E400H City - Copy Or Original?

In 2008 Boris Johnson, the newly elected Mayor for London announced a competition to design a bus to replace the iconic and much loved Routemaster. A joint effort by Capoco Design and architects Foster and Partners won the competition, and after a bidding process Wrightbus were chosen to build the New Bus for London, thereby nicknamed the Borismaster. By the middle of this year 808 of them will have been built, and it's fair to say they have divided opinion. People either love them or hate them. I'm in the love them camp.

The first time I stepped inside a Borismaster I was taken immediately by the obvious effort that had been made to somehow preserve the feeling of travelling on a Routemaster - the seat moquette, the circular soft lighting just like the old lightbulbs but using up to date LED's, the interior colour scheme even circular bell pushes. They feel solid, have lasted the London pace better than I anticipated and I have never had an issue with them.

But now there is a new kid on the block. Alexander Dennis have seen how successful the Borismaster has been, and have created their own version of the E400MMC to challenge the Borismaster. So today I went to London to compare the two. Ended up comparing more than that as it turned out.

After a very impressive journey on an Arriva 04 reg B7tl ALX400 to Bluewater and then a surprisingly acceptable ride on an 11 reg E400 to Woolwich I was pleased to see I could get to Peckham on a route recently converted to MMC operation.

Two of the E400 MMC's on the 177, showing both destinations

It was bloody freezing upstairs. I have always thought those air chill units too noisy and not that effective, except when they're not needed. The MMC's are a huge improvement on the old E400's but nothing has been done to improve the air chill system, and they still dominate proceedings on the upper deck.

However my grumbling was stopped in its tracks when I spotted my target for the day, the E400H City on its first London route - the 78 which operates between Nunhead near Peckham and Shoreditch in the heart of the East End. I have to say if I was Foster and Partners I would be a little miffed. Take a look at these two pics of two offsides.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Honest Guv we haven't copied anything - we just happened to have an original idea that by pure coincidence looks like something designed by someone else. Yup heard that one before. So what else did ADL copy I mean take inspiration from? Well those of you who have been on a Borismaster will remember the comforting burgandy and gold interiors.

Front upper interior of the E400H City

Yes that burgandy and gold. The only difference is that the plastic is the typical ADL moulded plastic that looks and feels as though it's come off the clearance shelf at Poundland. What about the seat moquette - after all the moquette on the Borismaster was designed to remind us of the original Routemaster moquette, but this the E400h City is a completely different bus isn't it?

Rear upper deck

Ah ok - no that's fair enough, the seats are a different shape after all. Now you will have noticed a major difference between the E400H and the Borismaster - it has one staircase too few, in fact it is defficient in the staircase department to the tune of one (thanks Pete and Dud). The whole idea of two staircases on the Borismaster was to get more people on and off quicker. The MMC clearly doesn't do that. I do like, however, what ADL have done with the rear window - the extra window provides much more light. Which brings us onto the lights. Bog standard E400 strip lighting I'm afraid, none of your LED circular lights as on the Borismaster, but then they wouldn't want to be accused of copying would they!

So come on Steve just show us the bleeping bus I hear you yell! Ok here it is!

Arriva HA2 E400H City LK65 BYY at Shoreditch terminus

And from the rear...

Rear view of the E400H City

So that's the aesthetics, what about the ride? Well it's an E400MMC so the ride is good. Few rattles, quiet engine, fast acceleration - almost too fast for London really especially under electric power as many people are still getting to their seats or coming downstairs - this isn't East Anglia. But the air chill wasn't nearly as intrusive as the standard E400 which is a major plus point. I ended up going on three of them, HA2, 3 and 15 as I just couldn't reach any firm conclusions about them, and I think that's the problem. I'm not sure these vehicles know exactly what they are, or what their purpose is.

They lack all the advantages of a Borismaster, 3 doors, rear platform, 2 staircases. The passenger capacity is no higher than a normal E400MMC. I assume performance is no different to a normal E400MMC so why do they exist? Is it that they are a lot cheaper than the Borismaster (the plastic certainly is) so operators who really want a Borismaster but can't justify the extra expense (or don't need the extra door and staircase) can have something that resembles one? The E400MMC is a perfectly good bus, far better than its predecessor, despite the air chill noise, so if the City version isn't meant to just be a cheap version of the Borismaster, copying just enough to not be sued, then what is it for? Discuss.

I got off an E400H City in North Peckham and jumped straight on a Borismaster operating one of the latest routes to be converted to the vehicles, the 168 which runs between North Peckham and Hampstead Heath, which is quite a trek.

LT550 in front of LT547 at North Peckham

I have always liked Borismasters. They feel better than anything else, have managed to recreate the retro feeling required by Boris Johnson (and many others), and as far as I'm concerned are the best bus around, in urban areas at least, as I've never been on one out of town, which is a shame as I can't really complete my assessment of them until I have. Are they better than the E400H City's? Yes. Does that make the Enviro a bad bus? Not in the slightest.

However since I had the opportunity the ultimate comparison had to be made, and I rode one of the heritage Routemasters on the 15 between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill.

RM 324 in front of two imposters by Charing X Station

I have to be honest here - it wasn't great. Bumpy to the point I couldn't type on the phone, rattly and jerky. The seat was uncomfortable but at least it was the warmest bus I'd been on all day. But there was one glaring obscenity. Unless my ears deceived me it had been fitted with a Dennis Dart engine. I know some have. I wish to make this clear - a Routemaster with a Dart engine is not a Routemaster - it is a crime scene!

So to sum up. The E400H City is a good bus but I have no idea why it's been built as the standard E400H does everything the City does anyway and is proving popular. The Borismaster reigns supreme but the original Routemaster I'm afraid is now well past its best and as for the Dart engine...

But it wasn't the worst bus I went on today. That award goes to a 15 reg, yes 15, Volvo B5LH Gemini 3 on the 6 which rattled and banged appallingly for a bus less than a year old. Perhaps Wright should put the same build quality into them as they do the Borismaster, but at least it backed up my Scottish conclusions of November. All in all a really good day.

Service News And Kent Obs

It is a nervous time for rural bus routes again, with Councils having to cut yet more services. I say rural routes but don't be surprised if town and city routes suffer too, as I understand at least one local county council is thinking of cutting Concessionary Pass rebates to operators. If this happens the local bus map could look more spartan than the rail map did after the Beeching cuts.

With this in mind on VOSA this week Suffolk Norse have cancelled just about all their services in the Ipswich area. The 179 from St Augustines - Newbourn, the 173 from Woodbridge - Trimley St Martin, the 163 from Levington - Ipswich, and the 72 between Woodbridge and Ipswich have all been cancelled effective March 26th. Now this could just be a tender change and Suffolk Norse have decided to pull out of service work, concentrating on school/swimming contracts etc, but we shall see.

I'm grateful to Trevor Arbon, who alerted me to the fact last week that Galloway had cancelled the 482 between Frramlingham and Diss. Thankfully this appears to be just a tender change as Simonds are taking the service over from March 29th although no tenders have been published.

Also on VOSA this week Norfolk Norse are amending the route and timetable of the weekly 143 from Bury St Edmunds - Norwich, and First Norwich are operating the Norfolk Showground - Norwich City College service 100 on exam days 9 - 11th Feb, 26th May, 7th and 9th of June only.

Yesterday I braved the wind and rain and popped into Chatham for a couple of hours to see what was going on. Arriva are the main operator but my friends at Nu-Venture have a number of routes there too. I spotted a couple of "Nu" arrivals yesterday.

First up is ex Stagecoach London ALX400 Trident V364 OWC. This vehicle was last seen with Geldards of Leeds.

Nu-Venture Trident V364 OWC at Chatham

Tucked in behind you can see another ALX400 Trident V142 MEV. Still carrying fleet number ALX5 from it's days at Sullivan Buses of Potters Bar this bus was also new to Selkent, which became Stagecoach London in 1993. Many of this batch are dotted around the country.

Nu-Venture Trdent V142MEV at Chatham

I also saw what looked to be an ex Metroline President but wasn't quick enough with my camera. I hope to pop into Nu-Venture in the next couple of days for more details.

I won't do too much on Arriva in this post but I am reliably informed that this is an incredibly rare working. Normally decker operated the 700 from Medway to Bluewater gets very busy. So when I saw an E200 pull onto the stop at 1530 yesterday it caught my eye. When the driver who took it over had an incredulous look on his face and checked the carline number at least 5 times my instincts were confirmed. I'm glad I wasn't waiting at Bluewater for the return journey. I imagine it was rather cramped. I did catch it for a 10 min ride just to see what another 09 reg E200 was like and it wasn't too bad. However not as good as the other 09 reg E200 I'm familiar with!

More to come as week goes on.

Arriva 4054 E200 GN09AXG on the 700 to Bluewater

Bargain Hunt On The Buses

For reasons I cannot fathom I have been accused of sometimes being an old cynic. No idea where people get that idea from but sometimes it is impossible not to be tempted.

So to use the common brackets of "you coudn't make it up" here is today's offering. Yesterday Konect had a fares "revision". By the way who do operators think they are kidding with the word "revision"? Has anyone known fares to go down except for special promotions? Just be honest and say that despite inflation and nterest rates still at rock bottom (not to mention pay rises) and fuel cheaper than it has been for years you're putting fares up. Don't try and cover it in sugar and insult the intelligence of the customer.

Anyway I digress. I'm grateful to Steve who I met at the opening of the First Travel Centre in Norwich yesterday for alerting me to this anomally, and if you buy Anywhere tickets from Konect take note, and if you don't and know someone who does alert them to this.

Konect have put the price of an Anywhere Day Ticket from £7 to £9, a whopping 28.5%. Why they think that necessary I have no idea but it's hardly going to encourage sales. The thing is this though - Anglian haven't put up ther fares yet - I'm told that will coincide with the latest service cuts on Feb 22nd - ironic eh - so until then there is a fares anomaly between the two companies. If you buy an annual Anywhere ticket from Konect it will cost you £80 more than it will from Anglian - FOR THE SAME TICKET! Let's go compare shall we - no I'm not going to sing!

Konect

Day       £9
Weekly  £28
Monthly £98
Annual   £980

Anglian

Day        £7
Weekly  £28
Monthly £90
Annual   £900

Interestingly weeklys are the same but a big discount on all others, so if you or anyone you know buys these tickets get them from Anglian for the next few weeks. If I was a real cynic I'd say this rather sums up things at Go-Ahead right now (right hand/left hand ass/elbow etc). But as I'm not I won't!!

Class 374 First Pics

On my way back down to Kent last Monday I distracted myself by taking a few pics. I've been taking pics of trains for as long as I can remember and I still don't know why they are so photogenic!

Highlight of the day was undoubtedly walking onto the platform at St Pancras International and realising the Eurostar next to the Southeastern platforms looked a little different.

The new Eurostar coach

It was one of the new Class 374 Siemens e320 units, purchased by Eurostar to operate away from the traditional Paris/Brussels destinations, with Holland and Germany key targets. Indeed it is planned to start a service to Amterdam service in December this year, for which the 374's will be used, as their traction can adapt for German and Dutch voltage. The units still haven't been officially launched, but are being used on services for testing and evaluation.

Power unit (37)4018

Named the e320 - e represents Eurostar and 320 the aim to operate them at 320kph (200mph) the trains are variants of Siemens Velaro, which in turn was developed from the ICE 3 frst used by Deutsche Bahn in 2000. The French objected to a German company being selected to build the trains, believing Alstom should have been chosen instead, but the Courts backed the original decision.

The imposing front of the new class 374

The arrival of the 374's does not mean the end of the original Eurostar units - the 373's. It just signifies Eurostar's intention on expanding the International High Speed network, particulary as Deutsche Bahn are intending to run their own services through the Channel Tunnel, subject to an operator licence being granted.

The old and the new together at St Pancras - note the repainted 373 on adjacent platform

I guess this means I'll have to brave the elements at Medway Bridge again and catch one of these newbies in motion. Let's see what the weather does this week. To fnish wth, however, some rather slower old plodders spotted at Ipswich earlier that morning, a couple of Class 86 locos.

86632 and 86627 together at Ipswich, with a Class 90 behind.

This Just Has To Be Said Part Two

Ths will mean nothing to you if you didn't read part one I published on Christmas Day, so if you missed it click here.

So the ship set sail Wednesday morning. 29 days after being told he had 3 or 4 days at the most my Dad departed this life. It was peaceful and quiet at the end, which says nothing of the immense fight he put up, which had the experts scratching their heads as to why he was still here. But this is not so much about Dad, or even those he has left behind, but the extraordinary care, kindness and love shown by the doctors and nurses at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. I said in part one how they took to Dad, and that continued and grew. Monday morning Mum walked into Dad's side room to find one of the young nurses holding Dad's hand, stroking his forehead and talking quietly to him - just as Mum had been doing for the last few weeks. Tuesday night there was always a nurse with him, and although we got there a bit too late another nurse was holding his hand when he took his final breath.

Doctors and nurses are tough people - if you're dealing with the kind of things they do you have to be. The cardiac ward sees a lot of people, and a lot of deaths. You harden up to that sort of thing or it goes home with you and you never get it out of your head. I lost count at the number of nurses, male and female who shed tears this week. People who see people dying and distraught relatives day in day out were crying at the fight Dad put up, that he never complained, in fact he had to be convinced he was in need of pain relief most of the time, and the kindness and love of these people was such we now regard them as family. Even today, 48 hours later when we had to go back to the ward to get some paperwork signed there were hugs and more tears from staff we didn't see Wednesday. We may have lost a dad and husband, but my word we have gained friends and seen a side to humanity it is all too easy to forget exists.

And so I want to do something, both in Dad's memory, and for those wonderful people at the William Harvey. I normally go on a trip in May and this year I have decided to do a sponsored circum-navigation of Great Britain by bus - local bus as much as I can. What I am raising money for will be decided nearer the time, but certainly some comfortable chairs for relatives sitting at bedsides overnight is needed - we sat for 18 hours Monday into Tuesday on the only seats in existence harder than Anglian Scanias or First B7l's. There is never too much equipment in a hospital but equally these days there is never enough money to get it.

I'm going to be here in Kent for a bit yet, although I will be popping back up for a couple of pre-arranged appointments, one of which I'm quite excited about. In the meantime I'll finally have time to do what I wanted to do down here, and there is a lot to be interested in I can tell you.

Once again many thanks to all of you who have sent messages of condolence and support - I'm truly blessed with a great circle of mates.