Photo of the Week - Week 34:
Harristown's ALX400 bodied, Cummins Engined, Dennis Trident 2, DT4, is seen on Merrion Square operating Route 13 on a rare non-Euro shift on the 30th December 2011.
It occured to me that one bus type has never appeared on this site, the DT class. Given the announcement of the 19 withdrawal next week the same order of updates should be expected, a new 9 and 83 feature next week followed by a farewell feature the week after. However I wanted something at least somewhat 19 related for this week and what could be more 19 related than the DT class.
The DT class were bought in 2003, entering service from Broadstone Garage, principally operating Routes 19 and 19A, before being transferred to Harristown upon its opening in late October 2004. Visually very similar to the AV class they have some subtle differences. For a bus enthusiast they are distinguished by the very high around for the steering wheel. The sound in the distance is also a dead give away.
Harristown's DT2 operating an evening universal on Route 41X to Sword's Manor is seen turning onto Nassau Street on the 21st June 2011.
The DTs come equipt with a larger engine, a 8.3 litre Cummins ISCe 225 engine as opposed to the 7 litre Volvo B7TL in the AV class. This is generally noticeable while travelling on them, the buses being much nippier that their AV counterparts. The buses are slightly higher, the giveaway being the extra step towards the back seat of the lower saloon, but they are also slightly shorter, being only 10.5meters long, rougly 20 centrimeters shorter when compared with an AV.
I can actually count of my fingers and toes the number of photos I have of the DT class. They are such an illusive batch of buses, almost stringently operating peak Euro services with a lap at most during each peak. Very seldom do they stray and then it is a case of random occurances, nothing predictable for the bus photographer. Before the withdrawal of the AWs on the 4, the DTs appeared quite regularly on it. Being assigned to early Euro departures on the Blanchardstown Corridor they would be first back into the garage. In order to get the AWs off the road asap they would be sent out for a lap before being swapped for something else. With the need for extra low floor capacity in Harristown with the new Low Floor status of the 83, could the DTs be in line for a new lease of life as more often used vehicles in Harristown? I think I'm being too optimistic, though a route like the 83 that returns to the garage after each lap would be a great route to have them on if reliability is an issue.
Harristown's DT6 operating Route 142 to Portmarnock is seen turning onto College Green on the 21st June 2011..