S114 TDW

Vehicle Specifications

History

S114 TDW was new to municipal Newport Transport in 1998 as a batch of nine, being fitted with bench seats, gasket glazing, no climate control or forced air ventilation, front Vultron flipdot display, a 4 speed ZF, as well as numerous other cost saving measures. They don't appear to have had any set allocation, and appeared on routes across the city, alongside various other types in the Newport Transport fleet.

In 2004, fleet number 14 was given an all over wrap for the airline BMI Baby, part of British Midland International, which it carried for a number of years. It was during this time that the centre headlights were removed, creating the slightly cross eyed look that became quite familiar across numerous companies. It later regained green and cream colours, this time with Newport Bus 'Serving the City' fleetnames, which it then carried for a further three years, before gaining the then-new two tone green and white livery in 2011, and the new Newport Bus logos.

The remaining eight Flolines in the Newport fleet, after 16 prematurely caught fire, were withdrawn in 2015, ahead of DDA regulations for full size single decker buses. However, 10, 13, and 14 were all refurbished, and modified to comply with the regulations, which involved fitting ramps, additional poles, wheelchair backrest, and the removal and repositioning of a number of seats, bringing the seated capacity down to 42, from 46. The trio were also painted all white, with small Newport Bus logos being the only identifiers, and were primarily used on school contracts, although from time to time they also strayed onto service work.

14 was the last Floline in use with Newport Transport, being sold along with 13 to Ebley Coaches, Nailsworth in August 2020, and then going via a dealer in Bristol to SW Audio in Dumfries. This is where the rather striking current livery comes from, which somewhat fits its former use as a mobile DJ stage.

In Preservation

After acquiring 14, we're currently assessing the extent of repairs that are required to both the braking system and a few areas on the chassis, before bringing it back to join the rest of the fleet. The washer pump and wipers also require replacement, and the nearside windows that were removed will be replaced. Once this is completed, we can aim for an MOT pass before progressing to refitting the removed seats, removing as much of the current paint as we can, and restoring any missing original features on the exterior. Most of the seat cushions are mismatched, ripped, or severely threadbare, so they will require replacing or retrimming before it can be used at events.