Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

[M113 YKC]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
On Tuesday, I went out for a non-bus-related purpose - although I did manage to ride on a few buses! Here's how it went:

52 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle North Park
Pulsar CX58 EXK (2918)
I still can't believe how bad this bus has became - from being one of the best to one of the worst! It takes a while to get off gear two, strangely. The driver used kickdown a lot after being on gear two at more-or-less the same engine pitch for about five to ten seconds...! Also, the ride-quality was bad - it rattled a lot and generally felt like it was going to fall apart.

53 (ANW) - Bootle North Park > Litherland, Bridge Road
Cadet DK55 FXD (2519)
This was disappointing. It rattled a lot and it seemed to stutter on gear one, strangely! Still, this one is the better Cadet out of the four that Bootle have, in my opinion.

53A (ANW) - Litherland, Bridge Road > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Pulsar CX58 FZG (2925)
This was excellent! The driver was fast, the bus sounded great and it didn't rattle much! I haven't rode on this bus much, but it certainly is impressive!

53 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Bootle North Park
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYD (2943)
My original plan was to ride on this to Crosby and then board a 53A from there to Netherton (home). Whilst the driver was friendly, he was slow. Also, I seen Palatine 2 R336 WVR (3336) on the 300, Liverpool-bound, whilst on this bus, so I decided to rush home and try and photograph it in Aintree!

52 (ANW) - Bootle North Park > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar CX58 EXH (2916)
ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING BUS! After gear one, it sounded very strange - a loud noise, which seemed to override the engine... The driver was quite fast, though.

122 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Aintree Merseyrail Station
MCV Evolution AE56 LWK (256)
This was rattly, but nice. (To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to it. I was just interested in getting to Aintree for 3336!)

(SUCCESSFUL!)

53A (ANW) - Aintree Merseyrail Station > Netherton, Glovers Lane
ALX200 X263 OBN (2263)
This was fine. The nice woman driver was quite fast and the bus sounded fantastic - certainly better than what it was like when I last rode on it! The ride-quality was surprisingly good - again, better than what it was like when I last rode on it! The seat that I chose, at the back, was comfortable. Worryingly, another seat at the back seemed to be falling apart...!

Photos from Tuesday's (small) outing can be found via the below link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...012/08/06/

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Yesterday, I went out and visited Liverpool, Southport and Bootle. Here's how it went:

52A (PeoplesBus) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Liverpool, Whitechapel
SPD S80 BUS (0705)
This was a surprise - especially with the boss at the wheel (credit to him!). The "PeoplesBus Standard" interior was well-presented and tidy and the bus looked fantastic, externally, in their new livery. The ride-quality was fine; it rattled a bit on the worst roads of the route, but I didn't see them as a massive issue. Its' engine sounded great and it didn't constantly hold its' gears - an issue which I've came across on other buses of this type. It wasn't too slow off the line, either. Overall, this SPD was definitely one of the better examples that I've rode on - certainly a credit to PeoplesBus' fleet!

300 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Southport Railway Station
Palatine 2 R310 WVR (3310)
I was planning on heading to Southport, but I didn't plan on going today. My plan quickly went into force when I seen this bus coming into Liverpool - an irresistible ride! I don't usually sit on the top deck, however it was a rare opportunity, so I just had to sit upstairs! It was a blast from the past when we were travelling up Linacre Lane - it felt like I was on the 61 again! The bus sounded great. The journey was nail-biting along the rural part of the route, especially because the fast (experienced?) driver was dodging cars on the tight roads, which made the already-rough ride even rougher! Overall, it was a memorable ride.

46 (ANW) - Southport Railway Station > ANW's Southport Depot (Canning Road)
Pulsar 2 MX61 AWM (3079)
I was disappointed to see a Pulsar 2 show up - out of everything else that I could of had - but it was one that I hadn't sampled up to this journey, so I wasn't too disappointed, to a certain extent... It sounded quite nice, but it rattled and squeaked quite a lot. The friendly driver was quite fast.

46 (ANW) - Southport, Canning Road > Southport, Eastbank Street
Palatine 2 R336 WVR (3336)
I was lost for words when this showed up - my favourite Palatine 2! I didn't ever think that I'd be able to ride on it again. It sounded great and the ride-quality wasn't too bad (I sat downstairs). I was just happy to be on this again - another memorable ride!

46 (ANW) - Southport, Eastbank Street > Southport, Carr Lane
Palatine 2 R319 WVR (3319)
If somebody had told me that I'd have rode on three Palatine 2s by the end of the day, I wouldn't have believed them. I wasn't going to ride on this, to be honest, but I did - just to complete the set (three out in service). It evidently had some issues in the gearbox department as it over-revved when it changed gear. It sounded nice, though. The ride-quality wasn't great, from what I can remember. In my notes, I seem to have written "Bit rough" - well, from what I can read of it (it must have been rough!)...! Overall, I was pleased to have rode another Palatine 2!

49 (ANW) - Southport, Carr Lane > Woodvale, Liverpool Road
Pulsar 2 MX61 AVR (3088)
This was a nice ride. The bus didn't rattle much and it sounded nice. The driver was good, speed-wise, too.

44 (ANW) - Woodvale, Liverpool Road > Formby, Duke Street
SPD S249 UVR (2292)
This was an OK ride. The bus was quite rattly, but it sounded nice. The driver was excellent on Formby By-Pass, but the car in-front of us wasn't... I've always wanted to ride one of these buses at high speeds, so I was happy after this ride! PeoplesBus' SPD was much better to ride on, though.

Merseyrail - Formby > Waterloo
507024
Not bad, although it was busy on-board.

53 (ANW) - Waterloo Merseyrail Station > Bootle Strand Shopping Centrep
Pulsar CX58 EXK (2918)
I was horrified to see this bus again! It wasn't much better or worse than my last few rides on it, to be honest - still "slow", still very sluggish on gear two and still very rattly, although it still sounded nice.

52A (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar CX58 EXL (2919)
This was another "slow" example, but it sounded nice. The first driver was quite slow, but the second driver was friendly and quite fast! The bus rattled a bit, though.

52A (PeoplesBus) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
SPD S80 BUS (0705)
I was surprised to see this bus working on the afternoon duty, especially after it working on the morning duty - and still with the boss at the wheel! The ride was generally the same as my first ride on it. During this journey, however, a wheelchair user wanted to board whilst a pram was on-board. The pram and its' occupants did get off and protest their anger, which must have been embarrassing for the wheelchair user, but the driver was correct with his actions. The sooner that pram owners realise that wheelchair users come first, the better...

61 (ANW) - Bootle Bus Station > Bootle, Linacre Lane
Cadet DK55 FXC (2518)
Surprisingly, this bus was OK. It was busy on-board, but the ride-quality was fine. The bus sounded a bit unhealthy and the driver was a bit sluggish, but I was surprised at how "good" this bus was - for a Bootle-based Cadet, of course!

52 (ANW) - Bootle, Hawthorne Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYH (2946)
This was exactly what I was hoping for! As usual, its' kickdown sounded fantastic! Normal running wasn't as exciting and the bus did rattle quite a lot, but its' kickdown really did sound amazing!

12 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > West Derby, West Derby Road
Plaxton Pointer 2 X231 ANC (2231)
This was very busy - it featured a standing load from the front to the back, which was rather fun...! The bus sounded nice and the friendly woman driver was fast. There was a bad vibration when the bus was idle, but I couldn't "sample" how bad it was because of the busy load!

12 (ANW) - West Derby, West Derby Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Plaxton Pointer 2 S633 KHN (2133)
This was a surprise - again, another bus that I was hoping to ride on today! It was a bit sluggish off the line, but it sounded quite nice and it didn't rattle much. Its' interior was in an OK condition.

18 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > West Derby, Muirhead Avenue
Pulsar 2 MX10 DCE (3055)
When this bus first went off the line, I couldn't believe what I heard - it was "slow"...! It seems that the 10-plated examples at Green Lane are starting to turn "slow" now, which is very disappointing! Nevertheless, the bus sounded fantastic and the ride-quality was fine. The driver was very fast and used "kickdown" a lot (needed!).

18 (ANW) - West Derby, West Derby Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX59 JJZ (3031)
This wasn't very nice to ride on. It sounded OK, but it was "slow" (not that I didn't expect it to be "slow")... Its' interior wasn't very nice.

53A (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Pulsar CX58 EXJ (2917)
This was disappointing. This bus used to be fantastic, but it wasn't yesterday. It didn't sound as good as it used to sound and it rattled more than it did last time. The friendly driver was quite fast, though.

52 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Enviro400 MX09 LXN (4431)
This was a different way to end my day! On gear four, the bus sounded like a Merseyrail train! It rattled and squeaked a lot, though, and the annoying pause between gear one and gear two was strange.

Photos taken yesterday can be seen via the below link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...012/08/07/