Where should I start....
The Dennis Dart - fast, nice sounding and great Allison Gearbox
Name: Plaxton Pointer 2
Production: 1995-2006
Manufacturer: Transbus International (later Alexander Dennis)
Bulit in: Guildford, England
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Engine: CumminsISBe4.5, CumminsISBe4 and Cummins6BT
Gearbox: 5-speed and 4-speed
Tranmission: Allison1000/2100/AT545 and Voith
Popularity: High
Length: 9.3m to 11.3m
The Plaxton Pointer 2 was a revamped product of the original 1st gen Plaxton. This included changes to front, rear and more. It is a low-floor bus giving disabled people easy access while boarding. The product managed to be a success, with many orders being made due to the various lengths that could be chosen.
Go-Ahead London
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Darts that served the route:
DP208 - SN56AYC (Blue Triangle)
DP209 - SN56AYD (Blue Triangle)
LDP191 - SN51UAD (London General skirt)
LDP193 - SN51UAF (London General skirt)
LDP194 - SN51UAG (London General skirt)
LDP198 - SN51UAL (London General skirt)
LDP203 - SN51UAS (London General skirt)
Note that this is from memory, and some information may be wrong! Just a heads up.
Stagecoach London
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Where was I? Oh yes - Stagecoach. As boxy as they look from the outside, it contains a different gearbox from the rest. It has the Allison 1000 gearbox, which sounds tunier (to me anyway). Excuse my "bus enthusiast" language, this is technical stuff we're getting into. So bare with, okay? Whenever we hear the word Stagecoach, there are quite a few bus types that pop-up; Plaxton Pointers, ALX200s, ALX400s. All these formed the Stagecoach fleet in the early days from 2000 to around about 2011 or 2012. I used to take a few rides on P4 in South London, running from Brixton to Lewisham. Usually I would alight at Brockley Rise near the Overground station, which goes towards West Croydon if I am not mistaken. The bus in total has 31 seats, though if you went inside it felt really small! Sitting down was a bit tight. I won't forget the "Stopping" sign coming up in orange whenever you press the bell, and those back doors that swing open. Allocation consisted of LX03/53 and LV52 regs. I don't really want to list all of them as to be honest, I could be mixing the allocation up with another batch so I'm not taking any chances.
I did some rides on G1 too which used one of the shorter 05-reg Dennis Darts - these can be found mainly in Plymouth.
The MCV Evolution - Once common, now unique (in London anyway)
Name: MCV Evolution
Production: 2003-2017
Manufacturer: MCV
Bulit in: Egypt
Chassis (Various but I will include the London ones only): Dennis Dart SLF, ADL Enviro 200, MAN (A66 - 14.220/14.240) (A76 - 12.220/12.240), and VDL SB120/180.
Engine: MAN D 836 LOH and CumminsISBe4.5
Gearbox: 6-speed (ZF Ecomat) 5-speed (Allison) and 4-speed (Voith)
Tranmission: ZF Ecomat, Allison2100 and Voith
Popularity: Medium (for London)
Length: 8.5m to 12.1m
The MCV Evolution was built by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV) and came in a number of chassis's when it launched. In London it was mostly the Dennis Dart SLF and ADL Enviro 200s, though there were a few 12.240s and 14.240s. The latter was with Go-Ahead, while Metroline decided to take hold of the other ones. A unique VDL SB180 chassis came to London, presumably a demonstrator of some sort and worked on routes 347 and 549. I will talk about more this below.
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So the Evolutions I got on were mainly the EDs like this one. I saw them on 167 and W19 though it made appearances onto other routes at the time. There are also longer versions I got on route 108 and they came with a Dennis Dart SLF chassis as opposed to the normal sounding Enviro 200s. I have to admit that the bell sounds were funny but a bit repetitive after a while. One thing I regret though is sitting at the back - on the left hand side. That side has no room at all. You were better off sitting on the right hand side or the other seats for this reason. Trust me on this, I've fallen for it many times. There is still some Evolutions under Metroline that operate on 190 which seem to be sticking around for a while. I'm surprised but the more variety the better - they have an Enviro 200 gearbox by the way. I liked the Docklands Buses logo.
Evolutions that served (Dennis Dart SLFs) route 108:
ED1 - AE06HCA
ED2 - AE06HCC
ED3 - AE06HCD
ED4 - AE06HCF
ED5 - AE06HCG
ED6 - AE06HCH
ED7 - AE06HCJ
ED8 - AE06HCK
Evolutions (ADL Enviro 200s) that served route 167 and W19 as well as other routes:
167
ED18 - LX07BYJ
ED19 - LX07BYK
ED20 - LX07BYL
ED21 - LX07BYM
ED22 - LX07BYN
ED23 - LX07BYO
ED24 - LX07BYP
ED25 - LX07BYR
ED26 - LX07BYS
ED27 - LX07BYT
ED28 - LX07BYU
W19
ED9 - AE56OUH
ED10 - AE56OUJ
ED11 - AE56OUK
ED12 - AE56OUL
ED13 - AE56OUM
ED14 - AE56OUN
ED15 - AE56OUO
ED16 - AE56OUP
ED17 - AE56OUS
MDL1, The Unique Evolution
Now this bus was slightly different to all the other Evolutions. The length was longer (10.3m) with a large air conditioning unit at the top near the driver. The number of seats still stayed as 29 but no emergency door was seen on the offside, instead it was at the back. What made the bus stand out more is the chassis; VDL SB180. This makes it sound like a Wright Pulsar 2 (double decker - mainly with Arriva) and shares rattling problems too. Lol. It uses a Voith gearbox which is all too common nowdays... After being with Arriva for routes 233, Go-Ahead managed to gain it in September 2013 for 347 but worked the 549. The bus has joined Go-Ahead's commercial fleet now with a charcoal and gold skirt.
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Wright Cadet - The Dennis Dart Competitor
Name: Wright Cadet
Production: 2000-2006
Manufacturer: DAF/VAL
Bulit in: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Chassis: VDL SB120
Engine: CumminsISBe4.5
Gearbox: 5-speed
Tranmission: Allison2100
Popularity: Medium (in London)
Length: 9.4m to 10.8m
The Wright Cadet was competing against the Dennis Dart SLF which was selling well at the time. Arriva unsurprisingly got quite a few orders of this type, already having models under the DAF/VDL chassis. Go-Ahead (East Thames Buses at the time) also purchased some too. The Euro 2 ones got withdrawn early, while some of the Euro 3s from Arriva survived until September 2018.
These things. I've had quite a lot of rides on the 108 and it consisted of full route journeys. The route goes from Lewisham to Stratford International. However, before the reroute in October 2016 it went to Stratford Bus Station via Bromley-by-Bow. That meant opportunities for thrash! Drivers would often go fast along the A12 and in the Blackwall Tunnel. I really loved the sound of the engine. That said, this route gets busy and the Cadets are small (has 30 seats) meaning that they're not really suitable. It's replacement (thankfully) consisted of Mercedes Benz Citaros. I liked the skirt though. While I sort of miss these I actually prefer the Citaros, due to it's ability to accelerate off the mark and at the same time give a comfortable ride. At the time of post, they are the only Euro 4 Citaros left in London. I recommend to catch one if you can before their departure. The last Cadets were with Arriva the Shires for routes 288, 303 and 305 but was no more after the 1st September 2018. Garston depot also came to end and is now defunct. Otherwise yeah. Good route. Better allocation to suit the passengers. Happy days.
The Wright Cadet was competing against the Dennis Dart SLF which was selling well at the time. Arriva unsurprisingly got quite a few orders of this type, already having models under the DAF/VDL chassis. Go-Ahead (East Thames Buses at the time) also purchased some too. The Euro 2 ones got withdrawn early, while some of the Euro 3s from Arriva survived until September 2018.
Go-Ahead London
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Wright Cadets that served the route:
DWL17 - FJ54ZDR
DWL18 - FJ54ZDP
DWL19 - FJ54ZDT
DWL20 - FJ54ZDU
DWL21 - FJ54ZDV
DWL22 - FJ54ZDW
DWL23 - FJ54ZDX
DWL24 - FJ54ZDY
DWL25 - FJ54ZDZ
DWL26 - FJ54ZFA
DWL27 - FJ54ZTV
DWL28 - FJ54ZTW
DWL29 - FJ54ZTX
DWL30 - FJ54ZTY
DWL31 - FJ54ZTZ
DWL32 - FJ54ZUA
DWL33 - FJ54ZUC
DWL34 - FJ54ZUD
DWL35 - FJ54ZVA
DWL36 - FJ54ZVB
DWL37 - FJ54ZDC
The Wright Eclipse B7TL Gemini - "Wright" for the job. Noglastia included.
Name: Wright Eclipse Gemini
Production: 2001-2007
Manufacturer: Wrightbus
Bulit in: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Chassis: Volvo B7TL
Engine: Volvo D7C
Gearbox: 6-speed and 3/4-speed
Tranmission: ZF Ecomat and Voith
Popularity: High
Length: 9.4m to 10.8m
The Wright Gemini was a fairly popular product, with Go-Ahead, Arriva and First taking many orders with the Volvo B7TL chassis. Other companies such as Abellio London and London United made a few too. A facelift to the model was done in 2006, mainly to the rear. This lead to the Wright Gemini 2 being made in 2008 - it's replacement.
Wright Geminis are pretty good vehicles - the reason being it's gearbox. I have only ever experienced rides on 257 and 333, both of which in the past was operated by Go-Ahead London. Most of the batch consisted of a Voith gearbox, essentially making it sound like the Plaxton Presidents. You can say that it was one of the flagship vehicles for Go-Ahead London, as I always used to see these around in Stratford and Central London. On one bus I got (route 257 an LX05 reg), I was sitting on the upper deck and I looked at the CCTV camera at the front - it showed a first person view of the road! I'm not sure what happened, but it remained that way for the whole journey which was funny. Don't ask me for the fleet number I don't have it. All I know is the 05-reg were originally from Putney depot for London Bus Route 85. As for the 333 batch, a fairly younger batch consisting of 02-reg from Stockwell depot. Most buses survived into 2016 and some even going into 2018! Therefore I refer to them as strong vehicles. The First London examples operated on route 150 and 179, (55-reg) and became the first examples of Wright Geminis that I saw. I didn't ride them but I'm glad I saw it whilst I could. Good job Wrightbus - you definitely did something "wright!" (I had to sorry XD)
Marshall Capital - that AT545 whine.
The Wright Gemini was a fairly popular product, with Go-Ahead, Arriva and First taking many orders with the Volvo B7TL chassis. Other companies such as Abellio London and London United made a few too. A facelift to the model was done in 2006, mainly to the rear. This lead to the Wright Gemini 2 being made in 2008 - it's replacement.
Go-Ahead London
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Marshall Capital - that AT545 whine.
Name: Marshall Capital
Production: 1996-2003
Manufacturer: Marshall Bus
Bulit in: Cambridge, England
Chassis: Dennis Dart SLF
Engine: CumminsISBe4.5
Gearbox: 4-speed
Tranmission: Allison AT545
Popularity: High
Length: 8.9m to 10.2m
The Marshall Capital has been very popular in with First Group in London and around the UK, with the Dennis Dart SLF chassis. Dual and single door variants were available to purchase with the product.
The Marshall Capital has been very popular in with First Group in London and around the UK, with the Dennis Dart SLF chassis. Dual and single door variants were available to purchase with the product.
First London (then Go-Ahead London)
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Let me tell you if it wasn't for that AT545 whine, these buses probably wouldn't have been liked that much. Anyway, these Marshall Capitals stood strong in London from beginning to end. Arguably they did seem a bit worn out, after it's stretch which is understandable - it's an old vehicle after all. The 193 bus route had quite a few of these, and that's where I discovered why people loved them. In all honesty the gear changes are a bit fast and confusing, but you don't even need to go fast for the whine to kick in. I quite liked them and the ex-First interior too - none of them got a refurbished interior. Maintenance was questionable, they were managed at River Road depot in Barking - we will leave it at that. Pressing the bell also gives you a touch of noglastia. The drivers were nice and kind when I alighted, so overall a great bus that will be remembered for sure!
Interior:
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Transbus ALX400 - Favorite. Double. Decker. Bus. Ever. Built.
Name: Transbus ALX400
Production: 1997-2006
Manufacturer: Transbus International
Bulit in: Guildford, England
Chassis: Dennis Trident
Engine: CumminsISCe
Gearbox: 4-speed
Tranmission: Voith
Popularity: High
Length: 9.9m to 11.0m
The ALX400 was a popular model which was facing the Plaxton President - it's rival. Most companies in London made orders for this type, but Stagecoach London orders proved to be very popular mainly going with Voith and a few ZF Ecomats. Arriva had a fair few too!
Listen, this bus right here is what got me into transport. All of those journeys in East London I made on many routes, with the lovely sounding Voith gearbox. I adjusted to the LX03s, LX53s, LX04s, LX55s, LX05s - each one was different (in terms of engine). Hearing the roars and kickdowns really made them sound like a beast. A proper one. It was pretty refreshing to be on a bus you liked, just makes your day so much better. I loved everything about this bus from the bodywork, seats, blinds - yeah you probably get what I mean. I've had some pretty fast rides on route 247 which runs from Barkingside - Romford Station. This thing even had a mirror. A mirror? On the top deck? You could basically pretend to be driving the bus, that's what I used to do back then. If I'm honest, I didn't expect them to go into 2019, that's pretty impressive given their age. Speaking about that, these didn't receive much refurbishment at all. I like the Stagecoach interior though. I mean I could ramble about this for ages but considering that this post is long, I better cut it short.
Here is my personal favourite reg for the ALX400S:
17791 - LX03BWE
17858 - LX03NFC
18201 - LX04FWL
18451 - LX05LLO
18478 - LX55ESG
Interior (Upper deck):
Interior (Lower deck):
Bus models missed out on:
Plaxton President (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
ADL Enviro 400s 1st generation (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
MAN MCV Evolutions (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
Optare Tempos (London United)
Optare Olympus (Metroline)
Other bus models ridden on but not included here:
ALX200s (Stagecoach)
Mercedes Benz Citaro G (Stagecoach)
ALX400s (Arriva and Abellio)
Caetano Nimbus (Abellio)
Optare Olympus (Go-Ahead)
Thought it would be a nice post for once - something that I will look back over for many years to come. I had great journeys on amazing bus types over the past decade. Maybe you have (or will) too in the years to come! I hope this post passed the time and if you're bored read it again if you want - I don't mind, as long as I have done my job 😂
Thanks for reading!
Take care and happy riding! :)
By the way, if you want to check out London Connected Blog and LondonBuses72's photos, here are the links if you are interested:
Link: https://thewestlondonbusblog.blogspot.com/
LondonBuses72
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonbuses72/
The ALX400 was a popular model which was facing the Plaxton President - it's rival. Most companies in London made orders for this type, but Stagecoach London orders proved to be very popular mainly going with Voith and a few ZF Ecomats. Arriva had a fair few too!
Stagecoach London
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| ©LondonBuses72 - don't use without permission. |
Listen, this bus right here is what got me into transport. All of those journeys in East London I made on many routes, with the lovely sounding Voith gearbox. I adjusted to the LX03s, LX53s, LX04s, LX55s, LX05s - each one was different (in terms of engine). Hearing the roars and kickdowns really made them sound like a beast. A proper one. It was pretty refreshing to be on a bus you liked, just makes your day so much better. I loved everything about this bus from the bodywork, seats, blinds - yeah you probably get what I mean. I've had some pretty fast rides on route 247 which runs from Barkingside - Romford Station. This thing even had a mirror. A mirror? On the top deck? You could basically pretend to be driving the bus, that's what I used to do back then. If I'm honest, I didn't expect them to go into 2019, that's pretty impressive given their age. Speaking about that, these didn't receive much refurbishment at all. I like the Stagecoach interior though. I mean I could ramble about this for ages but considering that this post is long, I better cut it short.
Here is my personal favourite reg for the ALX400S:
17791 - LX03BWE
17858 - LX03NFC
18201 - LX04FWL
18451 - LX05LLO
18478 - LX55ESG
Interior (Upper deck):
 |
| ©LondonBuses72 - don't use without permission. |
Interior (Lower deck):
 |
| ©LondonBuses72 - don't use without permission. |
Bus models missed out on:
Plaxton President (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
ADL Enviro 400s 1st generation (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
MAN MCV Evolutions (Metroline and Go-Ahead)
Optare Tempos (London United)
Optare Olympus (Metroline)
Other bus models ridden on but not included here:
ALX200s (Stagecoach)
Mercedes Benz Citaro G (Stagecoach)
ALX400s (Arriva and Abellio)
Caetano Nimbus (Abellio)
Optare Olympus (Go-Ahead)
Thought it would be a nice post for once - something that I will look back over for many years to come. I had great journeys on amazing bus types over the past decade. Maybe you have (or will) too in the years to come! I hope this post passed the time and if you're bored read it again if you want - I don't mind, as long as I have done my job 😂
Thanks for reading!
Take care and happy riding! :)
By the way, if you want to check out London Connected Blog and LondonBuses72's photos, here are the links if you are interested:
Link: https://thewestlondonbusblog.blogspot.com/
LondonBuses72
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonbuses72/
