Stagecoach North East

[kuyoyo]

RE: Stagecoach North East

(03/11/2012 11:40)markydh Wrote:  

(03/11/2012 10:23)kuyoyo Wrote:  Odd to fit that when it's down for disposal.

As stated many, many times, Walkergate's B10BLEs are likely to be in service until such time something else arrives to replace them. As the North East isn't getting any new buses from the 2012/13 order, that will probably see them in service for at least 6 more months, if not much longer.

(04/11/2012 19:43)markydh Wrote:  

(03/11/2012 17:48)mbonwick Wrote:  No...they will hang around until a deal is concluded on them.

Officially WA shouldn't be using them, but are to make life easier for themselves and reduce stress on the fleet.

They managed before the Olympics with a fleet the same size as now without B10BLEs, so why they suddenly 'need' to keep the B10BLEs is beyond me.

That's the point, they didn't. Walkergate have been using the B10BLEs for well over a year...

They'll be gone soon, Walkergate has enough allocation buses to cover their PVR and have spare (although no full-size single decker spares although IMO the MANs are wasted capacity-wise on the 18 so having the Darts on there would be ok).
Also, the reason for the first quote, 'As the North East isn't getting any new buses from the 2012/13 order', nothing's needed to replace the B10BLEs....as they were replaced by the new stuff last year. They've been surplus to requirements since April last year, had it not been for the Olympics they would have been sold last year.

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Stagecoach North East
http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx...tegoryid=0

A nice report into the proposed Nexus contract scheme.

[markydh]

RE: Stagecoach North East
The reason MANs are used is due to the capacity requirements of the 'after-school early peak', the same reason B10Ms were used before their demise last year (incidentally one of the many reasons the designline trial was such a resounding failure). Of course they will be gone soon. You'll forgive me if I remain sceptical given there hasn't been a single occasion over the last year that Walkergate have managed a full Enviro400 allocation on service 22, for example, where there is nearly always a 10-3 split between double and single.

Moving on, going off mbonwick's fleetlists there are 83 DDA non-compliant buses in the North East fleet, the vast majority being single decks which will all need to be replaced by 01/01/16. The clock is ticking...

[kuyoyo]

RE: Stagecoach North East
Only one Olympian out at Stockton today from my (limited) sightings, 16835 on the 52/58. 22062 broke down with a problem with air pressure in Stockton about 1050 replaced on the 37 by 22668 off the 52/58.

As for non-DDA Compliant buses, the break down is as followed:

Hartlepool: Just 33488 officially (33102/486/91 in addition)
Stockton: 16831-40, 22174/93/5/7-9/201/2/4/6/8/10/1/451/2/4-6/65/6/9-71/93/656-61/3/5/7-71/4 (and 21104/41/2/50, to be removed once 22484/5/92 transfer)
Sunderland: 22172/90/6/214/5/453/62-4/7/8/86-91/4/5/664/6/72/3/5/727-36 and 33101 (33484/829 reserve allocation)
South Shields: None, only depot in the North East to be entirely DDA Compliant
Slatyford: 22472-83 and 33118/21/3-5/8/483/5 (Also 33489/92 in Reserve capacity)
Walkergate: 33120/2/7/825/6/8

On the subject of B10BLEs, 21105/48/52 are all down on the fleetlist as being 'disposal for scrap' as are Dart SLF 33126/487/827. All 4 Olympians are down as disposal however due to the non-standard nature of 16730 (the Capterillar Engine) and the need for a new gear box for 16707, I think 16730's future is as a spare donor to its sisters.

[tyresmoke]

RE: Stagecoach North East
I wouldn't be surprised if the other 3 reserve MAN's (22484/485/492) show up at Stockton soon... and I can see the B10's staying for a while yet. We managed to have 9 Enviro300's on the road today, out of a fleet of 15 (of course one is long term VOR) ... 4 ALX's on the 36 again which were 22011/12/17/20.

[NK07 FZG]

RE: Stagecoach North East
I wonder what the reliability of other MAN 18:240's are like in other Stagecoach divisions?

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Stagecoach North East

(05/11/2012 20:06)NK07 FZG Wrote:  I wonder what the reliability of other MAN 18:240's are like in other Stagecoach divisions?

The 20 in Cumbria aren't the best either. I think 5 of them have had brand new engines fitted now, and it wouldn't surprise me if more needed done soon. Unfortunately for us now the poor reliability of them has been drowned out with the extremely poor reliability of the older 18.220's.

[NK07 FZG]

RE: Stagecoach North East
It's shame mind, MAN have good build quality when new but seem to deteriorate mechanical wise.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Stagecoach North East

(05/11/2012 21:35)NK07 FZG Wrote:  It's shame mind, MAN have good build quality when new but seem to deteriorate mechanical wise.

Unfortunately the MAN Enviro300s were built at the time when MAN's quality was rubbish. Mind, the 54-reg ALX300 examples at Stockton are also quite poor mechanically, and for some reason run far hotter than the S/T/V/03-reg examples hence break down a lot more often in warmer weather.

On the subject of the 54-reg examples, active fleet strength is back down to 4 today with both 22062 and 22063 being off - 22062 after yesterdays's problems. 22061/6 both on 37s alongside three older examples (one of which is 22020 after yesterday's trip on the 36), 22064 is on the 52/58 for the second day running and 22065 is on the 36 but will do part of the 37 route later in the day as it is on the board that does the 36A. After yesterday's 4 03-reg examples on there, one of the older examples is also on the 36 although I did not get chance to id it.

I have had word that there are 5 Single Deckers currently parked in Stockton depot's dead row - whether they are B10BLEs moved out of Flowers or further examples arrived for storage isn't currently known. I will attempt to investigate tomorrow although I suspect more will be known later on.

[tyresmoke]

RE: Stagecoach North East
22063 re-entered service today on the 52/58s presumably as a changeover to give it a run out. The B10BLEs and Olympians for disposal are all going very soon, indeed 21139/40 left today and 21136 was out in the yard looking ready to go!