(11 Apr 2015, 1:45 pm)MurdnunoC wrote I have a gap in my collection between January 1987 and half-way through 1989.
I'm guessing the 'Big Orange' brand would have commenced and ceased operations during the interim period. As the timetable shows, services 60 and 61 operate between Gateshead and Metrocentre only. GAN have no competing services when that timetable was printed. I'm also guessing that competing services were introduced by GAN when Easyway decided to extend towards Felling Square.
By 1989, there are no traces of either Easyway or Big Orange services. The 92 still runs but the service has passed into the hands of Tyne and Wear Omnibus which means North Eastern had probably bit the bullet by that point. The M31 and M32 had also been introduced by then.
I've looked out some old Omnibus Society news sheets related to this period and can add some dates to this thread at the risk of taking it on for too long - may be best to transfer it to the Bygone Era? I don't have any genuine timetables to support these dates but I believe they are accurate. Anyway, here goes:
Easyway This was the fleetname used by Cummings, Hebburn (based on the Waggonway Industrial Estate, wherever that is). they started the 60 and 61 between Gateshead and the Metro Centre from December 15th 1986 and they were de-registered July 9th 1987, but may have ceased earlier because the buses they used (Leyland Nationals GHU646N and HHU632N) are recorded by the PSV Circle as being "re-possessed" in April 1987. Apart from them, Cummings only operated a Volvo coach (EBB588W), which went to A Line and a few minibuses.
North Eastern started operating on deregulation day, October 26th 1986 and initially had Tyne & Wear PTE contracts for 3 routes, the 92 as described in earlier messages, the 91 (Gateshead - Lobley Hill via Dunston) - these routes inter-worked at Gateshead Metro; and 606 (Gateshead - Clara Vale). They had an interesting fleet - besides a couple of Leyland Nationals, they had several Leyland Leopards, a few Bedford coaches, one ex Scottish Bus group Seddon Pennine and a Bristol RELL. They were based at the British Road services depot on the Team Valley trading estate.
Big Orange buses As others have said, these were operated by Northern as "competition spoilers". The first operation was from Sunderland Road depot, on services 60 and 61 between Gateshead and the Metro Centre. This is recorded as starting on March 23rd 1987, in competition with Easyway. These routes were withdrawn from September 5th 1987 and the Big Orange buses then operated on services 64 and 65 (Gateshead - Dunston circulars) for a while.
Someone mentioned use at Consett and between Consett and Newcastle in 1988. This was in competition with Law Travel.
Big Oranges were also used at Stanley, from May 1987 on routes 700 and 701 (Stanley - Dipton - Flint Hill) in competition with Star Travel.
I haven't found dates when either of these operations finished formally but it was recorded that all the Big Orange buses had been repainted into other liveries by the end of 1988. Certainly some of them were in Supershuttle livery for the X66 when this started on May 7th 1988.
Just found a reference to Big Oranges being used at Chester-le-Street in 1989 on 725 between Chester-le-Street and Langley park to combat competition from Bob Smith Travel, so clearly they went on into 1989!
I have dug out some more dates for things like the Gateshead/Felling Go Ahead Northern minibus routes but will put these into a separate post.