(28 Sep 2014, 6:05 pm)Dan wrote Yes, probably my only criticism of today's event was that it was very tight for space, and photographs were almost unachievable until around 14:00 when the crowds died down. Thankfully the sun did not come out to play; otherwise, buses would have had huge shadows from its next door neighbour.

It did not compare to the Lothian Buses Open Doors Day event I attended yesterday, but I suspect limited space and the fact it was the very first event had something to do with this.

As with the Lothian event, it was fascinating to see how many non-enthusiasts turned up. Lots of families were present, and all of the small children loved running around and seeing the buses. Indeed, one young lad cried at the prospect of having to leave Newcastle's E400H! I, on the other hand, having been waiting for an interior photograph for a good 10-15 minutes, was pleased the boy's father decided to take him to the lower saloon.

I did smile and say hello to anyone who approached me first, and if you saw a lad with long brown hair wearing a white t-shirt, that was me! If you didn't say hello this time - be sure to next time.  

The main issue with that is that, if we can all remember, it was still an active bus depot hence the 11am start time - the last bus out on a Sunday doesn't leave the depot until 1005 (59s) plus as those who arrived just after 11 will have seen 22467 fly out to replace an E300 on 36s amongst other vehicles departing. The amount of vehicles that actually turned up also brought issue.