This only took place because yet again my bus didn't have heating on it so I decided to warm up by getting off and seeing if there was anything interesting going on in Lowestoft. Not a huge amount if I'm honest but a few decent photo ops came my way with an appearance by someone even more ubiquitous than Chris Speed!
Firstly two of the three ex Jersey Darts recently transferred from Yarmouth have had their Yarmouth branding removed. They all might have done for all I know but only saw two.
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| Ex Yarmouth Jersey Dart 43861 minus any depot branding |
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| And 43863 showing her lack of a home too |
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Shortly after 43863 left it was replaced by an out of service 33423, which I assume got caught up in the Acle Straight probs earlier. It did mean that at one point there was quite a mix of deckers on show with Anglian's ex Konect Trident 722 adding some variety.
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| From nearest first 33423, Anglian 722, 33820, 37567, 37566 |
One thing that always seems to happen in the run up to Christmas is bunching. The accident on the Acle Straight this morning certainly didn't help but it is very rare to see too Anglian 61's together. This happened today in Lowestoft with two Yarmouth bound services leaving together.
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| Anglian 103 and another one I can't identify sandwich First E200 45116 |
And then the appearance by a very special driver. If Santa thinks 33423 is worthy as a sleigh, then really they should leave her as she is! Who needs Rudolph when you have Alex and Dennis!
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| Santa's nicked the bus!! Last seen heading for Yarmouth |
Finally tonight a few days ago in my report from Ipswich I said the 4 Volvo B10B Wright Renowns on loan from Rotherham were returning there by the end of the year before being sent on their next task - one of them being 60622 who was at Yarmouth until a couple of weeks ago. Well it seems that she must have enjoyed herself there as she is coming back and bringing her three sisters with her. They will be based at Yarmouth as cover while the ALX400's are being converted to DDA compliant. As yet I'm not sure if a couple will go to Lowestoft to cover their ALX400's when they go.
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| 60622 on what was meant to be her last day in Yarmouth but she's coming back with sisters |
Also January 25th will be a sad day as the Yarmouth Olympians will finally be taken out of normal traffic and used only on contracts unless it is them or nothing. My thanks to Chris Speed for the info and permission to publish.
PS Many thanks to Malcolm Robson and the guys at Ipswich Buses for taking the header pic for me in the pouring rain a couple of weeks ago. Keep your eyes peeled as that pic may well change in the coming days!
A Merry Christmas to you too Steve.
ReplyDeleteBlogging on a regular basis is a hard job, especially keeping the reader interested and keen to check the latest posts (that's me from 4,000 miles from East Anglia).
I notice that two local blogs have recently now closed, With respect, that's probably a good thing.
Now another word of praise. I love your Christmas cover picture. How refreshing to have a Christmas photo without snow, but looking more like Christmas generally is in East Anglia. I'm in my 71st year and can remember very few, if any, white Christmas days in Norfolk.
All best wishes to the blog for 2015.
The Norfolk Carolina Grinch
(where we have one real White Christmas in the nine years since we've lived here)
Hi Mick
DeleteCan I say Merry Christmas, or does it have to be Happy Holidays? I'm in my 49th year and can't recall a single white Christmas so yes, a wet and overcast Christmas is the norm, although the next one to go up is slightly sunnier!
Just to clarify we have lost one blog and one blogger - the blog he part owned is still up and running. This is truly a unique area in that it has a bigger concentration of blogs than anywhere else in the country - my old patch of Kent, for example, doesn't have one, and I'm half thinking of branching out down there. the trouble is it would require a huge amount of work, a Kent partner, and a readership which is far from guaranteed.
I cover a huge area as you know - I travel around 5 - 600 miles a week by bus gathering news and pics and it has become a full time but unpaid job. When I was a teenager things were a lot simpler and there wasn't a fraction of the things to do that today's generation have - and no pressure to share your activities with the whole world either. Had blogs been around then the thought of the one myself and my best friend would have had makes my eyes water as Lord knows it would have been spectacular.
But that all said I feel quite sorry for management here, who are under far more scrutiny from the likes of myself then they would be in any other area, and it is to their enormous credit that they are as open and receptive as they are. It has taken a long time to build up the reputation I have, and that is only because I am very careful with what I publish and when. I may not necessarily always be the first with everything, but I will not publish anything if I'm asked not to - for example those 4 Yorkshire Renowns I have known were coming to Yarmouth for over three weeks, yet only got clearance to publish today. I saw that Christmas pic up tonight and it brought a sense of real pride that a company or companies would push out the boat (and buses) on a filthy day like that just to create a pic for me when I couldn't even be there myself. Sometimes viewing figures don't matter, and it's the people I've met and got to know, be that management, drivers, fitters, commentators like yourself, or other bloggers and enthusiasts that has made this humble hobby of mine make this year go faster than any I've ever known. I hope the next year will be even better, but at the same time I can't keep doing something this time consuming for no pay, so who knows what might happen.
Anyway that was a huge reply so have a great time over there, and thanks for taking the time to read, and the trouble to comment.
Definitely Happy CHRISTmas from me.
DeleteLove the caption under the one of 33423 that says Santa's nicked the bus my fav caption ever great post as always I know Christmas is not for another 6 days but I will say Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Lou - thanks for your continued support.
ReplyDelete