Bus-Related Outings & Reviews

[M113 YKC]

RE: Bus-Related Outings & Reviews
Me and a friend did a trip to Southport yesterday. The weather was warm, although the sky was dull!

My first bus from Netherton to Liverpool was Marshall 7649 again! Same as what it was like last time, although an alarm was going off for the majority of my journey.

After meeting-up with my friend, Pulsar 2 3033 took us to Southport on the 48A. The bus sounded great and it didn't rattle much. The driver couldn't get to a decent speed on the Thornton > Formby part of the by-pass due to roadworks, however a decent run was had between Formby and Woodvale!

Palatine 2 3310 took us from Eastbank Street to near Canning Road as we'd forgotten that the 43 didn't go to the depot! A nice ride, but not smooth. After a brief look in the Arriva and Cumfybus depots, Plaxton Pointer 2 2343 took us back to Eastbank Street. This was quite nice, although ignorant kids on-board who had music playing loud on their phones ruined the ride...

After a trip around Southport, we did a trip to the depot and back with my mate (driver) on Marshall SHED 7643. It vibrated awfully whilst idle and rattled a lot. It was fast off of the line, though - albeit not smooth...! My mate wanted to swap it at the depot, however only equally-awful 7648 was sitting in the depot in view!

Renown 2724 took us from Southport Railway Station to Bootle. I absolutely despised of this ride. It was uncomfortable and rough and the bus sounded bad. As I've said elsewhere on the forum, I think that the Renowns are UNSUITABLE for the 300 - partly because the service covers a large area where people don't tend to alight and have to put up with unsuitable seats for that part of their journey. My back ached after this journey...

Enviro400 4417 was our bus from Bootle to Liverpool - a surprise. Sluggish and rattly on the top deck, although of interest and a good ride, in general. A brief ride on a hybrid Gemini 2 to Birkenhead and Pulsar 2 3000 on the 423 on the way back killed some time, before I boarded Ace Travel MPD 701 on the 130. This was sluggish and it sounded quite different, however it was warm and quite smooth.

Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...637935537/