• Merry Christmas to all the readers of the Merseyside Dennis Dart Website!

• Stagecoach Merseyside have recently transferred its 5 Dennis Dart SLF 9.3M/Marshall Capital to Stagecoach North West and apparently the Solos are to leave soon too, with the loss of the 225 contract early in the new year, which has been combined into route 101, so will now be operated by HTL Huyton Travel.  Stagecoach have acquired two Dennis Dart SLF 9.3M/Alexander ALX200 from Stagecoach Manchester recently though to offset some of the loss, those being 34048 R948 FOO [photo:Karl Sutton] and 34079 S479 BWC [photo:Karl Sutton].  These are both the original ALX200s, with the original front and rear window [photo:Karl Sutton].  As can be seen in this interior shot of 34048 R948 FOO [photo:Karl Sutton], they have standard bus seat frames, but with Stagecoach moquette seats.  The Alexander ALX200, which I would say is one of my favourite Dart bodies, especially the later revised version, it does have possibly the most basic interior (well the ceiling) of any body I know of!

• Stagecoach Merseyside have now also completed repainting all of the former GTL vehicles that is is keeping in its main fleet (some stored/withdrawn ones aren't done), the final one to be done being Volvo B10L/Wright Liberator 21074 R874 LHG [photo:Karl Sutton] seen rubbed down ready for painting.  This bus is reportedly now back in Aintree depot in service!

• On the subject of ALX200s, (or what has become of it!), at the moment there are two Alexander Dennis Enviro200Darts in use in Merseyside, one with Avon Buses and one with HTL Huyton Travel.  Both in overall blue Alexander Dennis livery, SN56 AYA with HTL Buses, this being an 8.8M B29F model, which I rode on Friday 22nd on the 199 (Whiston Circular) , and SN56 AYB with Avon Buses, this being either a 10.7M or 11.3M model, will try to confirm!

• Both have bonded glass and Lazzerini Practico seats. It is thought that HTL received its one around Monday 18th, Avon on Wednesday 20th, thus making SN56 AYA not only the first Alexander Dennis Enviro200Dart in use in Merseyside, but also the first Euro4 bus to run stage services!  I found it a nice bus, pretty much an ALX200 type body, with a Plaxton like interior, though with a new ceiling! Small rear wheel arch intrusion like on Pointers, ALX200s for some reason have huge rear wheel arch covers inside, resulting in one row of seats each side being really high!

• Arriva Speke depot is now down to just four Volvo B10Bs, of which only one, 6590 N590 CKA being a Wright Endurance, the other three, 6301 L301 TEM, 6302 L302 TEM & 6303 L303 TEM, being Alexander Strider bodied!  Two of the three ex Blue Bus Tridents are now at Speke both of which have been seen by Karl Wilton in the depot, those being 4000 Y46 ABA [photo:Karl Wilton] & 4002 Y48 ABA [photo:Karl Wilton] displaying rather an interesting destination though I've no idea if it really ran on the 700!  This shot of 4000 Y46 ABA [photo:Karl Wilton] shows all the badges have now been removed from this one, though 4002 Y48 ABA retains its large President badge from the rear.  The ex London DAF DB250/Alexander ALX400 are now settling into service well, often seen on the 78 (Liverpool - Halewood), 4025 S265 JUA [photo:Karl Wilton] shows the single door conversion off quite well.   This now gives Speke a total of 39 low floor double deckers at present, the final Trident 4001 Y47 ABA when it arrives will make it 40, made up of 3 Dennis Trident/Plaxton President, 7 DAF DB250/Alexander ALX400 & 30 Volvo B7TL/Alexander Dennis ALX400.

• Arriva are now also receiving further VDL SB120CS/Wright Cadet and VDL SB200CS/Wright Commander, with numbers up to 2631 reported, though I'm not yet sure on the split between Cadets or Commanders.  These must be amongst the final examples of each built, as the chassis are now being replaced by the Euro4 SB180CS (to replace the SB120CS) and the SB200CS remains but as Euro4.  The new SB180CS is pretty much just a shorter SB200CS, as the new versions of each both have the Euro4 6 cylinder Cummins engine and Voith gearbox, rather than the 4 cylinder/Allison combination on SB120CS.  The replacement body for each is the same too, the Wright Pulsar body, a lightweight version of the Eclipse/Solar body), again, just in different lengths but same name.

• Finally a bit of preservation news is that former Merseybus Renault Dodge/Alexander AM Minibus 7685 D685 SEM [photo:Neil Hilton] at the MTT in Burscough.  The photo shows the vehicle as acquired and it is expected to be restored during 2007!

• Once again, let me with everyone reading and who has contributed to the site during 2006 a very Merry Christmas and I wish you all a Happy and peaceful 2007!

• As the title says the Merseyside Dennis Dart Website is now six years old, thanks again to all the contributors who continue to send in photographs, submit information and update fleetlists!  On that note apologies for the delay in the most recent fleetlists update, which was planned for much earlier this week, the program I use for updating the site decided it was no longer going to work, so I have given up and decided to use the 2004 edition again which is much more stable and reliable!

• Avon Buses continue to invest in new vehicles as noted in the last update, six arrived at the beginning of October, those being MCV Evolutions 156 AE56 LWJ, 256 AE56 LWK, 356 AE56 LWL & Enterprise Bus Plasma/Plaxton Primo 456 YN56 NHA, 556 YN56 NHB [photo:Mark Haldon], 656 YN56 NHC.  All these are Euro3 versions, the Plaxton Primo is mechanically quite similar to the Dart, having a Cummins ISBe 4 cylinder engine, though has a very short rear overhang!

• Raddoneur have bought its first Dennis Dart now, with the recent arrival of Euro3 Alexander Dennis Dart MPD 8.8m/Alexander Dennis Pointer 2 DK56 LWJ, whilst Protours Wirral have acquired similar second hand MPD PT16 SK02 VMO [photo:Mark Haldon].  Supertravel have also acquired Dennis Dart SLF 10.7M/Plaxton Pointer 2 V618 EVU, from as yet an unknown source.  It is thought to have been stored though for some time, as DVLA insists it was first registered in 2004, and thus is a TransBus vehicle!  Anyone with further details please let me know!

• Eazibus have acquired two more Solo M850SLs for new contracts in the Wirral, those being MX56 AAF [photo:Mark Haldon] & MX56 AAJ [photo:Mark Haldon] whilst Supertravel also have some from the same Mistral registration set, though they are longer and wider M920 Solos MX56 AAV & MX56 AAY. Another Solo M850SL delivered earlier this year to Eazibus, but unreported in the news was MX06 ACJ [photo:Neil Hilton].

• Optare have now announced its latest Solo range, now all fitted with Euro4 engines.  The Solo SE range remains as was, with M710 and M780 models being produced with Mercedes engines, slimline bodywork and a single leaf front door.  The main Solo remains available with standard and slimline bodywork, but all lengths now have the extended rear overhang previously only fitted to those with Cummins engines so are now M810, M880, M950 and M1020 with any engine.  To confuse matters further, three engines are now available on the main Solo, the Euro4 Mercedes engine and Euro4 Cummins engine (both of which use Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), using AdBlue to keep the emissions low), whilst a new engine available is a the Euro4 MAN engine (which uses Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) so keep the emissions low).  Although EGR doesn't require AdBlue, it apparently results in higher engine temperatures and requires more expensive oils to run.  A press release I read suggested Optare had 'rationalised' the Solo range with the latest changes, but with the main Solo there are 4 lengths, 2 widths & 3 engines available so 24 combinations, then the two Solo SE models on top, it gives a total number of 26 standard Solo variants!

• Stagecoach Merseyside have re-registered Alexander Dennis Dart SLF 10.7M/Alexander Pointer 2 34820 from PX06 DWF to VKB 708 [photo:Karl Sutton].  This registration is believed to have originally been applied to Liverpool Corporation L252 Leyland Titan PD2/Crossley new in 1956.

• The MTT Running Day took place on Sunday 22/10/2006 to mark 20 years since deregulation.  An excellent range of buses turned out, running free services between Liverpool City Centre and Penny Lane/Woolton.  Those vehicles seen at Mann Island were Leyland Atlantean/Alexander 1111 UKA 562H , in Merseybus green/cream Leyland Atlantean/Alexander 1003 A323 GLV & in MTL Merseybus livery Leyland Atlantean/Alexander 1055 A135 HLV.  The quality of the repaints on these vehicles is commendable and the MTT must be congratulated for organising such a good event - Sadly I was unable to attend myself, but I believe they are considering making this an annual event, it would be great if they did!

• Arriva have now begun branding some of its Speke based 06 reg Commanders with Le bus (City Centre - Halewood) branding for the 74/75/76/78, VDL SB200/Wright Commander 2590 CX06 BJF [photo:Mark Haldon] shows off the new style very well.

• BusExpo 2006 takes place next week at the NEC in Birmingham, where most bus manufacturers will be showing their latest vehicles, most of which will be the new Euro4 version of almost every chassis!   A few vehicles that I've heard reports of going, which may be of interest are an Arriva Enviro200Dart demonstrator SN56 AWZ, an Arriva Enviro400 demonstrator and a Stagecoach Manchester Enviro200Dart demonstrator .  Not sure which division the Arriva demonstrators are going to, but apparently they are in standard livery, so it won't be Arriva London!

• Once again, thank you to everyone who has helped the site work over the last six years!  More news soon!