While today didn't go quite to plan, with a vast assortment of cock-ups and things generally not working out, but I rather enjoyed it.
08:25 X12 7627 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Stockton High Street North
The purpose of today's trip was to sample some of the new Enviro200MMCs that have entered service at Stagecoach's Slatyford depot on the 30/31 services, have a ride on the Wear Tees Xpress X7 service for one last time prior to its discontinuation as of tomorrow, and catch a photograph of 9098 (SN66 WLK). In a change from the norm, I decided to catch the MAX X12 service direct from Chester-le-Street to Teesside, rather than the first X21 of the day through to Newcastle and the 09:00 X10 south, so that I could take a different route and one that allowed Adrian to board en-route. 7627 was the vehicle operating this journey; the 08:26 X12 from Chester-le-Street, which commences from Birtley a few minutes prior. While I initially bagged the front seats, shortly after departure from Durham, the opposite pair were taken by two others, which meant I had to move back to sit with Adrian when he boarded at Coxhoe.
10:22 X7 655 Stockton High Street North to Sunderland Park Lane Interchange
Arrival at the northern end of Stockton High Street was on-time, and we spent about half an hour getting some shots here. After Adrian caught a glimpse of an indiGo Solo SR, and I recalled seeing mention of two Wear Tees Xpress Citaros being absent for repaint, I took it that our haulage for the X7 would be a 15-reg Optare from Peterlee. I'd been anticipating the melodious ZF Ecomat in a powerful 2010-vintage Citaro, as well as the extra space that comes with a full-size saloon as opposed to a minibus. Having endured packed minibuses in the past and observed heavy loadings on the X7 service, the 11:33 arrival time into Sunderland couldn't have come sooner. While the loading wasn't too bad when we left Stockton, it was standing room only from Peterlee. On a more positive note, I was able to tick 655 off for haulage, as it's rare I am in the Peterlee area or focus on the indiGo East Durham network at all.
11:45 T&WM 4058+4022 Park Lane Station to Central Station
Once we arrived into Park Lane Interchange, we headed out for a photo of 655 leaving on the X7. The extent of how dirty the Solo actually was was unbelievable; it was evident it hadn't been through a wash. ''indiGo'' branding on the sides was barely visible, with the panels being reduced to the same colour as the wheels! Adrian and I wandered back into the bus station and descended the stairs into the Metro station, just catching the 11:45 Metro to Airport, with the intention of getting off at Central or Monument and then hunting the handful of Enviro200MMCs in service for the next few hours. The train wasn't that busy; we managed to secure a pair of seats that faced each other. I still haven't succeeded in tracking down 4001, the Tyne & Wear PTE-liveried Metrocar, as it's on my to-do list before it is either repainted or when they begin to withdraw the Metrocars en-masse when replacements eventually arrive in years to come.
12:37 30 22413 Newcastle Clayton Street to Fawdon Park Road Terminus to Gosforth High Street
When our service got to Central, I decided she would bail here and head up to Clayton Street West, where the 30 and 31 (two routes the E200MMCs are meant to be allocated to) stop on a frequent basis, as well as lots of Go North East stuff from the Metrocentre heading into Eldon Square and some Stagecoach Enviro400 routes such as the 1 and 22, so we could just get photos of stuff coming through until an MMC appeared. Sadly, things didn't quite go to plan. We spent a good fifteen minutes and watched some 30/31 services pass us, but all were allocated ALX300s. While I am a fan of the Stagecoach ALX300s, with their front lights resembling eyes and the smart Stagecoach ''Beachball'' corporate livery; the aim of the day was to get some E200MMCs. Rather than just stand in the cold, we decided to catch 22413 to Fawdon Park Road, alight in the turning circle, get a quick photo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/) and jump back on for the return journey to Gosforth.
13:37 31 22070 Gosforth High Street to Newcastle Pilgrim Street
The following twenty minutes on Gosforth High Street allowed me to obtain the following primary research; Gosforth has bad traffic; Gosforth is useless for photos unless you have the patience of a Saint, and the people of Gosforth get in the way quite a bit. Much to my dismay, when the next 31 came along, it was yet another ALX300! At least it was an older example than 06-reg 22413; 22070. As mentioned, I find the younger MANs to be a bit gutless and the screaming Voith gearboxes don't have as much entertainment value as the elder 2003/2004 examples. They just don't have as much character to them. One thing I noticed was the doors seemed to be a bit funny; when the driver closed them, he had to open them again to rectify them so they closed properly. A mutual friend of Adrian and I, Ken, was in a pub near to Pilgrim Street, so we decided to alight here and catch up with him.
14:18 38 19380 Newcastle Pilgrim Street to Freeman Hospital
After about fifteen minutes of talking to Ken and his friends in Lady Grey's, we walked out to find the unusual site of a Cumbria Classic Coaches vehicle, registered JTB 749, so we alerted Ken who seemed most pleased with this winner. Although it looked a bit too old for my interest, I have to admit it was rather smart. While anything pre-1965 isn't of much interest me, I do find a lot of the contemporary stuff to be enjoyable. The Stagecoach Newcastle Enviro400s are fine machines, both the diesels and Hybrids, are some such vehicles. I'd done a vague mock plan for the day, and this involved catching a 38 to the Freeman Hospital, the Arriva 553 across to Regent Centre and then a Go North East 33 back across. The next 38 from Pilgrim Street was in the hands of 19380; quick of the mark and entirely capable of the route. Ideal buses for city work, if you ask me.
14:49 52 4523 Freeman Hospital to Newcastle St. Mary's Place
My plan had accounted for the 38 to get to the Freeman for about 14:30, giving us ample time to cross into the hospital grounds for the 14:48 553 to Regent Centre, arriving at 14:58, then onto the 15:05 33 back to Newcastle, terminating on Market Street at 15:24. However, when I'd been forming my plan, I misread the 553 timetable for the Monday-Friday times instead of the Saturday service. This meant that the next 553 was actually due at 15:16, not 14:48! With that cock-up acknowledged, we walked back to Freeman Road in order to catch a more mainstream service directly back to the city centre. No prizes for guessing my reaction when a Volvo B10BLE with Alexander ALX300 bodywork, Jesmond's 4523, turned up with a 52. Absolute beast, it had one of the smoothest engine notes I've heard in a long time from a B10. Shame the Arriva ALX-bodied ones are slowly growing fewer in number.
15:44 21 6067 Newcastle Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street Red Lion
After almost hitting someone on St. Mary's Place (he seemed to foolishly walk out as soon as the traffic light turned to red rather than check to see if the coast was clear), we alighted and had a wander down Northumberland Street, before entering Eldon Square and walking through to the bus station. We sat down for a bite to eat, I looked through some photos and picked out a few favourites, the following of 22346 at the Freeman being one: https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@...ed-public/. I'd miscalculated in my head the times of 9098's departure from Eldon Square as the 15:47, when it was the 14:47, but knowing that it was on a run to Durham, hoped that we could catch it at Chester as the 16:32 to Newcastle. Hybrid 6067, the basis of the ''Angel'' model produced by Corgi in 2014, was our chariot to my hometown. Smooth ride in the stop-start motion at the back upstairs. Read however.
16:47 21 6063 Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Durham Bus Station
As we approached Northlands, a couple of stops before Front Street, Adrian pointed out that the Enviro400 City was about to pass us heading to Newcastle. Bollocks! I had mistimed its departure from Chester-le-Street, thinking it was the one behind based on the information I'd received, assuming it was the 16:32 from Front Street when it was, in fact, the 16:24. After a few calculations in my head, I determined that 9098 must be the 18:05 termination at the Red Lion, then light to the depot. Rather than stand in the cold for an hour and a half, I tried to think of options for how to kill time. I knew one of my driver friends was on a late shift tonight, and they were taking over the 16:47 21 to Durham, so we decided to do Durham and back with him and 6063. Arrived into Durham on-time and had to drop passengers off in stand F (Arriva dumping buses as per usual), before proceeding to layover in the new bus stops on North Road.
17:18 21 6063 Durham Bus Station to Chester-le-Street Corals
After returning to the bus station and picking up on stand B, we left punctually and the monotonous journey (not the worst route I can think of, but when you've seen it goodness knows how many times...) back to Chester-le-Street commenced. Got a quick photo of him at Corals before Adrian and I headed to Tesco to pick some stuff up. As I had determined that 9098 was due to terminate at the Red Lion at 18:05, we hurried back to Front Street to get a night shot of it. Fortunately, our luck had finally rolled in, as it was sat waiting at the lights at the bottom of Newcastle Road. Jimmi alighted but failed to get a shot of it before the driver set the blind to ''Not in Service''. On that note, with the mission complete, I headed home.
All in all, not a bad outing. Positives are as follows:
Finally managed to get a shot of 9098 (SN66 WLK) on the 21, and the night shot didn't come out too badly
Was fortunate enough to ride Volvo B10BLE/Alexander ALX300 (favourite chassis with favourite body) 4523 on the 52
Got two Stagecoach Newcastle ALX300s in the form of 22070 and 22413, and a good shot of the latter at its terminus
...and the negatives:
Didn't see a single Enviro200MMC, let alone photograph or claim one for haulage
Couldn't enjoy a Citaro on the X7 and had to make do with 655
Messed up the times for the 553, but that did lead onto one of the positive aspects of the day
Thanks for reading. Photographs available on my Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/142814434@N05/
R852 PRG