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Wrights Eclipse and Wrights Solar

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heart-of-wessex

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Hello all,

So not long ago I saw a bus on the First bus route 265 (Salisbury - Bath) and thought 'oh there's a new Eclipse round here I haven't seen'. It had a former route branding on it, and I mentally noted the reg in my head, LK55 ABZ, so I could google it later on.

Turned out it was from First Berkshire, with former X74 route branding, and is noted as a Wright's Solar....oh...

I've never really got my head around body types, I can name some by looking at them, but to me, the Eclipse and Solar looks just the same! Is there any differences between the two, or is it essentially the same thing just with a different name? Just wondering how you could tell the two apart if you saw it coming down the road?
 
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MCR247

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AFAIK They're the same but Solars have a Scania chassis whilst Eclipses are volvos. There is/was a MAN one but I forget what Wright call it
 

winston270twm

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AFAIK They're the same but Solars have a Scania chassis whilst Eclipses are volvos. There is/was a MAN one but I forget what Wright call it

There are very subtle differences particularly around the rear end on the nearside grilles between the Volvo & Scania chassis etc.

Scania grille:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nsf323alistair/6231429847/

Volvo grilles:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ack_B_Princes_Road,_Dartford,_1_July_2011.jpg

The MAN Wright bodywork is called the 'Meridian'
 
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mbonwick

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To add even more jargon, the Eclipse body on Volvo B7Ls is known as the Eclipse Metro, whilst the body on Volvo B7RLEs is the Eclipse Urban.

Ever so slightly better than the mess of the late 1990s, where Scanias were either Wright Access Ultralow or Wright Access Floline. :lol:

The Eclipse Urban was only the first generation on the B7RLE, once facelifted it just became an Eclipse 2. There was also the Eclipse Commuter on the B7RLE, only a handful were produced.

The Axcess-Ultralow was for Scania L113CRL and the Axcess-Floline for L94UB (the L94UB being an updated version of the L113CRL due to emissions regs). Note that Axcess is spelt "incorrectly" for reasons best known to Wrights....
 

Strathclyder

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To add even more jargon, the Eclipse body on Volvo B7Ls is known as the Eclipse Metro, whilst the body on Volvo B7RLEs is the Eclipse Urban.

The one surefire way to tell the B7L/Eclipse Metro & B7RLE/Eclipse Urban apart is by looking at their rear-ends (images featured below are my own).

B7L/Eclipse Metro (huge engine block taking up half the rear-window. The B7Ls have gained the nickname 'Toilet Box' as a result of this engine arrangement)
25685183006_9e51b8c829_c.jpg


B7RLE/Eclipse Urban (essentially the same as the B7L, but without that engine block on the left side)
25590201042_52279cb7a0_c.jpg
 

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Statto

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To add even more jargon, the Eclipse body on Volvo B7Ls is known as the Eclipse Metro, whilst the body on Volvo B7RLEs is the Eclipse Urban.

Ever so slightly better than the mess of the late 1990s, where Scanias were either Wright Access Ultralow or Wright Access Floline. :lol:

As well as the Wright Access Ultralow or Wright Access Floline, there was also the Renown, Cadet, Crusader, Crusader 2, Commander, Liberator, all depending on what the chassis was, full list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrightbus#Products
 

THarris123

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The one surefire way to tell the B7L/Eclipse Metro & B7RLE/Eclipse Urban apart is by looking at their rear-ends (images featured below are my own).

B7L/Eclipse Metro (huge engine block taking up half the rear-window. The B7Ls have gained the nickname 'Toilet Box' as a result of this engine arrangement)
25685183006_9e51b8c829_c.jpg


B7RLE/Eclipse Urban (essentially the same as the B7L, but without that engine block on the left side)
25590201042_52279cb7a0_c.jpg

Don't forget the awful seats - B7Ls have benches and B7RLEs have seats :)
 

Strathclyder

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Don't forget the awful seats - B7Ls have benches and B7RLEs have seats :)
I've rode on plenty of First Glasgow's B7Ls to know that the seating is, for the most part, abysmally uncomfortable. :) The seating in the same operator's B7RLEs is miles better. Actually feels like there's padding in the cushions lol
 
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GaryMcEwan

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And to add two more into the mix, we've got the rare Eclipse Commuter and the Eclipse SchoolRun which is based on the Commuter but with 3+2 seating.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
AFAIK They're the same but Solars have a Scania chassis whilst Eclipses are volvos. There is/was a MAN one but I forget what Wright call it

That'll be the Wright MAN Meridian...
 

pompeyfan

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To be fair at first I struggled with the concept that you could have two buses side by side and look the same and yet be completely different, and yet you could have 2 buses that look completely different, but underneath they're exactly the same.

ALX400 bodied B7TL, which looks exactly like a ALX400 trident, which looks nothing like an ELC trident etc.

Thankfully, in modern times a lot of the bodywork is integral, so a Wright Streetlite is Streetlite and an ADL enviro is an Enviro (we'll ignore the early Streetdecks that look like a Gemini 3, or the Enviro 400 bodied scania's!)
 

Goldfish62

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To be fair at first I struggled with the concept that you could have two buses side by side and look the same and yet be completely different, and yet you could have 2 buses that look completely different, but underneath they're exactly the same.

ALX400 bodied B7TL, which looks exactly like a ALX400 trident, which looks nothing like an ELC trident etc.

Thankfully, in modern times a lot of the bodywork is integral, so a Wright Streetlite is Streetlite and an ADL enviro is an Enviro (we'll ignore the early Streetdecks that look like a Gemini 3, or the Enviro 400 bodied scania's!)

Except a Gemini 3-bodied Volvo is virtually identical in looks to a Streetdeck. :)
 

heart-of-wessex

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Ah yes the Meridian, forgot about that! Many thanks for those pictures too, very useful! Just got to remember, a big grill = Volvo, failing that look at the back for a badge :lol:!

Talking of look-a-likes, I remember someone pointing out to me the new Optare MetroDecker, supposed to be an integral anyway but looks like a ELC Myllennium! They are modern version's of the older types, but when I see an Esteem or a Vyking then I just assume it's ELC not Optare!

pompeyfan - E400's, don't go there! I can't even tell if it's one that's worth sitting by the engine until I've seen the steering wheel badge! :lol: If it's a Trident 2, it's worth it :)
 
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