(06 Jan 2026, 11:24 pm)Storx wrote I don't know why, but personally I'm not that confident that the E400MMC's will be leaving Riverside now.

Now that the new Ultraliners have been sent to Consett which comes across as a last ditch change, I have a feeling those 4 spare and the ones on the X5/X15 might be the X21 allocation instead as it needs something since there's not enough of the 70 Plates for the 56 from Washington alone. 

There's also the big question of the B5TL's at Deptford and E200MMC's at Consett/Riverside aswell which are both routeless pretty much atm.

The only thing to bear in mind is the low bridge issue with the X30s / X70s meaning that if Riverside got 8x E400MMC, Consett would be relying on single deckers as spares.

However......they 'could' make the X70/X73 standalone with a PVR of 5x and have the X71 as a 'there and back' standalone as a PVR of 3 which would reduce the number of low height deckers needed. Wouldn't be as efficient on the driving hours, but would mean most of the X70/X71/X73 boards get relieved in Consett as opposed to a some ending up in Stanley countering it out.

Unless......the other plan is to make some X30/X31/X32 and X70/X71/X73 boards single deck - with the busier boards using deckers and quieter ones using singles.