Eldorado News

An acquisition for the heritage fleet is 48 (TWX 146F) a 1968 Bristol RELH6G / ECW C47F, which was new to West Yorkshire RCC as their fleet number CRG8 (Photo).

A new vehicle for the recovery fleet is E32 (MG22 REC), an Isuzu NPR-XD with winch and under-lift, whilst a second-hand acquisition is E33 (PT09 REC), a Scania R360LB4x2MNB fitted with a Springfield slide-bed and winch, dating from 2009.
 

A new vehicle for the heavy recovery fleet is E1 (S730 REC), a Scania 730 S B8x4NB fitted with an MHC Rotator, and takes over the mantle of Queen of the Fleet from Scania T/Boniface E3 (Photo). The previous E1, preserved Scania LB110 (KKN 11J), will continue to carry the same fleet number on the vehicle, but has been renumbered E1001 for administrative purposes.
 

New arrivals are a pair of 19-seat midi-coaches. 81/2 (LC22 UKG/H) are Toyota XZB70s with Toyota Coaster C19FL bodies. The wheelchair access is via doors on the rear of the coach, in a similar fashion to what we would call “welfare vehicles”, rather than a side wheelchair lift, and the seating is reduced to 16 if carrying a wheelchair, or 14 if carrying two. These are effectively large coach-seated minibuses, with 2+1 seat arrangement (Photo).

Second-hand acquisitions are a pair of Bristol FLF6Gs with ECW H38/32F bodies. Acquired last year, and repainted into 1950s-1970s Eldorado livery over the winter, is ex-Cumberland 535 (HRM 535D), new in 1966 and now numbered 158 in the Eldorado speciality private hire fleet (Photo). The second FLF is ex-United L94 (5094 HN), new in 1962 and originally an FLF6B.

An interesting re-acquisition is the former Eldorado 244, a Leyland Royal Tiger Doyen. It has been repainted in the current coach livery, but has been given the same fleet names it carried last time, the now obsolete “Eldorado Express”. It has also been given the cherished plate it carried the first time round - A4 ELD, last carried by Scania K113/Plaxton Paramount 4000 No.64. It carries its old fleet number, 244, but like all the heritage fleet, on paper it has 1000 added to this for administrative purposes, to avoid any possible clashes with current members of the main fleet (Photo).
 

A unique second-hand acquisition is 127 (YU64 NFF), a Scania K320UD with ADL Enviro 500 H59/31D bodywork, which was built as a Euro 6 prototype demonstrator for Hong Kong, but failed to generate any orders and eventually returned to Scania UK.
 

New are three Iveco Dailys (Photo). 302/3 (YG70 BKD/E) are 8-seater minibuses of type 45C16, carrying “Door to Door” branding, which will be used in the main as tour feeders, whilst E 15 (YG70 BKF) is a 35S14 van for the Engineering Department.

25/6 (DG/DH07 ELD), Scania K340EB / Van Hool C47FLt were withdrawn, but quickly re-instated for use on Flexicoach contracts, as were coaches 64, 65, 66, 209 and 210 - see Sept 2020 below.
 

A further vehicle acquired from the erstwhile PHM Travel fleet to enter service here is 241 (YB18 FRG), a 2018 Optare Solo M7900SE / Optare B19F. Like the previous ex-PHM vehicles (see June news), it had been acquired by PHM but had not been re-painted in PHM livery or entered service by the time of the unfortunate passing of PHM’s owner.

New vehicles, all of which were originally scheduled for delivery around the Easter period, but were delayed due to the Coronavirus epidemic, are as follows: 17/8 (PK70 JMY/Z), Scania K320IB4 / MOBIpeople C73DL (Photo), 60 (YE70 GNJ), Yutong ZK6938BHQ / Yutong TC9 C35F, and 205/6 (YN70 VAX/Y), Scania K250UB / ADL Enviro 300SMC B40F (Photo).

Withdrawn as a result are 209/10 (DE53 GYB/C), Scania CN94UB / Scania OmniCity B42F, dating from 2003, 64/5 (R4/5 ELD), Mercedes 0404 / Mercedes Tourismo 15.RHD C49FLt and 66 (P6 ELD), Bova FHD12.340 / Bova Futura C53F, all dating from 1999 but having been acquired as recently as 2017. All these vehicles, although withdrawn, have however been retained, for the time being at least, so that they can be made available again if “social distancing” means that extra vehicles are needed.

Acquisitions for the Engineering / Recovery fleet are E30 (YD67 SGB) a Mercedes 2548LS (Actros MP4) tractor unit and E31 (YX13 YJU) a Renault Magnum 460DXI tractor unit (Photo).
 

Also acquired is 901 (W16 ELD) a 2005 Scania N94UD / East Lancs Omnidekka.  This came via Arden Forest, though it had not been operated by them, and arrived in all red Metrobus (London) livery. It has been converted into a mobile exhibition unit, with the upper deck laid out as a theatre for showing holiday and publicity videos and the lower deck displaying brochures and taking bookings (Photo). For administrative purposes it has been given a fleet number in a completely new range, 901, and the registration number (W16 ELD) was originally carried by a 2000 Plaxton Excalibur withdrawn in 2013.
 

A new arrival is 52 (YP20 ELD), a Scania K410UD6x2*4 with Caetano Boa Vista CH63/12Dt bodywork. It is branded for the X4 Manchester to London run (Photo).
 

Two second-hand acquisitions for the recovery fleet are E28 (HHD 309H), a 1970 Scania LB140 recovery crane, and E29 (KV13 JOZ), a 2013 DAF LF45.160 / Johnston 600 Road Sweeper.
 

>>> Earlier News (2019)