First West of England (Bristol, Bath & The West)

[carlberry]

I don't think that list is quite correct and is lists Bristol Airport to Weston via Hutton as the 128, this was the 122/822. It also fails to mention the 120 which went via Shipham, the 121 and the 821.

The site inst going to be correct for intermediate points as it's hard enough just getting the base data! The 128 is correct. I suspect the first mention of the 121 in a timetable didn't mention that it went via Lulsgate and the list of via points has copied from that afterwards.


120/121/122 family of routes here:
http://bristol-re.co.uk/bvbg/routes.asp?opt=S&IL1=3517

 

[Private Baxter]

I'm currently on 66728 on 19A. So either this has moved back to Bath, or is on loan.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm currently on 66728 on 19A. So either this has moved back to Bath, or is on loan.

That’s been at MH for a few years!

36824 on the X39 today

 

[Private Baxter]

That’s been at MH for a few years!

36824 on the X39 today

That's right. It moved to Bristol in 2013 along with 66729. If not a loan, I'm wondering why Bath needs another B7RLE.

 

[g4mby]

That's right. It moved to Bristol in 2013 along with 66729. If not a loan, I'm wondering why Bath needs another B7RLE.

From Steve's web-site:

66728 MH - BH
66885 MH - BH

So 66885 has transferred too.

 

[Private Baxter]

From Steve's web-siteo 66885 has transferred too.

Thanks for confirming. Wonder what the reason is. Didn't think Bath needed them, whereas I thought Bristol needed theirs! Seems that with other recent moves such as 66732 they are slowly making their way back to Bath!!

 

[spw24]

From Steve's web-siteo 66885 has transferred too.

I wondered that as well this was put on Facebook earlier today. And Whilst driving 32329 to Thornbury today also noted 32343 (HE) on this route as well. I'm in LH early tomorrow so will have a look to see if this in now ours or was just used today as a spare bus.

 

[carlberry]

The site inst going to be correct for intermediate points as it's hard enough just getting the base data! The 128 is correct. I suspect the first mention of the 121 in a timetable didn't mention that it went via Lulsgate and the list of via points has copied from that afterwards.


120/121/122 family of routes here:
http://bristol-re.co.uk/bvbg/routes.asp?opt=S&IL1=3517

I've now had a look and, at the time that the 121 family appeared, Lulsgate wasn't considered a very important intermediate point so wasn't listed as a major point on the service. I suspect there were about three flights a day there at the time!

 

[D2007wsm]

Express Yourself has gone from the E400s, 33825 is now running plain orange. Just a few Darts to go and the A bus vehicles.

 

[Private Baxter]

Express Yourself has gone from the E400s, 33825 is now running plain orange. Just a few Darts to go and the A bus vehicles.

Was getting quite unusual to see that one still dotting around. The EY livery certainly looked dated by the end. I wonder whether they will bother with the darts or if there are separate plans to replace the darts and send them elsewhere.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Was getting quite unusual to see that one still dotting around. The EY livery certainly looked dated by the end. I wonder whether they will bother with the darts or if there are separate plans to replace the darts and send them elsewhere.

I thought the Express Yourself still looked quite clean but guess it’s all subjective. Excel orange certainly catches the eye though.

Who knows what will happen to the Darts? They won’t go into orange so think the choices are probably a) stay as they are b) transfer out or c) wonder if a Weston local scheme may appear though appreciate that nothing official suggests that is on its way.

Thanks for confirming. Wonder what the reason is. Didn't think Bath needed them, whereas I thought Bristol needed theirs! Seems that with other recent moves such as 66732 they are slowly making their way back to Bath!!

They could be paint floats (?) or will they allow stuff like Darts/Solar to move on?

EDIT: 66938 is now back at Bath. Just seen it at Beckington on a 267.

 

[spw24]

Ive just checked the Allocation board in Lawrence Hill and today former Hengrove B7s 32336/7/43/4/7 are working on LH/MH routes

 

[Private Baxter]

Ive just checked the Allocation board in Lawrence Hill and today former Hengrove B7s 32336/7/43/4/7 are working on LH/MH routes

Thanks. Could these perhaps be replacing some of the B7RLEs for the 78?

 

[D2007wsm]

Was getting quite unusual to see that one still dotting around. The EY livery certainly looked dated by the end. I wonder whether they will bother with the darts or if there are separate plans to replace the darts and send them elsewhere.

I would hazard a guess, that the Darts will not be painted here. Should any more be cascaded elsewhere, the Express Yourself examples and the 3 which were short-lived on the U2 will be sent, being replaced with examples all ready in Urban. They won't receive the Excel treatment. It is very rare to see a Weston Darts in Bristol, the single deck boards are usually the Excel Streetlites, all though on occasion a Urban Streetlites, 44557 or the Dildo appears.

This is based on some of the recent cascaded which have been sent away such as 44911 and 44912 which were better internally but required repainting and If he Express Yourself Darts. If these are sent, the repainting will come out of another Op Co's budget.

So with the last few E400s to be Excelled, will the A bus vehicles which operate the X8 be so treated to complete the brand?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I would hazard a guess, that the Darts will not be painted here. Should any more be cascaded elsewhere, the Express Yourself examples and the 3 which were short-lived on the U2 will be sent, being replaced with examples all ready in Urban. They won't receive the Excel treatment. It is very rare to see a Weston Darts in Bristol, the single deck boards are usually the Excel Streetlites, all though on occasion a Urban Streetlites, 44557 or the Dildo appears.

This is based on some of the recent cascaded which have been sent away such as 44911 and 44912 which were better internally but required repainting and If he Express Yourself Darts. If these are sent, the repainting will come out of another Op Co's budget.

So with the last few E400s to be Excelled, will the A bus vehicles which operate the X8 be so treated to complete the brand?

The Dildo? That the small pink one (Streetlite)?

Clearly, the Darts will not get Excel livery with the three Streetlites painted plus the mticket 47556 sufficing plus the odd urban one. Suspect that the Darts will head to another OpCo as they’ve been reduced to penny numbers in Bristol and the Bath ones look on borrowed time.

Thanks. Could these perhaps be replacing some of the B7RLEs for the 78?

I wonder if the idea is to release Eclipses from the 78/79 in favour of deckers. They head to Bath to release Solars or allow the Max Streetlites to move to the 4 so Darts can move on?

Mind you, I’ll probably be wrong

 

[Private Baxter]

I would hazard a guess, that the Darts will not be painted here. Should any more be cascaded elsewhere, the Express Yourself examples and the 3 which were short-lived on the U2 will be sent, being replaced with examples all ready in Urban. They won't receive the Excel treatment. It is very rare to see a Weston Darts in Bristol, the single deck boards are usually the Excel Streetlites, all though on occasion a Urban Streetlites, 44557 or the Dildo appears.

This is based on some of the recent cascaded which have been sent away such as 44911 and 44912 which were better internally but required repainting and If he Express Yourself Darts. If these are sent, the repainting will come out of another Op Co's budget.

So with the last few E400s to be Excelled, will the A bus vehicles which operate the X8 be so treated to complete the brand?

I think with the darts, it was more that they were leftovers from the days working the X2/X3, and latterly X8, and simply not getting round to repainting them, rather than any plan to have them as spare on North Somerset services. They'e been allocated the 3 for a while now but in a mis match livery. It's dependent on what they want to do with the 3, or indeed as suggested perhaps a town livery for Weston.

 

[Private Baxter]

The Dildo? That the small pink one (Streetlite)?

Clearly, the Darts will not get Excel livery with the three Streetlites painted plus the mticket 47556 sufficing plus the odd urban one. Suspect that the Darts will head to another OpCo as they’ve been reduced to penny numbers in Bristol and the Bath ones look on borrowed time.



I wonder if the idea is to release Eclipses from the 78/79 in favour of deckers. They head to Bath to release Solars or allow the Max Streetlites to move to the 4 so Darts can move on?

Mind you, I’ll probably be wrong

That what I thought about 78/79 And being converted to Decker meaning some B7RLEs can be released. Those moved over would seem a sensible choice. But something at Bath will surely have to go and agree it will more likely be the solars.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

That what I thought about 78/79 And being converted to Decker meaning some B7RLEs can be released. Those moved over would seem a sensible choice. But something at Bath will surely have to go and agree it will more likely be the solars.

I think with the darts, it was more that they were leftovers from the days working the X2/X3, and latterly X8, and simply not getting round to repainting them, rather than any plan to have them as spare on North Somerset services. They'e been allocated the 3 for a while now but in a mis match livery. It's dependent on what they want to do with the 3, or indeed as suggested perhaps a town livery for Weston.

I think that's exactly it with the Weston Darts. Send them to Weston for the 3 and not worry too much about the livery - remember that they were trundling round on stuff like the 81/82 for a while when initially displaced at MH!! My gut feeling is that they'll be replaced with Streetlites in Weston and that the Darts will head off elsewhere but we will have to see what happens.

As for the Eclipses to Bath, they're already appearing at Westbury. As I say, does that allow the Solars to head elsewhere? Or allow the Streetlite Maxes to head to Bath in order to enable the cascade of the Darts out of Bath?

 

[vicbury]

39140 was involved in a collision in Bath yesterday evening:

Source

More details given in the Bath Echo.

 

[D2007wsm]

The Dildo? That the small pink one (Streetlite)?

Clearly, the Darts will not get Excel livery with the three Streetlites painted plus the mticket 47556 sufficing plus the odd urban one. Suspect that the Darts will head to another OpCo as they’ve been reduced to penny numbers in Bristol and the Bath ones look on borrowed time.



I wonder if the idea is to release Eclipses from the 78/79 in favour of deckers. They head to Bath to release Solars or allow the Max Streetlites to move to the 4 so Darts can move on?

Mind you, I’ll probably be wrong

The Didldo is what the Mticket Streetlite is known locally as around Weston.

If indeed Streetlites are put onto the 3s, I said ages ago the intention was for Streetlites to go on the 3s but was shot down.

 

[diffywood]

Full list of changes for April now on travelwest.info website

https://travelwest.info/travel_update/bus-service-changes-west-england-april-2018

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The Didldo is what the Mticket Streetlite is known locally as around Weston.

If indeed Streetlites are put onto the 3s, I said ages ago the intention was for Streetlites to go on the 3s but was shot down.

I don't think anyone was trying to shoot you down. I seem to recall that you hoped (and the hope locally was) that the Streetlites displaced from the 7 would be retained for the 3 so that the overall age profile of the Weston fleet would be maintained.

That's a laudable objective for anyone. However, think the point I made at the time was that Darts are probably fine for the 3 and that just because the 7 has older fleet on it than it should do, it doesn't mean that the 3 should have newer fleet than it would otherwise justify. My personal opinion is that older fleet will naturally migrate to the lesser services and typically, that has been the 4 in Bath, 3 and 5 in Weston, and 5 and 36 in Bristol, and that I'd still contend that the 06/56 Darts are still capable machines for the 3 in Weston.

It raises the question that (and I accept they're good servants and better appointed than some newer vehicles) you can have 2006 e400s flogging their hearts out on intensive inter-urban stuff between Weston and Bristol but not Darts of the same vintage pootling around Weston on what isn't the most intensive service in the world...or in Weston for that matter.

Take a wider perspective and the FWoE single deck fleet will suddenly begin to look very modern in the next few months when Solos arrive in Bath and if Darts get shipped out of Weston, Bath and even Bristol but that's getting a little ahead of things.

 

[Whiteway215]

I wonder why 36813-6 have been transferred from Hengrove to Bath as per Steve's website. Apparently with 36813 working from Wells. Perhaps as GW reports this has released 66938 back to Bath.

 

[freetoview33]

Full list of changes for April now on travelwest.info website

https://travelwest.info/travel_update/bus-service-changes-west-england-april-2018

Looks like Abus are withdrawing from the 515 as well as the 52.

 

[D2007wsm]

Scania E400s are to be used on the 172/173/174 whilst B9 Geminis are repainted and refurbished.

 

[THarris123]

Can't believe we've all missed this.

D2 (267) and D3 (272) to be every 30 mins from April. Increase of 4 vehicles for Westbury with this work, most likely some of the Wells B7s (I'd happily see them on those routes as an alternative to Wells).

36813 on 376 today. Believe this is being trialled on 376 until April then Scanias will move onto 172/3/4 until B9s turn up.

 

[freetoview33]

Is this the start of a East Somerset/Wiltshire fightback against Faresaver at last!?

 

[Private Baxter]

Can't believe we've all missed this.

D2 (267) and D3 (272) to be every 30 mins from April. Increase of 4 vehicles for Westbury with this work, most likely some of the Wells B7s (I'd happily see them on those routes as an alternative to Wells).

36813 on 376 today. Believe this is being trialled on 376 until April then Scanias will move onto 172/3/4 until B9s turn up.

Really?
I'm not a regular on the 267 admittedly but i thought that was a likely candidate for further cutting. It's good news of course but will it last? Might explain some of the recent arrivals in Bath though. Hope they finally get painted.
Weirdly I'm a little disappointed that the B7RLEs are apparently coming off 173 etc. They'e Brilliant!

 

[THarris123]

Really?
I'm not a regular on the 267 admittedly but i thought that was a likely candidate for further cutting. It's good news of course but will it last? Might explain some of the recent arrivals in Bath though. Hope they finally get painted.
Weirdly I'm a little disappointed that the B7RLEs are apparently coming off 173 etc. They'e Brilliant!

I'm very disappointed too, but I'm rather pleased they're off to Westbury rather than Bristol, as look at the state of the ex Westbury batch of B7s in MH.

I agree with you on 267. I thought it was likely to be cut, but clearly not. Wonder what Faresaver will do?

Both timetables are on Traveline.

 

[Private Baxter]

I'm very disappointed too, but I'm rather pleased they're off to Westbury rather than Bristol, as look at the state of the ex Westbury batch of B7s in MH.

I agree with you on 267. I thought it was likely to be cut, but clearly not. Wonder what Faresaver will do?

Both timetables are on Traveline.

Is any of this actually confirmed? If so It's possible that some boards will remain single deck and thus a few could remain at Wells.