(15 Dec 2022, 11:55 am)Kuyoyo wrote  
It would appear 36467 has been swapped for 36094 - reuniting the 2009 batch at Hartlepool. No other swaps have taken place.

(15 Dec 2022, 7:39 pm)N391OTY wrote Yes, I was getting a bit carried away after another couple of the batch seem to have had short-term loans to Newcastle recently (according to Bustimes).

36978 appears to have gone back to Sunderland as well.

However, 27736 now seems to have joined 27739 at Walkergate today.

(17 Dec 2022, 1:07 am)Arriva7446 wrote What buses will stagecoach use on the 685 when they take over from Arriva next month? Maybe 69 plate Enviro 400 MMC?

(17 Dec 2022, 1:07 am)Arriva7446 wrote What buses will stagecoach use on the 685 when they take over from Arriva next month? Maybe 69 plate Enviro 400 MMC?

(17 Dec 2022, 10:45 am)F114TML wrote 16 plate E400s have had mixed reviews from drivers at Sunderland. Generally liked and very smooth to drive (I've not driven one yet) but very slow to get going and apparently they don't like the hills. Is the route of the 685 particularly hilly (for some reason i always thought it was)?

(20 Dec 2022, 4:05 pm)Brampton Trev wrote Re 685.

There was a post on “Haltwhistle Matters” Facebook group that said:
 
“All Arriva journeys will be withdrawn, but most will be replace by identical Stagecoach journeys
These journeys should be operated using either an enviro 300 single deck bus or an enviro 400 double deck bus in either the old corporate livery (branding) colors or the new corporate livery (branding) colours as shown in the below images
“
 
Whatever is used, the bus needs to be reliable else the route will find it out.
 
When Stagecoach Carlisle started using double deckers a few years ago (start of September 2018 term), the choice was pick one of the 6 or so 55reg ALX400s (that being the Carlisle double decker allocation at the time).  So there would be a failure about once a month quite often requiring a tow back and that would of course dent the economics of the route.
As it happened there was a batch of 20 MMCs in the pipeline for Morecambe (to solve a University capacity problem and a local emission zone problem at the same time).  The last 2 were redirected.
11157 YX68UXH appeared, brand new, on the 685 in January 2019.
11158 YX68UXJ went to Stockport for technology testing and appeared a year later on the 685.
So these 2 double deckers are out on the 685 7 days a week.  Alternative vehicles are PO12 reg ALX400 or sometimes a NK07 reg ALX400 visiting its homeland - E300s will quite often appear on Sundays or as alternative on a quieter week-day working.

Before 11157 and 11158, the 2 allocated buses were coach seated ADL E300s 27141 SN64OGE and 27142 SN64OGF which were bought new specifically for the 685.
 
So does Busways have any nice E300s, nice as in coach seated or higher backed seats – the MAN E300s transferred in from Carlisle perhaps?
 
As regards hills, yes there are some and a number have to be tackled from a standing start either due to bus stop locations or turning back onto the A69 at the bottom of, or in the middle of, a hill.
 
Also there are quite a few stretches of 50mph+ running for a couple of miles at a time.
 
E200s are too small for everyday allocation.  Carlisle has used E200s, 14reg, occasionally on Sundays when the Carlisle allocation is Carlisle to Hexham and return.

(20 Dec 2022, 6:04 pm)toward6931 wrote so perhaps use 2 of the 6 cumbria E300s for the slaty 685 allocation, 1 as a spare allows 3 of the ALX300s to be swapped with stockton MMCs

(20 Dec 2022, 6:18 pm)Brampton Trev wrote Slaty will need 3 buses for the all day 685 as that was the Arriva allocation which is effectively unchanged.

(20 Dec 2022, 6:37 pm)toward6931 wrote i was under the impression SNE were taking on two of the allocations and SCNL were taking on an extra one

(12 Jan 2023, 4:03 pm)ReDemPTiion wrote 27254 has now joined 27253 at slatyford depot, unsure of what has now departed for Stockton after 24120 went the other week. Surprisingly 27254 is still in the connecting the dots livery thought they might have had it painted before moving north.

(12 Jan 2023, 4:08 pm)Dyllan7817 wrote One of the 224s got taken back to depot this morning guessing it came down here when 27254 went up?

(16 Jan 2023, 4:08 pm)Lollist wrote Thought the OJ batch of e300s are going nit the oc's and is the alx300s coming down still

(17 Jan 2023, 8:41 am)F114TML wrote It seems Sunderland are getting some ALXs too, with our Enviro 300s going (presumably to Newcastle), as a stop gap until new builds can be procured for the E1/2/6.

(17 Jan 2023, 8:41 am)F114TML wrote It seems Sunderland are getting some ALXs too, with our Enviro 300s going (presumably to Newcastle), as a stop gap until new builds can be procured for the E1/2/6.

(17 Jan 2023, 8:41 am)F114TML wrote It seems Sunderland are getting some ALXs too, with our Enviro 300s going (presumably to Newcastle), as a stop gap until new builds can be procured for the E1/2/6.