place to stand. One thing I notice every time I get these there's an awful smell upon boarding, like hot metal or something like that. Also the door into the coach closed as I was halfway through after boarding.

I hate Voyagers, had to spend over 3 hours on them yesterday, seats are crap, I don't like the screen things that tell you the seat reservation's, especially as it seems some people who don't have reserved seats will just plonk themselves wherever they please, the interior feels too plasticity and the doors do indeed close on you, got halfway through a door one day when departing and the person in front of me kept letting everyone in the other carriage off before us so I was getting myself trapped with the passenger behind having to press the button to free me, oh and when I got off last night, the area where the doors are smelt a bit like my armpits after a tough session at the gym (no it wasn't me, I checked). As ever with trains the toilets are horrible but for different reasons on these, it was making strange awful noises when I went in last night I thought I was about to be beamed into outer space and I hate all the buttons which unfortunately as I got used to the toilets locking automatically on VTEC I made the mistake of not locking the door the other week so I sort of ended up recreating that Irn Bru advert although it was more recoiling in embarrassment rather than saying "ladies"

Sadly I had no real choice to avoid them yesterday, so I had to bare it. When possible I always try and aim to get VTEC when possible or sometimes TransPennine Express although my problem there is they often seem rammed on them 185's. Wish I knew which CrossCountry journeys tend to use HST's, annoyingly it always seems to be ones heading in the opposite direction to me just to rub it in.

You see, I don't mind the Voyagers. I use them if I need to go to Birmingham, and its a nice change from Class 43's and 91's that I use more often. However, I do think XC First Class menu is rather poor compared to Virgins Trains (East and West Coast).

You see, I don't mind the Voyagers. I use them if I need to go to Birmingham, and its a nice change from Class 43's and 91's that I use more often. However, I do think XC First Class menu is rather poor compared to Virgins Trains (East and West Coast).

Just out of intrest, are you travelling in First or Standard Class when you are on a Voyager? Can imagine it may be more favourable in First than standard.

I don't tend to go First Class purely for cost, although I was tempted to the other Saturday on a journey between Darlington and Doncaster as First was something like only one pound odd more than standard, but I'm tight!

Apart from a trip to Liverpool in June and a Northallerton - Darlington journey at some point in the next few weeks I haven't got any plans to make any rail journeys at the moment. Would quite like to sample a Grand Central 180, a Class 158 and a few other Classes Northern have (the novelty of 142's has worn off now!) few other things I may do at some point if I get chance.

Just out of intrest, are you travelling in First or Standard Class when you are on a Voyager? Can imagine it may be more favourable in First than standard.

I don't tend to go First Class purely for cost, although I was tempted to the other Saturday on a journey between Darlington and Doncaster as First was something like only one pound odd more than standard, but I'm tight!

Apart from a trip to Liverpool in June and a Northallerton - Darlington journey at some point in the next few weeks I haven't got any plans to make any rail journeys at the moment. Would quite like to sample a Grand Central 180, a Class 158 and a few other Classes Northern have (the novelty of 142's has worn off now!) few other things I may do at some point if I get chance.

Normally the fares to Birmingham are rather expensive at the best of times, so it is Standard.  I have hit on lucky once or twice and the price difference was about a couple of quid, so went first instead.

Yesterday i got a nice outing
09 :15 4 36091 wheatsheaf sunderland depot to john street
09 : 30 northern 156448 sunderland to heworth
09 :47 82 8271 heworth to heworth golfclub
09 : 57 q2 8337 heworth golfclub to heworth transport interchange
10 : 05 yellow line 4067 heworth to Gateshead
10 : 15 96 4944 Gateshead interchange to Eldon Square bus station
10 : 30 X11 7605 Haymarket to Gosforth sainsburys
10 : 45 ish x20 7415 Gosforth shops to regent centre
10 : 50 x11 7411 regent centre to haymarket
11 : 05 6 3885 Eldon squre to central station
11 :30 northern 156448 newcastle to seaham
12 :19 northern 156484 seaham to sunderland
12 :40 4 360?? Sunderland to East herrington
12 : 55 x35 5209 east herrington to sunderland
13 : 03 x36 5212 sunderland to wheatsheaf depot
13 : 48 x36 4973 wheatsheaf to john street
14 :00 ish 39 8258 city centre to ryhope village
14 : 25 39 4907 ryhope village to sunderland
14 : 36 x36 5217 sunderland fawcett street to downhill circle to sunderland interchange
15 : 38 35 5327 sunderland interchange to boldon cinema
16 :25 x36 5212 boldon cinema to downhill
16 : 43 99 565 downhill to royal hospital
17 :07 18 36086 royal hospital to fullwell grange.
A fairley good day i began on 36091 this bus was quite nice one of the better examples,i was only on for a stop so was alright.
I hoped a sprinter as the majority of pacers arent my favourites after 10 minutes of waiting 156448 shows up with my ride to heworth.
On board it was a canny journey i observed 156484 pass as it was my favourite sprinter i thought to get a ride upon it later in the day.
At heworth i hoped to find a renown but what caught my eye was 8271 on the 82 i went round and boarded this.
I planned to go to washington on this but when onboard loads of vibration noises started happening so i alighted near to the golf club.
My next ride was 8337 the next stop announcements were turned down which was a downer.
At heworth i went straight for the metro with just a 2 minute wait 4067 comes in,this was a short hop i very much enjoyed it though.
As i missed 4898 by seconds on the loop i noticed the 96 was due for Newcastle i walked round and hoped a renown or something that was good haulage to my disappointment 4944 showed up another solar as i had 4933 not that long ago on the 96.
The journey was decent passed a few buses one of which was a castle express.
I observed eldon Square seeing only 6130 that was decent on the 6 but i decided other wise and headed to haymarket i noted 7474 but i had 7480 a few weeks ago so left it , i noted 7605 come in with a x11 so joined the que once onboard the journey skyrocketed a fair few kickdowns also.
I alighted at Gosforth to head to sainsburys i got some bottles of smart water and a 25 p freddo.
I just left the shop when y182cfs passed me i was realy upset from this and there was no buses coming so crossed over and got 7415 to the regent centre.
As i went to get the metro to sunderland my bad luck got even worse when by seconds i missed 4001 and 40 so walked back to get a bus.
7411 came for this journey i was glad to clear this for haulage i noted the hand rails were different to 7415s we got plenty of kickdowns after Gosforth.
I entered Eldon squre and seen 4923 boarding for service 11 i quickly raced round but it unfortunately departed.
Afrer a 5 minute wait 3885 came in with service 6 i just took my chances and boarded this.
Fine revs from this fine machine i alighted at central station to get the 11 :30 Nunthorpe train ,on the station i noted 156481 boarding for carlisle i was tempted to get this to metrocentre but it would mean i couldnt get 156484.
156448 came in soon after just a nice journey i noted the nexus man on this aswell , i purchased a ticket to travel up to seaham , we arrived in just after 11.
I observed two darts on service 238 near to the station, soon after this 156484 came in quite a few people on this the engine revv was extremely cool.
I went to get a 4 for east herrington another enviro 200 turned up for this run.
I awaited the 20 but 5209 comes first with service x35 a full thrash from this marvellous machine.
Next up was 5212 a short journey to the wheatsheaf i was going to get 6034 on the 9 but i decided otherwise.
I observed sunderland depot and also a pop in tesco soon after this i got another x36 back to Sunderland with 4973 a nice little journey with its voith engine
I went to get service 39 and to my disappointment 8258 was on this journey, water leaked through the ventalation of this bus.
I was pleased my journey back was operated by 4907 this proved ok i personaly think its ok for short ride but not the best renown ive traveled on.
I took a trip on 5217 on the short x36 it was an ok ride but i can see why this short version is withdrawn now.
5327 was next up for haulage it proved a nice ride the mercadies engine is quite something.
I got 5212 a second time this was decent to ride on for several minutes, 565 was my next journey im quite saddend that the 99 will be withdrawn by Go north east but if its not making money...
My last ride of the day was another enviro 200 in the form of 36086 just boring and dull though.
Thanks for reading

I observed sunderland depot and also a pop in tesco soon after this i got another x36 back to Sunderland with 4973 a nice little journey with its voith engine

Voith don't make engines, they make transmission systems.

4973 has a Scania DS9? engine.

Voith don't make engines, they make transmission systems.

4973 has a Scania DS9? engine.

Scania 9.4L DC9, Coupled to a ZF 4HP Gearbox.

The family open day held at Go North East's Riverside depot today was a mixed bag for me. I travelled to the event with the Northern National Restoration Group's 4855 (R855 PRG), a Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown, as most will know, being picked up at bang-on 09:00 from my local stop. 

We met with Jonothan Ruddick's Leyland National Mk2 4708 at the Team Valley and travelled to Riverside in convoy with it, but things went wrong when we tried to enter Riverside with 4708. The depot manager was of the understanding that only one preserved bus was expected to be in attendence, and seemed dismayed at two turning up. Craig had been asked to bring two NNRG buses, and 4855 and 4708 were selected. As 4855 suddenly suffered an oil leak while it was waiting to go in, it was refused admission, and 4708 was asked to go to the coach park, which 4855 followed in afterwards. Nobody was particularly happy about being delegated to the coach park...

As we were at the coach park for about 10:15, and the event didn't start until 11:00, we had to twiddle our thumbs to pass the time. I engaged in conversation with Billy Cook, a Riverside driver who mainly works on the X66 rota, once nominated for the UK Top National Bus Driver Award in 2009. He had brought 5404 to the coach park, which was alongside 6085 and three Streetdecks. Just before 11:00, he took the Streetlite out on a shuttle to Riverside, so I boarded and sat in my usual spot on a Streetlite. Upon arrival at the depot, I joined the end of the queue to enter, and not long afterwards, I was in the depot. 

I walked across to see Ben Stoves, a driver friend from Chester-le-Street depot, who was driving Volvo B9TL 6047 on the bus wash rides. I sat behind the stairs for this ride; 6047 was required for haulage and I'd not been through a bus wash before, so I was happy enough to try it out. I quite enjoyed it, and after about fifteen minutes, during which time I chatted with John Westmoreland and northern156, and Westy was asked to take another vehicle on the bus wash rides. He took 6046, meaning two Tyne Tees Express B9s were operating it, and we did a trip with him. Another one cleared for haulage.

Following this, we did a tour of the main building. I quite liked the Service Delivery Centre, and at the end, I got to see Cath Bell (now Assistant Depot Manager at Stanley), who used to drive my scholars a few years ago when she was based at Chester-le-Street, then moving to Deptford, and now at Stanley. After this, we exited the main building (after northern156 was left disappointed at hearing the news he couldn't be a driver for just one day per week, with the minumum being two) and noticed that Ben was now driving 3942 on the bus wash shuttles, which had now died down in demand, as John Westmoreland had seemingly stopped doing them alongside him. We had another trip (my third of the day), being the quietest that I'd been on.

After this, northern156 and I caught 6133 (which was the other vehicle operating alongside 5404 on the shuttles) back to the coach park, where I sat on 4855 for a while, and northern156 and MurdnunoC queued for a test drive experience. It was the former who was wanting to drive a bus, and he ended up with 3973, so I joined them as a passenger. I have to say, he did very well, although based on what others said, 3973 was arguably the nicest Vyking there. He then had a trip back to Riverside with MurdnunoC, while I conversed with Craig on 4855. About an hour or so passed, before I saw Sean again, looking to drive another Vyking as the queue length had died down. He had 3966, which he handled well again. You can imagine the surprise I got when the instructor offered me the chance to drive it myself, which I happily took up. I was initially confused, as I don't hold a licence nor am I old enough to, but he insisted that it was perfectly alright, as the training circuit was on private land at the coach park. After being acquainted with the cab features and how to make the vehicle turn a wheel, I set off. My first circuit was interesting, as I kept slamming my foot down on the air brakes, nearly killing both him and northern156 when I panicked on a corner. But, when I then went around for a second time, I did much better. I really did enjoy driving 3966, and it must have been the highlight of my day. 

The return journey was made in 4855, making a pitstop at Chester-le-Street depot so that Ian could start his shift. I was dropped back off at my local stop at 15:45, and I walked home for 16:00. In spite of the initial hiccup and then being delegated to the coach park for the rest of the day, the event itself was enjoyable, and I had the chance to drive my first bus. A good day overall, thanks for reading.

On Sunday 22 May I visited Scarborough Bus Fest. This was the event’s maiden year and it was really enjoyable. I travelled down by train, catching the 09.35 Birmingham service from Newcastle Central. This was a good journey without any problems and we arrived at York on time. I was scheduled to have a few minutes in York before catching the Scarborough train which was coming from Liverpool. This train was delayed by 14 minutes so I decided to get some photos of First Bus and Transdev vehicles outside the station. It had been a few years since I had last been in York and I made the most of my time to get some spotting in. I was surprised to see owner operator Robson (Coach 42) of Bedlington with his single Iveco going past the station.

I boarded my Scarborough connection after a last minute platform change and soon we were on our way. I had last been to Scarborough as a teenager with my parents. I was excited to see how it had changed over the years. I spent most of the journey looking out the window at the lush agricultural land. Castle Howard one of the North’s largest stately homes is near to the route. In next to no time we were approaching Scarborough. We passed the garage of Shoreline Suncruisers on the approach to the station and there were plenty of deckers in their yard. We also passed the East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) depot which is right next to the railway station.

On leaving the train, I made my way round to the EYMS depot. There were about 20 vehicles in the yard and I was able to spot and photograph most of these with ease. I had not spotted any EYMS vehicles before so this was a real treat. Next I walked to what I remembered being the bus station. However I was greeted with the sight of car park with the former buildings demolished. What I shame, I recall United Bristol LHs and VRTs operating from here when I was about 15.

It being a nice morning I decided to take a slow walk to the rally site near Peasholm Park This took me about 20 minutes at an ambling pace since I wished to clear my head after the train journey. I found the rally easily enough, the park being well signposted. The organisers had chosen a good location, it was held in the car park of the local leisure pool, which had it’s facilities open to rally goers. The adjacent park was popular with local and tourists. It benefited from plenty of swings etc for children. Nearby was a miniature steam railway which was open for trade. The seafront was only 5 minutes walk away.

The control bus, which was an EYMS vehicle was at the entrance to the rally. The bus and adjacent sales stand were well manned by West Riding Bus Group (WRBG) members. They were clearly identifiable wearing hi-viz. WRBG members were also among the vehicles on display as well. Here they co-ordinated vehicle movements and dealt with enquiries from visitors. I felt this was a well organised system as you knew where to go and who to speak to if you had a problem or query. Members of the WRBG were also promoting the rally programme.

The programme cost £3.00 and was printed on glossy paper. This was a really useful well presented guide. It shared roughly the same format as the 500 Group’s recent running day programme. It had pictures and descriptions of the vehicles attending. It also gave general information about the rally and a service timetable. The timetable showed which vehicles were scheduled to operate each service. A useful idea was also to show which vehicles were DDA compliant. This allowed families with buggies to plan their day. Any profits from programme sales were to be given to the local RNLI who had a stall present.

There were approximately 20-25 vehicles at the event. Not all vehicles listed in the programme were present, but there were also some surprises. United were well represented along with a good contingent of vehicles from Humberside and buses with Plaxton bodywork. Scarborough was the former home of Plaxton’s works. I made a good tour of the site and photographed the vehicles present. I then took my first bus ride which was a former United Olympian. It was about 13.00 so I travelled back into the town centre. Here I got some lunch, explored the shopping streets and visited the beach. I then walked back upto the town centre and did a bit spotting near the railway station. As well as EYMS vehicles, I also spotted Transdev and Arriva deckers.

The rally organisers had use of a centrally placed bus stop in the town centre. This was opposite the Wetherspoons (Lord Roseberry). The stop was clearly labelled with rally details and a timetable. From here I caught a preserved Bristol LH. The driver stopped near the sea front and asked any of the children on the bus if they wanted their photos taken in the driver’s seat. I thought this was a nice touch and a good way of getting families involved.

Next we had a great journey along the busy seafront. The beach was very popular with holiday makers. Unfortunately traffic was a bit bad at times, the donkeys seemed to be moving faster! I spotted EYMS and Shoreline open toppers plying their trade along the way. The weather was glorious as we made our way to the rally site. The full circular route was scheduled to take about 40 minutes.

Back at the rally, a good crowd turned had out. There were plenty of enthusiasts present but more importantly locals and tourists having a look round. It had a real family atmosphere as pensioners from the nearby miners’ home reminisced whilst young kids played in the sun. At one point enthusiasts seemed to be outnumbered by mums with pushchairs. This is how a rally should be, an event for all the community to visit and enjoy.

I got some more photos and had a look around the stalls. There was a good turn out of traders selling books, photos, old timetables and model buses. There were also food and drink stalls. I bought some good bargain books of North East bus operators dating from the 1960s. I then queued for more bus rides. Most popular vehicle of day was Keith Andrews’s open topper Bristol VRT. It ended up doing extra unscheduled journeys to keep up with demand. Mums and kids seemed to love this VRT and it was exhilarating thrashing along the seafront. The WRBG volunteers were doing a great job keeping everyone informed of the extra journeys. My favourite vehicle was a 1952 Austin in the livery of former Darlington operator Scotts Greys.

Time was getting on so I caught a Plaxton Derwent bodied Leopard back into town alighting opposite Wetherspoons. I did a bit of spotting and got some photos before catching the 15.53 Trans Pennine service back to York. At York I got some more photos outside the station. I also spotted one of Jim Hughes Mercedes coaches. My final train was the 17:25 Cross-Country service which was going to Edinburgh Waverley. I was lucky to get a good window seat. We arrived back in Newcastle on time, tired but happy.

It had been a brilliant day out, even the delayed train was a positive as it allowed me to do some spotting in York. The rally was really interesting and well organised. There was a good turn out of vehicles present and lots of interest from within the local community. The vintage bus service was well planned and followed a lovely scenic route. The rally site is probably big enough to accommodate 30-40 buses so there is scope for expansion in the future.

I will definitely visit this rally if it’s held again next year. Well done WRBG.

Finally on a personal note the 22nd May was my first birthday as a born again bus enthusiast. I took up the hobby after many years break on 22 May 2015. My first trip on that date was to Alnwick where I looked around Rothbury Motors’ yard and took a trip on Spirit Buses.

Hope you enjoyed the review.

Charles

Great review Charles,

I was originally going to head down to this event, but unfortunately after my adventure the previous day where I was out for 17 hours, I woke up on the Sunday morning with my legs aching and had a headache which I still have now which is putting me off doing anything at the moment.

Good to hear it seemed to be a very popular event and it seemed to be well organised, hopefully they will do this again next year.

Had a run out to North Shields 25/05 with the other half as we wanted to check where Parks Leisure Centre was as i am going there on Saturday for ScreenCon which is being held there. Times are what is displayed on the tickets.

10:05 10 Prudhoe Waterworld - Ryton Co-Op (GNE 3964)

Wasn't impressed with this one, out of the red B7's they use for the 10 route spares this is by far my least favourite of the fleet. Makes a right noise. Decided to get off at Ryton and change to a branded TEN bus.

10:23 10A Ryton Co-Op - Eldon Square Bus Station (GNE 6071)

As we waited along came 6071 running on 10A to greet us which we boarded to get to Newcastle. We sat in our usual default seat above the driver. This was a lot quieter on board the 10 which was quite busy. We alighted at Eldon Square Bus Station and headed to Haymarket Bus Station.

11:13 310 Haymarket Bus Station - North Shields, Rudyerd Street (GNE 6109)

This arrived at Haymarket at about 12 mins past 11. I guess this was the late running 11am as we got further away from Newcastle City Centre I spotted what was the 11:30 coming the other way which was on a red spare. Didn't catch. The fleet number as I was on the phone at the time. Not too bad a journey coming out of Newcastle but not too interesting after that as most of it was housing estates. We then alighted at Rudyerd Street in North Shields and waited for the 9.

12:16 9 North Shields, Rudyerd Street - Park Lane Interchange (GNE 5249)

Was expecting a Solar to come which I am not too much of a fan of (except for the Tynedale Xpress Solar's) but to my delight 5249 showed up which I rarely travel on so made a nice change. We sat on the four seaters on the near side at the back due to having a large case as the other half has been staying at my place all week. This wasn't too bad of a journey before the Tyne Tunnel which was nice to go through as I haven't been through here in years. The rest of the journey south of the Tyne was a bore fest, with it being mainly housing estates. Didn't pick up again until we got into Sunderland city centre. We alighted at Park Lane Interchange with the intention of getting the 2/2A or 8 to Washington.

13:31 2A Park Lane Interchange - Washington Galleries (GNE 8319)

As it was due first we got the 2A to Washington. Preferred to get this as I don't travel on Versa's too much and wanted to sample some variety of buses. We sat on the back seat due to needing space for the case. Nice journey to Washington with passing such places as Penshaw Monument along the way with the only annoyance being stuck behind a learner driver going under the speed limit between Penshaw and Biddick. We alighted at The Gallieries and walked to Albany to drop the case off at her house.

14:38 4 Albany, Albany Way - Concord Bus Station (GNE 5368)

We walked up to the bus stop on Albany Way and got the 4 to Concord Bus Station. This was quite busy but we managed to get a seat for the short journey to Concord.

14:53 56 Concord Bus Station - Gateshead Interchange (GNE 6096)

After waiting for around 10 mins 6096 showed up which was around 4 mins late. Nice to have a change to the usual X1 route which I normally get to Newcastle, with going through Donwell first before Springwell Village. Emma's voice kept cutting off next stops mid sentence on the NSA's on this bus on occasion but not constantly. We alighted at Gateshead Interchange as we wanted to go to Iceland for a bit of shopping and Subway as we hadn't eaten all day. We then headed back to the bus station.

15:46 X21 Gateshead Interchange - Eldon Square Bus Station (GNE 6304)

We boarded 6304 and sat upstairs above the driver like we usually do when available. This was a nice quick journey to Eldon Square Bus Station.

16:16 10B Eldon Square Bus Station - Prudhoe Waterworld (GNE 6081)

After waiting in Eldon Square Bus Station for a while due to the 10 being quite busy so we waited for the next 10B, we boarded 6081 for our return journey to Prudhoe.




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We accidentally managed a journey involving no repeat bus types, today. Even more unusually, it featured no streetlites!

We started off in Durham, having been dropped off there so Big'un could have his head pruned. Grabbed the ritual sarnies and headed down to the bus station in time to hop onto a 16 at 10:40 - 5289. Definitely my favourite batch of Citaros, these.

Straight onto a Venture Solo on the V8 at Stanley at 11:16. Can't remember which one we got, but it wasn't the really rattly one. As always, this bus was very full.

Went to powder our by now shiny noses at the Metrocentre, then sat and ate our lunch and watched the world go by, in the bus station. I can recommend the pret classic club - v tasty (and kept me full until dinnertime, which went down well with MyFitnessPal)

We had decided to catch one of the stagecoach services to the Freeman hospital, for a change of scene. Caught the 12:22 7. Annoyingly, the driver tried to turn us away with our tickets "you can't use Northerns". This vehicle was 25191 - a very uninspiring SPD which struggled on hills.

Having used the route maps available onboard to work out what went where, we decided that we were bored, after the grimness of Kenton (and all the loud gobshite kids) and hopped off just after Fawdon Metro. A 30, which would take us straight into Newcastle wasn't far behind. This driver understood our tickets, at least. This vehicle was an ALX300 - 22034, big'un thinks. This was a nicer ride than the SPD, though I'm assuming there must be a portable ramp stashed away somewhere, or else how the hell is it DDA compliant?

We had a good walk around town, at this point. Some of the worst buskers I've heard in Newcastle for a long time, including a guy torturing a harmonica vaguely along to a backing track. Big'un was disgusted that John Lewis no longer have blueberry muffins in their cafe, so my free cuppa and cake voucher for this month has gone unused.

We grabbed some goodies from Waitrose (mostly pasta meals for Mr Fussy McFussypants, here) and then, after some scouting around, caught 4927, the Y reg Solar on the rather delayed 14:25 X25. Turns out that our trip via the West end was probably a good move, since there had been a rather disruptive incident on the Tyne Bridge, at lunch time.

We left this vehicle at CLS and crossed the road for better light to get a few pictures. We didn't stay long, though as 3872 turned up on the 21 to Durham. Big'un likes this Lolyne, even if it does stink and plods along the A167.

Durham bus station was absolutely heaving. We'd spotted newly repainted ANE 2839 pulling in on the 49, so took a walk the long way round to the roundabout to catch it for a photo, along with a few others. Headed back into the station, once it had passed, as our 22 was pulling in - a lovely, lovely Pulsar - 1520. Probably my favourite ride of the day since the morning's merc!

Got to get my priorites sorted so......what is in a pret club classic?

Mind I hate long hair, I am at the barbers nearly every 3 to 4 weeks.

Good review Charles. I bet you could see the difference in the organisation of the Scarboro rally versus the Metrocentre.

We accidentally managed a journey involving no repeat bus types, today. Even more unusually, it featured no streetlites!

We started off in Durham, having been dropped off there so Big'un could have his head pruned. Grabbed the ritual sarnies and headed down to the bus station in time to hop onto a 16 at 10:40 - 5289. Definitely my favourite batch of Citaros, these.

Straight onto a Venture Solo on the V8 at Stanley at 11:16. Can't remember which one we got, but it wasn't the really rattly one. As always, this bus was very full.

Went to powder our by now shiny noses at the Metrocentre, then sat and ate our lunch and watched the world go by, in the bus station. I can recommend the pret classic club - v tasty (and kept me full until dinnertime, which went down well with MyFitnessPal)

We had decided to catch one of the stagecoach services to the Freeman hospital, for a change of scene. Caught the 12:22 7. Annoyingly, the driver tried to turn us away with our tickets "you can't use Northerns". This vehicle was 25191 - a very uninspiring SPD which struggled on hills.

Having used the route maps available onboard to work out what went where, we decided that we were bored, after the grimness of Kenton (and all the loud gobshite kids) and hopped off just after Fawdon Metro. A 30, which would take us straight into Newcastle wasn't far behind. This driver understood our tickets, at least. This vehicle was an ALX300 - 22034, big'un thinks. This was a nicer ride than the SPD, though I'm assuming there must be a portable ramp stashed away somewhere, or else how the hell is it DDA compliant?

We had a good walk around town, at this point. Some of the worst buskers I've heard in Newcastle for a long time, including a guy torturing a harmonica vaguely along to a backing track. Big'un was disgusted that John Lewis no longer have blueberry muffins in their cafe, so my free cuppa and cake voucher for this month has gone unused.

We grabbed some goodies from Waitrose (mostly pasta meals for Mr Fussy McFussypants, here) and then, after some scouting around, caught 4927, the Y reg Solar on the rather delayed 14:25 X25. Turns out that our trip via the West end was probably a good move, since there had been a rather disruptive incident on the Tyne Bridge, at lunch time.

We left this vehicle at CLS and crossed the road for better light to get a few pictures. We didn't stay long, though as 3872 turned up on the 21 to Durham. Big'un likes this Lolyne, even if it does stink and plods along the A167.

Durham bus station was absolutely heaving. We'd spotted newly repainted ANE 2839 pulling in on the 49, so took a walk the long way round to the roundabout to catch it for a photo, along with a few others. Headed back into the station, once it had passed, as our 22 was pulling in - a lovely, lovely Pulsar - 1520. Probably my favourite ride of the day since the morning's merc!

Interesting review, I seem to always have 22034 by chance (my grandparents live in next to the X77/X78/GNE 74 route) and the past ten times eight of them on the X78 I have had 22034, not great but not rubbish, there is a ramp because I have seen it before. On another note if you want a great SNE SPD catch 35192, I use them regularly on the 32/32A and the 7 to/from my school so I know plenty about those buses, and 35191 is worst of all and if you want info about the ALX300s 22038, 22408 and 22050 are some of the best (22038 only because of the registration) and the worst is 22031 by far

Ramps on the ALX300 are in the side blind I think or near there anyway

Havent got time to write a review because of the Champions League Final, But heres a Flickr post off today, More will be on soon https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

Today was quite a long day.
08 : 48 x36 5207 Sunderland wheatsheaf depot to Sunderland Homeside.
I planned to go and get the 9 but after 5 minutes of no shows i walked a few stops to the wheatsheaf 5207 was first so took it, quite ok but was just a short journey.
09 :00 2 4925 sunderland homeside to Grangetown roundabout.
This was quite a ride a few gasps of roar from this beauty, alighted in Grangtown with a choice of 4813 or 5376 back.
09:10 60 5376 Grangetown Roundabout to Sunderland interchange.
This was pretty decent i noted the bus needs new branding as its all pealed of.
09 :20 20A 4907 Sunderland interchange to Durham Bus station.
I was expecting a solar or a new pb streetlites and when i so this i couldn't believe it, so pleased as this may be withdrawn shortley , none the less i sat back and enjoyed the journey.
10 : 46 128 5419 Durham Bus station to Beamish main entrance.
I had hoped for 4896 or 4903 or a rare worker but unfortunately 5419 showed i was glad it had wifi though, the journey flu by with some marvellous scenery.
I spent a while at Beamish before leaving to carch the next bus of the day.
12 : 27 ( 12:32) 8 5401 Beamish museum main entrance to Stanley Bus station.
I just thought a plain coast n country would come , but 5401 was up for rides i quite enjoyed this bus compared to many streetlights.
12 : 55 713 W363ABD Stanley Bus Station to Flint Hill ternimus.
I awaited the next bus and to my delight i so W363ABD though i forgot it had urban90 seats at the time , but to be fair they were comfy id recommend this route to anyone the scenery is good , you also pass there garage where Driver change overs take place.
13 : 19 16 547 Flint Hill to Stanley Bus station
The bus back was another dart in the form of 547, i was surprised that this bus lacked speed as it used to be a really good motor.
13 : 46 8 5406 Stanley Bus station to Chester-le-Street south burns.
This was the next ride now a branded streetlight , i charged my phone upon this bus aswell.
14 :20 50 5245 chester le street south burns to Chester-le-Street depot.
I boarded 5245 and noticed the driver was a regular on the x1 must be change of boards for her , 5245 was quite decent a very nice ride.
At chester depot i glared in to see 551 there first i thought it was to replace something but found out its been donating parts to other buses, a few lolynes were at the back of Chester-le-Street aswell.
14 :37 34A 8305 chester le street south burns to the top of front street?
I ventured 2 stops on this stalking versa every time i use the worm this is on.
14 :45 34 4928 Chester le street to south burns
Another short journey this time 4928 it seemed ok i noticed it has no clock.
15 :10 X25 4905 Chester le street to Eldon Square
This was my delightful ride to newcastle it got good power along many roads and a very fun journey.
Shame this bus has to get withdrawn again.
16 :07 x8 7606 Haymarket to South Gosforth roundabout.
I went in to Haymarket in hope of something decent i located 7606 so took it for haulage, this got to speeds along Great north road (now ive been on all 27 of Arrivas Geminis).
16:33 6 22077 South Gosforth roundabout to Gosforth High Street
I was pleased this turned up for haulage a pretty short 5 minute journey.
16 :50 q3 5380 Gosforth high street to Haymarket
This was next up an extreme rare worker and surprisingly it had the next stop announcements for this service aswell.
17 :10 47 4896 Eldon Square to central station
I was pleased 4896 was next for haulage as i haven't had it for a while just plain natural though.
17 :25:metro 4001 /40* central station to seaburn
I was pleased that i had the unrefurbished set back as they are much better.
Thanks for reading