RM1005 on Route 188 for Poppy Appeal

Thanks to the conductor of RM1005 for giving me the posters of these Poppy Appeal Routemasters for the past two years!


On the 7th November, RML903 ran a limited service on Route 4, whilst RM1005 ran a service on the 188. The same crew did the 188 as the previous year, and, well, it ran VERY late. When it was due at Surrey Quays on its last full run, the bus was only just leaving Surrey Quays towards North Greenwich! Jamaica Road amongst other traffic woes hitting the bus, hence it did not run the Russell Square-Waterloo shorts at the end of its trip. But enough about that, this running of Routemasters are for a good cause, for the Poppy Appeal to help raise money for remembering the soldiers from the wars that British Forces have been involved in.


Sir Peter Hendy's RM1005 on Route 188, Canada Water


Sir Peter Hendy's RM1005 on Route 188, Canada Water (© GloriousWater/Jack)
This is shown on its very late run towards North Greenwich.


The information stickers say the same as last year, but updated to the latest edition, seeming as the previous one had 020 7222 1234!.


Sir Peter Hendy's RM1005 on Route 188, Russell Square
The bus soon had its inserts taken off the front, the only evidence left is the nearside route number blind box.
Note the First Group blinds still on the bus as well as the Not On Service blinds!

Bracknell's New Network, a few months on.

It's been a few months since when I was supposed to post about this, but finally, I decided to do a post on the new Bracknell network of routes, where there are confusingly two routes with the same number!

The stickers on bus stops were inevitable, and 155 is covered by B5, whilst a white sticker with B3, 90, X1 and 701 is covering something else. The 172 is still there due to the competing Courtney Buses service.

Routes 90 via Southern Estate & 90 via John Nike Leisure Centre:


First Beeline 33179 on Route 90 via Southern Estates, Bracknell Bus Station
The 190 was replaced by two routes - the 90 and the 90. To be clearer, the 90 via Southern Estates goes via the long way round through the Bracknell southern estates before going to Jennett's Park and the A329 link road to the old 190 route for Reading.


First Beeline 32348 on Route 90 via John Nike, Bracknell Bus Station
This bus, even with its "greenline" branding, only sparingly goes on the Green Line 701/702 and usually ends up on the 90 with LEDs, even with blinds at the side and rear. On the first day though, buses with blinds had to make do with paper "via John Nike" displays on A4.


190 via Wokingham
The blinds had to do with a little bit of marker pen to cover the "1".


First Beeline 33142 on Route 90 via Southern Estates, Bracknell Leisure Centre
Buses with LED displays did the 90 via Southern Estates, including a few Green Line buses off the 701/702 on the first day! Eventually, all the TNs were converted to LEDs and had their "TN" part of the fleetname removed (well, most of them).


First Beeline TN33145 on Route 90 via Southern Estates, Bracknell Bus Station.
This one didn't, and look at the destination! It's to the Southern Industrial Area, just before Jennett's Park.


First Beeline 33147 on Route 90 via John Nike, Bracknell Bus Station
The branding had to be adapted for the 90, so the frequency is changed to every 15 minutes (combined between Wokingham and Reading), and the 190 is changed to a 90.


First Beeline 33143 on Route 90 via John Nike, Friar Street
The LED conversion can be clearly shown, and note the LED display. First Berkshire are well known for custom LED displays, but this is interesting, as they have tried to display a skier! The reason why the skier is there is because there is a ski slope (no snow of course) at the John Nike Leisure Centre.


First Berkshire 33147 on Route 90 via Southern Estates, Reading Station


First Beeline 32348 on Route 90 via John Nike Leisure Centre, Reading Station

Route X1:
The route was introduced as a shopper's route, running to the same time as the 90 via Southern Estates, but as it goes via the A329(M), it gets to the Southern Estates, where it continues via the 90 to Bracknell. It runs only on Saturdays, and every hour.


First Beeline TN33153 on Route X1, Reading Station
I do have to ask whether the route could be feasible, and the single fare end to end is nearly £6, considering a day ticket only costs a tad more! This Saturday route is aimed at shoppers from the Southern Estates who'd like a quicker ride to Reading for more shopping time.


First Beeline 33183 on Route X1, Bracknell Bus Station
If you want a 50mph ride on the A329(M) on a Trident, then the X1 is the best bet, even with the single fare being nearly £6. Past Jennett's Park, it's like any other bus route at Bracknell.

Route 94:


First Beeline 64038 on Route 94, Bracknell Bus Station
It is now being operated by a load of Citaros, as the 90 has taken all the ex-194/X94 Tridents.


First Beeline 64001 on Route 94, Bracknell Bus Station
A mix of older and newer, ex-7series and ex-London Citaros are on the route. This is ex-London, running previously on Route RV1


First Beeline 64020 on Route 94, Bracknell Bus Station
This bus has adapted 7series branding, initially for the X94 every 60 minutes, now the 94 every 20 minutes!


First Beeline 64031 on Route 94, Bracknell Bus Station

Route B1:


First Beeline 64018 on Route B1, Great Hollands


First Beeline 64014 on Route B1, Bracknell Bus Station

Route B2/B3:


First Beeline 40956 on Route B2, Bracknell Bus Station
These Darts were only at Bracknell for a few months before they were replaced with more Citaros and more Enviro 200s from Wales.


First Beeline 64018 on Route B1, 64014 on Route B3, Bracknell Bus Station
B2 and B3 are opposite directions of the same Crown Wood & Birch Hill loop.


First Beeline 64013 on Route B3, Bracknell Bus Station
And by November, the allocation has settled on the Beeline Citaros

Route B5:


First Beeline 64005 on Route B5, Bracknell Bus Station
It's just the 155 renumbered, so not much change here either.


First Beeline 44561 on Route B5, Bracknell Bus Station
But by November, some Enviro 200s from Slough have reached Bracknell and run various routes, including the B5. The destination display has changed a tad as well.

Other Stuff:


First Beeline 44504 on Route 53, Bracknell Bus Station
Apparently, the Welsh buses do have wi-fi, but I haven't tried it. Some are at Slough, whilst others are at Bracknell. Compare the larger hole in the masking of the blind box compare to the Berkshire natives (see B5 photo above).


First Beeline 44505 on Route 108, Bracknell Bus Station
Note how 44504 has new style bumpers, whilst this bus has old-style bumpers. They were repainted into new First Group livery when they were at South Wales, before moving to the South of England at Hampshire & Dorset. They then moved north to Berkshire, as shown, to replace older Darts.

My Picture Archive Post 29

First London TNL32907 on Route 607, Ealing Broadway, 21/07/11

This batch of TNLs, the W9xx VLN batch, was initially delivered for the 207 in 2000 to convert the route to low-floor. These buses have since moved to Glasgow for use in First Bus operations there.

Then in 2001, the articulated bus trials happened, where 6 Volvo articulated buses from First provincial areas were loaned to Greenford Garage and ran a limited Hayes By-Pass to Shepherd's Bush Green service. The trials succeeded, paving for the 207 to be converted to articulated bus operation. Other than the obvious problem of having the route permanently split into two (207 and 427) and the location of where the articulated buses would be based after a North Acton base had planning permission rejected. Eventually, the Hayes site was built and the 207 got its articulated buses. 427 and 607 got its old buses, hence converting the 607 to low-floor, one of the last routes in TfL that were converted from Olympian to low-floor operation.

The post on the W9xx VLN TNLs on Route 427 (Picture Archive 13)

Route 607 is not too old, running between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge limited stop since July 1990. It is one of too few limited stop TfL services. The distinctive blue and white blinds signify the 607 service, and separate it from other bus routes. The number dates from the trolleybus service, which was called 607 until it was converted to Routemasters in November 1960 and thus renumbered 207. 607 was converted from Metrobus operation to single deck Leyland National MkII in 1991, before the double decker return in 1996 with Olympians and low-floor conversion in 2005. Those buses have since been replaced by Volvo B7TLs ex-Route 150 and Enviro 400s ex-Route 23 in 2012, which both ply the route today. Other than the White City extension in 2008, no changes to the routing has occurred.

The Other New Thing at Tottenham Hale

The new things at Tottenham Hale are the bus station, the stickers on Arriva buses on the 192, the Go-Ahead London operation of the 192 and this:

Arriva London DW300 on Route 76, Tottenham Hale Bus Station
Route 76 was also extended to Tottenham Hale Bus Station. It replaced N76 (somehow), which was withdrawn as the 76 was made 24 hours. Route 341N would replace the N76 between Tottenham Town Hall and Northumberland Park.


Arriva London DW306 on Route 76, Tottenham Hale
The extension is only half a mile, but according to the consultation, "extending route 76 to Tottenham Hale will provide the opportunity for new connections to and from Stamford Hill, Dalston, Hoxton, Old Street and the City." (thus just listing where the route goes).


Arriva London DW410 on Route 76, Tottenham Hale Bus Station


Arriva London DW303 on Route 76, Tottenham Hale
This was in the middle of a manual blind scroll!

The two most notable bus changes at Tottenham Hale:

London General TEN4 (Route 192) and Arriva London DW328 (Route 76), Tottenham Hale Bus Station
At least the extension and the remodelling of the area means that the 76 has a straight in, straight out routing from the former gyrotary system, unlike 192.

General Lateness Part 2 - Route 192 08/11/14

Another new header for the WLTM Transport Blog. Because why not?

London General (on loan from Arriva London) PDL138 on Route 192, Tottenham Hale Bus Station

Yet this time, TfL delays strike, delaying the new Streetlites for the 192. In the meantime, some PDLs and some ENs (coded TENs for a reason) are loaned from Arriva London.

Yet again, the 192 is still plagued with severe overcrowding, no matter what happens.


London General TEN12 on Route 192, Tottenham Hale
A temporary "T" sticker is added in order to not confuse with the current ENs at NP - ex-First London Enviro 400s.


London General PDL139 on Route 192, Tottenham Hale Bus Station
The operator change coincided with the opening of the newer Tottenham Hale Bus Station, which seems less spacious than it looks! The route 192 crowds spill with the slightly narrow islands, obviously.


TEN Ten
The "T" situation with ENs lead to the odd code of TEN10 seen here on formerly EN10.


London General TEN5 on Route 192, Tottenham Hale Bus Station
Not all buses have had the "T" stuck on, indeed none have "T"s stuck on the rear fleet number!


The London General stickers cover up a newly applied logo on (T)EN5!
The logo underneath says "Arriva, a DB company"!


London General PDL137 on Route 192, Tottenham Hale Bus Station
But the sticker application just got even worse - the Arriva logo is still showing!

Overall, the changeover wasn't too bad, but its unfortunate that the overcrowding is still occurring! Also, the new Tottenham Hale Bus Station, which opened, has led to the 192 taking over 2 minutes from the last stop for Tottenham Hale Station to the stand in the bus station due to the removal of the gyrotary. So about the many other proposals to remove gyrotaries?...

Route 34 - Partly Wright, Partly Wrong 08/11/14

Metroline TE927 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central

On the 8th November 2014, two major operator changes in North East London occurred. Firstly, Arriva lost the 34 to Metroline, who are running the route currently with partly new Volvo B5LH/Gemini 3s that are "intended for the route" (rather going to the 82) and ex-Holloway Enviro 400s (a temporary measure until enough Enviro 400s from the 82 are available for most of the 34).


Metroline VW2024 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central

Route 34 runs between Walthamstow Central Bus Station (formerly Hoe Street Station) to Barnet Church, being an orbital link between the two places. It was formerly run by Arriva London:


Arriva London T42 on Route 34, Barnet Church (©) (01/07/13)
It used Enviro 400s and DAF DB250s from Palmers Green (for the last few months)

But it has ended up the arms of the ever expanding Metroline, from an expanded Potters Bar Garage


Metroline TE932 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central


Metroline TE922 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central
This bus does have blinds for the 34, but the driver has decided to not turn them, so is it laziness or what?


Metroline VWH2029 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central


Metroline VWH2025 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central

And a first day wouldn't be complete without a curtailment!:

34 to Edmonton/Cambridge Roundabout
Metroline VWH2024 on Route 34, Walthamstow Central

Eventually, the route will get the TE14xx ex-Route 82 and any remaining VWHs left. The TEs ex-Holloway are on loan and to cover them, TEs ex-Greenford (SN09 Cxx batch) are on the 91:


Metroline TE1742 on Route 91, Euston Station

So overall - not too impressed with the Metroline conversion first day, after having the buses arrive at Walthamstow Hoe Street in bunches and groups. At least most of the buses have blinds, and hopefully, the service will improve and Metroline can cope with yet another North Circular route!
Next Metroline gain - the 125, also from Arriva.