(13 Mar 2016, 12:38 am)R852 PRG wrote Saturday 12th March 2016

Had an enjoyable outing today, using a North East Explorer ticket.

07:57 X21 6303 Chester-le-Street Corals to Newcastle Eldon Square
My day began with an alarm at 07:00. Leaving my house at 07:30, I made a leisurely walk into Chester-le-Street, arriving at 07:50ish. Didn't have to wait long before the 07:59 X21, the first of the day from Bishop Auckland all the way through to Newcastle, and it soon appeared in the form of 6303, which was to be my first of the new Streetdecks that I could clear for haulage. My favourite of the drivers at Crook was at the wheel, and we exchanged greetings as I boarded, before I received my Explorer from him and ascended the staircase. Thankfully, the front seats upstairs on the offside were available, so I took a seat there. Legroom was fantastic, and the plug sockets and WiFi worked perfectly. I had noticed, as the bus had pulled into the bus stop, that the fans were blaring, loud enough for me to hear them upstairs still. Therefore, it came as no surprise that the driver stopped outside of Chester-le-Street depot while some engineers tended to the problem. A few minutes passed before we were on our way again, and the journey through to Newcastle flew past from that point onwards. Definitely a massive improvement on the Pronto B7TLs, and as I disembarked, I asked the driver what he thought of the Streetdecks; he expressed his liking for them.

08:43 685 27141 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
As I made my way up to Percy Street, I photographed 6083 on TENs and 6118 on the 47, before I looked down and saw Stagecoach in Cumbria's 27141 coming into the uppermost stand. A trip to Hexham for some photos of the loaned vehicles from Optare, and some final photos of the MPDs before they are replaced on the local Hexham services in the near future was needed, so I decided to catch this across to Hexham. The queue was very short, but it moved incredibly slowly due to some OAPs faffing on with their bus passes. In the corner of my eye, I saw another forum member, to my left. Took a seat at the back row, on the offside, and we departed on-time. I knew that 27141, as well as sibling 27142, had high-back seating and WiFi, but I didn't realise there was an addition of seatbelts as well. Spent the majority of the journey listening to some music through my earphones, but I didn't manage to catch forty winks at any point, despite being quite tired. When Hexham came into view, I noticed the building work on the new bus station appeared to be well underway.

10:30 85 4662 Hexham Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
After assisting a disabled gentleman in getting off 27141, I thanked the driver and watched him depart on his way to Carlisle, somewhere I intend to visit in the near future. I've heard it's a pretty dire place. My luck seemed to be in, as within the first ten minutes; I photographed both 9106 and 9105 on the 683 and 682 respectively. Then, I managed to shoot 557 and 558 (both of which were required), and the former had enthusiast and driver Mark Westgarth at the wheel. He stopped for a few minutes to talk to me, and seemed very nice, even offering to tell me where any of the things I was after in particular were at. Sadly, 9104, the most recent addition, was on the 681/185 runs. Following a successful visit to Hexham, I boarded Jesmond-based 4662 on the 10:27 85 back to Newcastle. Managed to bag the quadrant on the offside, next to the emergency door. I'm of the understanding that the OmniCities on the 85/685 are widely disliked by many enthusiasts, but I honestly couldn't see anything wrong with 4662. It was quick off the mark, provided some nice thrash, and the seats were relatively comfortable.

11:33 6 6126 Newcastle Eldon Square to Metrocentre Interchange
While I had been returning to Newcastle on 4662, one of my friends at Chester-le-Street depot, Ben Stoves, informed me that he was to be the 14:32 900 Metro Replacement service from North Shields to Four Lane Ends. I knew he was starting his shift in the afternoon, hence the journey to Hexham in the morning, but this later start than expected gave me some more time to play with. When I alighted 4662 in Eldon Square, I contemplated a trip to Blaydon and back on the 11, in hopes of two B10BLEs, but I then noticed OmniDekka 6126 coming in with the 11:35 service 6 for Stanley. I still needed 6126 for haulage, so I decided to catch it across to the Metrocentre (boring, I know) for the new haulage. Contrary to what I typically do with an OmniDekka ride, which is to sit upstairs, I sat downstairs. Until then, I had not seen just how poor the legroom is at the very back row of one, and, as I'm 6 foot tall, I struggled to get in, so opted for the offside quadrant instead. A pleasant journey across to the Metrocentre, I still find an OmniDekka ride to be appealing, even though their novelty has long worn off.

12:04 6 6009 Metrocentre Interchange to Newcastle Eldon Square
After I alighted 6126 in the interchange, I floated around for about ten minutes. 8266 arrived with the 12:00 S1 circular service, and I had an urge to bash it, with it's seats recently re-trimmed into the standard ''Go'' moquette. However, I saw a President coming in with an inbound 6. My hopes for up for one of the native Plaxton-bodied Tridents, but alas, I was landed with 6009; a clapped-out ex-London B7TL. I made my way to the rear of the lower saloon for this journey, sitting on the nearside as opposed to the usual offside, for a change of scenery. Not much to say about this journey really, although I have to say I think 6009 is one of the poorer ex-London Presidents. 

12:47 310 6114 Newcastle Haymarket to North Shields Town Centre
Upon return to Newcastle, I wandered across to the Haymarket, intent on catching the next Cobalt Clipper 310 up to North Shields. It turned out that I had only just missed one, so I paced up and down the bus station for about ten minutes, until the next one came in. 6114 was my chariot; I was somewhat peeved to see the young child, and presumably his grandfather, take the front seats above the driver. However, I ended up looking like I was having a stroke with my failed attempt to later contain my laughter, when the young boy randomly turned around to him and yelled ''I will f*** you up''. He must have been no younger than six. What are the current generation coming to...? I was pleased to find that the plug sockets worked perfectly on 6114, and I therefore managed to charge my phone up for the journey to North Shields. I noticed that the queue for the 900 was colossal, which worried me, as no replacement buses appeared at all for the first fifteen minutes that I was there.

14:30 900 6036 North Shields Town Centre to Four Lane Ends Interchange
Ben brought ancillary van 1020 from Chester-le-Street depot, and proceeded to park it in the layover area. We spent about twenty minutes talking, before we headed up to Railway Terrace. 6036 was the haulage for this little jolly (and, at the time that I'm writing this, he will still be jollying in!). Not my favourite, but not my least favourite of the Presidents allocated to Chester-le-Street. My previous experience of Metro Replacements put me off very much, it was during the Heworth-Monument closures at some point last May, I think. My train from Sunderland was terminated at Brockley Whins, meaning we were all stood in a housing estate for about twenty minutes until the 901 arrived, followed by a further twenty minute wait at Heworth for a 900 through to Newcastle! Was an absolute farce. Thankfully, this journey passed without any real issues, although I'd say that the time of the day and the route contributed to that fact. When we arrived at Four Lane Ends at about 15:35, I thanked Ben and then he proceeded to head over to the layover bays, while I awaited the next Arriva service back to Newcastle.

15:40 55 2848 Four Lane Ends Interchange to Newcastle Haymarket
This came in the form of the 15:38 55 service, running a couple of minutes late and in the hands of Optare Solo 2848. I noted that the driver was being mentored by an evidently more senior driver, sadly, this new starter appeared to be very rough on the brakes and too quick with the accelerator; the two of which can make a nasty combination in terms of passenger comfort. I heard other passengers voice their discomfort when the brakes were slammed on, and further to this, the chassis of the Solo felt like it was scraping off of the road. A sound that I only really associate with the Solos and Lowlanders based at Belmont. On the upside, the hasty driving got us into Haymarket on-time, despite the original loss of time when I boarded. Aside from that, it was an enjoyable journey, albeit mainly because I rarely use any of Arriva's Optare Solos.

16:05 X21 6302 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
As the time was 15:55 when I checked my watch, I decided to head to ''Cling-on Corner'' (*shudders*) for a shot of the 16:09 when it came in. In front of the Streetdeck in the queue on Percy Street, was 'sentenced' President 6024, coming in with a 6 for Stanley. I recalled seeing a Northern OmniDekka when I was in North Shields, and it must be said, it's quite poor that a branded vehicle is doing Metro Replacements while a vehicle branded for a now non-existant brand, and supposed to be confined to scholars services only, was in it's place. Luckily, the X21 that was also entering was winner 6302 (for both photograph and haulage!). I then descended down into the bus station and boarded, but this time, I sat at the back downstairs. I like how the seats at the back are more moulded to the rear of the vehicle than those in the Streetlites, which are incredibly uncomfortable. I enjoyed listening to the whistling Voith retarder whenever we slowed down, and the rattle-free environment provided a great journey back to Chester-le-Street, where I alighted at my nearest stop.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable day out. My first impressions of the Streetdecks are overly positive, and I'm looking forward to riding and photographing more of them in the near future. Thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Marcus

Good review Marcus, the Housing Estate was Brockley Whins, if you had got the Metro itself from North Shields you could of had 4001/40.

Saturday 26th March 2016

Yesterday, I enjoyed a trip to York and Harrogate.

08:18 21 6066 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
The day began with an 07:15 alarm, to allow ample to time to get to Durham Railway Station for the train south; the 09:43 Virgin Trains East Coast service, 1E06, pathed to be a Class 91. I left my house just before 08:00, and met Adrian on Front Street at about 08:15. He wasn't to be joining me on this outing, but he was heading through to Durham to sort some stuff out at work. 6066 was our ride through to Durham, operating the 08:18 21 service from Chester-le-Street. We sat behind the stairwell and talked throughout the short ride to Durham, and spent about twenty minutes taking photos at the entrance of the bus station of stuff coming in, was also able to catch recently repainted Enviro200 1320 on North Road. Just after 09:00, we parted ways, and I began making the arduous climb up to the station.

09:50 1E06 91112 Durham Railway Station to York Railway Station
Joining me on this occasion was citaro5284, who had boarded at Newcastle, but no sooner had the train departed Newcastle, the station staff at Durham informed passengers awaiting the imminently due southbound TransPennine service that a platform change was occurring due to a broken rail rendering Platform 1 (southbound platform at Durham) useless. I watched from Platform 1 with intrigue as a Class 185 unit rolled into the northbound platform (2), heading southbound, and unsurprisingly, the passengers awaiting the 09:43 VTEC were soon moved across. Upon reaching Platform 2, I saw the Mk4 set slowly rolling into the platform, with DVT 82216 leading the train. Quickly made my way up to the flag for Coach D, in which we were booked, and boarded the coach at the end nearest our seats. We sat at a standstill until 09:56, departing Durham with a delay of 17 minutes, stopping again before Darlington, arriving there having incurred a delay totalling 20 minutes. Our coach remained lightly loaded for the duration of our journey, and we rolled into York at about 10:55. 

11:09 2C25 142023 York Railway Station to Harrogate Railway Station
After identifying the Class 91 that had been paired with 82216 as 91112, which was a winner for haulage, we headed across to the ticket office and used one of the electronic ticket machines to collect our tickets for Harrogate. Once this was done, a short walk across to the platform for our train to Harrogate was made, our train was already in the platform in the pairing of 142037 and 142023; unsurprisingly, both were winners. Both had bench seating, with the 3-2 formation on the interior, and so when the driver came and opened the doors, we boarded 142023 and took a seat at the two rows of seats that face each other about mid-way in the saloon. citaro5284, who had come down with a cold that he had presumably obtained from Dan, offered me a locket so that I could ''fight the infection before I get it''. Our plan was to meet one of my friends at Harrogate, one of the moderators on RailUK Forums, David Russell (he made an account on this forum with the same username as his RailUK account, ''theblackwatch''). The journey on this stopping service was very enjoyable, far superior to some of the units at Newcastle.

13:04 2C30 142037 Harrogate Railway Station to York Railway Station
We met with David at Harrogate Bus Station; citaro5284 and him talked for a few minutes while I focused on getting some photos, before citaro5284 headed down to the stand for the 36 for a closer inspection of the operations. Following about thirty minutes at the bus station, we walked down to a place called North Bar, which David led us down to, and we had a drink in there for about twenty minutes. Customer service was great, but the interior was a bit too basic. Upon returning to the railway station at 12:55, we parted company with David, and headed back to the platform. Our train back to York soon appeared, the same pair of Pacers as before, 142037 and 142023, so we sat in the former this time to allow some variety. Managed to bag the same seats as we had sat in on 142023, and we enjoyed the scenic journey back to York. I'd recommend this journey, the loadings were quite light, and I found it enjoyable. Was also nice to have two more Pacers ticked off, too.

Upon returning to York, we walked to the National Railway Museum to catch a glimpse of Class A3 Pacific 60103 (4472 in it's LNER days) ''Flying Scotsman''. It was quite crowded, and as we'd been before, we didn't stick around. Following this, we walked back through the railway station and made our way up to The Punchbowl for some lunch. citaro5284 enjoyed a steak while I had a steak and ale pie. We noticed, from our seats, that some of Transdev's reverse Olympians were running around on the shuttle service for York Racecourse, so I decided to focus on getting some photos of them. Following our lunch, we slowly walked back to the railway station for 15:20. Managed to photograph S54 VNM, a Palatine 1-bodied Volvo, which turned out alright: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127739730@...ed-public/

16:39 1S21 91125 York Railway Station to Durham Railway Station
We returned to the station at 16:00, making our way over to Platform 9 and taking a seat at the end of the platform. We sat and observed stuff coming in and out of the station, before citaro5284 pointed out that the late-running TPE that was using the same platform as our train might end up causing a delay to our service, due at 16:35. As predicted, our train rolled in just after it's scheduled departure time, with 91125 leading the train north (thankfully, another winner for haulage). We took our reserved seats in Coach E, but shortly after departure from York, citaro5284 moved across to some unreserved seats, as the coach was effectively empty. Was a nice journey back, with stops at Northallerton and Darlington, and we rolled into Durham at about 17:30. My father picked me up and we drove back, arriving home at 17:45. I'll be quite sad when the HSTs, but more so the 91s, are replaced in due course, as they are fantastic machines that demonstrate power and speed at it's best.

It was a very enjoyable outing, my thanks to citaro5284 for the company. I'm unsure of when my next outing outside of the north east will be, as there is a lot of stuff I need to try and catch up with over the next few weeks, but chances are it will be in the next two months or so. However, I have decided to end my reviews at this point, until further notice. Back in September, I took a temporary hiatus from this forum, for reasons that I made clear at the end of a review at the time. Things haven't improved, and now I am well and truly at the end of my tether. Some of the people associated with this hobby make me dislike it, in short, so I intend to no longer post on the forum much, and have less of an online presence. 

R852 PRG

No More reviews Marcus?

Afternoon all,

Pleased to announce that after a break from the forum, I'll be continuing with the reviews on a regular basis of hopefully one or two per month. They'll be posted in this thread.

R852 PRG

Saturday 29th October 2016

Had a thoroughly enjoyable day in Edinburgh in the company of Adrian, Sean and citaro5284, and the time has come for me to publish the review. 

07:43 1S02 91132 Newcastle Central Station to Edinburgh Waverley Station
I was picked up by citaro5284 at 0645, making a detour to Heworth in order to collect Adrian, before arriving at Central Station for about 0715. After Sean joined us, we headed to our platform for our train north. 91132 was identified as the locomotive as it rolled to a halt; I am a fan of the 91s, and I'll miss them when they're eventually withdrawn in the coming future. As this one was a winner, I'm now one closer to having them all ticked off for haulage. It would be nice if I could get all thirty-one of them before then. Our table of four was in the centre of coach E, and we were entertained during the journey by the guard, named Sean, who kept cracking jokes and practised a magic act. Brilliant guy, thought it was worth tweeting VTEC in hopes he would receive some praise. This set was unrefurbished, potentially the last journey I will make on an unrefurbished Mk4 set.

10:39 Tram 263 Princes Street Tram Stop to Gyle Centre Tram Stop
After alighting the train, which was terminating at Waverley, Sean led us out of the station and into the adjacent Wetherspoons. I sampled the Scottish Breakfast, I've had nicer breakfasts at other Wetherspoons, particularly at the one near the station in York, but this did the job and filled me up. Exited the Wetherspoons and made our way along Princes Street to the nearest tram stop. Rather than get our day tickets on a bus, we just got them from the machines here. The material from which the ticket is produced feels a lot longer lasting than your average bus ticket, too. My second time on one of the Edinburgh Trams, and I was just as impressed as I was the first time. Very comfortable to ride. There were two guards on this, one of which was being trained; the other, his mentor. 

11:13 22 338 Gyle Centre Shopping Centre to Princes Street
We alighted the tram (263) at Gyle Centre after travelling a few stops, in order to make a strategic move and head to Ocean Terminal. The plan was to get a 22 back to Princes Street and then tick off a Volvo 7900 by heading to Easter Road and catching a 35 onwards to Ocean Terminal, hopefully an Omnicity double decker. I've used the 22 before and sampled the B9TLs on there. To me, the B9TL is the modern day Olympian; fast, powerful and comfortable, with marks from drivers alike for drive quality. Slowly started to pick up passengers heading into the city centre, and the upper saloon where we decided to sit quickly became about half full. There was a driver changeover at a bus stop along the route, comparable to how Percy Main do their changeovers, with the depot nearby and drivers commuting using an ancillary van. Got to Princes Street and walked down to the bus stop for the 1 service.

11:54 1 5 Princes Street to Easter Road
First time I have sampled one of these 7900 things, and I was very impressed. Number 5 is a 14-plate, so coming up to three years of age, and there was barely a rattle from the bodywork. How many Streetlites, aged a year and a half, aren't complete bone shakers? Much like our Volvo B5LHs on the Angel and Coastliner, the stop-start hybrid engine meant that we would pull away from stops in full electric mode before full diesel came in. That distinct sound is one that I have become very much accustomed to since late 2012 when 6056-6070 were introduced on the 21, and it is one that I really like. I would be more than happy to sample another of these modern-age beasts again at some point in the future. Alighted at the terminus to find we had an eighteen minute wait for the 35 to Ocean Terminal, so citaro5284 and Sean took a wander while Adrian and I got some photos on Easter Road.

12:33 35 629 Easter Road to Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre
After observing yet another 1 terminate and turn around to head to Clermiston, we saw another one in the distance, but trailing behind a President this time. I was very happy about this, as I have always had a soft for the President bodywork, irrespective of the chassis. From seeing the Trident Presidents on the 21/21A/21B as a young one, and being drawn to their front panels, which looked to display a 'happy' facial expression, to seeing a batch of V-LGC B7TLs migrate north from London; I have always had a soft spot for the bodywork. The downstairs saloon was quite full so we ventured upstairs, only to find it was even more so up there! One table was present on the nearside towards the front, which seemed a little pointless, as there were no other tables anywhere else on the bus. 

13:36 34 563 Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre to Princes Street
Upon arrival at Ocean Terminal, we disembarked from 629 and headed into the shopping centre for a sit down and a bite to eat. The allocation to the 34 is Volvo B5TL/Wright Gemini 3s, although with the modernised body now sold with StreetDecks. I remember trying one last time I was in Edinburgh, for the depot open day last year (564), and found it to be very good. With the usual power of a Volvo and the glazed windows on the roof, these are definitely a decent ride. One thing we noticed on this journey is that all Lothian Buses have free WiFi available, but plug sockets are absent. 

14:17 14 763 Waverley Bridge to Craigmillar Castle
We alighted 563 on Princes Street, and Sean began leading us across the Waverley Bridge to visit the 'old town'. Me being me, I assumed he had something else in mind, but then we noticed a 14 for Greendykes was imminently due, so stuck around for it. Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini 763, a 56-reg example, was our steed. My goodness, the kickdowns from the Voith gearbox in this were something else entirely. Whenever pulling away from a junction, the surge of power and scream of the Voith accelerating was fantastic. Not usually a Voith fan, due to be 'raised on' ZF Ecomat, but I cannot deny that they're musical and fascinating things to listen to. We alighted near Craigmillar Castle and crossed the road for the next thing back to the city centre.

14:40 14 643 Craigmillar Castle to Waverley Bridge
Turned out to be another 14 service; I was pleased to see that we were about to treated to our second President of the day, number 643. citaro5284 made his way upstairs while Adrian, Sean and I sat downstairs. Same mechanical figuration as 629 earlier on, although it seemed to be a bit more gutsy. A guy boarded along the route and I can't help but think he milked the disabled card. One thing I noticed on this journey that further amplified my own consensus about cities such as Edinburgh is you always get a flow of passengers boarding and alighting a service; buses rarely seem to run around carrying fresh air only, exclusion can perhaps be given to a ''leap frogger'', which we observed earlier on when we had 563 on the 34 from Ocean Terminal.

15:01 5 957 Waverley Bridge to Piershill Square East
No sooner had we alighted 643 on Waverley Bridge, with just under two hours before our train, the 1700 off Edinburgh (1E24), Sean suggested we catch a 5 a few stops out of the city centre and then catch something else back, providing we were on a busy corridor. The ride was 957; an 11-plate Volvo B9TL with Wright Gemini 2 bodywork, we were amazed to see Jimmi of all people shortly after we departed! Complete coincidence. After about ten minutes, we decided to alight at Piershill Square East and catch the next thing back to Waverley Bridge or Princes Street.

15:22 5 958 Piershill Square East to Waverley Bridge
The next bus in fleet-number order was our return journey for the 5, no different to 957 really; the clagging noise produced by the manifold gasket being on its way out, much like the Volvo B9TLs on the X9/X10. A 26 had come along just beforehand, but the heavy loading put us off boarding, and with another 5 following imminently, we decided to just go with this. Sat at the rear of the downstairs saloon and picked up quite a few passengers on the way back into the city centre. While the 26 would have dropped us off at Princes Street, we didn't mind the walk back from Waverley Bridge, that was until Sean dragged us to a 'winner Spoons'! Got there for 1600 and had to quickly drink before heading back to the station, arriving just after 1630. Sean and I went to photograph 90047 and 67021 while Adrian and citaro5284 headed straight to our waiting train on Platform 9.

17:00 1E24 91107 Edinburgh Waverley Station to Newcastle Central Station
Another winner for haulage! We were booked into First Class for our return journey, the set of coaches were refurbished as well so I got to sample the refurbished First Class. Our coach, M, was quite quiet, with about ten other passengers in total, spread out over the coach. Departure from Waverley was punctual, with refreshments quickly being served, but not before the Scottish guard came through our coach, lacking manners and inspecting tickets as closely as possible. He made the same announcement three times in fifteen minutes, each filled with irrelevant drivel, guessing he likes the sound of his own voice. Other than that, the journey south was quite enjoyable. Upon return to Newcastle at 1828, I got a quick photo of 91107 and its nameplate, ''Skyfall'', at the top of Platform 4 before heading outside to meet my dad; arriving home at bang-on 1900. 

All in all, a fantastic day out. My thanks to those who joined me. Hope you enjoyed this review.

R852 PRG

(01 Nov 2016, 5:00 pm)R852 PRG wrote 11:13 22 338 Gyle Centre Shopping Centre to Princes Street
We alighted the tram (263) at Gyle Centre after travelling a few stops, in order to make a strategic move and head to Ocean Terminal. The plan was to get a 22 back to Princes Street and then tick off a Volvo 7900 by heading to Easter Road and catching a 35 onwards to Ocean Terminal, hopefully an Omnicity double decker. I've used the 22 before and sampled the B9TLs on there. To me, the B9TL is the modern day Olympian; fast, powerful and comfortable, with marks from drivers alike for drive quality. Slowly started to pick up passengers heading into the city centre, and the upper saloon where we decided to sit quickly became about half full. There was a driver changeover at a bus stop along the route, comparable to how Percy Main do their changeovers, with the depot nearby and drivers commuting using an ancillary van. Got to Princes Street and walked down to the bus stop for the 1 service.

Great review

May be wrong but I think I saw Adrian sat at the front of this bus, as I was on a 22 heading towards Gyle Centre during this time.

I didn't enjoy my journey on Volvo 7900 - fleet number 45, just felt a bit boring although I got the 12 from Gyle Centre to Princes Street and the route was very stop start, so just about every time it would get up to speed, it would get to another stop or get stuck in traffic which is probably why it didn't excite me much.

(01 Nov 2016, 5:26 pm)Jimmi wrote Great review

May be wrong but I think I saw Adrian sat at the front of this bus, as I was on a 22 heading towards Gyle Centre during this time.

I didn't enjoy my journey on Volvo 7900 - fleet number 45, just felt a bit boring although I got the 12 from Gyle Centre to Princes Street and the route was very stop start, so just about every time it would get up to speed, it would get to another stop or get stuck in traffic which is probably why it didn't excite me much.

Aye, he was on the nearside and Marcus was on the offside upstairs.

Saturday 3rd December 2016

While today didn't go quite to plan, with a vast assortment of cock-ups and things generally not working out, but I rather enjoyed it.

08:25 X12 7627 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Stockton High Street North
The purpose of today's trip was to sample some of the new Enviro200MMCs that have entered service at Stagecoach's Slatyford depot on the 30/31 services, have a ride on the Wear Tees Xpress X7 service for one last time prior to its discontinuation as of tomorrow, and catch a photograph of 9098 (SN66 WLK). In a change from the norm, I decided to catch the MAX X12 service direct from Chester-le-Street to Teesside, rather than the first X21 of the day through to Newcastle and the 09:00 X10 south, so that I could take a different route and one that allowed Adrian to board en-route. 7627 was the vehicle operating this journey; the 08:26 X12 from Chester-le-Street, which commences from Birtley a few minutes prior. While I initially bagged the front seats, shortly after departure from Durham, the opposite pair were taken by two others, which meant I had to move back to sit with Adrian when he boarded at Coxhoe.

10:22 X7 655 Stockton High Street North to Sunderland Park Lane Interchange
Arrival at the northern end of Stockton High Street was on-time, and we spent about half an hour getting some shots here. After Adrian caught a glimpse of an indiGo Solo SR, and I recalled seeing mention of two Wear Tees Xpress Citaros being absent for repaint, I took it that our haulage for the X7 would be a 15-reg Optare from Peterlee. I'd been anticipating the melodious ZF Ecomat in a powerful 2010-vintage Citaro, as well as the extra space that comes with a full-size saloon as opposed to a minibus. Having endured packed minibuses in the past and observed heavy loadings on the X7 service, the 11:33 arrival time into Sunderland couldn't have come sooner. While the loading wasn't too bad when we left Stockton, it was standing room only from Peterlee. On a more positive note, I was able to tick 655 off for haulage, as it's rare I am in the Peterlee area or focus on the indiGo East Durham network at all.

11:45 T&WM 4058+4022 Park Lane Station to Central Station
Once we arrived into Park Lane Interchange, we headed out for a photo of 655 leaving on the X7. The extent of how dirty the Solo actually was was unbelievable; it was evident it hadn't been through a wash. ''indiGo'' branding on the sides was barely visible, with the panels being reduced to the same colour as the wheels! Adrian and I wandered back into the bus station and descended the stairs into the Metro station, just catching the 11:45 Metro to Airport, with the intention of getting off at Central or Monument and then hunting the handful of Enviro200MMCs in service for the next few hours. The train wasn't that busy; we managed to secure a pair of seats that faced each other. I still haven't succeeded in tracking down 4001, the Tyne & Wear PTE-liveried Metrocar, as it's on my to-do list before it is either repainted or when they begin to withdraw the Metrocars en-masse when replacements eventually arrive in years to come.

12:37 30 22413 Newcastle Clayton Street to Fawdon Park Road Terminus to Gosforth High Street
When our service got to Central, I decided she would bail here and head up to Clayton Street West, where the 30 and 31 (two routes the E200MMCs are meant to be allocated to) stop on a frequent basis, as well as lots of Go North East stuff from the Metrocentre heading into Eldon Square and some Stagecoach Enviro400 routes such as the 1 and 22, so we could just get photos of stuff coming through until an MMC appeared. Sadly, things didn't quite go to plan. We spent a good fifteen minutes and watched some 30/31 services pass us, but all were allocated ALX300s. While I am a fan of the Stagecoach ALX300s, with their front lights resembling eyes and the smart Stagecoach ''Beachball'' corporate livery; the aim of the day was to get some E200MMCs. Rather than just stand in the cold, we decided to catch 22413 to Fawdon Park Road, alight in the turning circle, get a quick photo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/) and jump back on for the return journey to Gosforth.

13:37 31 22070 Gosforth High Street to Newcastle Pilgrim Street
The following twenty minutes on Gosforth High Street allowed me to obtain the following primary research; Gosforth has bad traffic; Gosforth is useless for photos unless you have the patience of a Saint, and the people of Gosforth get in the way quite a bit. Much to my dismay, when the next 31 came along, it was yet another ALX300! At least it was an older example than 06-reg 22413; 22070. As mentioned, I find the younger MANs to be a bit gutless and the screaming Voith gearboxes don't have as much entertainment value as the elder 2003/2004 examples. They just don't have as much character to them. One thing I noticed was the doors seemed to be a bit funny; when the driver closed them, he had to open them again to rectify them so they closed properly. A mutual friend of Adrian and I, Ken, was in a pub near to Pilgrim Street, so we decided to alight here and catch up with him.

14:18 38 19380 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Freeman Hospital
After about fifteen minutes of talking to Ken and his friends in Lady Grey's, we walked out to find the unusual site of a Cumbria Classic Coaches vehicle, registered JTB 749, so we alerted Ken who seemed most pleased with this winner. Although it looked a bit too old for my interest, I have to admit it was rather smart. While anything pre-1965 isn't of much interest me, I do find a lot of the contemporary stuff to be enjoyable. The Stagecoach Newcastle Enviro400s are fine machines, both the diesels and Hybrids, are some such vehicles. I'd done a vague mock plan for the day, and this involved catching a 38 to the Freeman Hospital, the Arriva 553 across to Regent Centre and then a Go North East 33 back across. The next 38 from Pilgrim Street was in the hands of 19380; quick of the mark and entirely capable of the route. Ideal buses for city work, if you ask me.

14:49 52 4523 Freeman Hospital to Newcastle St. Mary's Place
My plan had accounted for the 38 to get to the Freeman for about 14:30, giving us ample time to cross into the hospital grounds for the 14:48 553 to Regent Centre, arriving at 14:58, then onto the 15:05 33 back to Newcastle, terminating on Market Street at 15:24. However, when I'd been forming my plan, I misread the 553 timetable for the Monday-Friday times instead of the Saturday service. This meant that the next 553 was actually due at 15:16, not 14:48! With that cock-up acknowledged, we walked back to Freeman Road in order to catch a more mainstream service directly back to the city centre. No prizes for guessing my reaction when a Volvo B10BLE with Alexander ALX300 bodywork, Jesmond's 4523, turned up with a 52. Absolute beast, it had one of the smoothest engine notes I've heard in a long time from a B10. Shame the Arriva ALX-bodied ones are slowly growing fewer in number. 

15:44 21 6067 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Red Lion
After almost hitting someone on St. Mary's Place (he seemed to foolishly walk out as soon as the traffic light turned to red rather than check to see if the coast was clear), we alighted and had a wander down Northumberland Street, before entering Eldon Square and walking through to the bus station. We sat down for a bite to eat, I looked through some photos and picked out a few favourites, the following of 22346 at the Freeman being one: https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/. I'd miscalculated in my head the times of 9098's departure from Eldon Square as the 15:47, when it was the 14:47, but knowing that it was on a run to Durham, hoped that we could catch it at Chester as the 16:32 to Newcastle. Hybrid 6067, the basis of the ''Angel'' model produced by Corgi in 2014, was our chariot to my hometown. Smooth ride in the stop-start motion at the back upstairs. Read however.

16:47 21 6063 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
As we approached Northlands, a couple of stops before Front Street, Adrian pointed out that the Enviro400 City was about to pass us heading to Newcastle. Bollocks! I had mistimed its departure from Chester-le-Street, thinking it was the one behind based on the information I'd received, assuming it was the 16:32 from Front Street when it was, in fact, the 16:24. After a few calculations in my head, I determined that 9098 must be the 18:05 termination at the Red Lion, then light to the depot. Rather than stand in the cold for an hour and a half, I tried to think of options for how to kill time. I knew one of my driver friends was on a late shift tonight, and they were taking over the 16:47 21 to Durham, so we decided to do Durham and back with him and 6063. Arrived into Durham on-time and had to drop passengers off in stand F (Arriva dumping buses as per usual), before proceeding to layover in the new bus stops on North Road.

17:18 21 6063 Durham Bus Station to Chester-le-Street Corals
After returning to the bus station and picking up on stand B, we left punctually and the monotonous journey (not the worst route I can think of, but when you've seen it goodness knows how many times...) back to Chester-le-Street commenced. Got a quick photo of him at Corals before Adrian and I headed to Tesco to pick some stuff up. As I had determined that 9098 was due to terminate at the Red Lion at 18:05, we hurried back to Front Street to get a night shot of it. Fortunately, our luck had finally rolled in, as it was sat waiting at the lights at the bottom of Newcastle Road. Jimmi alighted but failed to get a shot of it before the driver set the blind to ''Not in Service''. On that note, with the mission complete, I headed home. 

All in all, not a bad outing. Positives are as follows:

Finally managed to get a shot of 9098 (SN66 WLK) on the 21, and the night shot didn't come out too badly
Was fortunate enough to ride Volvo B10BLE/Alexander ALX300 (favourite chassis with favourite body) 4523 on the 52
Got two Stagecoach Newcastle ALX300s in the form of 22070 and 22413, and a good shot of the latter at its terminus

...and the negatives: 

Didn't see a single Enviro200MMC, let alone photograph or claim one for haulage
Couldn't enjoy a Citaro on the X7 and had to make do with 655
Messed up the times for the 553, but that did lead onto one of the positive aspects of the day

Thanks for reading. Photographs available on my Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@N05/

R852 PRG

Tuesday 20th December 2016

Yesterday, I embarked on a North East Explorer without any real aims, just to give me the freedom to roam wherever. 

08:26 X25 6140 Chester-le-Street Corals to Newcastle Eldon Square
The day started with an alarm at 07:00, not too painful as it's routine for me to be getting up at that hour during term time. I had decided the previous night to try and catch the 0830 X25 from Chester-le-Street through to Newcastle, then head north from there. Having been out for some night shots the evening before, I observed all of Chester-le-Street's OmniDekkas were out in service, and as the board that the 0830 is attached to is more often than not a double decker, I was hoping for one of the aforementioned buses on it. I was quite happy to see 6140 was my chariot, with one of the drivers I know at the wheel. Nice ride through to Newcastle, although the suspension was shot (which I notice is a persistent issue on Scania N94UDs) and a guy got on at Portobello that absolutely reeked to high heaven of stale urine. As I was getting off, I had a brief conversation with the driver as he was curious about the orders list. 

09:32 X21 7528 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre Metro
I got some photographs at the bottom of Prudhoe Place for about five minutes (reminder: I do not care if it is a bus station shot or not. I think if the quality is good, the photo is good), before heading across to Haymarket. The time by this point was 0925, and I noticed that an X16 was due to depart at 0948. I had enough time to catch something else up to Regent Centre and go from there, so opted for a Sapphire X21. The driver pulled into the stand, turned the bus off and got off to have a cigarette, chatting to another Arriva driver on the X14. Now, it might just be me, but if there is a queue waiting to board, maybe let them get on first before you have a cigarette and make us stand in the cold? Just a suggestion. In true fashion, the plug sockets and WiFi did not work. Aside from that, it wasn't that bad a journey, the Enviro400s are quite entertaining at higher speeds.

09:59 X16 1408 Regent Centre Metro to Morpeth Bus Station
During my ride up to Regent Centre, the sun seemed to emerge from behind the clouds and cast its rays upon Gosforth. My intention had been to utilise my fifteen minutes or so here for photos, but the poor sun pretty much prevented this. While the sun may shine with a harsh glare during the winter months, it doesn't eliminate the harsh cold. Following a near hypothermia-inducing wait at Regent Centre, 1408 finally arrived with the X16 for Morpeth. This was probably one of the better rides of the day; I am a fan, like many others for that matter, of the 09-plate VDL Pulsars. They have an abundance of power and are very responsive vehicles when compared to Pulsars that have been plagued with 'EcoNoSpeed', which, from what I have heard, has more negative impacts than positive in the long run. After a spirited run up to Morpeth, I disembarked into the cold bus station.

10:41 43 2870 Morpeth Bus Station to Cramlington Manor Walks
This one came as quite a surprise. I was expecting an ALX300 or ALX400, or perhaps a B7TL Gemini, but a Nexus Solo was the last thing I expected! The driver was an unbelievably miserable man; failed to make any exchange with passengers, not even a thank you, and challenged a woman at Bedlington over something so ridiculous I can't remember what it was. 2870 wasn't a bad little machine, quite quick off the mark and the seating was comfortable enough. The best thing about this journey, in my opinion, was the nice views between Morpeth and Bedlington. Some of the country lane running was quite scenic, with passenger numbers remaining low until Bedlington, where most of those who had just boarded alighted only a few stops later. My makeshift plan was to alight at Cramlington and then connect onto a Go North East 42 towards Killingworth, then carry on from there.

11:29 42 625 Cramlington Manor Walks to Killingworth Bus Station
After a longer wait than anticipated at Cramlington, I finally saw an indiGo Solo approaching. It had an orange LED destination, which indicated it was one of the older examples that joined the Percy Main fleet a few months ago during service changes. As it soared past me, with the driver clearly eager to make up for lost time (by now, running well over five minutes late), I identified it as 625, which previously saw use on the low-cost unit local services in Whitley Bay that have since been tendered to Phoenix Coaches, and was new to Saltmeadows Road in the summer of 2011. This one was a winner for haulage, and was certainly quite agile, which is something I find present in a lot of the Solo SRs. Passenger numbers were quite decent, with about half of the seats occupied by the time we reached Killingworth, where I chose to alight in favour of something else.

11:49 54 7474 Killingworth Bus Station to North Shields, Nile Street
Absent from its 'branded' route of the 43/44/45, I was surprised to see DAF DB250RS/Alexander ALX400 coming into the bus station with the 53 I was intending to catch to North Shields. The driver was quite a happy chap; a far cry from the misery in the cab of 2870. Rather than sit downstairs, as usual, I decided to head upstairs and claim the front seats above the driver. Another passenger occupied the upper deck, bearing an Asda uniform, presumably on his way to work or having finished his shift. I couldn't believe just how powerful 7474 was, I have always been of the opinion that the DAF ALX400s are animals of machines, but this one really did affirm that judgement. The tremendous roar of the DAF engine whenever the driver placed the slightest bit of pressure on the accelerator was hard to believe. It was quite a shame to get off, I could have happily done the return journey, but I had other plans...

12:36 1 5270 North Shields, West Percy Street to Wallsend The Forum
As a rare user of the Coaster service, I decided that, as it was a convenient connection time, I'd catch the 1239 service from North Shields, towards Wrekenton, and jump ship at some point along the route. Luckily, it was waiting time, so I crossed the road and boarded, taking a seat at the rear next to the emergency exit door. Heating was on so the bus was nice and warm, which was welcomed following just a few minutes in the freezing North Shields. Out of habit, I inspected one of the tickets and noticed that, through the duty number, the driver was on an early shift (104), and hypothesised to myself that he would be relieved at Percy Main by another driver, which was correct, he was replaced by a much older guy. I decided that I would bail at Wallsend and make my way down to the bus station, before catching an 18 to Walker and a 39 to Newcastle from there. 

13:33 18 22343 Wallsend Metro Interchange to Walker Bus Terminus
Made my way to the bus station from the High Street, noticing how quiet the activity was. A few indiGo Solos passed through and I managed to get some photos, as well as 4899 on the Q3, although the low winter sun was a bit of a pain. With Santa Claus at the helm, I saw a 55-reg ALX300 coming in on the 18, so I headed to stand C to board it. I am a fan of the Stagecoach ALX300s; the half-German (MAN) and half-Scottish (Alexander) collaboration ensuring hundreds of them taking places in the uniformed Stagecoach fleet all over the country, although their time is slowly coming to an end. While I think some of the older examples in the region, the 03/53-plates, are the better ones, at least the stylish bodywork will live on for a few more years, courtesy of the younger examples, such as 22341-22348 and 22408-22413. I alighted at Walker and put £1 in the charity donation bucket on the dashboard.

13:55 39 12069 Walker Bus Terminus to Newcastle Blackett Street
From my ten minutes at Walker, I was able to establish that this desolate dump is not a place I intend to return to for some time. Perhaps I was just in the wrong part of it, and the rest of Walker doesn't look like the target of carpet bombing, but the impression I obtained of the place was one of a post-apocalyptic world, covered by a thick fog that conceals the residents from view in the darker hours and allows them to go about their business undetected. I was more than happy to see two Enviro400 Hybrids turn up together, with 12069 being the one to take me back to the city centre while the other made use of the layover bay. One of the aspects of the E400Hs that I really do admire is how quickly they get up to speed. I believe they top out at around 40mph (free to correct if mistaken), but it doesn't take them long at all to get there. Alighted on Blackett Street and made my way towards Market Street.

14:45 1 5267 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Low Fell Ale Taster
Following some calculations in my head, I realised that if I caught the 1430 service 1 from Pilgrim Street towards Wrekenton, and alighted at Low Fell, I could then connect onto the 69 service, in hopes of a Volvo B10BLE. It was quite apparent that there was some traffic congestion in the city centre, and after waiting for a considerable time, I was most pleased to see a Coaster Omnicity eventually round the corner onto Pilgrim Street. 5267 was my steed for this journey; quite quiet in passenger numbers, with about ten other people boarding on Pilgrim Street. With the 69 due at Low Fell at 1513, I was a bit unsure if I would make the connection, as 5267 was fifteen minutes down. However, after leaving Gateshead, the driver thrashed it along Durham Road and managed to make up enough time to reach Low Fell at 1505, having made up five minutes since leaving Newcastle.

15:19 69 4900 Low Fell Ale Taster to Blaydon Bus Station
Woop! Although running over five minutes late, I was greeted with the sight of a Volvo B10BLE. Easily, this journey was the highlight of the day. 4900 was for many years a ''Lime'' vehicle, operated by Stanley depot for most of its life, on the Consett/Stanley to Sunderland services, which have been in several guises since its introduction to the fleet but are now numbered 8/8A/78/78A. Having heard reports that, these days, it produces a strange noise when accelerating, I was intrigued to find out what it was like for myself. It's very much a whining noise not too dissimilar to that of a Voith gearbox during take-off. After consulting an engineering friend of mine who is an expert in the Volvo B10BLE, he determined it was a result of the turbo ring blowing on the joint to the intercooler, likely the result of the turbo turning slightly. Aside from that, it was generally as sweet as a nut as far as older buses go these days.

16:00 49 4933 Blaydon Bus Station to Metrocentre Interchange
Once 4900 reached Blaydon, I decided to disembark here and work my way back to Newcastle via the Metrocentre, catching a 49 there and then a Stagecoach 100 to Blackett Street. While I was hoping for a Mercedes Citaro on the 49, as I have very few of them ticked off in the book (self-confessed saddo over here), I was instead faced with the sight of Y-reg Scania L94UB 4933. As I have a fondness for some of the Solars, and 4933 is a 'winner', I decided to go with it. Fantastic machine. The heating modifications proved themselves to be beneficial, as I was warmed up more or less instantly upon boarding, having effectively frozen to death outside. Mechanically, the bus was sound. Very responsive whenever the driver touched on the accelerator, and it got up to speed comparatively quickly to the Stagecoach Enviro400H earlier in the day on the 39. Alongside 4929, 4935 and 5217, this is now one of my favourites. 

16:14 100 27508 Metrocentre Interchange to Newcastle Blackett Street
I alighted at the Metrocentre and made my way down to the departure stand for 100. One of the Scottish Enviro300s was waiting to depart, but it was packed like a tin of sardines. Decided to let it go and wait for the next one. I noticed 27508 and two ALX300s, both 54-plates, were sat over in the layovers with what looked like a supervisor present. Seems like the heavy passenger traffic on the 100 had warranted some management at the Metrocentre. I was quite pleased to have 27508 as my vehicle to Newcastle, as it could likely be the last time I have one of the 05-plates on the 100. During the journey, I was reminded of just how powerful they are when not carrying a full load, as it was thrashed down the motorway with about one-third of the bus full. 

16:45 X21 6019 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Front Street
Waited on Blackett Street until about 1635, after giving it five minutes and seeing no activity at all, which was surprising given the time of day, I decided to just head into Eldon Square for the bus home. It was pitch black by now, and I must admit I love the atmosphere of the dark. As the 1650 X21 off Eldon Square isn't Crook-operated, but a miscellaneous car working operated by Chester-le-Street, I looked for one of our own. Volvo B7TL 6019 was sat in the layover bays, so astutely assumed this was to be my final vehicle of the day. As it turned out, I was correct. Had one of the 4-day rota drivers that used to regularly take me to school on the 21 driving; he seemed to recognise me but we didn't exchange more than friendly smiles. Following a spirited journey along Durham Road, I alighted at the Red Lion and got a quick night shot, getting a nod from the driver as he pulled away. To be honest, I was surprised he was smiling at all customers. The poor guy has been at Chester since 1997. 

Overall, an enjoyable outing that didn't piece together too badly in the end. Will be doing another one next week. I got a quick video of 4900 storming up Lobley Hill Bank, a link is attached below. If anybody wonders who disliked it, I'd hazard a guess at it being a former forum troll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beDPh7M28e8

As I doubt I will be out again between now and Christmas, I would like to wish all who read my reviews a happy Christmas.

R852 PRG

As usual,  a great read. I enjoy your style of writing very much.

Yes,Walker isn't the greatest, the Riverside is nice and under regeneration but there are still parts (including where the bus terminal is) that are slightly sketchy, though students are slowly encroaching. 

Agree on those Hybrids, far more impressive than Angel examples GNE went for.

(21 Dec 2016, 11:08 pm)Ambassador wrote As usual,  a great read. I enjoy your style of writing very much.

Yes,Walker isn't the greatest, the Riverside is nice and under regeneration but there are still parts (including where the bus terminal is) that are slightly sketchy, though students are slowly encroaching. 

Agree on those Hybrids, far more impressive than Angel examples GNE went for.

Thanks very much, the kind comments are greatly appreciated. Aiming to do an Explorer next Tuesday, so hopefully there will be another review on Wednesday 28th.

I don't mind the Angel Hybrids too much, admittedly they haven't been looked after as much as one would have hoped, but for what they do, I don't think they do too bad a job. That said, I'd probably grow frustrated with them if I had to use them day in, day out, at peak times. The Stagecoach E400Hs are very quick off the mark in comparison to them.

Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. X

(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 wrote Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one.

(22 Dec 2016, 1:18 pm)Charles41 wrote Parts of Walker can be a bit scary. If you are changing buses at Regent Centre check out the library close by. Well stocked with clean loos. Very handy if you get caught short. Good review look forward to reading the next one. 

Cheers, Charles. Will bear that in mind next time I'm changing at Regent Centre.

Tuesday 27th December 2016

Hope everybody had a good Christmas. As I did last Tuesday, today, I embarked on another North East Explorer.

07:53 GNE X21 6303 Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace to Newcastle Eldon Square
The first bus of the day was the 0830 arrival into Eldon Square; the 0753 from my local bus stop on the Durham-Newcastle stretch. As it was a Saturday service from Go North East, this trip was the first X21 of the day. This morning, it was in the hands of 6303. This was the first of the seven Wright StreetDecks that I claimed haulage on, back on Saturday 12th March, during their first week of service on the X21, on the exact same journey as I had it on on this occasion. To be honest, I was expecting a pretty busy bus when I boarded at my stop, along with three other passengers, but when I made my way upstairs, I found it was almost totally deserted. One thing I still like about the StreetDecks is the consistency in charging sockets working. While the WiFi can be a bit hit and miss, with it sometimes working faultlessly and sometimes being a pain; the sockets tend to mostly work, and I struggle to recount an occasion where they haven't.

08:41 SC&NL 685 27142 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
The service terminated at Eldon Square and I alighted here, with the intention of catching the 0845 685 service to Hexham, so I could check out the recently opened bus station, which replaced an older building that had been present in the town centre since 1933, but was sadly no longer capable of coping with the heavy bus traffic and congestion. I will definitely remember it as a quaint, traditional structure. Another recent introduction is the ''Cross Pennine'' brand on service 85/685 (Newcastle-Carlisle), with three Stagecoach vehicles; two Enviro300s and one Solo SR, and a few Arriva Omnicities, sporting the rather smart livery. To try and kill two birds with one stone, I caught the 685 over. This morning, the first Stagecoach-operated journey to leave Eldon Square was in the hands of 27141. I found the vehicle to be alright; seating was comfortable, but the low traffic and passenger numbers meant the driver just restricted it to trundling along the route to keep to time.

10:05 GNE 74 670 Hexham Bus Station to Newcastle Eldon Square
Spent about twenty minutes looking around the new bus station and getting photographs of vehicles leaving. I noticed the 74 coming into the bus station, with Optare Solo SR 670 (required for haulage!) being the allocated vehicle and decided I would catch this back across to Newcastle. Following a driver changeover, I boarded at bang-on 1000 and patiently waited for the departure. This was the first time I used the 74, and it has to be said, the scenery is brilliant on this route. The country lane running and timetable allows one to see how quick off the mark Solos can be, and I also noted we passed several horses along the desolate roads, with the friendly driver waving to their riders. Will definitely be doing the 74 at some point in 2017. I was the only passenger until the Ponteland area; rather than face a wait in Ponteland for a Stagecoach X78 service, I decided to carry on with 670 to Newcastle, where I would meet Adrian around 1145. 

11:59 SNE 62 10638 Newcastle Blackett Street to Chapel House
As 670 was waiting to descend Prudhoe Place and into Eldon Square, I noticed a couple of police officers were directing traffic due to severe congestion. Took a good five minutes to get into the bus station. Adrian notified me that he had 6142 on the X1, so I headed up to Percy Street for a photograph, seeing one of my driver friends from Chester-le-Street with 4957 on the Waggonway, conversing across the road before chatting in the bus station while he was waiting to depart. After meeting with Adrian, I was again momentarily distracted when I saw another friend in the cab of 3965, who thanked me for the photo of him I had had printed and dropped in the mail for him on Christmas Eve. With that done, we headed out to Blackett Street with the aim of catching a 62 to Chapel House and a 40 back, to get an MMC and a Hybrid. 10638 was our chariot, with a pretty light loading of passengers, and everything working as it should. I remain a huge fan of the Enviro400MMC.

12:38 SNE 40 12072 Chapel House to Newcastle Blackett Street
We realised we were at the terminus of the 62 when the driver turned the vehicle off, so we quickly alighted. I attempted a photo, but was faced with the poor light due to the position of the sun, so returned to the bus stop to stand with Adrian. Our plan was to catch the 40 back to the city centre then look for an Enviro200MMC on the 30/31. As stated in my last review, where I travelled on an E400H on the 39 from Walker to Newcastle, I am a fan of these Hybrids. They're in pretty good condition given they will be six years of age in 2017. It is just a shame that the 39 and 40 serve some absolute dire places, meaning you sort of have to surrender your dignity for some half-decent modern-age haulage. The service filled up pretty quickly shortly after leaving Chapel House, and at the risk of being controversial, I think Adrian and I may have been the only White people sat in the downstairs saloon...! 

13:17 SNE 30 26063 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Whickham View to Newcastle Grainger Street
Now back in Newcastle, we jumped off 12072 at Blackett Street, making a quick walk across to Pilgrim Street for a 30/31 towards Whickham View/Montagu Estate respectively. While this outing was not the outing dedicated to getting photographs of the E200MMCs, which I do intend to do at some point in January or February, with the E400MMCs thrown into the mix too for some variety; it was decided that it would be a poor choice to not have a ride on at least one of them while we had the opportunity. This wasn't the busiest journey, but it wasn't quiet either. Aside from the USB ports not playing ball, I was highly impressed by this example, 26063. With a similar mechanical set-up to the Wright StreetLite, and a direct competitor as well, I couldn't really notice any difference in the sounds, except for the absence of a rattling emergency exit door! Bodywork was very sturdy, and the vehicle overall just seemed to be very well-built.

14:25 SNE 38 19670 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Freeman Hospital
While we were on the 30, I had planned to alight at Whickham View and then catch a 38 to the Freeman Hospital, I didn't actually notice the turning circle for Whickham View at any point along the route. I blame my lack of attention, I was enjoying the E200MMC too much. When Adrian pointed out that we were back in Newcastle, I realised we could still catch a 38 from there, but chose to alight on Grainger Street after sitting there for a few minutes doing nothing. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before making our way round to Pilgrim Street, noticing heavy congestion on Market Street as we walked there. 19670 was our bus to the Freeman, a nice vehicle that was quite fast when let loose on an open road, we took a seat at the back downstairs. I have to admit that, in terms of ease to use between notable locations, the 38 is probably one of my favourite Stagecoach routes. We began leap-frogging our next intended target, the 54, close to the Freeman, which had me on edge...

14:53 ANE 54 4523 Freeman Hospital to Newcastle Haymarket
As I had noticed the Cramlington-bound 54 departing just ahead of us on 19670, we reviewed the timetables in the hope that a Stagecoach service would be following quickly behind us, to take us to Four Lane Ends, so that we could stick to the plan and get another Enviro400MMC in for haulage on a 62/63 move back to the city centre. Adrian had no issues mocking me for my clear inability to read a Nexus timetable (being a County Durham resident and all that), and we established we had just missed an 18 as well. Rather than face a wait until 1514 for the next Arriva 54, we crossed the road for something back to Newcastle. Quite luckily, we managed to catch Volvo B10BLE 4523. Having travelled on this example earlier in the month, ironically, on the 54 between the Freeman and Newcastle, I had high expectations because I recalled it having a very melodious gearbox. I wasn't disappointed, will definitely miss these when they go. A more 'in-depth' bash of them may be in order.

15:14 ANE 43 7468 Newcastle Haymarket to Regent Centre
Arrival back into Haymarket was at 1507, and one of my plans had been to catch the Nexus-secured 33 service up to Gosforth the long way round, then get another Stagecoach Enviro200MMC on the 30/31 back to the city centre. However, I knew that the 33 departed from Pilgrim Street on a half-hourly basis at xx:07 and xx:37 minutes past each hour, so rather than walk there and get photos to kill time, Adrian suggested we caught something up to Regent Centre. 7468, an ex-London DAF DB250RS/Alexander ALX400, was waiting to depart with a 43 to Cramlington, and as we both quite like this vehicle type, we chose to catch that. Passenger numbers were decent, with the lower deck being pretty much fully occupied. One trait of the DAF ALX400s that I quite like is the sideways-facing seats downstairs, they're just a bit different to what I am used to. I don't think they're present on the Volvo B7TLs cascaded north earlier this year, but then again, I've only been on one.

15:39 T&WM 4008+4084 Regent Centre to Heworth
We attempted some photos at Regent Centre after we alighted, but the low light conditions made it quite difficult. After debating where to head next, we decided to make our way to Heworth, then catch a Go North East 82 to Concord, followed by an 85/86 to Washington, where we would part ways. As we had not made a journey on the Metro on this day, we decided to catch the next service to Heworth from Regent Centre so we could get a decent-length run on the Metro in. When we got down to the platform, which was void of any other intending passengers, to find we had a wait of eight minutes until the next train. When it rolled to a stop, with 4004 leading and 4084 on the rear, we opted to sit in 4084 as it looked to be quieter. Managed to secure two seats facing each other in the middle of the body of the carriage. The train got very busy all of a sudden at Gateshead, but we didn't have to suffer it for long as Heworth was only a few minutes away.

16:17 GNE 82 682 Heworth Metro to Concord Bus Station
With dusk now slowly creeping across the sky above, we made our way outside for some photos. I find the dusk to be frustrating because grainy photos seem more common; low-light conditions tend to be a bit of a bane in my life when it comes to photographs, I prefer complete light or pitch black, just so I know for sure what sort of settings I should be shooting in. Our plan was to catch the 1617 82 service to Concord, then an 85/86 to Washington, so I could hopefully tick off a winner ex-Thames Solo. When it showed up, the driver in the cab was a new starter, being mentored by a young woman with red hair, who I overheard telling him about the ups and downs of being a depot mentor. Much like 670 earlier in the day, 682 had a pretty decent ride quality, although it was, unfortunately, a 'dud' for haulage. Passenger numbers remained pretty much the same throughout this journey; no more than half a dozen on board.

16:52 GNE 86 705 Concord Bus Station to Washington Galleries
By now pretty much pitch black, we alighted in Concord Bus Station with the intention of catching another indiGo service, an 85 or 86, across to Washington, to try and get another M880 Solo for haulage. I reviewed the timetable; there was an 85 due at 16:38, with the 86 behind it expected to depart at 16:52. The 16:38 service never turned up, but during our wait, we observed a driver bringing 5249 from Washington depot to change over with 5259, only to find out there wasn't a need to swap the vehicles over! 705 eventually turned up with the 16:52 86, which I rolled my eyes at, as it was the sole example of the original-bodied Solos acquired earlier in the year that I had already been on! The driver seemed nice enough, making the effort to exchange with passengers. I don't mind these Solos, they aren't as nippy as the Solo SRs, but do the job they're destined for pretty well, I suppose.

17:18 GNE 8 5396 Washington Galleries to Chester-le-Street South Burns
Adrian carried on with 705, while I alighted at the Galleries. It was 17:05, and after reviewing the timetables, I had a fifteen-minute wait until my bus back to Chester-le-Street, the 17:21 number 8, was expected. At Stand A, a disorderly queue for the X1 and 4, both due before the 8, had formed. To my appeasement, the X1 came in the form of 6141, which I still needed a photograph of. May I offer my sincerest apologies that it is a bus station shot - I'm ashamed of myself... https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/. I eventually saw the distinct white destination blind on a StreetLite coming along the road, so prepared to board. The vehicle was 5396, a mega dud, but not a bad bus overall. Plug socket was working without any issues, which was refreshing for a StreetLite! Got back to Chester-le-Street at 17:40, at which point I alighted and began to make my way home.

In summary, it was a thoroughly enjoyable outing. With thirteen journies, it took quite a while longer than I expected to get this published. Hope you all enjoyed reading. As it's unlikely I'll be out properly again until the New Year, I'd like to wish all readers all the best for 2017.

R852 PRG

Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG

(29 Sep 2019, 9:13 pm)R852 PRG wrote Hello all.

I hope you are all well. I popped by for a visit and decided to have a trawl through this old thread. It seems a few people have come and gone in the time since I was last properly active as a member of the forum but pleased there are lots of old faces still contributing. To give you all a three-year life update in a nutshell; I am now 19, at university and live in Aberdeen. I have spent quite some time getting to grips with the local network and am *fairly* confident I know my way around the First network. The Stagecoach stuff is on the back-burner right now but I will get to it soon. I don't think I have changed a great deal; I still enjoy writing, still enjoy the hobby and am still fairly gruff in manner I suppose.

Having read through my old reviews, I realised I quite missed writing up my trip reports and wondered if there was still a market out there for them. If at least five people are interested in my adventures and idiosyncrasies, I'll start back up again but with a mixture of write-ups from my outings in the north east when I come home and when I'm in Scotland. To bring me up to speed with everyone - if you remember me, I'll remember you - let me know what you've been up to in recent times.

Best wishes,
R852 PRG

I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

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(30 Sep 2019, 12:51 am)Dan wrote I'd be a fan of seeing these reviews return.

I've voiced my opinions before that I think discussion on this forum is less interesting than I found it previously, and that it's because we no longer tend to see good, opinionated, pieces of writing and/or debate (instead just a reel of the same statements and questions all of the time).

A few of our members have since started their own blogs, so I definitely think there's a market out there for this kind of writing. Hopefully it can return and make for some interesting reading.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Agreed. The dynamic that was once here has gone which could be why some of the key members from that period may no longer be stopping by or have owt to say, I find some of the discussions now just painful to read particularly the service suggestion threads which is the same over and over again despite points being made as to why those suggestions are not good ideas, so why bother?

Beginning to think my ramblings in the annoying threads kept things interesting on here although don't expect that to return as I'm not like that anymore which is reassuring to know especially considering I passed my driving test last week otherwise that would be a terrifying prospect, also because I became more self aware what I was doing and how people were reacting to it.

So yeah, anything that would be of real insight would be welcomed. I would be interested in seeing some reviews and insights surrounding Aberdeen as it's somewhere I want to venture to in 2020 along with other parts of Scotland and other new areas.

As long as it's something that is going to provoke debate, discussion and conversation - that isn't shot down in a ball of flames, I'm all for it.

I too would like to see more reviews and debate. I'd also enjoy reading about the Aberdeen bus scene.

I tried the Coquetdale Community Transport service a couple of weeks ago. Very nice friendly driver. Well worth a go. The Cheviots are beautiful this time of year. Queens Head at Rothbury has now reopened.

Congratulations on passing your test Jimmi.

Charles

I've missed seeing the reviews and opinion pieces.

And well done, Jimmi!

Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG

(01 Oct 2019, 3:08 pm)R852 PRG wrote Thank you for your replies. I am pleased to see my old court are still active on the forum. I didn't ask out of desire for validation or anything, I was just more conscious of essentially publishing reviews and not having anybody to interact with. Isaac Newton would habitually verbally abuse his audience to the point that they'd boycott his lectures and he'd carry on regardless, lecturing to an empty auditorium.

I would be tempted to get back into the swing of things by reviewing one of my local outings over the summer on an under 19 day ticket, but I am planning to embark on a Stagecoach Bluebird Explorer this Saturday coming as I'm not rostered to work and don't have any other commitments at present. Let me know what you'd prefer.

R852 PRG

Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

(01 Oct 2019, 3:38 pm)Stanleyone wrote

Might seem a funny question, but can a 19yr old get a under 19 ticket in Aberdeen?, won’t get one on my bus.

I have a student pass for the academic year. Unrestricted access to the First network. I turned 19 end of September so was still 18 over the summer.

Saturday 5th October 2019

Well, almost three years following my last review, here I am with my report of my adventure this Saturday. I embarked on a Bluebird Explorer, priced at £10.95 for students, and tried to navigate the Stagecoach Bluebird network around Aberdeen for the first time.

10:17 SNS X17 29019 Aberdeen Union Square to Kingswells Park & Ride

My first vehicle of the day was 29019, an ADL E350H electric hybrid. I boarded in Union Square bus station and was greeted by a fairly amicable driver who expressed confusion as to the Bluebird Explorer I asked him for. After about twenty seconds of looking through the ticket machine, he found it. I assume it's not a particularly common ticket, at least with the Bluebird network. Come to think of it, I can't ever recall an instance during one of my adventures back home where a driver hasn't been familiar with the North East Explorer. As I made my way towards the back of the empty saloon, which still retained its Stagecoach Gold interior from its previous existence in Perth, I was somewhat surprised to find there was no gradual ascent of the gangway but then realised this was due to the 'engine' being on the roof. After we reversed off our stand in Union Square - which I only today realised is allowed after blasting the horn twice to alert others - we picked up a couple more passengers on Union Street (essentially Northumberland Street in terms of shops and facilities but not pedestrianised and always with a heavy flow of traffic) before the journey to Kingswells was underway.

11:44 SNS 747 47606 Kingswells Park & Ride to Aberdeen International Airport

I spent some time at Kingswells getting photos of the steady stream of vehicles on the X17s heading to and from the city on a regular frequency, also photographing an Enviro on the 747 heading to Stonehaven and a Mercedes Sprinter on the 44 shuttle service to the nearby housing estate at Countesswells. The X17 appeared to be a toss-up of just about anything Tullos depot had, with electric hybrid Enviro300s, ex-Highlands ALX400 18111 and regular Enviro300s making up the boards I observed in the time I spent there. Running about ten minutes late, old-style 2008 vintage Solo 47606 came in with a 747 heading towards the Airport. The last time I was on a Stagecoach Solo was way back in May 2015, when Dan and I had a run on one on the 302 from Workington Bus Station back to Lillyhall depot at the open day there one Saturday. I was surprised to find its seats were all equipped with seatbelts and also by how violently the seats in this one shook when idling in traffic. It was quite something. It was otherwise a fast run to the Airport, and we were on time for arrival at 1155.

11:58 SNS 727 10531 Aberdeen International Airport to Aberdeen Union Square

After taking a photograph of 47606 while it took a minute or so to layover, I immediately crossed to board the 727-branded Enviro400MMC which was standing ready to depart. I had wrongly assumed that this would be much like a shuttle between the Airport and Union Square but found that the bus picked up a great deal of passengers as it approached the city centre. It had been quite a while since my last journey an Enviro400MMC and it reminded me of my intention to try and catch the Cumbria example on the 685 next time I do a North East Explorer (potentially when I'm home at Christmas). Not much else to say really, 10531 provided a smooth ride and showed no real sign of the ageing and vibrations we're all fairly accustomed to on other 16-reg deckers such as 6301-6307. It was a reminder of which is the infinitely better product. Very much looking forward to trying Go North East's handful hopefully soon. I debated between having a ride out to Banchory on the 61-reg Panther 2s that dominate the 201/202 allocation or to Inverurie to tick off an 'A96 City Connect' Elite on the 10.

13:05 SNS X37 27111 Aberdeen Union Square to Inverurie Town Centre

After patrolling Union Square for a short while, I didn't see the 1245 service out to Banchory on its allocated stand. It would leave some ten minutes late in the end, by which point I'd decided to head north west to Inverurie instead on the X37 at 1305. The driver rather gruffly demanded to see my University ID card on presentation of my Bluebird Explorer - something no driver earlier in the day had asked to see - I complied and took a seat on the back row. The vehicle for the ride out to Inverurie was 27111, a 14-reg Enviro300 with 'Inverurie Connect' branding. Pretty much your standard Enviro300, nothing particularly worthy of discussion. I did notice that the bus gradually got fuller and fuller as we left Aberdeen with most passengers travelling a good forty minutes or so to Inverurie. Seems a well-patronised route, but I imagine I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd had 19369, which I saw heading out to Inverurie on the X37 earlier in the morning. I alighted in the town centre with the majority of passengers and 27111 went on its way.

14:27 SNS 10 54827 Inverurie Town Centre to Aberdeen Union Square

My next journey was on the 'A96 City Connect' 10 service back to Aberdeen from Inverurie. I took in the sights of the town centre and have to say it did seem, on the surface, to be quite a nice place. I took a photograph of another Stagecoach Solo on the local town service heading to Tesco as I killed time for the 10 to arrive outside the Town Hall. Running seven minutes late, Elgin-based Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite 54827 approached on the last leg of its run down from Inverness. A handful of passengers alighted and I was the only passenger to board - I climbed up the stairs at the door, showed the driver my Explorer and took a seat about two thirds of the way towards the back on the offside. Had a great journey back into Aberdeen, the route along the A96 was great and very scenic, less suburban than the trip on the X37 had been and my goodness, did this coach fly. It was so effortless in pulling and very responsive, and good enough to convince me to think about having another ride out to Inverurie next time I do a Bluebird Explorer, perhaps breaking the hour-long wait between 10s in each direction with a run on the circular to Tesco. Arrival back into Union Square was on-time.

15:20 SNS 68 54243 Aberdeen Union Square to Ellon Park & Ride

After having had such a good journey on 54827, I decided I'd finally have a go on the Buchan Express. Standing on the final stance in the bus station was Volvo B11R/Plaxton Elite i 54243 with the 1520 68 service to Ellon Park & Ride. Much like with a ride on a 62-plate example on the X74 between Glasgow and Dumfries with citaro5284 in March 2018, I found myself walking in through the entrance door, going to the left to present my ticket to the driver and then going right to ascend the stairs to the passenger saloon upstairs. The service wasn't very busy but it seemed the majority of passengers were sitting in the forward half of the upper deck rather than towards the rear. I was able to bag a pair of seats to myself with a lot of legroom thanks to the seating arrangement changing to just a single seat in front of me rather than a pair. I was thoroughly impressed with the speed this Elite i was able to get up to on the ride up to Ellon and decided to brave the twenty minute wait at the Park & Ride site for the next one back down.

16:20 SNS 67 54241 Ellon Park & Ride to Aberdeen Union Square

After a wait in the very exposed bus stop at the Park & Ride site, during which I mused to myself as to why on earth somewhere as far inland as Kingswells had a waiting room available and somewhere as cold and windy as Ellon didn't, I was greeted with the sight of 54241 with a southbound 67 for Aberdeen. Also occupying the bus stop and waiting to board was a group of walkers, each of whom commented on the harsh climate and how grateful they would be for the bus to arrive. I boarded first and took a seat towards the back of the upper deck this time to get a feel for the perspective when sitting further towards the back. I have to say, you realise these things are longer than they feel when you sit towards the back. I couldn't help but feel that these would be ideally suited to the X9 and X10, although there would be obvious capacity issues particularly at peak times, and they'd perhaps be the next logical step to take those services to the next level so to speak. After a smooth run back into Aberdeen, I once again alighted in Union Square.

17:15 SNS 202 19174 Aberdeen Union Square to Peterculter

As the day drew to a close, I decided I'd have a ride out to Peterculter on the 201/202 services which I'd decided against doing today in favour of Inverurie. A full ride out to Banchory is definitely on the cards for a future trip, though. Seems to be a nice enough place. The vehicle for the 1715 departure was 19174, a 12 year old (!) Enviro400 with high back seats and seatbelts. I'd previously had sister (or should that be 'sibling' or another non-gender specific term, given how far the social justice warriors have taken us towards oblivion in the last few years) 19171 on the free university shuttle service and was astonished at how quick off the mark it was and how it maintained speed on climbs. 19174 didn't quite have the opportunity to show what it could do due to a fairly flexible timetable but it certainly seemed to manage the route without any difficulties. I did notice how uncomfortable the seats on the very back row in the downstairs saloon looked.

18:14 SNS 202 53639 Peterculter to Aberdeen Union Street

My reason for alighting in Peterculter was not only as it was a nice, twenty minute connection in a fairly nice location, but because it was a good spot to try and catch the First B9TL/Geminis on the 19 service. I had visited the same spot earlier in the week (chauffeured by mb134) but found the decreasing light made moving shots difficult. Once again, I had misjudged how dusk it would have been by the time 19174 got me there given how light it had been at Union Square on departure, but no matter. Ex-Megabus Panther 2 53639 was my chariot back to the city centre on the 202, and I took a seat towards the back. I could tell, even for an eight year old coach, it was a bit tired and had been through the wars in its previous capacity, but enjoyed the journey back to Aberdeen nonetheless, alighting on Union Street rather than in the bus station. I've always had a bit of a thing for the Stagecoach moquette on coach seats - perhaps my only complaint about the younger coaches sampled earlier in the day was the absence of them in favour of leather over fabric.

All in all, a great day exploring the Stagecoach network. I hope to do another Bluebird Explorer before the year is out. It's been a while since I last did one of these, so I'm a bit rusty. Pleased I've made the effort though and hope they'll become routine again. If you haven't fallen asleep yet, thank you for reading.

R852 PRG

Wednesday 19th May 2021

Yesterday, I enjoyed an outing with Dan and citaro5284, with a brief and unexpected appearance from a friend of ours whom I shall refer to as 'the Captain'. 

08:51 GNE 50 6930 Chester-le-Street to Durham North Road
My first vehicle of the day was ex-London President 6930 on the morning duplicate 50 to Durham. Having arranged to meet Dan and citaro5284 in Newcastle later in the morning, I had sufficient time to have a trip through to Durham then make my way round to Newcastle via Washington. I had also noticed that the 50 board this run dupes has a tendency to throw up either 6172 or 6173, but unfortunately I noticed it was 5256 pulling onto the stand as I emerged onto Front Street. At the same time, I saw 6930 coming in with the 78 dupe from Lumley, having earlier operated a couple of school runs on the 34. After turning around at South Burns, it pulled onto the stand just as a fully-loaded 5256 departed. The driver was an old hand from Crook depot who I believe may have been one of the many employees to come from OK Travel in 1995 following its acquisition. I sat at the back next to the emergency exit and enjoyed the slow but sure run to Durham with the cooling fans blaring all the way. We leapfrogged 5256 all the way and beat it to North Road, at which point 6930 headed back to the depot.

09:19 GNE 50 5256 Durham North Road to Washington Galleries
Immediately afterwards, 5256 arrived. A great number of passengers, mostly young people, alighted here. I can see why Washington seem to allocate a decker to this board, although I imagine various other boards experience similarly busy runs. I noted that the driver was rigorously enforcing face coverings as others boarded ahead of me. I have always been a fan of the Omnicities and have always had a particular fondness for 5255-5260, with that batch of six having been allocated to Chester for the 50 while I was a teenager and at the 'peak' of my enthusiasm for buses. I am of course still an enthusiast, but there are other interests which I pursue nowadays. I try to make the most of my downtime. I know the Omnicities have had something of a mixed reception. I feel that, at various points in their working lives, they have been poorly deployed onto routes which they weren't necessarily unfit for, but simply unsuitable for capacity. The Angel and the Cobalt Clipper come straight to mind. Nonetheless, they've been good workhorses and I will be sad to see them go. 

10:12 GNE X1 6367 Washington Galleries to Newcastle St. Mary's Place
After a spirited run through from Durham, I alighted 5256 at the Galleries and joined the queue for the X1. I have only been on the X1 a couple of times since the Streetdecks were introduced: 6364 from Washington to Newcastle in December and 6366 from Washington to Houghton in April. I found them perfectly suited to the route and appropriate replacements for the B9TLs that preceded them; while I've always found the B9s to be solid all-rounders, I feel that they were becoming a little tired on the X1 after nearly ten years. I was a little surprised by the decision to rebrand the 56 rather than similarly get Streetdecks for that. I dare say Streetdecks would be even better suited to that route. We departed from the Galleries with a healthy load and picked up another handful at Wrekenton, with more boarding as we headed down Old Durham Road. A woman argued with the driver over something which was hard to pick up from my table seat upstairs. We fell a little behind schedule as a result of that and the roadworks at Deckham, and I alighted at St. Mary's Place just after 10:50. 

11:35 GNE 74 729 Newcastle Eldon Square to Hexham Bus Station
I met with Dan and citaro5284 at the Five Swans and we had a Wetherspoons breakfast - an ironic staple of many an outing. They expressed amusement at my liking for black pudding which they felt was unbefitting for a man of my estate. Shortly after 11:15, we made our way round to Eldon Square and waited for the 74 to arrive. I had decided we would get the 74 so that I could sample one of the Sprinters in service, having been confined to non-service contract work whenever I had been in the area. I also factored in citaro5284's fondness for complaining and felt this would be funny. We left Newcastle on time and headed north-west out of the city. For those of you who have not done the 74, it is a nice run through the countryside but one with lots of twists and tight turns. It was a shame that the driver didn't think to turn the air-conditioning on. At various points, I will admit I was surprised as to how this service runs with Solos, let alone full-size single deckers in the past. 729 proved itself a nimble vehicle but its sensitive brakes don't seem to be worn in yet. There were a number of instances where I was thrown forward by the driver having to slam on the anchors. As anticipated, citaro5284 was full of joy throughout this journey.

13:41 GNE 689 670 Hexham Bus Station to Consett Bus Station
We arrived on time in Hexham and Dan and I crossed the road to get some photos as the position of the sun was good enough. Next on our agenda was the 13:41 689 service to Consett with 'Tynedale Links' branded 670 doing the honours. I last did the 689 in early September last year, from Consett to Hexham on a weekday morning run. Much like the 74, it is a nice run through mostly countryside. I would say I preferred this run to the Sprinter on the 74, purely for the air circulation enabled through the open windows. I also feel that the route this service traverses is a little more scenic and doesn't feel as never-ending as the 74 does in places. A couple of other passengers boarded with us in Hexham, with one doing the full route to Consett; a similar number boarded as we passed through Ebchester. Upon arrival in the bus station, we headed into the Company Row for a bite to eat. Dan and citaro5284 forced some alcohol on me. 

16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

18:22 GNE X21 6314 Newcastle Newgate Street to Chester-le-Street Clifford Terrace
After a nice catch-up with the Captain, I departed from the group and left them to carry on while I went to catch a service back to Chester-le-Street from Newgate Street. I was fortunate in that the first to arrive was the 18:15 X21 from Eldon Square, with 6314 and one of Chester's leading drivers at the wheel. I am still yet to tick off all of the ex-X9|X10 B5TLs on the X21 and was slightly frustrated at the fact that 6314 was a dud. I could, of course, do what some degenerates do: manipulate the rules to meet my needs and claim the lot of them by proxy on account of all of them having already been claimed by friends of mine. But my word is my bond and I play according to the rules. I think the B5TLs are fine runners on the X21 and think they would have been better-suited to having been bought brand new for it. It is ironic that the X21 pretty much killed the Streetdecks that were bought new for it and the X9 & X10 all but summarily executed the B5TLs which were bought for it, yet the X21 seems to be a perfect fit for the latter. If only cost-saving measures hadn't been the single aspect considered when they were ordered...


It is somewhat embarrassing that we ended up on just as many buses as did Wetherspoons but I suppose it was nice to have more of a social outing for a change of pace. I hope that it is not nearly two years before I next post a review. Please let me know if you have enjoyed this and I will try to keep them going regularly.

(20 May 2021, 7:02 pm)R852 PRG wrote Wednesday 19th May 2021


16:15 GNE X46 6348 Consett Bus Station to Newcastle Newgate Street
Slightly worse for wear, I led the other two back to the bus station to board the 16:03 X45 service. It failed to materialise and we boarded 6348 on the board behind. I do have an affinity for Enviro400MMCs and always hope for one over a Streetdeck when I regularly get on a Consett X-lines service. I noticed that the driver, an older, grumpy looking man, was sporting one of the name badges. It was an animated journey to the say the least, with the driver blaring the horn multiple times at car drivers who I presume he felt were in his way. There were various points where he simply forced his way through small gaps in traffic. I do love the Consett X-lines network and could quite happily have a run on one service in one direction and catch another service straight back. I am pleased that the investment into this part of the Go North East network was made and hope that it pays for itself in the long run. We alighted on Newgate Street and met with our old associate, the Captain, at the Keel Row just before 17:30.

Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?

(20 May 2021, 7:14 pm)Clifton Hignett III wrote Interestingly, I was also on this bus, boarding in Consett and alighting at an undisclosed location in the Derwent Valley. I was expecting a rather peaceful journey, however it was largely interrupted by two young scallywags at the front of the bus who were preoccupied with videoing each other whilst making incoherent noises. What did you make of them?

One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


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(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan wrote One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.


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Dreadful

(20 May 2021, 8:28 pm)Dan wrote One even played a video of an ill-informed bystander making incoherent noises himself. No respect.

God that's a phrase I ain't heard in a while!