Monday April 18th 2011 ~ First Time For Everything (post No. 1001)

Just when you think the X1 can't throw up any more surprises, this happens :

B10M coach 20102 pauses at Wisbech Horsefair bus station this evening while working the 16.25 Lowestoft to Peterborough, it departed on time at 20.22

Gosh I can't believe I've now written over a thousand blog entries. Confirmation that I'm mad I guess. For some reason it had completely slipped my mind that Jim had tipped us off that 20102 might appear on the X1 this week. I was advising a customer that their specs were ready when it flashed by on, of all things, Y9 this morning with a full load. I'm sure my message about the specs didn't make any sense, as I realised what I'd just witnessed. It's a strange world where B10Ms are being withdrawn rapidly and then one makes its debut on the X1. For the record all of the N6xx APU series have now worked on the service except 20108 and 20110. Most have now been scrapped or sold on to private companies and only 20115 still appears on our route. One must never say never though and Ryan informs me that 20109 is still in use as Yarmouth driver trainer, so it could conceivably make a comeback like 20121 did last Winter.
Today 20102 appeared to be standing in for 37569, but an A47 altercation saw the service thrown into chaos from mid morning. This time a collision between a lorry and a motorbike was the cause, as is so often the case, on the stretch between Wisbech and Guyhirn. The usual diversion via Wisbech St. Mary was used and 20102 was the first bus to use it eastbound. Prior to this Y7 with 37571 had headed for Lowestoft 18 late and next came 37563 on L8 which was 25 late. One interesting working was Y13 with 37568 which left Wisbech by the normal route, reached Cromwell Road roundabout and then returned into town taking the sharp left hand bend over Wisbech Town Bridge to reach Old Market and then the alternative route. 568 was 5 late from the Horsefair at 12.25 and was then seen in Old Market at 12.40. It was the first service to come back via the usual route by which time it was 27 late. Next service eastbound was K14 with coach 20115 - Yes astonishing isn't it ? Two B10Ms in one day ! This was a mere 5 late but K15 with 37573 had managed to lose 17 minutes.

K16 appeared 5 late westbound with 37571, but hang on, that had already done Y7 ! Similarly K4 had passed through Wisbech at 09.20 to Lowestoft with 37572 and this too was back sooner than expected at 10.50 on L10. Not sure why these turns were swapped, but K16 had started with 37570 and L10 we think with 37575. The latter then did Y7 while 37576 took K4 at 10.02 from Lynn to Lowestoft.

The A47 accident caused more disruption and by this evening 37572 had advanced a turn from L10 to Y9 (left) and 20102 (right) had done the opposite, now being L10 which meant it worked through to Peterborough again at 19.50 from Lynn.  A final twist to the day saw 37160 working all day on the X2 !