Well SP99 is a Galway bus, and all the Galway SPs rattle like mad! If a Galway SP didn't have rattling overhead luggage racks there would be something wrong with itsmiley: laugh! It's back in Galway now, was on the 1225 from Cork and did the 1715 to Oughterard.

SE17 - X8, "only" 45 minutes late this evening, got in at 2215 (instead of 2130)
SE6 - 12
SC50 - 13
SC28 - 14
VC327 - 20 (although it could have been the 430 to Athlone as well, it would certainly be very strange for a VC to go all the way to Dublin, but it was displaying route 20)
SE10, SP86 - X20
SP5, SP73smiley: happy, SP97, SP99 - 51
SP41, SP67smiley: eek, SP72 - X51
LC18, SC43 - 55
SC55 - 64

SL15 - 202, looking very unhealthy at the rear now
VWL159 - 205, strange to see this bus back on this route once again
SL9, VWL110 - 207, great to see 110 running right until the end of the day
VWL303 - 8 (208), displaying the old number
VWL158 - 208, so back on the route it originally started life on, this must be about the fifth time this bus has been allocated to the 208
SL24 - 214
SL14, VWL311 - 215

SP73 - 222 (after the 51)
LC29 - 261

SC231, SC258 - 343

VWL192, VWL325 - 402
Unidentified VGsmiley: eek - 403
VWL185 - 404
VWL156, VWL170, VWL189 - 405
VWL190 - 407
DD14, DD15, DD16, VWL163 - 409
VWL171 - 410 for a change

SP36 - 416, seems to be a regular bus on this run now. Imagine, a 06 SP (and an ex-tours one at that) only working five days a week. Just goes to show, Galway have way too many SPs, and Capwell have only eight of them. Capwell had more SPs four years ago than they do today, that's not good enough especially when they're clearly not being worked too hard elsewhere in the network. The SPs are a fantastic coach (the 05s and 06s, 91-120 are poor besides the older ones although still miles better than an LC) and if the two SPs I was on today are anything to go by, there's years in them, so more of them should be in Cork where there's still nowhere near enough of them. I suppose when the time comes for replacing the VC300s Capwell are going to be lined up for all the LCs still in Broadstonesmiley: frown.
SC255 - 418
SP99 - 419
SC54 - 422
SP33 - 423, also seems to have become very regular on this route, although I haven't seen SC232 in a while
SR38 - 424
VG14 - 429
SP105 - 431
SC255 - 432 (after the 418)
SP21 - 434

SC57, SC246, VC121 - out of service in Ceannt Station
SC212 - out of service in Deane Street
LC209, SC279 - out of service in Parnell Place bus station
VG16 - Parkmore Shuttle
SP112 - tours in Eyre Square

I was on SP41 and SP73 today. Both are fantastic, especially 41, which is yet another bus I can't believe Broadstone gave away, it's as if someone wound back the clock to 2006 when these buses were brand new it's so fresh. It has 907,000 km on the clock now. It would be nice if Broadstone could give Cork a few SPs this good some time, no more LCs pleasesmiley: happy. It's still as fast as ever, but 73 is something else, it's not so much a bus but more a Formula 1 car with the way it takes offsmiley: happy. It's as fast as the SPs were when they were brand new. The tachograph had it right when it said there was an "overspeed error"smiley: roll! A pity the overhead luggage racks are rattling like mad in it (and some of the interior lights weren't working), but it's still a fantastic bus, spotless inside and really it feels like a bus that should still be on the Dublin run each and every day. I'm looking forward to trying the SEs, but really the 05/06 SPs are fantastic, SPs 91-120 are balls of junk besides 1-90. 41 didn't rattle even slightly, well it is a Limerick bus, and Limerick are good for keeping on top of that (unlike Galway), a pity they don't look after their 08 VWLs the same way though.

Some interesting workings happen on routes 51 and X51. For example, the driver on the 0825 from Cork to Galway goes all the way to Galway. But the 1800 ex-Galway X51 driver then goes back on route 51 from Limerick at 2025. If you get the 1935 from Limerick (1705 from Galway) on route 51, the drivers swap buses in Buttevant, and the driver who operates the 1925 from Cork to Limerick then goes back on 1935 from Limerick to Cork, and vice-versa.

I was also on City Direct's Dennis Trident at long, long last, I have been dying to get this for ages but for one reason or another I haven't been able to. I have often wondered why Cork never got deckers back in the earlier half of the decade. Well today I think I may have got my answer. I was on City Direct's Dennis Trident (same as the Dublin Bus DT type) this morning. I am not lying when I say that a DD is like a rocket besides it, it is that slow, and we all know that the DDs are glacially slow!

The only thing the engine in this bus seems to do well is make a lot of noise! It's a lovely bus besides that (much nicer than a Dennis Dart and seems to be more comfortable over the bumps than a Volvo B7TL as well), it's a LOT nicer inside than a Dublin Bus AV/AX, probably because of the bonded glazing and the bucket seats.

However, Cork would have destroyed a Dennis Trident in about an hour. You wouldn't have to worry about a bus breaking down going up Summerhill North, it simply wouldn't have the power to get to even start climbing the hill let alone break down climbing up it. I can only presume there was some sort of fault with the gearbox, as the engine sounded perfectly healthy. One thing this bus does show is the drawbacks to the London spec layout, despite being a decker, it's maximum capacity is only 83. A Mk4 VWL can carry 77 (in theory, in reality there is no way you could have 32 standing in it), whereas an AV (which has the same ALX400 body as this bus has) carries 91.

I thought the DTs were supposed to be a lot faster than the AVs?

Edited 3 times by VWL119 12/10/2012 09:25:48.