Tuesday August 31st 2010 ~ Not There Yet

The plan to make the X1 a totally low floor service is far from a completed exercise and is unilkely to be so until extra vehicles are provided as back up. This suits the coach fans quite well actually, today B12 20514 remained on loan and worked K3 as usual, being 12 late when seen passing the Walpole Highway observatory this morning en route to Lowestoft. Of late, this has often been the solitary coach in use, but today there was a sense of deja vu when 'The Beast' (20107) made an appearance on L10. It was 8 late past Bruce going to Peterborough and over 13 late when it passed me having filled up with a good compliment of passengers at Wisbech Horsefair. Tonight though it was replaced at Lynn and 37573 off Y9 went forward on the 19.50 to Peterborough. The reason for the Beasts working was the unavailability of 37157 which was due for servicing.
With three of the expected culprits having turned up on this morning's Yarmouth originating turns, viz Y6 37575, Y7 37578 and Y9 37573, it was surely just logical that Y13 should be 37572, but no ! Y13 was in fact B10M 20126 and this worked all day in place of the B9.
Timekeeping,  monitored at Walpole by Bruce, deteriorated during the day and K16 with 37156 was 19 late going west and had lost a further minute returning from Peterborough. K17 with 37563 (yes another Lowestoft B9 deputising for a Lynn bus) was almost on time passing Walpole on the 13.33 to Peterborough, but had lost 16 minutes by the time it came back and K18 which was 37159 managed to do even worse. This was no less than 31 late westbound at 15.05 followed 6 minutes later by 37579 on K19, Unsurprisingly 159 was halted at Wisbech with 579 taking the passengers through to Peterborough so that K18 could at least depart Wisbech on time at 16.26 to Lowestoft. 37565 on K1 was pretty near to time this afternoon, but K2 with the late 37568 certainly was not, being 27 late through Walpole on the 16.03 to Peterborough.
The unavailable B9 count today was 37564/9/71/2.