Random Observations: July 2018

I realise the last "Random Observations" post was months ago and as I haven't had a chance to cover the most recent service changes, this feels like an appropriate time to publish the next edition.

Arriva London YT1 is seen in Addiscombe working route 312, sporting a brand new logo for the company.

If you have read my 30 lines challenge post, you might recall the referral to an electric bus around Croydon which I decided to chase after my completion of the aforementioned task. Even though the Yutong demonstrator, sporting the code YT1, can now be found working Tower Transit route 236, it made its debut at South Croydon (TC) garage and ran on the 312 intermittently for just over a month. This route was chosen because comparative trials between this and the Optare MetroCity electric buses allocated to the 312 could occur. After a promising start, the vehicle became progressively more unreliable and soon Arriva surrendered YT1, although it can now be found in East London with actual blinds for the 236 - I don't think the slipboards were ever replaced at its former home. This demonstrator has a quirky interior layout, with the rear seats in particular being very high up, offering a panoramic view of the inside of the bus. It also has the more advanced iBus screen, found on the red arrow services, with an ETA for the next stops and other useful features. This electric vehicle hardly makes any noise, with just a reassuring "purr" to accompany the journey. It provides a very smooth ride and the acceleration is incredibly rapid, possibly the best I've seen from an electric vehicle. In conclusion, I'm not convinced that the Yutong E10 will be popular with London operators, especially as it has been offered quite late in comparison to other models, although it's quirkiness and smooth ride certainly give the bus desirable attributes which other electric bus manufacturers should look up to.

Abellio London 8788 makes its debut on route E7.

An unusual transfer of an Abellio Enviro 200, previously based at Fulwell (TF) garage for the 490, provoked a short trip up to West Ealing in order to snap it on the E7. The latter route almost never has a full allocation of its allocated E200 MMCs, simply because there are no longer enough to meet the frequency following a recent PVR increase, so other single deckers from the garage have to step in occasionally. When 8788 emerged, this was presumed to be the permanent spare bus for the E7, which would therefore prevent having to rob any of the other routes, although the vehicle only lasted for around 8 days before vanishing and now it's been absent for almost a month, which means the (often banditised) spare bus is coming from the U7, H28 or 195 again. Due to its age, the vehicle is technically due for a refurbishment, but time will tell to see if it returns on the E7 or whether its transfer really was just a temporary measure.

First Solent 37263 is seen at Hayes & Harlington on a rail replacement service.

 Over the first bank holiday weekend in May, the Great Western Main Line was closed between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead for stopping services, which resulted in a large fleet of buses covering for the lack of trains. Apart from a few overnight trips to Paddington, most buses started at either Ealing Broadway or Hayes & Harlington, with services from the former continuing to Slough or Maidenhead, whilst the Hayes buses covered the Windsor & Eton branch as well as a few other local stations. Both services were very busy from my observations, generally using a mixture of coaches, Abellio London double deckers and spares from the Reading Buses fleet. An oddity I managed to find is the First Solent Trident/Vyking pictured above, which travelled a fair distance to work the rail replacement service. This type is also extinct in London since the removal of the batch allocated to the 388, so it was nice to see an example again as I did enjoy my rides on them before. 37263 is seen picking up passengers at Hayes on the Monday evening, offering a service to Windsor.

London United SP40008 is seen in Cranford working route 111.

A vastly declining number of N94/UD Scania Omnicity vehicles remain in service within the capital, operated by London United from Hounslow (AV) and Hounslow Heath (HH) garages. They are very unique buses, consisting of a low height body which is essentially a lesser evolved version of the regular OmniCity front, but the engine is that of the powerful OmniDekka, making an interesting combination. There aren't many because the N230/UD variant surged in popularity since it was introduced and for the past few years only fifteen of the 56-reg, N94 SPs have remained. Since then, withdrawals have taken place and only eight remain, with some of these expected to go soon as well, given they're a non-standard type, despite their recent refurbishment. They are certainly a quirkier type found in London and I would strongly advise catching them this summer before they go altogether. It's surprising how fast these buses can be and their seats are much more comfortable than that of a typical Scania. Some other odd features include the slightly misaligned iBus screen, which actually blocks the front view partially when sitting on the left hand side, as well as the temperamental iBus speakers that the buses possess - mostly the announcements do not function at all, but when they do it is played horrifically loud and is very startling ; indeed you can hear them from some distance away when on the street! Although these buses do spend a lot of time on the school services 697/698, the best routes to find them for a fast ride would be the 423 and H91, although they're also very common on the 111. I do understand that for some people, trekking all the way to Hounslow is quite difficult, but if you still haven't been on this type I would make it a top priority before you feel that surge of regret when they disappear altogether.

Stagecoach London 36349 is seen on route 323 at Mile End.

One of the slightly more interesting single deck services London possesses is the 323, running at a 15-minute frequency between Canning Town and Mile End. It is one of the shortest services in the capital, taking no longer than 20 minutes from end-to-end and serving alone one of the more fascinating parts of East London. Whilst the start through Devons Road is predominantly residential, where lots of new development has taken place, afterwards the 323 dives under the A12 in a rather unique format ; it has to pause at a bus gate before entering the private land of Twelvetrees Crescent. It is a very odd, leafy industrial area, surrounded by various patches of water but also massive warehouses and distribution centres, including that of Amazon and Sainsbury's. It is a very desolate area and surprisingly was quite popular with workers on a Saturday afternoon, but it is an almost surreal experience and certainly eye-opening in regards to viewing such a forgotten part of London where so many people are employed. After passing through another gate, the bus travels along Cody Road, where considerable speeds can be achieved with the surroundings predominantly consisting of overgrown vegetation and some more derelict factories hiding behind. The next point of interest is Star Lane Station, served by the DLR, whose appearance was quite surprising given the industrious nature of the area. The 323 also gives a rather lovely view of West Ham Bus Garage and its admirable architecture, before running alongside the Jubilee Line and DLR for the final stretch to Canning Town. All in all, a short single deck route with some commendable attributes and certainly one of the most intriguing routes in East London - it has a really tight timetable so the drivers usually floor the E200s too!

Abellio London 9487 is seen in Purley on route 407.

An unusual transfer of 9487 to Beddington Cross (BC) garage introduces the ADL Enviro 400 to the garage - interestingly I believe it inherited the new "MMC" variant before this classic model turned up. It spends pretty much all of its time on the usually single deck 407, which is perfect for enthusiasts like myself who actively pursue double deckers on routes they don't normally appear on. The 407 does, indeed, look rather tedious on an E200 anyway, taking a woefully long time end-to-end from Sutton to Caterham. It is surprising that the route still retains single deckers despite its length and habit of following busy "trunk" corridors, although the low frequency is also typical of routes of this style. The bus itself has moved around a fair bit in recent times, spending a considerable period on the London Overground replacement service between Barking and Walthamstow, before returning to Battersea (QB) garage. However, the somewhat overwhelming nature of its routes reaching into zone 1 was clearly too much for 9487, which can now be found out in the sticks on a daily basis, like this photograph illustrating the vehicle in Purley.

Metroline Travel VW1211 is seen at Haven Green on route E2.

Interestingly, some of the 61/12-reg VW-class Wrightbus Gemini 2 B9TL vehicles which transferred to Brentford (AH) garage in May 2016 for route E8 have undergone a refurbishment. VW1211 was the first to re-enter service and although progress has been evidently slow at the moment, with only around three complete within two months, the refreshed vehicles certainly do look a lot smarter with a fresh coat of paint and have a commendable amount of padding applied to the seats, which should see them last for a fair few years. Undoubtedly these vehicles will begin to look less presentable over time, but at the moment the refurbished buses look wonderful in the sunshine, such as VW1211 pictured above. Although the overhaul is a lovely addition to these buses, this is a contractual requirement and has commenced rather late. Secondly, Metroline seem to be adamant on only offering a refurbishment programme to buses when they are obliged to - there are older buses than VW1211 such as those on the 207 which are in dire need of a refurbishment, but as they transferred to the aforementioned route during the middle of the contract TFL haven't forced Metroline to improve the woeful state of those buses. Similarly, the previous schedule at Brentford (AH) garage seems to have been abandoned before completion, as VW1034-VW1068 were completed by November 2017 but the last four (1069-1072) haven't entered the workshop yet and are becoming increasingly worn out and grubby. I'm not entirely sure how these have escaped refurbishment entirely - others have speculated this was because they were used for the 635 contract, but this doesn't make sense at all as the 635 was inherited by Metroline way before the Gemini 2s arrived. In addition, the full complement of early VWs are required for the 237 and E2, there are no spares available and never have been. If VW1069-1072 remain unrefurbished in a few years time, goodness knows what state they will be running around in, but hopefully Metroline realise that they can't procrastinate for much longer!

Great Northern 365522 is seen at Finsbury Park.

Since the controversial introduction of the brand new Govia Thameslink Railway timetable, there have also been some subtle rolling stock changes. This mostly involves the Class 365 Networker Express, dubbed the "happy trains" due to their front cab design, which have had their workings under Great Northern significantly reduced since the new timetable. Although a sizeable number still remain in service and a further ten or so have transferred to Scotland, you are no longer able to travel on the Class 365s using oyster. Previously, quite a few services called at Finsbury Park in addition to London King's Cross and I took advantage of this convenient eight minute trip on Saturday 18th May 2018, the last day of Class 365s in regular service under Great Northern. Whilst they're not ideal in hot weather, the refurbishment means the trains are certainly presentable inside, but my favourite aspect of them is their quirky motor and the noise produced, which is incredibly satisfying to listen to and is conveyed particularly effectively in the tunnels outside King's Cross. Although I have never had the opportunity of travelling at high speed on one of these trains, I'm sure it would be a wonderful experience. Although the Southeastern Class 465s offer a similar (but still inferior) experience, they're almost always dirty and are generally unpleasant to travel on, so the 365s win by far for me. They will be sorely missed within London, although if you have sufficient funds which allow you to fork out for a ticket to the depths of Hertfordshire, there are a good number which work services up to Baldock, Letchworth and occasionally Peterborough in rush hour, as well as three on a Sunday. With all the problems with the GTR franchise, I would've been more hesitant regarding the withdrawal of these units as they would've been good back up for the Class 700s, but as said by Lady Macbeth, what's done cannot be undone.

Arriva London DW578 is seen in Enfield Town working route 121.

 I have never used the 121 before, so writing about it may prove to be a bit of a challenge. It is one of the longer services found within the capital, at 12 miles, going from Turnpike Lane Station to Enfield Island Village. The 121 takes a fairly indirect route between the termini, stopping off at Palmers Green, Southgate, Oakwood, Enfield Town and Ponders End on the way. It links several substantial town centres and its 10 minute frequency proves the route is clearly a lifeline for Enfield residents and one of the busiest in the area. It does look pretty interesting, jumping between several different corridors instead of sticking to one throughout its journey. Its allocation consists of Wrightbus Gemini 2 DB300 vehicles, although occasionally Enviro 400s sneak out too. The name of the outer terminus certainly isn't conventional either, although from my previous visit to Enfield Island Village, the name seems somewhat glorified for what is merely a modern housing estate with a river running through it and a reservoir in close proximity, although it does at least make the end destination more appealing if anyone wishes to explore the sites the 121 serves. I'm hoping to complete this route during the summer holidays and I can say it looks to be one of the more convincing ones out there.

Metroline Travel DE1031 is seen in Highgate on route C11.

This picture would've been worthy of some credit if it wasn't for the usual cyclist conveniently deciding to photobomb, so it does not appear on my flickr feed. Nevertheless, a C11 bus is illustrated in one of the more affluent areas the route serves. Personally, I've always loathed using this particular route, using a batch of horrid buses, being almost always rammed and having a rather grim line of route, especially West of Swiss Cottage. Nevertheless, I have found the service invaluable in recent times, especially as it (annoyingly) is very useful for crossing North-West London. It also serves one of my favourite parts of the city, that being the area surrounding Highgate Cemetery. The juxtaposition of the admirable mansions, sealed off from the travelling passengers and indeed double deck buses, overlooking the eerie atmosphere of the graveyard becomes strangely satisfying and addictive in the sense that you want to keep returning there. Last Saturday, after my end-to-end ride on the 214, I deliberately took a longer route to Gospel Oak in order to walk down Swain's Lane, a steep and ominous hill which proclaims the oxymoronic contrast perfectly. It's somewhere I would certainly recommend spending some time and unfortunately the C11 is the best way to get there, but the short amount of time spent suffering will certainly be worth exploring one of the most hidden, yet satisfying parts of this city. Alternatively you can take a 214 which is a slightly longer walk away, but potentially involves catching a quirky, endangered Dart Pointer. The crowding on this service is just as bad as the C11 though!

Thanks for reading and stay safe!