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(13 Jun 2015, 7:20 pm)Dan wrote The lack of leg room doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.
I don't mind the seats at the back though - if you manage to secure the back three (four on an Arriva example), you're in for a nice warm journey!
(13 Jun 2015, 7:18 pm)Davie wrote I find them uncomfortable and unreliable and get (especially 5274) rattle a lot. It is probably just my opinion
(13 Jun 2015, 7:25 pm)Jimmi wrote I've not been on a Coaster example but from riding other examples in the fleet I've thought they were okay but I do think they rattle a fair bit especially on bad road surfaces had a terrible ride on a Whey Aye Five-O example when I went from Washington to South Shields one day. I think I prefer Arriva's examples as they seem okay on the X66 and thought the 07 reg examples on the 85/685 are good too (minus the leather seats).
(13 Jun 2015, 7:20 pm)Dan wrote The lack of leg room doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.
I don't mind the seats at the back though - if you manage to secure the back three (four on an Arriva example), you're in for a nice warm journey!
(13 Jun 2015, 7:25 pm)Jimmi wrote I've not been on a Coaster example but from riding other examples in the fleet I've thought they were okay but I do think they rattle a fair bit especially on bad road surfaces had a terrible ride on a Whey Aye Five-O example when I went from Washington to South Shields one day. I think I prefer Arriva's examples as they seem okay on the X66 and thought the 07 reg examples on the 85/685 are good too (minus the leather seats).
(13 Jun 2015, 8:12 pm)Malarkey wrote Having decided late last night to go out and about I set my alarm to get up at 8:30am, This plan went out of the window straight away as I didnt feel to great when I woke up, so I instead went back to kip and woke up exactly 3 Hours later feeling much than I did, I got up and got dressed etc and made my to Lambton Village Centre.
A few minutes late 8326 turned up and was my short ride to The Galleries, I boarded 6001 on the X1 which again was a few minutes late and departed The Galleries around 7 to 8 Minutes late, the journey was reasonably quiet for the time of day and the lack of screaming kids and overly loud pubescent teens was just pure bliss compared to recent journeys on the X1 as of late.
Finally we reached Gateshead where I departed and much to my Joy 8334 pulled in behind, I then walked around the corner where Church is across from the Highstreet and across the traffic the lights, with the Sun shining behind me I knew this be good spot to photograph 8334 as it departed on the 52, after a few minutes of waiting 8334 came into view and just as I went to hit the trigger some absolute bellend decided to stand right in front of me obscuring my view and shot of 8334, safe to say I quite furious as I was standing right on the corner of the pavement to, all this dick had to do was go past me to my left and cross the lights like any normal person would do, instead he was ignorant and decided to play with the traffic instead.
Fueled with rage I made my way back into the Interchange and Fueled by Body with some Energy with a Bottle of Lucozade and 2 Greggs Sausage Rolls before making my around to the stand for the 94 which again was late, this time 5224 which was around 7 Minutes late, so Ladies and Gents that completes my Hat-Trick, for the first time ever I can say this happened to me, after weaving our way through traffic down Bensham back we reach the Valley where I departed for look around the Car Show at Gateshead College.
I was quite surprised at the amount of cars in Attendence, No more than 30 I would say, plenty of Ford Focus Cars there mind for my liking, a pleasant surprise was seeing a Ford GT40 parked up, after a few photos I made my way inside where there was an F1 Car Simulator, I would of loved a go of this but there was quite a queue so instead continued to wonder around the college to where I came across former GNE MPD 535, after few more photos I made by way back over to the Bus Stop for the 94 back into Gateshead.
Getting the stop just 2 Minutes before the 94 was due I seen 5226 come into view and head into the Retail Park, with only a minute or so to wait I got my Ticket out, all of 18 Minutes passed after that and the 14:10 94 eventually turned up at 14:28 to take back to Gateshead, 5226 flew up Bensham Bank into Gateshead where again I departed, I have to say these are the Best Wright Solars in the Fleet.
Having missed an Omnidekka on either the X30/X31 as made my over to the Newcastle side of the Interchange, I waited 15 Minutes for the X71 to come, to my disappointment it was 3876 which showed up not that a Lolyne showing up is a bad thing, In all honesty this short journey was superb and 3876 in my opinion would be a great candidate for preservation, it is one of few which has it original Destination Displays and not to be Refurbished or have its seats Reupholstered, Overall a excellent Bus in good condition for its age, after departing 3876 I took a snap of it for the Archives.
After getting off in Eldon Square I made my up to Haymarket to take a few photos before sprinting down John Dobson Street to Photograph 12072 on the 38, after catching my breath I made way over to Market Street where I boarded 8316 to St Lawrence Road, well might was well say St Peter Basin with being the 2nd to last stop on the Q2 Route and being roughly a minutes walk away, around a 10 Minute journey ensued and gave me time to sit back and note some spots for photographs of the Q3 Next Months as I had never been on the Q2 to its Terminus before, as I more often use the Q1 out of the Quaylink Services.
I then made my down the Bank to the Terminus when at Half way down 8314 passed me and I just managed to grab a quick shot of it also, I then took a light jog to catch 8314 before it pulled away as I really didny fancy waiting 10 Minutes at this point, an extremely short ride went by smoothly to Manners Walk where I departed and waited for the next Q2 to come so I could get yet another Photo.
After 8313 went I made way over the Millennium Bridge to the Baltic to catch the 16:44 Q1 back into Gateshead, after 2 Minutes 8337 passed with another unidentified Quaylink Versa towards Central Station I had a feeling I was going to be waiting a while for the one of the two if not both to come back together, after 22 Minutes of waiting in the Rain I boarded 8337 where the Driver was discussing the upcoming Quaylink/Orbit changes with and Elderly Passenger, just before departing 8337 I asked the driver why he was late, in which he replied he was on time but the 2 Q1s in front of him were late and terminated at Central Station and ran light back to Gateshead to be back on time upon departing, one Versa passed us we came up Gateshead High Street and the other was on the Layover.
As a result of the discussion I had with the driver I missed the 17:15 X1, so I had to wait for the next one, bang on time at 17:25 6002 came into sight and much like my journey on 6001 earlier it went by blissfully, after this I nipped into Asda for some scran before getting on 8323 back home.
My Journeys Today
12:05 - 2 - 8326 - Lambton Village Centre to Washington Galleries
12:14 - X1 - 6001 - Washington Galleries to Gateshead Interchange
13:07 - 94 - 5224 - Gateshead Interchange to Team Valley
14:05 - 93 - 5226 - Team Valley to Gateshead Interchange
15:15 - X71 - 3876 - Gateshead Interchange to Newcastle Eldon Square
16:06 - Q2 - 8316 - Market Street to Saint Lawrence Road
16:28 - Q2 - 8314 - St Peters Basin to Manners Walk
16:44 - Q1 - 8337 - Baltic to Gateshead Interchange
17:25 - X1 - 6002 - Gateshead Interchange to Washington Galleries
18:25 - 2 - 8323 - Washington Galleries to Lambton Village Centre
), so rather than take photos in full view of them, we went out of the way somewhat, where we could still take photos. I got a few decent shots, as did Adrian. He was after a few ''Venture'' Solos, and I think he managed to tick one or two off of his list. We saw ''Coast & Country'' 5399 leave for Sunderland, then a ''Venture'' Solo on the V8, so we had a wait of about 20 minutes for the next bus to Stanley. A trip to Gregg's (I knew where it was, but led us around the long way, not knowing there was a way of quickly cutting onto the Front Street!) took place, where Adrian stocked up on food, as did I. As we ate at the benches just outside of the bus station, Chester-le-Street based ''Coast & Country'' Streetlite 5407 came in with a 78 to Sunderland. Finishing up, we joined the line to board, eventually sitting in the middle of the vehicle; with Adrian at the seat with the massive amount of legroom, and then myself behind him, just above the step. Not a bad journey to Stanley on this Streetlite; while it was nothing on a Volvo B10BLE, I don't recall it struggling at all; and there are some nasty climbs on the Stanley-Consett stretch of the route!(13 Jun 2015, 6:52 pm)Davie wrote I'm going to do a Streetlite "Bash" on Wednesday or Thursday, I am hoping to try the following:
Red Kite Streetlite
Coast and Country streetlite
An Omnidekka.
If anybody is interested I'll be more than happy for you to join me
(13 Jun 2015, 8:51 pm)Davie wrote My plan for Wednesday:
56 Wrekenton - Sunderland
78 Sunderland - Consett*
X71 Consett - Newcastle**
45 Newcastle - Metrocentre*
67 Metrocentre - Q.E Hospital
X25 Q.E Hospital - Wrekenton***
* Hoping a Streetlite is allocated to that specific service
** Hoping it's an Omnidekka
*** Hoping its a lolyne
(13 Jun 2015, 8:39 pm)R852 PRG wrote Went out on an adventure today, mainly to ride a few Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renowns; having not been on one since my outing on 16 May, with Sean (northern156), which was 5148. I purchased a Get Around day ticket for £3.75, and got exactly what I wanted out of it.
I woke up at 08:00, and got ready for the day ahead. My camera was fully charged, I had my wallet and phone, and I left my house at 08:25. As time is always a factor, and I knew Renowns were now allocated to the 95/96 services, I decided I would head through to Newcastle to start the day off. As I don't live in the centre of Chester-le-Street, it was roughly a 20 minute walk until I boarded Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2 6061 at the Newcastle-bound ''Angel'' stand at the bottom of Front Street. The passenger boarding in front of me took a while, as the ticket machine seemed to jam, and multiple tickets had to be printed by the driver, including a cancellation, and then cutting away any messed up tickets; before finally, I handed over my money, pulled my Get Around from the ETM, and took my seat at the front upstairs. I think this run came from Durham, as there was already about ten passengers on board, and there is no way that many people were waiting at the Black Horse when I walked past. There were a couple of others upstairs, one towards the middle and another towards the back; and the journey went by rather fast. Normally, at this hour, I'm quite tired and tend to shut my eyes (but not go to sleep) and just rest them for a while; but for some bizarre reason I was very much awake. Aside from a young child who boarded at the Coach & Horses in Birtley, who sat at the nearside front seats upstairs, making a bit of a racket, nothing else annoyed me during this journey. Quite a number of people left in Gateshead, where Daniel Picken boarded; sitting at the door-side front seats where the young child had been sitting. I was listening to my music, so didn't turn around to see him at first, before I felt like someone was watching me. I looked and saw him sitting, smiling at me, so I took my earphones out and made conversation. We discussed Tridents, Presidents and Vykings, I think. As we were on Percy Street, I saw a ''Toon Link'' B10BLE in it's stand, I later determined it was 5148. When I disembarked 6061, and walked up the bus station, the driver closed the doors just five seconds before I would have boarded... Bit of shame.
Standing just above it in Eldon Square, was a 10A service, operated by a Volvo B9TL. Having just come off a B5, I decided to ride a B9 to try and make a comparison. It was 6072 working this run, which I travelled on as far as the MetroCentre. Only a handful of passengers were using this service, so there wasn't any noise being made by anyone to irritate me. I sat a couple of rows behind the stairs, as my favoured spot was taken. The only noticeable difference was the noise of the engine, as you'll all know, the engine of a Hybrid B5 is very light and smooth while the B9 makes much more noise, but still retains the smoothness. When I did reach the MetroCentre, I noticed Renown 4920 was sitting in the layover, with the blind set for the 96 back to Gateshead. I walked over to that stand after leaving 6072, to find that the next 96 was due in only five minutes. A couple of minutes passed before the driver brought it out of the layover, and came to a stop where I was standing. I took my seat at the quadrant, one of my favourite spots to sit on a Renown, before the driver pulled it out at the departure time, with the only passenger being myself. It must be said that when you have a bus to yourself, it is a lovely feeling of peace that is hard to copy in other parts of the hobby, if you ask me. Even better, when it is a vehicle that you like very much. 4920 was one of the B10s that I required for haulage today anyway, there are only a handful of the native Renowns that I need to ride anyway, for the sake of it, so this is one I can tick off. This was an absolute beast, I don't normally offer buses that status, but I think 4920 was worthy of it. I don't know if it was because of the amount of people on board (just me and the driver) or the fact there was no traffic, but it just flew past bus stops and along roads until a couple of men boarded about 10 minutes away from the MetroCentre. Then, when we hit Lobley Hill, around a dozen boarded, and we entered Gateshead with a decent load. If you've never been on 4920, I would recommend it. Now one of my favourite Renowns.
The next ride was ''Angel'' Volvo B5 6058, which was the first thing to pull into Gateshead heading to Newcastle. Not many comments to make, as it was just over 10 minutes until Eldon Square, but after I hopped off, I made my way up to Costa. Got the usual, a Hot Chocolate to sit in with, and watched the activity go by. I made notes of any unusual workings that passed through, and during this time, Adrian contacted me saying that he was on 6028 heading through on the X1. I continued to drink while I conversed with him, having to watch a couple of B10BLEs and OmniDekkas go in and out, but as the time crept up to 11:30, I had finished my Costa, left, and was standing on Percy Street waiting for 6028 to appear. When it did, Adrian was standing at the front of the bus, so I gave him a wave and he responded by doing the same; then I headed back into the bus station as the X1 then proceeded to move forwards and down into Eldon Square. Adrian came towards me, and we initially headed down to see of anything good, but then he spotted a couple of ''Toon Link'' OmniCities on Percy Street, so we headed back up for a couple of photographs. He did, but I didn't bother... Something else caught my attention; Stanley's only remaining Wright Renown, 4897, was coming into view on the ''Diamond'' 43 to Durham. I told Adrian, and we headed down to it's stand, as it pulled in. There wasn't really a queue that had formed, just a few people standing around waiting for it, so Adrian and I took full advantage of this and sat at the driver's side quadrant; Adrian facing the rear and myself facing the road ahead. Not many passenger numbers on this, and we just had a general discussion to pass the time. As you can imagine, it was nice to ride an ex-''Lime'' B10BLE, albeit not on it's former route, but the kickdowns I could hear on this Volvo machine were great. Not as good as 4920 earlier on, but still very good. I'll be sad to see this one go.
Adrian and I walked across to the area that allows photographs of buses entering and exiting, as well as the layover bays, to take a few photos. I managed a shot of 4898 on the 67, then a ''Highwayman'' branded Solar, before putting my camera away, but not before Adrian snapped 6120, the only ''Red Kite'' B9 he needed, before we walked down towards it's stand, and had a ride on that back to Newcastle. It was actually quite busy, with most pair of seats upstairs having at least one occupant, and most seats downstairs being taken. We just discussed Leyland Nationals, the Howlands Rally next Sunday, and preserved 4708 passing it's MOT. On the mechanical side of things, as smooth and powerful as any other B9 in the fleet! Not really comparable to anything, and nothing appeared to be out of character. At least it's another ''Red Kite'' B9 I can cross off, the only one I need now is 6119. When we left in Eldon Square, we walked out on Percy Street for some more photos. In the corner of my eye – I saw my main aim of today's outing; 4843!! I told Adrian, and we walked down to the X25 stand (which, by the time we'd arrived, was when 4843 was pulling into the stand, as it is located right at the bottom). There was only one other passenger in the queue, so we joined. The first thing I noticed was the ''graffiti'' seat behind the driver's cab, facing the doors. Didn't look very good when compared to the other blue ''Go'' seats displayed inside... Speaking of the inside, this was a pretty scruffy bus. Anyway, we departed and hit Newgate Street. We went over a pothole – and the whole bus shook. It was almost scary how violently the bus was shaking on anything as minor as a downhill slope... I couldn't help but mutter ''Jesus'' when I was practically shown out of my seat... Very disappointed with this, so Adrian and I alighted in Gateshead. To think that last night I was anticipating a round trip on the 34/34A or a whole ride from Chester-le-Street to Newcastle on the 28/28A on this vehicle...
We took a few shots around the Interchange, before Dual-Door Wright Renown 5164 appeared with the ''Loop'' 93 service. Adrian had suggested earlier on that we see if anything of value is visible at Saltmeadows; prior to today, I had never been before, so I thought it would be a good experience to see the location with my own eyes. 5164, like most dual-door examples, was nothing particularly special. Sounded a bit rough, nothing like a real B10BLE. Of note, there was OmniDekka 6123 and another red example parked in the bus wash, with ''Metro Radio'' base-liveried 6133 in full view, as well as the now common sight of 8293 and 4846 parked nose down towards the rear fence. After taking as many photos as we needed, I had a look along the main road – a ''Loop'' branded Scania was just turning onto the road, and the bus stop was directly in front of us. I told Adrian, and we walked across with ample time for the Solar to reach the stop. Signalling for it to stop, we boarded and hit the back seats. There is something about these examples on the ''Loop''... I can't pinpoint it, but the engine noise just reminds me so much of a DAF Plaxton Prestige. Although we were on this (5220) no more then 10 minutes, I enjoyed it very much, and sitting at the back made the beastly engine even better. As we entered Gateshead again, we walked around for a short while, before Adrian suggested we ride ''Coaster'' branded OmniCity 5268 to Market Street in Newcastle, then catch an X70/X71 up to Consett. I thought it sounded like a good idea, so we boarded 5268, and set off moments after taking our seats. It was only a brief hop to Newcastle, about half of the bus was occupied with decent passenger numbers. I've brought it up several times in the past, but I am not a massive fan of OmniCities to begin with, so I just made the best I could of it.
When we alighted, Adrian asked for the time. It was 13:21; we had 9 minutes until the next X70 to Consett departed Eldon Square, which we could easily walk. We casually made our way into Eldon Square Bus Station; arriving a couple of minutes before it was due out. This was operated by Dennis Trident/East Lancs Lolyne 3873 – a vehicle I have not travelled on since it left Chester-le-Street a long time ago! I noticed it's seats were re-trimmed, as it held the ''graffiti'' seating when I last rode it. The two of us took the front seats, Adrian on the side of the doors and myself on the side of the cab. John, the young boy mentioned in my review from the 30 May (with Jimmi) also boarded in Newcastle (albeit Newgate Street), and spoke to both of us until he alighted in Gateshead. As we exited Gateshead, we gave Dan a wave as I saw him in the corner of my eye take a photo of our bus. Everything about this particular example seemed fine, until we hit one of the steepest banks on the Newcastle-Consett express route; the definition of the term ''crawl'' could have been used to describe the way it climbed this bank, just after we'd passed through the Bensham area. We continued our general discussion, about the forum, other aspects of the hobby and QCS as well, if I remember correctly. Finally, after a pretty good journey, we arrived in Consett. I have rode nearly every Lolyne (or Trident for that matter!) in the Go North East fleet, and I can safely say I think Stanley's 3873 is one of the healthiest in the fleet.
There was a couple of charvers outside of the bus station (who I later determined to be Robert and his buddies...
After jumping off 5407 in Stanley, we headed to the spot outside of the bus station for some photos. Got some great shots, which I'll upload to Flickr shortly, but when we walked around the side where the Stanley Travel office is, some charvers standing at the entrance saw us. One said ''are you going to take pictures of me like'', to which Adrian turned around and said ''not unless you're going to pay me for it''; the charver then made a fart noise in response, before we walked around the side for some shots of the deckers lined up in the layover bays. Have to say I'm really pleased I had Adrian with me there, I would have been quite scared if that happened to me by myself... I feel a lot safer taking photographs if I'm with somebody.
The next 8 back to Chester-le-Street was due at 15:45, and the moment we re-entered the bus station from the main entrance (the charvers had dispersed), I spotted it coming around the roundabout. It was Chester-le-Street based 5404; one that I have not yet made a journey on, so that made me quite happy. I don't think there are many more that I need now. We sat in the same positions as we did on 5407, talking again. Adrian stayed on until Washington, while I thanked him for the company today, and disembarked at South Burns, in Chester-le-Street. I headed into Tesco for a couple of things, before walking back to the Front Street. I missed, by seconds, 6056 on the 21 to Durham, so decided to get the next bus heading up to the Black Horse, and walk from there. This was 5258, operating the 16:22 50 to Durham. The driver overran the stop, but when I pressed the bell again, he apologised and dropped me off at the nearest location. A log is below;
08:47 #21 – Chester-le-Street Corals to Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station – GNE 6061
09:31 #10A – Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station to MetroCentre Transport Interchange – GNE 6072
09:56 #96 – MetroCentre Transport Interchange to Gateshead Transport Interchange – GNE 4920
10:30 #21 – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station – GNE 6058
11:36 #43 – Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station to MetroCentre Transport Interchange – GNE 4897
12:01 #47 – MetroCentre Transport Interchange to Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station – GNE 6120
12:25 #X25 – Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station to Gateshead Transport Interchange – GNE 4843
12:46 #93 – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Saltmeadows Road Bus Depot – GNE 5164
13:03 #94 – Saltmeadows Road Bus Depot to Gateshead Transport Interchange – GNE 5220
13:13 #1 – Gateshead Transport Interchange to Newcastle Market Street – GNE 5268
13:29 #X70 – Newcastle Eldon Square Bus Station to Consett Bus Station – GNE 3873
14:54 #78 – Consett Bus Station to Stanley Bus Station – GNE 5407
15:42 #8 – Stanley Bus Station to Chester-le-Street South Burns – GNE 5404
16:22 #50 – Chester-le-Street Red Lion to Chester-le-Street Black Horse – GNE 5258
When I look at the whole journey log, I really didn't get that far today. However, I rode plenty of Wright Renowns, and took many photos. Also thanks to Adrian for the company. I hope you enjoyed reading, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Marcus
(13 Jun 2015, 8:58 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote was it you and Adrian who where standing at Stanley around 3.45? did you see 6127? if you did you see a boy in tracksuit and trainers ( me ) and a old lady ( my nana )
sitting at the back?
and im guessing Adrian is auroelin?
Sorry for so many questions Marcus!
.(13 Jun 2015, 8:51 pm)Davie wrote My plan for Wednesday:
56 Wrekenton - Sunderland
78 Sunderland - Consett*
X71 Consett - Newcastle**
45 Newcastle - Metrocentre*
67 Metrocentre - Q.E Hospital
X25 Q.E Hospital - Wrekenton***
* Hoping a Streetlite is allocated to that specific service
** Hoping it's an Omnidekka
*** Hoping its a lolyne
(13 Jun 2015, 8:58 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote was it you and Adrian who where standing at Stanley around 3.45? did you see 6127? if you did you see a boy in tracksuit and trainers ( me ) and a old lady ( my nana )
sitting at the back? I was on my travels aswell going from Lanchester to Eldon Square
and im guessing Adrian is auroelin?
Sorry for so many questions Marcus!
Not sure, my shots of the OmniDekkas didn't come out too good. I'll check in the morning for you though, I'm absolutely drained.
(13 Jun 2015, 9:10 pm)Adam wrote As everyone's posting reviews, and as I've got nothing better to do with my Saturday night, I thought I may as well jump on the bandwagon.
04:15 N21 Newcastle Pilgrim Street – Angel of the North (6060)
My day began in Newcastle (standard Friday night/Saturday morning really) as it was a couple of my uni friends’ last night in Newcastle before they went home today to South Wales and Northern Ireland respectively, so I was ordered out by them. After finishing our drinking session, the six of us headed back to the flat at Glenamara House, where one of my friends had to finish packing before her taxi came at 4:30 to take her to the airport (don’t worry, she hadn’t had much to drink so was still capable of flying). I said my goodbyes and left the flat at bang on 4am, headed down to Pilgrim Street and arrived there at 4:10. 6060 was my ride and I was greeted by one of the drivers who I regularly have on the N21. I bought my £3 single to the Angel and sat at the very front of the top deck, watching the world go by. One other person boarded at Pilgrim Street, and to my surprise, nobody else got on at the other stops in Newcastle or Gateshead! I alighted at the Angel where the driver said goodbye to me, with me thanking him and wishing him goodnight (or should it have been good morning as it was very light?) I took my usual Snapchat selfie with the statue itself. My friends are incredibly disappointed if I don’t take one after getting off the N21, before making my way up the dreaded Longbank, where a Loop branded Wright Solar passed me (see the GNE Allocation Thread). I eventually got home at more or less bang on 5am.
13:16 X25 Eighton Banks – Chester-le-Street (4934)
Much like Malarkey, I originally had my alarm on for 8:30, but after only 3 and a half hours sleep, it’s virtually impossible to get up. I dozed back off and the next thing I know, it’s 11:30! I peeled myself from my bed and got myself showered and ready, before seeing my family and feeding/watering myself. As I had nothing planned, I decided the head out on a random, spontaneous adventure, taking with me my earphones, my USB cable, and of course my magical Get Around Annual bus pass that comes in the London Underground map travel card holder (according to my fancy spreadsheet, I’m currently £180 in profit with it). I headed down the hill to Rockliffe Way for the X25, and 4934 rounded the slight bend. The bus was around half full, with most rows being taken. I took my seat about half way up the bus, but the legroom was dreadful, so I had to position my long legs sideways. Quite rattley and clearly past its best, the Solar still performed well. Prior to leaving my house, I had read that 4843 was doing the rounds on the X25 so was hoping that would appear, but it didn’t.
13:55 78 Chester-le-Street – Stanley (5407)
After alighting at CLS, I headed straight to Costa for the usual, a small mocha to take away. I still believe CLS’ Costa serves the best mocha out of the various outlets I’ve visited around the country, so is always a treat to get one. I took it down to the bus stop, and waited for the 78, where I’d missed the previous 8. 5407 approached the stop and a driver changeover occurred. He did seem rather frustrated with the adjustments of the dashboard and seat, quietly murmuring “for goodness sakes” on one occasion. The bus left CLS about ¾ full. I didn’t particularly enjoy this journey. The bus was very warm even with all three windows open. I feel that there should be more. I plugged in my USB cable hoping to charge my phone on the bus. Free electricity, who can say no to that?! Unfortunately though, the plug socket didn’t work, but the WiFi worked fantastically! The scenic route to Stanley followed, and the driver kept to timetable, which was excellent.
14:30 44A Stanley – Durham (5337)
I had also read on the forum that the 04-reg OmniDekka was on the 11:15 X31 from Eldon Square, and thanks to maths, worked out that it would have been on the 14:27 X30 to Lanchester, which I hoped to have caught. As my Coast & Country Streetlite entered the bus station, I saw that OmniDekka on the stand, but as I got off, it started reversing. Oh dear. At the same time, 5337 was parking in the stand on a 44A to Durham, so decided to board that instead. Quite busy, around two-thirds full, I sat in the backwards facing seats towards the rear, where again, the legroom was terrible. The main seats though are very comfortable, much better than the newer Citaros in my view as they were more ergonomically designed. The route to Durham was very scenic, and although the bus is now 9 years old, it still managed to handle the hills very well. I’d worked out that the bus would pull into Durham at around 3pm, the same time when the 15 would leave for Consett. Unfortunately though, they leave from the same stand, so the driver of the 44A decided to wait in the middle of the road until the 15, operated by 6010, a bus I’ve yet to travel on, departed, meaning I missed that as well. Not my day so far then… It was quite possibly the journey that South Tyne Lad has described in his review of the day. A wander round the city to find a Greggs followed as hunger set in, so after eventually finding one, I bought a ham and egg sandwich and took it back to the bus station to eat.
15:20 44A Durham – Stanley (5292)
Just as I was finishing my sandwich, 5292 arrived off a 43 and changed to the 44A. It turns out that 5292 was one of the two remaining Diamond branded Citaros that I hadn’t travelled on, and was on my “hit-list”, so to tick that one off, I travelled on it, returning to Stanley. The bus left Durham about three-quarters full, with me taking my seat in the “quadrant” as I like to call it. This bus too managed to handle the hilly nature of the route incredibly well, the noisy, powerful Mercedes roar being louder than the music being blasted into my ears. A Snapchat selfie birthday wish to a friend was attempted to be done, but that turned to an awkward moment when I was caught by a couple of lasses sat behind me on the very back row on the opposite side. I attempted to cover it up by faffing with my hair, as us lads don’t particularly carry mirrors with us, so a phone will do. Arriving into Stanley bang on time, I hoped to see another OmniDekka, and sure enough, 6127 was arriving at the same time on an X31 to Newcastle. Thank goodness!
15:57 X31 Stanley – Gateshead (6127)
Finally, an OmniDekka. A large smile was brought to my face as I made my way down the bus station to the stand, where a driver changeover was occurring. Yet again, this was the same journey South Tyne Lad was on, even though I was completely unaware of it. I promise I wasn’t intending to stalk you. I did notice a few passengers on the bottom deck when I boarded, but didn’t pay much attention. Indeed, he too notes that there were two spotters at the bus station. I posted about that earlier in the day in the "Stalking and Such" thread. I headed straight upstairs and sat in the row behind the stairs, where a vast amount of luxurious legroom awaited, compensation I suppose for the non-existent legroom on 4934 and 5337. I finally managed to take that Snapchat happy birthday selfie as I was the only one on the top deck at the time. I have to say I do like these buses a lot. It’s a shame some aren’t coming to Chester-le-Street for my X25 just yet! It was different, and a good different. I will look forward to travelling on more of these in the future. It coped very well with the scenic hills and built up a lot of speed when going past the Tanfield Railway, a pleasure to see. When we arrived into Gateshead, I forgot about the low door frame, and stotted my head slightly as I alighted. Ow!
16:32 56 Gateshead – Wrekenton (6093)
I’d just missed a President on the X1, so wandered over and stood between Stands H, J and K where all the Wrekenton buses depart from. After a couple of minutes wait, 6093 entered the bus station, one of my least travelled 56’s, so decided to board it. Relatively busy, I took my seat upstairs. I’ve always been a fan of the Gemini 2s, and this one was no different. I again tried to charge my phone, but again, it didn’t work. The WiFi worked a treat though! About three-quarters full after leaving Gateshead, I was genuinely surprised to see the 56 so busy. The deckers have definitely helped to increase passenger numbers in my view.
There were two letdowns of the journey. Firstly, is how slow the 56 is in comparison to the X1 and X25, both of which overtook me whilst climbing up the hill. I much prefer the X’s. It’s a running joke amongst my friends and I that the 56 needs weed added to the various flowers already on the branding to simply make the journey more bearable, and then it needs renumbered and rebranded to service 420 carrying the brand “Fab Four Twenty” (#blazeitup).
The other letdown was the whinging child and their parents telling them off for more or less all the journey. As Wrekenton approached, I pressed the bell and made my way downstairs whilst at the traffic lights, where Davie was apparently standing waiting for newly-painted 8334. I got to the zebra crossing where 8334 came round the Royal Oak corner, to which I saw a hand frantically waving at me. It turns out that it was one of my old school friends, so gave him a cheeky wave and a smile back. A lovely 10 minute back up the hills to Eighton Banks then followed, where I eventually got home at around 5:10ish.
If you are still reading this at this point, thank you, and you really do deserve a medal. South Tyne Lad, I'm sorry I didn't know you were on the same bus as me. And the two spotters taking photos at Stanley, I still don't know who you are?
(13 Jun 2015, 9:22 pm)citaro5284 wrote Well, its my turn...
Seat Leon from Seaton Delaval to Cramlington driven by me.
Seat Leon from Cramlington to Seaton Delaval driven by me.
Got to say, the driver was a complete ass!
Seriously, really enjoy reading your reviews, keep them coming.
![[Image: 0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png]](https://public.railmiles.me/signatures/0a85ed5b4e97324e338555472f222830.png)