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Post by Paul on May 4, 2019 20:13:41 GMT
I end-to-ended the 354 today. Quite a short and sweet route, but quite varied. The journey time scheduled for my journey was 37mins, but my driver did it in less than 30, and then was to have nearly 25 minutes stand time before returning. I've never really seen such long stand time even for longer less reliable routes. Seems a bit of a waste to me, when taking a bus off the route and putting elsewhere would have a greater benefit. What's the deal with running early on low frequency routes anyway, given the driver was running 8 minutes early by the end of the route? I enjoy driving the 354. I’m by no means a regular driver on the route but generally find the timings pretty good although I do recall needing to hang around a bit in the Clock House area the last time I did the route I’m pretty sure I posted about it at the time but one of the last times I did the route was on Remembrance Sunday last year and because of various road closures my first rounder was essentially a new route from Bromley North to Crystal Palace via Shortlands, Park Langley, Elmers End and Anerley!
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Post by bn12cny on May 5, 2019 15:14:07 GMT
Now where do I start? I arrived into London on Thursday evening and caught Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, walked across Hammersmith Bridge and saw all of the confusion and mess with the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, however people are so lazy catching the 72 to Hammersmith via Chiswick so many people waiting and catching this bus at the last stop on Castelnau, walk it’s quicker!!!
Friday went on a little adventure bus 419 to Mortlake a lot of traffic so bailed out at Mortlake Green, train to North Sheen, 371 to Richmond Park, walked to Ham Gate, 65 to Kingston (SP) then checked into our hotel l, rested for 1 hr then SWT to Wimbledon, Tram to East Croydon, 468 to Selhurst Park to get Jerk Chicken
Afterwards walked towards Norwood Junction bus 75 to Penge, 176 to Sydenham, train to Clapham Junction then Kingston, slept...
Yesterday X26 from Kingston to East Croydon, Southern Service to Chichester, rail replacement to Portsmouth and Southsea where the driver got lost, Hoverspeed to Isle of Wight bus 3 to Sandown, hired a car and explored the Island...
Today Isle of Wight Railway Sandown to Ryde, Hovertravel to Portsmouth walked to Portsmouth Harbour now SouthWestern Railway via Fratton and Eastleigh to Clapham Junction
Overall enjoyable few days before I fly back tomorrow but what is ex Victoria Line Trains doing at Eastleigh?
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Post by londonbuschannel on May 6, 2019 10:38:33 GMT
On Saturday: Walk to Dagenham Heathway District to Barking C2C to Stratford ( somehow a C2C train with 12 coaches still left me and about 30 other people behind as it was too packed :/ ) Jubilee to North Greenwich 486 to Charlton Village ( Visited family) Walked to Charlton Southeastern to Plumstead ( Prayed in Greenwich Islamic Centre) 422 to Charlton Village (visited family some more) 486 to North Greenwich Jubilee to Canning Town DL6 to Barking District to Dagenham Heathway Walk to Home.
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Post by londonbuschannel on May 12, 2019 19:19:50 GMT
Walk to Dagenham Heathway, District to Barking, DL-6 to Canning Town, 115 to Burdett Road,DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens,DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( Caught LX55EPN and it has a wierd sound when slowing down),DLR to Limehouse ,135 to Aldgate East ,115 to Limehouse , 135 to Burdett Road ,D7 to Mile End, DL-6 to Barking ( GREAT driver. Drove very fast but not dangerously. We overtook our leader (HV22) along the A13 but it pulled in infront of us at Station Parade, presumably using the A406), 287 to Chequers Lane ( Great driver, very smooth but fast. We had a joke about how I missed the 173 infront but by sheer luck we overtook it at Cook Road) , 173 to Home Yesterday 25 to Woodgrange Park Station, London Overground to Barking, Busspotted for a bit, C2C to Stratford, DLR to Westferry, DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens ( got LX03BXF, it was great and I got to see many downshifts), DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( got LX03BYM, pretty uneventful), DLR to Stratford, C2C to Upminster, C2C Rail Replacement to Rainham ( I highly reccomend this to everyone. It is routed via Aveley and Wennington. It also has many opportunities for the bus to be floored and has breathtaking views.), C2C Rail Replacement Shuttle to Dagenham Dock ( got a very bumby and rattly Envrio 200. We went via Ferry Lane and the A13 instead of New Road), 145 to Home,
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Post by 10121ddo on May 12, 2019 22:09:30 GMT
Walk to Dagenham Heathway, District to Barking, DL-6 to Canning Town, 115 to Burdett Road,DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens,DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( Caught LX55EPN and it has a wierd sound when slowing down),DLR to Limehouse ,135 to Aldgate East ,115 to Limehouse , 135 to Burdett Road ,D7 to Mile End, DL-6 to Barking ( GREAT driver. Drove very fast but not dangerously. We overtook our leader (HV22) along the A13 but it pulled in infront of us at Station Parade, presumably using the A406), 287 to Chequers Lane ( Great driver, very smooth but fast. We had a joke about how I missed the 173 infront but by sheer luck we overtook it at Cook Road) , 173 to Home Yesterday 25 to Woodgrange Park Station, London Overground to Barking, Busspotted for a bit, C2C to Stratford, DLR to Westferry, DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens ( got LX03BXF, it was great and I got to see many downshifts), DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( got LX03BYM, pretty uneventful), DLR to Stratford, C2C to Upminster, C2C Rail Replacement to Rainham ( I highly reccomend this to everyone. It is routed via Aveley and Wennington. It also has many opportunities for the bus to be floored and has breathtaking views.), C2C Rail Replacement Shuttle to Dagenham Dock ( got a very bumby and rattly Envrio 200. We went via Ferry Lane and the A13 instead of New Road), 145 to Home, Surprised 17836 was uneventful - it can be a rocket, just like 17811 (albeit when they're on the 215, rather than DLR replacement...)
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Post by 10121ddo on May 12, 2019 22:26:18 GMT
Saturday: 339, Mile End > Limehouse; DM45115 - good E200 batch this DLR Bus, Westferry > Island Gardens; 18211 - almost as good as when caught on the 158 188, Cutty Sark > Nth Greenwich; WHV176 - speedy 108, Nth Greenwich > Stratford City; MEC32 - always a belter 97, Stratford City > Leyton Green; 15105 - a couple kickdowns on this Scania, would you believe! W16, Leyton Green > Leytonstone Stn; 1226 - a non-MMC E200; fantastic
Sunday: Heathrow to East London special! 490, Heathrow T4 > T5; 8791 - wheezes a lot 350, T5 > Harmondsworth (Bath Road); 8893 - good batch of E20MMCs 81, Harmondsworth > Hounslow West; SP40183 - neither worth catching, nor this stretch of the route all the way to Hounslow H32, Hounslow West > Southall Town Hall; SP40007 - this, on the other hand, is a must do for all those who are used to Stagecoach's 58 Scanias, or RATP's normal ones. Excellent bus and route for it 607, Southall > Ealing Bdwy; VMH2591 uneventful, route isn't worthy of new EvoSetis E9, Ealing Bdwy > Greenford Bdwy; 9458 - good 09 reg classic E400 92, Greenford Bdwy > Wembley Central; TE1997 - neither the route nor the ex-First 12plate E400s are special 83, Wembley Central > Hendon; VW1779 - who doesn't like a classic 2009 B9TL! 326, Hendon > Finchley; DE20010 - rocket of a bus, nice scenery up Woodside Park 221, Finchley > New Southgate; DW479 - one of the best Mk2 DWs I've been on 298, Arnos Grove > Southgate; AE15 - not as good as when I caught WVL4 back in December, but lovely route 121, Southgate > Enfield Town; DW416 - I feel these DWs might even be worth avoiding... 192, Enfield Town > Edmonton Green; SEN38 - finally caught the non-Streetlite regular on the 192, had a good run 123, Tottenham > Gants Hill; DW552 - another rare example of a DW with non-stop thrash even on flat, twice in one day now 128, Gants Hill > Barkingside; VLA132 - probably the best DX VLA to catch before they leave end of the year (let the debates begin...!) 275, Barkingside > Home; 12145 - great end to a practically all diesel-only day, rocketing up Tomswood Hill on a hybrid whoosh is always great. Note, these are becoming increasingly rare on the route thanks to ULEZ/Stratford LEZ keeping them mostly bound to 55/56/257, and the abundance of E400D alternatives in the form of the 19***, 10156-163 batches
Not once did I wait more than 5 mins for a bus - considering this was a Sunday, I think anyone would be happy for this amount of connections with as little slack as that!
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Post by 10121ddo on May 12, 2019 22:48:58 GMT
While we are on the subject of th VLAs what happened to them did they get old on or did they go to the graveyard in the sky? They were sold either for further use or for scrap. I have a more specific answer about the fate of 4/5 of the 123's batch: adopted by Faresaver in Wiltshire/Somerset. Have a google of LX54BFM/BFN/BDX, should see them in their new vivid purple/white livery. If I recall correctly, one did still have a loud cooling fan (sticking to true 123 tradition), but I think they're all back to normal now. Note, the interior is still Arriva, seats and all - saver not only in fares, but also fixed costs....
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Post by busaholic on May 12, 2019 23:00:11 GMT
Saturday: 339, Mile End > Limehouse; DM45115 - good E200 batch this DLR Bus, Westferry > Island Gardens; 18211 - almost as good as when caught on the 158 188, Cutty Sark > Nth Greenwich; WHV176 - speedy 108, Nth Greenwich > Stratford City; MEC32 - always a belter 97, Stratford City > Leyton Green; 15105 - a couple kickdowns on this Scania, would you believe! W16, Leyton Green > Leytonstone Stn; 1226 - a non-MMC E200; fantastic Sunday: Heathrow to East London special! 490, Heathrow T4 > T5; 8791 - wheezes a lot 350, T5 > Harmondsworth (Bath Road); 8893 - good batch of E20MMCs 81, Harmondsworth > Hounslow West; SP40183 - neither worth catching, nor this stretch of the route all the way to Hounslow H32, Hounslow West > Southall Town Hall; SP40007 - this, on the other hand, is a must do for all those who are used to Stagecoach's 58 Scanias, or RATP's normal ones. Excellent bus and route for it 607, Southall > Ealing Bdwy; VMH2591 uneventful, route isn't worthy of new EvoSetis E9, Ealing Bdwy > Greenford Bdwy; 9458 - good 09 reg classic E400 92, Greenford Bdwy > Wembley Central; TE1997 - neither the route nor the ex-First 12plate E400s are special 83, Wembley Central > Hendon; VW1779 - who doesn't like a classic 2009 B9TL! 326, Hendon > Finchley; DE20010 - rocket of a bus, nice scenery up Woodside Park 221, Finchley > New Southgate; DW479 - one of the best Mk2 DWs I've been on 298, Arnos Grove > Southgate; AE15 - not as good as when I caught WVL4 back in December, but lovely route 121, Southgate > Enfield Town; DW416 - I feel these DWs might even be worth avoiding... 192, Enfield Town > Edmonton Green; SEN38 - finally caught the non-Streetlite regular on the 192, had a good run 123, Tottenham > Gants Hill; DW552 - another rare example of a DW with non-stop thrash even on flat, twice in one day now 128, Gants Hill > Barkingside; VLA132 - probably the best DX VLA to catch before they leave end of the year (let the debates begin...!) 275, Barkingside > Home; 12145 - great end to a practically all diesel-only day, rocketing up Tomswood Hill on a hybrid whoosh is always great. Note, these are becoming increasingly rare on the route thanks to ULEZ/Stratford LEZ keeping them mostly bound to 55/56/257, and the abundance of E400D alternatives in the form of the 19***, 10156-163 batches Not once did I wait more than 5 mins for a bus - considering this was a Sunday, I think anyone would be happy for this amount of connections with as little slack as that! Back in the long-ago days when I did that amount of bussing in a day, I often found Sunday was as good a day as any to undertake it, as long as you started after 9 a.m. and were very careful around the extremities of the network. I'd be interested to know huw pre-planned that trip was: i.e. did you keep to an order or was it, to an extent, random? If it was all pre-planned, then I really think you had, in the words of the late great Lou Reed, 'A Perfect Day'.
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Post by londonbuschannel on May 13, 2019 6:50:15 GMT
Walk to Dagenham Heathway, District to Barking, DL-6 to Canning Town, 115 to Burdett Road,DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens,DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( Caught LX55EPN and it has a wierd sound when slowing down),DLR to Limehouse ,135 to Aldgate East ,115 to Limehouse , 135 to Burdett Road ,D7 to Mile End, DL-6 to Barking ( GREAT driver. Drove very fast but not dangerously. We overtook our leader (HV22) along the A13 but it pulled in infront of us at Station Parade, presumably using the A406), 287 to Chequers Lane ( Great driver, very smooth but fast. We had a joke about how I missed the 173 infront but by sheer luck we overtook it at Cook Road) , 173 to Home Yesterday 25 to Woodgrange Park Station, London Overground to Barking, Busspotted for a bit, C2C to Stratford, DLR to Westferry, DLR Rail Replacement to Island Gardens ( got LX03BXF, it was great and I got to see many downshifts), DLR Rail Replacement to Westferry ( got LX03BYM, pretty uneventful), DLR to Stratford, C2C to Upminster, C2C Rail Replacement to Rainham ( I highly reccomend this to everyone. It is routed via Aveley and Wennington. It also has many opportunities for the bus to be floored and has breathtaking views.), C2C Rail Replacement Shuttle to Dagenham Dock ( got a very bumby and rattly Envrio 200. We went via Ferry Lane and the A13 instead of New Road), 145 to Home, Surprised 17836 was uneventful - it can be a rocket, just like 17811 (albeit when they're on the 215, rather than DLR replacement...) 17836 was just generally sluggish ( it's a route fullly in a 20 zone so not Stagecoach's fault) whereas 17811 was constantly revved and had multiple downshifts.
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Post by wirewiper on May 15, 2019 15:53:33 GMT
My bus journey today - or Which Trips in Ipswich?
Yesterday (Tuesday 14th May) I had a bus day out with a difference - I went to Ipswich for the day. My aim was to see the ex-trentbarton Optare Tempo X1200SR that Ipswich Buses has recently acquired, and to ride three routes that I hadn't managed to bag on previous visits.
Having booked in advance I had secured tickets for the 10.00 train from Liverpool Street and the 18.13 back for £10 each way, and added my Ipswich PlusBus for £3.30 so I was set. I arrived at Liverpool Street in good time, only to find that both the 09.30 and 10.00 Norwich services had been cancelled due to an earlier broken-down train at Diss. The announcer was advising passengers to join the 09.38 to Colchester, which I did, the 10.00 started from there at its booked time of 10.47 so I still arrived at Ipswich at 11.08, the time I was supposed to.
My first bus was from outside the station. I caught the 11.22 route 12 to Cambridge Drive, which was worked by Mercedes Citaro no. 153. The 12 was the original route to the large post-war Chantry Estate that was built to the South-West of the town, but as Ipswich has expanded it has been eclipsed by its sister route 13 which is now the main route through the area. I got off at the parade of shops - where there is a takeaway called Chipswich - and popped into the little supermarket to buy a bottle of water and some crisps whilst awaiting the next bus twenty minutes later. This duly appeared, albeit five minutes late, in the form of fellow Citaro 154. The 12 is only a short route and normally two vehicles are enough to maintain the 20-minute headway, although some roadworks in the town centre were causing a bit of a headache.
After a couple of hours wandering around the town and observing the comings and goings at Ipswich's two bus stations (Tower Ramparts for town routes, Old Cattle Market for out-of-town), I duly boarded Enviro200 at Tower Ramparts 14.05 no. 81 for a ride on route 4 out to Bixley. The route along Felixstowe Road was one of the old trolleybus routes, but the section around Broke Hall was added in the 1970s and Bixley much later as Ipswich continued to expand. I got off at Bixley shops as I was intrigued by a road that appeared on the map as "Busway". This consisted of a short stretch of bus-only road alongside the shops, complete with sump-buster, but alas is no longer in use and is bollarded off. I had a walk round the area and awaited the next bus back at 15.04, with Enviro200 108 this time doing the honours. Like the 12, two buses are sufficient to maintain the daytime frequency.
Back at Tower Ramparts i waited for the 15.55 route 16 departure to Halifax and Belstead, a route whic operates in a large loop around the suburbs of South-West Ipswich. This was elderly Pointer Dart No.153 which I was surprised to see still in service, I thought the ex-trentbarton Optare Tempos would have seen it off. Route 16 suffered from a halving of its frequency in last year's service revisions in order to keep it viable. As it takes somewhat less than an hour for the full journey it is crosslinked with route 7 which takes over an hour, enabling both routes to be operated economically on a regular hourly frequency with just two buses. The outward journey as a consequence was well-loaded, and was also quite eventful as part of Belstead Road was closed, necessitating a significant diversion to the consternation of many of the passengers on board, who were bombarding the driver with questions as to whether the bus would stop at their usual stop or would they need to get off somewhere else. As I was conscious of time and didn't want myself to get stuck I elected to remain on the bus for the full round trip, thankfully inbound was much quieter and less eventful.
I was aware that I hadn't yet ridden on one of the Tempos, so after half an hour back at Tower Ramparts I took the 17.30 route 13 journey to the Station, no. 98 obliged. Ipswich Buses has taken thirteen of these vehicles, which are in very good condition and have allowed Ipswich Buses to upgrade its fleet and dispose of a number of older vehicles*. I had a bit of time before my train so I wandered round past the Garage at Constantine Road, where a number of withdrawn single deckers were parked up in the yard alongside. These included Pointer Darts, and some of the six Scania OmniCitys that were bought new for route 13 back in 2006.
After the morning's shenanigans my journey home was uneventful with an on-time departure from Ipswich at 18.13. Arrival at Liverpool Street was a minute early at 19.16. I was headed back to Bethnal Green and by the time I got to the concourse the 19.18 to Chingford had been taken off the boards, but as I walked past platform 5 the train was displaying Chingford, people were still running up the platform and the signal off indicator was not lit, so I touched in at the barrier and was able to board just before it departed.
All in all a good day, and I got to do the routes I wanted. I can recommend a trip to Ipswich, it is only just over an hour from London by train (pre-book to get good-value Advance Fares though as off-peak returns are pricey, and don't forget to add a PlusBus!). The town itself is much under-rated, and has many historic buildings in the centre including several of medieval origin. And with two major operators - Ipswich Buses and First Eastern Counties - and a handful of small independents there is much of bus interest to commend it.
* these follow on from 12 ex-London Scania OmniCity double-deckers acquired in 2018. These were part of a batch of 31 that new in 2011 to First London for route 207 when it was converted from bendybus operation. They were withdrawn by Metroline in April 2017 and returned to the leasing company, their place taken by VWs displaced from route 427 when the contract transferred to Abellio.
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Post by 10121ddo on May 16, 2019 0:13:41 GMT
Sunday: Heathrow to East London special! 490, Heathrow T4 > T5; 8791 - wheezes a lot 350, T5 > Harmondsworth (Bath Road); 8893 - good batch of E20MMCs 81, Harmondsworth > Hounslow West; SP40183 - neither worth catching, nor this stretch of the route all the way to Hounslow H32, Hounslow West > Southall Town Hall; SP40007 - this, on the other hand, is a must do for all those who are used to Stagecoach's 58 Scanias, or RATP's normal ones. Excellent bus and route for it 607, Southall > Ealing Bdwy; VMH2591 uneventful, route isn't worthy of new EvoSetis E9, Ealing Bdwy > Greenford Bdwy; 9458 - good 09 reg classic E400 92, Greenford Bdwy > Wembley Central; TE1997 - neither the route nor the ex-First 12plate E400s are special 83, Wembley Central > Hendon; VW1779 - who doesn't like a classic 2009 B9TL! 326, Hendon > Finchley; DE20010 - rocket of a bus, nice scenery up Woodside Park 221, Finchley > New Southgate; DW479 - one of the best Mk2 DWs I've been on 298, Arnos Grove > Southgate; AE15 - not as good as when I caught WVL4 back in December, but lovely route 121, Southgate > Enfield Town; DW416 - I feel these DWs might even be worth avoiding... 192, Enfield Town > Edmonton Green; SEN38 - finally caught the non-Streetlite regular on the 192, had a good run 123, Tottenham > Gants Hill; DW552 - another rare example of a DW with non-stop thrash even on flat, twice in one day now 128, Gants Hill > Barkingside; VLA132 - probably the best DX VLA to catch before they leave end of the year (let the debates begin...!) 275, Barkingside > Home; 12145 - great end to a practically all diesel-only day, rocketing up Tomswood Hill on a hybrid whoosh is always great. Note, these are becoming increasingly rare on the route thanks to ULEZ/Stratford LEZ keeping them mostly bound to 55/56/257, and the abundance of E400D alternatives in the form of the 19***, 10156-163 batches Not once did I wait more than 5 mins for a bus - considering this was a Sunday, I think anyone would be happy for this amount of connections with as little slack as that! Back in the long-ago days when I did that amount of bussing in a day, I often found Sunday was as good a day as any to undertake it, as long as you started after 9 a.m. and were very careful around the extremities of the network. I'd be interested to know huw pre-planned that trip was: i.e. did you keep to an order or was it, to an extent, random? If it was all pre-planned, then I really think you had, in the words of the late great Lou Reed, 'A Perfect Day'. Not planned at all! I had three criteria a) A 56 reg RATP Scania (luckily SP7 and 8 came on duty around 9/10am which was when I arrived at Heathrow to start the day) b) As many DWs as possible once in North London c) Get home avoiding the tube completely Aside from these, it was mostly a first-come first-serve basis, as I hate waiting around at stops if it isn't for one bus in particular. If I know I can catch it another time, I'll skip the wait. So for example, I was waiting on the 297 at Ealing Bdwy when the E9 turned up, so I did that and the 92 to get to Wembley, instead of the 297, which would've had 15 mins longer wait time. I will also often take one or two breaks (albeit just for a coffee or cheeseburger). This is an especially good way to cut slack in the bus hopping if unavoidable. For example, SP40007 was over a half hour wait at Hounslow West by the time I would've got there. So I got off a stop before and went for lunch and a coffee at Henley's Roundabobut McDonalds in the meanwhile. By the time you walk up to where you need to be, it cuts the 40 min wait to single digits on the live departure board! I had another snack break at Wembley Central, as I wasn't local to the area and needed to orientate myself towards Brent Cross/Edgware to get the 102 or 221 into Arrivaland. My next big trip will likely be a late evening / early morning, London round trip on Saturday night. I prefer to set off around 7pm latest, getting back for 2/3am. Again, no particular agenda - somewhat depends on whether there are any gems in the RARE function on LVF at the time!
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Post by galwhv69 on May 16, 2019 7:10:47 GMT
Not massive but decided to take a more outer london commute yesterday. School-Crystal Palace (School Minibus) Crystal Palace-West Croydon (Bus 450-SLS1) West Croydon-Waddon Park (Walk) Waddon Park-Wimbledon (Tram 2***) Wimbledon-Putney Heath Green Man (Bus 93 DOE**) Putney Heath Green Man-Dover Park Drive (Bus 170 SE2**) Walk Home First time on the tram in at least 4 years! Still fast,reliable and enjoyable!
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Post by sid on May 18, 2019 18:36:53 GMT
61 Orpington to Bromley 18495. I struck lucky when this old girl rolled up, probably my last ever ride on the type in TfL service. Decent performance on an uneventful journey.
119 Bromley to Croydon WHV61. Laboriously slow journey, no traffic congestion at all but the driver was taking his time and at Shirley Library we got the dreaded "the driver has been instructed............." announcement. No blame attached to the driver who was apologetic about it all and when a 198 appeared behind most people bailed out and onto that.
Did a few things in Croydon, amazing how dead the town centre is now on a Saturday compared to the halcyon days of the 70s and 80s.
412 Croydon to Purley DW104. Struck lucky again when this old girl pulled up, I was in no rush so only too happy to jump on and take the scenic route. Bus stops in Sussex Road needlessly closed off but driver stopped anyway, some probably wouldn't. Sort it out TfL for crying out loud!
466 Purley to Caterham on the Hill DW110. Checked LVF and found this was on it's way so I let the previous 466 go. Driver really flooring it and an epic performance from start to finish. Shame that these lovely buses will probably be gone at the end of August.
404 Caterham to Coulsdon SDE20302. Nice little route and a pleasant ride with a friendly driver, standing room only on arrival in Coulsdon.
166 Coulsdon to Epsom ENL107. Enjoyable ride as always on this lovely section of route despite the rattly E200! Quite busy as well and the Epsom end deserves better than an hourly service.
Went to barby, had a few beers, watched the FA Cup final on TV etc etc!
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Post by Dillon95 on May 18, 2019 18:44:48 GMT
269 - Sidcup to Bromley North 227 - Bromley North to Beckenham Tram - Beckenham Junction to George Street
We spent the afternoon shopping in Croydon.
119 - East Croydon to Bromley North 269 - Bromley North to Sidcup
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Post by 10121ddo on May 19, 2019 1:56:50 GMT
Another belter of a day out
549, Woodford > South Woodford; 36354 - business as usual (BAU) W13, South Woodford > Wanstead; 1270 - definitely something wrong with this bus, jolting every two seconds of attempted acceleration 308, Wanstead > Forest Gate; MV38235 - the famous "WTF" reg TFL Rail 101, Manor Park > East Ham; E69 - high revs, but also very smoky exhaust and under the engine... sounds like RR maintenance of a 12 year old E400 to me! 115, East Ham > Plaistow Road; EH140 - BAU on an MMC 147, Plaistow Road > Canning Town; E177 - no cooling fan, but something else just as loud from the back when leaving stops 472, Nth Greenwich > Woolwich Arsenal; 17981 - good kickdown and revs, shame it's no longer closer to home on the 247 (FYI, it still has the 247 route map on the inside, above LD passenger seats!) 53, Woolwich Arsenal > Blackheath; 12339 - highly recommend the pre-MMC E400Hs such as these, more so on Charlton Park Rd 202, Blackheath > Catford; WHV76 - BAU, great journey 320, Catford > Bromley; EH19 - extremely nimble, very quick up hills like SLN's 12128-12153 batch, good ride 227, Bromley > Crystal Palace; 23108 - the beast from the South-East, the SLN Citaros are easily the best going in London at the moment, in my opinion 417, Crystal Palace > Leigham Ct Rd; T109 - nothing special 315, Leigham Ct Rd > Streatham; SEN43 - P&R section, nimble on empty roads at night 333, Streatham > Tooting Bdwy; HA34 - not as noisy as other HAs at BN, BAU otherwise 127, Tooting Bdwy > Hackbridge; WVL238 - classic B7TL, has a ticking sounds from the engine, almost like a pre-2000 B7TL such as those at First West of England. Another classic 2000s bus off the bucket list! 151, Hackbridge > Sutton; WVL447 - speediest journey through the suburbs yet, always enjoy a good B9TL X26, Sutton > Kingston; WVL339 - BAU on the X26, quick at night on empty main roads 65, Kingston > Richmond; SP40121 - nothing special about this SP (unlike SP7 in my previous post!) N22, Richmond > Chelsea; EH85 - first N22 of the night, great journey through Barnes, Putney and Fulham, momentum throughout N11, Chelsea > Aldwych; LT65 - slower, but more scenic having sat at the front this time instead 243, Aldwych > Holborn; HV260 - quick scoot up Kingsway for the night tube home!
All within eight hours end to end...!
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