Recent content by aswilliamsuk

I still had two to go - 4539 and 4544. Which of these has now been done, please?

So here's a thing. The current 14 StreetDeck Electroliners at First Eastern Counties (36799-712) are entering service at Roundtree Way. Here's a clip of the original press release (source: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/article/72555/13.8-million-investment-brings-more-electric-buses-to-Norfolk -...

Yep, a long time coming and probably the best move for all. Interestingly I note that a handful of B7RLEs made surplus elsewhere had recently begun to arrive at Arriva Colchester - which will probably suit First if they choose to take any vehicles on...

No diesels will (or can) go to First York, it no longer has the fuelling facilities.

If tracking is to be believed, 13175/76 are hanging on today, on the 93 and 33 respectively. Unless their ticket machines are in something else, of course...

There are 11 new Tourismos coming - 13 were ordered in total, 2 arrived earlier in the year and of the next 11, 80140 has already been seen. They wear a new, brighter blue scheme.

Additional work was required, as I recall, at the depot that delayed everything. Two of the Leamington E12s are now in use in the North-East - either they will return or be replaced, as I understand it.

I believe the delay with the Berry Scanias is to do with recertification - I'm sure it's been mentioned elsewhere that these are the first of the type to be converted to single door so it's taken a while.

Apparently there's six E400 MMC coming - four for Thames Travel (80635/36 are the first two in use) and two for Oxford.

Indeed - Stagecoach London standardised on them after seemingly placing orders for a few different types initially. They have smaller fleets of BYD/ADL (the 40-odd with East London all now replaced by StreetDeck Electroliners), Volvo BZL/MCV and ADL E400EV, but have clearly settled on one type...

The ones in-between are for London - they've exhausted the 82001-400 series so now just following on as 82506-42.

That's the thing - the VMSS and VMSL are in the 28xx and 29xx series! So for example, one batch of the former are VMSS2834-VMSS2843!

It's certainly unusual. I suspect the use of class codes becomes vital (in London, they've now begun using four-letter codes - such as VMSL and VMSS for different lengths of Volvo BZL single deck...).

But that's the thing - in Metroline fleets (both London and Manchester), the fleetnumbers are in one sequence regardless of type. So if 673 is the next number available, that's where the batch will start. The Metroline Manchester fleet began at 100 (TEH100) and has worked upward from there...

I suspect more StreetDecks are going for conversion (more have been withdrawn for conversion since all previously expected examples up to 71093 were identified), and Bath will get the ones in Westbus colours in time.