Seed vehicles

[W176 XMA]

So ADL have recently made "seed vehicles" of their new E400EV into each big group spec, which isn't something I've known to happen before, so I thought we could have a list of each one and where they currently are (not just E400s if others exist), I'd also be interested to know if this has been done before and with which vehicles

AR74 ZEB - Arriva, currently with Midlands
FB74 ZEB - First, currently with Yorkshire
SC74 ZEB - Stagecoach, currently with Scotland
GA74 ZEB - GoAhead, location unknown
NX74 ZEB - National Express, location unknown

 

[Leedsbusman]

So ADL have recently made "seed vehicles" of their new E400EV into each big group spec, which isn't something I've known to happen before, so I thought we could have a list of each one and where they currently are (not just E400s if others exist), I'd also be interested to know if this has been done before and with which vehicles

AR74 ZEB - Arriva, currently with Midlands
FB74 ZEB - First, currently with Yorkshire
SC74 ZEB - Stagecoach, currently with Scotland
GA74 ZEB - GoAhead, location unknown
NX74 ZEB - National Express, location unknown

Yes it’s happened many times before. First had four Streetlites as seed vehicles. I think at least one Streetdeck was too and an Evoseti double decker.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

So ADL have recently made "seed vehicles" of their new E400EV into each big group spec, which isn't something I've known to happen before, so I thought we could have a list of each one and where they currently are (not just E400s if others exist), I'd also be interested to know if this has been done before and with which vehicles

AR74 ZEB - Arriva, currently with Midlands
FB74 ZEB - First, currently with Yorkshire
SC74 ZEB - Stagecoach, currently with Scotland
GA74 ZEB - GoAhead, location unknown
NX74 ZEB - National Express, location unknown

Many times…

First received a Versa and a Solo SR, a Temsa Avenue, and four Streetlites. All but the Temsa had orders as a consequence and First bought the Streetlites.

 

[Citistar]

First Badgerline (now WoE) reportedly had a T-reg Volvo B6BLE/Wright on seed approval around 1998 for the launch of the Wiltshire 49 service, which would have been fine if the fuel tank on it had been big enough. I assume they bought/retained it afterwards as it stayed around for a long time after and was joined by a number of similar examples in Bristol on urban work.

 

[JD2168]

Yes it’s happened many times before. First had four Streetlites as seed vehicles. I think at least one Streetdeck was too and an Evoseti double decker.

The 4 StreetLite’s were originally numbered 47401-47404. After this they were all moved to South Yorkshire as 63038-63041. All are now at Doncaster except 63041 which is at First Rochdale.

The 2 Demonstrator StreetDecks are 35101-35102, the only ones within First Group to have the Gemini 2 style front end. 35101 is the only one with a glazed staircase. Both ended up at South Yorkshire. 35101 is currently in Leicester but has been having problems, 35102 had to go back to WrightBus the other year for roof repairs after an accident but is now in service still running from Olive Grove depot.

 

[EnviroExplorer]

So ADL have recently made "seed vehicles" of their new E400EV into each big group spec, which isn't something I've known to happen before, so I thought we could have a list of each one and where they currently are (not just E400s if others exist), I'd also be interested to know if this has been done before and with which vehicles

AR74 ZEB - Arriva, currently with Midlands
FB74 ZEB - First, currently with Yorkshire
SC74 ZEB - Stagecoach, currently with Scotland
GA74 ZEB - GoAhead, location unknown
NX74 ZEB - National Express, location unknown

GA74 ZEB will be operating with the South Coast division.
NX74 ZEB will be operating from Perry Barr depot in the West Midlands.

If memory serves me correctly, 4698 BX55XOA the first production Enviro 400 outside London, and 4697 YN55PXB the first Scania OmniCity double decker, were also seed vehicles for National Express. Both later became driver trainers, 4698 remains in use whilst 4697 has recently been withdrawn.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Perhaps the most famous seed vehicles were the ones received in 1978 by National Bus Company in the Potteries to evaluate against the Bristol VR. A low height Dennis Dominator and a Foden NC were run in competitive trials.

There were also some others in the mid 1980s to persuade the NBC to place orders (despite it being in the most volatile time and minibuses were in vogue) with a Lynx for Ribble, and United Auto having a GAC Rural Bus.

 

[chesterred16]

It's always been a thing in the haulage industry where I worked. Seed vehicles are semi-permanent fleet members, built to (or close to) your fleet spec, as opposed to demonstrators which you normally have for a couple of weeks and often have all the bells and whistles. They're placed by manufacturers for little or no cost, with a hope that you'll realise how good their product is and place orders. When I worked at Securicor we had a liveried DAF 85 seed truck as DAF were desperate to get in with us - the one major marque we didn't run. It didn't lead anywhere.

 

[37114]

Perhaps the most famous seed vehicles were the ones received in 1978 by National Bus Company in the Potteries to evaluate against the Bristol VR. A low height Dennis Dominator and a Foden NC were run in competitive trials.

There were also some others in the mid 1980s to persuade the NBC to place orders (despite it being in the most volatile time and minibuses were in vogue) with a Lynx for Ribble, and United Auto having a GAC Rural Bus.

There was also a Leyland DAB Tiger Cub for United B500MPY later sold to Jim Stones who had a similar vehicle.

 

[Steve440]

We had a Volvo B7RLE (YJ53 HVC) at First Bramley depot, originally un-numbered, it eventually became 66700. I drove it a few times on the 8/9 ring road route.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There was also a Leyland DAB Tiger Cub for United B500MPY later sold to Jim Stones who had a similar vehicle.

Indeed there was. A499MHG was the demo, B500MPY (United 1500) was the lone seed vehicle and was sold after an RTA and repaired by Jim Stones.

The Foden-NC was a selection of seed vehicles - as well as Potteries, think West Mids, South Yorks, West Yorks, and GM all had them but no orders culminated.

******

For clarity and for the purposes of this thread, we are defining seed vehicles as those that a manufacturer places with an operator on an extended trial rather a) a standard short term demonstrator or b) an experimental batch of vehicles that an operator purchases?

 

[GCH100]

The Foden-NC was a selection of seed vehicles - as well as Potteries, think West Mids, South Yorks, West Yorks, and GM all had them but no orders culminated.

******

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2024 ==

Derby City Transport also had a Foden NC, Nothern Counties, Greater Manchester had two examples, and there was a further example that wasn't finished and only had its lower deck finished and was sold to R. Bullock, Cheadle afterwards.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2024 ==

Derby City Transport also had a Foden NC, Nothern Counties, Greater Manchester had two examples, and there was a further example that wasn't finished and only had its lower deck finished and was sold to R. Bullock, Cheadle afterwards.

Thanks - I was relying on my fading memory

 

[Belfastmarty]

Of course, seed vehicles can sometimes have the opposite effect to what was desired. When Volvo replaced the popular B10BLE model with the B7L they produced a number of Wright bodied seed vehicles. Translink received one as fleetnumber 2023 (GCZ 9023), which was so uniformly awful it directed the companies future purchases to Scania. Other B7L seed buses were Bus Eireann VWL120 (01-C-3366), West Midlands 1481 (Y722 CJW), Arriva Kent Thameside D228 (Y228 CJW), Mainline 900 (Y900 FML), First Manchester 701 (Y774 TNC) and Go Gateshead 4874 (Y814 BOJ). Only FirstGroup made any further purchases, and even then in relatively limited numbers.