Diamond Bus - Unusual Workings

[Rob H]

30407 > 30

[PM]

30407 > 30

Pity this is being used on there as the 30 really does not need it. An mpd/solo would probably do and the eclipse would be better on the 50/16 or even better the 4!

[nitromatt1]

30408 a very odd sight parked on Queensway in Halesowen town centre this morning. I'm guessing it was waiting to enter service on the 002.

EDIT: 30408 is indeed on the 002.

[trident4370]

30133 650
30130 50

[JoNi]

Blue Solo 20831 seen in Coventry on X30 this morning

[nitromatt1]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

[PM]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

Agree there-30832 is fantastic but 30834 isn't great and always sounds a bit strange for a b7rle. It almost sounds like the MAN/centros at Redditch strangely...

Has anyone been on any of the ex transdev eclipses yet. I'm hoping they sound/go like 30832/3...

Has anyone been on the esteem yet, either?

[Solo1]

Any one see 30407 today

[nitromatt1]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

Agree there-30832 is fantastic but 30834 isn't great and always sounds a bit strange for a b7rle. It almost sounds like the MAN/centros at Redditch strangely...

Has anyone been on any of the ex transdev eclipses yet. I'm hoping they sound/go like 30832/3...

Has anyone been on the esteem yet, either?

30832's by far my favourite B7 in the fleet, excluding the new ones which I've yet to sample

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

[winston]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

Agree there-30832 is fantastic but 30834 isn't great and always sounds a bit strange for a b7rle. It almost sounds like the MAN/centros at Redditch strangely...

Has anyone been on any of the ex transdev eclipses yet. I'm hoping they sound/go like 30832/3...

Has anyone been on the esteem yet, either?

30832's by far my favourite B7 in the fleet, excluding the new ones which I've yet to sample

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

Not sure whether or not it would make a difference, but the WA 56 plate B7RLE have the emergency exits at the rear, where as the ex Transdev B7RLE have them two thirds down the bus in the current position

[nitromatt1]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

Agree there-30832 is fantastic but 30834 isn't great and always sounds a bit strange for a b7rle. It almost sounds like the MAN/centros at Redditch strangely...

Has anyone been on any of the ex transdev eclipses yet. I'm hoping they sound/go like 30832/3...

Has anyone been on the esteem yet, either?

30832's by far my favourite B7 in the fleet, excluding the new ones which I've yet to sample

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

Not sure whether or not it would make a difference, but the WA 56 plate B7RLE have the emergency exits at the rear, where as the ex Transdev B7RLE have them two thirds down the bus in the current position

Good spot Winston. You're probably right.

[Stu]

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

Yes, the 'new' 56/07 plate B7RLEs (30407, 30409-13) are Wright Eclipse Urbans, the 'Mk1' if you like.

[PM]

Beastly 30832 on the 202 today

Agree there-30832 is fantastic but 30834 isn't great and always sounds a bit strange for a b7rle. It almost sounds like the MAN/centros at Redditch strangely...

Has anyone been on any of the ex transdev eclipses yet. I'm hoping they sound/go like 30832/3...

Has anyone been on the esteem yet, either?

30832's by far my favourite B7 in the fleet, excluding the new ones which I've yet to sample

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

Not sure whether or not it would make a difference, but the WA 56 plate B7RLE have the emergency exits at the rear, where as the ex Transdev B7RLE have them two thirds down the bus in the current position

Good spot Winston. You're probably right.

I agree with what Winston has said and even though YJ56YDO is a 56 reg it is an ex demo so would have been one of if not the first of the mark 2 eclipses as opposed to the nxwm ones which would be some of the last of the old ones. Acceleration on mark 2s is the best though if you compare diamonds ones wigh the first 05 reg ones which are really slow to pick up...

[PM]

To my mind, there are 3 types of eclipse body on b7rle chassis, I know it was used on the b7l originally but ignoring that:

Mark 1: Original eclipses, mostly bought by first group with emergency exit at the back, one sideways seat behind driver's cab, shaped mouldings over wheelarches

Mark 2: 56 plate to about 2009? Like the diamond ones at Redditch/30832-4/the ex transdev ones: emergency exit in the middle, built to ewvtas-European Whole Vehicle Type Approval Standards, forward facing seat behind driver/nearside with more luggage space-admittedly the ex transdev ones don't have this but that was presumably due to their specification calling for greater luggage space

Mark 3: Wright Eclipse 2 with different front and rear mouldings, similar interior to before but with more headroom over the front two seats as the plastic moulding above them is no longer there and has been moved forward. Most built with gasket glazing.

My confusing attempt to try to explain what I think myself/Matt/Winston were suggesting?

[nitromatt1]

As most of the new ones are 56/07 plates, I wonder if they're Mark 1s, i.e. like Walsall's B7RLEs?

Yes, the 'new' 56/07 plate B7RLEs (30407, 30409-13) are Wright Eclipse Urbans, the 'Mk1' if you like.

Stu, I think perhaps you misunderstood my question. I was referring to the chassis, not the bodywork. I think 30832-4 and the 08/58/09 plate Centros are B7RLE "Mark 2's" (I'm not sure if that's the proper term) and 30940-3 are "Mark 3's".

Given that the "new" B7RLEs are that bit older, I was wondering if they were "Mark 1's", like Walsall's.

The obvious difference between the three types to me is the way they sound: Mark 1's have the very loud 'classic' ZF sound, Mark 3's are the quiet, 'purring' ones and Mark 2's have a bit of both...