The End of the MPD
The End of the MPD
Since the new minibuses have come into service at Ashington, it means 1800, the last MPD clinging on has been finally withdrawn.
No doubt we've all been on one at some point either with Arriva or GNE and have had different views on them with them being pretty much everywhere in the North East from local routes in Whitby, Peterlee and North Tyneside, urban routes in Stockton, Sunderland and Newcastle and across the hills in Tynedale.
Thought I'd make a thread to give them a bit of credit since they won't get the big song and dance like other buses that have gone ie. the Solar's. I'm struggling to think of any other type of bus which have got about more in the NE other than maybe their bigger brother.
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Paid my last respects on Tuesday, 1800 was on the 57/57A, captured at Annitsford
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I remember the days of driving them through Manor Walks car park in Cramlington on the C1/C2, something that would be almost impossible nowadays. Far superior to the Solos that replaced them.
Quite a few of them still left in the SNE fleet (Sunderland, Shields, Hartlepool) so not quite the end!
(01 Sep 2022, 12:51 pm)Driver9*** I remember the days of driving them through Manor Walks car park in Cramlington on the C1/C2, something that would be almost impossible nowadays. Far superior to the Solos that replaced them.
(01 Sep 2022, 2:28 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Quite a few of them still left in the SNE fleet (Sunderland, Shields, Hartlepool) so not quite the end!
(01 Sep 2022, 12:51 pm)Driver9*** I remember the days of driving them through Manor Walks car park in Cramlington on the C1/C2, something that would be almost impossible nowadays. Far superior to the Solos that replaced them.
(01 Sep 2022, 2:28 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Quite a few of them still left in the SNE fleet (Sunderland, Shields, Hartlepool) so not quite the end!
(01 Sep 2022, 2:28 pm)stagecoachbusdepot Quite a few of them still left in the SNE fleet (Sunderland, Shields, Hartlepool) so not quite the end!
(01 Sep 2022, 7:35 am)Storx Since the new minibuses have come into service at Ashington, it means 1800, the last MPD clinging on has been finally withdrawn.The Renowns?
No doubt we've all been on one at some point either with Arriva or GNE and have had different views on them with them being pretty much everywhere in the North East from local routes in Whitby, Peterlee and North Tyneside, urban routes in Stockton, Sunderland and Newcastle and across the hills in Tynedale.
Thought I'd make a thread to give them a bit of credit since they won't get the big song and dance like other buses that have gone ie. the Solar's. I'm struggling to think of any other type of bus which have got about more in the NE other than maybe their bigger brother.
(01 Sep 2022, 7:35 am)Storx Since the new minibuses have come into service at Ashington, it means 1800, the last MPD clinging on has been finally withdrawn.The Renowns?
No doubt we've all been on one at some point either with Arriva or GNE and have had different views on them with them being pretty much everywhere in the North East from local routes in Whitby, Peterlee and North Tyneside, urban routes in Stockton, Sunderland and Newcastle and across the hills in Tynedale.
Thought I'd make a thread to give them a bit of credit since they won't get the big song and dance like other buses that have gone ie. the Solar's. I'm struggling to think of any other type of bus which have got about more in the NE other than maybe their bigger brother.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:42 pm)V514DFT The Renowns?
(01 Sep 2022, 6:42 pm)V514DFT The Renowns?
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 11:57 pm)omnicity4659 Are there any routes that StreetLites haven't operated at Arriva?
Only routes I can think of is the 1, 2, 58, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11 but still regular visitors to Blyth on the X30, 100 and 308.
(01 Sep 2022, 11:57 pm)omnicity4659 Are there any routes that StreetLites haven't operated at Arriva?
Only routes I can think of is the 1, 2, 58, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11 but still regular visitors to Blyth on the X30, 100 and 308.
My thoughts are that there were too many of them down in East Cleveland, are they always ended up on routes totally unsuitable for them.
Disgruntled customers crammed in like sardines on the X4 for example, having to swap seats, wait for buggies to be folded down, leaving people behind. Never seemed to be a pleasant journey on them. Which is a shame, because the buses themselves were probably OK if used on the type of local routes they were designed for.
At least these days it's very rare not to get a full sized bus.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.Renown's were very much present in Sunderland including being officially allocated to the 8/78 & 9.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.Renown's were very much present in Sunderland including being officially allocated to the 8/78 & 9.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
As a driver, I loved the MPD. Far superior to the Optare Solo (no matter what anyone says).
A MPD of the 56/86 cycle from Belmont was a great drive out. If ever a vehicle type suited a route then it was this.
Haven't driven older MPDs or Darts in general for that matter so cannot comment on those.
(02 Sep 2022, 11:20 am)Jimmi Renown's were very much present in Sunderland including being officially allocated to the 8/78 & 9.
Arriva never really used the Renown's in County Durham having spent most of their life on Tyneside aside from a few that ended their lives at Stockton & Redcar, Renown's did grace the streets of Darlington occasionally when the OK1 ran and Arriva's 4514 spent about a week at Darlington before migrating to Yorkshire: https://flic.kr/p/CrFjfh
Aside from maybe scholars 865 at Belmont and 318S/323S at Whitby I can imagine StreetLite's have done everything South of the Tyne at least once with Arriva.
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(02 Sep 2022, 11:20 am)Jimmi Renown's were very much present in Sunderland including being officially allocated to the 8/78 & 9.
Arriva never really used the Renown's in County Durham having spent most of their life on Tyneside aside from a few that ended their lives at Stockton & Redcar, Renown's did grace the streets of Darlington occasionally when the OK1 ran and Arriva's 4514 spent about a week at Darlington before migrating to Yorkshire: https://flic.kr/p/CrFjfh
Aside from maybe scholars 865 at Belmont and 318S/323S at Whitby I can imagine StreetLite's have done everything South of the Tyne at least once with Arriva.
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(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.The Olympian (both Leyland / ECW and Volvo / Northern Counties) were my childhood buses.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.The Olympian (both Leyland / ECW and Volvo / Northern Counties) were my childhood buses.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 6:46 pm)Storx Nah wouldn't say Renowns, as far as I'm aware there wasn't ever any in the Darlington or Sunderland areas much.
The only other two I'd say are Olympians and Streetlites aswell. The second are all over the place now pretty much; Percy Main, Jesmond, Deptford, Stockton, Redcar, Darlington, Riverside, Durham, Consett, and also been based at Hexham and Ashington for a bit. No doubt Jesmond's will be moving to Blyth aswell next month to tick off all the Arriva / GNE depots.
(01 Sep 2022, 11:57 pm)omnicity4659 Are there any routes that StreetLites haven't operated at Arriva?Ashington StreetLites did occasionally work Blyth's X7 a few years ago. I'm not sure what the reason was behind it though.
Only routes I can think of is the 1, 2, 58, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11 but still regular visitors to Blyth on the X30, 100 and 308.
(01 Sep 2022, 11:57 pm)omnicity4659 Are there any routes that StreetLites haven't operated at Arriva?Ashington StreetLites did occasionally work Blyth's X7 a few years ago. I'm not sure what the reason was behind it though.
Only routes I can think of is the 1, 2, 58, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11 but still regular visitors to Blyth on the X30, 100 and 308.
