Picture Archive Post 53

Metroline TPL272 on Route 32, Cricklewood, 08/06/12 (© Aubrey)

TPL272 is a Transbus Trident/Plaxton President new to Metroline in 2002. It started life at Potters Bar for the 82 when the route was converted to low-floor. Afterwards, it had a normal life going through Metroline routes from Potters Bar, Cricklewood, Holloway and then back to Cricklewood. By 2012, when the bus was withdrawn, the bus was doing Route 32 from Cricklewood. After withdrawal on 1st November 2012 (yay), the bus then was sold and moved to Newport Bus for use on town services, where it is today.

Route 32 started out to run between Edgware Station and Kilburn Park Station, replacing the southern half of Route 142. Running from Cricklewood Garage with Routemasters from 13th June 1970. A short Sunday allocation at Hendon (AE) occurred in 1971, before conversion to Daimler Fleetline OPO (DMS) operation in March 1971. The MCW Metrobus then became the standard type for the 32 from 1980. A short peak-hour deviation via Graham Park Estate to Mill Hill Broadway ran between 1981 and 1996. It passed over to Metroline after sectorisation. In 1996, single deck Dennis Lances replaced the Metrobuses and ran on the route until it was converted back to double deck (with low floors) in 2000. Dennis Trident/ALX400s then became the allocation. After a while, the allocation for the 32 became "all the cast-offs from the 16" and "any double decker in Cricklewood". It currently has the Enviro 400 hybrid cast-offs from the 16 as the allocation.

Also, a note from Aubrey:
Due to the rush in making the previous post by me, I was not able to explain my hiatus from the blog prior to now. From about September, I was going though a lot of personal social upheaval, which along with coursework from university, led that it was unsustainable to continue blogging. The time off allowed me to have more time with myself, allowing to think decisions through and sort my own life out. Quite a few of my friends know exactly what had happened, but at the end of the day, I've recovered better than before. WLTM Transport Blog is not just any blog team. It is a team of friends who blog in their spare time, and it has been like that since the blog became a team back in 2012. Teams of friends stick together, talk with each other and help each other out when another friend is in need. Tommy Cooling has joined the blog, although he'll talk more about himself when he released his first post.

Thanks to Lewis, Josh, Jacek, Omar and Tommy for helping me get through a hard time, and now, we all continue blogging.
From the pretty strong WLTM Transport Blog team, thank you for your patience, and near-normal blogging will resume!

Great Western Electrics

The Great Western Main Line electrification programme has allowed GWR to replace some of their Networker Turbos with new electric trains. Although the wires have not reached Reading yet, the trains have already been built. So as wires already reach Hayes & Harlington, and there is a large amount of overcrowding on GWR services in the London area already, why not introduce them on the already electrified section?


GWR 387133 (and 387130), Hayes & Harlington (© Aubrey)

So they did. The Class 387/1s have third rail shoes as they are very similar to the 387s at Great Northern (Thameslink). Introduced initially on some peak hour journeys, the new 387s provide much needed relief on the GWML commuter services.


The timetable shows two AM eastbound, one westbound, and two eastbound, three westbound services (© Aubrey). This was taken at Ealing Broadway on the Saturday before the start of service. These services take Greenford branch slots. During this time, the Greenford branch terminates at West Ealing bay platform.


GWR Electrostar Route Map (© Aubrey)

Currently, the services will only run between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington, and GWR aim to have a service between those two places every 30 minutes with these Class 387s by early 2017. Once the electrification (for Crossrail + Great Western Modernisation) to Maidenhead is complete in Summer 2017, electric services will be extended to Maidenhead. Eventually, these trains will form most of the non-Crossrail Thames Valley services. Not all branch lines will be electrified, however.


GWR 43163 next to 387130/387133, Paddington (© Aubrey)

GWR have ordered more than the initial 8 units that were ordered, with the uptake of the rest of the Porterbrook order "for future demand" that isn't going to National Express c2c and 23 more, with a total of 45 units going to GWR. This allows Thameslink 387/1s to move to Great Northern instead of GWR. The Class 387s are to eventually cascade most of the Class 165/166 to the South West & Bristol, replacing Pacers and other BR-era trains in the area.

Eventually, with electrification, the HSTs and Class 180s* will, too, be partially replaced by newer electric trains. The Intercity Express Programme Hitachi units (Class 800/801) will soon take over most express diesel services over 2017-2018. Electrification of services, modernisation of stations and ERTMS signalling installation making up most of the approx £5bn (with parts now indefinitely deferred) Great Western Modernisation Programme.

The first GWR electric service departed Paddington at Platform 11 at 0715, formed of 387130 and 387133. (© Aubrey)

As the 387s are more permanent to the GWR franchise, they have gained a GWR interior, as shown:


Interior of a GWR Class 387 (387130) (© Aubrey)

This is only the second batch of 387s that do not have the Southern interior - the other being the 387/2s for Gatwick Express.


(© Aubrey)

Amenities include no First Class and plug sockets on each side of the train for most seats. The seats are the same as other 387s other than the colours. This also introduces a newer PIS system for GWR:


A video of the PIS in action leaving Ealing Broadway - note there is a lot of wheelslip as it was a fairly wet day. The usual "Coach 1 of 8" announcement standard in nearly all Electrostars still exist!


GWR 387133 (and 387130), Hayes & Harlington (© Aubrey)

As the bay platform at Hayes & Harlington is not yet finished, the 387s went to a siding, before returning for the return trip back to London. Usage of these peak hour services are quite high, and these services get quite busy. Thus, it is very good that this necessary capacity is being provided now.


GWR 387130, Hayes & Harlington (© Aubrey)

The first services have done well. The Class 387s are just like any other 387s albeit with a different interior (that isn't a Gatwick Express one). Hopefully, the electrification delays subside enough so there is more capacity on services on the GWML to Reading, Maidenhead, Burnham, Slough etc.

Picture Archive Post 52

First London TNL32929 on Route 10, Hammersmith, 27/05/08 (© Aubrey)

TNL32929 started out as TNL929 at First Uxbridge Buses (UX) for Route 207, although it moved fairly early on to Westbourne Park (X) for routes, including the 7 and 23. Most of its batch mates stayed in Uxbridge through most of their career and then moved to various provincial areas. In about 2010-2011, this bus moved to First Berkshire for the 200 Legoland shuttle, amongst other general Berkshire routes. It never gained LEDs. It was later scrapped in 2014 at Ensignbus.

Route 10 is deemed to be the western half of the older 73 route. The route number became free because the original route 10 (Victoria-Wanstead-Abridge) was truncated and then withdrawn back in January 1988.
On 13th August 1988, the 10 was introduced between King's Cross and Hammersmith with Routemasters from Shepherd's Bush (S). Garage journeys ran to Shepherd's Bush Garage. April 1989 brought in a Holloway (HT) allocation with a Sunday Chalk Farm (CF) allocation. This changed part of the OPO Sunday side from Metrobuses to Titans. Garage journeys to Tufnell Park, as well as extended journeys to Archway Station were introduced.  March 1992 saw the Chalk Farm Sunday allocation move to Holloway. May 1993 saw the withdrawal of London United from the 10 as the Shepherd's Bush allocation moved to Holloway. This helped with the privatisation of LBSL units, as London Northern ran Holloway. This ended up being MTL London in 1994, before being bought by Metroline in 1998. Also in 1998, the whole 10 service was extended to Archway Station. TPs (Tridents) were introduced on Sundays in 1999.
On 1st February 2002, the 10 was split. The "old 10" contract was renumbered 390, and was truncated to Marble Arch. The "new 10" contract was awarded to First Centrewest, and ran between King's Cross and Hammersmith. New Volvo B7TLs were introduced into, erm... Wood Lane, as Westbourne Park was not ready to fully operate the 10, initially. It took until November 2003 before the whole route was allocated at Westbourne Park (X). Soon enough, the 10 ended up getting any double decker at X, including the working above.
The route returned to London United in January 2010. The N10 was replaced by the 390N, 10N and 33N, which meant that the 10 became a 24 hour service. New Scania Omnicity double deckers (SPs) were allocated to Stamford Brook (V). The route converted to LT in 2014 and those SPs went to the E3! After a re-routing to avoid Warren Street and instead go via Russell Square, this is the current state of the 10.

Hiatus update:
I'm (Aubrey) still on hiatus, however, I've decided to put out this Picture Archive post to ensure at least something gets out whilst certain personal issues are sorted out. I have no date on when I will fully return to blogging normally, as it depends on when this situation is dealt with. The quicker it is dealt with, the sooner I return, and the sooner everything gets back to normal.