(15 Feb 2015, 6:41 pm)Adam wrote champion! There's no fixed price for them. We are taking financial donations as payment, but we do ask at least 50p just to ensure we make a profit out of it

I wouldn't give less than a pound anyway 

(06 Feb 2015, 7:07 pm)Jimmi wrote Usually it's gtom crying when a B7 turns up instead of a Hybrid.

We've no plug sockets on our Angelic hybrids. Giant pain in the arse for a longer journey

I had a nice ride on the Stanley Solo Sr (YJ11?) on the 23 from Wrekenton to Springwell. Horse riding lesson (no further comments thank you!!!)

(15 Feb 2015, 6:57 pm)gtom wrote We've no plug sockets on our Angelic hybrids. Giant pain in the arse for a longer journey

I had a nice ride on the Stanley Solo  Sr (YJ11?) on the 23 from Wrekenton to Springwell. Horse riding lesson (no further comments thank you!!!)

As if sitting on the DAFs every day didn't do enough damage to your arse!

(15 Feb 2015, 7:18 pm)Dan wrote As if sitting on the DAFs every day didn't do enough damage to your arse!

How...dare...you.

(15 Feb 2015, 7:18 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote How...dare...you.

I have to sit on DAFs every time I want Newcastle or Ashington fast...

It's a right pain in the arse. 

Surely W and X regs are due for disposal this year?

(15 Feb 2015, 7:31 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote I have to sit on DAFs every time I want Newcastle or Ashington fast...

It's a right pain in the arse. 

Surely W and X regs are due for disposal this year?

The W and X reg ones are epic! There is nothing wrong with the ALX400's at all.
And I doubt they will be for disposal this year.

(15 Feb 2015, 8:02 pm)Tom wrote The W and X reg ones are epic! There is nothing wrong with the ALX400's at all.

And I doubt they will be for disposal this year.

They are brilliant.

I imagine some more will end up at Belmont to replace the Y reg Lowlander's as some of them could do with being replaced as 7442 hasn't been seen in ages, not seen 7443 in a while too and 7444 seems to have a nasty habit of braking down in Durham Bus Station.

(15 Feb 2015, 8:10 pm)Jimmi wrote They are brilliant.

I imagine some more will end up at Belmont to replace the Y reg Lowlander's as some of them could do with being replaced as 7442 hasn't been seen in ages, not seen 7443 in a while too and 7444 seems to have a nasty habit of braking down in Durham Bus Station.

Some of them are great, aren't they.

I've recorded using 7463, 7469 and 7477 over time, and I can't recall having a bad journey on any of them.

(15 Feb 2015, 7:31 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote I have to sit on DAFs every time I want Newcastle or Ashington fast...

It's a right pain in the arse. 

Surely W and X regs are due for disposal this year?

(15 Feb 2015, 8:02 pm)Tom wrote The W and X reg ones are epic! There is nothing wrong with the ALX400's at all.
And I doubt they will be for disposal this year.

As I am currently in the process of doing my own personal Arriva Fleetlist, and I am just about to do the ALX400s, from looking at the NEB Arriva Fleet List 7459/7461/7462 and 7464 are all listed for Disposal at Belmont Depot, would expect the other T-Reg Examples follow suit in the near future.

(15 Feb 2015, 8:11 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Some of them are great, aren't they.

I've recorded using 7463, 7469 and 7477 over time, and I can't recall having a bad journey on any of them.

The ones I've had are brilliant, loved it when 7477/7478 appeared on the X1/X2 (now X12) and also the X24.

(15 Feb 2015, 7:18 pm)Dan wrote As if sitting on the DAFs every day didn't do enough damage to your arse!

It's training.

AP McCoy was a terrible jockey until his stables bought an ex Waggonway DAF for him to practice on

Incidentally I had 6065 today. Some of the Angel fleet looking really worn and battered inside

(15 Feb 2015, 8:10 pm)Jimmi wrote They are brilliant.

I imagine some more will end up at Belmont to replace the Y reg Lowlander's as some of them could do with being replaced as 7442 hasn't been seen in ages, not seen 7443 in a while too and 7444 seems to have a nasty habit of braking down in Durham Bus Station.

7436-44 supposedly being replaced directly by further ex-London deckers later this year - what they actually are won't be known until later.

Might try to hunt down 7518 tomorrow, meaning a trip to Ashington, see what it's like compared to the rest of the refurbs. Also might try to get a Streetlite, as I've not been on one yet.

(15 Feb 2015, 8:21 pm)Kuyoyo wrote 7436-44 supposedly being replaced directly by further ex-London deckers later this year - what they actually are won't be known until later.

Either more VLWs or DWs for us. 7436-44 will be the targeted batch.
I drove all of 7466-81 during the major line closure in August 2013 and they were mostly all spot on. The slowest one was 7480 but I am told that one is spot on now. 7472 was the quickest, and 7473 (I think it was) had an air sprung seat in it.

Been driving the VLWs this weekend (and next...) on the Metro replacements and they're superb. Must have had an engine overhaul after coming out of London, never known B7TLs with so much power. Had 7493 (broke twice with an oil leak!) - replaced by 7485 yesterday and 7488 today, they were both spot on!

(15 Feb 2015, 10:43 pm)tyresmoke wrote Either more VLWs or DWs for us. 7436-44 will be the targeted batch.
I drove all of 7466-81 during the major line closure in August 2013 and they were mostly all spot on. The slowest one was 7480 but I am told that one is spot on now. 7472 was the quickest, and 7473 (I think it was) had an air sprung seat in it.

Been driving the VLWs this weekend (and next...) on the Metro replacements and they're superb. Must have had an engine overhaul after coming out of London, never known B7TLs with so much power. Had 7493 (broke twice with an oil leak!) - replaced by 7485 yesterday and 7488 today, they were both spot on!

How many of them were spot on, then?

Sound like nice vehicles, but I've only sampled a few.

(15 Feb 2015, 10:51 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote How many of them were spot on, then?

Sound like nice vehicles, but I've only sampled a few.

Most of them were... Only 7480 stands out as being crap (at the time, it was dead slow!) - they all had cab aircon too which I noted the VLWs don't have. Not that we'd need it in February! DB250s will run and run with very few problems if looked after. They really seem to spend some money on the ex London stock with overhauling them, impressed with each batch we've had recently.

(15 Feb 2015, 10:43 pm)tyresmoke wrote Either more VLWs or DWs for us. 7436-44 will be the targeted batch.
I drove all of 7466-81 during the major line closure in August 2013 and they were mostly all spot on. The slowest one was 7480 but I am told that one is spot on now. 7472 was the quickest, and 7473 (I think it was) had an air sprung seat in it.

Been driving the VLWs this weekend (and next...) on the Metro replacements and they're superb. Must have had an engine overhaul after coming out of London, never known B7TLs with so much power. Had 7493 (broke twice with an oil leak!) - replaced by 7485 yesterday and 7488 today, they were both spot on!

Will you have the chance to drive any of the Blyth Gemini's or Ashington Enviros should they send them next weekend again? 

(15 Feb 2015, 11:06 pm)mb134 wrote Will you have the chance to drive any of the Blyth Gemini's or Ashington Enviros should they send them next weekend again? 

No sadly we take our bus from Jesmond. Though I suppose if one breaks down the day before it's always a possibility! Last time I did them was in the 4 week closure where they actually built the duties around the timetable and we did reliefs at Jesmond depot and some buses started/finished at Blyth or Ashington so sometimes threw up something odd (got 2 Geminis albeit only 15 mins each!) and an E400 for 4 hours.
This time we just keep the same bus all day, hence the buses piled up at Regent Centre for breaks etc

(15 Feb 2015, 8:18 pm)gtom wrote It's training.

AP McCoy was a terrible jockey until his stables bought an ex Waggonway DAF for him to practice on

Incidentally I had 6065 today. Some of the Angel fleet looking really worn and battered inside

Look what what a DAFt did for him...Champion Jockey for the last 19 racing seasons

(15 Feb 2015, 10:21 pm)mb134 wrote Might try to hunt down 7518 tomorrow, meaning a trip to Ashington, see what it's like compared to the rest of the refurbs. Also might try to get a Streetlite, as I've not been on one yet.

It should be on a Newcastle-bound X22 at the moment.

(16 Feb 2015, 12:30 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote It should be on a Newcastle-bound X22 at the moment.

Ended up not heading out, going to have a big day out Wednesday, so I should be able to catch it then. Didn't want to get to Ashington and find it parked up in the depot. Cheers anyway though  

I'm free tomorrow and Wednesday - so I'm going to get Get Arounds for both days. Think I'll be bashing Renowns and Olympians.

And Friday I'm meeting with Tom.

(16 Feb 2015, 2:57 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote I'm free tomorrow and Wednesday - so I'm going to get Get Arounds for both days. Think I'll be bashing Renowns and Olympians.

And Friday I'm meeting with Tom.

I might be headed to Newcastle on Wednesday, as part of my Ashington trip, do you know which routes I might be able to catch an Olympian on (if any)?

(16 Feb 2015, 2:57 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote I'm free tomorrow and Wednesday - so I'm going to get Get Arounds for both days. Think I'll be bashing Renowns and Olympians.

And Friday I'm meeting with Tom.

Should try getting a £5 Arriva Day Ticket and bash some of the Arriva renowns too. 

mb134 - They are usually on the Diamond, Red Kite and X30/X31/X43/X70/X71.

(16 Feb 2015, 3:08 pm)mb134 wrote I might be headed to Newcastle on Wednesday, as part of my Ashington trip, do you know which routes I might be able to catch an Olympian on (if any)?

The Diamond 43/44 (every 15 mins) seems to get them, but I think the Red Kite 45/46 gets more Olympians. The X30/X31 and X70/X71 also seems to get a healthy amount.

There's likely to be a few out with the schools being off, and not needing to be allocated to scholars as a result. 

09:34 Metro Brockley Whins - Heworth
09:42 Northern Rail Heworth - Blaydon 142088
10:20 32 Blaydon - Eldon Square 4841
10:55 X2 Eldon Square - Gateshead
11:06 56 Gateshead - Park Lane
Metro Replacement Park Lane - South Hylton 3982
Metro Replacement South Hylton - Park Lane 3982
13:09 Metro Park Lane - Sunderland 4029
13:10 (6 late) Metro Sunderland - Park Lane 4051
13:32 Metro Park Lane - Sunderland 4051
14:10 (6 late) Metro Sunderland - Brockley Whins

(16 Feb 2015, 3:09 pm)Tom wrote Should try getting a £5 Arriva Day Ticket and bash some of the Arriva renowns too. 

mb134 - They are usually on the Diamond, Red Kite and X30/X31/X43/X70/X71.

(16 Feb 2015, 3:14 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote The Diamond 43/44 (every 15 mins) seems to get them, but I think the Red Kite 45/46 gets more Olympians. The X30/X31 and X70/X71 also seems to get a healthy amount.

There's likely to be a few out with the schools being off, and not needing to be allocated to scholars as a result. 

Cheers both!  

Should be a nice relief after whatever Arriva throw at me on my 7518 hunt  Might try to get a 308 Hybrid, or a 306 Streetlite if I see one, as I'm yet to experience a Streetlite and love the B5's

Seem as I haven't really had time to get to grips with my new camera yet, tomorrow I'm going to ditch my original plan and just head to Durham, Chester-le-Street and Newcastle tomorrow so I can learn how to use it and these places should be fairly easy to get to know the camera.

My adventure from today using a Get Around day ticket, at £3.75, went as follows:


#36 - Riverside to Houghton-le-Spring Church - (09:50 --- 10:13) - GNE 5202 - Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
I got quite happy when I saw this coming down Ropery Lane, as I hadn't had a Laser or Gold Citaro in a while now, and last time I made do with the fantastic 8258. What made the journey with 8258 even better was a friendly driver, and I had yet another with 5202. I took my seat after getting a nice greeting from the driver, and put my earphones in to relax and enjoy the journey with. The bus itself was very clean, and quiet up until Avenue Vivian, when about a dozen people got on. The majority children. Nonetheless, I survived the journey to Houghton-le-Spring Church!

#20A - Houghton-le-Spring Church to Sunderland, Park Lane Interchange - (10:16 --- 10:41) - GNE 4968 - Scania L94UA/Wright Solar
Not many comments to make on the driver, he seemed no different to the majority. However, in the middle of Houghton a few families got on, I swear there must have been ten under 5s on by the time the journey ended. And, all I heard throughout the whole of the 25 minutes was some babies crying, two little girls repeatedly shouting (whilst playing) tic tac toe, the list goes on! Dreadful.

#8 - Sunderland, Park Lane Interchange to Chester-le-Street Market Place - (10:53 --- 11:39) - GNE 4899 - Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
I was looking forward to nearly an hour on this beast! In my experience, 4899 has always had fantastic heating, brilliant sounds, etc, but a woman at the front of the queue was asking the driver loads of questions about her Buzzfare. Taking her time as well! Anyway, we left Park Lane about 2 minutes behind, but this monster picked up enough speed to sit at The Galleries for 5 minutes. Brilliant journey overall, and I loved every minute of it. I will be really sad when these B10BLEs go, I imagine they'll be seen by younger enthusiasts in the future as what I see the Leyland National as - absolute beasts. They'll go down in history, I hope one gets preserved!! 

#78 - Chester-le-Street Market Place to Stanley Bus Station - (11:53 --- 12:28) - GNE 4904 - Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
Another B10BLE, I was having a field day! The driver was yet another friendly one, and I sat at the back letting the journey go by. The bus was relatively full, but I had the back to myself, mainly just OAPs down the front making it look busy. However, 4904 wasn't as good as 4899 - and through some of the more scenic countryside parts of the 78 route between Chester-le-Street and Stanley, she was slow as a snail! How Robert describes 3814, quite disappointed with it really...if I had to pick one, now that 4852 is gone, I wouldn't be preserving 4904! 

#8 - Stanley Bus Station to Pelton Schools - (12:46 --- 13:06) - GNE 4853 - Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renown
After being rather annoyed at myself for not taking any photos like I had said, I was really happy when I saw a Lime branded B10BLE - and even better it was 4853, with it's LED displays. In ride-terms, 4853 was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've always thought the 8 route between Chester-le-Street and Stanley is absolutely brilliant, and I enjoyed every minute of it. However, despite leaving Stanley a minute or two late, we made it to Pelton for enough time for me to have a ride on the 34.

#34 - Pelton Schools to Chester-le-Street Market Place - (13:10 --- 13:17) - GNE 8302 - Optare Versa V1110/Optare
An old acquaintance of mine was driving, a driver called Eddie. A lovely guy, been driving at Chester-le-Street for years I gather, he used to do the X22s when they had a rota. When I boarded, he greeted me with 'ello, Marcus, long time no see, where've you been today then?'. A lovely way to greet a customer, and seeing as I hadn't seen him in ages, I was surprised he remembered my name haha. Anyway, back on topic, 8302 was a very smooth ride. I think it's one of the best Versas I've ever been on! A lovely little journey.

#36 - Chester-le-Street Market Place to Riverside - (13:40 --- 13:50) - GNE 5203 - Scania L94UB/Wright Solar
I was doing a bit of spotting in the centre of the market place, and saw 5203 come in about 5 minutes ahead of expected. I walked across while the driver stood having a cigarette outside. I showed him my Get Around and Key Card and took my seat. I was the only person on, but when we left at 13:45 we had about half a dozen at most. Another very quiet journey, and it ended the day off nicely.

Had a fantastic day, would do it again. Bit annoyed I didn't take a photo of 5363 when it was at Houghton, as I had a few minutes before my 20A, and nobody was around. It was stationary for about 5 minutes too, I think I should have taken a photo...but I had a great day on the whole!

MarcTheA4- Won't quote the whole thing because it's massive  but I agree on the B10 point, absolutely brilliant machines, honestly if they were DDA compliant I think we'd be seeing them around for some time yet. I know that when I used to get Arriva's they seemed far better than the newer stuff. 

Those, the Scania/East Lancs single deckers ANE used to have (271-290) and Olympians were my childhood buses, and provided some excellent memories. All of them were far better than any of the stuff now...