DECEMBER 2019 ReleasesPhotos are courtesy of Model Bus Zone or the manufacturers |
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 NORTHCORD UKBUS6514 ADL Enviro400MMC Single Door First in Glasgow 33201HB (SK68LWN) has 10.5 metre, single door bodywork and was the first of 75 new buses for First Glasgow in 2018. It carries a full and colourfully branded livery for route 75. The new buses formed part of a £31m investment from First Glasgow covering 150 new buses over two years in anticipation of meeting the annually increasing percentage of Euro6 buses to meet the city’s Low Emission Zone requirement. By Hogmanay 2019 this target requires 40% of the fleet entering or operating within the city LEZ to be Euro6 compliant until reaching 100% by 2022.
The bus was the star of the high-profile new bus launch on an unusually dreich and sodden George Square on 9th October 2018. The bus was placed inside a 20 foot-high structure designed to replicate a model bus box. The new buses feature USB charging points, extra padded e-leather high-back seating and free WiFi. The Euro 6 engine uses stop/start technology but the letters "HB", that are appended to the fleet number, do not reference any sort of "hybrid" power source; they represent the formerly used term "highbridge" to denote a taller bus than one that is "lowbridge" with a number of bridges in the city that the bus could not pass under. Apart from the presentation of the 1:1 scale big model box at George Square, the mirrorless bus was an interesting attraction at the launch. First Glasgow worked with Alexander Dennis and 21st Century Technology on the trial of a camera system which replaced conventional external rear-view mirrors (also colloquially, and incorrectly, referred to as "wing mirrors") with four cameras and two interior displays. This was the first double-decker bus having this system fitted in the UK. The first of the batch of 75 vehicles entered service on 10th October on route 75 between Castlemilk and Milton via Glasgow City Centre, although 33201HB did not enter service until later to allow time for driver familiarisation with the camera mirrors, and, even then, it was allocated to a set diagram every day so that the number of drivers was limited at first. During the summer of 2019 it was regularly allocated to the X7 M&D's Express route to Strathclyde Country Park. UKBUS6514 represents its allocation to route 75, heading for Castlemilk, a large housing scheme to the south of the city, developed by Glasgow Corporation dating back to the 1950s to alleviate the slum conditions in the inner city, particularly in The Gorbals, near to the home depot for 33201HB. The side destination references Hampden Park, Scotland’s national football stadium. The driver rear-view camera, and special, comprehensive livery and branding of 33201HB are 100% reproduced onto UKBUS6514 in 1:76 scale. The stand-out features of the branding are : the big "75" on both sides and rear, along with key locations served "Castlemilk, Hampden, City Centre, Possilpark, Milton" on the nearside, and the special banner-type "Your new buses have arrived" decorations on both sides and rear. Further additional details carried by the model include the "Free WiFi", "USB chargers", "Comfy seats" on the rear, and the special sunlight protection shades on the top of both front windscreens. The Alexander Dennis Enviro400MMC model is a one-piece casting whose clean lines accentuate the square, gasket-mounted windows and the livery application on which all logos and lettering are clearly legible. Another main feature on the model is its single tree protector at the front. The front dome on the model is significant, with curved windscreens on both upper deck and lower deck. Northcord Model Company is also creating new design standards within the interior of both saloons. These features, inside the compartments, will represent the real, outstanding layout of the Enviro400MMC, such as the extensive portrayal of handrails on upper deck and lower deck, etc. |
 OXFORD 76PD2008 A1 Service Leyland Titan PD2 NTF9 on route to Adrossan via Dalry Road & Beggs Terr. |