Route 390 NBfL Conversion 07/12/13

Time for Borismaster conversion number four. Route 390, formerly half of route 10 and part of C12, was a former Routemaster route. The last "new" Routemaster route. Those Routemasters were taken on the "Black Friday" of Routemasters - where the 9, 73 and 390 all lost their Routemasters, on 03/09/04. Low floor Volvo B7TL/Plaxton Presidents replaced the Routemasters. Since then, the route has been extended from Marble Arch to Notting Hill Gate, on November 2004 to replace the bendy-bound 12, and nothing else. Except from it passing between Holloway and King's Cross (now closed) depots. Now it's subject to long Borismasters roaring past, OPO on weekends and Monday-Friday evenings. At least one of them is LT111. And another is called LT114.

Metroline LT96, LT10 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)
Au went to Notting Hill Gate firstly to get these two buses.


Metroline LT96 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT10 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (blind blunder) (Au)


Metroline LT105, Route 390, Marble Arch (Au, edited)

 
Metroline LT96 on Route 390, Oxford Street (Au)


Arriva London DLA335 (159), Metroline LT10 (390), Oxford Circus (Au)


Metroline LT110 on Route 390, Oxford Circus (Au)

Afterwards, Au met with Josh and Tom at Orpington, and we came back to Marble Arch:


Metroline LT109 on Route 390, Marble Arch (Au)

Then the inevitable happened...


Metroline LT111 (LTZ1111) on Route 390, Marble Arch (Au)

Josh, Tom and I then split ways, and I went to Notting Hill Gate for night 390 observations. After oversleeping on a 52!


Metroline LT108 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT97 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT112 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT113 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT115 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT114 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)


Metroline LT101 on Route 390, Notting Hill Gate (Au)

Next on NBfL conversions: 148 in 2014.

Route 235 Extension 08/12/13

Christmas Day. This is the Christmas Present from the WLTMTB. *Insert generic Christmas greeting*.

Route 235 finally gets the extension to Brentford, Great West Quarter. But after a long wait, the blinds say "North Brentford Quarter". Of which, it is not in North Brentford at all, it's in East Brentford! Also, the development is Great West Quarter, by Barratt Homes. It was formerly Wallis House, used by Simmonds Aerocessories then Beecham (now Glaxo SmithKline) before being vacated by 2005. The car park behind it, as well as the art-deco building itself has been re-developed into a housing development. Inevitably, a bus route had to go there due to it being part of the plan. Route 235, after much deliberation, and even registering the change very early with Surrey County Council, finally was extended to Brentford, Great West Quarter on the 7th December 2013.

Abellio 8575 on Route 235, Brentford Great West Quarter (Au)

Firstly, Au covered it in the morning of the 8th December - one day after the extension happened:


Abellio 8581 on Route 235, Brentford Ealing Road (Au)


Abellio 8578 on Route 235, Brentford Ealing Road (Au)


Abellio 8450 on Route 235, Great West Quarter (Au)


Abellio 8575 on Route 235, Great West Quarter (Au)


Close-up of the side blind showing the new destination (Au)


Abellio 8575 on Route 235, Brentford County Court (Au)

Lewis also got some shots later on in the day:


Abellio 8578 on Route 235, Brentford Great West Quarter (LJN)


Abellio 8809 on Route 235, Brentford Great West Quarter (LJN)


It doesn't terminate here any more...
Abelluo 8807 on Route 235, Brentford County Court (LJN)

Later on still, Au got more observations at Great West Quarter:


Abellio 8809 on Route 235, Brentford Great West Quarter (Au)

And just the bus stop for the sake of it (Au):


It also had no panel timetable yet when the photo was taken.

Merry Christmas from the WLTM Transport Blog Team.

My Picture Archive Post 18

The last Picture Archive post for 2013. There isn't going to be a special post just because it's the 'festive' season, and near Christmas!


London United VA308 on Route 81, Hounslow West, 24/10/11

VA308 was one of the buses intended for the 148 when the route was new. Unfortunately, these buses were a tad late, so TAs were initially used on the route. When they did arrive, they were used on Route 148 from Shepherd's Bush Garage. When SPs arrived, these buses were moved as part of a swap with Fulwell too, where TAs acquired for a 111 PVR increase were swapped with these VAs after SPs replaced these buses. They were then found on the 111, 120 and H32 most of the time, initially. The 81 and 222 where then double decked in 2009-2011 (222 unofficially, initially) using these 'spare' buses as the H32 then the 111 got SPs. The 120 (annoyingly), 81 and 222 then got ADEs in 2012, thus releasing most of the array of double deckers at Hounslow Garage (except SPs). This bus moved to Bath Bus Company, part of the RATP Group. 81 now has Enviro 400 - E40Ds.

Route 81 is the corridor along the traditional Bath Road between Hounslow and Slough. For some of its life, it went to Slough, and even had a Sunday extension via what is now the 237 (then part of the 117) to Shepherd's Bush between 1966 and 1969. That must've been a very long journey! It was also one of the first tendered routes to pass to a non-London Buses operator in 1985, being run by London Bus Lines at Isleworth then Southall. It was then gained by Westlink in 1995 and after Westlink being acquired by London United, it has since stayed at London United ever since.

Route 388 Extension and Route 588 14/12/13

Route 388 was extended from Hackney Wick via Copper Box and through the Olympic Park, providing a new link to Stratford. However, someone at Stagecoach wasn't told about this and the 588 somehow still ran!

Firstly, the Route 388 on the extension patch:

CT Plus HTL12 on Route 388, Stratford City

 
The bus stop (note it also says the N205, it'll be covered in 2014 under an NBAD), and the 388 timetable at Stratford City


CT Plus HTP5 on Route 388, Stratford City
This is one of the buses that were acquired for the extension to Stratford City


CT Plus HTP5 on Route 388, Stratford City


CT Plus HTP6 on Route 388, Copper Box


CT Plus HTL5 on Route 388, Trowbridge Estate/Hackney Wick

However, one bus ran without Stratford City blinds...


CT Plus EO1 on Route 388, Trowbridge Estate (Hackney Wick)

Meanwhile, the 588 was still running...


Stagecoach 18459 and 18461 on Route 588, Copper Box

So, a confusing first day for Stagecoach, whilst CT Plus ran their 388 with not too many problems. The extension seems to be used only a bit so far, but then again, it was the first day of the extension..

Route 588 has since been withdrawn.

Auf Wiedersehn Goodbye! (but not for long...)

I regret to inform you that i am leaving the blog for a short time due to very serious matters which I am not going to talk about right now. Hopefully, with any luck, I'll be back by March in the new year, if not April.

You can continue to see my posts on my old blog, London Bus Scene, with a new co-blogger, Tyler, who will be assisting me there.

I will also keep uploading to Flickr, just a lot less frequently. The scheduled upload date will be on the 3rd Sunday of each month.

YouTube, I am starting to get back into, with a guaranteed upload every week.



So thats it really. Have a wonderful Christmas all of you out there, and I'll see you next year!

Goodbyeeeeeeeeeeee
JPT

75 to... Elmers End? 17/11/13

Metrobus 897 on Route 75, Elmers End

 Route 75 was diverted due to a road closure away from its actual route and terminated at Elmers End so it could connect with trams. This has led to the viewing of 75 to Elmers End on blinds, which is normally served by the 54 (which is also run by Metrobus using the same Optare Olympus/Scanias).


Metrobus 897 on Route 75, Elmers End


Metrobus 884 on Route 75, Elmers End


Metrobus 897 on Route 75, Elmers End


Metrobus 895 (54), 884 (75), Elmers End


Metrobus 893 on Route 75, Elmers End

And finally, the trio of bus routes at Elmers End...


Arriva ENX11 (289), Metrobus 895 (54), 893 (75), Elmers End Interchange