A farewell to a Mark One Dart

Did you like Mark One Darts? I wasn't a great fan of them. They are/were the earlier style of the Pointer body and Stagecoach didn't have many of them.

I'm doing this post for my Hastings Contributor Harry P who has sadly lost his favourite Dart former Stagecoach Eastbourne 33365 ( P697 RWU ) which sadly has been withdrawn and scrapped and I and him would love to give it a good send off. I know some of my other contributors will miss this Dart as well it was unique and it will be missed a huge amount. Harry P has kindly let me use some of his photos of it to do this post and I would like to thank him for that.

Now onto the photos:

P697 RWU is waiting to start a new journey on the 3

Memories are continuing to flood in R.I.P P697 RWU

A stunning rear photo of P697 RWU

Seen at Bus stop M with a B&H Omnidekka going past it.

This post will give this Mark One Dart a send off and a Tribute.This Dart was the only Mark One Dart in the whole of the Stagecoach South East fleet.

Darts past and present Stagecoach South East

If you love Pointer Darts this post is just for you. With the use of my own photos of Darts and photos of Darts from my regular contributors in Hastings I can now bring this post to you.

Stagecoach Eastbourne and Stagecoach Hastings have a decent amount of Darts in between them there is also some Darts that don't exist anymore in other words they all got scrapped but there are some Darts that remain in Stagecoach service across East Sussex. 

All these Darts are/were Pointer Darts either Transbus or Dennis Darts or even Mark One Darts or even Alexander Dennis Darts like PX05 EMF in the mix as well. Stagecoach Eastbourne had a Mark One Dart which has since been withdrawn and scrapped.

Alexander Dennis Pointer Dart PX05 EMF

Another Alexander Dennis Pointer photo by Harry H

A Pointer far out photo by Alex F

P697 RWU which has since been scrapped photo by Harry P

Another Scrapped Dart photo by Harry P

One of the recent Dart additions to the Eastbourne fleet I haven't got a photo of this yet photo by Harry P

A rather dirty looking Dart photo by Harry P

KV53 NHJ on the 3 

One final Photo of KV53 NHJ

You guys will all get credited for letting me use your photos thanks for reading.

The latest Enviro300 I have seen that has lost its UNO branding

As many of you will notice from one of my previous posts the UNO Enviro300s in Eastbourne are getting debranded some of them have had a horrendous white bit added to their front which is making them look really ugly it is just shocking to look at. The latest one i'm aware of that has been debranded is Scania K230UB/Enviro300 28606 ( GN61 EVK ) all 5 of this type are allocated to Eastbourne depot. This is the latest one to be debranded 28607 ( GN61 EVL ) is the next one to be debranded.

The pictures I have got for you are off GN61 EVK before and after it got debranded.

The first image is of GN61 EVK still in its UNO branding this photo was taken in February 2015 and it is seen in the photograph on the 1A.

Still in UNO branding GN61 EVK is seen on the 1A

 The next photos are off it in the first weeks of service after a paint job. This time without its UNO branding and displaying a horrendous white front under the Stagecoach logo which makes it even more unappealing it was operating the 1 last Saturday when I took the photograph. I also have a rear view on another photo of it and it looks similar to the 13 plate Enviro200s that aren't branded but the back area for the route number is in a different place. 

Showing a horrible looking front is GN61 EVK

What it looks like at the rear.

Enviro400 that has gone a bit further East along the coast

This is a post just about Stagecoach Hastings Enviro400 19053 ( MX56 FSC ). I was originally going to do a post on the latest Enviro300 to come back from the paintshop but I decided to delay that post because news reached me on Google Hangouts this morning that a Volvo Olympian registered N344 MPN was scrapped today and MX56 FSC has permanently transferred from Eastbourne to Hastings leaving 19019,19048,19049 still at Eastbourne. I was absolutely upset at this because when it was with Stagecoach Eastbourne I went on it twice and it gave a really good ride.

The first four photos are of it on the 51 to the Harbour and Heathfield then on to Tunbridge Wells where it changed to a 251/2. This did not only appear on the 51 it has been on the 1/1A before I think it was on the 99 a while back but i'm unsure of that.

MX56 FSC loads at Bus stop D in Terminus Road

A front shot of MX56 FSC on the 51

MX56 FSC departing Terminus Road on the 51 to Heathfield 

Here is MX56 FSC on the 51 this time to Sovereign Harbour 

 Now ready to start its new life in Hastings is MX56 FSC parked up at Hastings depot Harry Harrison  has kindly let me use his photo of it for this post so I would like to thank him for letting me use it and for taking such a good photo.

Ready to start a new life in Hastings MX56 FSC is parked at Hastings depot photo by Harry Harrison

I really wanted to give this bus a good send off from Eastbourne and I will miss it so much I would like to wish it well on Hastings routes and Eastbourne's streets will not be the same without it there. However it may appear on the 98 or 99 so it could be coming in to Eastbourne on those routes from Hastings.

A different venue for Bus photography

Last Saturday I had nothing to do so I headed into Eastbourne Town Centre on GN13 HHW on the Loop to do some bus photography I was there all afternoon until about 16:45pm when I got on GN13 HHZ on the Loop to come back. Now onto the important stuff the different venue I chose to do some photography was Cornfield Road a road near Terminus Road where nearly all my photos take place. It was recommended By Harry Harrison who suggested a way to improve my photos should be to change the venue of where I take my photos.

First up the Wave 99 Enviro400s all 9 of the Wave branded  Enviro400s were on the 99 15776 ( GN61 EWA ) had just turned into Cornfield Road from the nearby roundabout on the 99 nearing the end of its journey from Silverhill/Hastings.

Wave 99 Enviro400 15776 GN61 EWA 

 Next up still UNO branded Enviro300 GN61 EVR it was photographed in the same position as GN61 EWA. It is seen out of service in other words it was on an unknown route.

Still UNO branded and the last that will be debranded is Enviro300 GN61 EVR.

 In the same spot Trident 18172 GX54 DVP had also just made the turning into Cornfield Road it was on the 51 to Heathfield these are the only ALX400s that exist with Stagecoach since the withdrawal of the DAF DB250s in 2014. 

Trident 18172 GX54 DVP on the 51

 Finally, Enviro300 GX58 GKF is seen at the Cornfield Road Bus stop on the 1A to Hamlands this was  the 4th Enviro300 to lose its UNO branding making the 1/1A not a branded route anymore once all of them have been debranded.

Debranded Enviro300 GX58 GKF

I'm hoping to get some more photos down that way at some point thanks for reading.

A weird change on a route

Do you think it is strange for a bus to arrive at the end of its journey from Hastings and change route? That happened with former Triangle Bus Trident 18528 ( GX06 DYS ). It arrived at Eastbourne on a 99 from Hastings I was expecting it to continue as a 99 but instead it changed to a 98 how strange is that and a low floor bus on the 98 that is mega rare I was lucky to catch some photos of it on a 99 and a 98.

First up is an image of it on the 99 this is where the 99 drops of all its passengers after a really long journey as shown on the bus itself.

GX06 DYS on the 99

In the next photo it shows 18528 on the 98 this time the Eastbourne to Hastings 98 normally the route is operated by Step Entrance buses so seeing a low floor bus on it is really rare.

Really Rare: 18528 on the 98 

Both these photos were taken on the same day sorry for the shadow on the one of it on the 98.

My Trip to my Nan's last Summer

As none of you will know I spent the last week of August at my Nan's and Grandad's and I didn't watch many buses but I managed to watch a couple ranging from Presidents to Enviro400s. The Enviro400s with leather seats and Air Conditioning for the X1 Excel service sadly, I didn't even see 33423 properly so no photos of it but I managed to get a couple of other buses though.

First up shows X1 Excel Enviro400 33819 YX63 LKJ at Great Yarmouth heading for Norwich I was fortunate enough to get a ride on this bus and the ride was lovely. 

Luxurious X1 Excel Enviro400 YX63 LKJ 

 Another one I saw was a Man Eco City Gas Bus with a 62 plate it is displaying the new Anglian fleet names and is seen in Lowestoft I was also fortunate enough to get a ride on two of these.

It's a Gas seen picking up passengers

 Here we have Great Yarmouth Gemini 37579 AU58 EDK leaving Lowestoft on the X1 Excel.

AU58 EDK on the X1

Another Gemini about to leave Lowestoft on the 99 to Kessingland it is in X2 branding.

In X2 colours but on the 99

 My last 3 photos are of a Gemini on the X2 a ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL and a Plaxton President.

Gemini on the X2 leaving for Norwich.

One of my worst photos from this trip is this one of the ALX400

A Plaxton President on the 1 to Martham

Thank you for reading