Tuesday 21st April 2009 ~ In Detention !

Today was glorious, not that you need an excuse to photograph a fine vehicle like this one. K18 heads for Wisbech just before 2pm.

20118 and 20123 after doing Smithdon High School contracts this afternoon.

20123 seen this evening minus its Excel lettering, but otherwise looking like it had never been away !

Eagle eyed Jamie Vendy spotted this anomaly today - a new rear light (of sorts) on 37568.

Yes the new term has only just begun and already I am in detention. I've also implicated Bruce in yesterday's blog and he will have to join me. The reasonable assumption (or so we thought) that Norfolk schools had returned yesterday - they certainly did at Marshland High School - turned out to be selective as Hunstanton Smithdon High didn't go back until today ! This means much of yesterday's blog is a work of fiction - well almost. So let's start again, well corrections I can make are that K19 was certainly not 37570 and more likely 37568 which was the failure culprit on Sunday night when 20352 worked and not 37571 as stated. 571 therefore did Y8 throughout yesterday. L13 simply swapped 37566 for 20105 at lunchtime and 37566 then did K20, but came off this turn too at 21.37 for 37563 to work forward to the coast. 566 then had a service (Lynn doing Lowestoft's allocation again this week). The opportunity was taken yesterday to service 20131 before the schools contracts began, but this was still off the road today. Last night 20118 was removed from K2 and 37570 worked forward to Lowestoft at 18.42. Rob Brooks reports that not only did a five vehicle pile up on the A47 mean services last night were diverted via Wisbech St. Mary, but also that an unspecified 'incident' closed Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough and that the 21.18 to Lynn (20105) started at Queensgate instead of the rail station leaving poor Rob stranded until the 22.18.

So what of today ? Well the schools contracts really did start and with an unexpected twist too. With 20131 still being serviced plus other B10Ms being sent out on the X1, only two were available for the three turns. This had been foreseen however and yesterday 20123 was sent over from Norwich to help out. Apart from the removal of the Excel lettering, it looked much the same as usual and is on loan temporarily. The school runs today were 20118/121/123.

On the X1 20109 was sent over to Lowestoft on K19, but then changed turns and was on another X2 diagram. 37568 took its place on K19. 20105 meanwhile did K16 which overnights at Lowestoft, 20103 did K1 all day so that should be at Yarmouth tonight, 20104 did K2 and 20127 K18 both of which finish at Lowestoft. 20107 was also out on the X2 and Sam says "It feel's like I haven't been away! 20107 was on the 12:38 X2 from Norwich pinging whenever stopped and not put in neutral! This now has some kind of square badge stuck above the tax disc but didn't get a close enough look to see what it was. Driver trainer 20122 was in Norwich also and it looks really smart, clean, shiny and sounded rather nice!". Back at King's Lynn the dire power situation was exemplified by K4 starting out with Scania 65526. At some point during the day though it was swapped for 37576 showing off its new panels after return from 'Full Circle'. It looks as though 37575 has gone the other way now, it has certainly gone away somewhere for collision repairs following Saturday's incident. As predicted (well I had to get one thing right !), 37572 has been stopped for MOT.

Geminis now with the 'Nokia' ad in situ are : 37565/66/68/9/70/3/4, while 20131 has at last had its M&S ad removed.

Timewise today, the service ran pretty well, but K17 with 20352 for some reason didn't run through the villages between Lynn and Wisbech and presumably took the bypass - it may possibly have worked empty from Lynn to Peterborough direct due to being delayed. It was seen entering Wisbech a minute early at 15.03 and it then passed Bruce 3 early at Walpole.

K18 with 20127 was slightly late but had a full load of passengers heading west, maybe because K17 didn't run. Maximum lateness recorded today was 10 mins.