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Post by greeny253 on Aug 15, 2015 22:00:41 GMT
I found that way easier to make many points from one post   One thing I would suggest if you end up with a TA on Monday is to blank off the route number at the front. Way less hassle that way! Do you know your way to the A12 from Shoreditch? I don't recall where you come off for Leyton but that strikes me as the way with less traffic! Unless it's after 16:30... In which case it makes sod all difference which way you go! You come off the A12 at the Green Man Roundabout then Whipps Cross Rd, Lea Bridge Rd, Leyton Green Road. Only problem with trying to find the A12 is the morass that is Aldgate and then the A11. I wouldn't waste my time trying to get through that lot. Wouldn't even bother with Aldgate unless you absolutely had to! |
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 16, 2015 6:05:34 GMT
You come off the A12 at the Green Man Roundabout then Whipps Cross Rd, Lea Bridge Rd, Leyton Green Road. Only problem with trying to find the A12 is the morass that is Aldgate and then the A11. I wouldn't waste my time trying to get through that lot. Wouldn't even bother with Aldgate unless you absolutely had to! Will see what the traffic is like but at 1030 I can't see it being that bad coming out of the city, Whitechapel and then Cambridge heath road looks like an easy enough route |
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Post by greeny253 on Aug 16, 2015 12:17:27 GMT
Wouldn't even bother with Aldgate unless you absolutely had to! Will see what the traffic is like but at 1030 I can't see it being that bad coming out of the city, Whitechapel and then Cambridge heath road looks like an easy enough route Hackney Road would also be an option |
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Post by vjaska on Aug 16, 2015 13:32:53 GMT
Wouldn't even bother with Aldgate unless you absolutely had to! Will see what the traffic is like but at 1030 I can't see it being that bad coming out of the city, Whitechapel and then Cambridge heath road looks like an easy enough route I'd avoid Whitechapel with those cycle highway works going on. Me personally, I'd go via Dalston Junction and Shoreditch and then to Aldgate via Commercial Street. |
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 16, 2015 20:12:47 GMT
So First day alone was fine, may have made a small mistake at Clapton pond forgetting I'm a 56 and not a 48 and forgot to turn right into Cricketfield Road so lost a little bit of mileage but other than that it's been an uneventful day, non existent running times in the morning a bit too much in the afternoon, got my first Red event on GreenRoad  after a police car decided to do a U turn right in front of me with no warning Buses today were 12144 and 12132 both seemed to have non existent batteries as seconds after the engine was turned off the flat battery warning came on. As St barts was closed we were terminating at St Pauls, out allocated temp stand was blocked by coaches so I was instructed to use the 172 stand  Stagecoach London 12144 LX61 DDZ Route 56 by David McKay, on Flickr |
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Post by snoggle on Aug 16, 2015 22:01:01 GMT
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 17, 2015 17:00:51 GMT
So First day alone was fine, may have made a small mistake at Clapton pond forgetting I'm a 56 and not a 48 and forgot to turn right into Cricketfield Road so lost a little bit of mileage but other than that it's been an uneventful day, non existent running times in the morning a bit too much in the afternoon, got my first Red event on GreenRoad after a police car decided to do a U turn right in front of me with no warning Buses today were 12144 and 12132 both seemed to have non existent batteries as seconds after the engine was turned off the flat battery warning came on. As St barts was closed we were terminating at St Pauls, out allocated temp stand was blocked by coaches so I was instructed to use the 172 stand Eeh these new bus drivers. Don't where they're going. I was waiting on Cricketfield Rd and the bloomin' bus never turned up despite what that Countup system was telling me. Disgraceful is what I call it. Made me late for me bingo. I'll be sending a tweet to that Daniels bloke - isn't 'e in charge of the buses these days? I'll give him a piece of my mind and that Souter bloke will also be hearing from me.    My leader was just behind me but went the correct route, you wouldn't have been waiting long It was all going well until the second half today, ETM died and wouldn't come back on then the MDT failed and iBus system went down at Dalston Junction, Isolated and restarted and then the doors decided they didn't want to play ball, Get to St Barts and the bus isolates itself the second after I turned the engine off Ticket machine then started working for 3 stops before it went back to "Insert Module" even with the module out it was still "accepting passes" I was glad to say the least when I finally came off at Bakers arms  More fun and games tomorrow |
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 18, 2015 16:38:20 GMT
Much nicer and easier day today, Run light to St Barts to start the day always nice when you aren't in service, Had another boring hybrid and then I was due another hybrid but luckily a bus went mechanical and a few buses ended up getting back plated so I got 17819 which was ace to drive, Picked up 3 wheelchairs, 2 of them on the same trip! luckily at different places the ramp earned it's keep. Not sure if the controller knew what he was doing as I was trying my best to keep a perfect headway but was ending up running later and later and getting closer and closer until the point where I overtook, go past 4 stops and then I get told to hold back 3 mins for headway which I did, upon completion of the third min I was overtaken by my leader and now running 8/9 late, so I overtook him again and stayed in front, took my 5 mins at stand and left, overtook him again and just stayed in front running to my card time with perfectish headway. On the 56's again tomorrow, getting bored of this route and the hybrids, was going to do a 179 on friday but there is some stupid 3 mile diversion that I can't really be bothered to do as there is no way I would get any stand time to myself, looking forward to my long weekend of Thurs Fri Sat and Sun off scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/11889660_10203554245771508_524384541393347865_n.jpg?oh=674484f3d0a6a5a7429b9a93cd6418de&oe=5637D9C6 |
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Post by londonbusboy on Aug 18, 2015 16:43:13 GMT
My leader was just behind me but went the correct route, you wouldn't have been waiting long It was all going well until the second half today, ETM died and wouldn't come back on then the MDT failed and iBus system went down at Dalston Junction, Isolated and restarted and then the doors decided they didn't want to play ball, Get to St Barts and the bus isolates itself the second after I turned the engine off Ticket machine then started working for 3 stops before it went back to "Insert Module" even with the module out it was still "accepting passes" I was glad to say the least when I finally came off at Bakers arms More fun and games tomorrow Dave it sounds like you pressed the isolate button whilst the engine was on. I've done that by mistake as the hazard light button is next to it Some enviros have a plug at the side which you can pull out when it freezes as ive been asked to do that before. |
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 18, 2015 16:57:25 GMT
My leader was just behind me but went the correct route, you wouldn't have been waiting long It was all going well until the second half today, ETM died and wouldn't come back on then the MDT failed and iBus system went down at Dalston Junction, Isolated and restarted and then the doors decided they didn't want to play ball, Get to St Barts and the bus isolates itself the second after I turned the engine off Ticket machine then started working for 3 stops before it went back to "Insert Module" even with the module out it was still "accepting passes" I was glad to say the least when I finally came off at Bakers arms More fun and games tomorrow Dave it sounds like you pressed the isolate button whilst the engine was on. I've done that by mistake as the hazard light button is next to it Our hyrbids beep if you do that, and they won't move or do anything really, The batteries on the hyrbids are shocking, battery guard is always coming on seconds after you turn the engine off, same when you first start in the morning if you don't hit engine start quick enough they just isolate again |
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Post by londonbusboy on Aug 18, 2015 17:04:31 GMT
Dave it sounds like you pressed the isolate button whilst the engine was on. I've done that by mistake as the hazard light button is next to it Our hyrbids beep if you do that, and they won't move or do anything really, The batteries on the hyrbids are shocking, battery guard is always coming on seconds after you turn the engine off, same when you first start in the morning if you don't hit engine start quick enough they just isolate again Yeah the hybrids beep when stationary then it goes out when moving again. The diesels IIRC wont beep and will just isolate when engine is turned off. Most enviros especially diesels seem to have the battery guard light come on, must be a common fault |
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Post by romfordbuses on Aug 18, 2015 20:34:38 GMT
Our hyrbids beep if you do that, and they won't move or do anything really, The batteries on the hyrbids are shocking, battery guard is always coming on seconds after you turn the engine off, same when you first start in the morning if you don't hit engine start quick enough they just isolate again The guard comes on to protect the batteries going under the required voltage that the Hybrid system needs to test itself when you restart it (That whirring noise that you can only start after it stops). |
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Post by VPL630 on Aug 19, 2015 20:25:44 GMT
11H's and 57 mins later and I've successfully completed the second longest job at Leyton Garage, starting to enjoy the 56, the passengers seem to be all nice, friendly and well my age is a conversation starter plus the fact I look about 12 haha. Me with 12135 scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11902394_10203551016050767_710813574432899824_n.jpg?oh=957aba35fc3ac81fe1c4dd5a9a53b6b0&oe=563A8E3EJust I find driving the hybrids boring, they are quick but everything is just slightly delayed and taking off after closing the back doors takes a few seconds before it decides to move off same with when the handbrake is applied, They are very predictable and pretty much all drive the same, there are some faster than others and some that sound better than others but I don't know what it is, It's just not the same as driving a bus where the engine is connected to the wheels, Also the seats in them are horrible (I think this is a general envrio problem) where the seat can rock forwards and backwards, These are relatively new buses yet the TA's don't have this problem and the TA's well for me anyway are much nicer to drive even if they are slightly slower just more fun and enjoyable and the doors are quicker and the ramp is quicker and you can kneel them with the doors open. Only real thing I'm not a fan of with the 56 route is the fact you have to keep moving your bus up on the stands, I wouldn't mind having just 5 mins stand time if I had that 5 mins to myself and not be interrupted by having to move my bus 10 meters to turn it off and on again to leave, can't have everything I suppose |
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Post by greeny253 on Aug 19, 2015 20:50:48 GMT
Glad to hear you're settling in well.
The problems your describing with the battery guard/rocking seats etc.. on the hybrids were an issue with them at BW too. Clearly little has been done to rectify it. As odd as they seem the first few times you drive one, the Hybrids will become more natural. I used to enjoy them on the 15's and dread them on a 205. My personal Stagecoach preference was a TA or Scania.
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Post by snoggle on Aug 19, 2015 22:20:05 GMT
Well the afro hair definitely has gone. Sorry but the highlighted bit above made me chortle. Anyone tried to pick you up yet?
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after a police car decided to do a U turn right in front of me with no warning 
More fun and games tomorrow 
