Friday 8th January 2010 ~ A Pat On The Back

Conditions early and late in the day have been very poor this week and this evening Yarmouth and Lowestoft local services were abandoned because roads had not been gritted. In this connection, I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who keep buses running and this is summed up nicely by Stuart Montgomery who writes this evening :
"Hello! In such conditions, unprecedented for years and years I'd like to say how absolutely superb our drivers of public service vehicles across the land are in negotiating such difficult situations day and night right now. It must create for greater stress at times, especially with dithering pedestrians and those drivers who just stop and park anywhere they think they'll get away with. I think our drivers, assistants and transport organisers are terrific I really do. Well done all".
Delays today were inevitable with some heavy snow showers on the route reducing the speed of vehicles. Sam advises that the 'First' website announced an hourly service west of King's Lynn yesterday. Today they were a bit more optimistic, saying the service was back to half hourly, but with delays of up to 30 minutes !
The pattern followed previous days and first service seen by me was as usual K2 07.35 from Peterborough which had 37570 running 12 minutes late. Next eastbound service was K3 with 37159, 25 late. I missed K4 but then the delays began to bite with 37160 on K5 passing me 32 late. Going towards Peterborough, Y6 and Y7 were within five minutes of each other with 37567 37 late and 37576 12 late. 576 passed me at 09.32 and there was then a gap of 57 minutes before 37563 turned up at Wisbech on L8 running 35 late. It was still 32 late when heading back to Lowestoft.
Y9 was seen by Bruce at Tilney at 10.20 with a certain lady driver (bl****e) and 20127 ! This bypassed Wisbech on the way back to make up time and then much to everyones surprise L10 12.26 Wisbech to Lowestoft arrived at 12.24 with 37572 enabling an on time departure. There was no bus seen for L11 and L12 looked as if it terminated at Wisbech, regaining its path as the 13.26 to Lowestoft with 37565. Of course with things in disarray it is quite possible that 37565 was L11 and the bus in the times of Y13 was in fact a late running L12 this being 37562 which departed Wisbech for Peterborough at 12.30 (so 42 late if L12 and 12 late if Y13 !).
The displacement caused by drivers arriving late into King's Lynn then being unable to resume their next duty until they had completed their break meant the service then ran when possible.

K14 : 37566 seen arriving at Wisbech eastbound at 15.08, so 48 late.

K15 : 37575 departed Wisbech for Peterborough at 14.28, 70 late

K16 : 37569 departed Wisbech westbound at 14.48 - on time for K18, but 60 late in reality.

K17 : 37573 departed Wisbech westbound at 15.52 - 4 late for K1, 94 late for K17 and after a gap of 64 minutes since the previous service.

K18 with 37157, K19 with 37577, K1 with 37579 and K2 with 37566 should have been next, but I was otherwise engaged. It is reasonable to assume that two, if not three of these failed to run west of Lynn.
On my way home I passed 37159 which should have been K3, now on K4 about 20 late.
At the Lowestoft end, late arrivals meant the old habit of missing a turn (or turns) unfolded. 37568 on K4 switched to K5, 37160 on K5 dropped down to L8, 37567 on Y6 also jumped to Y9 while somehow 37576 on Y7 managed to stick on its turn. The late running 37563 on L8 jumped to L12. 20127 went from Y9 to L10 and likewise 37572 from L10 to L11.

This evening was very interesting and although the roads were better than last night, the X1 went into emergency mode. L10 with 20127 missed its 19.50 departure to Peterborough and went empty to Wisbech to work L8 21.00 Wisbech to Lowestoft. L11 which terminates at Lynn on the 16.55 from Lowestoft then sat in the bus station for a while before being pressed into further action and departed Lynn at 20.37 to Wisbech in lieu of the 19.50 to Peterborough. It then worked the 22.00 Wisbech to Lynn (L10).
37563 on L12 arrived at Lynn at 20.42 but instead of working the 20.50 to Peterborough retired to the centre and the latter never ran. Meanwhile, Y6 19.05 from Peterborough arrived 49 late with Royale 34108 and this looked set to depart for Lowestoft at 21.22 (47 late). Just when I thought it was all over I passed 20127 and 37160 on the Pullover Road in convoy, both with X1 Lowestoft on the front at 21.24. It remains to be seen which of these will do the 21.35 to Lowestoft and also a mystery is why 20127 went empty to Wisbech and then travelled back to Lynn as a relief to 37160 !! Finally on the days observations, Y13 21.50 King's Lynn - Peterborough does not appear to have run which if the case, will mean the last departure from Peterborough tonight was 37160 at around 20.15.
20501 looked smart on Vancouver Avenue forecourt this evening having had its X22 vinyls removed.