(15 Mar 2025, 10:04 pm)nova347 wrote Did u find it or did you get it sent to you?

I have it I just don't have a means of uploading it. I also don't have a source to link back to it was just sent to me as a direct upload.

First time I've ever felt genuine danger on a bus today.

There was a whistling noise coming from one of the wheels of a bus I was on. A telltale sign of a wheelbearing issue. The driver kept going despite knowing about it as when I asked him if they knew, he told me "yeah". Great response....let's hope the wheel doesn't come off in motion!

Well I was on 5373 on Friday and the grinding coming from underneath the back two wheels it was so loud it did not sound good at all.

I know there was a noiseylite in North Shields the other day on the 9

To be fare after being down in the smoke all weekend the busses down there aren't great either....

Spent the afternoon on Tyneside and noticed a few of the branded 21 deckers were out on the allocated route. 

Saw one with its hazards on and bonnet open. 
Saw another one spewing out black gunk from its back end.

Had a look for broken wingmirrors, but didn't see any.
So putting it down to engine/mechanical issues.

6373 broke down heading South on High St West blocking the bus lane

The 21 behind had to do a guided reverse into the police station and turn back on itself.

Got phone call out work off or less full stop the 29 was tracking in Newcastle but has disappeared can I pick her up a Gateshead. Had to leave work got to the civic center and there is a queue of bushes on High Street West? Where this Civic Center is and the Gloucester pub used to be. Eventually pick two up and came back that way and a goal knows these bush has broken down with seven buses park behind it all with hazards on 5 go North East and two Arriva full stop and guess what one of them was the 28 which changes to the 29 in town. Set it once say it again Washington's sorted out

(24 Mar 2025, 7:37 pm)Rob44 wrote Got phone call out work off or less full stop the 29 was tracking in Newcastle but has disappeared can I pick her up a Gateshead. Had to leave work got to the civic center and there is a queue of bushes on High Street West? Where this Civic Center is and the Gloucester pub used to be. Eventually pick two up and came back that way and a goal knows these bush has broken down with seven buses park behind it all with hazards on 5 go North East and two Arriva full stop and guess what one of them was the 28 which changes to the 29 in town. Set it once say it again Washington's sorted out

Ironically in the same spot where 6373 conked out 

5396 which caused the problems has just re-entered service on the 28B

It would be peak GNE for them to ask for a bus lane, to overcome the delays and disruption this bus lane is causing them. 

'Hey Gannon, Maxfield here. Yup, that's right. Got my begging bowl. You know me!
That bus lane outside the Civic Centre. Anyway, it's causing us issues. Our buses keep getting delayed in it. We want new bus priority measures put in place to speed up our journeys and to help us overcome the traffic and delays caused by that bus lane. 
BSIP you say?! Nice one!'

(24 Mar 2025, 10:48 pm)Andreos1 wrote It would be peak GNE for them to ask for a bus lane, to overcome the delays and disruption this bus lane is causing them. 

'Hey Gannon, Maxfield here. Yup, that's right. Got my begging bowl. You know me!
That bus lane outside the Civic Centre. Anyway, it's causing us issues. Our buses keep getting delayed in it. We want new bus priority measures put in place to speed up our journeys and to help us overcome the traffic and delays caused by that bus lane. 
BSIP you say?! Nice one!'

to be fair that bus lane was probably put in as much to help buses as to stop twat sin cars ingonoring the no right turn down towards the tyne bridge!

I had to laugh as the driver of a 21 obviously knew/saw the brake down and turned right down toward high street but the x21 following when straight on with me behind then stuck his hazards on. And kicked off passengers whilst i did a U turn at Gatesheads answer to Greta green!

5401 expired just beyond Shiney Roundabout this evening. 

No wingmirror issues evident. But a giant wrecker was loading it up.

Not sure if it’s fleet or driver related but between 4 and 5.30 today the 21 PVR seemed to drop off a cliff (it’s normally bad around school time)

The queue in Eldon Sq for the every 7 min service was diverted down Eldon Sq and down via Poundland to avoid blocking the main station. The poor nexus bloke looked sick of his life. He made an admirable effort to convince Chester bound folks to get on the 22 28 and 29 which all ran on time.

X-Lines DD out of action for the foreseeable after the incident in Bensham the other day, hope everyone involved are alright

Is that just to fix the crash damage or for the police investigation?

(04 Apr 2025, 3:50 pm)nova347 wrote Is that just to fix the crash damage or for the police investigation?

If as reported the driver had a medical episode, I would imagine it will be to repair the vehicle.

Nice to have 672 back on its old stomping ground

Hownsgill -

Tyne Valley 10 B9 sat at back of Depot, anyone know why.

The last 2 B5 Hybrids still sitting in the same place, with a few panels and lights missing.

Every bus on display (during school holidays) was a branded variant and a Decker. A mix of Durham Diamonds (a few) couple of Red kites & Xlines Deckers.

Not a corp decker or Voyager B9 in site, all in service!

(27 Mar 2025, 10:21 pm)Ambassador wrote Not sure if it’s fleet or driver related but between 4 and 5.30 today the 21 PVR seemed to drop off a cliff (it’s normally bad around school time)

The queue in Eldon Sq for the every 7 min service was diverted down Eldon Sq and down via Poundland to avoid blocking the main station. The poor nexus bloke looked sick of his life. He made an admirable effort to convince Chester  bound folks to get on the 22 28 and 29 which all ran on time.

Ik the queues are insane for the 21.to be honest I haven’t seen that long of a line but the x10/x1 lines are awfully long.Bless that nexus bloke

(24 Apr 2025, 8:39 pm)BusEnthusiast.com wrote Ik the queues are insane for the 21.to be honest I haven’t seen that long of a line but the x10/x1 lines are awfully long.Bless that nexus bloke

The X10 either needs an increase to hourly (NCL > Peterlee) or X9 re-instated. Only trouble is......the vehicles which would be capable are likely carrying fresh air off peak through Whickham & Dunston, well over double the capacity pre Nov 2019 when ran by Omnicites!

On another note and I know there's a very valid argument keeping the Angel StreetDecks local on the 51/52/93/94, but if they were given heavy maintenance when replaced by the EV's and allocated on the 307/309, would 6101-17 given their charmed lives not provide some better 'stop gap' options such as providing something more reliable than 6356-63 on the X21?

Also after seeing something on FB although not related to GNE, I do wonder what the chassis' are like on 6101-17 with exposure down the Coast (sea air) especially on the 309? Would GNE possibly just keep these running at Percy Main for that reason?

If you concerned about Coastal erosion on a small batch of vehicles because they go to the coast for a few hours a day, then be more concerned about the allocation at Arriva's Blyth depot which is basically on the coast. The sea air isn't the main problem, the issue is mainly down to in the past the NE Council used to be quite generous when gritting the roads with Salt in the area, not sure it's the same these days as they don't seem to grit as much if or even at all in some cases.

When the new Angel EV's arrive, I'd personally go

StreetDeck:
- 6315-28 - Percy Main - 307/309
- 6329-31 - Percy Main - Spare
- 6332-33 - Washington - Spare
- 6356-63 - Deptford - X20 (incl 1 spare)
- 6377 - Riverside - X10 spare

B5TL:
- 6308-12 - Consett - X45
- 6313-14 - Consett - Spare

B9TL:
- 6043-48 - Consett - 16/16A/47
** 6043-48 into corporate livery
- 6101-08 - Riverside - X21
- 6109-16 - Consett - 16/16A/47
- 6117 - Consett - Spare

E400MMC:
- 6336-37 - Consett - Spare
- 6338-49 - Consett - X30s/X70s
- 6350-55 - Riverside - X10
** X10 increased to half hourly NCL > Peterlee

6117, 6313, 6314, 6336, 6337 deployed on X5/X15 if not required on other Consett services.

(25 Apr 2025, 4:26 pm)L469 YVK wrote When the new Angel EV's arrive, I'd personally go

StreetDeck:
- 6315-28 - Percy Main - 307/309
- 6329-31 - Percy Main - Spare
- 6332-33 - Washington - Spare
- 6356-63 - Deptford - X20 (incl 1 spare)
- 6377 - Riverside - X10 spare

B5TL:
- 6308-12 - Consett - X45
- 6313-14 - Consett - Spare

B9TL:
- 6043-48 - Consett - 16/16A/47
** 6043-48 into corporate livery
- 6101-08 - Riverside - X21
- 6109-16 - Consett - 16/16A/47
- 6117 - Consett - Spare

E400MMC:
- 6336-37 - Consett - Spare
- 6338-49 - Consett - X30s/X70s
- 6350-55 - Riverside - X10
** X10 increased to half hourly NCL > Peterlee

6117, 6313, 6314, 6336, 6337 deployed on X5/X15 if not required on other Consett services.

What about updating the 56 for Sunderland Depot

(25 Apr 2025, 4:26 pm)L469 YVK wrote When the new Angel EV's arrive, I'd personally go

StreetDeck:
- 6315-28 - Percy Main - 307/309
- 6329-31 - Percy Main - Spare
- 6332-33 - Washington - Spare
- 6356-63 - Deptford - X20 (incl 1 spare)
- 6377 - Riverside - X10 spare

B5TL:
- 6308-12 - Consett - X45
- 6313-14 - Consett - Spare

B9TL:
- 6043-48 - Consett - 16/16A/47
** 6043-48 into corporate livery
- 6101-08 - Riverside - X21
- 6109-16 - Consett - 16/16A/47
- 6117 - Consett - Spare

E400MMC:
- 6336-37 - Consett - Spare
- 6338-49 - Consett - X30s/X70s
- 6350-55 - Riverside - X10
** X10 increased to half hourly NCL > Peterlee

6117, 6313, 6314, 6336, 6337 deployed on X5/X15 if not required on other Consett services.

Personally I'd do:

Angel Streetdeck's | Riverside (51/52/93/94)
6149 - 6158 | Sunderland (X20/56 Spares) - with a small refurbishment
B5TL | Withdrawn - these are a waste of space up here
6959 - 6966 | Consett (16/16A/X5/X15/Spares) - with the drug lights replaced with white lighting

B5TL to Hull in return for the 10x 11 Plate E400's, those 11 E400's doing

10x E400 | Consett (16/16A/47/X5/X15/Spares)
6043 - 6048 | Washington (34/Spares) - these are also shot to bits because of the X10, and as a result, unreliable. 

Newer isn't always better and right now the B5TL's are just useless junk which were killed on the X10 and there's not enough of them to throw onto a city route so just get rid of them imo with something GoNorthEast might actually be able to keep on the road. The Streetdecks's which are as bad are much better being together aswell rather than 4 depots having them aswell. Personally I'd be looking for a replacement for 6301-7 at Washington aswell as these are just as bad as the B5's and throw them on the urban routes at Riverside aswell.

(25 Apr 2025, 5:16 pm)Storx wrote Personally I'd do:

Angel Streetdeck's | Riverside (51/52/93/94)
6149 - 6158 | Sunderland (X20/56 Spares) - with a small refurbishment
B5TL | Withdrawn - these are a waste of space up here
6959 - 6966 | Consett (16/16A/X5/X15/Spares) - with the drug lights replaced with white lighting

B5TL to Hull in return for the 10x 11 Plate E400's, those 11 E400's doing

10x E400 | Consett (16/16A/47/X5/X15/Spares)
6043 - 6048 | Washington (34/Spares) - these are also shot to bits because of the X10, and as a result, unreliable. 

Newer isn't always better and right now the B5TL's are just useless junk which were killed on the X10 and there's not enough of them to throw onto a city route so just get rid of them imo with something GoNorthEast might actually be able to keep on the road. The Streetdecks's which are as bad are much better being together aswell rather than 4 depots having them aswell. Personally I'd be looking for a replacement for 6301-7 at Washington aswell as these are just as bad as the B5's and throw them on the urban routes at Riverside aswell.

See, the main reason why I'd be more inclined to use the Cobalt B9TLs and others as part of the cascades is:

- Improved fuel economy with StreetDecks on 307/309 including the misc 353/4/5/6 workings where a B9TL is overkill. Obviously the StreetDecks would need taken off the road and properly sorted before cascade.

- 6101-17 have had very charmed lives compared to the rest of GNE's B9TLs. x8 of these would be a decent stop-gap on the X21. They'd also handle the 16/16A/47 fine too.

- Clearly the X10 is struggling to meet demand on an hourly frequency. Increasing this to every 30 minutes Ncl > Peterlee could solve some issues.

- X30s/X70s keep the E400MMCs with x2 spares covering PVR of x12. Power kept on the more challenging Derwentside > Newcastle services as opposed to chancing StreetDecks / B5TLs.

- Other than a few fiddly bits between Shotley Bridge and Consett, the X45 isn't that challenging in comparison to the X30s/X70s. StreetLites coped fine on the 45/46/47 and the B5TLs would be fine with some heavy TLC before use. Also not forgetting that they'd likely be parked on Sundays due to the 6/12/X30/X45/X72 interworking patterns which nornally use E200MMC / E400MMC. There'd also be x2 B5TL spare covering a PVR of x5.


Also and although not ideal, some of the East Gateshead B9TLs when freed from the 58 could fill any stop gaps at Consett and effectively remove E400 classics from front line work at Consett. Other than 6377, there'd also be some manufacturer standardisation too for deckers on front line service

Consett - Volvo / ADL
Riverside - Volvo / ADL / TBC (EV)
Deptford - Volvo / WrightBus integral
Percy Main - WrightBus integral
Washington - WrightBus integral

(26 Apr 2025, 12:27 pm)L469 YVK wrote See, the main reason why I'd be more inclined to use the Cobalt B9TLs and others as part of the cascades is:

- Improved fuel economy with StreetDecks on 307/309 including the misc 353/4/5/6 workings where a B9TL is overkill. Obviously the StreetDecks would need taken off the road and properly sorted before cascade.

- 6101-17 have had very charmed lives compared to the rest of GNE's B9TLs. x8 of these would be a decent stop-gap on the X21. They'd also handle the 16/16A/47 fine too.

- Clearly the X10 is struggling to meet demand on an hourly frequency. Increasing this to every 30 minutes Ncl > Peterlee could solve some issues.

- X30s/X70s keep the E400MMCs with x2 spares covering PVR of x12. Power kept on the more challenging Derwentside > Newcastle services as opposed to chancing StreetDecks / B5TLs.

- Other than a few fiddly bits between Shotley Bridge and Consett, the X45 isn't that challenging in comparison to the X30s/X70s. StreetLites coped fine on the 45/46/47 and the B5TLs would be fine with some heavy TLC before use. Also not forgetting that they'd likely be parked on Sundays due to the 6/12/X30/X45/X72 interworking patterns which nornally use E200MMC / E400MMC. There'd also be x2 B5TL spare covering a PVR of x5.


Also and although not ideal, some of the East Gateshead B9TLs when freed from the 58 could fill any stop gaps at Consett and effectively remove E400 classics from front line work at Consett. Other than 6377, there'd also be some manufacturer standardisation too for deckers on front line service

Consett - Volvo / ADL
Riverside - Volvo / ADL / TBC (EV)
Deptford - Volvo / WrightBus integral
Percy Main - WrightBus integral
Washington - WrightBus integral

I get what you're saying but personally I'd be looking for electric funding for the 307/309 and if you're doing that then there's no point moving mid life buses across to move them again as the route who gets them next are getting life expired buses instead.

Also if you keep them on the 51/52/93/94 and the Streetdeck conversion trials go well, I'd be tempted to look at upgrading them to electrics. You kill 2 birds with one stone with more electric vehicles and getting rid of the Daimler useless engines. 

The 306/7/8/9 is the sort of route which is rife for an upgrade in terms of electrics considering there's no electrics in North Tyneside or Northumberland (I'm not counting the 43) and it's arguably their turn next. With Blyth being already electrified then you're half way in terms of infrastructure aswell and the 309/10 were in an earlier bid which they didn't win so it's obviously doable.

Bit off topic for this but I'd personally be looking at doing every single bus at Blyth, similar to Stockton. They're all perfect routes for upgrades; currently have expired stock, serve important destinations including 2 major business park at Quorum and Cobalt and all serve very visible corridors to get attention ie A1/A19/A189/Coast Road. If you done all them you'd have a very good electric network North of the Tyne and they all need new vehicles anyway so I'm sure Arriva would be keen on taking part. Doing the Coast Road together also shows they're working together which gets them some more kudo points aswell.

With regards to increasing the X10 frequency or bringing back a variation of the X9, do you think GNE would go back into Hartlepool as whilst the town is in a state so is the bus network from what I seen when I was down a few weeks back with no service north of Peterlee and alternatives are get the train or go via Stockton on the 36 or Durham on the 59.

This would be what I would do with route attached below.

X9 - Middlesbrough - Stockton - Norton - Billingham - Seaton Carew - Hartlepool - Crimdon - Blackhall Colliery - Peterlee Non-Stop to Gateshead Interchange - Newcastle Eldon Square

(26 Apr 2025, 1:11 pm)Storx wrote The 306/7/8/9 is the sort of route which is rife for an upgrade in terms of electrics considering there's no electrics in North Tyneside or Northumberland (I'm not counting the 43) and it's arguably their turn next. With Blyth being already electrified then you're half way in terms of infrastructure aswell and the 309/10 were in an earlier bid which they didn't win so it's obviously doable.

Only problem is, would there be anyone left at GNE willing to drive them? If Percy Main can't take the infrastructure, then it's off to Riverside and we all know how the CLS move went down!

(26 Apr 2025, 7:36 pm)L469 YVK wrote Only problem is, would there be anyone left at GNE willing to drive them? If Percy Main can't take the infrastructure, then it's off to Riverside and we all know how the CLS move went down!

They'll have to find some way to make it work there eventually as there needs to be a depot in North Tyneside for franchising anyway. The obvious choice would be for NECA to build a new site and just lease it back to GNE until the franchising comes in.

They've already got the land where the Howdon Metro Depot is currently to build this depot so there's no land costs needed as that's coming surplus to requirements soon anyway. Heck they could potentially just convert the existing building to do buses instead and use some of the space where the Metro tracks are to park buses instead.

It could potentially cheaper than buying a depot, then having to build a new depot pretty much instantly anyway with the inconvenience coming in during franchising rather than being prepared and the Metro land is pretty much worthless.

Anyone fancy buying an open top bus? £16k toon tour branded?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226692410922?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=qxUCSaaETwi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=korihdcur4y&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY