(27 Aug 2017, 4:39 pm)S813 FVK wrote When the NSAs are being tested, is each route done in both directions or is one direction viewed as enough with the view that if one direction works, the other direction will too?

Both ways, so X9 round trip followed by X10 round trip.

(27 Aug 2017, 2:53 pm)Michael wrote Hopefully all of the ex London B7 Presidents will be withdrawn when all of the contracts end. (Like Metro etc)

Even with their age and shabby chic interior, still prefer a B7 on the Angel to an Omnidekka.

Been nice to see 3888 on her old stomping ground...thankfully not in pink!

(27 Aug 2017, 2:49 pm)Dan wrote I think the simple answer is "lots".

There's quite a few buses kicking around in the fleet which should have long since been withdrawn (having been replaced by other cascaded buses earlier in the year), but were retained over the summer for these contracts, and that's before you take into consideration any buses being withdrawn after the loss of Miscellaneous Works contracts.

Is there a list anywhere of those expected/most likely to go soonest?  Or is it just most/all of the Presidents as suggested elsewhere?

(27 Aug 2017, 2:54 pm)Dan wrote It would indeed, you're right. I'm sure it's in Go North East's best interests to have the announcements working on the Tyne Valley Ten services as soon as possible, and they wouldn't purposely disable them with no intention of re-enabling them.

The new programme, complete in the new "Tyne Valley Ten" colourscheme, was loaded to one of the first Volvo B9TLs which went in for repaint.

Unfortunately there was an error in the programme which meant that it would not load as it should do, which is why no further examples have been loaded since (until the error can be found and fixed, anyway!) Aside from that, the system errors (meaning that the screens have been stuck on Windows XP boot-up screen) have been getting repaired as and when the buses have gone in for repaint, to ensure that when the media is ready, with no faults, all buses work. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel...

Has there been any progress with the Citylink58 and Quaylink's NSAs?  (Not sure as I haven't been on either for a while).

(27 Aug 2017, 7:30 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Has there been any progress with the Citylink58 and Quaylink's NSAs?  (Not sure as I haven't been on either for a while).

Some of Q3 have them now

When the Cobalt Clipper NSAs get re-done, will Emma only need to re-record the High Farm section of the 310 as well as between Middle Engine Lane and North Shields / Blyth due to some commonality with the 57 (minuts St Mary's / Haymarket?

(27 Aug 2017, 7:30 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Has there been any progress with the Citylink58 and Quaylink's NSAs?  (Not sure as I haven't been on either for a while).

Yes.

The computer sitting behind the scenes on the Quaylink buses is planned to be replaced in the coming weeks (to the same system as on newer buses with internal LED displays, but using the existing TFT monitors already fitted). When the new 'computer' system is fitted, the media will be pre-loaded for the appropriate routes, and it will work. Or it should.

The new system has the capabilities of showing video, too, like the Sunderland Connect Hybrids, although this feature won't be used from Day 1.

(27 Aug 2017, 7:35 pm)Ds1197 wrote Some of Q3 have them now

The buses which currently have announcements on the Q3 should have been disabled again, when service changes earlier this year saw the Q3 revised to serve Eldon Square instead of Haymarket.

(27 Aug 2017, 7:35 pm)L469 YVK wrote When the Cobalt Clipper NSAs get re-done, will Emma only need to re-record the High Farm section of the 310 as well as between Middle Engine Lane and North Shields / Blyth due to some commonality with the 57 (minuts St Mary's / Haymarket?

Yes, that's right.

Cobalt Clipper remains bottom of the pile, however. It has announcements which, though wrong in places, are functioning and work. Our friends in Corbridge wouldn't be happy if Cobalt Clipper was re-done before the Tyne Valley Ten! 

(27 Aug 2017, 7:36 pm)Dan wrote Yes.

The computer sitting behind the scenes on the Quaylink buses is planned to be replaced in the coming weeks (to the same system as on newer buses with internal LED displays, but using the existing TFT monitors already fitted). When the new 'computer' system is fitted, the media will be pre-loaded for the appropriate routes, and it will work. Or it should.

The new system has the capabilities of showing video, too, like the Sunderland Connect Hybrids, although this feature won't be used from Day 1.



The buses which currently have announcements on the Q3 should have been disabled again, when service changes earlier this year saw the Q3 revised to serve Eldon Square instead of Haymarket.



Yes, that's right.

Cobalt Clipper remains bottom of the pile, however. It has announcements which, though wrong in places, are functioning and work. Our friends in Corbridge wouldn't be happy if Cobalt Clipper was re-done before the Tyne Valley Ten! 

Well I don't mind waiting. Stu's voice is decent to be fair. Surprised that Arriva didn't choose him for the Max / Sapphire NSA's for NE & Yorkshire.

(27 Aug 2017, 4:46 pm)Dan wrote Both ways, so X9 round trip followed by X10 round trip.

Thought so. It was one of those questions where the answer is as obvious as an elephant being in the same room as you but I thought that I'd ask anyway because of an experience on the 16 in the past.

The last 2 stops before Stanley Bus Station towards Castleside are much closer together than their equivalent stops in the Durham direction which I suspect is the main reason for the announcement omission.

Both stops are announced when heading to Durham with no problems. However, when heading to Castleside, the last stop is not announced at all with the display jumping from the date & time the last stop was passed to the date & time for the last stop.

As I had nothing better to do, I decided to try and work out why this omission occurs. One option that I came up with was that the announcements are only tested in one direction so the 'issue' would not have been spotted and the other was down to the lack of flexibility when it comes to how long the post-stop information can be displayed for before moving on to the next announcement.

Looks like all of the Crusader Citaro's will be in service tomorrow, finishing off another brand with the refurbished Citaro's.


Next up - 5298- 5304 for the X84/X85 and Tynedale Links along with 5328-5330 (although 5330 has yet to go)

(27 Aug 2017, 1:43 pm)Tom wrote Searching flickr most of them have been on the Prince Bishops at some point?

A big chunk of Solars across the fleet were done in or around Sept 14.
https://cbwmagazine.com/go-north-east-up...echnology/
These included the purple Solars.

Anything prior to then were upgrades to Euro 3 (if I remember correctly).

(28 Aug 2017, 12:51 pm)Andreos1 wrote A big chunk of Solars across the fleet were done in or around Sept 14.
https://cbwmagazine.com/go-north-east-up...echnology/
These included the purple Solars.

Anything prior to then were upgrades to Euro 3 (if I remember correctly).

Yes, the upgrade was from Euro 3 to Euro 5. Examples fitted were branded for the Prince Bishops, Fast Cats, The Highwayman and The Loop.

The buses upgraded on The Highwayman and The Loop have remained on the routes which they were allocated to when they first received these modifications, but the examples upgraded on the Prince Bishops and Fast Cats are now scattered around the patch. In my opinion it is nothing but a coincidence, if the buses upgraded have remained within an operating area which falls under the original local authority.

You touched upon this in a discussion with eezypeazy earlier this year (see discussion here) - I think eezypeazy probably hit the nail on the head when he suggested that the Local Authority probably wouldn't be too concerned, if the routes which were originally upgraded would receive more environmentally-friendly buses with less emissions (with no further contribution from them required - in the example of the Prince Bishops, Go North East invested £3.7m in these buses off their own back).

As it's an interest of yours, as you said in your OP, I will also give my view.

I doubt there will be a huge increase in the sale value of the buses involved - the investment by Go North East in this project (barring any funding received from Local Authorities) meant that the book value on these buses increased, and it will take a longer time for these to depreciate.

So really, it would seem the company has two options:

• Dispose of the Scania L94s upgraded in line with their age, when cascades become available, and potentially not make as great a profit on selling the bus (if the NBV is not £0, due to the book value increasing when the modifications were made)
  
• These buses remain in the fleet for a longer period of time to allow the asset to fully depreciate, and potentially have trouble selling the bus on to another operator at the higher price you would expect, due to the fact the bus is so old.
  

One of the "49" Streetlites looks to have been involved in a crash in the Teams.

(27 Aug 2017, 5:13 pm)Ambassador wrote Even with their age and shabby chic interior, still prefer a B7 on the Angel to an Omnidekka.

Been nice to see 3888 on her old stomping ground...thankfully not in pink!

Definitely don't disagree with you there. They're pants on routes where a bit of welly is needed, but more comfortable than the Omnidekka's when they have no need to get a move on.

(28 Aug 2017, 2:18 pm)S830OFT wrote One of the "49" Streetlites looks to have been involved in a crash in the Teams.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nort...n-13541907


There's been an incident where someone had got off a bus, but the bus wasnt directly involved.
Not sure if its the same incident.

Is there a particular reason that 681/89/90 haven't been used on the Nexus routes on a sunday for the past few weeks?

(28 Aug 2017, 6:56 pm)Dans_bus_photos wrote Is there a particular reason that 681/89/90 haven't been used on the Nexus routes on a sunday for the past few weeks?

I don't think they ever are used on a Sunday. Always 628 and 697 out on the 38C and 8, respectively.

(28 Aug 2017, 6:56 pm)Dans_bus_photos wrote Is there a particular reason that 681/89/90 haven't been used on the Nexus routes on a sunday for the past few weeks?

I believe one of them is allocated to the sunday 238.

(28 Aug 2017, 7:25 pm)S830OFT wrote I believe one of them is allocated to the sunday 238.

That's normally one of the usual 238 Solos too, same with the Sunday 237.

(28 Aug 2017, 5:36 pm)Andreos1 wrote http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nort...n-13541907


There's been an incident where someone had got off a bus, but the bus wasnt directly involved.
Not sure if its the same incident.

49 doesn't operate along there.

(28 Aug 2017, 7:25 pm)S830OFT wrote I believe one of them is allocated to the sunday 238.

Black cats streetlites are now for 135 and 136 and 9s on sundays and evenings

(28 Aug 2017, 10:22 pm)Citaro5326 wrote Black cats streetlites are now for 135 and 136 and 9s on sundays and evenings

Thanks for the extra info.

(28 Aug 2017, 10:11 pm)Ben C wrote 49 doesn't operate along there.

Agreed, but there was nowt in the original post to say it was operating a 49 at the time.

(28 Aug 2017, 12:34 pm)Michael wrote Looks like all of the Crusader Citaro's will be in service tomorrow, finishing off another brand with the refurbished Citaro's.

Next up - 5298- 5304 for the X84/X85 and Tynedale Links along with 5328-5330 (although 5330 has yet to go)

5318 and 5319 both VOR for MOT, while 5318 also has additional defects to clear. Will be this Friday (at the earliest) before both enter service.

When is 6085 getting branded for the N56?

---

(29 Aug 2017, 8:55 am)Dan wrote 5318 and 5319 both VOR for MOT, while 5318 also has additional defects to clear. Will be this Friday (at the earliest) before both enter service.

Thanks for the update Dan, been so busy at work, haven't had a chance to reply!

Anyone noticed the timetables in the bus stops for the 40 and 41 are wrong

5287 is at saltmeadows has major issue ( Engine and Axle problems )
8323 sounds like a dyson when it went past me today

643 at Saltmeadows following repaint - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...ed-public/

Which NatEx Levante was being prepped for repaint, got a photo of it but ID?

4979 has been repainted at the back

Deptford is loosing 3978-3982 , it is said that all vykings will be gone this year.