Unfortunately the last Random Obs post was in October and since then I have been on many outings. However, the format will be exactly the same and I hope you enjoy it.
 |
| Metroline VW1385 on route W7 to Muswell Hill Broadway. |
The W7 only takes 15 minutes end to end. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, with brilliant views of the London skyline as the bus descends down various hills down to Finsbury Park. It's very frequent and links residents from Crouch End to the tube as quickly as possible, therefore it can get extremely busy at peak times! Also, if you ever consider riding this route and want to appreciate the views, avoid VW1385! The bus is so dirty that I could barely see anything out of the front window, and the bus honestly sounded like it was about to break down, completely different to a normal Gemini 2! Also be prepared to let one bus go at Muswell Hill, these members of the public are ruthless and you won't get the front seat unless you know exactly where the bus is going to stop!
 |
| Short Routemaster LJ16NUV on route 13 to Golders Green. |
The most recent bus type to enter the London scene is the two door, Volvo B5LH New Routemaster. 6 of these are allocated to route 13 (which will be withdrawn soon, with the 82 being renumbered to compensate), but these will move onto the 183 soon. Although the windows are still the same size, these are slightly better than the LTs, because the engine noise is a little louder and the acceleration is great. Also, as there is no third door or second staircase, there is now half a window at the back, which makes the upstairs slightly brighter. However, the front window is still the same size and these buses aren't good enough to trump my third least favourite type, the ALX400.
 |
| Go-Ahead London SE230 stands at Shadwell. |
The 100 is definitely one of my favourite single deck routes, passing through very interesting areas such as the London Wall and Wapping, full of cobbled streets and docks, reminding me of the Dickens era! It is unique for many reasons and managed to score an 8 on my route ratings, which is rare for a single deck route! The Enviro 200's are splendid too with their ZF gearbox, they really rev on acceleration!
 |
| Reading Buses 758 on route 205. |
The tube strike last week meant that extra buses were sent out on routes such as the 205, which follows the Hammersmith & City Line for most of its journey. To partially make up for the terrible traffic conditions, passengers were treated to a luxurious bus ride home, with free wifi and USB charging! Unfortunately, this technology is too advanced for Transport For London and the capital city's buses don't provide many things that town-based operators do!
 |
| Stagecoach London 19770 stands at Barkingside on a route 247 journey. |
This bus only recently joined the Romford bus fleet, as a result of the 53 conversion to Enviro 400H MMC vehicles. The 247 is a fairly interesting route, which links the residents of Hainault and Barkingside to Romford, the closest town centre to this particular part of Essex. The frequency is poor (especially on Sundays) and the bus was surprisingly busy for a route that spends most of its time in the countryside. The views around Marks Gate were spectacular, something you wouldn't normally find on a London bus. Admittedly, the sections in Hainault and Collier Row were boring but overall this route isn't bad at all.
 |
| Go-Ahead London LT50 pauses at Vauxhall Bus Station |
The livery makes this particular New Routemaster stand out from the rest, even though they're all the same inside. They also come out surprisingly well in the dark, seeing as the lights upstairs are so dim. Here is LT50 on the now ruined 88, which used to be in my top 10!
 |
| Stagecoach London 12282 stands at Croydon Town Centre. |
The 75 is a decent trunk route, linking two of the main town centres in South London. It runs through urban, residential and hilly areas, making it very interesting to ride on. However, my trip was slightly ruined by some works that are taking place in Croydon Town Centre, meaning that the bus spent almost 15 minutes trying to circumnavigate West Croydon Bus Station! The trip took 90 minutes in total, which is a bit too long for my taste (I honestly did feel stiff by the end of it, those Lazzerini seats are annoyingly comfortable), but this route still managed to score an 8/10 on my route ratings. For me, the optimum length of a route is 45 minutes (which may seem ironic as my favourite route is the 205, which takes over 90 minutes end to end), although the Aldgate-Paddington section is so good that the 60 minute section alone deserves the top spot! I've only used it to Bow Church once, for the sake of completing the route!
 |
| Stagecoach London 17885 works route 5 to Romford Market. |
The 5 is another major trunk route which gets extremely busy, running from Romford-Canning Town via Barking. Many enthusiasts are waiting for the tender result of this route, especially as there are rumours of Tri-Axle buses being ordered for this route, given that an Enviro 500 vehicle was tested for the route recently. I do hope this rumour is true, as the only Tri-Axle vehicles in London are owned by tourist companies, who charge a stupidly expensive fare for a ride that's stuck in traffic most of the time!
 |
| A rare appearance of a Gemini 3 on route 607, back in November. |
The Gemini 3 vehicles at Uxbridge (UX) allocated to the 114 rarely stray onto the other double deck routes at the garage, so the appearance of one on express route 607 on a Saturday attracted a lot of bus enthusiasts! I can only imagine how amazing the kickdown was on Uxbridge Road between Hayes and Uxbridge! I'm also loving those blue blinds, they look brilliant in the dark.
 |
| A Heathrow Connect service at London Paddington. |
The Heathrow Connect is a very useful shuttle service from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport, stopping at all intermediate stations apart from Acton Main Line. These 5 car trains severely reduce crowding on the Great Western Main Line and provide the only train service at Hanwell Station, where GWR can't be bothered to run any of their own services. However, the more profitable Heathrow Express service is always prioritised (even though it's always empty) and the 2/3 car GWR services simply can't cope with the loadings (thankfully some 8 car Electrostars are beginning to enter service)! Also notice the funny sign on the front of the train, "Preinst aborted", which still baffles me to this day.
That's the end of the post, thanks for reading!
