Friday 11th October 2013 ~ Registrations and Dates !

33806 gets away from temporary traffic lights on Lynn Road in Wisbech working  Wednesday lunchtime's 13.25 to Lowestoft. Karen F is at the wheel.

There seems to be a real preoccupation with bus enthusiasts and registrations, even a race to predict those of forthcoming deliveries. I suppose I (of all people) should understand this. In the days when registration plates referred directly to the local authority/county of origin, I was every bit as bad - there was even a registration plate spotting book where you could go into waves of ecstacy if you ever spotted a car from Clackmannanshire or more locally, the holy grail, Rutland (I think that one was FP as the last two letters, I'm sure somebody reading this will know). Then there was dear old Great Yarmouth where the last two letters were EX, quite a disappointment to some of my school classmates when I divulged the fact that while you might well see a REX or VEX, you would certainly never see SEX as this was (understandably) not used.
Anyway, I digress and Sam over in Beccles asks about the latest arrivals. Well having seen 33819 I can confirm this one is YX63 LKJ while 33820 is presumably YX63 LKK because 33821 is YX63 LKL. 
My own personal favourite has to be 33815 which is YX63 LKD, the reason being that in the 1960s and early 1970s Eastern Counties ran a fleet of deckers classified LKDs which conveniently leads me to a bus 'joke' that 33815 was the first LKD to leave Lynn garage since 1971 ! Incidentally one of the older LKDs is OVF228 which is now preserved and kept in beautiful condition by its owners.
Talking of old buses, my friend Richard Adderson took a trip out by X1 today - here is his tale :

Hi Gerard

 Up till around 11.30 this morning, I was beginning to think that you were the perpetrator of the most elaborate scam of all time. Yes, in common with half the nation I was reading the X1 blog avidly on a daily basis and I thought it would be nice to go and see some of those new blue Enviros.  So on their second reported day in service I hung around Acle for a couple of hours, seeing 33423 and four Geminis. In fairness I thought I saw 33812 as well, but my camera misbehaved. In the absence of photographic evidence, I began to convince myself that I'd imagined it, a belief reinforced by the fact that during the next few days I must have seen half a dozen X1s in various places, all of them Gemini operated.

 I tried again this morning, and saw 37572 leaving Norwich on the 9.30 ex Lowestoft, followed shortly afterwards by the arrival of 33423 on the 8.05 ex Pboro. Still no blue Enviro. The rain was driving horizontally across the bus station, so I decided to have a ride to Yarmouth on 33423, and through the steamed-up and rain spattered tinted windows I thought I glimpsed a couple of what could have been Enviros, but couldn't be sure. Still unconvinced I got off at Yarmouth and visited the Oliver Twist pub for a pint of the resurrected Lacons. Too light for me tastewise, but inducing a comfortable feeling of well being which was enhanced by the arrival of 33810 on the 8.35 from Pboro, which I sampled to an equally rainswept Lowestoft.  At last I was convinced - they do exist after all! They're not a product of Gerard's imagination and photoshop skills!

 From then it was 37571 to Yarmouth (14.00 ex Lowestoft), so I'd travelled on all three types of bus in use on the route, and then 33812 back to Norwich (14.30 ex Lowestoft), passing 33806, 33804, 33808, 37577 (I think), 37573 and 33809 on successive eastbound services, all seemingly running pretty well to time.

 First impressions of the new buses were favourable - very comfortable and roomy and nicely lit. Can't comment on the "next stop" announcements, because there weren't any on either of the vehicles I sampled (teething troubles?). Unlike one of the bloggers I had no problem with the route display around the windows, it was no different to that which we've become used to on the branded Norwich Network buses.

 Not a day for photography, but I tried anyway - see attached. I shall send IMGP7515 to Yarmouth tourist board for consideration for the cover of their 2014 tourist guide!

Best wishes

Richard

Well here is IMGP7515 for our consideration :

In pouring rain, 37571 is seen at Yarmouth on K5-XL11 14.00 Lowestoft - Peterborough today. Photo copyright : Richard Adderson

Just after 12.45 at the JPH and no this is not an Enviro bendybus, Viewed from the comfort of 33810, 33816 is heading for Peterborough on K2-XL08. Photo copyright : RIchard Adderson.

37572 was back on one of its old regular turns today, K15-XL02. This is the first time since the Enviros entered service that K15 has been a Gemini. Richard asks "When will we see the back of the Geminis ?"
Photo copyright : Richard Adderson.

Well in answer to Richard's question, I can give a sort of answer but as for its accuracy ? It all depends on the reliability of the Enviros, however, it is currently planned that the remaining Geminis will be removed from traffic as follows :

37571 Sunday 13th

37566 Wednesday 16th

37572 Thursday 17th

37573 Friday 18th

37574 Saturday 19th

& 37577 Sunday 20th

These are dates planned by Richard Tucker, but it is possible that if sufficient Enviros are not available, some of these may be given a safety service instead and kept in traffic. At least it gives us an idea of when we might take 'last day' photographs, which is useful. 37569 left King's Lynn for repainting at Full Circle today and a look at the Norwich Bus Page reveals that the first two Yarmouth branded Geminis have arrived, 37575 & 37578 with pictures by Zak :

http://www.norwichbuspage.com/2013/10/fleet-update-firstgreatyarmouth-and.html

A couple of services ran around 15 minutes late today, but that was the worst it got through Wisbech. Despite Richard Adderson's observations on the X1, Malcolm Hicks says there was some disruption to the X2 timetable at Lowestoft. What was interesting in Malcolm's report was the use of 37568 on the 15.35 X2 to Norwich which appeared shortly after 34155 came in on the 14.40 arrival - a case of the new and the old there. 

Enviro news : 33805 which failed at Wisbech yesterday was off the road at Vancouver Avenue today with a DDA Interlock problem, also sidelined was 33813 which is awaiting a belt and one of the buses yet to enter service, 33819 is awaiting application of the new vinyls. This weekend will probably be the last chance to get plenty of Enviro pictures minus adverts as the studs have now been fitted to most of the fleet and it is expected that new campaigns will be in use from tomorrow.