Photo of the Week - Week 41/42:
Clontarf's AV362 is seen operating Route 53B at Hueston Station on the 3rd November 2013.
Fleet transfers have become like a merry-go-round over the past few weeks. One of the early inter-garage transfers involved Conyngham Road and Clontarf, with AV362 heading from Conyngham Road to Clontarf, AV363 heading the other way as a replacement. AV362 is an interesting vehicle. It was delivered as part of the AV359-AV362 batch, delivered in 2003 for use on the RailLink Route 90. AV362 was numerically the last bus delivered in the old core livery of blue/cream/orange, AV363 being delivered in blue/cream in 2004. They were delivered downseated to 72 to accomodate extra luggage space downstairs, a useful feature on an inter-station link. With Route 90's frequency reductions, they would cascade onto Route 92, however upon its withdrawal in 2010, they went into the general allocation pool in Conyngham Road.
AV362 is seen operating a morning universal on Route 90 on the North Wall Quay on the 2nd August 2013.
AV362 is seen on a rare allocation to Route 31A loading at the Lower Abbey Street terminus on the 27th October 2013.
The Irish Ferries service has long required a vehicle with extra luggage space. AV362's transfer to Clontarf is an intelligent transfer. It has been strictly allocated to the Irish Ferries 53B service. It can be seen on other routes, the 53B having universal duties that can help out on other routes after performing the ferry run. However, it has been quite unusual to find it elsewhere. The photo above shows AV362 operating an afternoon service on Route 31A due to the lunchtime ferry being cancelled because of bad weather.
AV362 is seen in its old Conyngham Road days at The Square terminus of Route 76A on the 3rd September 2011.