(24 Sep 2016, 1:04 pm)mb134 wrote That batch of E400's would have been fine on the Blyth express routes, and still would be, if they hadn't been hammered on the X93 and the Northumberland coastal routes for a good few years of their lives.

Another thing worth taking note of, is that those that started out at Ashington (7507-13) are generally in better condition than those that started out at Blyth (7501-6). I know it was 7501-4 that were used on the X93 mainly, but then Ashington used pretty much all of theirs on the coastal routes pre-Sapphire.

Yes 7501-6 started out at Blyth on the 308 route (foot down all the way, always late) for 3 years or so before transferring to Ashington. By then most were suffering from the same lack of power problem as the current Wrights at Blyth. However Ashington fitters seemed to be able to cure this problem whilst us Blyth drivers stuggle to overtake push bikes in defective vehicles thanks to our clueless fitters.