View allAll Photos Tagged NMM
I really haven't photographed many Medilink BYDs in this livery, partly because I haven't been in good places to get them on camera and partly because they do look kind of rubbish and not worth the effort. 978, however, was an exception here as it came around the roundabout and provided the perfect photo opportunity.
The decision to paint the new Medilink fleet in this way makes absolutely no sense to me. When withdrawn from the Eco/Centrelink P&R routes the whole fleet was already in the EXACT SAME livery as Medilink, with only a change of graphics required to complete the change. Hell, the Ecolink ones even had the Medilink-inspired heart rate monitor style 'pulse line' already on them (though what a pulse has to do with Racecourse P&R I have no idea).
The Linkbus liveries have varied a bit over time, but generally all retained a family look with bold colours; the main two being Medilink blue and Locallink green. This latest iteration, however, doesn't care for the recognisable brand of blue ML buses that has been built up over time and gone for the Stagecoach approach of making the livery look like the packet for a cleaning product. Meanwhile, those old, recognisably branded, blue Medilink buses are happily running around on Locallink routes in full ML branding, pretty much confirming that the whoever is in charge of the branding (the City Council or CT4N) really don't give a damn anymore.
Speaking of branding, umm, where is it? After a while of being completely unbranded, some Medilink logos were slapped onto the new livery, but then they forgot to add the rest of it. There's no City Hospital > Wilkinson Street P&R > QMC > Queens Drive P&R, no frequency, no mention of it being an environmentally friendly bus or anything besides Medilink and the tiny CT4N logo on each side. Even the Medilink logos themselves aren't right, as the "i" of Link is meant to incorporate the green, six-pointed Big Wheel logo that has been a feature of every previous Linkbus livery.
Funnily enough, the bus stops still have the old-style Medilink branding, so they no longer match the buses either. I know none of this makes a difference to a long-time Medilink user who doesn't care what colour the bus is, but for any new users of the service who are trying to familiarise themselves with it, the inconsistencies could be quite a hinderance. CT4N and/or the City Council have made a beautiful masterclass in how to take a good brand and let it go down the drain.
Hucknall Road, Nottingham, 21.3.22
CT4N LTD
T/a CT4N Buses
978 LJ16NMM - Medilink
BYD K9UR
Queens Medical Centre, South Road, Nottingham - MED2 Service
These are my first real attempts at serious NMM (non-metal metallic) and OSL effects. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to C&C.
An Australian Special race car built by the Chamberlain brothers (later built the Chamberlain tractor). Originally built in 1929 with an Indian motorcycle engine, they built their own engine in the mid 30's. It was a vertical inline four cylinder with two pistons per cylinder, displayed next to the car.
National Motor Museum, Birdwood
An Australian Special race car built by the Chamberlain brothers (later built the Chamberlain tractor). Originally built in 1929 with an Indian motorcycle engine, they built their own engine in the mid 30's. It was a vertical inline four cylinder with two pistons per cylinder, displayed next to the car.
National Motor Museum, Birdwood
1963 Morris Minor 1000 4-door.
Last MoT test expired in July 2007 (SORN).
Now MoT exempt although it did fail a test in March 2019 -
Offside rear brake pipe connection leaking on a hydraulic braking system (1.1.11 (b) (ii)) - Dangerous
Offside front brake insecure caliper (1.1.21 (c)) - Major
Nearside front lower suspension rod pin or bush excessively worn trunnion (5.3.4 (a) (i)) - Major