Sunday 28 October 2012

Huddersfield to Leeds via Wakefield with a little help from 803

On Saturday 27th me, Adam & Danny went into West Yorkshire and used the £5.20 WY Metro Day ticket for the first time. Overall it went well with most drivers been plesent and very nice indeed. All the Arriva Yorkshire drivers we're very nice a few looking and checking the ticket as ovcoruse it said First on it which they are entitled to do. Unfortunatly it was a First West Yorkshire Leeds driver that stood out. He was driving Optare Solo 53909 on the 18:48 departure of the Town Bus in Leeds from the Bus Station. When Danny asked him if he could let us know when we are at the rail station, He replyed sarcasticly "Its When you see big trains eh!" So we sat down and then again, Another man go on and asked can you tell me when we get to the train station please, Driver again sarcasticly said Errrr When you see Trains, Your there. Unfortunatly it was dark and we didn't, nor did the other man see any trains so it was a good job i have little knowlage of the Train station in Leeds and we did manage to get off.
Started the day on 36715 of Stagecoach Yorkshire. Then Northern Rails 144010 to Huddersfield and from there we got First West Yorkshire 32513 on the 324 to Lockwood and returned on 30946. Then we did Arriva Yorkshire VDL Wright Pulsar 1455 to Old Fieldhouse Ln and back to Huddersfield on Volvo B9TL Darwen Olympus 1804. Then we planned to get a 231 or 232 to Wakefield. The next one was a 232 so we waiting. Ooooo 803. Centrebus Leyland Olympian Northern Counties 803 K242CHB or better known as K3 YCL to me ovcoruse been from Barnsley and growing up with 'Tracky' (Yorkshire Traction Group) who owned this fine beasts for quite a time before ovcoruse Stagecoach took over and sent them up to the Waterloo depot in Huddersfield which they then sold to Centrebus (Huddersfield Bus Company) where 803 is the last one remaining today. They we're new to Yorkshire Coastliner. This was certainly one to remember and certainly a beast. Having traveled on it back with Tracky between Barnsley & Doncaster i was happy to get this fine motor yet again and really happy to see it still going stong. The driver was brilliant and gave it some over the moors of Emily. Just brillaint. Next up was Arriva Yorkshire lovely doubly 1112. A Volvo B7RLE Wright Eclipse Urban on the 127 to Ossett. Then we got VDL Wright Gemini 2 1534 to Dewsbury and from their Darwen 1810 to the White Rose Centre. There we
got one of First Leeds new (From the Olympics) Volvo B9TL Wright Gemini 2s. This was 36271 on the 3 into Leeds Centre where we met Liam and Jake and then got 36278 on a 51 towards Morley. At Elland Rd the Police had closed the road so we had to divert and ended up at White Rose Centre again where i joked, Shall we get off here then. But he didn't go into the bus station and we went back down and joined the correct route. There not bad but they arn't great and seem loud and weak for a Wright product of late. In Morley Arriva Yorkshire Optare Spectra 723 was waiting with a 427 to Wakefield. We got this to Wakefield and 627 on the 446 to Oulton. Then we got a 189 to Leeds which was Volvo B7 Alexander ALX400 662. Then we got Town Bus 53909 with the not so nice driver. As aforementioned he should have an attitude like that driving a bus in Town Leeds, A popular tourist city in the UK. Then after a run throught Leeds Railway Station with its stupid ticket barriers that really don't need to be there because you could always employ men to do the job who are much better anyway because they don't eat tickets... I could go on. After a short run from one side to platform 17 where the train was we got 158843. I got off in Barnsley and then got 47288 home. Great day overall.

Thursday 18 October 2012

Trying out some Scania!

Well the Scanias are all now in service at Barnsley and they are:
28671 YN62FVD
28672 YN62FVH
28673 YN62FVJ
28674 YN62FVV
28675 YN62FXR
28676 YN62FXT
28677 YN62FXU
28678 YN62FXW


I have travelled on 28673/7. 28673 was operating route 1 (Barnsley-Staincross) & 28677 28 (Barnsley-Hemsworth-Pontefract). Both we're very nice and ran well. I got the feeling on 28673 that it hadn't setted in well but been its first day in service i was not supprised at this. 28677 performed much better overall but this had been going 2 days when i got it yesterday. They are comparable to the bacth at Worksop depot (28611-20) which are used in the Rotherham-Worksop and Doncaster areas mainly. I will get some more of these fine motors on Saturday hopefully. They are again Scania K230UB which is a great chassis and they are certainly built well. The ADL Enviro 300 body works well and its stylish too, Overall Scania K230UB ADL Enviro 300s are quallity vehicles and i really do like them but as everything else they have flaws. Firstly the head room on the back row... Now im not too tall but as i found out on a Worksop one, Head doesn't fit here does it brain... no it f*%king hurt that... Thankfully i didn't do that this time but i did sit on the back of both vehicles i traveled on in Barnsley. Overall the Scanias are great... Nuff said :)

Monday 15 October 2012

Half't Scanias are go

Well this morning 4 of 8 Scania K230 ADL Enviro 300 have enterd service in Barnsley. I am told 2 were operating X19 (Barnsley-Doncaster-Finningley Airport)/ X28 (Barnsley-Hemsworth-Pontefract), 1 did the 222 (Barnsley-Wath-Doncaster) and the other found use on the 32 (Barnsley-Cudworth Crown Ave). This one was 28678 which decided to make an entrance into the bus station just as i boarded ADL Enviro 200 36714... I will try and get some photos and film on Wednesday and if not then Saturday.

Keep an eye out for more updates

Monday 8 October 2012

First South Yorkshire Update

Recently there has been transfers in and around First South Yorkshire, These include:
Leeds to Sheffield:
Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400 - 30846/61/2/30937/8
Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini - 37021-35
Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini - 37103-22

Sheffield to Rotherham:
Dennis Dart Marshall Capital - 41780-7
Volvo B7L Wright Eclipse Urban - 60729-41
Volvo B10BLE Wright Renown - 60798-806
Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400 - 30564-78

Leeds to Rotherham:
Volvo B7TL Alexander ALX400 - 31142-5

The Sheffield-Rotherham transfers may or may not happen but they should replace all the Olympians and all the Dennis Dart Super Pointers which are suffering serious chassis rot and recent repaints include:

At Doncaster- 31786/37500/8

At Sheffield- 33030/41/32955/7/31137-41/32308-11/32215-9/60630-2/69012/7/8

Monday 1 October 2012

Local Fleet Changes - September 12

First South Yorkshire:
From Leeds are 30907/8/37021/4/9/30/2/4/5/37103-5/111-3/5-7/9/22 and there allocated and deliverd to Olive Grove depot for routes 47/48 (Shiregreen-Sheffield-Herdings) and 51 (Lodge Moor-Sheffield-Charnock) allowing 41780/2/5/7/30577/8/876/
60729/31/3/5/8/40/1/3/60799/800/2/4/5 to Rotherham from Olive Grove. I will update next month when the big movement has taken place to its full extent. All the Wright Eclipse Geminis from Leeds came with Leeds brandings and one even managed to arrive showing X84 Skipton. The latist buses came in two convoys on Saturday and were all in the Depot by 3pm on Saturday Afternoon. The photo shows 3 of the convoy from outside Olive Grove Depot.

Stagecoach Yorkshire:
The 14 new ADL Enviro 200 Dart are 36713-26 (YN62BHW/X/Y/JU/X/OV/DU/FE/HF/LX/MY/
NA/D/E) and are allocated to Barnsley (36713-8) and Holbrook (36719-26) for routes 1 (Barnsley-Mapplewell-Staincross) and 25 (Bradway-Sheffield-Woodhouse) respectivly. Due here are 8 Scania ADL Enviro 300 for Barnsley routes X19 (Barnsley-Doncaster-Doncaster Finningley Airport) and X28 (Barnsley-Hemsworth-Pontefract). All Vehicles that were out on Olympic movments have now returned including internal transfers.

Tate's Travel:
Demonstated here was Optare Solo SR (YJ11OJK) and it was used on route 34/34A (Barnsley-Shafton-Cudworth-Barnsley). ADL Enviro 200 Darts 1101/1121 (VP10JPT/YN12HNH) have become YX10TAT and YX12TAT respectfully the change occuring the second Saturday in September.