Well there you go! It's out there....not my words.

Now it no longer being the 90s I got into the spirit of Yahoo Groups, I wound the crank up on my Windows 95 PC and after a 20 minute load I logged onto Yahoo. It was very much like an online trip to Beamish as I watched the brand new episodes of Friends on my new 32 inch Plasma TV which I bought especially for the Playstation 2 out later this year.

So after logging into Yahoo Groups (Hovis ad music playing in background) I came across this quote

but also I am slightly alarmed at the emergence of a few forums, one of which whilst seemingly well subscribed has an over zealous team of moderators who would not be out of place in the government of North Korea. They tend to keep discussion limited to what they wish to discuss and woe betide anyone who comes in with an opinion of their own. This is coupled with the latest generation of enthusiasts who seem hell bent on causing friction between the bus companies and the enthusiast community in general.

Eeh by gum I miss the old days

Hi - Does anyone know where I can download Helen, looks good.

Cos I am a saddo, one of the perks of this time of year, is reading documentation relating to documents released under the 30 year rule.

The last 2-3 releases are particularly interesting due to the political unrest during the previous tory government.

Here is the BBC take on it with links to other organisations such as the National Archives www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25549596

Does anyone know the number to phone for a replacement a County Durham concessionary pass, snapped mine and cant find the number...I threw it out before getting the number off the back to phone

39xxx series E200 and 35156 on 4s today.

whoops!

www.metro.co.uk/2014/01/02/trains-pantograph-crashes-into-roof-at-blackfriars-station-4247237/

From the Sunderland echo:

Bus firm pays £10,000 in bonuses to its greenest drivers.

BUS company Stagecoach North East has paid out almost £10,000 in bonuses to eco-friendly drivers.
The firm introduced technology 20 months ago to encourage staff to drive in a more environmentally-friendly way.
The GreenRoad system provides real-time feedback on driving style including speed, braking, acceleration and turning, so drivers they can learn and improve.
Drivers are given a financial incentive to encourage them to comply with the system’s recommendations, with each driver able to earn up to £65 a time. Stagecoach has already paid its Sunderland drivers a collective bonus of £9,990.
Drivers can keep track of their performance with the depot computer or use their phones to access the GreenRoad data and see how they are performing.
Steve Hamilton is Eco Champion at Stagecoach North East’s Sunderland depot. Driving in an eco-friendly way not only reduced impact on the environment but also made journeys more enjoyable for Stagecoach’s customers.
He said: “It’s ultimately the passengers who benefit as the overall driving experience will be improved through good driving.
“Drivers are now much more aware of how the system works and the positives it will bring to their overall driving performance.
“The environment also benefits through a reduction in fuel consumption, which ultimately reduces the company’s carbon footprint.
“Stagecoach North East continues to be one of the top performing regions operating the Eco Driver System in the UK, which is no easy feat, especially as we operate in a number of busy cities. “Our drivers have always taken great care when driving, but now they can keep on track every day.”

Volvo Hybrid 7810 on the X5....0600 from Blyth

A group has been set up on Facebook for photographers to gather together and collect information about 'stolen photographs'.
One of my photographs appeared on someone's Facebook wall tonight, as advised by Bazza Houston.
Decided to set up a NEB version - the names of those who have 'stolen' any photographs will be listed in the original post for good measure.

Name and shame time, folks!

The list:

• Chris MacKinnon
  
• Garreth Kai McLeary
  

If Arriva are going to go for a double deck vehicle order, it'll most likely be 12 Volvo B5TL Gemini 3's or VDL DB300's Gemini 2's for the X10 and X11. This in turn would give 12 of the current fleet to Ashington / Alnwick to upgrade the X15 and X18 therefore allowing the X21 / X22 to become a mostly E400 operation. It's a possibility like.