Going off topic a bit, but Central Connect appear to be making fast changes to Simonds - three new E20Ds arrived from the larger "group" order recently, services have been recast to make them more frequent and easier to understand, and one press release suggested new 'deckers were coming at the end of the year for the Diss-Bury St Edmunds service. It will certainly be interesting to see what vehicles arrive for the P&R work...
It appears to be the next stage of standardisation locally - E300s to Essex (presumably to congregate the type in the south-east at Essex) - and StreetLites replacing them (and presumably the E200s in time too) at Ipswich, leaving Ipswich an entirely Wright depot. I can only presume that Chelmsford will become entirely ADL in time as a result - it's certainly moving that way.
I believe they are on loan for additional contract work between now and Christmas - which presumably means they are to help provide cover for Bernard Matthews contract work (which happens most years as far as I can tell).
Ah OK
I believe some if not all MF22 plate streetdecks wil end up at Norwich when Weston Super Mare get their electrics.Ah OK
Do you think that any more of the NetworkNorwich ones will be on the move when the EV Conversion Streetdecks re-enter service? I've also heard that more Streetdecks may be on the move into Norwich from elsewhere.
Drivers have been known to take non-guided vehicles down the busway before, works fine as long as you're going slow enough.
It must be one of the most useless bits of guided busway ever. Any costs associated with a guided busway (for operator or council) for all of 100 metres. Surely someone must see the sense in just ripping up the guideway and just making it a normal busway/bus gate?
You have to remember that in it's day, it was regarded as an important trial of the concept in the UK. Of course, it now seems a bit pathetic and you'd certainly not build anything like it in these times; it would be a sump buster and/or ANPR controlled. However, I'm not certain that the costs of removal would be outweighed by any savings for the operator. It'll probably disappear in time.
Off the back of my post in another thread, quoted above…
The plan is that all the regional liveries will disappear except for open top services IIRC. Ipswich already has a purple Eclipse but like a lot of First fleets, there was a moratorium of repaints whilst they sorted out the livery AND there have been lots of cascades with Norwich colour branded vehicles now on other routes. It seems that FEC prioritised the repainting of those green ex Leeds vehicles as the most in need of a repaint rather than the ones in versions of Urban or in reds colours.
I suspect there will be many single-deck cascades across Essex/East Anglia once Basildon's electric fleet arrives later in the year. It was suggested previously that Ipswich were due more Streetlites at some point, to oust the oldest B7RLEs - I don't know if that's been overtaken by other plans or not.
1) I believe 67774 is currently awaiting repairs, the reliability of our E300s has never been great to say the least!
Whilst I'm not familiar with the intricacies of the guidewheels on the Kesgrave section, I'm surprised that there would be any issue with putting guidewheels on the newer B7RLEs. I've not heard of that issue in relation to Volvos (but have with Wright integrals) and they are able to fit guidewheels onto B7s and B8s elsewhere - something of a bespoke design???
I'm guessing this is a reference to the driver pictured engaging in a sexual act in Sprowston a year ago, and which First confirmed was no longer employed by the company not long after. I've seen it popping up again of late on social media and keep the posters are a bit behind the times!
