FSY L207 SHW (Read 714 times)

[r2ro]

Is this bus at Rotherham now?
I saw it a while back operating the 27 (with LED blinds) in the morning around 10.30 heading towards Rotherham interchange. I'd have mentioned it sooner but have been away so didn't have chance.

[manontheinside]

Yep, has been covered in your absence. 40684-7 are now at Rotherham so as to allow some B10Ms to go to Doncaster to in turn cover for some B10Ms heading for driving school and Olympians being converted to single door.

The Darts should not see out April at Rotherham though, so 'enjoy' them whilst you can.

[lapike]

can we expect them to be then heading for scrap?

[r2ro]

Thanks for that info.

I remember hearing about the darts coming from Doncaster though I got into my head that they were the low floor darts not the Plaxton bodied ones (which look remarkably like B6s).

I managed to get a ride on 40687 (N232 KAE) yesterday on the 24 to Sheffield. Livery wise it was pretty poor - Barbie 2, with green hand rails inside, the red/orange caterpillar seating and some old white no smoking signs on the windows.

The engine didn't sound too healthy either. It was of course incredibly noisy, like all the darts seem to be, but on the parkway it kept revving up then dying down then revving up again. I had a much smoother ride on the B10M on the way back.

[manontheinside]

Yeah, i've said it before and i'll say it again, i'm not the biggest fan of the Dart nor the B6, although if pushed i would marginally favour the latter for longevity.

It should be remembered that midibuses like this are not expected to have as long a life as 'proper' buses like B10Ms, and in some cases have done remarkably well to last as long as they have. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that they are becoming overdue for replacement.

Realistically its just a case of waiting for the Geminis and a few other items due.

[maltabus]

The step entrance Darts seem more lively to travel on than some of the B6 now especially 40450 (411) really struggles up the hill out of Roth Interchange with only a half load on it!

[westgate]

This bus was on service 4 today, saw it in eastwood travelling along fitzwilliam road earlier this morning, to be quite honest i can't wait to see the back of this bus! Looks really tacky inside at least the b6 buses look really smart compared to the darts.

[palbitine2]

ive seen a dart today on the 66 and on the back number display which was brocken it said 87 was this bus a doncaster bus i think it was a n reg

[lapike]

not sure, sorry need a bit more information.

[palbitine2]

i think it was a n--- kae

[admin]

No it will have being n232 kae and that is now a rotherham bus, along with a few more darts, they will be leaving when the new geminis arrive, i prosume.

Also on topic again this bus was on service 4 all day today.

[manontheinside]

Just to quash any suspicions or lingering doubts, since the Darts in question had their 'part dot matrix, part roller blinds' destination gear replaced with LED units, the rear dot matrix (not sure about the side) are no longer used.

For some reason some genius then seemingly gave up on them and left 87 on the rear of the bus in question. Quite when said Dart actually last ran on the 87 i will let someone else answer!

[Tom B]

It still amazes me why buses run around with side/back units and they're not used. The spuds, though, don't have them - why not? With LED displays there's no reason not to.

[manontheinside]

Its very simple, they originally had the electronically set rollers which were unreliable. When they failed they were removed and not replaced. Although it may seem a super idea to put an LED blind in the rear or/and side but its not required.

I won't go into the issue of DDA certificates, but this has a bearing on the discussion.

[Tom B]

Yup, I can remember the roller blinds playing up - route number would be a random combination of all the letters and numbers possible, destination generally went round and round.

Side LED displays would be helpful in places such as the interchange, where you often can't see the front of the bus, the information on the screen is wrong and/or there are buses running to the wrong stands.

There are also vehicles, such as the N-DWJ Volvos, which have back / side displays but these aren't hooked up to the