TfGM Bee Network - fleet discussion

[Bovverboy]

Aren't some being used by Queens Road on Manchester City Centre free services?

 

[W176 XMA]

Aren't some being used by Queens Road on Manchester City Centre free services?

13175-79/81

 

[Class 466]

There were also only a couple out yesterday so maybe something is happening with them

Nothing is happening with them. They’re just not allocated as much at weekends.

 

[mattyharding]

Nothing is happening with them. They’re just not allocated as much at weekends.

Usually they run the 350s and 348s on weekends but not this weekend

 

[M60lad]

Also its School Summer holidays so this is the time of year when any major maintenance/MOT's etc are usually done as less vehicles are needed when Schools are off.

Also not to sure which one it was but I went past Rock Ferry Depot on Saturday afternoon and noticed a rubbed down Oldham E300 parked inside the Depot ready for repaint.

 

[mattyharding]

Also its School Summer holidays so this is the time of year when any major maintenance/MOT's etc are usually done as less vehicles are needed when Schools are off.

Also not to sure which one it was but I went past Rock Ferry Depot on Saturday afternoon and noticed a rubbed down Oldham E300 parked inside the Depot ready for repaint.

True but they mostly use the same timetable

 

[Class 466]

True but they mostly use the same timetable

Minus a load of School services and some service extensions that require additional vehicles most of the year.

 

[mayneway]

Apart from the god awful seats on the EvoSetis surely it can’t be that bad right?

I haven’t driven the Evosetti’s since they left Queens Road but they were a mixed bunch. Some drove really nicely others were shocking, very much like the B5 hybrids. You would pull out from a junction or roundabout and all of a sudden would loose all power and be down to a crawl. Some massively lacked power when climbing hills (not ideal for the 163) and they were badly converted from dual to single door. It sure of the ins and outs of it all but the electrics were not modified properly so you’d often get a constant alarm in the cab telling you the centre door was open when it doesn’t have one

Better to drive than the B5’s overall though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==

There just 2 Oldham B5LHs out right now does anyone know what is happening to these

View attachment 186505

There’s been a couple knocking about on 348/350 over the last week or so in terrible condition. One seemed to struggle changing gear when leaving Ashton Interchange and the other seemed to struggle going over 10mph.
The ones on the freebus don’t seem much better!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==

Also not to sure which one it was but I went past Rock Ferry Depot on Saturday afternoon and noticed a rubbed down Oldham E300 parked inside the Depot ready for repaint.

Not unusual considering Rock Ferry have painted most of the E300’s and MMC’s out of livery and into yellow.

 

[mattyharding]

I haven’t driven the Evosetti’s since they left Queens Road but they were a mixed bunch. Some drove really nicely others were shocking, very much like the B5 hybrids. You would pull out from a junction or roundabout and all of a sudden would loose all power and be down to a crawl. Some massively lacked power when climbing hills (not ideal for the 163) and they were badly converted from dual to single door. It sure of the ins and outs of it all but the electrics were not modified properly so you’d often get a constant alarm in the cab telling you the centre door was open when it doesn’t have one

Better to drive than the B5’s overall though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==


There’s been a couple knocking about on 348/350 over the last week or so in terrible condition. One seemed to struggle changing gear when leaving Ashton Interchange and the other seemed to struggle going over 10mph.
The ones on the freebus don’t seem much better!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==


Not unusual considering Rock Ferry have painted most of the E300’s and MMC’s out of livery and into yellow.

I was on one from Ashton on my way home from Oldham (13180) it struggled out of Ashton and I've been on a few that have broke down on me

 

[GCH100]

The Enviro E400's that are displaced from Go North West Wigan are transfering to Denton Depot for schools, so does that mean more school boards have been picked up, or are they replacing something there??? 3117 has already gone to Bolton for prep work for this.

 

[mayneway]

The Enviro E400's that are displaced from Go North West Wigan are transfering to Denton Depot for schools, so does that mean more school boards have been picked up, or are they replacing something there??? 3117 has already gone to Bolton for prep work for this.

Wasn’t there a few Evosetti’s at Denton before the kids finished? I’d imagine it’s like a 3 way swap but I’m sure @Leyland Bus will confirm.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==

I was on one from Ashton on my way home from Oldham (13180) it struggled out of Ashton and I've been on a few that have broke down on me

Yeah the gear changes on some sound terrible and they seem to either go through gears really quickly or stick in one for two long. There was only one decent B5 at Queens road and that was 3007 an absolute rocket.

 

[mattyharding]

Wasn’t there a few Evosetti’s at Denton before the kids finished? I’d imagine it’s like a 3 way swap but I’m sure @Leyland Bus will confirm.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==


Yeah the gear changes on some sound terrible and they seem to either go through gears really quickly or stick in one for two long. There was only one decent B5 at Queens road and that was 3007 an absolute rocket.

Sometimes the bus revs up when stationary which leads to the bus to limp for a bit and breaks down, what causes that

 

[M60lad]

From what I can gather the ex Oxford Hybrid Gemini B5s are in a far better condition and perform better than the ones that were new to Queens Road Depot the ex Oxford ones even climb hills better than some of the other B5s.

 

[Class 466]

From what I can gather the ex Oxford Hybrid Gemini B5s are in a far better condition and perform better than the ones that were new to Queens Road Depot the ex Oxford ones even climb hills better than some of the other B5s.

We'll ignore the screaming sound the engines make on a number of the ex-oxford B5s, I'm sure it's nothing more than a character trait

 

[mayneway]

We'll ignore the screaming sound the engines make on a number of the ex-oxford B5s, I'm sure it's nothing more than a character trait

Pretty sure out of the 5 at queens road at least two have had new turbos and one had a seized engine that had to be replaced so they’re not that better.

 

[xitz2012@gmail]

Ex Wigan Enviro400 3117 (SN61BKJ) appears to have moved to Heywood and is in use on the 163 currently - does anyone know if this is a one off, or have plans changed and are those enviros going to be replacing the 60 plate B9TLs on the 163?

 

[mayneway]

Ex Wigan Enviro400 3117 (SN61BKJ) appears to have moved to Heywood and is in use on the 163 currently - does anyone know if this is a one off, or have plans changed and are those enviros going to be replacing the 60 plate B9TLs on the 163?

Thought the Evosetti’s were going to heywood for the 163?

 

[toms]

Ex Wigan Enviro400 3117 (SN61BKJ) appears to have moved to Heywood and is in use on the 163 currently - does anyone know if this is a one off, or have plans changed and are those enviros going to be replacing the 60 plate B9TLs on the 163?

Are the seats even any better on those ex London e400s? I swear they are the same as the evosetis

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thought the Evosetti’s were going to heywood for the 163?

Just get them off the V1, that’s all I ask.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Aug 2025 ==

Are the seats even any better on those ex London e400s? I swear they are the same as the evosetis

The E400s are a mixed bag at the moment. The ex London ones are just horrendous. Some have the lovely new seats that the Wright Streetdecks have, and others have the bog standard seat you see on most late 2000s/2010s Stagecoach buses.

 

[Leyland Bus]

Wasn’t there a few Evosetti’s at Denton before the kids finished? I’d imagine it’s like a 3 way swap but I’m sure @Leyland Bus will confirm.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Aug 2025 ==


Yeah the gear changes on some sound terrible and they seem to either go through gears really quickly or stick in one for two long. There was only one decent B5 at Queens road and that was 3007 an absolute rocket.

There's quite the "musical chairs" happening at the moment, the last of the Diamond liveried Citaros are moving to Denton to replace older models shortly. As the school holidays draw to an end, the music will stop!

 

[mayneway]

The E400s are a mixed bag at the moment. The ex London ones are just horrendous. Some have the lovely new seats that the Wright Streetdecks have, and others have the bog standard seat you see on most late 2000s/2010s Stagecoach buses.

The worst of the lot has to be the ex First examples from Queens rd. Absolutely awful buses to drive with jerky gearbox’s, constant derate/lack of power and just generally god awful.

 

[Class 466]

B9TL 3285 (LJ61GWF) now has guide wheels fitted for the busway.

 

[Goldfish62]

Are the seats even any better on those ex London e400s? I swear they are the same as the evosetis

The ex-London E400s will have the same Rowan Telmac "Telford" seats as on the Evosetis. They were a favourite of GoAhead London for a good few years. Rowan Telmac went bust after producing the seats for the Borismasters.

 

[Leyland Bus]

B9TL 3285 (LJ61GWF) now has guide wheels fitted for the busway.

Ahh... the cats out the bag!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

B9TL 3285 (LJ61GWF) now has guide wheels fitted for the busway.

Ahh... the cats out the bag!

What? Why?

 

[Class 466]

What? Why?

I mean they have more comfortable seats than an EvoSeti (they’re the same design as stagecoach spec interior Enviro 400s) so I’d rather travel on it -yes, I have just said something good about a B9 in Manchester, the world is almost certainly going to end now…

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I mean they have more comfortable seats than an EvoSeti (they’re the same design as stagecoach spec interior Enviro 400s) so I’d rather travel on it -yes, I have just said something good about a B9 in Manchester, the world is almost certainly going to end now…

True, but I can bet they won’t be used in place of EvilSetis, most likely in place of the lovely Vantage BLHs More and more very average buses saturating the V1 - if they at least had a decent high quality interior like the Streetdeck Electroliners or Enviro400EV it wouldn’t be so infuriating.

 

[toms]

I mean they have more comfortable seats than an EvoSeti (they’re the same design as stagecoach spec interior Enviro 400s) so I’d rather travel on it -yes, I have just said something good about a B9 in Manchester, the world is almost certainly going to end now…

If they do get a refurb and a tidy up they’ll be even nicer

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is this a one off?

 

[MCRTransitYT]

True, but I can bet they won’t be used in place of EvilSetis, most likely in place of the lovely Vantage BLHs More and more very average buses saturating the V1

Is this a one off?

There's 7 LJ61s, however 3288 was already at bolton bringing it down to 6. There are 6 yellow evosetis not currently at Heywood, being 3051/2/3, 3062/3 and 3068.