Stagecoach North West Discussion

[Doorslammer]

Stagecoach have just bought out local operator Mayne & Sons, who's fleet of about 50 buses is dominated by ancient knackered buses.

Prices on Mayne were much cheaper than Stagecoach and the buses were much cleaner and nicer, Stagecoach just overpowered them!

Sorry, just spotted this post. That wouldn't be the company based in Buckie, would it (or is that the wrong Mayne I'm thinking of?)? I certainly don't remember any bus/coach of theirs to be very old (considering they replace them often).

 

[driver9000]

The Volvo Olympians at Morecambe are quicker off the mark than a Trident. The S reg Tridents do indeed have a 3 speed gearbox as they were designed for city work, the newer ones from Manchester would have been better out on the 40 & 41 routes.

I remember driving the short Volvo Olympians with NC bodies (16243-16245) that Morecambe had allocated to it, horribly uncomfortable cramped cabs with a left foot pedestal that just made it smaller - however they were incredibly fast off the mark and very fast cruising speed - I got up to 70mph on the M6 once and it still wanted to keep going

 

[mbonwick]

very fast cruising speed - I got up to 70mph on the M6 once and it still wanted to keep going

So much for speed limiters....

 

[driver9000]

So much for speed limiters....

The old Leyland Tiger coaches (220, 221, 624) from Heysham Travel were just the same

 

[Doorslammer]

:roll:

The old Leyland Tiger coaches (220, 221, 624) from Heysham Travel were just the same

Two wrongs don't make it right, but... :roll:

 

[driver9000]

:roll:

Two wrongs don't make it right, but... :roll:

Maximum speed on a motorway for a PSV is 70mph

Table from the highway code here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070304

Volvo Olympians and Leyland Tigers are both under 12m (as was my Volvo B10M-62) I was perfectly legal to drive at 70mph when the conditions were right.

The Maynes operator is unrelated to the one based in Buckie - who are still going as far as I know.

Fonud a link to some photos of Trident 18362 carrying the Morecambe & Wise livery:

http://gez.fotopic.net/c1522728.html

 

[RJ]

Looking at this pic - http://gez.fotopic.net/p50799039.html

Is that a low height Trident?

 

[mbonwick]

Not as far as I'm aware, never been on it, but I've seen it more times than I can count.

 

[RJ]

The S+T-reg ones are, I had to crouch when I went upstairs on 17001. You don't get the luxury of a back window on the lower deck either . We also have some low height S-reg DLAs in London (Arriva DAF DB250LFs). The sooner they go the better, they're notorious for being the slowest buses in London hock:

 

[Doorslammer]

Maximum speed on a motorway for a PSV is 70mph

Table from the highway code here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070304

Ah, strange. I always had it down as 56mph, similar to trucks for some reason. :???: Why I thought that, I'll never know...

The Maynes operator is unrelated to the one based in Buckie - who are still going as far as I know.

Thanks for that, it appears they have grown from strength to strength from what I have gathered.

http://gez.fotopic.net/c1522728.html

Big fan of their show and it's great to see them being championed to this day.

 

[driver9000]

The S-BWC Tridents are 13' 10" and come the Low Height banner, the 05/55 ones from Manchester look around the same height although Ive not been on one. The only high-bridge DDs at Morecambe were the Leyland Titans which stood at 14' 6" I think a couple of the Bristol VRTs were high-bridge too.

 

[mbonwick]

The ones from Manchester are 14' 3" I think, or something like that - the same as the Volvo Olympians they replaced. The lower deck has a few extra inches of headroom, due to the lower floor but the upper deck is exactly the same size its antecedents.

 

[mbonwick]

B10M's 20793/4 in and out of reserve status, bound for Chorley for contract work. To be replaced by K-reg B10Ms which are "too old for contracts"

47021/2 have arrived from Fleetwood after the Versa launch there. They'll be replacing 40641 and 42091 which will be withdrawn.

42577 and 42584 are recessed at Morcambe, en route from Stagecoach East Midlands to Carlisle (though why they want them I don't know..)

Can't remember whether I've mentioned this before; 17024 is the first Trident of the 170xx batch to have its London-style blinds removed and replaced with LEDs

 

[driver9000]

As much as I didnt like the B10M, I did like the 793-795 batch.

I cant beleive 17024 has lost its LT blinds, they were so much better and added to their distinctiveness. Originally they were supposed to be supplied in LTs font but a mix up led to them being delivered with standard lettering The side destinations didnt last into traffic, although they were printed up, the boxes were removed as you couldnt see up the road from the end of George St

 

[mbonwick]

I can imagine that... (even though I never ever go to George St. always the Bus Station)


I've heard that the replacements will probably be some of Lillyhalls cast offs...i.e the most knackered they had there

 

[Tom C]

T684 (10684), the unique Titan with a Voith gearbox has been sold to Griffin, Kent for further service and preservation.

 

[mbonwick]

It has indeed. They also collected 10056 while they were in Lncaster on behalf of its new owner.

 

[driver9000]

at least 10056 is safe.....is 10005 still in service in Scotland?

 

[mbonwick]

No idea, As far as I'm aware plans were made way back in the 90s for 10056 to
a. stay in stripes
b. enter preservation when its revenue earning life was over.

 

[RJ]

We had 10001 down here but that's been sold to a private party. I took a ride on it a few weeks ago, not been on a Titan for years before that!

 

[mbonwick]

A ride on T1? I'd have loved to do that..

 

[driver9000]

T1 wasnt in regular service with Stagecoach was it? I beleive it was in the preserved fleet and restored into its original livery. I mentioned 10005 as it was one of the oldest in the fleet still in service. I wonder if T56 was the oldest Titan still in everyday stage carriage work (ie timetabled and not schools) until withdrawal. When I worked there it was a regular performer on the X2 (City - University) shuttles, T684 was another regular on the route too.

 

[RJ]

Not in regular service, think it was in their commercial hire fleet. It did some shuttles on route 15 between Aldwych and Tower Hill a while back, but I think it has been sold on because of the new Low Emission Zone rules.

 

[Tom C]

is 10005 still in service in Scotland?

Its not in service now, its been painted in Scottish Citylink livery and does promotional work. It did work an internal service for tee in the park a month or so ago.

T1 wasnt in regular service with Stagecoach was it? I beleive it was in the preserved fleet and restored into its original livery. I mentioned 10005 as it was one of the oldest in the fleet still in service. I wonder if T56 was the oldest Titan still in everyday stage carriage work (ie timetabled and not schools) until withdrawal. When I worked there it was a regular performer on the X2 (City - University) shuttles, T684 was another regular on the route too.

T1 was retained by what was Stagecoach East London for preservation and was painted into the original Multiride livery from its Hornchurch days. North Street garage had most of the very early Titans and most were still in service right up until the end of Titan operation. It has since passed to Roger Wright of the London Bus Company to join T2, T4, T8 & T9 although I am led to believe that 4, 8 & 9 are for sale.

The oldest Titan still in routine service is ex WMPTE and London Central WDA4T (ex London T1129) which still works regularly for Midland Classic of Swandlincote.

http://daveheath.fotopic.net/p47440901.html

Here is it next to an ex Manchester Metrobus.

 

[mbonwick]

Back on topic, the ex-Morecambe 'deckers are at Carlisle for repainting and refreshing, as are 42577 and 42584. There are also some ex-Fleetword '84' branded Solos, destined for Lillyhall. Again being painted.

Carlisle is so short of space, I'm told that the routemasters normally there have had to be sent to Lillyhall and the portacabins on site for training have had to be moved.

 

[driver9000]

One of the ex-London Dennis Tridents (S-BWC) was involved in an accident at the Pointer Roundabout bus stop yesterday morning. Reports of 17 taken to hospital including the driver of the bus, which was stopped on a bus stop most of those taken to hospital were 'walking' wounded'. Not sure which vehicle was involved though Im afraid.

http://www.thelancasterandmorecambecitizen.co.uk/news/3667971.Bus_crash_victims_go_home/

*Looks like 17022 or 17023 cant quite make out the number though.......

 

[mbonwick]

17020 was the bus in question. shunted by a Tim Butler Construction rigid tipper. University services diverted past school nearly all day.

In other news, 17012 (now open top) has been painted in a two-tone green version of trhe swirls. 17015 is awaiting paint.

Yesterday, 18355 was seen with minor bodyside damage to the top deck, slight denting where it had obviously caught something squeezing past, probably a tree going on all the greenery on the front deflector.

 

[mbonwick]

17020s fate is to be decided after it has been looked over by the police (presumably for evidence)
Looks like a new engine and a good rebuild at the back - if not scrapping.

 

[mbonwick]

Stagecoach Swindon Volvo Olympian 16393 (N393 LPN) is at Lillyhall. It apparently had an argument with a low bridge,

It too is being converted to open top as a Titan replacement.

 

[driver9000]

Any idea what the Marshall bodied saloon is parked at on the back fence of Morecambe garage? I see the open-topped Titan is still languishing in the corner...