7098 (FJ08 KLZ) is now with Panther Travel still carrying full Northern Coaching Voyager Livery. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southlancs...7688339432

(02 Jan 2021, 8:17 pm)Malarkey wrote 7098 (FJ08 KLZ) is now with Panther Travel still carrying full Northern Coaching Voyager Livery. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southlancs...7688339432

Oh dear, another vehicle released into the wild in full GNE colours, thought they would have learned their lesson after the Metrocentre Minis.

(02 Jan 2021, 8:55 pm)deanmachine wrote Oh dear, another vehicle released into the wild in full GNE colours, thought they would have learned their lesson after the Metrocentre Minis.

No hardship with this one - Voyager and Northern Coaching means nothing to people in Harwich! Bit different to remnants of Go North East left behind to people in Durham!


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(03 Jan 2021, 4:56 am)Dan wrote No hardship with this one - Voyager and Northern Coaching means nothing to people in Harwich! Bit different to remnants of Go North East left behind to people in Durham!


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Plus, it looks like it'd be fairly easy to remove the relatively simple vinyls and you'd have a single colour base that's a year old

(02 Jan 2021, 8:17 pm)Malarkey wrote 7098 (FJ08 KLZ) is now with Panther Travel still carrying full Northern Coaching Voyager Livery. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southlancs...7688339432

Why did they get rid of that, would have made sense having that on the X9/X10 too.

(03 Jan 2021, 9:27 am)GNE6312 wrote Why did they get rid of that, would have made sense having that on the X9/X10 too.

Easy money I would imagine

It was the only Scania Levante left in the fleet so would have made sense selling it off if that formed part of the criteria. Plus, they aren't exactly short of coaches that can do the same job at the moment.

Also when NX return to full timetable will 7120-37 be returning to NX duties or be part of the reserve fleet

(03 Jan 2021, 4:56 am)Dan wrote No hardship with this one - Voyager and Northern Coaching means nothing to people in Harwich! Bit different to remnants of Go North East left behind to people in Durham!


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But unfortunately GNE have no influence over who or when it’s further sold on. A manager of Wardle Coaches in Staffordshire getting his fingers burned by selling a coach without de-branding it. It passed through various hands to a travelling circus act who apparently had less than desirable driving and parking habits with it, all with Wardles name still on the side.

Worth an hour or so taking the stickers off.

Given the likelihood that international travel could still be off the cards, would it not be wise for GNE to seize the opportunity to setup "X-Lines Escapes"? Also, some of the trips to North Yorkshire also have EYMS depots in close(ish) proximity should any technical problems occur.

- Flamingo Land
- Whitby / Scarborough
- Lightwater Valley
- York day trips (race weekends could be popular as well) and perhaps York Designer Outlet

Trips could be run using one of the normal coaches but if demand is there, could also use one of the X9/X10 interdecks with 6377 standing in.

(03 Jan 2021, 11:34 pm)James101 wrote But unfortunately GNE have no influence over who or when it’s further sold on. A manager of Wardle Coaches in Staffordshire getting his fingers burned by selling a coach without de-branding it. It passed through various hands to a travelling circus act who apparently had less than desirable driving and parking habits with it, all with Wardles name still on the side.

Worth an hour or so taking the stickers off.

I seem to remember there being a specific plan to paint vehicles in certain colours, so nobody could tell if a vehicle had been a GNE vehicle when sold on. Not that the people of Bodmin or Timbuktu had any idea who GNE were like. 
Not sure what the difference is with this Levante mind.

(03 Jan 2021, 11:57 pm)L469 YVK wrote Given the likelihood that international travel could still be off the cards, would it not be wise for GNE to seize the opportunity to setup "X-Lines Escapes"? Also, some of the trips to North Yorkshire also have EYMS depots in close(ish) proximity should any technical problems occur.

- Flamingo Land
- Whitby / Scarborough
- Lightwater Valley
- York day trips (race weekends could be popular as well) and perhaps York Designer Outlet

Trips could be run using one of the normal coaches but if demand is there, could also use one of the X9/X10 interdecks with 6377 standing in.

Wouldn't Northern Coaching be a better brand to use? Bearing in mind that "X-lines Escapes" would be only consigned to advertising and paperwork. And it isn't actually an eXpress line.

Not to mention the uproar it would cause to independent operators. Lothian is a good example of what happens.

There used to be an operator called Red Kite (Sadly ceased operating within the last few years) in the village of Tilsworth in Bedfordshire. They purchased a number of ex Go North East JTY-X Olympians and they liked the livery so much they decided to adapt it for the rest of their double decker fleet. Sadly they didn't get any low floor deckers (which is probably one of the reasons why they closed down) but a number of other deckers such as early Alexander R type Olympians and ELC bodied Volvo Citybus's got the pseudo GNE livery. Here's an album from my visit to their depot in 2009, there is also photos from 2014 which will be uploaded at an undetermined date.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...7607549386

(04 Jan 2021, 8:30 am)omnicity4659 wrote Wouldn't Northern Coaching be a better brand to use? Bearing in mind that "X-lines Escapes" would be only consigned to advertising and paperwork. And it isn't actually an eXpress line.

Not to mention the uproar it would cause to independent operators. Lothian is a good example of what happens.

X-Lines Escapes would just be the marketing brand and paperwork, no route numbers etc.

Could market it as:

X-Lines Escapes, great days out brought to you by Go North East!

(03 Jan 2021, 11:57 pm)L469 YVK wrote Given the likelihood that international travel could still be off the cards, would it not be wise for GNE to seize the opportunity to setup "X-Lines Escapes"? Also, some of the trips to North Yorkshire also have EYMS depots in close(ish) proximity should any technical problems occur.

- Flamingo Land
- Whitby / Scarborough
- Lightwater Valley
- York day trips (race weekends could be popular as well) and perhaps York Designer Outlet

Trips could be run using one of the normal coaches but if demand is there, could also use one of the X9/X10 interdecks with 6377 standing in.

Definitely not, I'd hate to see this there's plenty local companies ran by local staff who make a living off these type of trips who are all really struggling as it is. Lee's Coaches, Stanley Travel, Chris Cooper, Weardale and so on, let them have their own profits rather than some big wigs in an office somewhere. GNE is a service bus provider (National Express being a service bus) not a coach expedition company. The last thing these small local companies is GNE cashing in on their profits especially with Covid where they are all struggling and are mostly being ignored aswell (there's no free money like the service bus providers are getting to continue running their services).

It would be the first step to being absolutely hated by every other bus and coach company in the North East.

I'd imagine if they ran a service to Whitby or Scarborough they'd not want to miss the opportunity to call it Big Coasters!

I've been told by someone at PM that the Optare MetroDecker 9083 is done with GNE and has returned to Optare.

Does anyone know what is going on with 6154. I know it's had an accident and was tracking on the crusader and hasn't tracked since.

Has it been withdrawn or has it been sent to Wrightbus

(04 Jan 2021, 5:03 pm)Rapidsnap wrote There used to be an operator called Red Kite (Sadly ceased operating within the last few years) in the village of Tilsworth in Bedfordshire. They purchased a number of ex Go North East JTY-X Olympians and they liked the livery so much they decided to adapt it for the rest of their double decker fleet. Sadly they didn't get any low floor deckers (which is probably one of the reasons why they closed down) but a number of other deckers such as early Alexander R type Olympians and ELC bodied Volvo Citybus's got the pseudo GNE livery. Here's an album from my visit to their depot in 2009, there is also photos from 2014 which will be uploaded at an undetermined date.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gjm-photog...7607549386

Red kite? Well didn't they miss a trick!

(02 Jan 2021, 8:17 pm)Malarkey wrote 7098 (FJ08 KLZ) is now with Panther Travel still carrying full Northern Coaching Voyager Livery. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southlancs...7688339432

7098 / FJ08 KLZ now advertised as for sale by Panther Travel.


https://www.route-one.net/trader/directo...o-lavante/

Wow £39,995 + VAT wonder if they are making any profit on the resale

Will all of 7120-37 return to nx when full timetable returns.

Didn't know what section of the forum to put this on but I see riverside lost there toonlink omnicitys and gained 6129 6140 6141 and 6142 from chest le street

(16 Jan 2021, 10:05 pm)JACK6081 wrote Didn't know what  section of the forum to put this on but I see riverside lost there toonlink omnicitys and gained 6129 6140 6141 and 6142 from chest le street

I imagine you'd find the omnicities, tucked up & hibernated somewhere at chester depot.

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(15 Jan 2021, 8:53 pm)N1cholas wrote Wow £39,995 + VAT wonder if they are making any profit on the resale

Given it was a 12 year old coach with NaN miles on, not euro six, one of a kind left, and generally lacking use with the B11RTs.. I imagine GNE will have sold it for considerably less than this.

Have 6118-21 gone to EYMS now?

(18 Jan 2021, 7:19 am)GNE6312 wrote Have 6118-21 gone to EYMS now?

No.

(18 Jan 2021, 7:21 am)Dan wrote No.

Thanks for the info, are they still due to go to EYMS or are they staying with GNE now.

?? Friday fleet news time! ??
Our first refurbished Citaro has arrived at Queens Road, in the shape of 6212 (NK08 MXY). It wears our new pink and blue identity for the 41 - Cross City - and will receive its vinyls on Monday.
B7RLE withdrawals continue, with 66923 and 66928 now sold, and 66913 withdrawn as of today. 66891, 910, 911 and 933 are now also all on borrowed time.
Stay safe.

From the Behind the scenes at Go North West Facebook page.

5310 - now 6212 - has arrived Manchester following repaint

(22 Jan 2021, 7:15 pm)S813 FVK wrote 5310 - now 6212 - has arrived Manchester following repaint

Now we know where the 4 rebrand inspiration came from