First Wells Depot

[THarris123]

42905 in its tatty Barbie must stick out like a sore thumb among the smart Mendip Explorers!

It's nice to see something different in Wells and lovely hearing a dart go past the door.

 

[Whiteway215]

It's nice to see something different in Wells and lovely hearing a dart go past the door.

42905 was back working in Bath-seen 0730 in bus station this morning.
32007 promoted this evening-working the U1 among the 400MMCs.

 

[THarris123]

42905 was back working in Bath-seen 0730 in bus station this morning.
32007 promoted this evening-working the U1 among the 400MMCs.

Yes 42905 went back to Bath early last week. 42939 came down to swap with 66721 (went for MOT) and then went back to Bath on Friday. It was seen working on 1 last night.

 

[Whiteway215]

Yes 42905 went back to Bath early last week. 42939 came down to swap with 66721 (went for MOT) and then went back to Bath on Friday. It was seen working on 1 last night.

42939 back in Bath today.

 

[THarris123]

On 376 today: 35161, 35163, 35166, 35167, 69439, another B7RLE and 32283.

4 Streetdecks off the road today, totalling 3 breakdowns with 35165 still in Bristol.

 

[Whiteway215]

On 376 today: 35161, 35163, 35166, 35167, 69439, another B7RLE and 32283.

4 Streetdecks off the road today, totalling 3 breakdowns with 35165 still in Bristol.

Bath should have at least three spare buses for Wells to borrow following the end of the uni term last Friday and the finish of the U2 service (unless anything has been transferred out of Bath). I guess it's too early to know if the U2 will survive and run again in the autumn term.

 

[ValleyLines142]

On 376 today: 35161, 35163, 35166, 35167, 69439, another B7RLE and 32283.

4 Streetdecks off the road today, totalling 3 breakdowns with 35165 still in Bristol.

What is 32283 doing in Wells?

 

[THarris123]

What is 32283 doing in Wells?

Covering breakdowns.

 

[swifty]

On 376 today: 35161, 35163, 35166, 35167, 69439, another B7RLE and 32283.

4 Streetdecks off the road today, totalling 3 breakdowns with 35165 still in Bristol.

35164 back out on the 376 this morning.

 

[THarris123]

35164 back out on the 376 this morning.

You didn't happen to pass me? I saw 35164 heading out on 376 to Street 9.49 and had just got on 35166 to Bristol.

Only saw 1 B7 out on 376 today though

 

[swifty]

You didn't happen to pass me? I saw 35164 heading out on 376 to Street 9.49 and had just got on 35166 to Bristol.

Only saw 1 B7 out on 376 today though

Probably not I'd just come out of Temple Meads on an 8 and was following it to the bus station.

 

[THarris123]

Probably not I'd just come out of Temple Meads on an 8 and was following it to the bus station.

Very unlikely then

 

[Whiteway215]

What is 32283 doing in Wells?

32283 was back in Bath today.Did it stay for Glastonbury?

 

[THarris123]

32283 was back in Bath today.Did it stay for Glastonbury?

Not sure. 66992 is still down in Wells, so might have swapped.

 

[Whiteway215]

Not sure. 66992 is still down in Wells, so might have swapped.

66992 working in Bath today but what I think was 66993 traveling along WM seafront on Wednesday.

 

[THarris123]

66992 working in Bath today but what I think was 66993 traveling along WM seafront on Wednesday.

These and darts keep popping down to Wells, mostly covering either breakdowns or maintenance work.

One of the pink B7s has been on 175 a couple of days this week and 66993 was on 126 last Saturday.

 

[Private Baxter]

These and darts keep popping down to Wells, mostly covering either breakdowns or maintenance work.

One of the pink B7s has been on 175 a couple of days this week and 66993 was on 126 last Saturday.

66993 is in Wells and was working the 175 yesterday. Wells bus station was rather colourful yesterday afternoon as said bus came in to bay 5 with a 175, whilst blue liveried 69444 was waiting with a 126 and green liveried Bridgwater based 69013 waiting to go back on a 75. That pink bus still doesn't look quite right in Wells though!
I was at the main bus stop in Shepton in the morning, the bus stop sign still displaying services 161/162 to Wells and 901 to Wincanton! 161 became the 175 last year, whilst the 162 hasn't run since September 2010! Can't remember when the 901 disappeared but I think it was a similar sort of time.

 

[THarris123]

66993 is in Wells and was working the 175 yesterday. Wells bus station was rather colourful yesterday afternoon as said bus came in to bay 5 with a 175, whilst blue liveried 69444 was waiting with a 126 and green liveried Bridgwater based 69013 waiting to go back on a 75. That pink bus still doesn't look quite right in Wells though!
I was at the main bus stop in Shepton in the morning, the bus stop sign still displaying services 161/162 to Wells and 901 to Wincanton! 161 became the 175 last year, whilst the 162 hasn't run since September 2010! Can't remember when the 901 disappeared but I think it was a similar sort of time.

There's others on the other stop at the Cenotaph. Think one is 776 Somerbus.
Chamberlain Street in Wells is still showing 174 to Churchill Road.

 

[THarris123]

66355 was down Wells for over a week and went back over the weekend. 42906 and another dart came down instead. The other dart went back yesterday. 42906 was on 175 yesterday and on Baths today and ending its day on 19.50 172 to Bath.

Rumours go that 66355 may become a permanent transfer in September. With 126 coming over to Wells there are also rumours that the Badger bus will head over temporarily from Weston.

 

[Private Baxter]

66355 was down Wells for over a week and went back over the weekend. 42906 and another dart came down instead. The other dart went back yesterday. 42906 was on 175 yesterday and on Baths today and ending its day on 19.50 172 to Bath.

Rumours go that 66355 may become a permanent transfer in September. With 126 coming over to Wells there are also rumours that the Badger bus will head over temporarily from Weston.

The final 126 board should mean only one extra bus is really required, and though I appreciate nothing is confirmed, a 54 reg B7 is the most sensible option, my personal preference being 66726. Why would it only be a temporary move?

 

[THarris123]

The final 126 board should mean only one extra bus is really required, and though I appreciate nothing is confirmed, a 54 reg B7 is the most sensible option, my personal preference being 66726. Why would it only be a temporary move?

As one of the other 54 regs would move over (having been painted in Mendip Xplorer)

 

[Private Baxter]

As one of the other 54 regs would move over (having been painted in Mendip Xplorer)

Ah ok. So are you suggesting 66355 will be joining alongside a 54 plate B7?

 

[THarris123]

Ah ok. So are you suggesting 66355 will be joining alongside a 54 plate B7?

I have no idea. These are only rumours I'm hearing at the moment.

 

[D2007wsm]

66355 was down Wells for over a week and went back over the weekend. 42906 and another dart came down instead. The other dart went back yesterday. 42906 was on 175 yesterday and on Baths today and ending its day on 19.50 172 to Bath.

Rumours go that 66355 may become a permanent transfer in September. With 126 coming over to Wells there are also rumours that the Badger bus will head over temporarily from Weston.

Staff in Weston have been saying 66726 will be staying in Weston, with presumably one of the other B7s transferring over with the 126 board and being Mendip Explorered to promote the common brand with possibly another to act as a spare vehicle. The B7s are now really out of place in Weston, with the 7s and country work supposed to be Streetlites. The only service they are particularly useful for is the X5 if a decker isn't available or the 20s during the winter.

 

[Private Baxter]

Staff in Weston have been saying 66726 will be staying in Weston, with presumably one of the other B7s transferring over with the 126 board and being Mendip Explorered to promote the common brand with possibly another to act as a spare vehicle. The B7s are now really out of place in Weston, with the 7s and country work supposed to be Streetlites. The only service they are particularly useful for is the X5 if a decker isn't available or the 20s during the winter.

Yes, the X5 does seem to be the regular route now for the B7s, as well as of course the 126. Wonder if any will get painted orange.

 

[D2007wsm]

Yes, the X5 does seem to be the regular route now for the B7s, as well as of course the 126. Wonder if any will get painted orange.

I wouldn't have thought any of the B7s will be Exceled the ultimate intention is for the Excel fleet to comprise of the E400s and Streetlites. X1/X2/X3/X4/X5/X6/X7 operated by the E400s and the odd B7 Gemini with the X8/X9 operated by Streetlites.

The B7s only operate on the X5 as a last resort as the X5 is supposed to be decker operated, the B7s usually only appear on the X5 when there is a shortage of deckers or on a Sunday when demand is lower.

The B7s at the moment apart from 66726 on the 126 generally live on 7s, to free up Streetlites to operate on the higher numbered Excel branded routes as the B7s are too long for the Locking Castle section of the X7 ad all of these currently interwork.

The other week though with the night time closure of Farleigh on the A370, 66726 was operating a lot on the X1/X2/X3/X4 so it could get under Nailsea and Backwell railway bridge at night on the diversion. This saved the need for having to swap from a decker to a single in the evening.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yes, the X5 does seem to be the regular route now for the B7s, as well as of course the 126. Wonder if any will get painted orange.

I would've thought the X9 would have been a reasonable shout (after all, it had B7Ls on it for long enough); however, can't remember what (if anything) it interworks with and the B7RLEs are now getting on a bit and not what you'd want for a relaunched service.

There again, the ex Plymouth e400s are hardly in the first flush.

66726 would be a sensible candidate to move across to WS having already been refurbished though perhaps they want 100% MEx at WS and so another vehicle gets a long overdue refurb?

EDIT: D2007 was typing at same time so take the point on interworking

2nd edit: two B7RLEs should go when the e200mmc for the A3 appear and displace Streetlites?

 

[Private Baxter]

126 is the best service for 66726 in my opinion, though purely for heritage reasons rather than any practical reasons. Should it stay in Weston, wonder where which route it will do.

What is the current pvr of the X9? I think there are fifteen streetlites there at the moment and my prediction is that once the 18 is withdrawn in Bristol, the remaining 64 reg ones at LH will head over to WM, thus heaving enough streetlites for 7, X9 and A3.
(As a side note I also predict that the 19A will be renumbered 18 at some point too, though not straight away, but I digress...)

 

[THarris123]

I wouldn't have thought any of the B7s will be Exceled the ultimate intention is for the Excel fleet to comprise of the E400s and Streetlites. X1/X2/X3/X4/X5/X6/X7 operated by the E400s and the odd B7 Gemini with the X8/X9 operated by Streetlites.

The B7s only operate on the X5 as a last resort as the X5 is supposed to be decker operated, the B7s usually only appear on the X5 when there is a shortage of deckers or on a Sunday when demand is lower.

The B7s at the moment apart from 66726 on the 126 generally live on 7s, to free up Streetlites to operate on the higher numbered Excel branded routes as the B7s are too long for the Locking Castle section of the X7 ad all of these currently interwork.

The other week though with the night time closure of Farleigh on the A370, 66726 was operating a lot on the X1/X2/X3/X4 so it could get under Nailsea and Backwell railway bridge at night on the diversion. This saved the need for having to swap from a decker to a single in the evening.

At a guess I'd say that 66726 will move to Bath, 66723/4 will move to Wells and be painted into Mendip Xplorer and the remainder of Weston B7RLEs will move back to Bristol.

Then the Streetlites from 18/A will move to Weston and together with the reduction in PVR on 3, will displace the E200s to Bath, replacing solos.

Out of interest how is X1-X9 interworked at the moment and how will it be worked in September? How do the drivers work it? Might we see E400s on X1-X4, X6 and X9 and all of that interworked? Then Streetlites on X7 and a few spare E400s on X5?

 

[D2007wsm]

At a guess I'd say that 66726 will move to Bath, 66723/4 will move to Wells and be painted into Mendip Xplorer and the remainder of Weston B7RLEs will move back to Bristol.

Then the Streetlites from 18/A will move to Weston and together with the reduction in PVR on 3, will displace the E200s to Bath, replacing solos.

Out of interest how is X1-X9 interworked at the moment and how will it be worked in September? How do the drivers work it? Might we see E400s on X1-X4, X6 and X9 and all of that interworked? Then Streetlites on X7 and a few spare E400s on X5?

Currently:

X1/X2/X3/X3A/X4 interwork with E400s/B7 Geminis, with drivers generally doing a Weston-Bristol-Portishead-Bristol-Weston circuit, however this varies at night and on Sundays.

X6/X7/X8/X9 interwork with each bus doing a mixture of the. These can be E400s, B7 Geminis or Streetlites. The only sure thing is a card which has an X8 on it will be a Streetlite. The drivers on these usually start and finish on an X7 with an X6, X9 and break in Bristol in between.

I think the aim in September is for the X1/X2/X3/X3A/X4 to interwork as they are, X6/X7 to work together with deckers and X8/X9 together with Stteetlites.

With regards to which B7 to Wells I think it will be 2 Barbie examples to be Mendip Explorerd. 66725 could go to Marlborough Street.

I don't think the 3s will see a drop in PVR as the entire route will be every 15 mins with adequate layovers. I person the A3 Streetlites will be Excelled for country work.