(07 Apr 2018, 8:41 pm)GNE6312 wrote 7469 unfortunately must be due for withdrawal as it has been the centre of jokes by drivers involving beamish sutch as one at the start of the year when a driver told me and other passengers on the X7 which was 7469 that the bus might take you to beamish. And another today on the 16:37 X8 when the driver said the bus should have a sign saying 'please send me back to beamish'.

Was due to be withdrawn last year when the Ashington MMCs arrived and displaced 7501-9 to Jesmond.

Drivers will joke, but older vehicles in the fleet will always be subject to those. The fact it hasn't been withdrawn signals that its been providing dependable service without any major issues. 

They all had a refurbishment internally when they came up from London, are comfortable inside, and certainly don't give the impression that they're end of life (the same can be said of the B7TLs of a similar age), which is quite a way from what used to be the case. The ECW bodied Leylands being a prime example.