A sort of cat and mouse game seems to be happening where a Gemini (the mouse) heads off to Peterborough with a B10 or B12 (the cat) in hot pursuit. The Gemini then manages to escape by returning via the Wisbech bypass and leaves the cat behind ! There are variations on this game of course, the most common one being when the Gemini avoids Wisbech on the westbound trip.
Today was 37569's first in traffic. It was rostered for K3 ( 06.54 Wisbech - Lowestoft; 10.55 Lowestoft - Peterborough & 15.18 return and 20.58 Lowestoft - Lynn). The event was not a success and 569 was seen leaving Wisbech westbound 34 late on the 10.55, with 20500 on K5 just three minutes behind. 37566 restarted its X1 career today on K1 06.29 King's Lynn - Peterborough; 07.48 Peterborough - Lowestoft & 12.25 return, but by the time it reached Lynn on the latter it was running sufficiently late to become K2 and was noted departing Wisbech just 6 minutes late - that's being kind and ignoring the 30 minutes lost before Lynn !
37568 began on K4, but by teatime this was being worked by 20103. 37573 began from Yarmouth on the 06.32 (Y9) to Peterborough and had only lost 3 minutes by Wisbech indicating that it has probably been modified speedwise. Two other successes today were 37563 which was used on the longest turn K15. This begins as the 05.42 Lynn - Lowestoft. It was seen on time as the 13.18 ex Peterborough and this evening was just 6 late on the 18.58 Lowestoft - P'bo. 37564 was also on time on K18 14.48 ex Peterborough, but somewhere earlier it had swapped places with 20104. The B10 had begun the day on K18 and the Gemini on K17. Most likely explanation is that 104 caught up the decker and overtook it. Even our top man Wayne admitted today was a shambles due to the time lost by the unmodified Geminis.
20352 which due to yesterday's swaps had ended up at Yarmouth overnight, did the whole of Y8 today and was in Wisbech bus station at 19.31 this evening (due 19,35) on its way back to Lynn. Once again 20351 remained at Rowan Road as did Paragons 20502/8/9, a sure sign of impending departure. 20141 & 20507 which were last reported on rail replacement duty have still not returned to Lynn.
Coaches on X1 duty today were 20352, 20500/01/03/04/06 and 20103/04/05/07/09/11/14/17/18/26. Meanwhile 20131 & 20142 were out on Lynn local turns to Hunstanton.
This is the unofficial blog for the Peterborough - Norwich XL bus service operated by First Group. Originally reporting the introduction of the 'Gemini' double deckers and the phasing out of coaches, the blog is now incredibly in its twelfth year and in 2021 the new fleet of state of the art double deckers enter their second year in traffic. To contact me with your observations/experiences on the XL, email gerardtcc@gmail.com .
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