Coach & Bus Live

[winston]

A few pictures from Coach & Bus live if anyone is interested

http://www.flickr.com/photos/km_edinburgh/sets/72157636125684604/

Wrightbus have dropped the Borismaster rear end off the show B5LH/Wright Eclipse Gemini, undecided about the smaller upper deck windows, I wonder if Wrightbus have improved the capacity of the B5LH, as there is an extra window at the rear top deck which is blanked off on earlier examples. No pictures of ADL's restyled E400's yet.....

Few more here....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcbp/sets/72157636119544555/

[wilmotm (Matt Wilmot)]

Looks a mess, shame because I really do love the big top windows on the B5's we've got and the leg room

[JackC]

That new B5 looks an utter shambles with those top deck windows and rear end  :-X

[winston]

According to Bus & Coach.com ADL aren't due to launch their new double decker until sometime in 2014

http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=8050&categoryid=0

[Mike K]

Oh dear I have to agree the Gemini 3 body looks a mess. Nice front end, that's pretty much unchanged, but the small upper deck windows are a throw back to the early Birmingham Fleetlines, might have looked ok in the 1960s but not now. What a shame, the current huge windows and light interior are part of its appeal. And that rear end is just hideous.

[the trainbasher]

Very well, if you walked into a bus showroom you would buy the Wright Eclipse Gemini 3. it's lovely, it's elegant, it's beautiful. It is quite simply the best. And Britain should have the best. In the world of buses it is the Saville Row suit, the Rolls Royce Corniche, the Château Lafitte 1945. It is the bus Harrods would sell you. What more can I say?

[Mike K]

Very well, if you walked into a bus showroom you would buy the Wright Eclipse Gemini 3. it's lovely, it's elegant, it's beautiful. It is quite simply the best. And Britain should have the best. In the world of buses it is the Saville Row suit, the Rolls Royce Corniche, the Château Lafitte 1945. It is the bus Harrods would sell you. What more can I say?

I get your drift. You should be a salesman.

I'm a big fan of Volvo / Wrights, and I've no doubts as to the build quality etc, it's just ugly compared to the Gemini 2 that's all. All very subjective of course.

[trident4370]

They are hideous...

[Gareth]

As the bus shown was a lowheight version, will there be a full height option with normal upper deck windows?

[Mike K]

As the bus shown was a lowheight version, will there be a full height option with normal upper deck windows?

Don't know. To be honest I hadn't realised it was low height. The gap where the advert frames would go is a lot larger on these than on the current Geminis and the picture posted a while back of the prototype LS spotted at BC also had small upper deck windows (that may also have been a low height one of course)

[winston]

As the bus shown was a lowheight version, will there be a full height option with normal upper deck windows?

Don't know. To be honest I hadn't realised it was low height. The gap where the advert frames would go is a lot larger on these than on the current Geminis and the picture posted a while back of the prototype LS spotted at BC also had small upper deck windows (that may also have been a low height one of course)

It may not be low height as it's dual door London spec, London operators typically specify full height. Unless the reduced roof height is as a result of the weight savings achieved same reason why the upper deck windows are shallower

[Mike K]

Good point Winston, hadn't considered that

[Liverpool Street]

Am I the only one to be annoyed by those small windows in the middle of standard sized ones? The middle window on the Tridents are acceptable but I'm glad its gone on the E400's. And yet there is numerous on the B5LH. Revolting.

Surely they could do equal measurements for the windows across the length of the vehicle and put a small window on short wheelbase versions etc.

Or just stop doing designs based on the shortest wheelbase possible, ?

[winston]

Am I the only one to be annoyed by those small windows in the middle of standard sized ones? The middle window on the Tridents are acceptable but I'm glad its gone on the E400's. And yet there is numerous on the B5LH. Revolting.

Surely they could do equal measurements for the windows across the length of the vehicle and put a small window on short wheelbase versions etc.

Or just stop doing designs based on the shortest wheelbase possible, ?

LS,

If you notice the small windows are located either side of the standard window directly above the middle doors, I'm assuming this is so all the window pillars line through on both decks for structural integrity

Everytime I look at the small upper deck windows & that small rear vent between the deck they remind me of a Metrobus

[Liverpool Street]

Am I the only one to be annoyed by those small windows in the middle of standard sized ones? The middle window on the Tridents are acceptable but I'm glad its gone on the E400's. And yet there is numerous on the B5LH. Revolting.

Surely they could do equal measurements for the windows across the length of the vehicle and put a small window on short wheelbase versions etc.

Or just stop doing designs based on the shortest wheelbase possible, ?

LS,

If you notice the small windows are located either side of the standard window directly above the middle doors, I'm assuming this is so all the window pillars line through on both decks for structural integrity

Everytime I look at the small upper deck windows & that small rear vent between the deck they remind me of a Metrobus

I know what you're getting at Winston, but my point is, if all the windows were of equal length and of fitting perfectly into the length of the vehicle, you shouldn't get small windows. (And I think the narrow upstairs windows are actually nice, but I wish the windscreen pillars were smaller)