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| 145 - the latest Dennis Dart to join the CBNW operating fleet following arrival in Blackpool on 20 November. |
Today, another Dennis Dart joined the CBNW fleet to be prepared for service on "Catch 22" and strengthen our low floor output. Former Metroline DA145 (reg T145AUA) was new to Armchair in May 1999 and operated in Brentford, initially in their orange & white livery until the company was acquired by Metroline in 2004. These Alexander bodied Darts had a relatively short operating life, being withdrawn for refurbishment for the 209 service but then placed in store and later returned off-lease in December 2010. Never operated in its refurbished guise, the batch of Darts passed to dealers but DA145 was one of the few to escape the scrapyard and, still in good condition, but with faded paintwork after years of outside storage, this bus has now been acquired by CBNW to join other ex-London Darts already in the fleet. It is proposed to repaint "145" in standard red livery and apply route & fares graphics for service 22 ready for a return to passenger service from January 2013.
