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Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

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RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(10 Oct 2019, 10:31 pm)Olympian3521 wrote

There’s 6 Toonlink B9’s at Consett which could transfer and go on the Loop now the PVR is 6 but I’m not sure if the Wrightbus issue has affected what happens at Consett.



We were due 30 streetdecks, so just slightly. But also other depots are affected by the knock on of those B9s and streetlites we’re going to replace older vehicles. Still hope a deal might be reached for wrights and the streetdecks arrive.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
Extract from BBC News

A deal has been reached in principle for the sale of Wrightbus.

Bidder Jo Bamford said agreement had been reached with "the Wright family for the Wrightbus factory and land".

"We are still to conclude a deal with the administrators but are pleased to report this important step in the right direction.

"I would like to thank Ian Paisley for his hard work and diligence in helping to mediate what has at times been a tricky negotiation."

George Brash from the Unite union described it as a "momentous day".

"He said it is a tribute to the workforce and the solidarity they have shown.

"There are a lot of smiling faces at the moment.

"We just need everything confirmed."

Mr Bamford, an English industrialist, wants to buy the Wrightbus business and the factory through his Ryse Hydrogen company.

Mr Paisley said he welcomed the announcement by Mr Bamford that "a deal has now been made on the Wrightbus site".

He said Mr Bamford is "concluding the final arrangements with the administrator to take over Wrightbus and get men and women back to work building buses".

On Thursday, the owner of the Wrightbus factory, Jeff Wright, said he had not been able to reach a deal to sell it to a new owner.

He said that the sticking point had been farmland he did not consider part of the factory site.

The Ballymena business was placed into administration and put up for sale last month.

The Wrightbus premises are owned separately from the manufacturing business and held in a company called Whirlwind Property Two, which is not part of the Wright group and is therefore not under the control of the administrator.

The property company is controlled by Mr Wright, the former owner of Wrightbus.
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
GNE website states emissions of E200 like 4 average cars. A lot better than I thought
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:18 pm)JP6004 wrote GNE website states emissions of E200 like 4 average cars. A lot better than I thought


I wonder what they use as the 'average car'

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:19 pm)streetdeckfan wrote


I wonder what they use as the 'average car'



Presumably not a matchbox one

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:22 pm)JP6004 wrote


Presumably not a matchbox one



I'm sceptical of all these official emissions figures, if they're saying it emits the equivalent of 4 average cars, then it probably emits at least the equivalent of 10-12 average cars in the real world, once you take into account all the stopping and starting.

Plus, that figure is probably an empty bus with no seats with just enough fuel to complete the test

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:40 pm)streetdeckfan wrote


I'm sceptical of all these official emissions figures, if they're saying it emits the equivalent of 4 average cars, then it probably emits at least the equivalent of 10-12 average cars in the real world, once you take into account all the stopping and starting.

Plus, that figure is probably an empty bus with no seats with just enough fuel to complete the test



Yeah but that bus will be there if whether there's passengers or not. A car will only be polluting if you choose to make that Journey in a car, thus instead of using a bus that's already there, you're adding extra emissions to the environment. 4 average cars sounds about right too, an Enviro 200 has what a 5 litre engine? Which is about the equivalent of 4 car engines, but more efficient because it is only powering 1 individual machine rather than 4 separate ones, not to mention large commercial diesel engines are very very efficient these days. It's basic maths that a bus carrying only a few people is much, much better than 4 cars carrying 1 single person each, I don't know where you're grasping 12 cars from, that's not realistic at all.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:49 pm)deanmachine wrote


Yeah but that bus will be there if whether there's passengers or not. A car will only be polluting if you choose to make that Journey in a car, thus instead of using a bus that's already there, you're adding extra emissions to the environment. 4 average cars sounds about right too, an Enviro 200 has what a 5 litre engine? Which is about the equivalent of 4 car engines, but more efficient because it is only powering 1 individual machine rather than 4 separate ones, not to mention large commercial diesel engines are very very efficient these days. It's basic maths that a bus carrying only a few people is much, much better than 4 cars carrying 1 single person each, I don't know where you're grasping 12 cars from, that's not realistic at all.



I was going off the fact that research shows that stopping 3 times per mile and getting back up to speed triples emissions.


The E200 weighs roughly 6 times the 'average' car when empty and like you say has an engine the equivalent size of 4 cars. Once you take into account the increased drag from the aerodynamics of a brick I fail to see how the emissions can only be equivalent to 4 cars.


I'm not saying that a bus is worse for the environment than a car, far from it, all I'm saying is with manufacturers doing everything in their power to cheat their way through emissions regulations, I don't see how anyone can trust the 'official' figures.

I'm happy to be proven wrong through independent tests, but I honestly don't see it happening

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:58 pm)streetdeckfan wrote


I was going off the fact that research shows that stopping 3 times per mile and getting back up to speed triples emissions.


The E200 weighs roughly 6 times the 'average' car when empty and like you say has an engine the equivalent size of 4 cars. Once you take into account the increased drag from the aerodynamics of a brick I fail to see how the emissions can only be equivalent to 4 cars.


I'm not saying that a bus is worse for the environment than a car, far from it, all I'm saying is with manufacturers doing everything in their power to cheat their way through emissions regulations, I don't see how anyone can trust the 'official' figures.

I'm happy to be proven wrong through independent tests, but I honestly don't see it happening



It's better than 4 cars because large diesel engines are a lot more efficient than small passenger car engines. They're above 50% thermal efficiency these days, where a normal petrol/diesel engine struggles to get 35%, I don't have time to dig out all the research I did when I was on placement to Cummins Turbo Technologies at the minute, but I learned a lot about large diesel engines and how good they actually are at converting fossil fuels into energy. This was in 2014, so the technology in a brand new Cummins powered E200 I imagine is getting even better.


I'd also say a bus ran by a company such as GNE has vehicles that are in much better condition than some of the diesel passenger cars driving around with their dirty black smoke coming out of the back of them, so there's another advantage to a bus. I'd be willing to hear an argument that a modern plug in hybrid or electric car is better for the environment than a bus, but they're expensive, and a bus pass is probably better compared to a dirty old diesel car that we should be trying to get off the road.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 1:27 pm)deanmachine wrote


It's better than 4 cars because large diesel engines are a lot more efficient than small passenger car engines. They're above 50% thermal efficiency these days, where a normal petrol/diesel engine struggles to get 35%, I don't have time to dig out all the research I did when I was on placement to Cummins Turbo Technologies at the minute, but I learned a lot about large diesel engines and how good they actually are at converting fossil fuels into energy. This was in 2014, so the technology in a brand new Cummins powered E200 I imagine is getting even better.


I'd also say a bus ran by a company such as GNE has vehicles that are in much better condition than some of the diesel passenger cars driving around with their dirty black smoke coming out of the back of them, so there's another advantage to a bus. I'd be willing to hear an argument that a modern plug in hybrid or electric car is better for the environment than a bus, but they're expensive, and a bus pass is probably better compared to a dirty old diesel car that we should be trying to get off the road.



I'm not disagreeing with you there, in fact I personally rarely travel by car anymore, I'd much rather take the bus even if the car is more convenient.

Our car is a 12 plate Diesel X-Trail that I'm fairly sure was modded by the previous owner for better economy as it get's better MPG than Nissan claims, and that's with my mother driving who is the literal definition of an uneconomical driver, so there is no doubt that travelling by bus is better for the environment, especially since all the buses that I travel on are Euro 6.


If I do ever decide to get a car myself, it will almost certainly be fully electric, because they are far more efficient in terms of both emissions and energy usage. Plus, the fact that they cost a hell of a lot less to run, have instant torque (a quick car is better than a fast car IMO) and are quiet mean I have no desire to own an ICE car.


What I do disagree with is people wanting to get diesel cars off the road surely it's better to keep the car running, even if it produces more emissions than it is to manufacture a new car.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 1:45 pm)streetdeckfan wrote


I'm not disagreeing with you there, in fact I personally rarely travel by car anymore, I'd much rather take the bus even if the car is more convenient.

Our car is a 12 plate Diesel X-Trail that I'm fairly sure was modded by the previous owner for better economy as it get's better MPG than Nissan claims, and that's with my mother driving who is the literal definition of an uneconomical driver, so there is no doubt that travelling by bus is better for the environment, especially since all the buses that I travel on are Euro 6.


 If I do ever decide to get a car myself, it will almost certainly be fully electric, because they are far more efficient in terms of both emissions and energy usage. Plus, the fact that they cost a hell of a lot less to run, have instant torque (a quick car is better than a fast car IMO) and are quiet mean I have no desire to own an ICE car.


What I do disagree with is people wanting to get diesel cars off the road surely it's better to keep the car running, even if it produces more emissions than it is to manufacture a new car.



https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-...ent-impact


Heard an interesting presentation a few months back about the negative effects of electric cars and their batteries.

'Illegitimis non carborundum'
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 1:51 pm)Andreos1 wrote


https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-...ent-impact


Heard an interesting presentation a few months back about the negative effects of electric cars and their batteries.



But as with everything, there are both positives and negatives, even more so with electric cars (I'll see myself out...)


There are more environmentally friendly battery technologies currently being developed, but I don't think any of them are anywhere near mass production status yet

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 12:40 pm)streetdeckfan wrote


I'm sceptical of all these official emissions figures, if they're saying it emits the equivalent of 4 average cars, then it probably emits at least the equivalent of 10-12 average cars in the real world, once you take into account all the stopping and starting.

Plus, that figure is probably an empty bus with no seats with just enough fuel to complete the test



Well our car was doing its fair share of stopping and starting as we headed back from Newcastle to Durham, this afternoon. We needed to bring some big stuff back, so took the car, today, but if the occupants of 12 cars who could catch the bus, did catch the bus, there would be a whole lot less stopping and starting for everyone.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
6332 in base X-lines livery, out today but unbranded
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
GNE have released a post about the new buses on the 97, this caught my eye:

The buses build on the operator’s existing investment, which has already seen 170 low-emission buses join the fleet in recent years, and a total of £12 million set to be invested in further better buses over the next 12 months.

http://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/o...dot-384391

Wonder if that includes the new buses for the Red Arrow?
Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 5:41 pm)Michael wrote GNE have released a post about the new buses on the 97, this caught my eye:

The buses build on the operator’s existing investment, which has already seen 170 low-emission buses join the fleet in recent years, and a total of £12 million set to be invested in further better buses over the next 12 months.

http://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/o...dot-384391

Wonder if that includes the new buses for the Red Arrow?


It will do. Go North East are definitely getting new buses for Red Arrows – that's for certain.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
(11 Oct 2019, 7:21 pm)BeachBoy99 wrote


It will do. Go North East are definitely getting new buses for Red Arrows – that's for certain.


Ye, wonder what buses though, some reason i'm thinking E400MMC.


Wonder what else is on order (apart from the lot we already know about).
Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 7:22 pm)Michael wrote Ye, wonder what buses though, some reason i'm thinking E400MMC.


I'm still thinking they may end up going for the 6 cylinder StreetDeck

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
Grabbed my phone to snap one of the green arrow E200s on Clayton street, this afternoon and got a salute from the driver. Have a feeling that they've had a lot of attention!
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 10:17 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Grabbed my phone to snap one of the green arrow E200s on Clayton street, this afternoon and got a salute from the driver. Have a feeling that they've had a lot of attention!


Well, considering GNE's social media has been all aboard the hype bus for them I'd be surprised if there is anyone who hasn't been paying attention to them!

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(11 Oct 2019, 10:17 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Grabbed my phone to snap one of the green arrow E200s on Clayton street, this afternoon and got a salute from the driver. Have a feeling that they've had a lot of attention!


And how did the photo come out!

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
5489, 5490, 5492 are now tracking on the 97


4944, 5228, 5253, 8309 is also out on the 97, so not all of the E200's have entered service yet.

There seems to be a few not tracking, which could be the new Enviro's, can anyone confirm which E200's have entered service (apart from the above ones)
Ooo Friend, Bus Friend.
RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(12 Oct 2019, 10:58 am)Michael wrote 5489, 5490, 5492 are now tracking on the 97


4944, 5228, 5253, 8309 is also out on the 97, so not all of the E200's have entered service yet.

There seems to be a few not tracking, which could be the new Enviro's, can anyone confirm which E200's have entered service (apart from the above ones)


Had 5495

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(12 Oct 2019, 6:34 pm)Adtrainsam wrote Are the next stop announcements working on the E200 MMCs yet?


Nope, would've been more surprised if they were tbh.

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019

(12 Oct 2019, 7:03 pm)pbjd wrote


Nope, would've been more surprised if they were tbh.



How come, they’ve been promoting these new buses as having NSAs?

RE: Go North East: Latest News & Discussion - October 2019
Any plans to put new buses on the Blue Arrow brand? I know the 11 is Little Coasters now, but maybe Toon Link or Blaydon Racer could be rebranded as Blue Arrow. Has Toon Link gone now?

When are the X84/X85 going to be upgraded to Xlines? They could be rebranded as Tynedale Xlines and the 74 could become Tynedale Xlinks X74, combining express with community links to form Xlinks. Are the X84/X85 going to get TFT monitors or stick with the LED screens? Would be good to see NSAs introduced on the 74 as it runs between Hexham and Newcastle as the X84 does. I'd like GNE to run the X84 from Lemington Road Ends to Slatyford (Slatyford Lane/The Drive then Silver Lonnen/Netherby Drive) serve The Denton, then normal route. The NSAs should be updated to include serving Fenham on the X84/X85.

Any plans for the Quaylink brand to be scrapped? Maybe bring Orbit back and have the 51 (instead of Q1 and Q2) and 52 (instead of Q3), or 51 and 52 instead of Q1 and Q2 and replace the Q3 with a new Xlines X3?

Are there any more indiGo buses still to be repainted as Little Coasters?