 First 61008 June 2005 |
 ©AecRegent 61008, Bretonside, Plymouth, June 2005 If you click on the photo and visit his flickr page you will see the comments that these buses didn't really last that long with FDC and rarely appeared in Plymouth in that time. The did occasionally do the X80 and I remember a few occasions catching them on the 7. I always liked the look of these buses but by the time I got to ride on them they were well past their best and didnt give a brilliant ride. I seem to remember the drivers moaning about them a lot too. |
Further ReadingAEC Regent on FlickrOmnibuses: Christmas, Fares & Boxing Day TGP Projects October 2007: Dennis Lances on the move Recommended LinksTGP - Terry is getting wet TGP - and then he goes to bideford TGP: Some days are better than others Plymouth Local History Remember the 1970s when there was actually something decent to watch on the telly? We all used to love Dad's Army then   |
22 November 2009
Sunday Best: Dennis Lance at Bretonside
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Before these showed up, the regular performers for the 83/4/6 routes were those awful N reg Wright B6LE's and the R reg Dart SLF's. The Volvo's were simply shocking, their engines sounded like bolts in a washing machine, and the bodywork would literally disintegrate all around you, mainly because of the punishing rock hard suspension. The Darts were no better, as they had become so worn out from trekking to Barnstaple and back non stop for 8 years they couldn't manage any speed on the flat, let alone attempting to climb North Hill or merging onto the Manadon flyover. The rear suspension on all of these made really terrible creaking noises too, this being around the time the Traffic Commissioner was on First's back for it's shoddy maintenance practices.
ReplyDeleteSo when these Lances turned up, It was fantastic! Compared to the aforementioned rubbish, the ride was like a magic carpet, they also had a good turn of speed, didn't sound or look bad at all, and had the comfy old style bench seating. It almost made my commute bearable!
So it was a shame that these didn't last long in Plymouth, before being shipped off to darkest Cornwall where they only lasted a matter of months there either, before being sent prematurely for scrap, because of First's silly disposal policy.
Oh yes, I now commute in by car..