‘Scene’ in Derby The Bus Station on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

For years I have been posting images of trains, buses and aeroplanes without any real thought as to their own working environment.

 

On a visit to Huddersfield recently I was so impressed by the bus station that I posted a short blog featuring it and not the buses.

 

The response I got to that blog surprised me and lead me to think that blogs about other bus station and possibly railway stations might be a subject of interest to others.

 

By ‘Bus Station’ I mean something that has been designed to accommodate buses and their passengers and not just an odd bus shelter stuck at the side of a bit of road.

 

The first bus station in Derby opened in 1933 and lasted until 2005.

 

Designed originally for the buses of the time which were restricted to a length of 25 feet or so, it became increasingly difficult for buses with a maximum length of close to 40 feet to manoeuvre safely because the original design included platforms on an almost 90 degree curve.

 

The ‘New’ bus station opened in March 2010 and forms part of the ‘Riverlights’ development close to the river Derwent that includes a hotel, a casino and the usual retail and customer facilities.

 

There are 24 covered stands for the use of bus services and a further 4 stands with three sided bus shelters which offers coach customers and their luggage a degree of protection from the weather but not a lot.

 

I have never seen stand 1 being used by buses and when I have asked why not I was told it was considered unsafe to use because it meant reversing out directly in front of other buses coming in from the road outside.

 

Tomorrows blog will cover some of the buses that use the bus station.

 

Derby Bus Station 1

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

There are two vehicle entrances/exits.

 

One is at the far end beyond the building to the right which is a car park.

 

An ‘Arriva’ Scania can just be seen departing.

 

The exit lane at this end is to the right of the lamp standards and to the left of the silver car

 

There is talk of adding further stands at the far end because there are many services in and out of Derby that terminate on nearby roads and bringing them into the bus station would increase the connectivity of services further.

 

 

 

 

Derby Bus Station 2

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Viewed from the opposite end to image 1.

 

There are two areas where buses can be parked to the left in this image with a further area immediately to the left of the camera alongside that entrance/exit.

 

In total there are about eleven parking bays.

 

 

 

 

Derby Bus Station 3

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

The second entrance/exit with the third parking bays to the left.

 

 

 

 

Derby Bus Station 4

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

The opposite view to image 3 with the ‘Arriva’ Scania departing and the ‘trentbarton’ Volvo/Wright occupying one of the parking bays.

 

 

 

 

Derby Bus Station 5

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

The coach bays when unoccupied are used by incoming buses to drop off passengers when their own bay is not yet free.

 

 

 

 

Derby Bus Station 6

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

The interior is light and airy.

 

 

 

 

I am waiting for ‘the comet’ going to Chesterfield at five minutes past the hour to take me back home to Ripley. 

 

So, just time for a coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweating the Assets

‘Sweating the Assets’ In accountancy ‘speak’ means getting the absolute maximum return out of any asset that you possess.

 

In this age of high costs and austerity it means making things last longer and work harder but still be able to get a viable return out of them.

 

In the bus world, this used to mean getting ten to twelve years out of a vehicle before it was either sold on or scrapped.

 

These days, buses much older than that are still in regular service and still presumably earning a living. 

 

As an enthusiast, I can regularly be found in and around Derby and Nottingham bus stations watching what goes on and recording what I see.

 

Wellglade group companies (which includes trentbarton (tb), Notts & Derby and Kinchbus) are past masters at ‘Sweating the Assets’ as is seen by this small selection of images.

 

The newest buses in this veterans group are 13 years old and include Optare Excel 

X232 WRA which covers many miles per day on ‘transpeak’ routes albeit in ‘tb’s partly owned High Peak buses operation.

 

 

S937 UAL 

This Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart dates from 1968 and is 15 years old.

The single Volvo B10M/Plaxton Interurban that is used regularly on ‘red arrow’ services to Chesterfield and Nottingham. 

 

Although now registered YRC 182, it was originally registered R62 RAU in 1997 which makes it 16 years old.

 

Whilst L126 LRA and L127 LRA are amongst a number of Volvo B10B’s with 

Northern Counties bodies still in daily use that were new in 1993. Twenty years ago !

 

So with a bit of luck, the Excels, Darts and Volvo’s will hopefully be around for some years to come.

ZOOM !!

On Sunday the 8th of September 2013 'trentbarton' finally ZOOMED into Derby from Long Eaton.

With a running time of around half an hour including being non stop between Derby and Borrowash Post Office, this will give the residents of Draycott, Breaston and Long Eaton probably the fastest service they have ever had. As for the residents of Borrowash, the service can only be described as spectacular.

I could not get into Derby on the Sunday so today, Monday the 9th. I had a ride as far as Borrowash Post Office and back and Zoom is the right word.

I watched a number of arrivals in Derby and 15 to 20 passengers on board was commonplace.

The first image was taken at Borrowash, the rest in Derby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Scene' in Ashbourne & Derby 5th September 2013

It is a while since I visited either of these two places. It was a very pleasant day so why not?

I had arrived in Ashbourne by way of 'yourbus' service (yb) 111 which originates in Matlock that I had picked up in Wirksworth.

The route branding applied for this service to Wright Streetlite WF MX62 GVL is seen to good effect.

I said almost a year ago when 'yourbus' introduced these buses that I thought them solid and well made.

I still do!

 

 

Ashbourne was a bit quiet, These two Optare Solo's from the High Peak Buses (HPB) fleet put in an appearance MX53 FDG wearing its 'Centrebus' (Cb) livery.

HPB being a joint venture between Centrebus and trentbarton (tb)

While S276 AOX still carries its 'Bowers' livery. (Bowers being part of Cb).

 

 

 

Local operator 'Glovers of Ashbourne' sent along Plaxton Primo AIG 2912 to have its picture taken. Formerly withTM Travel, the Primo has never met with real success. 

 

My transport to Derby was this (tb) Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse bodywork FJ09 BXA.

 

Derby was as busy as ever but there were a some vehicles worth highlighting.

Recently (Cb) closed its 'Kimes of Folkingham' operation. Today a former Kimes bus turned up on the HPB trans peak service. 

YN51 MJE is a Scania L94UB with Wright bodywork that was new to 'Fowler's of Holbeach Drove'.

 

I do not like 'contravision' wrapped buses but they have to be recorded when seen.

Here we have Arriva's Dennis Dart MPD with Plaxton Pointer bodywork SN03 LGD shuttling between Derby's bus and railway stations.

 

When Wardle Transport  (part of Arriva) introduced its X50 service from Hanley to Derby it was run with two Wright Gemini Pulsar bodied VDL SB250's. Then a couple of 'older' double deckers came on the scene (all in Wardle's red livery) and today we had this.

W103 EWU A Volvo B10BLE with Wright's Renown bodywork that at one time worked for Arriva Yorkshire.

I wonder what next week will bring?

 

YN05 GZV a former 'Felix' Scania L94 with Wright Solar now with 'notts and derby' has a partial nearside advert for 'Turkish Airlines' flights out of Birmingham.

 

'yourbus' were much in evidence with Mercedes-Benz Citaro's on a variety of services.

Here we can see BF62 JYU on the Y5 to Beeston, BF62 JYW on the 'citylink ' to Nottingham and BK13 XYE on the Y3 to Ilkeston.

 

I had expected a 'Streetlite' to Ilkeston on the 59 but instead A3 UOB was in use. Another Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork which at one time worked in and around Bath.

 

tb are still in the process of refurbishing buses on the 'sixes' services. There seems to be a couple in service that are partially done but equally there still seems a lot more to do.

 

Finally, I finish with what is my favourite modern?? double decker.

The Plaxton President. If any bus could tempt me into becoming a preservationist. This is it.

 

More buses 'Scene' in Derby and Ashbourne here Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'trentbarton's 'Frio' to go

‘Frio’ to go.

 

I notice from ‘trentbarton’s (tb) website that no more ‘Frio’ promotional tickets will be sold from August 17th. 2013.

 

‘Frio’ saw the customer buying ten tickets between particular points at face value and getting a further three for the same journey free.

 

The reason being is that the sale ‘Frio’ tickets have been in decline as the rise of ‘Mango’ sales has increased.

V199 ERA 

An Optare Excel in ‘Frio’ promotional livery pictured in the ‘old” Derby bus station.

'Scene' today, August 3rd 2013 in Ripley and Derby

For those who may not know. Ripley is where I live and it sits astride the B 6179, (the old A 61) about 10 miles North of Derby.

It has been rumoured that 'trentbarton' (tb) are to refresh the Wright Solar Urban bodied Scania L94UB's working on 'the sixes' services. This is to include more comfortable seats, wifi, a general refurbishment inside and out and also a fresh coat of paint. 

This particular one  FJ55 BZT (seen in Ripley) has been in service for a couple of days this week and seems to give a foretaste of what is to come. The most obvious difference is the brighter and richer of shade of yellow being used. (See below for comparison).

I understand that there another 9 buses to be so treated.

I look forward then to seeing the finished article, fully vinyled in service sometime in the near future.  

 

Also 'Scene' in Derby today is Optare Solo YJ11 EKU working on the 'Harlequin' service via Littleover to Heatherton.This must be one of (tb)'s least known routes because its city terminus is tucked away on Gower Street just off Babbington Lane

 

 

Further buses 'Scene' in Derby today may be seen here Flickr