Go North East

[cnjb8]

Hello,
Apologies if this is already another thread.
Do you think that the loss of brands such as Whey Aye 5 o and Blaydon Racer was a bad thing?
Also, when are the Wright StreetDecks due? I've seen pictures of them in build but nothing about scheduled arrival.

 

[NewcastleOne]

Hello,
Apologies if this is already another thread.
Do you think that the loss of brands such as Whey Aye 5 o and Blaydon Racer was a bad thing?
Also, when are the Wright StreetDecks due? I've seen pictures of them in build but nothing about scheduled arrival.

The streetdecks were due late last year with 31 due but it is ‘believed’ that 9 will go to Oxford with one of the green X lines already there with pictures on the Oxford Chiltern page ( https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/Weekly nr 107 050620.html ).

With the recent loss of some brands I personally don’t think it’s a bad idea. Since 2019 Go North East has been introducing a new livery with a standard design for all brands which makes it more recognisable as a Go North East vehicle.

 

[cnjb8]

The streetdecks were due late last year with 31 due but it is ‘believed’ that 9 will go to Oxford with one of the green X lines already there with pictures on the Oxford Chiltern page ( https://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/Weekly nr 107 050620.html ).

With the recent loss of some brands I personally don’t think it’s a bad idea. Since 2019 Go North East has been introducing a new livery with a standard design for all brands which makes it more recognisable as a Go North East vehicle.

Does this mean some Solars will be retained?

 

[NewcastleOne]

Does this mean some Solars will be retained?

Highly unlikely as the Gemini 2s (14) off Red Arrows can fill the void plus service reductions depending on demand.

 

[cnjb8]

Highly unlikely as the Gemini 2s (14) off Red Arrows can fill the void plus service reductions depending on demand.

Ah yes

 

[Andyh82]

Hello,
Apologies if this is already another thread.
Do you think that the loss of brands such as Whey Aye 5 o and Blaydon Racer was a bad thing?
Also, when are the Wright StreetDecks due? I've seen pictures of them in build but nothing about scheduled arrival.

Yes because they’ve scrapped unique Geordie brands and are replacing them with generic Best Impressions brands that could be anywhere. GNE is going to end up looking like Trent Barton or Transdev

 

[Tetchytyke]

Yes because they’ve scrapped unique Geordie brands and are replacing them with generic Best Impressions brands that could be anywhere. GNE is going to end up looking like Trent Barton or Transdev

Come off it, most of the "brands" were rubbish, and plenty were generic (Red Arrows, Coaster, etc). The non-rubbish brands have stayed.

Compare the mess that was the original Pronto brand for the X20/X21 with X-Lines now, and tell me that Best Impressions is worse.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Come off it, most of the "brands" were rubbish, and plenty were generic (Red Arrows, Coaster, etc). The non-rubbish brands have stayed.

Compare the mess that was the original Pronto brand for the X20/X21 with X-Lines now, and tell me that Best Impressions is worse.

I agree that perhaps not most brands. Some of the ones were certainly less successful - Pronto was not great and the East Durham one (before IndiGo) was a bit naff too. Route 19 was especially bland. https://www.flickr.com/photos/77751...iw-paup4E-xFTzqc-TgGHDz-2iT9N6y-TeisEf-KhyvQP

Also, there was a branding for everything and it needed to be taken back a little.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Also, there was a branding for everything and it needed to be taken back a little.

I think that's what led to so many of them being so poor.

Highwayman, Lambton Worm, Magic Roundabout, Waggonway, North Tyne Links, Route19, See It Do It, West Durham Swift, Diamond. All pretty weak.

And the corporate branding for the remainder- a red bus with no detail, except Northern fleetnames, like they were some two bit independent- was even worse.

When you compare to that, a Best Impressions number is pretty good.

 

[cnjb8]

Hello,
Apologies if this is already another thread.
Do you think that the loss of brands such as Whey Aye 5 o and Blaydon Racer was a bad thing?
Also, when are the Wright StreetDecks due? I've seen pictures of them in build but nothing about scheduled arrival.

Also I did start a new thread for this discussion, but it seems to have morphed into the East Yorkshire thread. Sorry!

 

[Statto]

I think that's what led to so many of them being so poor.

Highwayman, Lambton Worm, Magic Roundabout, Waggonway, North Tyne Links, Route19, See It Do It, West Durham Swift, Diamond. All pretty weak.

And the corporate branding for the remainder- a red bus with no detail, except Northern fleetnames, like they were some two bit independent- was even worse.

When you compare to that, a Best Impressions number is pretty good.

What route was see it do it, that's got to be one of the weirdest brandings ever given to a route, mind you the others you mention are just as weird?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What route was see it do it, that's got to be one of the weirdest brandings ever given to a route, mind you the others you mention are just as weird?

Sunderland - Houghton - Chester le Street https://www.flickr.com/photos/14600...89-UYN2bQ-ZgBfHB-Ej1yWh-2iPPfpS-At5uiY-GVF8uh

 

[Tetchytyke]

What route was see it do it, that's got to be one of the weirdest brandings ever given to a route, mind you the others you mention are just as weird?

Some of them were just bizarre. The Magic Roundabout was actually an interesting livery, but what Ermintrude and Dougal the Dog had to do with a suburban route in Sunderland was quite beyond me:

 

[Statto]

Some of them were just bizarre. The Magic Roundabout was actually an interesting livery, but what Ermintrude and Dougal the Dog had to do with a suburban route in Sunderland was quite beyond me:

You wonder if the marketing department was on acid when they came up with the names for some of those routes.

See it do it, is even more bizarre given the route it was given to, the equivalent of X18 Newcastle-Berwick fair enough you most likely want to see it do it, on that route, but normal inner suburban route is quite bizarre, actually see it, do it, do what exactly take a dump or something.

 

[Andyh82]

“See it do it Sunderland” is a council initiative to improve the image of the town that GNE got involved in

Www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk

 

[MotCO]

Sunderland - Houghton - Chester le Street https://www.flickr.com/photos/14600...89-UYN2bQ-ZgBfHB-Ej1yWh-2iPPfpS-At5uiY-GVF8uh

Is this now replaced by the purple Prince Bishops?

Also, since there is now a GNE thread.... Why were the Prince Bishop Streetlites swapped with red double deckers around the beginning of April?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is this now replaced by the purple Prince Bishops?

Also, since there is now a GNE thread.... Why were the Prince Bishop Streetlites swapped with red double deckers around the beginning of April?

PB has been around for a while. It’s Durham to Sunderland rather than Chester-le-Street to Sunderland

 

[Megafuss]

I thought the brands we're quite striking actually.

The better one's with named links to the area were good such as West Durham Swift, Centurion, Washington Street Shuttle and Crusader.

Some of them I am not quite sure what is/was going on - such as Lime, Pink Panther and Drifter

 

[Tetchytyke]

Is this now replaced by the purple Prince Bishops?

Also, since there is now a GNE thread.... Why were the Prince Bishop Streetlites swapped with red double deckers around the beginning of April?

No, the Prince Bishops has been called that ever since branding came in, it's the Sunderland-Houghton-Durham 20 (ex 220/222) which then got extended to South Shields.

I'm assuming the deckers were brought out for social distancing reasons?

 

[Andyh82]

I thought Blaydon Racers made sense considering the 12 goes direct along Scotswood Road to Blaydon

I quite like Toonlink as well, but that is on borrowed time

They did go a bit too far branding almost everything, but the danger is now they will go too far the other way and lose most of the branding that made GNE stand out.

 

[cnjb8]

I think the Coaster branding is on its way out. NK62 CZA is in the updated GoNorth East livery, having been converted to diesel.

 

[cainebj]

I think the Coaster branding is on its way out. NK62 CZA is in the updated GoNorth East livery, having been converted to diesel.

6069 was never actually in Coaster livery. It had vinyls for Big Days Out put onto the Angel base livery while it was still on the Angel 21 service, and they only ever painted the front end blue when it moved to Coaster. It was reported elsewhere that the Coaster is having a PVR decrease so it had a full repaint into fleet livery rather than Coaster.

 

[NewcastleOne]

I think the Coaster branding is on its way out. NK62 CZA is in the updated GoNorth East livery, having been converted to diesel.

For the time being Coaster is staying having only been introduced on the Hybrids since 2017 (Previously on Omnicities). 6069 also hasn’t been converted, 6064 is a trial I believe and is still away.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I thought Blaydon Racers made sense considering the 12 goes direct along Scotswood Road to Blaydon

I quite like Toonlink as well, but that is on borrowed time

They did go a bit too far branding almost everything, but the danger is now they will go too far the other way and lose most of the branding that made GNE stand out.

I think they're just being a bit more selective. Peter Huntley branded everything. Kevin Carr kept some but others reverted to "dirty Northern". Martijn Gilbert has taken things on, dispensing with some and introducing stuff like X Lines. It's all subjective but there were some that were really arresting and stood out like Angel, Red Arrows, Red Kite, to name a few. Others were rather less successful like Route 19. Look at the eras and it's been a bit of cycle with Northern.

• Pre NBC, traditionally they had the constituent fleets of Northern, SDO, Tyneside, Tynemouth (and bought Venture) with their different liveries.
• NBC days (1973+) became poppy red (or in T&W, either yellow until 1980 or later, full TWPTE livery from 1981 onwards) despite SDO keeping blue for a couple of years
• In the deregulation era in 1986, they adopted the Go Ahead Northern identity and the strong red and white scheme (simple but very effective)
• After the strike in 1992, they split and went back to the pre NBC structure with Northern (red and white), Wear Buses (two tone green and grey), VFM (two tone blue), Tynemouth (maroon and cream), Go Ahead Gateshead (red, white and blue)
  • These were later simplifed with Wear being just two tone blue, and some other adaptations
  • They also had a raft of other identities following purchases like OK Travel and Shaws, and the setting up of low cost subsidiaries like Tyne Rider (green, blue and white) and Metro Taxis (yellow, white and black)
• In 1997 (?), it was then the adoption of the red and mid blue with yellow trim with Go fleetnames with various adaptations in layout
• In 2006, Peter Huntley arrives!

Plus ca change!!

 

[cnjb8]

6069 was never actually in Coaster livery. It had vinyls for Big Days Out put onto the Angel base livery while it was still on the Angel 21 service, and they only ever painted the front end blue when it moved to Coaster. It was reported elsewhere that the Coaster is having a PVR decrease so it had a full repaint into fleet livery rather than Coaster.

For the time being Coaster is staying having only been introduced on the Hybrids since 2017 (Previously on Omnicities). 6069 also hasn’t been converted, 6064 is a trial I believe and is still away.

Ooohh ok thanks

 

[Anvil1984]

• After the strike in 1992, they split and went back to the pre NBC structure with Northern (red and white), Wear Buses (two tone green and grey), VFM (two tone blue), Tynemouth (maroon and cream), Go Ahead Gateshead (red, white and blue)
  • These were later simplifed with Wear being just two tone blue, and some other adaptations
  • They also had a raft of other identities following purchases like OK Travel and Shaws, and the setting up of low cost subsidiaries like Tyne Rider (green, blue and white) and Metro Taxis (yellow, white and black)

Plus ca change!!

Just a small correction the North Tyneside part of the structure became "Coastline" not Tynemouth and I think you might be confused with the Wear simplification. Im sure they stayed green til the "Go" era. Mostly Grey and Green but a few experimental mostly green buses. I think VFM had a couple of alterations down the years also before they got lumped into Go Coastline in the 1997 era

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just a small correction the North Tyneside part of the structure became "Coastline" not Tynemouth and I think you might be confused with the Wear simplification. Im sure they stayed green til the "Go" era. Mostly Grey and Green but a few experimental mostly green buses. I think VFM had a couple of alterations down the years also before they got lumped into Go Coastline in the 1997 era

Of course it was Coastline!! Senior moment! Thanks for putting me right.

Basically Percy Main depot though I think Wallsend was also Coastline (for a period) but became Metro Taxis https://www.flickr.com/photos/10651...st-2itRwTz-adDeeS-dStj9w-LXGnRg-bt3g7r-rvVZy1 VFM (Sth Shields) did get folded into Coastline in the post 1997 Go era as you said.

Wear (Philadelphia, Washington and Sunderland) was two tone green and grey https://www.flickr.com/photos/57727...ik-29StuaR-nsykxv-agNUDx-nbmmft-ALBaVd-977ZYk but they simplified it and dropped the grey so it was a simpler two green affair https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnm...aW-cfEstw-QKFysT-oNTYBb-AFobJ2-EyFuST-27cRAVB . They also simplified the application of the Gateshead and VFM liveries removing the diagonal bands.

 

[Anvil1984]

I think Wallsend depot was mostly Coastline with the odd Metro Taxis bus chucked (I remember looking at the buses whilst on the the Metro) but the depot itself I don’t think lasted long into the post 1997 era. I can only remember one or two services which used to be Metro Taxis mind. VFM lasted just a few months into the new era and had a few buses merged with Go VFM Buses before they got merged with Go Coastline. I believe the same existed with Ok Travel -> Go Ok Travel then Go Northern. There was a weird shortlived Go Xpress brand too IIRC

From flicking round YouTube, it looks like they started the new simpler rebranding but before they got a chance to get going the corporate unified look arrived so you have a weird mishmash there’s a YouTube video which shows all three (Go) Wear Buses liveries in Sunderland during March 1999.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I think Wallsend depot was mostly Coastline with the odd Metro Taxis bus chucked (I remember looking at the buses whilst on the the Metro) but the depot itself I don’t think lasted long into the post 1997 era. I can only remember one or two services which used to be Metro Taxis mind. VFM lasted just a few months into the new era and had a few buses merged with Go VFM Buses before they got merged with Go Coastline. I believe the same existed with Ok Travel -> Go Ok Travel then Go Northern. There was a weird shortlived Go Xpress brand too IIRC

From flicking round YouTube, it looks like they started the new simpler rebranding but before they got a chance to get going the corporate unified look arrived so you have a weird mishmash there’s a YouTube video which shows all three (Go) Wear Buses liveries in Sunderland during March 1999.

I remember a spell where Wallsend was mainly Metro Taxis - literally taxis and the early Minilink Transits with a few big buses. Depot building still there now. There was indeed Gook Travel as it was nicknamed (rather offensively if you think about it) and think you're right that Go VFM had a short shelf life.

As someone used to United with its fairly standard fleet (aside from a few REs and the LHs), Northern was a bit more "exotic" having Atlanteans with a range of bodies, Metrobuses (mk 1 and 2) and even the VRs were mainly full height with Leyland engines (and some were Willowbrook bodied). Even the Olympians were a bit different, being a very early user of Cummins engines.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I thought Blaydon Racers made sense considering the 12 goes direct along Scotswood Road to Blaydon

It did when it started, but then they binned off the 32 (as was) and so the Blaydon Racers buses were moved to the 49 Gateshead-Winlaton. The branding moved back when the direct Scotswood Road buses came back.

It's all subjective but there were some that were really arresting and stood out like Angel, Red Arrows, Red Kite, to name a few.

Oh definitely, although it took a while for the 21 to get the Angel branding.

When it was done well I think it was more effective than the SimplyGo colour-coded branding (basically Overground) they had in the early 2000s. But the problem became that every route had a different brand so they started to lose coherence as a network.

There was a weird shortlived Go Xpress brand too IIRC

Go Xpress only ever really became fleetnames on some buses, and which buses they were applied to seemed to be almost random. Old clapped out Nationals with vinyl seats used in County Durham backwaters were "Go Xpress" and the brand new buses for the 723 and 724 weren't.