Thursday 19th June 2014 ~ World Cup Bargain !

33816 heading westbound on Thursday 5th June at Great Yarmouth working K14 09.00 from Lowestoft.
Photo copyright : Kieran Smith

Well here we are again, I've been away for a short break, but thanks to my regular team for keeping an eye on things for me.
There have been many route diversions / incidents since the last report which can be summarised thus :

June 2 : Eastbound roadworks Postwick, roadworks Bourges Boulevard Peterborough

June 4 : RTC Norwich, Newmarket Road, 

June 5 : Temporary A47 closure near Dereham, Toftwood not serviced for a while. Southtown Road, Yarmouth temporary closure

June 9 : RTC A47 North Pickenham turn

June 10 : Lorry breakdown Hockering, Roadworks commence between Saddlebow and Pullover Roundabouts. Partial blockage at Postwich - A BAD Day

June 13 : RTA Martineau Lane, Gridlock pm East Winch to Hardwick

June 17 : Acle Straight incident, diversions via Wisbech Road, South Lynn

I make no apology for 'pinching' some of the above from the X1 Twitter pages, but it shows the sheer amount of dilemmas the X1 team have to face on an almost daily basis. Check out the Twitter feed at :

https://twitter.com/First_X1 

33805 working L12 12.35 Peterborough - Lowestoft on 5th June.  Photo copyright : Kieran Smith

There were a few unusual sightings at Lowestoft early in the month, not on the X1 though ! Malcolm reports 42358 operating the 09.25 X2 from Norwich on both 3rd & 5th June, 66126 was a surprise on the 10.40 1A to Martham on 4th and on 10th 34114 arrived on the 08.59 from Martham. Generally speaking X1 arrivals in Lowestoft have been punctual but on 14th, K6 arrived 16 late with 33812 and Y7 which was next in arrived 10 down with 33804.
The X1 fleet continue to behave pretty well. 33809 had an MOT on June 6th and 33818 was also treated a week later, while 33814 had a couple of days off that week for hydraulic tank attention.

Photo copyright : Cameron Robinson

 33823 returned to traffic after repairs on June 2nd but currently has a fault with its rear destination as seen in the photograph here taken by Cameron Robinson in Gorleston High Street on 15th June.
33824 made a visit to Full Circle for minor accident repairs between 9th & 12th. 33809 is currently sidelined again and has not been on the road since being removed from K16 on 12th.

Zak Nelson photographed this X1 short worked by 33423 in Norwich with a slightly incorrect service number on the afternoon of June 9th.

A Sunday swap occurred on 9th when 33819 had a fluid leak in the drivers cab, 33823 replaced it on L10.
The North Pickenham accident on 9th delayed a few morning services, westbound 33811 passed Wisbech Town Bridge 23 minutes late at 10.42 on Y9, L10 with 33807 came back from Peterborough just 12 late though and then normality resumed. I took advantage of the new Wisbech Tesco stop that day and boarded K14 12.58 Wisbech - Peterborough with 33822 (the bus I always seem to get). The driver couldn't get reverse gear to leave Wisbech bus station and had to switch off the engine before it would engage. Departure was 8 late, but it came back from Peterborough just 2 minutes late. On June 11th K15 and K16 passed Bruce at Walpole Highway within 5 minutes of each other, 33807 at 13.44  following 33809 which was about 30 late, but other services seemed to run to timetable.
A special X1 fare after 19.30 hours has been introduced during the World Cup - passengers can travel for a flat fare of just £1 for the duration (£1 fare only available in Norwich zones 1 - 5 and Yarmouth town to JPH.) Hopefully this will last longer than England's involvement which after tonight looks doomed.

Zak Nelson, webmaster of Norwich Bus Page kindly sent in a report with some photos of some X1 exiles. He says "I visited Chelmsford yesterday (12th) on bus spotting duties. I've now finished college so have a lot of free time on my hands! Whilst there I spotted some ex-X1 coaches operating the X30 from Southend to Stansted Airport in the form of 20500 AO02RBX, recently repainted into a special AIRCOACH version of the new livery:

Copyright : Zak Nelson (NBP)

Meanwhile 20501 AO02RBY was parked up at the famous Westway depot in Chelmsford which I was kindly allowed to be shown around. The latter was still in her old X1 livery, minus any route branding as seen here :

The new livery is seen again below, here on the rear of 20500 which has had a very close encounter with a local bus due to the tortuous nature of Chelmsford bus station :

Thanks to Zak for sending the report and photos. Whilst on the subject of redundant X1 coaches, Kieran adds "Saw 20515 outside First HQ in Rouen Road, Norwich on June 5th" and here's the picture to prove it :

Photo copyright : Kieran Smith

Peter has been making his usual trips aboard the X1 and has sent in a few photographs of interest. Firstly on 11th, Peter was on board 33804 working the 16.50 King's Lynn - Peterborough running some 20 minutes late due to the delays between East Winch and the Hardwick Roundabout. The next bus (33819 for the 17.20 departure) was only just behind and was passed at King's Lynn swimming pool as seen here.  Peter also sent me some pictures taken this evening (19th) of an X1 taking the diversion via South Lynn - this is due to the slip road onto the bypass being closed for a few days and not as Peter surmised so that the driver could avoid the average speed cameras which have been temporarily installed on the affected section of the A47 !

Approaching the old Union Chapel

Negotiating the South Lynn speed bumps

Crossing the Ouse where once stood the old Cut Bridge.

Photographs copyright Peter Risebrow

Wednesday June 4th 2014 ~ Confirmation of forthcoming changes from VOSA

PF0000323/201 - FIRST EASTERN
COUNTIES BUSES LTD, 6 LANSDOWNE
ROAD, NORWICH, NR6 6NF
Variation Accepted: Operating between
PETERBOROUGH and NORWICH given service number X1 effective from 27-Jul-2014. 

To amend Route, Start &
Finish Point, Stopping Places and
Timetable.

PF0000323/361 - FIRST EASTERN COUNTIES BUSES LTD, 6 LANSDOWNE ROAD, NORWICH, NR6 6NF
Registration Accepted
Starting Point: MARKET GATES, GREAT YARMOUTH
Finish Point: LOWESTOFT BUS STATION Via: GORLESTON
Service Number: X1
Service Type: Normal Stopping
Effective Date: 27-JUL-2014
Other Details: Daily service Service runs
every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday
and hourly on Sundays and Holidays

PF0000323/362 - FIRST EASTERN COUNTIES BUSES LTD, 6 LANSDOWNE ROAD, NORWICH, NR6 6NF
Registration Accepted
Starting Point: NORWICH BUS STATION
Finish Point: MARKET GATES GREAT YARMOUTH Via: Acle & Norwich , A47,A146
Service Number: X1
Service Type: Limited Stop
Effective Date: 27-JUL-2014
Other Details: Monday to Saturday
every 20 minutes Sunday and Holidays
every 30 minutes

Monday June 2nd 2014 ~ Changes from 27th July

I can now reveal the changes I forecast a while ago in full. The splitting of the X1 route will be effective from July 27th. Services will operate at a 20 minute frequency from Norwich to Lowestoft calling at Acle, Yarmouth and stops to Lowestoft and on the western section the half hourly frequency will remain between Norwich and Peterborough, but without the lengthy, in terms of time, diversion through Toftwood. The approach to Dereham through Scarning will be used instead as was formerly the case.
Lowestoft and Yarmouth drivers will share the eastern section and the Peterborough service will be operated entirely by King's Lynn based drivers. Seven Enviro 400s will be transferred to Great Yarmouth for maintenance purposes. It remains to be seen whether these changes will be temporary covering the period of the Postwick Hub roadworks, or whether this will end up being a permanent situation.

33817  gets a clean up and fuel at King's Lynn depot on Sunday evening.

Sunday 1st June 2014 ~ Friends

33803 departs Norwich on Tuesday 20th working the 10.30 Lowestoft - Peterborough. Photo : Kieran Smith

It is almost two weeks since we took a look at how the service has been running. Generally speaking buses have been running a few minutes late due to the usual problems here and there on the A47. Just as well it was only minor delays judging by the large numbers of friends of mine who seem to have taken to the new buses. Scarcely a day goes by without someone surprising me along the lines of "We took the X1 to Peterborough/Lynn /Norwich (delete as applicable) the other day, we're definitely going on it again".
Tuesday 20th saw a very rare breakdown in traffic. 33810 which had arrived in Peterborough on K5-XL11 at 18.44 failed with the oil cooler problem and the King's Lynn rescue van was sent to its aid. It wasn't out of traffic for long though as it resumed work with K19-XL06 on Friday 23rd. On election day, Thursday 22nd Malcolm saw 33806 arrive in Lowestoft 'not in service' before departing on K18-XL04 11.00 to Peterborough. While on the afternoon of Friday 23rd, K14 -XL01 was delayed and Bruce saw it go by eastbound 14 late (due past him at Walpole at 14.46 but passing by on the stroke of 3pm), 33805 was the culprit.
Peter says "I turned up for
the 17.20 departure from Peterborough railway station, but caught the 16.50 with 33813 running 15 minutes late. Very friendly driver called Alan who actually thanked people for travelling with the X1. Top marks from me. We came out of Peterborough via the Passport Office route (pictured left) which is unusual".

A funeral and election duty saw Bruce take command of sightings for a few days, all passing reasonably uneventfully. Tuesday 27th May (after the Bank Holiday) saw minor delays and Y7-XL13 was 14 late into Lowestoft during the afternoon with 33816. Neither  Wednesday or Friday last were good on the punctuality front as half term traffic took its toll. 28th saw 33810 arriving in Wisbech 15 late for the 11.55 to Lowestoft (Y9-XL15) and K18-XL05 14.58 Wisbech - Peterborough passed me 15 late with 33807. Peter reports that on Thursday 29th, some X1 services were disrupted by queueing traffic on Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough. The 08.48 from Wisbech was one of the services affected, see Peter's picture :

Friday was the worst day for a little while. It was Ok until lunchtime, but then Bruce spotted K14-XL01 12.20 King's Lynn - Peterborough sailing down the A47 bypass 26 minutes late. It was only 5 late returning into Wisbech where we discovered its identity to be 33809. Things improved momentarily with K18-XL05 being spot on time, passing me at a few seconds before 15.00, however, K19 due 30 minutes later popped up at 15.49, 19 late with 33813 and then we witnessed the very rare sight these days of two Peterborough bound X1s following each other. 33814 passed me at 16.30, exactly 30 late on K1-XL07 having been preceded by two car lengths by 33812 on K2 running on time !
On the vehicle front there have been few incidents, but 33823 has been off the road since the evening of 24th with a transmission fault and wiring problems. AD staff have been in attendance on more than one occasion as this vehicle seems to have more than its fair share of faults. It managed 4 miles on test runs during the last week, but is still currently unfit. 33811 continues to lead the way on the mileage front with 77,700 miles recorded as of the evening of Saturday May 31st.

Wednesday May 28th 2014 ~ Roadworks Ahead

A quick update on some forthcoming roadworks affecting the X1 . For details on the Postwick situation, go here :
http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/Travel_and_transport/Major_projects_and_improvement_plans/Norwich/Northern_Distributor_Road/Postwick_junction/index.htm

For more details on how the A47 and X1 will be affected by remedial work on the Ouse Bridge at King's Lynn, go here :
http://m.lynnnews.co.uk/news/local/latest-local-news/traffic-chaos-due-to-road-works-on-a47-at-king-s-lynn-1-6083514

A service update will follow shortly, though nothing significant to add to recent events.

Saturday 25th May 2014 ~ Big Changes On The Way.

A review of the X1 service has taken place this week. This has largely concerned the extensive roadworks which are to be taking place at the 'Postwick Hub' which commenced on 12th May and which are planned to last a massive 72 weeks. Currently there is a single lane restriction eastbound, but this is soon to encompass both directions, causing all manner of mayhem no doubt.
The scale of the disruption means it will no longer be possible to run the X1 in its present form and, at least temporarily, the route is to be split at Norwich. This will inevitably mean the transfer of a number of the Enviros to the eastern end of the route for maintenance purposes. As this is rather a sensitive issue, I cannot give more detail at the moment, but there is at least one other major change which will be to the benefit of the majority of X1 travellers. I will reveal more detail when the information becomes public. Changes to the route are likely to take place from late July. Keep monitoring the blog for the latest developments.
This week's update to follow.

Monday 19th May 2014 ~ Back on the Road

The loan of 33423 which as previously reported began on 10th May lasted until 14th, during which time it also worked K5 on Monday 12th, K16 forward from Lynn at 13.20 on 13th and then surprisingly K6 on 14th from which it was removed in the evening and replaced by 33822. 33423 returned immediately to Yarmouth. One result of the loan was that the current seat replacement programme was able to be completed. 
The buses affected by the oil cooler problem had to await parts from Alexander Dennis, with 33822 returning to traffic on 14th as outlined above, then 33814 on Thursday 15th and finally 33821 on Friday 16th. 33816 was removed from K16 at lunchtime on Tuesday 13th for its MOT preparation and returned to work on Saturday when it worked K5. Incidentally, MOTs which for many years had taken place on Thursdays, now occur on Fridays. 33813 is the current 'star of the show' having worked every day since April 25th.
The Enviros, like their predecessors are diagrammed on a pretty random basis and it is unusual to get the same vehicle on the same turn for more than a couple of days. Last week though 33811 developed a particular affinity for Great Yarmouth being garaged there every night for a week. During this time it worked turn Y13-XL19 every day from Monday through to Friday, On a similar theme, 33804 worked the internal King's Lynn diagram K15-XL02 on Monday to Thursday inclusive. 
The timetable has had a few hiccups. On Friday 9th, 33809 became embroiled in heavy traffic on K19-XL06 16.15 from Peterborough and finally passed Walpole Highway 21 late. Saturday 10th saw only minor delays, caused by a broken down lorry near Scrarning and an accident on London Road (Lynn) at Millfleet. 
Another broken down lorry caused morning delays on Tuesday 13th, this time on Guyhirn Bank. K2-XL08 due off Wisbech eastbound at 08.20 was noted arriving at 08.43 with 33807, K3-XL09 passed Bruce at Walpole at 09.38 (33 late) with 33819 and as a result, 33812 was inserted to work the turn forward from Lynn. K4 travelled via Wisbech St. Mary and was seen arriving at Wisbech 11 late. After this services resumed taking the normal route. 
Richard Adderson wrote to me on Wednesday (14th) and said "The eastbound carriageway of the Norwich Southern bypass is closed this week 8pm - 6am between A146 and Postwick junctions. I suspected the X1 might be diverted along Thorpe River Green tonight, and I was proved right. Here's the 8.35 from Norwich in the gathering gloom about 25 mins ago - awful photo but the best I could manage in the circumstances!"
Looks Ok to me Richard and thanks for taking the picture of the X1's 33803  'off route' :

Photo copyright : R. Adderson

A visit to the Woolpack at Terrington on Friday lunchtime saw Y11- XL17 pass by about 25 minutes late eastbound with L12 and 33814 only about 5 minutes behind it. The continued closure of Wisbech Town Bridge (it was due to reopen today 19th, but hasn't as yet !) saw a traffic build up in the afternoon. K15-XL02 with 33820 was seen arriving at 15.16 eastbound, 11 minutes after it should have departed. Saturday also saw some delays reports Bruce. Y11-XL17 was badly affected for the second successive day, being 27 minutes late heading east. Later K15-XL02 passed by en route to Peterborough 16 late and 33820 on K16-XL03 which failed to appear next, later came back 2 minutes early !
I had a couple of X1 trips at the weekend. On Saturday I boarded 33824 at Wisbech working K6-XL12 07.33 Swaffham - Peterborough. Departing on time, we were hampered by slow moving A47 traffic, but entering Peterborough via Boongate and the Passport Office, we were nevertheless half a minute early into Queensgate. Coming back on Sunday, I took the 16.08 from Peterborough railway station with a Lowestoft driver, 33822 left nearly a minute late, but lighter traffic saw us regain time until we came to rest in a huge queue on Guyhirn Bank. This proved to be a false alarm and whatever had caused the tailbacks in both directions had obviously cleared, so after  police and ambulance had passed through, we were away again and were only a minute late into Wisbech. Now there have been comments, both here and in other blogs about the rattling on some Enviros. I can only say that with the road surface on the A47 at the moment, it is not in the least surprising. The section between Eye Green and Thorney is appalling, particularly so near Pode Hole Quarry. Cambridgeshire County Council need to act quickly !
Lowestoft sightings have included 44513 on the 14.55 X2 to Norwich on 12th, 34114 on the 101 town service followed by the 14.55 X2 on 13th and again on 14th, 37566 on rail replacement work on 15th. 17th May saw an old X1 favourite, 34108, defying the odds and working 12.05 X2 from Norwich, while less spacious was 44513 taking the 13.35 back to Norwich. Thanks to Malcolm Hicks for his usual comprehensive notes.
"You haven't mentioned X1 adverts lately" says Robin, well that is true so here we have some examples. Kieran Smith was in Dereham on Friday just gone and managed to capture the following :

33811 was heading for Peterborough working (as it had done all week) Y13-XL19 08.15 Lowestoft - Peterborough. The advert for the horror film 'The Quiet Ones' was applied on March 30th and for a while was carried by 12 of the Enviros. Currently 33812 is the last example to carry it as 33811 had its boards changed on Sunday.

33813 is seen here with passengers boarding the 07.30 Peterborough - Lowestoft, due off  Dereham at 10.08. The advert for the national lottery can still be seen on 33813/24 although 8 Enviros originally carried this campaign from April 19th.

33819 working K4 - XL10 08.35 Peterborough - Lowestoft. The advert for Norwich Airport flights dates from April 6th and was applied to 6 of the X1 fleet but 33819 is the last to retain it.

Our last picture from Kieran features 33821 with an ad for the X-Men. A relatively new campaign fitted on May 5th , this is currently carried by 33804/5/7/21/22. This was 33821's first day on the road for a week after having been sidelined with the oil cooler problem. The working is the 08.05 from Peterborough (K3-XL09)
All photos copyright : Kieran Smith

Monday 12th May 2014 ~ Replacement Bus (es)

Just a quick newsflash to say that the hydraulic oil cooler problem which has kept 33814 off the road has now manifested itself on 33821 & 33822. These being the three 'spare' buses, it has meant 33423 has once again been called up and arrived from Great Yarmouth on Saturday. It went straight into action on Saturday afternoon taking over from 33811 on the 13.50 King's Lynn - Peterborough etc (K17-XL04).
 Today (Monday) 33423 is currently working K5- XL11 07.37 King's Lynn - Peterborough. 33816 was due to have MOT work started this week, but this may well be on hold until one of the trio is up and running again. Should there be another Enviro failure, it may be necessary to bring in further reinforcements until the situation is resolved.

Thursday 8th May 2014 ~ Reassuring Blog

On Sunday April 27th, 33822 is seen near Terrington St. John  on the 15.30 Lowestoft - Peterborough.

Well here we are at last again just to reassure you that everything has been going very well on service X1. Yes,  the Enviro fleet appear to be every bit as able as their Gemini predecessors at meeting the exacting demands of the route. 
In the period under review, 33810 has returned from bodywork repairs at Full Circle (April 29th) and 33816 also spent a few days there for minor repairs. In this connection Chris Coultas writes " When you say the Enviro's go away for bodywork repairs at Full Circle, is this as a result of accident damage or other damage sustained throughout their travels "? Well it is usually just to repair minor bodyside scrapes Chris, fortunately nothing really major has occurred in service up to this point in time. Chris continues "I have been reading your blog for some time and I think it's rather good ! Well done on creating such an amazing piece of work. I myself am hoping to travel on the X1 at some point as the Enviros look quite enticing". What a nice thing to say, - Well there we are - another fan for the X1 !

 Now then, where was I ? Oh yes what has been happening in the frontline. The MOT programme is continuing, though maybe surprisingly, the fleet are not being treated in numerical order. According to my records, so far done in chronological order are 33803/4/5/6/13/15. As I write 33807 is being prepared for the same. 33807/10/11/14/19 have undergone modifications to the seating. The initial arrangement of glued foundations having been proved to be insufficient to deter vandalism and heavy duty staples are now being used to secure seating.
Yarmouth branded Enviro 33423 helped cover the shortfall caused by the Mots and mods as previously reported working K3-XL09 from 22nd - 24th April inclusive. It didn't stay around for long though and by the weekend of 26th/27th had moved east and been procured for rail replacement work. Everybody's favourite standby was then purloined to work on the X2, presumably to cover for Gemini MOT work. Malcolm first noted it on on Monday 28th April arriving in Lowestoft at 10.00 and it remained on the route at least until May 3rd. 

33423 on the X2 photos copyright Zak (Chief Admin) Norwich Bus Page www.norwichbuspage.com

After a period away, its nice to welcome Kieran Smith back. He says "Yep, I'm back in the game! In my absence from the enthusiast world i've missed a lot, and only managed to get a shot of SN60CAA (33423). I thought an image of it may be of use to you as it's just completed a few days on full X1 journeys. Today it was seen on rail replacements!"  

Photo copyright : Kieran Smith

Lowestoft were obviously "on the floor for power" (an expression often employed by a railway friend of mine ) on 28th as ex Jersey Dart 43868 arrived in Lowestoft on the 09.25 from Norwich and even today (8th May) Enviro 200 44513 was noted by Michael Bryant working the 10.55 X2 ex Lowestoft.

With 33423 gone from the X1 it was a case of shuffling the pack to ensure servicing commitments were met successfully and this was achieved by swapping buses on some turns. 33805 was taken off K6-XL12 on Friday last (May 2nd) as it was overheating. This kept it out of traffic until Wednesday 7th. 33814 has also not currently worked since Friday 2nd and is sidelined with a hydraulic oil cooler problem, something which has affected a few of the fleet up to now. One thing I haven't mentioned (I think) is that some of the Enviros seem to make quite a noise when accelerating. Some of this can be put down to the wind being in a certain direction, but yesterday I heard something heavy accelerating past my work - I thought it was a dustcart and was surprised to see it was 33816 coming into Wisbech slightly early on K4-XL10 to work the 09.25 to Lowestoft.

33812 leaves Norwich Bus Station where on Sunday May 4th, one lane was coned off leaving buses turning left having to use the right hand lane ! 33812 wasworking the 13.30 from Lowestoft. Photo copyright : Kieran Smith

Punctuality has been quite good of late, although Friday 2nd (before the Bank Holiday) saw delays. The 15.58 Wisbech - Peterborough with 33803 passed me 29 late and the following service with 33811 was 14 late. On Saturday 3rd, Breydon Bridge in Yarmouth stuck open between 09.30 & 10.45 causing some delays to the service.

Bank Holiday Monday 5th saw 33808 out of service after a 3 week stint on the road, it needed a new destination screen after hitting a bird, it was back out next morning though. 
At the Lowestoft end there have been more unusual sightings alongside the X1s. On 25th April the 10.40 to Martham left with 34187, an increasingly uncommon visitor these days. Next day, Saturday 26th Paragon coach 20515 was noted on rail replacement work at Lowestoft station following its displacement from the X1 shorts and Jamie Skinner bemoans the loss of the coaches, saying "the replacements are less than impressive" referring to his picture below. 

Photo copyright : Jamie Skinner

On 29th, Lowestoft town service 101 which gets an occasional mention in these columns produced 34114 on loan from Great Yarmouth and this was noted daily on the service until May 3rd, after which Malcolm went away for a few days break from his vigils at Lowestoft for us.

I mentioned the forthcoming Sacrewell Farm Rally in the last posting and Steve Knight says "Thanks for mentioning the appearance of an X1 vehicle at the Peterborough Bus Rally in July. You were quick, I only had the confirmation from David Squire on Tuesday last week. It will certainly do one of the Sacrewell Farm to Nene Valley Railway shuttles. I am really pleased that First have agreed to support the event".
Trevor Watson has written in response to Richard Adderson's query about invisible destination displays with digital photography. He suggests using a rotating polarised filter as a possible remedy. Thanks to all of you who take the trouble to contact me and I apologise that time doesn't always permit an email reply, I do though try and include your comments here in the blog. 

A quick look at the Enviro 400 mileages, mostly to the nearest 100 updated to end of service tonight.
33811  71200
33812  69500
33808  66800
33807  66300
33818  65677
33821  65606
33806  63100
33805  62900
33816  62800
33815  62300
33820  61500
33804  60768
33810  60752
33814  60000
33817  59700
33823  59500
33824  58600
33813  57900
33822  57400
33809  55000
33819  54300
33803  53800

Many of the anomalies are due to the staggered arrival of the fleet, that being said one would expect first arrival 33803 to top the mileages when ironically, the reverse is the fact. Its early problems after delivery having cut its mileage drastically. 

Wednesday May 7th 2014 ~ update

Just to let you all know, I have not given up on the blog, just rather a lack of events worth reporting, however, I plan to do the normal update tomorrow evening (Thursday). Regards, Gerard

Wednesday April 23rd 2014 ~ Now You See It, Now You Don't.

In all the years I have written this blog, I am now finding it more difficult than ever to know what to write, such is the reliability of the Enviro 400s. It is difficult to compare this honeymoon period with that of the 375xx series of Geminis when they were new, due to the fact that only 17 of them were supplied and the coaches made up the balance of vehicles until the five B7 Geminis were transferred from Norwich.
As always there are plenty of stories which are classified as "unbloggable" (if that's a word ?), but I try to keep the blog accurate without being too controversial.
Let's firstly look at what has happened since my last blog a week ago. I reported the return of 33809 from bodywork repairs and it duly re-entered traffic after a safety service on Wednesday 16th when it recommenced work on K4-XL10. Today (23rd) 33810 has arrived at  'Full Circle' in similar fashion, again for bodywork repairs. With 33813 undergoing MOT work and 33816 out of traffic with engine derate and an exhaust problem, this has meant the appearance once again after Easter of 33423 which worked its old favourite diagram , K3 (XL09) on Tuesday and Wednesday. Roy from East Norfolk Bus Blog kindly sent this picture taken on Tuesday  while 33423 was working the 13.00 Lowestoft - Peterborough :

Photo copyright : East Norfolk Bus Blog

33820 which had been out of traffic, again with an exhaust issue, returned to traffic on Saturday and with the lighter vehicle requirements over Easter (Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Easter Monday all being Sunday service), most of the Enviros managed at least one day off over the holiday. Lone exception was 33811 which has been out daily since 31st March.
Peter writes "Hey G, did you know that 'First' are going to use one of the X1 Enviros as an exhibit at the Sacrewell Farm bus rally coming up in July ?" . Well no, I didn't actually, so thanks for keeping me and our readers informed. Peter adds that it is hoped to used the Enviro as a shuttle bus at some point during the day too. Whilst on the subject of events in the Peterborough area, the Fenland Vintage Vehicle event on May 17th should be using the two Stagecoach FLFs on a Thorney to Whittlesey shuttle service, so a good excuse to use the X1 to get over there if you are planning to go.
Richard Adderson has been in touch and says "Thought I'd send you a couple of pictures taken back on April 9th, as I don't recall seeing many Swaffham pictures on the blog (you're right there Richard !). This is 33820 which was running about 15 minutes late on the 13.05 from Peterborough (Y13-XL19).

33820 at Swaffham . Copyright : Richard Adderson

Well I liked the picture so much Richard, I've used it as a new masthead for the blog - that picture with the sugar beet was getting a bit out of season. Richard continues "The second picture taken earlier at King's Lynn depicts 33823 when it had its destination blind fault working K19-XL06 14.43 King's Lynn - Peterborough. 33820 shouldn't have been there at the same time, but because of its late running got in the picture too :

Photo copyright : Richard Adderson

"The main reason I have sent you the above picture" continues Richard, "is to appeal to your knowledge as a prolific bus photographer. You'll see that the destination on the Norfolk Green bus on the left has not registered on the picture and this seems to happen whenever I snap a bus with this type of display and indeed on dmus too. Is there anything I can do to avoid this and do you know the cause, or is it just a quirk of my camera ?".
Well I think I was once told that the dot matrix system is a continual flashing display - so if in the fraction of a second you take the picture, the display is blank, it comes out as such. The system flashes at such a rapid rate as to be invisible to the human eye - now am I correct here or have I dreamed the whole thing ? Do let me know if you have the answer.
Andy Gibbs sent a nice email to say he really enjoys the blog and that he plans to travel up from London later in the year to traverse the entire X1 route. In his capacity as safety manager for Transport for London, he is used to frequent services, though probably not of over 100 miles. Let me know when you are this way Andy.
Back to recent events now and the holiday weekend was marred by an accident at Middleton on the Thursday before Easter. This closed the A47 for several hours and delays of up to 50 minutes accumulated. Good Friday's heavy traffic also caused delays to some services.
Roadworks in Station Square at Lowestoft have also been the cause of disruption. Malcolm's log for Tuesday shows many delays and this evening congestion affected the 17.05 & 17.50 departures westbound from Lowestoft. The latter left over 30 minutes late and ran light to Acle before taking on passengers again. It caught up the 17.05 at Easton and passengers were transferred to the 17.50 with the 17.05 then running light to King's Lynn.
Wisbech remains congested at peak times due to the closure of town bridge. Peter says "On Thursday 17th, was following the 16.15 from Peterborough which diverted down Weasenham Lane to avoid the queues on the normal route. Commendable attempt by the driver, but then unfortunately, a lorry had broken down at the Churchill Road junction meaning that 33818 became delayed there instead !

Finally building work at Peterborough railway station means the exit for the X1 is now (temporarily) very tight. Unfortunately today 33822 working K14-XL01 13.45 departure to Lowestoft collided with a protruding scaffolding pole and broke a window, 33821 replaced it at King's Lynn.

Tuesday 15th April 2014 ~ Normality Resumes

Well I'm now beginning to catch up with things after my holiday. Huge thanks to all who kept me informed of goings on in my absence, you know who you are !
It would be fair to say that in the intervening period between the last posting and this, the most notable event took place today. Having arrived late last week, for a suspension fault to be rectified at King's Lynn, Enviro 33423 saw its first run to Peterborough sporting the First Great Yarmouth colours today. 33813 working the 07.45 Lowestoft - Peterborough (L12-XL18) was required at Vancouver Avenue for attention and 33423 took over briefly for the Peterborough leg, before 33813 resumed its turn.
Here she is with Gareth at the wheel passing near my work premises in Wisbech :

Despite there being plenty of prophets of doom regarding the new fleet, they seem to be coping well with the intensive work schedule given to them and this surely must reflect on the care given to them by Richard Tucker and his engineering team. Various issues have cropped up revolving around issues as diverse as sourcing replacement seats and malfunctioning air cooling systems, but none of these have been sufficiently serious to disrupt the service. The only reason 33423 appeared today was because of servicing commitments combined with the absence of 33809 which had only just returned from bodywork repairs at Full Circle following an incident on 2nd April.
 I had an email from one of my correspondents saying that he had seen less than flattering reports in some bus blogs about the comfort and overall experience of travelling on the X1 Enviros. He says "I trust you more to give a balanced account if they are in trouble. Each time I use them I find no cause for complaint ". Well it would seem that the majority of X1 passengers I have spoken to agree with this, although Victor Meldrew did contact me during my holiday to say he was sitting near a particularly rattly part of 33814 last Thursday, but let's face it, he will moan about anything ! I hasten to add that I base my observations on a sample of the general public, rather than bus enthusiasts. Certainly the loadings on the western part of the route have increased dramatically since the Enviros arrived. Incidentally, several of the fleet have now exceeded the 60,000 mile mark in just 7 months
First themselves have cause to celebrate and Lucy Wright says "The results of a national bus passenger survey published by independent watchdog, Passenger Focus, have revealed that First’s customers in Norfolk have seen an increase in satisfaction.
89% of First’s customers in Norfolk said that they were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘fairly satisfied’ with the service in the county – a 2% increase since 2011. Passenger Focus’ National Bus Survey is considered the bus industry’s definitive gauge of passenger satisfaction. The survey was carried out between 8 September and 1 December 2013. The survey also noted improvements in punctuality, the cleanliness and appearance of the buses and drivers’ attitudes.
Managing Director of First Eastern Counties, David Squire, said: “We are thrilled with our score which reflects the hard work and commitment of all my colleagues. We’ve got excellent teams in place at our depots who are improving our services and helping to encourage more people to travel with First.”

Laurie Egan, Norfolk County Council's Travel Network Manager added; "We work very closely with bus operators in Norfolk and these are encouraging results which show that initiatives like our Quality Bus Partnership is helping them deliver higher quality, more reliable services which their passengers want. A restructure within First took place in 2013 which gave greater autonomy to the local teams, which is helping the company deliver better services for customers and contributing to the improved Passenger Focus score"

Well nothing like blowing your own trumpet is there, but you have to admit it is impressive. Posing for the camera here are some familiar faces, but being contrary, I'm more interested in what that is behind the Gemini !!

It is also good to report that the timetable has been largely adhered to. Main delays can be attributed to congestion in Wisbech while town bridge is closed and sometimes late afternoon services can suffer because of this. The road is due to reopen sometime next month. Sunday afternoon last saw X1 services being diverted via the A17 and Tilney All Saints following the well publicised accident where a child fell from a private operators moving coach near the Shoreboat roundabout. 

Enviro 33821 has now been in traffic every day since March 7th, but 33820 was stopped today with an exhaust problem. 33823 had a problem with its destination screen last week as seen here in these pictures from John Abbott taken in Peterborough last Wednesday.

                                                    Photos copyright : John Abbott

Brian Coombes wrote to me to say he and his colleague Stuart Ling provide a very important service delivering beer across our region and consequently have regular meetings with the X1. Here's Stuart in his van at Thickthorn with an Enviro !

and here's another one taken on a rather inhospitable day in February in Acle .....

Glad you enjoy following the blog guys and once again my apologies for the infrequent updates of late. I hope to get back to more regular entries from now on.
Finally this time, a picture sent in by Des Speed who says "Thought you'd like this one" :

Some of the former X1 stalwarts at Caister Road garage. Photo : Des Speed

Thursday 3rd April delayed blog ! ~ The Usual Business

Apologies for the long delay in producing another blog, a delay partly because I have been excessively busy (as usual at this time of year) and also because of the lack of important events.
I am about to go on a weeks holiday, so the next entry will probably be around 13th April. MOTs are continuing on the Enviros with 33805/6 having been tested. A couple of slight collisions have resulted in damage to 33816 which was taken off Y13-XL19 on 26th March and did not return to service until 31st. Today (2nd April), 33809 was in a spot of bother whilst working Y9-XL15 and was retired early to be replaced by 33813. The passenger side panels sustained damage and it is due to visit Full Circle for repair tomorrow, with 33806 coming back fixed from the same malady.
Probably the most notable event in the period under review came on 30th March when Yarmouth sent out 33808 to Norwich in the evening for rail replacement work !

Wednesday 19th March 2014 ~ Running with the X1

33807 departing from Norwich as the 10.00 service to Peterborough on Sunday 16th. Photo copyright : Sam Larke

The Enviro 400s continue their domination of the X1 in a quiet manner - so quiet in fact that Bruce reckons they creep up behind him when he is cutting the hedge and he keeps missing the numbers - too busy waving at the drivers I suspect !
33813 which had a problem with a roof pod has been back on the road since last Tuesday (11th) and 33804 became the second of the fleet to receive an MOT on 14th being noted back in service the following day. The only bus in difficulties has been 33809 which back on Friday 7th overheated due to a hydraulic oil leak. It then spent five days off road for remedial work before returning to traffic on Thursday 13th.
33812 is the months star performer having worked on every day between February 24th and today (March 19th). It has accumulated almost 54,000 miles to date, something already achieved by 33811.
Punctuality has been very good with a blip on Friday 14th after an rta on the Acle Straight delayed some services by up to 20 minutes.
Sunday saw four of the occupants of  King's Lynn garage with windscreen fractures, here's another photographed by Jamie Skinner on Monday 10th, note the crack creeping up from the bottom of the screen, Jamie does however mention the cheery driver. 

Faulty LED displays and confusing announcements have also been reported, but this would seem to be linked to patchy GPS coverage at certain points in the route. 
Sam Larke was out with his camera in Norwich on Sunday - the second Sunday in a row where temperatures have soared and here are some more of his pictures taken that day :

For the second consecutive year, X1 vehicles are carrying a variety of adverts for services from Norwich Airport, probably a good idea as Easyjet are currently trying to make Norfolk travellers aware that Stansted is (allegedly)  not that far away ! 

Here we have 33821 arriving at Norwich on the 08.27 King's Lynn - Lowestoft on Sunday. Photo : Sam Larke

The only X1 not reported to me on Sunday was this one and Sam photographed it twice  ! 33821 departs Norwich eastbound in the fine Spring sunshine. Photo : Sam Larke

This coming Friday (21st) is Sport Relief day and in association with this, First Eastern will have staff running/cycling the X1 route for this worthy cause. Here's the link if you'd like to help them reach their target : http://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/firsteastengland

Thanks to all my regular correspondents, particularly Malcolm in Lowestoft for his comprehensive reports. The regular team are a bit thin on the ground now, with Bruce stuck behind the hedge, Des just back from sunbathing in Spain and Cheryl having moved house to near Whittlesea, plus Peter and Angela living it up in the USA again !! Hope to see you all again soon.

A sparkling 33823 arrives in Norwich working Sunday's 08.54 Wisbech - Lowestoft. Photo : Sam Larke

Sunday 9th March 2014 ~ Summer's Here (?)

Well I guess it must be, today everyone seems to have shed their Winter clothes and we are basking in temperatures of almost 20'c . It's sort of like the winter we never had, the X1 being unimpeded by icy roads and snow unlike previous years. Even the now famous crop of sugar beet on the site masthead has been moved today after many weeks when it was too wet to work.
So what's been going on in the last couple of weeks ? As you'd expect from the lack of an update, the answer is very little. Some of the Enviros have now reached the 50,000 mile mark with little untoward to report. Noticeable by its absence recently though has been 33813 which has been sidelined with an air conditioning problem. It has been out of service waiting a new roof panel after rectfication and has not worked since February 25th. Fortunately the other Enviros seem to have been in good health and the only other absentee was 33803 which is the first of the new vehicles to undergo MOT. This kept it off the road between 22nd February and 4th March. Although the new buses are less than six months old, the MOT programme has to be staggered in order to avoid all the fleet being due simultaneously.

Reports elsewhere of the final X1 movements of Paragon coaches 20514/5 seem to have been a bit premature, Jamie Skinner says both were still in action on shorts on February 24th and sent these pictures of 20515 :

Photos by kind permission of Jamie Skinner.

Peter has been in touch regularly lately and has had good X1 journeys apart from one where the upper deck was ice cold for some reason. He adds "I see the mindless yobbery have already been at work " :

It is difficult to imagine what small satisfaction the person who did this achieved for their vandalism. On a similar note, there was an incident on the evening of March 1st when some clowning got out of hand on the upper deck of 33810 and a youth ended up inadvertently headbutting the front screen, shattering the glass. The police escorted the culprits away on arrival at Yarmouth.

33811 adds to its already considerable mileage on Sunday 2nd March working the 14.05 Peterborough - Lowestoft.

With little happening on the route, talk of forthcoming changes are as rife as ever. One school of thought is that, in an effort to renew the X1s express image, certain services may run fast over the eastern section, missing out such places as Hockering, while at the western end of the route, some buses could run directly from Lynn to Wisbech then Peterborough avoiding the villages and Thorney. Whether this would work is open to debate. If the plan does come to fruition, it would almost certainly knock on the head the possibility of diverting services via Wisbech St. Mary.
One definite change that will be taking place is that the Vancouver Avenue garage at King's Lynn, which has been home to First, formerly Eastern Counties and its predecessors since around 1930 will be vacated sometime in the next two years, as that is when the lease on the building expires. The site is earmarked for a new road which is planned,  to avoid vehicles having to negotiate the narrow arch through the historic South Gates. What would happen then is anyone's guess ? Either a new purpose built facility would have to be found, or maybe, as in other parts of the country where it has worked successfully, a deal might be struck with Stagecoach (Norfolk Green) to outsource the cleaning and maintenance. As it is, Norfolk Green themselves are allegedly also looking for new, larger premises.

On the route, there was a rare sight at lunchtime on Wednesday 26th when 33812 was viewed taking the Tilney and Wisbech bypases en route to Peterborough on K15-XL02, running approximately 25 minutes late. The service returned from Peterborough on time. An accident in thick fog in the Thorney area early on Saturday March 1st also saw some services returning eastbound down the same bypass to make up time.
There have been a number of A47 incidents involving roadworks and minor accidents, but none of this has badly affected the X1 timetable.

Much activity at King's Lynn bus station as passengers alight from 33809 which will form the 09.10 departure to Peterborough. 3/3/14