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20-11-2008; FLEET NEWS UPDATE.............
Quite a busy few months have passed since the last updates. V10LRT [10] Optare excel has re-entered the fleet after major accident repairs and now is in full two tone green livery [pic on the Lichfield citi-connect page]. Brand new deliveries see 2 out of the 3 Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 darts arrive this week liveried up for Lichfield Citi-connect services 55A/C, they take fleet numbers 26/7 FJ58LRS/T [see Lichfield Citi-connect page for pictures.], but the 3rd FJ58LRU has been delayed until early December, this will take fleet number 28. The original fleet number 28 BT04LT MPD dart will now become number 12. Dennis Dart East Lancs Spryte R12LRT [12] has now been withdrawn from the fleet due to bodywork problems and is thought to be scrap. A second hand Enviro 300 has entered traffic taking fleet number 2 SN54BFS [see Rugeley page for pic], this replaces hired in No 2 MK06ZZP which was on loan from EZBUS Scotland along with SCO4MLO [47] both being Scania Omnicity's and these two have headed back to EZBUS. A further 2 second hand vehicles now fleet active are no's 41/2 N11/12NNL Ex Viking Motors Volvo B10B Alexander Ultra low floors [pics on Rugeley depot page], both of these vehicles were purchased in a damaged condition from a dealer but have now both been fully re-furbished [pic on paintshop page]. A further vehicle to go through the paint shop is dennis dart [21] FE04LRT, this has now lost its all over advertisment livery and is now back in standard 2 tone green [pic on uttoxeter page]. One more vehicle to also recieve paintshop attention is No 20 AH53LRW Scania Omnicity, this now wears a shiney silver based livery advertising a Peugeot car dealership [pic on Rugeley depot page]. No 100 L100SBS the ex Stevensons Mercedes-benz 0405 Wright cityranger, has now also recieved full 2 tone green fleet livery after getting in to a little scrape,and has also gained seatbelts and a new digital destination display. During the summer of 2008 the Rugeley depot has been having an extention to yard space at the rear of the workshops, the ground next door over the fence came up for sale so it was quickly snapped up, so now the works are all complete we now have extra yard space at the rear of the workshops for storing broken vehicles and the wrecker and the sprinter van. New parking arrangements in the main yard have also been implemented and has freed up a few extra spaces. Not alot to report on the coaching scene apart from a Scania PB Irizar was on trial for a number of weeks as mentioned before, this may lead to a purchase of an example for the 2009 season but this it not yet confirmed.
Update 23-12-2008
Mcnulty Coaches has completed the deal to take over Stonelocal bus from us as of 20-12-08, LRT will no longer serve on the Stone town services. All mini pointer darts but No12 BT04LRT have been sold, 1 passing to North Yorkshire Travel, 1 to Mcnulty Coaches for use on Stonelocal bus services & 2 further examples passing to Capital & Provincial Busways. Scania omnitown [44] & Volvo Wrights B6 [40] have been transferred to Uttoxeter depot to replace 2 sold MPD's, No12 MPD Dart has also transfered to Uttoxeter depot too. No12 has been retained for further service due to its all over advert scheme still being valid. Wright Solar Scania [43]BP07LRT has lost its all over advert for Virgin Media TV etc and is now in full 2 tone green fleet livery and is working on Chase Explorer services. New no 28 has arrived FJ58LRU, in the shape of a 3rd Alexander Dennis Enviro 200, route branded for service 812 citi-connect and is about to enter service in the new year.
UPDATE 28-03-2009
The first update to appear for 2009 is a little later than planned but its been quite a busy start to the year so far. Big news to report is that the LR Travel coach fleet is about to demise and to be amalgamated into the Sunset Holidays operation. This will affect the whole of the LR coaching fleet, the executives and the contract coach fleet, all the vehicles have been withdrawn apart from the 14m Bova tri axle which has transferred to the Sunset operation at present. The rest of the coaching fleet has either been returned to the lease companys and the older coaches have been put up for disposal. The coaching arm is now purely done through the Sunset operation. Next on the agenda during the easter school break is to have a small fleet of yellow dedicated school contract vehicles owing to a number of new contracts won for the start of the new term. To the bus fleet now, there has been a few comings and goings to report lately, firstly to report is the departure of 2 vehicles passing across the midlands to North Midlands Buses are 41 N11NNL Alexander Ultra Volvo & 22 V172CHS Marshall dart. Driver trainer Alexander PS K716DAO is currently out of use and takeing its place for the time being is Mercedes-Benz 0405 37 K473EDT. No 38 P384UNE Mercedes-Benz 0405 Optare prisma is having a major refurbishment and is due back in service in the very near future. Another interesting aquisition is in the shape of a Mercedes-Benz 0405n low floor citybus V651MOA, this is currently in the workshops being prepared for service to replace the sold Alexander ultra and the mercedes is expected to take up fleet no 41 but this is unconfirmed at present. Another interesting purchase for the school bus fleet is in the shape of an Alexander Q type Leyland tiger 11m, J301ASH, this is being painted in school bus yellow with a green skirt and also 34 F40ENF Alexander tiger belfast is also being re sprayed out of fleet green in to school bus yellow too. Pictures to appear in the near future of the latest vehicles. Moving on to bus service developments, a joint service is about to commence with North Midland Buses which is an extention of Service 409 Uttoxeter to Ashbourne, this service from Saturday 4th April will be re numbered 410 and will be jointly operated on a 90 minute frequency by both LRT and North Midland Buses, each operator supplying one vehicle in a special cross country livery. Service 410 will follow the same route from Uttoxeter to Ashbourne as previous service 409 but then will continue through to Carsington Water, Matlock Bath, Matlock & Bakewell. The vehicle to be used in the special livery is a DAF Northern counties citybus P904PWW and is currently in the workshops being liveried up and having new seating fitted.
Fleetnews Updates 16-6-09
Not alot of activity of late, some service revisions are taking place at the present, services are being interworked with others saving on vehicles. Three Scania Omni-cities have now been withdrawn as a result and passed on for further use in Scotland with EZBUS more info at a later date. A second Mercedes Benz 0405n has arrived in recent times and gained private regestration 73LCR from one of the former coaching fleet. More info on fleet movements as time permits.
28-6-09 Fleetnews Updates.......
Sunset Holidays has taken delivery of 2 brand new Scania Irizar PB's today, YN09LRT/SUN for use on holiday and day trip programme. These replace former Plaxton Paragons PG52SUN/SET & YJ55SSH which have all passed on to Quicksilver Coaches. No 40 T401BBC Volvo B6 Wright has recieved a new 2 tone green and cream RuralConnect livery with suitable branding on the bus, in a simular livery of that worn by the Northern Counties DAF Paladin. Further recent additions to the service fleet are 3 S714UON Volvo B6LE Wright Crusader along with YJ54ECT Plaxton Pointer 2 Dart. A number of service revisions have taken place of late, interworking routes to run together, first affected is service 404 Uttoxeter-Stafford, this service now operates from the Rugeley depot and interworks with service 825 Stafford-Tamworth. The Rugeley area local services and Route 1 Rugeley - Cannock - Bloxwich - Walsall have also all be interworked together so double deckers can no longer work on Rugeley locals as there is a low bridge on route 1. The Rural Connect services 428,821,822,823 have now also been re-worked in to a 2 bus working, hence the new livery on bus no 40, bus no 5 BX57GGE Enviro 200 is also expected to recieve the Rural Connect livery as it also works services 428,821/2/3 with the volvo wrights bus. Plaxton Primo 36 BG07LRT has been removed off RuralConnect work which it was originally brought for as it is not suited to the work it was doing, the Primo has since been re-homed at Uttoxeter depot to operate on the Uttoxeter local town service routes along side 53 CF52DMO Optare Excel.
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