Buses: Throwback Thursday

[Vico2]

Thanks Csalem, great info as always

[Csalem]

This week we are throwing back to 1993, when Dublin Bus were experimenting with a new livery. After 6 years of two-tone green with an orange stripe, they decided to try something new. So KD 223 was painted into a livery comprising of two-tone green with an orange stripe. As can be seen when compared with the RH behind, the greens were adjusted with the top green made much paler and the lower green much darker. This experiment was not a success and the buses continued to be painted in the standard livery until the end of the decade. It wasn't all green in 1993 though as City Imp and City Swift were appearing on the streets.
KD 223 is seen in Dun Laoghaire about to operate to the City Centre with a 46A. Back then the route still served Stillorgan village. 13/04/1993

Throwback Thursday (66) by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr

[bigby]

Csalem still love this thread, thank you

[Vico2]

Great stuff

[bojangles]

Dublin Bus is planning to sell 67 double decker buses this year as part of the company’s standard fleet replacement. 57 Volvo double deck city buses and 10 Dennis double deck city buses are up for sale according to tendering documents.

Dublin Bus says that all vehicles will be sold in a roadworthy condition with the company’s livery removed and tyres will be included in the sale.

The buses - 52 of which were registered in 2003 and 15 of which were registered in 2002 - will be available from September.

The last time the company made additions to its fleet was in 2016 when 100 new double-deckers were added.The national transport authority funds Dublin Bus’s annual fleet replacement programme, the aim of which is to continue making efficiencies as newer buses tend not to require as much maintenance as their older counterparts.

A spokesperson for the company told The Irish Times that vehicles are replaced “ when buses have reached the end of their cycle for our needs as a transport provider and to keep our fleet modern [and] environmentally friendly.”

It is understood that these buses could be sold to a variety of different organisations including school bus operators, tour bus operators and, in some cases, bus enthusiasts. It’s believed that there will be some Irish buyers for the vehicles but that most of them are likely to go to the UK.

It’s not clear how much Dublin Bus plans to sell each bus for, but similar models are currently for sale on the Autoline website for between €14,000 and €19,500.

All of the buses have a wheelchair ramp at the front and have a seating capacity for 74 people.

Dublin Bus is allowing bidders to make an offer for one, some or all of the vehicles and the closing date for the receipt of bids is 12 noon on Wednesday, 10th of May.
( Irish Times 14th of April 2017 )

[Csalem]

Just a slight update. I claimed a few weeks back that all buses in Dublin Bus fleet now have LED displays on the front. This is wrong. There is still one bus going strong. WV 51 is one of two single deckers still operational in the fleet. These are required for the 44B and are due to be replaced very shortly. Here is the bus in Dundrum on Good Friday:
WV 51 Dundrum 14/04/17 by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr

[quinner]

Just a slight update. I claimed a few weeks back that all buses in Dublin Bus fleet now have LED displays on the front. This is wrong. There is still one bus going strong. WV 51 is one of two single deckers still operational in the fleet. These are required for the 44B and are due to be replaced very shortly. Here is the bus in Dundrum on Good Friday:
WV 51 Dundrum 14/04/17 by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr

I think we got the 44 to Enniskerry when we went camping at Knockree.....When we were kids....

[Suzieq]

Just a slight update. I claimed a few weeks back that all buses in Dublin Bus fleet now have LED displays on the front. This is wrong. There is still one bus going strong. WV 51 is one of two single deckers still operational in the fleet. These are required for the 44B and are due to be replaced very shortly. Here is the bus in Dundrum on Good Friday:
WV 51 Dundrum 14/04/17 by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr

Those were great little buses

[Vico2]

Only yesterday we were talking at home about the 44B and wondering if it was still running. I remember he was not a frequent service in the old days

[Csalem]

No it is not a very frequent route. 6 departures one direction and 5 the other.

https://www.dublinbus.ie/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/44b2/

[Vico2]

You are scuppered if you live in Glencullen with no weekend service

[bojangles]

You are scuppered if you live in Glencullen with no weekend service

I noticed the vintage Double Decker was gone from outside Johnny Foxes a few weeks ago . people must have thought it was still in service .

[Csalem]

It's a trip back to 1995 (and not 1997 as the label says) this week and to another experimental livery. This time Dublin Bus decided to try something different than two-tone green and went with blue and white with a yellow stripe. The livery was quite attractive but was not adopted by Dublin Bus, and only this bus was painted in the livery.
RH 147 was based in Donnybrook and is seen here at the 45 terminus on Eden Quay. This route ran to Oldcourt in Bray until 2012 when it was abolished under Network Direct. 22/04/1995

Throwback Thursday (67) by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr

[Vico2]

Thanks Csalem, as always interesting info and memories brought back

[Csalem]

This week we are going back 19 years to 1998. RA 246 is seen at the bus stop on Grafton Street while operating a service on route 10 to UCD Belfield from Phoenix Park. At the time the bus was only 3 years old but managed to stay in service for another decade and a half as it became a member of the tour fleet. It did lose its roof though for this new role, or at least some of it. This location ceased being a bus stop in 2014 with the start of Luas Cross City works. With the tram tracks coming through here it is not longer practical for buses to stop here, and this corner has been eased by extending the footpath. The bus is in an all-over ad for Eircell, one of the first mobile operators in Ireland. 1998 was when mobile phones were starting to appear, and were still a relatively novel technology at that time.
Finally, what can one say about the route 10. It was one of the more famous routes in Dublin and used by a lot of people over their lifetimes, either going to college in Belfield or the Zoo in the Phoenix Park. In 2010 the unthinkable happened when Dublin Bus abolished the route and replaced it with the 39A on the southside and 46A on the northside. 28/04/1998

Throwback Thursday (68) by Cathal O'Brien, on Flickr