Dennis Trident / East Lancs
Trident 3858 lays over at Gateshead Metro after arriving on service 301.
The East Lancs Dennis Tridents were the first low floor Double Deckers in Go North East, and are currently the oldest Low Floor Double Deckers in the North East after Stagecoach Busways examples were transferred to Manchester. When they first came they were slightly problematic, mainly to do with the water pipes around the engine. One Trident, 3867, had a collision with a low bridge in Cullercoats when only a few weeks old. It was unusually operating on the 326 and the driver went the wrong way and ended up hitting the bridge. the vehicle went back to East Lancs to be repaired.
There are 5 V-Reg Tridents 3801-4 delivered new to Bishop Auckland, and 3858 at Percy Main. 3801/2 are at Chester Le Street after moving there via Percy Main, and 3803/4 are at Percy Main along with 3858-3867. East Lancs Tridents from 3859-3880 are W-Reg in two different batches. The Percy Main Tridents operate on the 301 and 308, they also make odd appearances on other routes, also 3866/7 are dedicated to the DFDS contract, however that doesn't stop them running in normal service. Chester Le Street's East Lancs Tridents often run on the 21group and the 723. They often do the 551 on a Sunday. Winlaton Tridents are allocated to the 610/1/32/3, they may appear on the M40/1/2/4/5 group during the peaks.
Registrations
3801- 3804 - V801EBR etc.
3858 - V858EGR
3859 - W859PNL
3860 - W806PNL
3861 - 3866 - W861PNL etc.
3867 - 3869 - W177SCU etc.
3870 - W174SCU
3871 - 3879 - W181SCU etc.
3880 - W176SCU
Fleet Depositions
Chester Le Street (GoN) - 2 (3801/02)
Percy Main (GoC) - 12 (3803/04/58-67)
Winlaton (GoG) - 13 (3878-3880)
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| A Trident waits in the Rain at Whitley Bay. | A Trident at Durham operating on the 21 to Newcastle. |
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| A Percy Main Trident about to go into the paint shop for repainting into DFDS seaways livery. | The finished product, seen in North Shields on the 317. |
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| A Trident rounds the roundabout at Gateshead Metrocentre. | A trident branded for the 301 is seen here on the 308 at the Foxhunters Pub, near Whitley Bay. |