Fleet Archive 2019 10 November 2019 Repaints last week included Wright StreetDeck 6301 (NK16 BXA) into the 2019 fleet livery and former East Yorkshire Volvo B5TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 796 (BF63 HDC) into the generic grey/charcoal Xlines livery. This vehicle is now numbered 6334 within the Go North East fleet. The three new ADL Trident 2/ADL Enviro 400MMCs for Consett – 6338, 6339 and 6340 – entered service at Consett on Saturday 9 November 2019, having been treated to a partial repaint at the rear into a darker green base livery at Thorntons prior to entering service. A publicity launch took place at Tanfield Railway to mark the investment on Sunday 10 November. As a result, the four East Lancs OmniDekka bodied Scania N94UDs have been displaced as follows - 6123 and 6128 Consett to Saltmeadows - 6136 Consett to Riverside - 6162 Consett to Chester-le-Street As 6337 (YY64 GWX) is not yet ready to enter service, Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekka 6137 (GX03 SVF) has transferred from Saltmeadows to Consett. The four similar examples allocated previously were due safety inspection this week and therefore could not remain at Consett. Due to the return of the buses which temporarily transferred to Consett, 6164 (YN54 AOP) has now been withdrawn from service at Saltmeadows Road for paint preparation. The final V-reg Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL in the fleet, 6033 (V233 LGC), has now been withdrawn from service at Riverside due to MOT expiry. 3 November 2019 Repaints last week included Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicity 5273 (NK56 KKJ) into the 2019 fleet livery and former East Yorkshire ADL Trident 2/ADL Enviro 400MMC 794 (YX64 VOO) into the generic grey/charcoal Xlines livery. This vehicle is now numbered 6336 within the Go North East fleet. The three open-top format Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TLs at Percy Main – 3997, 3998 and 3999 – have been temporarily delicensed over the winter season. Mercedes-Benz 516CDI Sprinter/EVM VS30 Cityline 729 (NK69 FAA) is now in service at Riverside. Scania L94UB/Wright Solars withdrawn are 5224 (NK54 NVX) from Riverside due to a PVR reduction on “Loop” services 93/94, 5228 (NK54 NWB) from Riverside due to the entry into service of the new ADL Enviro200 vehicles on “Green Arrow” service 97, and 5229 (NK55 OLG) from Percy Main due to the return from refurbishment of most of the Volvo B9 on “Cobalt & Coast” services 309/310. 27 October 2019 Repaints last week included Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekka 6162 (YN04 GJK) into the 2019 fleet livery and Optare Solo M880/Optare 704 (YJ10 MFK) into Little Coasters livery. ADL Enviro 200MMC 5488 (NK69 FAU) has now been delivered, and is undergoing preparation for service at Saltmeadows Road; whilst 5493, 5494, 5496 and 5497 have now entered service at Riverside. Withdrawn as a consequence are Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 4944 (NK51 OLH) and Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicity 5234 (NK56 KHB), 5235 (NK56 KHC) and 5237 (NK56 KHE). The latter three are expected to transfer to East Yorkshire imminently. Due to delay of the three new ADL Enviro 400MMCs entering service at Consett; a further swap of Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekkas have taken place in line with vehicle safety inspections being completed, with 6122, 6124, 6125 and 6138 returning to Saltmeadows from Consett, and 6123, 6128 and 6136 taking their place at Consett from Saltmeadows. Ex-Brighton & Hove Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekka 6162 (YN04 GJK) has also now entered service, temporarily at Consett. Similar 6163 (YN54 AOM) has been taken out of service from the Saltmeadows Road school fleet to be repainted. Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekkas 3995, 3996 and 6131 have now transferred from Percy Main to Riverside to operate the private scholars contract 850/851. Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 5217 (NK54 NVN) has been sold for preservation to the Northern National Restoration Group. 20 October 2019 Repaints last week included former East Yorkshire ADL Trident 2/ADL Enviro 400MMC 795 (YY64 GWX) into the generic grey/charcoal Xlines livery. This vehicle is now numbered 6337 within the Go North East fleet. The delivery of new vehicles continues, with the latest being Mercedes-Benz 516CDI Sprinter/EVM VS30 Cityline 729 (NK69 FAA). As such, 9071 (BU55 EVM) has been returned to EVM following its loan period to Go North East. Further new ADL Enviro 200MMCs into service at Riverside are 5491 and 5498. This has allowed for the withdrawal of Scania CN230UB/Scania Omnicity 5236 (NK56 KHD) from the fleet at Riverside, which was subsequently transferred to East Yorkshire along with the return of Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL 9073 (MF51 LZX) following its loan period to Go North East. Further pre-owned buses acquired from East Yorkshire include ADL Trident 2/ADL Enviro 400MMC 794 (YX64 VOO) and Volvo B5TL/Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 796 (BF63 HDC). They have been re-numbered 6336 and 6334 respectively. East Yorkshire 797 (BX14 SYT) will also be amalgamated into the Go North East fleet soon. As driving colleagues have faced issues navigating the vehicles around the route on the private scholars contract they have been allocated to at Riverside, long wheelbase Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekkas 6167 (YN56 FFG), 6168 (YN56 FFH) and 6169 (YN56 FFJ) have transferred to Percy Main. After the school holidays, they will be swapped for three short wheelbase examples in the short-term, but the longer-term plan is to repaint the three black examples allocated to this route previously, when there is a gap in the paint schedule to accommodate this. Alternative plans are being reviewed to combat the high passenger loadings (which was the reason for the allocation of the longer vehicles from September). 13 October 2019 Repaints last week included Wright StreetDeck 6332 (NK67 GOA) into the blue variant of the Xlines livery. ADL Enviro 200MMC 5498 (NK69 FBN), which was displayed at the ADL stand at Coach & Bus UK, held at the NEC, Birmingham, on 2 - 3 October 2019, has now been delivered. This bus carries the 2019 fleet livery and will be the spare bus for the “Green Arrow” 97 route. The three new ADL Enviro400MMC vehicles for “X-lines” service X30 have also been delivered. These are: - 6338 (YX69 NPA), which surrendered its original registration (NK69 FAJ) prior to delivery. - 6339 (YX69 NPC), which surrendered its original registration (NK69 FAM) prior to delivery. - 6340 (YX69 NPD), which surrendered its original registration (NK69 FAO) prior to delivery. All are currently being prepared for service at the Saltmeadows Road central bodyshop facility. They received different registration marks prior to delivery to allow the vehicles to be registered and taxed sooner, following delays to the tax on the Enviro200MMC vehicles. Although it was originally anticipated that Go North East would be able to re-register these vehicles to their originally intended registration marks with the local ‘NK’ identifier, the DVLA have since confirmed that this is not possible. Due to the delayed delivery of the Enviro400MMC vehicles, several temporary allocation changes have taken place, as changes were made to driver duties and boards based on the new double-deck buses being in service at Consett. This includes the entry into service of Scania N94UD/East Lancs OmniDekkas 6163, 6164, 6165 and 6166 at Saltmeadows Road in Brighton & Hove base livery, allowing similar 6122, 6124, 6125 and 6138 to transfer to Consett to operate service X30, pending the entry into service of the new vehicles. This has displaced Mercedes Citaro 0530N/Mercedes Citaro 5481 (HW07 CXR) to Riverside and 5482 (HW07 CXS), 5483 (HW07 CXT) and 5484 (HW07 CXU) to Deptford. Withdrawn as a result are Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Myllennium Vyking 3974 (PJ02 PZA) from Riverside, Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 4949 (NK51 OLP) from Deptford, and Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President 9073 (MF51 LZX) from Consett. Also withdrawn is Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 4989 (YN51 MKV) at Percy Main, temporarily replaced in the fleet by 636 (NK61 FXD) which has transferred in from Hexham following the end of the seasonal AD122 service. Similar 635 (NK61 FJP) is also in use at Consett over the winter season. The first four new vehicles for “Green Arrow” service 97 are now in service; these are 5489, 5490, 5492 and 5495. Withdrawn as a result are Scania L94UB/Wright Solar 4967 (NK53 UNT) and Optare Versa V1170 Hybrid 9084 (YJ64 DZM), the latter of which has now been returned to Optare following its loan period to Go North East. Several Wright Solar bodied Scania L94s have been sold. These are as follows: - 4938 (NK51 OKX) for scrap to Alpha Recovery, Weetslade. - 4941 (NK51 OLC) for scrap to Alpha Recovery, Weetslade - 4947 (NK51 OLN) for scrap to Alpha Recovery, Weetslade - 4948 (NK51 OLO) for scrap to Alpha Recovery, Weetslade - 5201 (NK54 NUU) to A-line Coaches, Pelaw. 6 October 2019 Repaints last week included Optare Solo SR M890/Optare 625 (NK11 HBB) into “Little Coasters” livery, and Wright StreetDeck 6306 (NK16 BXF) into the blue variant of the Xlines livery. New ADL Enviro 200MMC vehicles received for the “Green Arrow” 97 service are as follows: - 5491 (NK69 FBC) - 5493 (NK69 FBE) - 5496 (NK69 FBJ) - 5497 (NK69 FBL) All are currently being prepared for service at the Saltmeadows Road central bodyshop facility. The first of the two new Mercedes-Benz 516CDI Sprinter/EVM VS30 Cityline vehicles for the NHS contract has been delivered. Registered as NK69 FAF, this has been numbered 730 within the fleet at Go North East. It is currently undergoing preparation for service at Riverside. Notably; this vehicle was displayed at the EVM stand at Coach & Bus UK, held at the NEC, Birmingham, on 2 - 3 October 2019.