Lizard1324
Member
The open top b9tl Gemini (YJ09OCA) 37729 is on the A2 on the first day of its new open top career.
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First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)
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fgwrich
Established Member
Seems to have a smaller open top part compared to all the other half opens, looks very Arriva and Sapphire like as well without the vinyls
Great to have more modern buses and variety in the open top fleet tho
It's due to the length of the straight TfL spec staircase.
Thanks for the info, thought there must be a reason for it
Some repaint news:
The last BoS E300 is in Hampshire for paint and retrim
The first coach post lockdown is already away in Hampshire for painting and a second is prepared ready to go in exchange.
There are two Geminis in Camborne prepared for paint waiting for the Bodmin paintshop to clear other work so weekly Gemini painting can commence this friday.
Some in house painting is also about to start in Penzance in the next few weeks.
6 open top buses are currently going through a paintshop in Essex.
The last BoS E300 is in Hampshire for paint and retrim
The first coach post lockdown is already away in Hampshire for painting and a second is prepared ready to go in exchange.
There are two Geminis in Camborne prepared for paint waiting for the Bodmin paintshop to clear other work so weekly Gemini painting can commence this friday.
Some in house painting is also about to start in Penzance in the next few weeks.
6 open top buses are currently going through a paintshop in Essex.
No it’s not. It’s nothing to do with the stairs. It’s how First Kernow specified it
Either way it would bear some relation to the stairs. If the closed top section was a window bay shorter than the stairs wouldn’t be covered, unlike the majority of half open top conversions.
33305 should be out on 27s tomorrow. There are things that need doing to 33303/4 but if they get done then may get swoped during the day if not they will be out on wednesday in service
Lizard1324
Member
Do you know with the loss of some routes will all the remaining green enviro 400 mmc still stay at the Summercourt depot or will they be spread more over other cornwall depots
I was at Ensign for 15 years, that is the way these are converted.
Goldfish62
Established Member
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Great report. Thanks.
Thank you for heads up great to see them returning, to be honest I've quite enjoyed riding on the Gemini's about when I can and the variety in liveries, you can certainly see why Kernow replaced the Tridents with them
Do the routes need reprogramming or are they still programed in?
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Assume the Essex paintshop is Mardens? They do a lot for First Essex and I think they do stuff for Ensign too..
What facilities do they have at Penzance? Is it light maintenance but with a spare shed/bay to do painting?
cnjb8
Established Member
I thought all the E300s had been repainted, but 67707 was involved in a RTA/fire so was withdrawn.
Ensign are doing the conversions/selling us the ex EYMS examples so I’d assume so
Yep, everything for repaint goes to Mardens in Benfleet.
Marc Morgan Huws tells me he personally specified the Ensign E400 conversions as half open top past them stairs just as he personally specified the in house Presidents as having a short bay to cover the stairs only
Because he is not an idiot. Whether you want the lower saloon flooded or not by opting not to protect the stairs, if you were to remove more than 50% of the roof of an early e400, Rolf Harris could play you a tune with it. Their build quality is dire and many had broken uprights after only 18 months. I can see why they proved attractive to FK for conversion, short, fairly modern design still, Euro 6 upgrades but they wouldn't be my choice to chop.
Goldfish62
Established Member
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Big Bus took a few a couple of years ago. They've found them reliable, but full of leaks, not just from the lack of half the roof!
Mechanically they're not bad, it was the bodies that were abysmal and even now, they are still poor, the 200s in particular. Despite the industry clique love in for ADL or Weights, the best built Euro 6 decker is the B5 Evoseti. It's unfortunate that the numbers probably wouldn't add up to warrant a batch of the convertibles for FK, but they would be just the job for the Atlantic Coasters network if sufficient out of season routes could be identified that would pay for them.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
The early e400s were terrible for build quality. I couldn't believe when I travelled on my first one (c.2007) how bad it was compared to the outgoing ALX400.
The ALX400, although bug eyed ugly, was as solid as the RL/RH body it replaced. The low height Stagecoach Volvo/RLs of the 1990s were superb buses, whatever you put them on. They went out and came back, day in, day out for years. Unfortunately, the chassis that Volvo bought in for them (manufactured for Volvo by Irvine Sheet Metals IIRC) were, in the main, allegedly made from recycled steel (popular in the early 1990s after the 1991 recession) and were doomed from the start but the bodies were still doing well in 2017.
The first e400s were not a crowning glory for UK manufacturing.
cnjb8
Established Member
I remember my local operator had a former Stagecoach Olympian, it wheezed up the hill and for some reason, I always ended up stuck behind it because it was so slow!
Yes, the batches between 1988 and 1994 had the Gardner 6LXB and were terrible on hills but EDs loved them for their reliability. The later batches between 1994 and 1998 had either the Cummins L10 or Volvo D10A units with a mixture of ZF and Voith 3 speeds, although they all had high speed axles. The London batches were locked down to city mode though.
The very colourful rear ends of the AC E400s have been revealed
Lizard1324
Member
That looks really good, to he honest all the Atlantic coasters need that and after many times having a Atlantic coaster for a college bus home every time I see it drive away the back just looks so boring compared to the rest of the bus (I know the two a5 Atlantic coasters have some sort of rear image but never seen them in person)
Wasn't it a National Trust advert on the back of the closed top ones, promoting attractions on the AC routes, certainly helped break up the livery tho
fgwrich
Established Member
I can’t say I’m surprised to see the build quality of the original E400 criticised - this was part of an Oxford example I took back in 2016. It wasn’t the first leaky / mildew covered bit either. I’ve always felt Alexander had really got it correct with the Royale, it’s just a shame that they came too late in the game and couldn’t have been made to be a low floor bus ala Optare Spectra.
