Test Of The Day

I know there are many highly intelligent people reading this blog - you must be to be here in the first place - so I need your help. I saw this staggeringly eyecatching coach in Norwich this morning and want to know about it, but I thought I'd throw it out to you guys. Whose coach is it, where are they based and when did they get her? Answers in the comments box please so everyone can see who the brainboxes are!

Today's Travels

I ventured into unknown territory today by taking the X29 from Norwich to Fakenham. As Sam says on his new X29 blog you never quite know what you're going to get on it and I got a treat when I arrived at Norwich to see one of Norfolk Green's new Enviro 400's waiting to operate the 11.20 departure.

Norfolk Green Enviro 400 23 at Norwich Bus Station

To be fair the weather was appalling and an Ark might have been better suited but I was really impressed with the Enviro which rattled a lot less than the X1's do already and gave a very smooth journey. The X29's change to the X8 at Fakenham so by time I alighted the destination already reflected that.

A very wet Fakenham greets Enviro 33 as it continues to Kings Lynn

Optare Versa 503 waiting to go the other way to Norwich

After a very wet hour in Fakenham I was dubiously rewarded with Optare Tempo 110 to take me back to Norwich. Seriously uncomfortable seats although the ride wasn't bad.

Still wet!! Optare Tempo 110 loads up at Fakenham

I'll certainlly do the route again as I'd like to go onto Kings Lynn next time but think I'll wait for a better day!!

Back at Norwich!

The Future of Railways

Tim Miller kindly sent me a link to an article that details the plans for the next 7 or 8 years for rolling stock and route changes in Britain's railways. Be warned, though, if you are hoping for great and astounding news for our region you will be disapppointed as there is next to nothing going to happen. However it does make interesting reading. Thanks, Tim for the info.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=89934

Ipswich P&R Plus Other Bits

Went to Ipswich today to catch the new P&R Versas operated by Ipswich Buses. First impressions are hang on - they are older than the Volvos they replaced so is this a Council cop out and getting things done on the cheap? They are ok, nothing special and whoever decided to have a turquoise exterior with green seats should have gone to Specsavers. Also out today was one of the new Enviro 200's and having travelled back to Martlesham on it I can say it's not a bus I would choose to travel on ever again.  The driver said it was nice to drive but the destination screen wasn't working and it rattled like a, well, rattle which is shocking on its first day out. For pics of all the Versas out today see my flickr page.

Ipswich buses "new" P&R Optare versa 148 at Martlesham

Interior of Ipswich Buses Versa 148. the green seats go well with the turquoise exterior!

New Ipswich Buses Enviro 200 82 at Martlesham displaying it's hybrid colour scheme. Destination screen was broken

Rear of 82

Versa 145 in Ipswich Town Centre

I was also expecting to see plenty of the old P&R Volvos running around Ipswich and I did see three of them, but included in that was one I was not expecting to see.

69428 on the 61's today. False advertising maybe?

69426 outside PALS. No there wasn't a huge storm cloud, just my camera trying to cope with the sun!

Finally for this post as one pink design disappears another emerges. I know Norwich has 66957 in this ad too, but surely one of the pink P&R Volvos could have been adapted for this ad, and not alter 69009 so radically? One more item to report is apparently Volvo B7TL 32652 AU05 MUP which only arrived at Ipswich a couple of weeks ago has gone to Colchester. They have a nasty habit of taking decent buses originally meant for Ipswich

69009 outside Woodbridge Swimming Pool. Sorry about the lampost!

Blast From ThePast- 2

Here are some more of my personal memories from my boyhood in Kent. I mentioned in my previous post that the day the bus seed was sown was when I noticed a difference in the bus. Well I thought I'd show you what I was used to.

Daimler Fleetline 6096 on my home route 20 which ran from Gillingham to maidstone via West Malling. Note the conductor at the front.

The double deckers on route 20 had to be low height to get under the railway bridge at East Malling. This is still the case at that location. It was the introduction of the newer Atlanteans that saw the route number changed to 150/152 and termination at West Malling although through journeys to Maidstone continued to operate on Sundays. We still had plenty of the old Atlanteans on the route though.

Now driver only, Atlantean 5613 approaches Chatham bus station.

No one can fail to note the extremely visible fleet numbers on the roof. A bus enthusiasts dream, but there was a reason for that. The bus station at Chatham had a camera mounted on the roof that was so powerful it could read destination blinds 5 miles away. Eventually it had to be taken down due to privacy issues, but I spent many pleasant hours when on late cover as a driver playing with that camera and could write a book on what I saw with it on Friday and Saturday nights!

I have found some more pics of those newer Atlanteans and one in particular caught my eye.

5716 in Tunbridge Wells - to my knowledge the only time one of those Atlanteans was ever based there.

That Wanderbus ticket was quite simply my life. I remember Mum taking my brother and I out for days down to Hastings and Brighton using that ticket. It cost £1 for the three of us which is apparently the equivilent to £10.25 at today's value. That ticket was valid on any bus by any operator except National Express in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. It later changed it's name to the Explorer ticket and is still available today - I bought one last year which cost me £6.30, less than an all day ticket on First or Anglian and still valid in 5 counties. It's about time the companies in East Anglia put the passenger first for once and introduced a combined ticket so those without a free pass can really enjoy unlimited bus travel. I feel really sorry for enthusiasts like Cameron and Sam who can't travel around the country like I did at their age.

It was even valid up to London and so I could travel on these as much as I wanted, although on this occasion it is on the Gillingham/Maidstone route which is now Arriva's flagship route.

5719 at Chatham Station

Here they are at Victoria Coach Station,note 5717 has the roof fleet numbers. 

Incidentally all 3 Atlanteans had higher ratio gearboxes fitted for their London route lives which meant their top speeds were admirably high. 70 was no problem for them in those days.

That's all for this look back - plenty more to come over the coming weeks and months.