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Post by busman on May 7, 2020 10:00:09 GMT
What seems to have been forgotten is what the NRM was supposed to be. Passengers were missing the hop on hop off feature of the open back buses and Boris said in his manifesto that he would bring them back. Anyone with the slightest knowledge knew this could not be done in the way people were made to think ie old RM type. So it started with no interest being shown to any bus builder other than Wrights some claiming this was a political decision to support the NI governing party.. The resulting vehicle is subject to opinion but what is upfront is the increased cost of purchasing the buses and the high cost of operation. No other operator has purchased the NRM but the so called son of NRM the Enviro 400 City has sold in and out of London. How the bus works in service is down to individual opinion but it was just another very costly vanity project. The NRM was a tremendously profligate way of replacing bendy buses. All that was needed was conventional buses or with hindsight even a tri-axle would have been a better option. However, I find them very nice to ride on. My experience is mainly limited to the 24 and 38 in central London with family. We tend to sit on the lower deck and find the seating layout very good for children and they are very comfortable. I didn’t ever have the misfortune of sitting on an upper deck in the summer with no opening windows, but I feel like I did my time sitting on HD’s oven-like Tridents between Harrow Weald and Hayes or Sudbury in the early 2000’s. Anyhow, I hope to see Bamford’s get building and I’m looking forward to their next model. From the Gemini Eclipse to the NRM to the Frog Faces (aka the good, the bad and the ugly) their buses certainly stand out.
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Post by cc2005 on May 12, 2020 7:36:00 GMT
Not exactly about new Wrightbus vehicles, but... Volvo/Gemini 1 buses had the upright engine unit which obstructed a small half of the rear window, but still manged to get a straight row of seats in the rear lower deck.. Volvo/Gemini 2 buses were improved, and could accommodate a full, large rear window, with a straight row of seats in the rear lower deck.. Volvo/Gemini "2.5"(the G2 front/G3 body) and Gemini 3 buses have gone backwards, and have an even larger upright engine unit which obstructs half the rear window, and ends up with a split rear lower deck seat layout... How is this an improvement? Surely each newer model would have progressed on the last?
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Post by vjaska on May 12, 2020 9:03:35 GMT
Not exactly about new Wrightbus vehicles, but... Volvo/Gemini 1 buses had the upright engine unit which obstructed a small half of the rear window, but still manged to get a straight row of seats in the rear lower deck.. Volvo/Gemini 2 buses were improved, and could accommodate a full, large rear window, with a straight row of seats in the rear lower deck.. Volvo/Gemini "2.5"(the G2 front/G3 body) and Gemini 3 buses have gone backwards, and have an even larger upright engine unit which obstructs half the rear window, and ends up with a split rear lower deck seat layout... How is this an improvement? Surely each newer model would have progressed on the last? The B5LH has that layout to accommodate all the other bits needed for a hybrid - Gemini2 B5LH's had a similar layout. The B9TL & B5TL have more standard engine layouts hence the regular amount of seats at the rear
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Post by elshad on May 12, 2020 9:34:41 GMT
The Gemini 2 was one of the finest looking buses ever built in my opinion. It's a shame it all went downhill in terms of looks with the Gemini 3.
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Post by Lewis J.N. on May 12, 2020 22:53:54 GMT
Talking of Streetdecks, I wonder if that 6 cylinder engine version was ever built for Go North East or if Coronavirus was a convenient way to bury bad news? Still surprised Arriva Yorkshire bought 4 cylinder Streetdeck buses, knowing their performance on NSL roads. They need to just put the 6 cylinder engine in the Streetdeck and not offer the smaller engine option. Thrash of a small engine is less fuel efficient than a larger one with a wider range of power I believe the GNE order is still coming through, including the prototype with the 6-cylinder unit as the last bus in the order. Definitely one to try out!
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Post by planesandtrains on May 13, 2020 0:38:37 GMT
Talking of Streetdecks, I wonder if that 6 cylinder engine version was ever built for Go North East or if Coronavirus was a convenient way to bury bad news? Still surprised Arriva Yorkshire bought 4 cylinder Streetdeck buses, knowing their performance on NSL roads. They need to just put the 6 cylinder engine in the Streetdeck and not offer the smaller engine option. Thrash of a small engine is less fuel efficient than a larger one with a wider range of power I believe the GNE order is still coming through, including the prototype with the 6-cylinder unit as the last bus in the order. Definitely one to try out! There are already 5 examples with the OM936 (same engine as used in a Citaro C2) in service Monterrey in Mexico. For all those curious as to what they are like: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj8wMYRmNL4&t=316s
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Post by ServerKing on May 13, 2020 1:34:19 GMT
I believe the GNE order is still coming through, including the prototype with the 6-cylinder unit as the last bus in the order. Definitely one to try out! There are already 5 examples with the OM936 (same engine as used in a Citaro C2) in service Monterrey in Mexico. For all those curious as to what they are like: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj8wMYRmNL4&t=316sBit of a long way to go to try one out, not sure if that could be allowed as part of my daily exercise if questioned by the police
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Post by SILENCED on May 13, 2020 1:38:10 GMT
Bit of a long way to go to try one out, not sure if that could be allowed as part of my daily exercise if questioned by the police Still a mightily impressive exercise routine if you are going to take in GNE territory!
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Post by Volvo on May 21, 2020 12:41:11 GMT
Sorry in advance is this is a stupid question. Does anyone know of Wright's are still bodying the B5TL and B5LH also whilst not wrightbus are ADL still bodying either or the two aswell. I see on Volvo website that the E400 MMC is avilable on the B5LH but not B5TL and also the Gemini 3 is still listed for both chassis.
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Post by snowman on Apr 16, 2021 6:39:51 GMT
Looks like Wrightbus are aiming to return to London*
/photo/1
* new orders, not the 20 hydrogen buses ordered 2-3 years ago which still haven’t entered service
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Post by SILENCED on Apr 18, 2021 11:54:01 GMT
Wright have secured a deal for 45 hydrogen buses for Hong Kong and Japan, and say they are hopeful of an order from Australia.
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Post by Ts_As on Apr 18, 2021 19:54:39 GMT
Sorry in advance is this is a stupid question. Does anyone know of Wright's are still bodying the B5TL and B5LH also whilst not wrightbus are ADL still bodying either or the two aswell. I see on Volvo website that the E400 MMC is avilable on the B5LH but not B5TL and also the Gemini 3 is still listed for both chassis. Wrightbus don’t body the B5TL and B5LH anymore.
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Post by redbus on Apr 18, 2021 20:13:27 GMT
Sorry in advance is this is a stupid question. Does anyone know of Wright's are still bodying the B5TL and B5LH also whilst not wrightbus are ADL still bodying either or the two aswell. I see on Volvo website that the E400 MMC is avilable on the B5LH but not B5TL and also the Gemini 3 is still listed for both chassis. Wrightbus don’t body the B5TL and B5LH anymore. Interesting, I hadn't realised had stopped selling this. Having said that I can't see another B5TL or B5LH being ordered for London, I think all new buses will be zero emission.
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Post by LJ17THF on Apr 18, 2021 20:36:13 GMT
Wrightbus don’t body the B5TL and B5LH anymore. Interesting, I hadn't realised had stopped selling this. Having said that I can't see another B5TL or B5LH being ordered for London, I think all new buses will be zero emission. If I recall correctly, Wrightbus stopped selling it due to debts from the pre-Bamford era and because of their move to zero-emission - judging by their website which only advertises the hydrogen Streetdeck*. I agree with you on the zero-emission bit, I can't see an operator in London buying a new non-electric bus again, probably to use them in London for as long as possible. *After scrolling down on their page, I've noticed that they have built a Scania Gemini 3 for Japan's sightseeing service, Hato Bus. I'm not sure if this is electric or not, but since they referred to it as the "Gemini 3", it might be the successor to the Volvo.
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Post by southlondonbus on Apr 18, 2021 20:51:12 GMT
Be interesting to see if First City's like Leeds take any more Wright diesel buses.
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