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Monday 7 December 2015

All Change In Lowestoft

I had to go to the bank today, much to my annoyance. However the silver lining framing that cloud was it gave me an excuse to go to Lowestoft on the first day of the revised X1/X2/X22 services. Not something I would normally bother with these days but as I was there it seemed rude not to.

Nothing to report on the X1, as actually there are less X1's at Lowestoft now than there were, with two journeys an hour from Norwich now terminating at James Paget Hospital. However the X2 is now rather more interesting.

Generally speaking thee are 4 buses an hour from Lowestoft to Norwich - two X2's which operate the usual route within Lowestoft but now go fast to Norwich via Beccles omitting North Cove, Hales, Loddon and Chedgrave. By lucky chance the first vehicle I saw on the new fast X2 was Gemini 37575, which only transferred over from Yarmouth yesterday, and still carries Yarmouth vinyls. Incidentally sister 37577, also transferred from Yarmouth, has had its vinyls removed so naturally was on the X1 via Yarmouth!

37575 departs for Norwich
The other two buses an hour are on the new X22, which meanders around Lowestoft and Carlton Colville before following the old X2 route, one bus an hour serving North Cove and the other serving Hales. Both buses serve Loddon and Chedgrave. Here is 37571 leaving Lowestoft.

37571 leaving Lowestoft on the new X22
There have been several fleet movements at Lowestoft recently, and I got the chance today to catch up on a few things. Firstly the last remaining Pointer Dart, 43466 has been finally withdrawn. It has been replacd by a more modern Plaxton Dart from Bristol, 42943, WA56 OAS, the first of many that will be replacing the Jersey Darts. Today it was out on the 99's to Kessingland. I couldn't help noticig the seats didn't look that great. Hope they're not all like that.

42943 on the 99's
Three buses have returned to Lowestoft after a short spell at Norwich. E200's 45116/7/8 were all out on local routes today. 45117 had an extended layover which gave me the chance to get two rather good pics.

45116 passes 45117
45118 still with Purple Line branding passes 45117
I was also lucky enough to see oe of the two ex Essex B10BLE's seeing out their last days at Yarmouth.  East Norfolk Bus Blog reports today that 66168 iis in fact going to get a reprieve and be converted at Rotherham to DDA compliant to join the loan fleet. Sadly, though, it seems that 66169, pictured below isn't so lucky and so the scrapman beckons in 24 days time. 66169 was on the 1A today.

66169 nearing the end of the road

 Switching operators for a second a new route in Lowestoft is the 60J, which operates 3 journeys to James Paget Hospital via Lound and Blundeston, replacing the recently withdrawn 60. Today Anglian Optare Versa 308 was on the route and I believe this to be the first published pic of a 60J.

Anglian Versa 308 on the 60J to James Paget
And finally I had to travel home via Beccles and couldn't resist this last pic. It seems the X2/X22 goes out one way and back the other. I had passed Lowestoft heritage bus 8 on the X22, but an hour later it was at Beccles bus station on the X2. Does look rather good.

First Lowestoft heritage Bus 8 at Beccles

11 comments:

  1. It's 43466 not 43566 and is it not an Alexander pointer?

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    1. Or there again research suggests 42943 might be AD bodied, in which case I hope Plaxton sued them for plagurism!I'm not the only one to have made that mistake it would appear.

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    2. Any Pointer built after 2004 is an Alexander Pointer as when ADL was formed after the Transbus collapse all the bus bodies were built at Falkirk (Transbus had transferred the production there a year or two earlier) whilst Plaxton was sold off separately building just the coach bodies. This meant that the Pointer became an Alexander product and Plaxton then developed the Centro.

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    3. Thanks for the clarification, Dwarfer. Can we go back to the days when bodybuilders left a plate or logo in the vehicle. So much easier!

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  2. Through research, Pointers with 03-54 reg plates seem to be Transbus Pointers, anything newer are Alexander Pointers. Anything older are Plaxtons :)

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    1. Thanks Zak - I'm getting too old for this!

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  3. Is it not strictly speaking an Alexander Dennis Pointer-bodied Alexander Dennis Dart?

    On 66169 I heard that was the one getting the modifications.

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    1. 66168 according to the extremely reliable East Norfolk Bus Blog. As for the Dart call it what you like - it appears to have a multitude of names!

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  4. 66168 is going to Rotherham to become part of there loan fleet. 66169 is going to be scrapped

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    1. That confirms that then! Cheers Chris for the clarification.

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