Messages

4370 - 4
4381 - 5
4396 - 4
(All three seen and photographed at the Arena Tesco Bus Park !).

I photographed 4381 when it came into the Bus Park off the Foleshill Road just before 4pm and more pics were taken off it loading up at its stop there, but i'm sorry to say that this Bus was going nowhere afterwards, as it had an air leek and sadly couldn't continue on in service for its 4pm departure !  The few passengers that it had on it all stayed on board until the next No.5 (4832) arrived 30 minutes later !  With the Bus now going nowhere, this gave me plenty of time to get more photo's of it from all different angles etc, but also time to have a chat with the Driver of it as well.  I felt sorry for him really when the Bus developed this air leek problem, as he seemed all set to get going, but then after calling the Garage sweetheart (Sue Duffy) to report the problem, all he could do then was just hang around and wait for a replacement Bus to arrive ?  He was great to talk to though, as he was telling me about the Bus itself and what it was like to drive, of which he said it was a bit heavy on the steering.  I don't know what his replacement Bus was (as i had to eventually leave before it arrived !) and i hope it wasn't too long in arriving after i'd gone, but my other obvious concern as well was for 4381 itself, as had i just witnessed it coming out of service for the last time ? (All depends now on whether the guys down at Wheatley Street think it's worth fixing ???).

If anyone happens to see 4381 out in service after today, then please post a mention of it on here, as i'd be interested to know its immediate fate now ??? (Really hope somebody spots it out in Town tomorrow and beyond, as that would be great !!!!!).

4399  - 13 today. Sounds like a tank.
Seems to be using air when doing lots of braking as the warning alarm came on.

I know exactly what you mean there regarding 4399's sound, as i caught it up to Ball Hill a month or two ago and although i was sitting upstairs at the back, i could still clearly hear how differently it sounded, compared to all the other Dennis Tridents in the Coventry fleet ?

Sorry to dishearten you @Coventry Transport Dude but 4358 didn't seem in the best condition today. Most of the dozen ish Tridents I rode today seemed pretty good mechanically, but 4358 had a bit of a clunky gearbox. I've rode worst (a Stagecoach one that every gear change forced it to jolt forward a metre or so!) but it was in the worst condition compared to the others sadly. NX dot seats made the interior failed decent for a bus of its age though, and external livery pretty smart too. No sign of 4362 and it hasn't showed up on bustimes for a while

I promise you Dylan that your news about 4358 hasn't disheartened me (lol), as i enjoy reading about and hearing peoples opinions on any of the West Midlands buses really, but as for 4358, i guess its clunky gearbox makes it kind of distinctive and gives the bus a bit of character ?  It's nice sometimes when a certain vehicle sounds (or performs !) differently to the rest of the batch, as that particular vehicle then becomes something that you'll hopefully never forget, even in years to come ?  Sadly for 4358, it probably won't have many days left on the road now, so you probably caught it just in time ??? (Hope you still get time to see and ride on 4362 before it comes off the road ?).

I'm pleased to hear that You and my good friend JoNi from the block, have between you both, seen eight 43**'s out in service today ! (Good news that is !).

I did see it on Keresley Rd last week (or possibly on the Sat morning) so its been here a few days.

It no-doubt has been here for a good few days or so now Paul like you say, although i myself only just noticed it today for the first time ! (Would like to have got a photo of it on the Keresley Road, when you yourself first saw it ?).

Saw 4667 on the 6 route in Corporation Street today ! (Was the first time i'd actually seen it, since its transfer here !).

4370 - 10
4371 - 16A

4378; 4395 & 4398 are also unlikely to run again

Thank you Tony for letting us all know about these latest Dennis Trident withdrawals, as your help is always much appreciated and my thanks also must go to local enthusiast Chris Wookey, for the heads up he gave on 4378 and 4395 now being parked up out at the top end of Wheatley Street Garage yard !  Withdrawn 4372 and 4404 are still there also, parked up down behind them !

Was only in Town for just over an hour today, but fortunately some 43**'s were out in service and they were:
4371 - 5
4376 - 10
4381 - 6
4396 - 16A

A freshly repainted 4669 has now arrived and was standing in the Maintenance area inside Wheatley Street Garage this afternoon.

Parked up in the front yard of Wheatley Street Garage today were five Scania Caetano Levante coaches, all in a plain white livery and their fleet numbers were: 258 (BD68 TWY), 260 (BD68 TXA), 261 (BD68 TXB), 263 (BM68 AHG) and 265 (BV19 XOX).

4697 came down White Street past the swanswell end of Wheatley Street Garage this afternoon.  Was later seen coming under the Whittle Arches and along Fairfax Street towards Cox Street !

4381 - 5

Sorry for the delay in replying - mmm, you've got me there, I don't recall 4338 operating in Coventry but if you have pictures of it, all the better. Coventry's allocation of Tridents over the years has been fairly static without too many transfers to and fro. 4319/22 were Coventry based for a few years but ended moving back west eventually. And of the current transferred in 43xx stock, 4377 has had a very short life here, but will still have served NX for a long time.

When 4319 and 4322 left Coventry back in 2015, i didn't realize at the time that they'd both been here for over 6 years ! (4319 arriving in January 2009 until November 2015 & 4322 also in January 2009, but leaving in April 2015 !).  I'm hoping that they're both still running up in Wolverhampton, although their days in service now must be numbered ???

Regarding 4338, i've been looking through my old notes and i first saw it here in Coventry on the 36 route on October 10th, 2002.  It caught me a bit by surprise really, mainly because i didn't even know it was here ? (I saw it coming down the Keresley Road and heading towards its stop by Sadler Road, on its way towards Town and Little Heath).  It was later on that day that i then went for a trip on it down to Keresley Village and back, taking some photo's of it at the terminus there and also on the Keresley Road itself by the Shepherd. It must have been here in Cov for at least a couple of weeks, as i saw it again in the Burges two days later (Oct. 12th) on the 23 to Allesley Park and then on October 22nd, i caught it home from Town, as it was on the 36 route again ! (If you're still working along the Keresley Road area Paul, i'll bring the photo's down to you one morning to quickly show you them !).

4358 - 6
4374 - 5
4375 - 21

I don't know whether any other 43**'s were out today at all, as i was only in Town for just over half an hour and just happened to spot the three old Tridents listed here above !

I've just been looking through the photo's of the "TWM" Volvo B10L's on the West Midlands Buses In Photographs site and i've often wondered why / how 1427 has survived so long and is still standing at Pensnett a number of years after its sister vehicles from the fleet had all been taken away to be scrapped !  Some fortunately do survive as Driver Trainers, but 1427 is still in her original "TWM" livery and just seems to have been abandoned ?  It's really good to know that this Bus is still around and having seen the immaculate restoration work done on privately preserved Mercedes 1707, so as to get it back into its original livery, would National Express ever possibly consider doing something similar with 1427 and adding it to the heritage fleet ???  National Express have been great and pleasantly surprised me by adding 4125 to what i hope will be their ever growing heritage fleet and its repaint back into her original guise looks superb, but a single decker preserved by the company and painted in a similar guise to 4125, would certainly be a nice addition to what is becoming a brilliant heritage fleet that the company is fast putting together !!!! (Would love to shake the hand of the person or persons, who instigated the forming of this fleet, as it's truly brilliant what has / is being done there !).

Does anyone have any idea at all please what condition the Engine and Chassis are in on 1427, as if they're both hopefully OK, then other than repairing its dented panels and giving her a good clean and a fresh coat of paint, you could well have a nice preservation candidate there !!! (A nice survivor from the "TWM" era and still basically in original condition, give or take a few dents here and there ?).

For any fans of "BRIGHTON & HOVE BUS & COACH", some of their Buses were seen on the Channel 5 News earlier tonight, as the company is trying to recruit more Women as Bus Drivers !  It was said that there are 9 times more Men as there are Women doing the job and so Brighton & Hove are trying to do their bit for diversity, by encourage more Women to become Drivers ?  There were a number of Buses to be seen in the news report, but all i was able to identify were: Scania Omnicity (YN05 HCE), which was a Driver Trainer vehicle.  Also seen were a Volvo B7TL (PL51 LDK) and a Scania Omnidekka (YN05 GZJ).

I've noticed here in Coventry at the moment, that National Express have got quite a number of women recruited as drivers now and it's really good to see that is, as years ago back in the "WMPTE" era (and later in the "WEST MIDLANDS TRAVEL" era to !), we only ever had a very very small handful of woman as drivers ! (Definitely less than 10, although to be honest, i don't remember ever seeing more than 5 ???).

Is the other red, 4358, still about?

I haven't seen it out and about at all Paul, even when i was in Town for a few hours on Friday photographing the 43**'s, but hopefully it is still here ?  The last time i actually saw it was about 2 or 3 weeks ago on the Keresley Road, as i was talking to the Driver of it when he stopped outside the Shepherd for a couple of minutes !  I'm hoping that it will have still been out and about in service since then, although its days on the road now are sadly well and truly numbered at the minute ???

I found some old photo's earlier this afternoon of an on-loan Trident (4338) on the 36 route back in about 2002 time (i think it was ?) and it was one Bus that i'd completely forgotten about ever being here !  I took some photo's of it on the Keresley Road and then jumped on it for a trip down to Keresley Village and back, taking a few more photo's of it down at the terminus in Keresley Village itself.  Can you remember it being here PaulB1973 and if so, do you know / have a note of how long it was here on-loan for ???