RE: New StreetDecks & ADL Enviro400s - X-lines fleet changes
(15 Jul 2020, 10:00 pm)Olympian3521 wrote If these were the changes and the pvr for the X45 X46 and X5 X15 was 14 in total then if it still is the plan to move the coast and country 78 to Consett , it would be easier to accommodate 7-8 streetlites at Hownsgill and the excess drivers from reduced services could be partly redeployed on 78. It all depends I guess if Covid has changed those plans!
I asked our OM about 2 weeks ago if the 78 was still expected to move up from Consett, the answer I got was yes, delayed but still expected. That of course was before the fleet allocation changed so it might well have changed the 78 plan as well. So fond out if route learning commences soon as there's a lot of drivers who dont know the route.
(16 Jul 2020, 12:04 am)streetdeckfan wrote The X21 still has about 10 miles of 50/70mph dual carriageway plus another few miles of fast single carriageway A roads, with some quite steep banks (although not as bad as some other routes).
To me, the main area where I'd like to see what the B5s are like is ride comfort and the noise inside. On the common sections of the X21 and X9/X10 through Newcastle/Gateshead, the B5s are far more uncomfortable and louder than the StreetDecks (in my opinion anyway).
No doubt on the Motorway sections they'll probably be nicer, but once you get past The Honest Lawyer the road quality is shockingly bad, the StreetDecks just about cope with it so It'd be interesting to see what the B5s are like.
I'm not sure if the B5s will end up on the X21, seems a waste of money to repaint 6331-6333. Wouldn't surprise me if the streetdecks for Consett come from the Angel batch and the B5s get repainted into a new angel livery (complete with road stripes same as cobalt & coast) and the remaining Angel's get the new livery aswell
