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So does the demise of step entrance vehicles around Lancaster and Carlisle mean the best bet to find any in service is in West Cumbria around Workington?

For the short term future, yes. Although even those B10Ms and Olympians don't have much of a future....

Thanks I had better get up there in the next month or so. Just as well I visited Lancaster and Kendal during the olympics.

Since the entry into service at Carlisle of some of the ex-Manchester MAN/ALX300s, the Solos which came to Carlisle earlier in the year seem to have gone away again. I have not seen 47016 and 47018 for a couple of weeks. 47022 and 47474 are still around, usually on the 69 City service and the 685 Brampton journeys. In a couple of weeks time there will be another Solo spare as the 77/77A usually worked by 47721/22 will finish for the winter and only one of these is needed for the 78 at Penrith outstation.
Since the Sainsbury staff contract finished, the third coach at Carlisle 52629 is usually on the 0940 and 1340 600 Cockermouth and also does the 0655 300 Workington-Carlisle and the 1640 back to Workington. The other Carlisle-worked 600s at 0630 and 1540 are now usually a Dart SLF which also does the 93 to Bowness. All these journeys used to be B10M/PSs.
I have not seen 20904 for a few weeks and its runs on the 520 Brampton school contract and the 94/97 services had 20219 yesterday which is also seat-belt fitted.
The only ALX300s I saw yesterday were 22134 and 22142 on the 38, although 22134 had to be taken off with a broken mirror arm and by Dart 34703.
Recent transfer Olympian 16645 is a nice change from the N-reg ones, with new semi-coach seats of the same type fitted to 24116-124 and also has plenty of CCTV. It is usually on the 554 Keswick or the Penrith-operated 104 Newton Rigg-Carlisle, both of which also do Caldew School runs.

16336/7/8, 16343, 20128, 20133, 20540, 20544, 20904, 20959, 20977, 34679, 34685, 34686, 47016, 47018 and 47020 all withdrawn from Carlisle. 34219 and 34221 back on fleet full time. 47020 has been transferred to Lillyhall for one of their ex Preston Bus Solo's to be transferred to Morecambe. 34679, 34685 and 34686 are to Kendal to replace 3 B10M's there, they also have 34680 from Chorley.
I think 47721 and 47722 are spending most of the winter at Penrith, on 78 and 108(X9). Would leave us with 47022 and 47474 at Carlisle for 69 and 685, with Annan Town's covered by either 34219 or 34221.
Naturally, 600's should be MAN ALX300, but they're absolutely useless. They're better kept to city services where they're not going over 30mph.

(19/10/2012 20:37)cumbria0902150 Wrote: [ -> ]16336/7/8, 16343, 20128, 20133, 20540, 20544, 20904, 20959, 20977, 34679, 34685, 34686, 47016, 47018 and 47020 all withdrawn from Carlisle. 34219 and 34221 back on fleet full time. 47020 has been transferred to Lillyhall for one of their ex Preston Bus Solo's to be transferred to Morecambe. 34679, 34685 and 34686 are to Kendal to replace 3 B10M's there, they also have 34680 from Chorley.
I think 47721 and 47722 are spending most of the winter at Penrith, on 78 and 108(X9). Would leave us with 47022 and 47474 at Carlisle for 69 and 685, with Annan Town's covered by either 34219 or 34221.
Naturally, 600's should be MAN ALX300, but they're absolutely useless. They're better kept to city services where they're not going over 30mph.

Thanks for the update. I thought I had not seen 34685 since the Olympics loans were retuurned, that explains it.
Not much of a swap - S-reg ALX300s for 05-reg Darts!

More Trident trouble today it seems.

I was in Keswick today and the 78 Keswick-Seatoller was worked by Dart SLF 34704 instead of the usual open-top Trident - it has been 17277 the last few times I have seen it. Then the 554 Carlisle-Keswick arrived with another Dart - route 62-branded 34697! As I had seen 18361 and 16645 in Penrith on the 104, there must have been a problem with either 17017 or 18357.

Another change from the usual vehicle was 47474 on the 77 instead of 47722 but this does happen quite often - probably related to servicing requirements. It surprises me that when 47721/22 were new, it was said they had a special modification for the 77/77A route but ordinary Solos seem to manage the route without a problem.

All four of Carlisle's double-deck allocation were in the Bus Station at 4.00pm today, a very rare sight. 18361 was on the 1600 554 Keswick; 18357 on the 1610 104 Center Parcs; 17017 had come in off the 91 school service before doing the 1645 104 Penrith; and Olympian 16645 came in having covered a run on City service 67/68 before being replaced by 34700.

Penrith now seem to have two Tridents on the 104 - one now does Center Parcs until 6.00pm before picking up the 1815 38 Stoneraise School and probably returning to Penrith after that. The Enviro300 displaced from Center Parcs (unbranded 24121 today) does the Newton Rigg journeys until 6.00pm before then going back on Center Parcs at 1810. So with the double-deck on 554/91A at Carlisle, that makes three Tridents every day with just the one Olympian to cover - will it be enough????

There were no Solos in service in Carlisle today - 34219 was on the 69; 34221 on the 685 Brampton and 34718 was on the 80 in Annan. 34221 has gained a nice bright Hanover destination, presumably taken from a withdrawn vehicle.

I saw just two of the ALX300s in service - 22139 and 22142 on the 38. 34686 is still in service at Carlisle - it was on the 60 service today.

685 Brampton had a solo today (Sat 27th). On Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd this week, the 685 Brampton was being worked by various darts - a Citi 66, a Citi 62 and a non-route branded.

Yesterday (Fri 26th), saw a X35 Trident out of service going north on the M6 at Shap at 11.45am - could not get the details as we were going south.

Some photos iv took in Cumbria over the Past Week!

20712

20967

20457

17013