What's the difference between a Gemini 3 and Streetdeck? (1 Viewer)

Dec 22, 2016
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Just a quick question to all the other bus nerds out there. Regarding the Gemini 3, in London, I've seen two variants. One has a Wright dashboard that looks almost identical to an NRM dashboard, and the other has a Volvo dashboard similar to the Gemini 2. But the thing is, these Gemini 3's look almost identical from the outside, the only difference I've noticed being the different dashboards. A couple of examples, route 140 has Gemini 3's with the Volvo dashboard and 340 has the same buses but they have a Wright dash. What exactly is the difference between these two variants of the Gemini 3?
Thanks!
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Solution

Its interestingly put here, two paragraphs down. I prefer Scania's that NCT have (Nottingham City Transport) not cant shift B5LHs and Slowwrecks. The only decent hybrids we have are the NBfL and MMC Integral BAE hybrid.

Scania's Bio Fuel CNG buses in Notts are a damn sight better than what London operators choose. Cheap and useless is London

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0118999

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@Dean99 Are you sure they're the same chassis? Volvo's B5LH/B5TL is available with Wright Gemini 3 body but Wright also offer their own chassis (with a Merc engine) under a similar body, known as the Streetdeck. Generally the dashboard is supplied by the chassis manufacturer.

Apart from dashboards, the easiest way to tell them apart is rear overhang. The Volvo's is massive!

@Melvin Williams No need to be quite so harsh, I believe the Streetlite, Streetdeck and NRM dashboards are all very similar so Dean was just using it as an illustrative example. If the display was turned off would you know that was a Streetlite dashboard?
 
Just a quick question to all the other bus nerds out there. Regarding the Gemini 3, in London, I've seen two variants. One has a Wright dashboard that looks almost identical to an NRM dashboard, and the other has a Volvo dashboard similar to the Gemini 2. But the thing is, these Gemini 3's look almost identical from the outside, the only difference I've noticed being the different dashboards. A couple of examples, route 140 has Gemini 3's with the Volvo dashboard and 340 has the same buses but they have a Wright dash. What exactly is the difference between these two variants of the Gemini 3?
Thanks!
View attachment 16767
View attachment 16766
There's a few little differences on the outside. The front wheels are slightly different. The Volvos have a 'bolt' on them, while the Streetdecks have a 'plate' as so to speak. There's one more grill on each side at the rear on the Volvos, and the Streetdecks are generally longer in London, and it can be quite noticeable. The Volvo seems to have roughly the same amount of windows (perhaps one or two less), but a few of them are much smaller. Looking at the back, they are almost exactly the same, apart from the lights. The Streetdecks lights are formed of circles of LEDs, while the Volvos are formed of an arrow-like pattern of LEDs. Hope that helped!
 
Dec 22, 2016
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@Dean99 140/182 have B5LH Gemini 3s, whereas the 340 has Streetdecks. I actually didn't notice they had different dashboards though, but I guess that's why!
@0118999 @Melvin Williams @Lukeo @Jacobthebus
Thanks for clearing that up guys. I didn't even know what a Streetdeck was before. To me the Volvo Gemini 3's and Streetdeckers look very similar on the outside, it was only the dashboard difference that I noticed when I got on the 340 (a Streetdeck), and that make me think' 'hang on, this is slightly different to the Volvo'!
So if I have got it right there are two different buses:?
- Wright Streetdeck
- Volvo Gemini 3
In that case why is it that the Gemini 3's say Wright on the back?!
Sorry but it all seems a bit confusing to me!
 

Rhys

Add-on London Team
Mar 20, 2016
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@0118999 @Melvin Williams @Lukeo @Jacobthebus
Thanks for clearing that up guys. I didn't even know what a Streetdeck was before. To me the Volvo Gemini 3's and Streetdeckers look very similar on the outside, it was only the dashboard difference that I noticed when I got on the 340 (a Streetdeck), and that make me think' 'hang on, this is slightly different to the Volvo'!
So if I have got it right there are two different buses:?
- Wright Streetdeck
- Volvo Gemini 3
In that case why is it that the Gemini 3's say Wright on the back?!
Sorry but it all seems a bit confusing to me!
As the body was made by Wrightbus :tongueout:
 

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The_Growl

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Mar 7, 2017
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I think the easiest way to tell Stealthwrecks and Geminis apart is the following.

Stealthwrecks
- Can't get up hills
- Lack of Volvo badge at rear
- Wrightbus steering wheel
- Even window sizes
- Normal sized wheelbase
- Normal sized overhang
Ek5NmbjgnXGuD9YDz56kERcuB5xnDc2_.jpeg


Gemini 3 B5LHs
- Can't get up hills
- Volvo I-Shift gearbox, which means hard revs, and noticeable gaps in gears
- Uneven window sizes
- Volvo Steering wheel
- Volvo Mudflaps (on MMC B5LHs anyway)
- Hybrid Logo (in London)
- Half window at the rear, and split interior seating layout at the rear.
- Volvo badge at the rear
- Long rear overhang
- Short wheelbase

9o46kKkNplxUilccx0dVe2BWC4tAjV3X.jpeg
 

0118999

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It's confusing when you've got different manufacturers making different parts of each bus... with cars it's much easier as one manufacturer makes everything! :)
  • Yeah, buses where the body and chassis are made by the same company are known as "integrals", a good example is recent Optares. This is a fairly modern thing.
    • Just to make things a bit more complicated though, sometimes you get a choice of engine. So on the Optare Solo you could have a MAN, Cummins or Mercedes engine.
  • Then you get "separate body-on-chassis construction", a good example would be Plaxton coaches which are normally on Volvo chassis. Traditionally all buses and coaches were built this way, the Leyland National was one of the first integrals.
  • Confusingly some are available as both, a good example is the Enviro 400 MMC which is available as an integral or a body on Scania chassis. Another example is the Volvo integrals such as the 7900, you can often buy the chassis on its own and get your own body stuck on it!
Just to confuse things even more, cars aren't always made by one firm. A good example the Fiat 124, which is built by Mazda in Japan but with a Fiat engine shipped in from Italy! A lot of manufacturers share engines, so BMW diesels are found in the latest Toyotas.
 

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Rhys

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Mar 20, 2016
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Lol @Rhys created a brand new thread especially for this conversation! :)
I didn't think it was going to be so long. You see Rhys, I thought I would get a simple one post answer but it escalated quite quickly! So I'm sorry if I made you move every single post into the new thread. :(
Oh no, haha, don't worry about it. It happens all the time on WIP threads, no biggie:D
 
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