(02 Aug 2020, 11:20 pm)mb134 wrote Aye that was a surprising one - I can't quite remember but was that one of the routes they trialled the demo on? Mind it wouldn't shock me if they only got them because they got a reasonably good deal from Wright's at the time when they were desperate for cash.
To be honest I've never minded Alexander bodied stuff, and while I preferred the Gemini 1/2 to the ALX400 (though not by much), I find the original E400 about on par to the Gem 2 and both the E400 classic and MMC streets ahead of the Gem3/Streetdeck. The Eclipse Pulsar/Solar/Urban line of single deck bodies surpassed any single deck Alexander body for me though.
The E400 isn't on par with the Gemini 2. That's ridiculous, I remember when I used to overlook PDIs on new E400s coming to a London company and the number of faults there were was just ridiculous, such as window seals loose, misaligned body panels etc. The company switched to Gemini 2s which is a far better product, there is literally no comparison.
Also, GNE isn't going to order 40 plus £200,000 vehicles only because they got a good deal notwithstanding the quality of the product they are purchasing. No company does that, its just not good business. The MMC isn't that great that's the thing, its just the quality of the earlier Gemini 3 models has been highlighted, but at the time when quality was being highlighted they were still getting orders all across the country.
Transdev cancelled their order for Streetdecks for the same reason a number of companies did which was the uncertainty at Wright, but with them back up and running again, their order book is nearly full. Diamond has taken on the first of 128 Streetdecks and 35 Streetlites.
(02 Aug 2020, 11:30 pm)mb134 wrote I've always found the E200 MMC a far better vehicle in general than the Streetlite. For GNE, their E200s are light-years ahead of their Streetlites in terms of atmosphere, comfort and build quality. Likewise with First, their Streetlites feel like they're about to fall apart any moment whereas their E200s I've been on have been very solid and much more pleasant places to be.
I didn't say the Streetdeck was unreliable, I simply stated that the Cummins engine in the E400 has proven itself constantly across all sorts of routes for any number of companies. Compare that to how many Damiler powered Streetdecks are running around, then tell me that you can say the Streetdeck is as proven as the E400 (especially considering the earlier GNE examples).
Don't see why they wouldn't have the choice of Wright, they must have be desperate to get any order they could - I'd say it's likely Hornby acknowledging that the E400 is a bloody good product.
The E200 isn't much better than the Streetlite however, they're both pretty rubbish buses if you ask me. The build quality on E200s is just about the same as on the Streetlites.
Of course, the E400 is going to be more proven as you put it, the Cummins engine has been used for over 20 years compared to 6 on the Streetdeck, those stats are nothing to go by. If the E400 was so full proof and the Streetdeck not as good, then it simply wouldn't get as many orders as it does. Look at the Metrodecker Diesel model. Less than 10 in its 6-year production.
It was reported that Transdev cancelled their order regarding the uncertainty of Wright.
In my experience as a driver and other things, Wright bus is the far better bodybuilder and had they stuck with VDL they wouldn't have gotten many more orders as VDL buses are supplied directly through Arriva Bus & Truck. But the VDL is a really good product.