22398 MAN Mk 3 ALX300

Built on a MAN 18.220LF chassis, powered by a 6.8-litre Euro 3 D0836 engine and driven by a 4-speed Voith gearbox; the body is the last version of the ALX 300 to be designed by Alexander. Although by this point, it was an Alexander Dennis product.

New to Stockport in 2006, 22391 – 22399 were the only members of a small, council part-funded fleet of 9 Mk3 ALX 300s to be ordered specifically for Manchester and the 378 route from Stockport to Grove Lane (Cheadle). The original nine were soon joined by further vehicles of the type, with 22400 – 22407 being transferred from Scotland and being reregistered on 55 & 06 plates.

22398 – 22407 were all earmarked for training duties upon withdrawal, with 398 – 404 remaining in Manchester, specifically Hyde Road. The vehicle was used daily on driver training work and even venturing onto driver shuttles. In January 2025, Hyde Road depot transferred to Metroline, and with it the training fleet was split between Stagecoach’s remaining depots. 22398 was allocated to Queens Road.

One by one the remaining MANs were withdrawn, and 2026 marked the end of MAN operations in Stagecoach Manchester’s fleet with 22398 bringing down the curtain on 16^th of March – some 19 years and 11 months after arrival.

The vehicle is more than just another bus in our collection. it has played a huge part in the Wigan Bus Preservation story – with our founding members all completing part (if not all) of their driver training in 22398. As such, other than interior and exterior refresh, the training specification will be retained.