Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
It's a while since I've had a go at doing this but here's how my day went.

The purpose was to chack out the new QBP's on the Wirral.

10 - Arriva 3047 - Borough Road - Queen Square Bus Station Liverpool

2 - First 65739 - Sir Thomas Street Liverpool - Ellesmere Port

Break at Ellesmere Port for lunch

X2 - Arriva 2641 - Ellesmere Port - Cheser Bus Exchange

22 - Avon 356 - Chester Bus Exchange - Heswall

471 - First 32453 - Heswall - Liverpool

Here's where my plans fell a bit flat as my intention had been to catch the 500 to JLA but sadly the journey I was waiting for never appeared.

So:

10A - Arriva 2693 - Queen Square Bus Station Liverpool - Prescot

Got off here in the hope of something more exotic to get me back to St Helens but unfortunately an Interurban Pulsar 2 passed me on the 89, so ended up with:

10 - Arriva 2698 - Prescot - Prescot Road Eccleston Arms.

Maybe I should have done the last bit round Kirkby as there are plenty of interesting Stagecoach vehicles about on routes up to there but the only problem was I wasn't too sure of when the last 290 operated from Kirkby given it's 45 minute frequency. Apart from these problems, quite enjoyable day. Certainly got the QBP's in (including a First Gemini) which was the main point of the day.

[R311 WVR]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
Today, Me and a mate went to Shrewsbury, And Crewe;

29B (ANW) Grange Estate/Delamere St - Winsord Centre
Cadet 2502 CX54 DLJ
I Was happy to see this come!, Average ride, Not very rattley, Not very ast either!

[b]31 (ANW) Winsord Centre - Crewe Bus Station
Palatine II 3334 R334 WVR
The plan was or me to Get the 0904 31A - But i saw this so i thought i may as well get it!
Terrible Thing!, Horrible Rattles, The only thing to make up or that was the act it was ast!

38 (ANW) Crewe Bus Station - Crewe Railway Station
Gemini 4489 MX61 AUN
Good!, No rattles at all!, And it had a good smooth engine!

[i]Met Mate Here[/i]

1108 (ATW) Crewe - Shrewsbury
The Only Unreurbished 158 & 150250 - The 150 Was pulling us, 158 Had a Problem
Awul! The unreurbished ones are Horrible Things, Uncometable, And Pacled and Eugghhh!

1549 (ATW) Shrewsbury - Crewe (Whitchurch & Nantwich
Coradia 175 110
Better ride!, Cometable, Clean and Empty!

Let mate Here - Ater taking photos

38 (ANW) Crewe Railway Station - Sandbach, Common
Gemini 4490 MX61 AUO
Another Brilliant ride!, No rattles, And ast!

37E (ANW) Sandbach Common - Winsord, Wetherspoons
Marhsall 7628 V628 DVU
Average....Quite Rattley, And was Very Slow...

[MPTE1955]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

(21/07/2012 19:56)Marshall Capital SLF Wrote:  Today, Me and a mate went to Shrewsbury, And Crewe;

29B (ANW) Grange Estate/Delamere St - Winsord Centre
Cadet 2502 CX54 DLJ
I Was happy to see this come!, Average ride, Not very rattley, Not very ast either!

[b]31 (ANW) Winsord Centre - Crewe Bus Station
Palatine II 3334 R334 WVR
The plan was or me to Get the 0904 31A - But i saw this so i thought i may as well get it!
Terrible Thing!, Horrible Rattles, The only thing to make up or that was the act it was ast!

38 (ANW) Crewe Bus Station - Crewe Railway Station
Gemini 4489 MX61 AUN
Good!, No rattles at all!, And it had a good smooth engine!

[i]Met Mate Here[/i]

1108 (ATW) Crewe - Shrewsbury
The Only Unreurbished 158 & 150250 - The 150 Was pulling us, 158 Had a Problem
Awul! The unreurbished ones are Horrible Things, Uncometable, And Pacled and Eugghhh!

1549 (ATW) Shrewsbury - Crewe (Whitchurch & Nantwich
Coradia 175 110
Better ride!, Cometable, Clean and Empty!

Let mate Here - Ater taking photos

38 (ANW) Crewe Railway Station - Sandbach, Common
Gemini 4490 MX61 AUO
Another Brilliant ride!, No rattles, And ast!

37E (ANW) Sandbach Common - Winsord, Wetherspoons
Marhsall 7628 V628 DVU
Average....Quite Rattley, And was Very Slow...

You do know that you have contradicted yourself regarding 3334 from what you said in post 168, you can't have it both ways in such a short space of time.

[M113 YKC]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
Today, me and my friend went out with no plan (again!). As a result of many interesting allocations around Merseyside, however, our day progressed nicely - we managed to sample many interesting buses. The weather was great, too. Here's how it went:

52 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX59 JJO (3027)
This bus was a welcome surprise; I don't manage to ride on it a lot, sadly, and it's always been a good bus, in my opinion. Anyway... It was excellent today, as usual! Its' tidy interior was free from vandalism and its' exterior was also in a good condition. The bus didn't rattle much whilst in motion, especially on the worst roads of the route. It sounded fantastic; the friendly, fast driver created a fantastic journey!

(I met my friend in Queen Square Bus Station.)

18 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Croxteth, Oak Lane
Pulsar 2 MX09 JHL (2956)
This wasn't the bus that we wanted to ride on; Pulsar CX58 EWT (2904) went through Queen Square Bus Station on the 18 without stopping because 2956 was loading at the bus stop, so we decided to board 2956 to try and catch 2904! The driver of 2956 was slow, which made our plan impossible... Anyway! This bus featured a vandalised interior and it rattled a lot for the majority of our journey. The "slow-moded" bus sounded excellent, however the driver was, again, sluggish.

18 (ANW) - Croxteth, Oak Lane > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar CX58 EWT (2904)
We managed to catch this bus, however the best part of the route had been missed, sadly... This bus was poor, anyway. It's interior was a disgrace and the ride-quality was awful - strange clanging noises came from inside the "shelf" and rattles and vibrations were horrible. It was in the famous "slow mode", however I'm 75% sure that it featured the "sensitive kickdown" issue because the woman driver kicked down every time - even in awkward places! The bus sounded nice, however it also sounded tired.

472 (FC&W) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Birkenhead Bus Station
Volvo/Gemini YJ04 FZB (34254)
My friend wanted to sit on the top deck, so this wasn't an ideal journey for me to judge one of these "local newbies" (again...). The first driver was slow through the Queensway Tunnel; the second driver was fast, however we only sampled his driving for a minute or two (the remainder of our journey). From what I could judge on the top deck, the bus rattled a lot. I couldn't hear it, either.

409 (ANW) - Birkenhead Bus Station > Seacombe Interchange (Bus Station)
DAF/ALX300 V404 ENC (2404)
This was a surprise! I didn't enjoy this journey, though. The bus wasn't nice. It vibrated badly when idle and its' interior was poor at the back - the back row was very uncomfortable to sit on and one "normal" seat was so dusty that it marked my hand when I touched it! The driver was a bit slow, however the bus sounded nice.

411 (ANW) - Seacombe Interchange (Bus Station) > Birkenhead, Conway Street
DAF/Cadet X436 HJA (2436)
The 409 (the bus that we were waiting for) didn't appear and this journey was very late - over 10 minutes, which wasn't pleasant for us and other people who were also waiting for either the 409 or the 411 to get to Birkenhead. Anyway... The driver of this nice bus was very fast. The bus itself was quite fast off the line and it sounded excellent - it featured a very nice gearbox! I'm starting to become very interested in this type of bus, now that I've rode on a few good examples...!

437 (ANW) - Birkenhead Bus Station > Liverpool, Whitechapel
Pulsar 2 MX59 ABF (3010)
This was another surprise - and, surprisingly, it featured a quiet load on-board! The bus was great - it rattled a bit, however it sounded nice and powerful and it was fast off the line! The driver was very fast!

311 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Skelmersdale Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYF (2944)
As expected, this bus appeared - but about 20 minutes late (which led to the 311, the 345 and the 350 all travelling through Walton together...). We were waiting for the bus on Sir Thomas Street for about 25 minutes in total, so the two elderly women who told us to join the "queue" when the bus appeared really annoyed us... Other people in the "queue" were completely against what they said - the people behind them kindly invited us into the "queue" straight away! And this "queue" wasn't very evident, anyway - people came out of the bus stop and gathered together when the bus was spotted... ANYWAY! Overall, this journey was disappointing. The driver was quite fast - kickdown was applied regularly - however the bus was absolutely awful! It didn't feel very fast off the line and it rattled violently all the way! It didn't sound very good, either.

311 (ANW) - Skelmersdale Bus Station > Aintree, Ormskirk Road
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYG (2945)
Again, this was another disappointing ride. The driver was very, very slow all the way, which was a shame because the bus sounded very nice! The bus' interior wasn't nice - heavy vandalism was evident at the back of the bus. The bus rattled, however not as bad as 2944.

350 (ANW) - Aintree, Ormskirk Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Marshall V639 DVU (7639)
My last ride on this bus was horrific, to be honest. It wasn't too bad today, although it was quite rattly. It sounded fine and it was quite fast off the line, though. The driver was fast, which was very pleasant after our last journey.

13 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Liverpool, Lord Street
Pulsar CX58 EWO (2900)
Once again, this bus was in the famous "slow mode", it rattled quite a lot and its' interior wasn't very nice, although it sounded great!

(I left my friend on Sir Thomas Street in Liverpool.)

52 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYA (2941)
I was happy with the first driver that was driving this "slow-moded" bus - he was quite fast. The second driver, however, was absolutely fantastic! He seemed to know how to get the bus moving! The interior of the bus wasn't very nice and, strangely, it only had four opening windows - six are the usual amount! Anyway, this was a fantastic journey to end the day with!

[R311 WVR]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
Today, I'm going to Speke Hall or the Transport thingy! :P

[N301 CKB]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
The 409 and other Liscard routes suffered delays on Saturday due to a police incident:

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/983162...rd/?ref=mr

[M113 YKC]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
This morning, I went to Skelmersdale to board the 345 journey that runs via the M58 to Liverpool. Here's how it went:

05:49 58 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Netherton, Park Lane
Marshall V667 DVU (7667)
Firstly, credit to the kind driver, who apologised for running a few minutes late! I've rode on this journey a lot and it's always started a few minutes late each time with no apology from the driver. The bus wasn't very good. Its' suspension was very squeaky and the bus itself was quite rattly; it was fast off the line, though, and it sounded nice! Its' MTL interior was in a good condition.

06:02 311 (ANW) - Aintree Merseyrail Station > Skelmersdale Bus Station
Marshall V633 DVU (7633)
This bus was OK. It sounded nice, however it featured a hyperactive cooling-fan! An annoying rattle, caused by the bar on the back-end window, ruined the ride - it became irritating after a few minutes on-board! The bus' interior was in a good condition - interestingly, it featured 38 seats, two, of which, were Wright tip-up seats in the unique second pram/wheelchair bay! The driver was quite fast, which was good.

07:30 345 (ANW) - Skelmersdale Bus Station > Aintree Retail Park
Plaxton Pointer 2 X235 ANC (2235)
I was surprised to see this bus on this journey; it's not usually on ex-Skelmersdale services! It was dreadful, anyway... Its' idle vibration was unbearable and rattles whilst the bus was in motion were violent. I don't know what was causing the clanging at the back of the bus (it seemed to be the seats), however it was absolutely horrific! It sounded nice and it was fast on the M58, though.

I plan on going back out today to St Helens, via Runcorn and Widnes...! I'll post about how it went tonight!

[V671 DVU]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

(23/07/2012 21:12)N301 CKB Wrote:  The 409 and other Liscard routes suffered delays on Saturday due to a police incident:

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/983162...rd/?ref=mr

Indeed, went around onto Liscard Road to see what had caused me to sit in traffic for a good 20 minutes and saw the shop completely smashed in. Complete lunatic who deserves to be banned from driving for life. Complete miracle no one was seriously injured or killed.


Sorry for going off topic...

[MPTE1955]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

(24/07/2012 08:42)27701 Wrote:  This morning, I went to Skelmersdale to board the 345 journey that runs via the M58 to Liverpool. Here's how it went:

05:49 58 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Netherton, Park Lane
Marshall V667 DVU (7667)
Firstly, credit to the kind driver, who apologised for running a few minutes late! I've rode on this journey a lot and it's always started a few minutes late each time with no apology from the driver. The bus wasn't very good. Its' suspension was very squeaky and the bus itself was quite rattly; it was fast off the line, though, and it sounded nice! Its' MTL interior was in a good condition.

06:02 311 (ANW) - Aintree Merseyrail Station > Skelmersdale Bus Station
Marshall V633 DVU (7633)
This bus was OK. It sounded nice, however it featured a hyperactive cooling-fan! An annoying rattle, caused by the bar on the back-end window, ruined the ride - it became irritating after a few minutes on-board! The bus' interior was in a good condition - interestingly, it featured 38 seats, two, of which, were Wright tip-up seats in the unique second pram/wheelchair bay! The driver was quite fast, which was good.

07:30 345 (ANW) - Skelmersdale Bus Station > Aintree Retail Park
Plaxton Pointer 2 X235 ANC (2235)
I was surprised to see this bus on this journey; it's not usually on ex-Skelmersdale services! It was dreadful, anyway... Its' idle vibration was unbearable and rattles whilst the bus was in motion were violent. I don't know what was causing the clanging at the back of the bus (it seemed to be the seats), however it was absolutely horrific! It sounded nice and it was fast on the M58, though.

I plan on going back out today to St Helens, via Runcorn and Widnes...! I'll post about how it went tonight!

The clanging near the back can sometimes be caused by the footplate at the first seats on the step. I have seen this on some other X-ANCS, if they would just fix it back properly it wouldnt do it.

[kuyoyo]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

(05/07/2012 16:08)kuyoyo Wrote:  July is a very busy month for myself:

7th July: Teesside, for the final day before Arriva's changes
8th July: South Shields Fun Day at Bents Park, including a first-chance Stagecoach on Teesside/Stagecoach in South Shields/Stagecoach in Newcastle Enviro line-up
9th July: First Weekday of Arriva's Teesside changes (and hopefully deckers on the X93)
11th July: A day down to Sheffield
14th July: Unsure, either a day out up on Tyneside or a day photoing outside Middlesbrough Bus Station for the last time prior to its closure on the 16th July
16th July: Middlesbrough, first day after the closure of Middlesbrough Bus Station and the start of the 600
21st July: Sunderland Airshow, including photo opportunities with routes serving places they don't normally (E1/E6 finishing at Seaburn Camp)
25th July: Potentially another day down in Yorkshire (either West or South) using Megabus
28th July: Newcastle and South Shields, first trip to get the Olympic Cover vehicles

(10/07/2012 14:28)kuyoyo Wrote:  

(05/07/2012 16:08)kuyoyo Wrote:  July is a very busy month for myself:

11th July: A day down to Sheffield
14th July: Unsure, either a day out up on Tyneside or a day photoing outside Middlesbrough Bus Station for the last time prior to its closure on the 16th July
16th July: Middlesbrough, first day after the closure of Middlesbrough Bus Station and the start of the 600
21st July: Sunderland Airshow, including photo opportunities with routes serving places they don't normally (E1/E6 finishing at Seaburn Camp)
25th July: Potentially another day down in Yorkshire (either West or South) using Megabus
28th July: Newcastle and South Shields, first trip to get the Olympic Cover vehicles

Some changes to this, mainly of those in bold:
14th July: a combined day to Newcastle (to find some of the Yorkshire vehicles that are coming on-loan for the Olympics period) before returning to Teesside for the late afternoon/evening to spot some surprises out on the road (Stagecoach's Assistant Operation Manager is out driving on a Backshift), also enables some time in Middlesbrough for the last full service day of the Bus Station before the refurbishment work begins
18th July: Middlesbrough again
28th July: Again, trip to Tyneside but mainly aimed at getting the B10BLEs reactive in South Shields (and potentially at Slatyford as well)

Update to this for the rest of the month:
Tomorrow (25th July): Leeds and West Yorkshire
28th July: Middlesbrough again (to get the Enviro400s on the X93, as well as photos around the town)
31st July (Tuesday): Appointment in Middlesbrough at half 3, so will be another day in Middlesbrough (if I haven't done enough of them already)