Further to yesterdays post, today I have witnessed an un-expected twist to the tale! It seems as though this shall not be the end for the K-LAE Leylands, but in fact, P568 EFL has purely become the replacement for the ill-fated K804 ORL. Depot manager Tony Body, pulled over to give me the news at 07:47 this morning that P568 EFL had become a ferry bus and was operating on the usual Dart MPD duty during the day. Sure enough just 42 minutes later, P568 EFL rounded the top of Devonport Hill to appear in my view, with a very excited looking Eddy Hockin at the helm! P568 is a welcome addition to the fleet, most certainly the best we could have hoped for while still being 'newer'. The P-EFL batch, which were new to Cambus in 1996 have always been favorites of mine so I very much look forward to travelling on her on a round of the 81C! Although the coach seating will be missed, something Torpoint has enjoyed since 2005, I shan't complain thanks to the a decent engine powering her along. As to the Leylands, they're still out in force, with K614 LAE spotted operating the X80 this morning, usually in the hands of a Dennis Trident! My first thought was it seemed strange to replace a more standard Volvo first, rather than less standard Leyland, but we all know how un-reliable K804 has been, and how reliable the Leylands continue to be in their 18th year of service.
Followed the youngster onto the ferry, citybound today. She does look very smart, athough the rear digital blind shoved in the back window.... Hmm!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised their not using the ex-Bristol Tridents on the Torpoint runs
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