More Double Deckers
After the end of production of the Olympian as a Leyland, it is perhaps no
surprise that Eldorado also turned to Scania for further double deck
additions. The original Alexander bodied N113 (see
The
Scania Saga for fuller details), was supplemented by a further four, with
Eldorado returning to Northern Counties for the bodies - two in 1997
were 10.5m Palatine I's, and two in 1999 were more normal 9.5m long
Palatine II's. At the same time, the first secondhand Metrobus was
acquired.
 Another unusual addition, in 2000, was an 11-metre K93 double
decker, with East Lancs 92-seat bodywork acquired secondhand from Padbus.
After the Lynx
After the end of Lynx production, Eldorado once more turned to
Scania, with the addition of 5 Alexander bodied "PS" type
bodied N113s in 1992, a pair of similarly bodied K93s in 1993, and a
further pair of N113s, this time with Plaxton Verde bodywork, in 1994.
Having resisted the trend for midibuses, Eldorado's hand was forced
in 1997 when structural weaknesses discovered in a bridge on the route
to Weston (Route 5), meant that the bridge had to be closed, pending a
full structural survey followed by the necessary repairs - a process
which would take years, rather than months. This meant that the
route had to be diverted over a smaller bridge which carried a weight
restriction which prevented the use of full size vehicles. For the
diverted route, now known as 5A, Eldorado purchased three 8.5m Dennis
Darts with Plaxton Pointer bodies. These were followed later in
the year by a further three, but 9.8m long, for no other reason
than they were available at a bargain price from a dealer!
Low Floor - At Last!
In 2000, however, in response to criticism from the local council,
ably assisted by our noble British press, the company succumbed to the
need to supply low floor vehicles. On the single deck front, these
materialised as a pair of Wright bodied Scania L94's, which, although
introducing a new make of bodywork to the fleet, came as no real
surprise, and were followed in 2001 by four more, and again by another
pair in 2002. For 2003, complete Scania vehicles were bought, in
the shape of a pair of OmniCities.
...and Double Deck
On the double deck front, however, Eldorado took everyone by
surprise by introducing four Neoplan Centroliners to the fleet, to run
its busiest commuter/shopper route, the town centre route 4. These
12 metre 3-axle double deckers were originally produced in 4m high, left
hand drive form for use in mainland Europe, but the lucrative Hong Kong
market had persuaded Neoplan to produce a 4.3m high right hand drive
version, and Eldorado took advantage of this. These huge vehicles
have 92 seats, and room for a further 24 standees, and despite their
length, the fact that the third axle steers makes them as manoeuverable
as a 10m vehicle. With the exception of a solitary dual-door
Alexander bodied Dennis Trident, bought to replace a dual-door Metrobus
as back-up for the Neoplans, all further double deck purchases were secondhand Metrobuses (see
Metrobus Mania). Some have suggested that this was just a
stalling tactic until a low-floor Scania double decker was available ……
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