6th Year Post

Somehow, we've gotten to our sixth year of blogging and as traditionally so, we put a post out on the birthday of the blog. This year, the blog members are going to say what our favourite bus type are, and why.

Aubrey:


London United VP111 on Route 111, Kingston Cromwell Road, 2013
(© Aubrey Morandarte)

Firstly, it's of course the sod whom made the blog in the first place. As we are a bunch of similarly aged sods, we'll most likely pick buses we grew up with. For my bunch, I've chosen the Euro II Volvo B7TL, with the Plaxton President body. From 2000 to 2013, the Volvo B7TL was the mainstay for Hounslow based double decker bus routes. These Euro 2 examples were ordered for the 120/H32 (the VAs were ordered for the 111).


VP118 back in 2007 at Heathrow Central Bus Station on Route 111
(© Aubrey Morandarte)

These buses were the then new buses that were on the 111 at the time that I used to go to Heathrow to spot planes. As these buses were the buses which partly helped me get into buses, this is why they are good. They are also powerful enough when required, and the President body in itself was decent. The interior was basic, but good nevertheless. Without these buses, I wouldn't be into buses. Most first generation low floor deckers, in my opinion, were pretty good anyway, but as these buses were the ones that got me into buses, they have to be the favourite.


Lewis:


Yorkshire Coastliner 3637 at Goathland on a Whitby 840 service.
(© Lewis Nagle)

Next it's the sod who used to live in London but now studies up north. Having up till now mainly been on commercial bus services in the Home Counties (see my previous posts on services in Bucks & Berks) and then to the south of the capital in Crawley & Brighton, I naturally made it my task to go on more exploratory journeys and where better to start with the nationally famous Transdev Blazefield empire across the north? Last summer I was able to try out the Coastliner 843 to Scarborough, a tremendous high-pace ride through the Yorkshire countryside as well as the famous #the36, the WitchWay X43 and what is now the Aireline 60. Transdev pride themselves in high-quality services with a classy bus spec, friendly drivers and fantastic routes.
The latest in my adventures across the north saw me finally doing the best of the Yorkshire Coastliner services: the 840 to Whitby. A single Transdev DayTripperPlus is all one needs to bus it from Manchester to Whitby although it's a long journey, around the 5 hour mark.
The 840 is well worth it though, a superb scenic journey starting in Leeds and ploughing through the countryside to Tadcaster (with its bridge now reinstated since last year), the beautiful city of York, Malton and then out to Pickering, Thornton-le-Dale and Whitby. It's worth noting that on my journey, because it was a Sunday, the Leeds-Malton bit was a connecting 843. The scenery through the Yorkshire Moors is nothing short of stunning and the route even has to negotiate 25% inclines around Goathland, where the above picture was taken.


The same bus as above, now returning to York & Leeds on a small break at Malton.
Note the countdown on the destination display; a superb feature which I'm hoping we'll see more of in the future.
(© Lewis Nagle)

A little something about the buses: they're Volvo B5TL based Wright Gemini 3 double deckers new last December. Whatever your opinion is on the new face styling, it certainly suits the two-tone blue livery here. Inside the blue theme continues, with standard seating downstairs and high-backed coach-style seats upstairs. Tables, USB charging points and free wi-fi are available. The vehicles are even double-glazed so all of my journeys were remarkably toasty! The 5-litre Volvo engine copes fantastically on flats and downhill, regularly hitting its speed limiter at 56 mph, however as soon as you're going uphill it's much less happy. The bodywork by Wright has a real classy finish to it - and is very quiet on the move - but as ever rattles and squeaks still present a problem. It's an insult to the hours of thought gone into designing this spec for the bus to then rattle.
I don't wish to end on a negative note so I won't; I've been very happy working alongside the blog team for the last 6 years and hoping to many more! Lots of exciting things coming in 2018 too...


Jacek:


17564 on Route 177
(© Jacek Herominski)

Well, this is an obvious one. My favourite buses are what I grew up with. Even if one company ordered the same type back then, every batch always had its own character, its own sound, as a result of the varied specs everyone had. Nowadays I like all the first gen low floor deckers equally, but back then I was a Trident person. Which is why I've chosen my two favourite batches of Tridents.
The 52 plate is a Euro3 3-speed one, which were always my favourite ones for their musical Voith and the amount they thrashed up hills. Second place is represented by that Y reg. These Euro2 ZFs replaced a batch I didn't like, and came after my 52reg were cascaded away so basically took their place in my heart. That sounded overly romantic. Oh well, it is Valentine's Day soon.... (No)


17441 on Route 136
(© Jacek Herominski)


Omar:

First Aberdeen 62166/Y631RSA | Route 3G | Mastrick Terminus | 14/02/2017
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

Now, the resident crazy traveller. I'm the sort of person that loves a bit of everything, be it the cityscapes offered by routes down in London, the sea views of the Brighton & Hove Coasters or the weaving in and out of hills on West Yorkshire bus routes. In short, I love the variety you get from travelling on buses. Now, some buses suit this sort of variety better than others, ranging from being completely adaptable to being horrible to travel on! My personal favourite is the Mercedes-Benz O405N2, yet I don't actually have any photos of them. However, my second option isn't really all too bad, and that's the Wright Renown-bodied Volvo B10BLE, coupled to a ZF box of course.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1057/Y157HRN | Route M4 | Colne, Market Street
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

A 5-speed ZF box coupled to Volvo's throaty 9.6 litre D10A engine churning out 245bhp not only sits happy in cities and calmer environments. It also provides a reliable and powerful base for country routes such as the Mainline M4, which was run by a mix of B7RLEs and B10BLEs when I rode it. The ride quality is usually very smooth and comfortable, and the bodywork is incredibly sturdy and largely rattle-free, a far cry from the current range of Wrightbus products. Sadly, a large number of them saw the end of the line before 2016 as the DDA rules kicked in to withdraw all non-compliant single decks from service. The ones that are DDA compliant, as well as the ones that have received modifications to become compliant, still soldier on to this day, some being as old as 18 years old this year! Since their introduction in 1997, as a low floor version of the already popular B10B, they have become the backbone of many towns and cities, and helped to kick-start the low-floor revolution, all while being generally reliable and loved by drivers, engineers, enthusiasts and passengers alike.


Alisha:


DOE38 passing through in Roundshaw in May 2017, sporting the iconic, sadly now lost livery
(© Alisha Juszczyk)

My favourite London bus type has got to be the Olympus - be it East Lancs, Darwen or Optare - doesn't matter. A top class double-decker body, and no wonder also a popular choice for tour buses thanks to their giant front glass upstairs. Out of all the chassis available for it, good old Dennis Trident 2 proves the ultimate fit. Shame only 55 ever ended up in London - the DOE class under Go-Ahead, and the singleton EO1 under CT+ which has since left the city and moved north. All of which had comfortable seating provided, alongside with spacious layout, and subdued lighting that creates a relaxing atmosphere.


The same DOE standing at Morden about to start its journey on N155, a great route to test their abilities - taken February 2017
(© Alisha Juszczyk)

The low blind-box provides an acceptable means to rest your legs, and even something as trivial as the side windows that slant down to maximise the view out - it all shows what a great bodywork design this one is. Another clever feature I've always liked is the curved windshield on the upper deck which yields the following effect - at night you don't get any unnecessary reflections of the bus' interior when facing forward, unless you look up that is - and being able to inspect what's behind you without having to physically turn around is very handy. They are also mechanically sound, fast buses, and fortunately with kickdown enabled to make scaling of the numerous hills on their usual routes efficient. Their scarcity makes them even more precious and valued!

Tommy:

 

The bus type I had planned to talk about was the Plaxton President bodied bus, the type being local to me in Harrow since the early 2000s, TP/Ls then latterly VP/Ls at Harrow Weald with a batch of 17 still in use (what will be the last VPs left in the Metroline fleet, VP612-628!).  This would have been the perfect excuse to repeat my picture of TP446 from the 'Fifth Year' blog post, however, the President type has already been covered so to save repetition, I thought I'd do this piece about my next favourite bus type.

Now this is the ALX400 bodied vehicle that in London can be found with either an AD Trident or Volvo B7TL engine, my preference being the Trident version but both types I rate equally.  I cannot quite put my finger on why I rate ALX400s as much as I do bar it being an all-round pleasant bus.  The past three years have seen me use both the Trident and Volvo examples in North West London on a fairly regular basis which has cemented these vehicles' place on my preference list.  But, the ALX400 has also been mentioned in this post, and for the same reasons as above I do not feel it worth while that I discuss the same vehicle twice.
 

So, I shall move onto my next choice, and it's onto a bus that I have not really thought much about, but it's one that has dominated the London scene, but like the other types mentioned above, is fast becoming an endangered species in London.  The type is the Plaxton Pointer Dennis Dart SLF.  In its prime, the Dennis Dart was one of the most popular single deck buses from the late 1990s through to the mid 2000s.  They were just as popular as the Enviro 200 (and MMC "upgrade") has become since.
For me the Dart is aesthetically pleasing on the eye, and always had seats with generous leg room and decent amounts of seat padding.  I found the Darts rattled less than the E200s which replaced them meaning the Darts' fabulously whiny engine could be easily heard!  The lack of interior refurbishment in later years have also given the Darts a good nostalgia feel too, though that is not to everyone's taste!

 

London Sovereign DPS636 and Metroline DP1012 in Harrow.  March 2017
© Tommy Cooling
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/33241614882/in/album-72157677403851741/

  

When I think of a proper single deck bus, there aren't many types that come to mind, but it is the Dart that comes to mind first.  My exposure to Darts has been nowhere near that to the President or ALX400, but enough for me to rate it as high as third on my list.  The majority of my exposure had been the 02 plated London Sovereign Darts at Harrow (SO) on the H9/10.  Latterly I got very well acquainted with the Armchair imports at West Perivale, DP1009-1013, that made numerous appearances on the 395 in 2016 and 2017 after the E6 moved garages from West Perivale to Greenford.  Arriva Garston also has a small fleet of Darts (PDLs) that have transferred in from other London garages.  These have made very rare visits to the 258 and 340, with many other outings on the Harrow circular routes H18/19.

 

Arriva London PDL117 in Harrow.  February 2016
© Tommy Cooling
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127662272@N07/24674218834/in/album-72157665994971606/

 

There are more Darts still kicking around in London than the President class (and many many more with provincial operators), but these will all sadly be bowing out of service within the next year or so if not before when London's new ULEZ emission zones comes into effect.

 

First's last hurrah on the Greenline

Ever so slightly late but here it is!

-
First Berkshire 37985/BJ11XGY, London Victoria. 02/01/2017.
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

A major change on the Greenline network, Reading Buses taking over the 702 from First, is just around the corner, and will see a timetable and fleet change on the route, probably the most major change to the Greenline network since Uno withdrew the 797 in September of last year. What this also means is that a little more than 2 years after the last day of First operating out of Bracknell depot, their last route serving Bracknell is also pulled.

The birthplace of the Greenline brand can be traced back to the 9th July 1930, where the London General Omnibus Company registered the brand to cover its interurban bus and coach services between London and surrounding towns within roughly a 30 mile radius. The network initially began with only 8 routes, yet this quickly expanded to 27 the following year. In 1933, the new London Passenger Transport Board absorbed Greenline as well as services that competed with the network. Most services by that point were linked to form cross-London services, as the laying over of coaches in the city centre inevitably caused congestion.

Greenline services were suspended during the Second World War, and were then resumed in February 1946. More services were introduced, and the 700-series route numbering was introduced, a feature of the Greenline network that still remains today. Ridership increased, and coach-spec Routemasters(RMCs) were introduced to meet the rapidly growing figures.

In 1970, Greenline was transferred to National Bus Company-owned London Country Bus Services. By this point, patronage was declining, mainly due to the increased utility and speed of parallel rail routes and also due to the increasing number of people using cars as a method of commuting, with the last cross-London services ceasing in 1979.
 More buses and coaches were ordered around the same era too, such as Leyland Nationals, Leyland Tigers and Leyland Leopards, posing Greenline as one of the most modern methods of movement between London and towns in the Home Counties. A major turning point was the deregulation of bus services, and in 1986 London Country was divided into 4 areas, ready to be sold off. The sell-off fragmented the Greenline network and only a few routes survived. Arriva purchased the rights to the brand around the mid-1990s, as they had most of the old LCBS successor companies under their control.

The brand was licensed to various operators, one of them being First Berkshire & the Thames Valley for their 700/701/702 services. The service was introduced in 1994/5, with Berkhof Excellence 1000-bodied Scania K113CRBs. It ran as two routes: the 702, which ran as it currently does, and the X7, which ran via Bagshot and Camberley to reach Bracknell. In 2001/2, this changed, with Plaxton Premiere-bodied Volvo B10Ms arriving from Glasgow to replace them, which lasted until about 2005 when First Cymru transferred over Plaxton Profile/Volvo B7Rs to operate the route. New vehicles were being introduced on the Reading RailAir service, which displaced 3 of the Scania K114IB/Irizar Century coaches, which were repainted into Greenline livery to operate the route.


First Berkshire SC23008 on Route 702, Kensington, August 2013
© Aubrey Morandarte

By 2011, the network comprised of 3 routes:
The 700, which ran between Bracknell and London, avoiding Slough, but instead going via Datchet
The 701, which ran between Bracknell and London in the peaks only, serving Great Hollands, Birch Hill, Harman's Water and Bullbrook, albeit avoiding Windsor Town Centre
The 702: which was the basic route between Bracknell and London and provided an hourly frequency


First Berkshire 37987 on Route 701, Victoria, April 2014
© Aubrey Morandarte

By that point, 3 new Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini 2s(37985-7) were bought for the route, displacing some of the coaches. In 2013, 3 more(37997-9) arrived, displacing the remaining coaches off the route. By then, it was fully operated by B9TLs.


First Berkshire 37985 on Route 700, Bracknell, on the last day of Bracknell operated Greenline.
© Aubrey Morandarte

2015 saw a rather large change to First operations in Berkshire, with the closure of Bracknell depot after the loss of the "bus war" with local independent Courtney Buses. With this came two things: the movement of the Greenline allocation from Bracknell to Slough, and the complete withdrawal of the 700 and 701.


First Berkshire 37275 on Route 700, Legoland, on the last day of Bracknell operated Greenline.
© Aubrey Morandarte

Fast forward to now, with First pulling out of the 702 altogether, having provided a useful and practical service, and many misallocations that were loved by enthusiasts(see TN on the last Bracknell-run 702!). The current B9s will have a short spell on rail replacements around Southampton, yet their future is uncertain.


The last 702 run from Bracknell Garage, operated by 33179, seen at Hammersmith.
© Aubrey Morandarte

I've decided to document the last day of First operation on the 702 with a bash/photo session, running into both Lewis and Tommy on multiple occasions, the first instance of which was on my first 702 of the day, 37987, which took me from Hammersmith to Bracknell, and then back to Kensington.


First Berkshire 37987/BJ11ECX, Bracknell Bus Station
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

Tommy and Lewis went away at this point, and got a few interesting shots at the WhiteBus yard...


First Berkshire 37276/LK58EDL and WhiteBus YX67VGK, Winkfield
© Tommy Cooling

After a quick run into Boots, a friend and I come out only to miss a 702, which was running 5 minutes early, so we diverted via Heathrow and the 7 to Langley. Once we hopped off, we walked to the 702 stop on London Road, only to hop on my favourite Greenline B9TL to Kensington!


First Berkshire 37276/LK58EDL, Kensington High Street
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

My penultimate move was 37999, the highest-numbered Greenline B9TL, which took me to the village of Winkfield, just beyond Legoland.


First Berkshire 37999/BF63HDY, Winkfield, The Squirrels PH
© Mohammad-Omar Diab El-Arab

My last move was on 37998 working the last timetabled run from Bracknell, the 18:50, which only continued beyond Slough if Legoland was open after 7. Now, Lewis checked that Legoland was open at that time, which it was, so we were pretty sure that it would continue to London. However, nobody got on at Legoland, so the bus officially terminated at Slough. The driver was kind enough to offer myself, Lewis and Tommy a lift to Hammmersmith, where we would continue our journeys home. What a way to end the last day of First operation!


First Berkshire 37998/BF63HDX, Bracknell Bus Station
© Tommy Cooling

Happy New Year from the WLTM Transport Blog.

Text by Omar
Photos by Omar, Aubrey and Tommy

All rights reserved © WLTMTB 2018

RATP's Real Play

On Saturday 11th November London United RATP took over trunk route 18 from Metroline, and on the Friday night beforehand, RATP ran the associated night route N18.

Both routes had been run by Metroline West from Willesden Junction, since the split up of First London. Metroline inherited 50-odd Volvo Gemini 2s (VW1841-1894); vehicles which First London leased to replace the bendy buses on the route in 2010. Most of these buses have since returned to the leasing company.

The VWs on the 18 survive from First London days, and were ordered to replace the bendy buses on the route.
VW1879 waits time at Euston.
© Tommy Cooling

The 18 occasionally saw some of the 295s buses, shown by VWH2132 at Warren Street on a short working to Harlesden.
© Tommy Cooling

VW1894 shows the state of the buses on the last days on Route 18, repainted to red, prepared to return off-lease.
(© Aubrey)

To cope with the loss of the N16 operation at Harrow Weald, part of the N18 allocation was drafted in as a replacement, and VWH2218 demonstrates this here with the last N18 bus at Harrow Bus Station.
© Tommy Cooling

London United's operation of the route began in the very late hours of Friday 10th with the night bus service, N18.


On a wet Saturday morning, the first bus, VH45219 arrived from Harrow Weald at Trafalgar Square. This is one of the new buses for the contract gain.
(© Aubrey)

The first departures from Trafalgar Square were to Sudbury, as timetabled. The night route started off with no qualms, with buses running roughly as scheduled. Most drivers were still in their Metroline uniforms, as expected with transferred drivers.


At a drenched Oxford Circus, VH45242 is seen at Oxford Circus enroute to Harrow Weald.
(© Aubrey)

However, as the night drew on, bunching started to happen, which was not too dissimilar to the nights under Metroline West. Most of this bunching was however due to road closures in the Central London area, thus many buses were stuck at the southern end of the route.


VH45227 at Oxford Circus is curtailed to Harrow after a fairly lengthy gap between buses.
(© Aubrey)

Most of the route runs to Sudbury, and only buses every 30 minutes run to Harrow Weald. It is a fairly busy night route, as it is the only Central London-Wembley night bus route, and does not parallel a night tube line throughout.



VH45240 on the N18 night service in Harrow, showing off the new Harrow Weald, Bus Garage display.
© Tommy Cooling

18/N18 runs from London United's new Atlas Road garage (RP), the same site that Tower Transit held until just before they lost the 266 to Metroline. A 10 year lease was signed for the site. All other routes formerly at Park Royal (PK), as well as the night 220 service moved into the new site around the corner at Atlas Road. It is not yet known whether RATP will keep the smaller, existing Park Royal garage site.

VH45241 demonstrates the new RATP chapter for Route 18 at Euston Station.
© Tommy Cooling

VH45216 on the first day of Route 18 with London United at Great Portland Street.
(© Aubrey)

The majority of the 18 route uses new 67-reg B5LH Gemini3s (VH45216-VH45251), with a top-up of a few older 65, 16 and 66-regs of the same model from various RATP garages. At the time of writing, a few spare E400 ADEs were used to cover the late arrival of some of the new VHs.


VH45157, from London Sovereign's Edgware Garage passes ADE40412 from London United's Hounslow Garage at Sudbury & Harrow Road Station, the northern terminus of the 18.
(© Alisha)

The ADEs are from Hounslow (mainly), and are being used temporarily, albeit very few are actually used on the route daily. These buses were made free from the loss of the 120 and 222 to Metroline, ironically. These buses will later form the bulk of the 142 and 642 allocation when they move to Edgware (BT) in January from Arriva London North.

VH45159 (65-reg) was brought into Atlas Road for the 18 from London Sovereign's Edgware Garage.
© Tommy Cooling

VHs from the 65-reg batches are usually from the batch used to initially top up the 13 (and thus 139) at Edgware (BT), and these form part of the permanent allocation. VH45153-VH45162 and VH45184 (16-reg) are the ones that have transferred from Edgware.


VH45162 (16 reg) was brought in from the 85 allocation at Tolworth, and forms part of the permanent allocation.
(© Aubrey)

VH45162 is the sole member of the 85 allocation to move to RP. Other 16 reg buses include VH45185 and VH45186 transferred from Fulwell's extra allocation for the 65.


VH45202 is one of two Shepherd's Bush VHs to move to Atlas Road, with this bus seen at Oxford Circus. The other bus transferred was VH45201.
(© Aubrey)


VH45241 is seen at Euston at the end of a journey from Sudbury, which I had travelled on.
(© Omar)

I (Omar) sampled them on the first day of service. Compared to the B9TLs that ran the route previously, they’re a bit more cramped at the lower deck rear, although that’s due to the bodywork and chassis combination. The ride itself was largely rattle-free and ticked all the boxes for me. Fast, smooth and comfortable. The 18 was on diversion on the day as well via Wembley Hill Road, currently served only by the 483. The VH I had(45241/BF67GMV) effortlessly tackled its steep incline, a quality that Volvo haven’t let go of just yet. It’s the first time I’ve had a B5LH on a hill that steep, and it certainly warrants merit. The result of that: Sudbury - Euston in 53 minutes in the morning. Not a bad way to kick it off!


The first day was not without hitch however, with some gaps appearing throughout the day. Along with the diversion, bedding in of the route with new contract and operator, as well as the sheer frequency of the 18 in any case, bunching was inevitable, as seen here with VH45161 and VH45241 at Warren Street.
(© Aubrey)

The transfer of the N18 to London United meant that Harrow Weald Garage would be over capacity again at night. Therefore, the Edgware allocation of the N98 (similar amount of work as Harrow Weald's N18 allocation) was given to Harrow Weald to "solve" the overcrowding. The N98 is Harrow Weald's third Central London night route is two years, having had the N16, then N18 and now N98.

Displaying Holborn RED LION SQUARE, a destination that the N98 within a year may not serve, VWH2209 drives past Oxford Circus on the first night of Harrow Weald operation on the N98.
(© Aubrey)

As this is the largest day route that London United has ever operated with a PVR of 44 during weekdays, this will be their largest operation challenge to date. The 18 is one of the most frequent bus routes in London, with buses every 3-4 minutes during the peaks. The buses seem to handle the route well, and overall, this is a big positive move for RATP London.


Also a positive move is the introduction of our newest member of the blog, Alisha Juszczyk:


DMN4, rare on Route W19, back in July 2016 at Leytonstone Station
(© Alisha)

Well helloes. I'm Alisha, the Random Buses Girl. This nickname comes from the fact I started off in this hobby by getting on board of random buses that turned up, regardless where they were going. Officially this was back in 2014, but I always had an inner bus enthusiast in me, first coming to light when I used to take the long way home from school on 308's epic Marshall Capitals.
Today the London bus scene is major part of my life, having done all routes end-to-end. Currently you got me roaming around the city, doing whatever my heart desires, or what I'm reputable for - catching rare workings. Favourite ones got to be double decker on single deck routes, the views are where it's at!
I am also (slowly) getting into trains and trying to expand my horizons outside London. Grateful to join this blog, start of another epic journey methinks!

Post by Alisha, Aubrey, Tommy and Omar.
All rights reserved © WLTMTB 2017

Please do not reproduce any images without prior permission

Go-Back to BN

Arriva London HA47 on Route 333 in front of a HA on Route 133, Elephant & Castle (© Aubrey)

New buses for the 133, 333 and N133 arrive as the 333 moves from London General to Arriva London South on 21st January 2017. Alexander-Dennis Enviro 400H City buses entered service on these routes, replacing diesel  Enviro 400s (which already are on the 157) on the 133/N133. However, not all the new order are new buses.


Arriva London HV27 on Route 133, Elephant & Castle (© Tommy)

Existing Volvo B5LH/Wright Gemini 2s from Arriva London North have been drafted south for the existing component for the contracts. Along with this, the 133 has moved from Norwood Garage to Brixton Garage, which it passes. Thus, the 133 returns to Brixton Garage since the route moved from South London to London General back in 1990.


Arriva London HV23 on Route 333, Elephant & Castle (© Aubrey)

Route 333, which was formed from the split of the 133, and rerouted to go via Stockwell (hence the 415 exists), has also moved to Brixton Garage. This route was with London General from introduction in January 2003, and had only ever been at Stockwell Garage with the same Volvo B7TL/Wright Gemini buses.


Arriva London HA26 on Route 333, Kennington (© Aubrey)

The 333 also getting the new buses, seen here approaching the 133/333 split part. The 333 was not running with too many issues throughout the day, with the odd curtailment mainly happening on the 133.


Arriva London DW286 and HA36 on Route 133, Elephant & Castle (© Aubrey)

The first N133s the previous night were of the HA kind, so I (Aubrey) had missed the N133 launch with new buses. Therefore, in the next few weeks with night bus observations, Aubrey got a few photos of the N133 with its new buses:


Arriva London HA35 on Route N133, Morden Station (© Aubrey)

The N133 was introduced when the 133 was split into two sections. It has since been diverted to Mitcham, and since extended to Morden as part of Night Tube. It is a fairly useful night route for the local area.


Arriva London HA39 on Route N133, London Bridge (© Aubrey)

The 133, N133 and 333 all had no major hiccups on the first day of the new contracts. Some of the HAs were delivered without LT roundels at the front of the buses.


Arriva London HA31 on Route 133 next to London General LT63 on Route 11, Liverpool Street (© Omar)

On the left is the ADL option, on the right is the full Wrightbus option for "specialist bus for London". Technically, the Wrightbus option also has a Volvo chassis option, but the bodystyles are as shown. Opinions are varied for both, but one can clearly see where the Enviro400 City has design nods to the Borismaster. However, the E400 has more in common with the E400MMC than the Borismaster. These two designs can now be seen side-by-side on stand at Liverpool Street Station.


A stark contrast to the same place, nearly 4 years ago (© Aubrey).

4 years ago, it was Enviro 400s on the 133/N133, and Volvo B7TL/Wright Eclipse Geminis on the 11 (which was also the type on the 133 before it moved to Arriva). Things change so quickly. But are the modern designs progress?

Arriva have a good opportunity to do well on these routes, especially as the garage is now on the line of the route. Presentation of most of the new buses were good on the first day. One existing bus was displaying "133 to Arriva", however.

Au, TCL, MOD