Minibus on Service 144
Posted: 01:31 Sunday 16th October 2016
I had the 'privilege' of operating the 2200 ex-Birmingham journey of Service 144 on Friday evening; the last journey of the day to traverse the entire route.
My initial allocated vehicle was Enviro300 67649. Whilst this had been a pleasant drive on my previous venture to Birmingham on the 1715 journey on Wednesday afternoon, she certainly wasn't in the mood for an evening drive on Friday night and began blowing out some steam - quite literally.
Shortly after being alerted to a 'low coolant' warning whilst passing through Fernhill Heath, the engine management system decided to take action and withdraw any response from the engine, reducing the bus to a gradual coast before rolling to a stop in the lay-by just shy of the Copcut Elm pub. The coolant pipe had split, enveloping most of the rear of the bus in a cloud of steam and vapour.
I requested, out of sheer desperation to reduce the delay to the service, for a bus of any type. The engineering department responded by providing 'Fuchsia'-liveried Optare Solo 53044 as a replacement!
That became only the third journey of Service 144 I've operated in a minibus and is pictured on the fuel bay at Padmore Street after her return from Birmingham.
My initial allocated vehicle was Enviro300 67649. Whilst this had been a pleasant drive on my previous venture to Birmingham on the 1715 journey on Wednesday afternoon, she certainly wasn't in the mood for an evening drive on Friday night and began blowing out some steam - quite literally.
Shortly after being alerted to a 'low coolant' warning whilst passing through Fernhill Heath, the engine management system decided to take action and withdraw any response from the engine, reducing the bus to a gradual coast before rolling to a stop in the lay-by just shy of the Copcut Elm pub. The coolant pipe had split, enveloping most of the rear of the bus in a cloud of steam and vapour.
I requested, out of sheer desperation to reduce the delay to the service, for a bus of any type. The engineering department responded by providing 'Fuchsia'-liveried Optare Solo 53044 as a replacement!
That became only the third journey of Service 144 I've operated in a minibus and is pictured on the fuel bay at Padmore Street after her return from Birmingham.
