Stagecoach North West Discussion

[Dallamlad]

Haha that sounds about right.

if anyones interested the Marshall at Lancaster is there for MOT apparently and I've been told that if Preston bus dont sell they will go bust so they really have no choice.

Also it would seem that the Trident 2's in Lancaster are doing the 2/2a a lot more these days and the 2005 Tridents are on the Preston routes a lot. Just spotted 18330 doing to the 40 actually.

 

[cainebj]

flip dots are a lot easier to see, but i have seen drivers struggle with them! RBZ5459 has flip dot, and i can remember a driver trying to change it from School Special to Not in Service, but every time he attempted, it changed to "1 ANNAN". i don't remember ever seeing anything apart from "School [Graphic] Special" on 20107 when it was used on sixth form contract. it was either that or a blank screen!

 

[driver9000]

RBZ5459 used to show National Express when I drove it on Rail replacements, it didnt matter what the internal head unit was showing, it was eventually changed to a blank. If I remember rightly you could type in 999 on the Brite-Tech and it would self test and automatically run through the entire list and show them all! 016 was 'Testing This is the Front/Side/Rear'

 

[mbonwick]

I saw a B10M doing that! Had obviously just come from the depot, as it was just finishing and then went to "Testing this is the front, side, back" and nothing would change it!

 

[Dallamlad]

I think all blinds are unreliable to a certain extent. I mean come on its technology lol

 

[mbonwick]

Just thought I'd run through the numbering system, seeing as I don't know half of it;
10xxx Leyland Titan
11xxx Leyland Titan
12xxx AEC Routemaster
13xxx Manchester "Standard" Leyland Olympian
14xxx Leyland Olympian
15xxx Non standard vehicles
16xxx Volvo Olympian
17xxx ADL Trident
18xxx ADL/Transbus Trident
19xxx ADL Enviro 400
20xxx Volvo B10M
21xxx Volvo B10B
22xxx MAN with ADL ALX300/E300 body
23xxx
24xxx
25xxx Optare Versa, previously Leyland Leopard
26xxx
27xxx Dennis Javelin
28xxx
29xxx
30xxx Volvo B6
31xxx Volvo B6BLE (Low floor B6)
32xxx Dennis Dart
33xxx Dennis Dart SLF
34xxx Dennis Dart SLF (low floor Dart)
35xxx Dennis Dart SLF
36xxx
37xxx
38xxx
39xxx
40xxx Mercedes 709D
41xxx Mercedes 709D
42xxx Mercedes Vario O814
43xxx
44xxx
45xxx
46xxx
47xxx Optare Solo
48xxx
49xxx
50xxx
51xxx
52xxx Volvo coaches

 

[driver9000]

Not all prefixes are in use but a few blanks are:

13xxx Manchester 'Standard' Leyland Olympian
22xxx also applies to MANs with ALX300 bodies
25xxx was originally Leyland Leopard
27xxx Dennis Javelin
31xxx Volvo B6BLE
32xxx Dennis Dart (Step entrance)
41xxx Mercedes 709D overspill (different bodies)
42xxx Mercedes 814 Varios (not 810)

 

[cainebj]

35xxx are also ADL Darts. lillyhall's are the only 35xxx ones in the NW fleet i think

 

[mbonwick]

I meant 814 Varios, was a typo

It will be quite an interesting list if we can get that entirely full...

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

yeah, i noticed they changed. i preferred it the other way! the way i see it, if you only seen the route destination rather than number, look at the side display. thats what its there for!

 

[mbonwick]

It's all very well saying that capitals are harder to read, but with the 555, in addition to putting it in lower case and swapping the number, they've made the font smaller! Surely harder for te visually impaired?

 

[driver9000]

mbonwick: I think I still have the list in my old work bag from my bus days (I kept it as it was on my last day - full of random notices, running sheets forgotten about over the years) I will dig it out and see if its still there.....

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

i was thinking more of the buses that will be around for a while, such as solo's, enviro's, 56reg darts etc.
going to what mbonwock said, the font size on PO51WLP for Harrington 46A was tiny! it is on a lot of things. i preferred when they entered service, and said "50 MOORCLOSE" in a really large font!

 

[mbonwick]

I don't think it is. I had a good chance to get a closeup look at one from the top of anther bus on the way to school. My bus and the other were inching round each other on a narrow lane. I was staring at it for like 5 mins and then I finally realised that there was screen either side not in use!

So as well as swapping the route and number, they've also centred the lot!

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

the newer layout works better for things like thornhill, carlisle, frizington, seaton, and the circulars, but doesnt work when it says Whitehaven for some reason lol.
did lillyhall ever sort out the school special displays? i noticed one of the B10m's still said "[Graphic]" where the logo should be, but havnt noticed on any other vehicles, as the stagecoach ones usually arrive after the private hire coaches leave.

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

i was talking about the rosies one with a few of my friends. pretty stupid, as they run 222 and 217! if something happened and they had to use their 709 on the 217, it would look pretty bad!
not all of reays have the LED's. i think it is B13 CWR that still has its brite-tech. he only replaced the ones that were broken (most of them stuck in mid change for 217 service!
i like what chris done to his. just before christmas, he had it on scroll! it said "35 Cockermouth", then it said "Merry Xmas", then back to "35 Cockermouth"

 

[driver9000]

Found the list of prefixes from when National numbers were being introduced, Ive only included the blank ones from mbonwicks list:

13xxx Includes ex Hong Kong Leyland Olympian
19xxx Also used for the heritage fleet
23xxx Mercedes Citaro Articulated bus
25xxx Includes Leyland National
26xxx DAF SB220 Optare Delta
28xxx Scania K113
29xxx Leyland Lynx
41xxx Mercedes 711D
46xxx Iveco turbodaily
50xxx MAN 24.350 coaches & Skyliners
51xxx Volvo B10MA Articulated coaches
53xxx Volvo B12 coaches
54xxx Volvo B12B 15m version
61xxx MAN 14.220 Designline (ex New Zealand)
80xxx Manchester based prototypes - not sure what they are....

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

chris seems to be looking after his fleet a little more now! when he first got his 709d's, they were a wreck! (ex Stagecoach). he has done up B12 CWR quite nicely! its a shame stagecoach won't be doing it! well, it isnt really! i don't think i'll miss them!
talking of 709d's, what do AA use these days when they run the 35? they used to use M890 ECD (ex Stagecoach) but that has now been sold to 3D Travel (who run 6 and 20 in whitehaven area. 3D removed the plastic covering the display unit and found a brite tech behind it, which is blank! 3D use destination boards on that vehicle, their others have manual blinds). i know AA have that S reg vario, an L reg vario thing, and an ex Ladybird Travel 24 seat vario type thing, but i havnt seen one run the route for ages!

 

[driver9000]

You can muck the Brite-Tech up by switching the ignition/master switch off before the cab display finishes updating, it stops exactly where it is mid change and wont restart when the electric is turned back on, some buses in Lancaster had Brite-Techs so unreliable they permenantly carried window boards in the cab.

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

the rosies G reg merc usually runs the 217! it is a wreck! they bought it off Ratcliffe (DMR), who no longer operate. Ratcliffe is one of a few companies i have got to know quite well recently, as they kept their vehicles in J B Pickthalls yard in Rowrah (i know pickthall's son :P).
AA and Rosie's arent the only ones that use "slam door" vehicles! 3D regularly used one of their's on the 20 service! T133SGA (most people know it as blue bus). Drivers just sit there and expect elderly passengers to be able to open it! luckilly, 3D now use one of their 2 709d's (M890ECD and N353OBC) or their marshall bodied 814d (T578KGB).

hopefully won't be long until lillyhall is brite tech free! N128YRM had a dead screen today! the boards in window don't always help though. unlike mirehouse ones, they can't be stuck in the window. a lot of the time (like on N128YRM) the boards end up having the wipers in the way!

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

they do still have it :P it won't be doing school work anymore though, he has just got a L reg Alexander Strider with a scania chassis to do the school work. it is yellow and says "School Bus" on the side in black. just incase anyone doesnt know, the Leyland National currently owned by J B Pickthall was built in the Leyland factory at Lillyhall, which was pretty much next to lillyhall depot!
i have to agree, 3Ds livery does look good, but seriously, it is extremely badly painted! none of the lines are straight, and they have very clearly been brush painted! it isnt even at all! i have a picture somewhere. i'll link it when i find it!

 

[K768 DAO]

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[cainebj]

G806KKY (Rosie's G reg wreck)
N353OBC
T578KGB
M890ECD
WHH556S (J B Pickthall's Leyland National, this picture is not owned by me)
the national, although in Daglish Coaches livery, was never actually owned by Daglish. pretty much every coach in daglish livery was owned by J B Pickthall, but operated by Daglish.
i will link a picture of their strider from the website they got it off
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
J B Pickthalls "new" school bus taking over the school work the National done.