Arriva Depot Fire in Pwllheli

[0B00]

According to the local rag 2 buses destroyed at 0230 this morning when the Arriva Wales outstation at Pwllheli suffered a fire.

The picture on the web site of The Daily Post shows a Wrights bodied Daf SD and another unidentifiable bus which the article suggests was a DD (hopefully not the Open Topper !).

Flames broke out at a garage in Pwllheli early this morning leaving two coaches destroyed.
Three fire crews were called to Glandon Garage on Caerarfon Road at 2:30am after the alarm was raised.
Crews from Pwllheli, Porthmadog and Nefyn spent more than an hour tackling the flames
Flames also spread to a single decker coach, that was parked adjacent, causing significant damage to that vehicle also.
No one was injured....

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/see-devastation-pwllheli-garage-after-11623251

 

[317 forever]

This is never good, but is more unfortunate than usual just as Arriva need extra buses in Wales & Cheshire to take over some GHA Coaches work.

 

[Robertj21a]

I gather the open topper was involved.

 

[ValleyLines142]

The saloon was 2485 (CX 04 AYC). The decker is unrecognisable.

 

[ValleyLines142]

The article, very irritatingly, describes the vehicles as 'coaches', when in fact they're buses.

 

[richw]

T305FGN the destroyed decker.

 

[Andyh82]

What's the situation with this depot? I thought Arriva outstationed just 2 buses at a depot of a local independent to run a Pwllheli local service? Presumably that's changed and why was the open top there?

 

[DunsBus]

Safe to say that the single-decker is a goner as well, as the whole of its nearside has been toasted.

 

[richw]

What's the situation with this depot? I thought Arriva outstationed just 2 buses at a depot of a local independent to run a Pwllheli local service? Presumably that's changed and why was the open top there?

The open topper is on a summer Pwllheli to Porthmadog route launched this summer

 

[childwallblues]

Finding a spare open topper will be difficult. Perhaps a hire in?

 

[enrag2000]

What's the situation with this depot? I thought Arriva outstationed just 2 buses at a depot of a local independent to run a Pwllheli local service? Presumably that's changed and why was the open top there?

Pwllheli outstationed buses have been parked behind the Glandon garage for some years. There is no locked yard - anyone can stroll in, possibly attracted by the open-topper. The other two vehicles are for the regular Pwllheli-Porthmadog service.

 

[Andyh82]

Finding a spare open topper will be difficult. Perhaps a hire in?

Without compromising the open top availability in Rhyl, I would think so.

 

[robertclark125]

Looking on google streetview, the location at the Glandon garage is behind a white fence. There are two cars parked behind that fence. In front of it is the car wash. I have to say, the old Newburgh outstation of Stagecoach east Scotland was open yard, unfenced, near houses, and several other outstations are the same. I'm surprised that, in this day and age, unsecured outstations exist.

 

[Andyh82]

Looking on google streetview, the location at the Glandon garage is behind a white fence. There are two cars parked behind that fence. In front of it is the car wash. I have to say, the old Newburgh outstation of Stagecoach east Scotland was open yard, unfenced, near houses, and several other outstations are the same. I'm surprised that, in this day and age, unsecured outstations exist.

Unless they are in the middle of knowhere like the Highlands and Islands of Scotland or more rural Wales that Pwllheli is, I'm also surprised at this.

 

[plcd1]

Finding a spare open topper will be difficult. Perhaps a hire in?

Golden Tours in London have a load of ex Stagecoach Tridents going spare after new Volvos were delivered. Think they're all part open top not full open top. Also the "More" Purbeck Breezer buses are being replaced at the moment so some spares there too.

 

[legzup]

Finding a spare open topper will be difficult. Perhaps a hire in?

im a driver at that depot and i can catagorically state the open topper
will not be replaced.it will just be a normal single decker doing the t3
service

 

[DunsBus]

North Berwick depot, one of the depots which passes from First Scotland East to East Coast Buses next month, originally had open space at the rear for parking. This changed in autumn 2002 after a Scania was stolen from there by joyriders, which was subsequently crashed and then torched. Soon afterwards perimeter fencing was installed.

However, even secure outstations aren't immune. In June 1989 Northumbria's Wooler premises was burned to the ground by several bored teenagers, taking with it an LH, two VRs and a Metrorider. As the culprits were still at school at the time, the school delivered the ultimate punishment by making sure that their academic days were brought to a swift and abrupt end.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

A secure location is no guarantee. A few years, some kids secreted themselves with the old Arriva depot in Darlington and indulged in a bit of a demolition derby in the small hours

 

[Y961 XBU]

im a driver at that depot and i can catagorically state the open topper
will not be replaced.it will just be a normal single decker doing the t3
service

Thanks for confirming this, Has any replacement Buses arrived yet? I ask as i know 2517 left Bolton the other day but still unknown if its come here or gone to cover GHA work

 

[legzup]

the t3 is running but as i stated yesterday it is just a normal single decker

 

[0B00]

So no effort at all made to source a replacement. If this were Stagecoach Group a replacement Open Topper would have arrived by now. The Arriva way seems to be 'give up'.

The one they had spent more time off the road than on.

What a shambles. Perhaps the fire will persuade them to leave town and let an decent independent take over ?

 

[Bungle965]

Thanks for confirming this, Has any replacement Buses arrived yet? I ask as i know 2517 left Bolton the other day but still unknown if its come here or gone to cover GHA work

That was the only Wright Cadet that the Bolton depot had if I am correct in thinking?
Sam
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

So no effort at all made to source a replacement. If this were Stagecoach Group a replacement Open Topper would have arrived by now. The Arriva way seems to be 'give up'.

The one they had spent more time off the road than on.

What a shambles. Perhaps the fire will persuade them to leave town and let an decent independent take over ?

I don`t think that it is quite enough to be called a shambles, 2 days is not really enough time to pass judgement about what Arriva are going to do about the fire. When there was a fire at a Yorkshire Tiger (a Arriva subsidiary) depot it took a number of days for Arriva to sort out replacements before them being sent over to help out.
However I think that with Arriva being only having a small outstation there, they may question their position in Pwllheli, and whether it is a area which they could still generate good revenue from.
Sam

 

[chiltern trev]

London Country had a depot at Amersham and the overflow parking was the adjacent council pay and display car park which had a concrete section for the buses.

When the depot was sold to Tesco, buses continued to be parked in the pay and display car park. (The buses may then have been owned by Arriva). I think it had become and outstation of High Wycombe depot.

At one point there was a fire or vandal damage to a few buses - probably about half a dozen parked overnight - result was end of the outstation and services worked from High Wycombe

 

[Y961 XBU]

Bolton do have a 2nd Cadet, think its 2503

 

[Bungle965]

Bolton do have a 2nd Cadet, think its 2503

Apologies, but still there is defiantly not that many left in Bolton.
Sam

 

[Y961 XBU]

Its just that ex Winsford one now

 

[Bungle965]

Its just that ex Winsford one now

I wonder how long it will be until that ones goes also?
Sam

 

[0B00]

im a driver at that depot and i can catagorically state the open topper
will not be replaced.it will just be a normal single decker doing the t3
service

Well it seems you were wrong as I've just seen S288JUA (3991) with no roof on the 3T.

 

[legzup]

good news.arriva pwllheli have located an open top bus.
it arrived at 6 this morning from rhyl
and was in service at 830.
happy days

 

[Bungle965]

good news.arriva pwllheli have located an open top bus.
it arrived at 6 this morning from rhyl
and was in service at 830.
happy days

That is a change from your previous post where you were categorically stating that they would not use a open top bus!
Sam