(20 Aug 2023, 6:12 pm)mb134 wrote As much as I like those 15 plate E400s, you're asking for trouble putting them onto the X93/94. They're brilliant buses when running right, but giving them to a depot who seem to have engineering issues when they're probably past their best doesn't bode well - they're double the age now than what the original E400s were when they were initially allocated to the X93, and that ended brilliantly. 

Ashington can in theory cope with an extra 2 single deckers, but all that will do is ensure that they'll be allocated to the X21/22 at a time where they'll want to be putting deckers on it as much as possible given the imminent train introduction. They currently have 2 spare deckers on paper and, while your suggestion would put them level, there's obviously always going to be at least one VOR. It creates problems on Saturdays, in particular, which is seeing even deckers head into town full & standing on matchdays (even on the final Saturday pre-season friendly) now with the reduced frequency. It also creates operational headaches when a Morpeth express/X20 needs replacing, recently it seems they've avoided putting a spare Pulsar on and instead have had to pull a decker off an X21/22 to work it instead.

Aye can't really argue with that to be fair, it's definitely a hard one to fix as whatever you do it's arguably going to cause problems elsewhere but they need to do something as burying your head in the sand isn't going to fix anything.

Let's be honest rather than talking what I'd do, it'll no doubt be absolutely stupid like getting Enviro 400's from the impending cascades in London and sending them straight to Redcar to replace the B7's then being baffled why they have severe problems or even worse sending DB300's with the Ciclo seats which would be a 'pleasant' journey.

It'll be interesting to see what the plan to get arid of the Temsa's is aswell, no doubt more cascades eventually, Blyth's Pulsar's seem an obvious choice to send down if more ex. London buses can be found even known they probably don't need replacing but it's the cheap option, or the 1/5/7 at Darlington either with similar cascades.

Agreed with the Volvo B8's though would be a good upgrade but that's money they won't want to spend but weirder things have happened.