First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

[83G/84D]

Four E400's at Camborne earlier this morning, 33658, 33661 & 2 others.

Update:- Now five E400's as 33664 was driven out of one of the engineering bays this afternoon and the other four were still present.
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Yet another E400 has arrived at Camborne from Plymouth. 33659 was in an engineering bay being worked on today, a week or so before the new timetables come into operation.

ALX 200 Dart 42469 was in the withdrawn area this morning but taxed and MOT'd so may only be there temporarily due to space constraints on the depot.

 

[richw]

Four E400's at Camborne earlier this morning, 33658, 33661 & 2 others.

Update:- Now five E400's as 33664 was driven out of one of the engineering bays this afternoon and the other four were still present.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Yet another E400 has arrived at Camborne from Plymouth. 33659 was in an engineering bay being worked on today, a week or so before the new timetables come into operation.

ALX 200 Dart 42469 was in the withdrawn area this morning but taxed and MOT'd so may only be there temporarily due to space constraints on the depot.

Several E400s have been working the Penryn rugby club P&R for Tall Ships along with pretty much every other decker you can think of including a VR.

A spotters dream you could say, a contact of mine pictured a variety of bodied Olympians, Tridents, 2 x E400s and a VR on Thursday working the temporary P&R,

I will find out about 42469. She's far too young for withdrawal in Cornwall unless she has terminal mechanical failure.
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ALX 200 Dart 42469 was in the withdrawn area this morning but taxed and MOT'd so may only be there temporarily due to space constraints on the depot.

Checked on this. Due a monthly inspection, but there wasn't room in the yard so it got pushed out the back. Its having the inspection this evening and it should be back out working tomorrow.

 

[83G/84D]

Thanks for the info richw.
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Another E400 has arrived at Camborne from Plymouth, 33667 seen this afternoon in the company of 33658, 33659 & 33660.

 

[richw]

Thanks for the info richw.
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Another E400 has arrived at Camborne from Plymouth, 33667 seen this afternoon in the company of 33658, 33659 & 33660.

There is 10 E400s in total, 4 have been used on the additional P&R sites at Falmouth over tall ships.

 

[83G/84D]

Have you seen 33666 in Cornwall? That is the only one that I haven't seen yet.
Anyone have a full list of transfers to Plymouth to replace the E400's?

 

[swifty]

There is 10 E400s in total, 4 have been used on the additional P&R sites at Falmouth over tall ships.

Where's the 10th one come from, is it one of the 08s? Plymouth only had 9x 12 plate E400s didn't they?

 

[richw]

Where's the 10th one come from, is it one of the 08s? Plymouth only had 9x 12 plate E400s didn't they?

9 had already arrived, 83G/84D says another has arrived, so that makes 10?

The 08s will be too old due to the 5 year age restriction on the new contract.

 

[swifty]

9 had already arrived, 83G/84D says another has arrived, so that makes 10?

The 08s will be too old due to the 5 year age restriction on the new contract.

I make it he's sighted 8 and the 9th would be 33666 which is all the E400s from Plymouth (33658-67 with 63 in Manchester), hence my asking where the 10th had come from?

 

[richw]

Thanks for the info richw.
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Another E400 has arrived at Camborne from Plymouth, 33667 seen this afternoon in the company of 33658, 33659 & 33660.

I make it he's sighted 8 and the 9th would be 33666 which is all the E400s from Plymouth (33658-67 with 63 in Manchester), hence my asking where the 10th had come from?

He said another has arrived this afternoon. As 9 had already arrived this would be an easy assumption to mean 10 are now present. I don't know where it will have come from, purely stating basic mathematics from the information provided by him.

 

[83G/84D]

Enviro 400'S 33658 - 33667 excluding 33663 were delivered to Plymouth from new and after their spell at the Olympics they all returned to Plymouth.

I make that nine vehicles in total and I have seen them all in Cornwall in recent weeks EXCEPT 33666 (so that makes eight out of nine seen to date).

I am not sure that any have returned back to Plymouth but I doubt it and am asuming that 33666 will arrive in due course.

If there is a tenth one it has not come from Plymouth!

 

[83G/84D]

Enviro 400 33666 has arrived in Cornwall, seen at Camborne this morning so now all the former Plymouth examples have been sighted in Kernow.

From my brief observations of the Enviro's on the U1/2/3 services I have not seen any livery modifications or additional route branding on any of the Enviro's.

 

[richw]

The Enviros seem to be having difficulty in some of the routes due to their length.
I watched one struggle with the turn from Heanton Terrace to Clinton Road in Redruth last night.

A number of contacts have reported seeing them "stuck" in Penryn where something has been parked near a junction.

 

[83G/84D]

The Enviros seem to be having difficulty in some of the routes due to their length.
I watched one struggle with the turn from Heanton Terrace to Clinton Road in Redruth last night.

A number of contacts have reported seeing them "stuck" in Penryn where something has been parked near a junction.

From my observations buses from Falmouth to Redruth are going down Falmouth Road instead of Clinton Rd and then turning right at the traffic lights under the railway viaduct and up the hill to the Railway station.

This causes problems as they have to wait at the lights for a gap in the traffic coming the other way before turning right.

By this time the lights have gone back to red & traffic behind the bus has to wait causing longer queues along Falmouth Rd!

 

[richw]

From my observations buses from Falmouth to Redruth are going down Falmouth Road instead of Clinton Rd and then turning right at the traffic lights under the railway viaduct and up the hill to the Railway station.

That's been the route since they stopped going to Camborne. (The inbound bus stop on Clinton Road is now blanked off)

They go along Falmouth Road, right at the lights, round the back of the station and down to Clinton Road in a Circle back to the cross roads between Clinton Road and Southgate Street.

A further observation is they have not updated timetables.

I was waiting last night at top of Roskear opposite Dolcoath last night, the timetable there is out of date.
Online they do not have a timetable for the 14/18 weekdays but they do have Sunday timetables duplicated.
due to the timetable changes it left me waiting about 20 minutes (evening lower frequency of 14/18)

 

[Goldfish62]

The Enviros seem to be having difficulty in some of the routes due to their length.
I watched one struggle with the turn from Heanton Terrace to Clinton Road in Redruth last night.

A number of contacts have reported seeing them "stuck" in Penryn where something has been parked near a junction.

They've about the same length, give or take a few cm, as a standard long Pinter Dart and have a virtually identical wheelbase. Maybe it's just the drivers getting used to them.

 

[richw]

They've about the same length, give or take a few cm, as a standard long Pinter Dart and have a virtually identical wheelbase. Maybe it's just the drivers getting used to them.

Or being more careful I've never seen a bus take the corner at back of Redruth station so slowly and cautiously!

 

[455driver]

Or being more careful I've never seen a bus take the corner at back of Redruth station so slowly and cautiously!

Would you like to be the first one to prang a new bus?

 

[richw]

Would you like to be the first one to prang a new bus?

They're two and a half years old. I'm sure the Plymouth drivers must have left the odd scratch by now!
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SN12ADZ has a scuff down the nearside I noticed this afternoon. It is the kind that will polish off though.

 

[trolleyman]

What services do all the Cambourne allocated coaches run on? They normal services or school contracs?

 

[83G/84D]

What services do all the Cambourne allocated coaches run on? They normal services or school contracs?

Mainly Truro school / college services.

 

[South Westerly]

What services do all the Cambourne allocated coaches run on? They normal services or school contracs?

Four are in the Trurorian Private Hire Fleet
A number on Truro College
The remainder in reserve, which in practice means the Rail Replacement fleet

 

[Busaholic]

Has the RNLI-liveried bus moved to Camborne? Seen on the 39A at Marazion this p.m.

 

[83G/84D]

Has the RNLI-liveried bus moved to Camborne? Seen on the 39A at Marazion this p.m.

Has been a Camborne based bus for some time, but yes it is operating out of Camborne at the moment.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Seen on the excellent Plymothian Transit page a comment about First introducing more Cornish services (plus a cryptic reference on the main First SW thread) - after the mention of St Austell to Newquay service which seemed erroneous, just wondering if there was any substance in it?

 

[swifty]

Seen on the excellent Plymothian Transit page a comment about First introducing more Cornish services (plus a cryptic reference on the main First SW thread) - after the mention of St Austell to Newquay service which seemed erroneous, just wondering if there was any substance in it?

Hmm I tend to take the majority of comments on there with a pinch of salt, however there does seem to be a few rumblings along the same lines lately.

Also on the subject of Cornwall, the R-NHYs they received don't seem to have lasted well, 31461 has been withdrawn and is donating parts to keep others on the road already and two T-KLF Olys have also arrived from Manchester.

The Unibus branding has also been applied to the First E400 (https://flic.kr/p/pjD63v) it looks very smart IMO.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Hmm I tend to take the majority of comments on there with a pinch of salt, however there does seem to be a few rumblings along the same lines lately.

Also on the subject of Cornwall, the R-NHYs they received don't seem to have lasted well, 31461 has been withdrawn and is donating parts to keep others on the road already and two T-KLF Olys have also arrived from Manchester.

The Unibus branding has also been applied to the First E400 (https://flic.kr/p/pjD63v) it looks very smart IMO.

I know what you mean. Graham does a good job with the page but some of the comments are unintelligible or First/Go partisans swapping insults and passing off opinion as fact. Hence why I asked on here where there are some folks who are veritable mines of info!

That branding does look smart, I have to admit. I wouldn't be surprised if those R regs are a bit ropey underneath. Later Olympians don't have the best reputation in that respect.

 

[swifty]

I know what you mean. Graham does a good job with the page but some of the comments are unintelligible or First/Go partisans swapping insults and passing off opinion as fact. Hence why I asked on here where there are some folks who are veritable mines of info!

That branding does look smart, I have to admit. I wouldn't be surprised if those R regs are a bit ropey underneath. Later Olympians don't have the best reputation in that respect.

It's a shame really, the last new buses for CityLine as it were, but times change! I don't think they were necessarily very well looked after at Cymru (judging from the bodywork!) but a lot of the former Bristol Olys, especially the later ones, seem to be reaching the end of their useful lives lately.

 

[richw]

Hmm I tend to take the majority of comments on there with a pinch of salt, however there does seem to be a few rumblings along the same lines lately.

Also on the subject of Cornwall, the R-NHYs they received don't seem to have lasted well, 31461 has been withdrawn and is donating parts to keep others on the road already and two T-KLF Olys have also arrived from Manchester.

The Unibus branding has also been applied to the First E400 (https://flic.kr/p/pjD63v) it looks very smart IMO.

31461 suffered head gasket failure bottom end knocking and no oil pressure. It's Gearbox is already in Royale 34192

 

[South Westerly]

Seen on the excellent Plymothian Transit page a comment about First introducing more Cornish services (plus a cryptic reference on the main First SW thread) - after the mention of St Austell to Newquay service which seemed erroneous, just wondering if there was any substance in it?

2 November timetables lodged at Leeds. After co-existing more happily than many imagine, it looks like having seen Ropleys and Cornwall Busways start carving up the WG commercial routes, First are moving in before anyone bonkers enough buys WG, they go bang, or another competitor sets up on their doorstep.
4 or 5 Treg Olympians heading to Cornwall.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

2 November timetables lodged at Leeds. After co-existing more happily than many imagine, it looks like having seen Ropleys and Cornwall Busways start carving up the WG commercial routes, First are moving in before anyone bonkers enough buys WG, they go bang, or another competitor sets up on their doorstep.
4 or 5 Treg Olympians heading to Cornwall.

The ex Manchester Olympians then.

I take it that 2nd November is the start date and that whilst timetables have been lodged, registrations haven't been published yet?