August 16th 2020 @ 13:10: Fleet Ramblings

16/8/2020

Stagecoach East
Timetables are now appearing online confirming that Busway services will no longer serve Royston from the end of August with a new service 915 operating between Cambridge and Royston.
New service numbering in the V1-V4 series will also be introduced for the peak time Busway feeder routes from Ramsey, Chatteris, Boxworth and Somersham whilst an evening Hinchinbrooke Hospital to Godmanchester service will be numbered V5.
The new 904 Peterborough-St Ives service will operate direct between Huntingdon and St Ives taking 25 minutes outward and 20 minutes on the return journey. The St Ives-Huntingdon journey on the Busway B service currently takes 38 minutes.
These changes appear to have jettisoned the big plans for the Busway re-launch planned at the start of the year and will reduce the requirement for guidewheel fitted vehicles based at Fenstanton depot.
Further Volvo B11R/Plaxton elites to return to service at Bedford are 54302 and 54304.

East Yorkshire
Scania Omnicity 9921 which had been transferred here from Go North East for the now abandoned driver training conversion has returned to Go North East. It was originally 5235 in the Go North East fleet.
New ADL Enviro 400MMCs 922-925 are allocated to Hull with 926-28 at Pocklington and 929 at Bridlington. As a result MCV-bodied Volvo B5TLs 805 and 807 and Volvo B9TL 729 have transferred from Pocklington to Hull whilst Volvo B7TL 702 has been delicenced at Bridlington.
Delicenced at Hull are Volvo B7TLs 677/87/88/96/97/98/99. Volvo B7RLE 361 has been relicensed at Scarborough. Transferred to the Go East Anglia business is Volvo B7TL 669.

Go North East
The company’s MD reports that “the transformation of our Consett area services continues as we introduce the new look Venture for our local services in and around the town (and in the 50th year since Venture Transport was acquired by Northern General which is now Go North East.”

Repaints during the last week of July included Wright Streetlite DF/Wright Streetlite Max Micro-Hybrids  5410 and 5411 into the 2019 fleet livery.
The tour of the ‘Retrobus’ liveried Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 6050 continues. During the last week of July it transferred to Hexham Depot, with Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3965 transferring to Riverside as a replacement.
Optare Solo M880/Optare 697 has now been permanently withdrawn ahead of its disposal next week, as has Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicity 5265 which had suffered defects uneconomical to repair. Similar 5234 and 5237 will no longer be transferring to East Yorkshire for use as training buses and all three will be used for spare part recovery, due to certain components being increasingly difficult to source for this vehicle type.
Withdrawn Scania K340EB/Caetano Levante coaches 7100/01/have all been sold to Ratho Coaches, Newbridge.
During the first week of August repaints included Wright Streetlite DF/Wright Streetlite Max Micro-Hybrid 5412 into the 2019 fleet livery.
The ‘Retrobus’ liveried Volvo B9TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 6050 transferred to Deptford Depot, at the beginning of August with Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3965 returning to Hexham from Riverside as a result.
Volvo B11RT/Caetano Levante 3 coaches 7138/40/41/42  have all been reinstated in Chester-le-Street Depot’s Coaching Unit, following an increase in the number of diagrams being operated from Monday 10 August 2020.
Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekka 6133/34/35/39/40/41 have all transferred from Percy Main to Riverside in order to assist with extra vehicle requirements during weekends in August, which includes the conversion of services 26/27 from single-deck to double-deck and to operate Metro Replacement contracts.
Optare Solo SR M790SE/Optare 716  has transferred from Washington Depot to Consett, to provide cover while Consett’s own Optare Solos are repainted over the summer. Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicity 5235 (NK56 KHC) has returned to Go North East from East Yorkshire, but remains withdrawn and is being stripped for spare parts.
Vehicles sold are:
Optare Solo M880/Optare 697 to SD Travel, Bathgate.
Optare Solo M880/Optare 705 to Coatham Coaches, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Myllennium Vykings 3967/70/71/77 along with Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President
6938 (PL51 LDU) to Go East Anglia.
Volvo B7TL/Plaxton Presidents 6940/41 have been sold to L&G Coaches, Birtley.
Volvo B9R/Caetano Levante 7106 has been sold to Weardale Motor Services, Crook.

Stagecoach Manchester
New reaches us that Enviro 400s 19114 and 19179 have been transferred to Stagecoach North East and are currently at Sunderland. We understand that Stagecoach North East has secured additional contract work from September which may be the reason for the transfer of these vehicles. 19114 was originally expected to transfer to Stagecoach East Midlands with 19179 earmarked for transfer to Stagecoach West.

Stagecoach North East
Walkergate depot despatched Hybrid Green liveried hybrid 12071 to Sunderland for repaint last week. This was one of just six out of the batch of 26 still to carry the hybrid livery.
Repainted MAN/Enviro 300 24110 was returned to Slatyford at the start of last week and in exchange 24104 was been despatched for repaint.

Stagecoach South East
We now understand that former Stagecoach London Enviro 200s 36327/28/29/35 are now at Eurotunnel Folkestone where they are on loan, the expected Dover Port contract has not taken place.

Stagecoach East Midlands
Following repairs former Stagecoach Manchester Enviro 400 19101 has now entered service at Hull ousting Trident 18029 to the Reserve Fleet.
Dart SLFs 35133 and 35135 are now in the Reserve Fleet at Worksop with Enviro 200s 36522 and 36525, along with 36998/99 and 37000-05 being moved from the operational fleet into the Reserve Fleet at Mansfield.
We understand that all over white-liveried Enviro 400 19684 has now received Stagecoach ‘Local’ livery.

Stagecoach South Wales
Repairs to Enviro 200 36794. Which have been done at an external contractor in Wigan, were completed last week and the vehicle was released for return here and was observed inside Stagecoach Manchester’s Hyde Road depot on August 12th.
Further Enviro 200s relicensed here and transferred from Porth are 36792 (to Merthyr Tydfil) and 36795 to Aberdare.

Stagecoach South
Vehicles now back in service here are Tridents 18187 at Guildford and 18515 at Aldershot whilst similar 18527 at Andover is now out of service following collision damage sustained when it hit a tree.

Norfolk Green
Whilst the Go West Travel Limited registered company was sold to Stagecoach back in 2013, the Norfolk Green trade mark was not included. The trade mark logo was recently put up for sale on online auction site ebay with a starting reserve of £500.
Several former Norfolk Green vehicles remain operational and Stagecoach East currently operates four Enviro 400s that were new to Norfolk Green with 10052-54 at Peterborough and 10055 at Bedford.

Stagecoach South West
The number of vehicles now painted in the Stagecoach ‘Local’ colours is now increasing at a rapid pace and recently repainted Optare Solos 47519 and 47520 were pictured together in Newton Abbot whilst working local services On August 10th. The new Stagecoach ‘Local’ livery can now be seen across all Stagecoach UK companies with the exception of Stagecoach Midlands and Stagecoach East where no vehicles currently carry the livery.
Now in the Paint Shop at Matford is MAN/Enviro 300 24141 whilst last week Dart SLF 34729 was in the Bodyshop.
Optare Solo SR 48004, which had been on loan to Torquay, was back at Exeter by August 15th 2020.