Another Alex, this time in anywhere he feels!

[Alex 2901]

Edinburgh Holiday, 19th Feb till 24th Feb 2018

Day 1 - Monday

I got a lift to Wolverhampton Station, in order to meet my friend, for the 10:37 Virgin Pendelino to Edinburgh, which was 390121, getting us into Edinburgh for 14:15, where we went to look for our hotel. A brief rest, and we went back out, in order to get some stuff photoed. We then decided to jump on the X62 as far as Penicuik, around 40 mins from Edinburgh, with Scania N250UD/ADL Enviro400MMC YN66 BBX being our vehicle.

At Penicuik, we went to a takeaway near the stop, the Penny Cook, which was absolutely lovely, and really quite good value, with me having change from a tenner, having bought a 14" pizza, chips and a 2L bottle of Irn Bru...

We decided to get the X47 back to Edinburgh, which was B9TL/Gemini 885, a very good one. As the next day we'd be up in Dundee, it was decided to go back to the hotel and rest...


Day 2 - Tuesday

Up early, at 0545, we left the hotel at 0610, for the short walk to Edinburgh Bus Station, where we arrived at 0624. We boarded one of Stagecoach East Scotland's "Express City Connect" Volvo B11RT/Plaxton Elite i's, 53813 (YX66 WOD), on an X54, bound for Dundee, via Ferrytoll P&R, Halbeath P&R, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes and Thornton, a 2hr 20min journey...

Departure time arrived at 0635, and 53813 departed on time, with just Nathan and I aboard, and I decided to get some shut eye, after all, two hours is a long journey...
We reached Glenrothes at 0805, and finally arrived at Dundee at 0857, alighting at Seagate Bus Station, and walking outside to board a 29 to get around the city centre, providing a strangely familiar feel to somewhere very odd to me, as B7RLE/Eclipse 2 2044, A B7 in the same spec as the B7s I get to college most days!

We jumped off a few stops around the City, and boarded one of Stagecoach's B5LH/Enviro400 MMCs, 13048, on the 73 to Ninewells Hospital. At Ninewells, we decided to clear a route I've wanted to clear for a while, the X7 "Coastrider", which we ticked off to Arbroath Bus Station on board Volvo B11RT/Plaxton Elite Interdeck 54237 (YX64 WCA). Another B5 MMC was cleared in the form of 13053, on the 73A back to Dundee, where we alighted, and jumped on a 4 to Lochee, which was ex West Midlands 4026, one of the best examples of the B7TL/Presidents that I've had in recent years.

At Lochee, we went into a small cafe on the High Street, which was nice enough, and killed enough time until the 28 arrived, which was the main aim of our mission to Dundee, the unique Volvo B7L/Wright Eclipse Metro 7067 (Y722 CJW), cleared to Myrekirk ASDA. At Myrekirk, we decided to wait the 15 mins until the next 28, which was 2044 again, cleared back to Dundee.

Back at Dundee, we jumped on 4712, one of 18 B7TL/Geminis transferred to Dundee in 2016, on the 18 to Kirkton. We jumped on 5428, an E400 Hybrid, at Kirkton, working a 10 "Outer Circle" to Ninewells Hospital.

At Ninewells, some spotting was done, and we jumped on the X8 back to Dundee, which was Trident 2/Enviro400 19551 (SP59 APK). Back at Dundee, a plan was formulated, to clear the X7 to Perth, then the X56 back to Edinburgh. 54237 was caught to Perth Railway Station, with a short walk to Perth Bus Station following, and my god is the Bus Station a dull, dreary and dismal place...

Fortunately, the X56 pulled in, with 53719, a fairly well travelled B11R/Elite, providing the last journey of the day, with a 100 mins journey back to Edinburgh, but this time, I couldn't see a damn thing, one reason I'm not a fan of this time of year....

We arrived back in Edinburgh at 1905, and headed for the hotel, to get some rest.

Day 3 - Wednesday

Not up as early, thankfully, getting up about 9, with us leaving the hotel about 9:30, with a short walk to South Bridge following, in time for the 09:49 49 to Fort Kinnaird, which was Trident 689, a nice enough one. At Fort Kinnaird, we went for the more frequent 30 back to Edinburgh, which was Volvo 7900H 28, taking us back to South Bridge, in time for a 14 to Granton Church, which was B7TL/Gemini 713. At Granton Church, we jumped on a 19, which was 800, a B9TL/Gemini, to Granton Square.

Granton Square is quite near to the coast, and so, Lothians Skylink 200 to Ocean Terminal serves it, with B5TL/Gemini 3 436, one of a batch delivered new in 2015 for Airlink 100, but replaced last year with new 17 plate B5TLs, so the 15 plates moved onto Skylink 200, with a refurb in the process.

Ocean Terminal is far more of a shopping centre, than it is a sea port, so lunch was picked up from there, before heading for Skylink 300, back to Edinburgh. This is one of the 67 plate B5LHs delivered last year for what was previously the 35, now the Skylink 300, taking about 40 minutes to reach South Bridge, where we walked down to Princes Street, and boarded East Coast Buses 10062 on the 124 out to North Berwick. The 124 is one route I would certainly recommend, as the views are phenomenal, with the X5 being almost as nice. 10055 was our bus back to The Jewel, on the X5 via the A1..

We reached the Jewel, and managed to miss the half hourly 2, whoops, so B9TL/Gemini 2 20943 provided our 104 back to Princes Street, where we went for the Airlink 100, out to Edinburgh Airport, which was one of the 17 plates delivered for the route in 2017. Also, whoever called this route an Express, needs their heads checking, stopping every 2-4 stops, an Express doesn't make...

At Edinburgh Airport, We went for the tram back to the Gyle Centre, Which was tram 275, and can I just say what an improvement these are on ours! High backed seats as well...
Our bus back towards the hotel came in the form of Volvo B7RLE 132, on the 2 back to Fleshmarket.

Day 4 - Thursday

Up at the crack of dawn again, with a short walk to Edinburgh Bus Station, where we caught the 06:45 900 to Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station, which was Citylink branded LSK 876, a B11RT/Plaxton Elite, operated by Parkes of Hamilton. Glasgow loomed around 75 minutes later, and I realised the sheer size of Buchanan Bus Station, as we walked round for the X8, the Pollock Circular, and the only express circular I can think of. B7TL Gemini 32595 turned up, and was bashed to Silverburn, to connect with a 10 back into Glasgow, which was another B7 Gemini, 32600. Back at Glasgow, food was gotten quickly, from McDonald's, before walking back towards one of the main streets, where B10BLE 61602 turned up on a 263 to Hamilton Bus Station. Easily one of the worst B10s I've ever been on.... so much so, that the much hated Streetlites on the 267 didn't phase me as much, so 63225 was cleared back to Glasgow on the 267.

At this point, we decided to see if Glasgow's ex London Tridents were any better than Worcester's, so 33029, a President bodied one, was bashed on the 60 to Easterhouse. Simple answer, no. Lunch was grabbed from Easterhouse, and an ex London ALX Trident turned up on the 19, 33371 was cleared back to Glasgow.

The next bit of the plan was to clear one of the express routes, and a short walk to Buchanan Bus Station ensued. The X85 was in, so we jumped on that, for the short ride down the M8 into Kirkintilloch, on board 33988. At Kirkintilloch, both the 88 and X87 were due at the sane time, so a punt was taken, and we caught the 88, being ex South Yorkshire B7TL Gemini 37147.

Back in Glasgow, we decided it was time to leave, back to Edinburgh by 900, it was... McLeans VDL Futura AJ67 MCL turned up on the 900, on what i assume was a duplicate for a Parks or Stagecoach journey, back to Edinburgh, reaching Edinburgh at 1845.

Day 5 - Friday

Last day of the holiday, so I decided to have a lie in, and so, wasn't up till around 9, where we packed and left the bags at the hotel, while we did a short trip out.

I decided to visit a model shop I'd noticed while doing a trip on the 2, and came out with a £90 airbrush... whoops. On Princes Street, We decided to bash a First route, the 27/28 out to Livingston, with the outbound 28 being operated by one of the usual E400MMCs, 33442, out to Livingston Shopping Centre, with 33434, another MMC back into Edinburgh on the 27.

Back in Edinburgh, we went to collect our bags, and left for Waverley, using the 1st class lounge to rest for the hour until out train at 16:52, which was 390157, in 1st class, back to Wolverhampton.... 4 hours away, and as much as prefer Pendelinos to Voyagers, I think I'll fly that journey next time, wonder if a Dash 8-Q400 will trump those.

Anyway, the journey was mostly uneventful, and the train arrived back into Wolverhampton on time, with us getting a lift home from my dad.

This took a lot longer to write out than I expected it would've, so that may explain the 3 month gap from it happening, to this being uploaded...

A number of my photos are up on my Flickr page
https://flickr.com/photos/151712892@N07/

 

[Kite159]

Didn't you fancy taking a ride on the electric buses running on route 1

Sounded like a good trip to Edinburgh & Scotland with many buses being sampled

 

[Alex 2901]

Saturday 21st April

I decided that I'd have a day out, down South, so London & Berkshire it was...
6772 was my bus to town on the 529, at around 9am, in time for the 09:31 LNWR service to Birmingham New Street; which was 350130; a winner.

At New Street, I fast walked to Moor Street, And was able to pick up a £35.50 Return to Marylebone, with dud unit 168005 turning up on the 10:15 to Marylebone... which was FR (flipping rammed), all the way to London. The journey passed as uneventfully as it could, until Haddenham & Thame Parkway, a station this service should've just flown past... but we didn't. We stopped instead. Cue a rush of people on the platform trying to storm the already full train, only to be stopped by a security guard. People wonder why I think the general population should be given an IQ test as standard... That was why. We eventually carried onto London, and disembarked around 12pm, with me walking to the bus stop outside, and boarding a 2 (Arriva London HV306) to Victoria Station, before talking a brief walk down to Victoria Coach Station, To board the 702 out to Slough.

The 14:00 702 came in on time at 13:25, and was Reading Football Club branded 1209, SN11 BTF. We departed on time at 14:00, getting to Hyde Park Corner around 15 down, slowly getting more late as we crawled through South Kensington, and into Hammersmith; then onto the A4, before reaching the M4, and opening up the taps, flying down the Motorway, and reaching Slough around 45 minutes late...

I jumped off, and boarded a waiting 8 to Heathrow Terminal 5, which was Volvo 7900H, 69927, one of a number branded for the "7-series", from Slough to Heathrow. The journey out of Slough was nice and quick, reaching Windsor Town in around 15 minutes, before continuing onto Staines around 45 minutes later, and finally Heathrow Terminal 5, approximately 15 minutes after that.

A quick wander around Terminal 5 revealed the rail station, and you can sod off if you think I'm paying £25 for the Express, I'm many things, but a complete chump isn't one of them... so I caught the HEX to Terminals 2&3, which was 332014, changing onto a shuttle to Terminal 4, which was 332008. By this point, I was well and truly lost, so I decided I'd attempt to catch the Railair from the airport to Reading, which was both cheaper and quicker, so I jumped on the 482, which was TE1722, getting me to T5 just in time to make the 18:10 Railair, reaching Reading by 19:00, which was 20611, a B9R/Plaxton.

At Reading, I went to do some spotting, and then went for a drink at the bar near the station, joys of being 18, I can legally drink now... I don't, but it's a good alternative on a bad day! 20:15 rolled on, and my train rolled in, 221119, to Wolverhampton, oh joy, 2 and a bit hours on a Voyager... and it only got worse from there....

On board 221119, there were around 12-15 football fans, who I think were from Bournemouth, chanting and screaming. Would they shut up? No, of course they wouldn't. Oxford rolled on, still no quiet, Banbury, Nope, Leamington, nope, Birmingham, Nope, and by this point; the 6-10 cans of lager probably became an issue for everyone else; as one of them threw up in the only air conned carriage...

Luckily, the last run to Wolverhampton was only 15 minutes away, but I decided to move, as the vomit was edging slightly closer to me... and oh my god, were the other carriages warm! I've been in cooler saunas...

Arrival into Wolverhampton came, and I went for the 22:55 529, which was 6762, getting me home by 23:09.

Long day, and the journey from Reading was absolute hell...

 

[Kite159]

Are you sure it was 332014 you used from Heathrow T5 to Heathrow T2/3 as I've got that down as being long term out of traffic luring in the depths of the HEX Old Oak Common, being robbed as a Christmas tree?

 

[Alex 2901]

Are you sure it was 332014 you used from Heathrow T5 to Heathrow T2/3 as I've got that down as being long term out of traffic luring in the depths of the HEX Old Oak Common, being robbed as a Christmas tree?

I could have gotten it wrong, but I'm pretty sure the carriage number I saw ended in 014, hence my assumption it was 332014

 

[Kite159]

I could have gotten it wrong, but I'm pretty sure the carriage number I saw ended in 014, hence my assumption it was 332014

The 332s have strange carriage numbers which don't directly relate to the set number. If the carriage number ended in 14 then it could have been 332008

 

[Alex 2901]

Ah, I didn't know the carriage numbers don't match the unit numbers on 332s...

Anyway, my trip from Thursday
Exploring the "Pride of the North"...

Up early, with me being out of the house by 0610, walking down to The Dale, and boarding the 0631 529 to Wolverhampton, which was 6768 "Guggi", reaching Wolverhampton Bus Station by 0650. I walked to the station to get breakfast, and surprise, they'd ran out... so a pack of crisps would have to suffice until Manchester...

220011 rolled in, on time, at 0709, on the 0710 departure for Manchester Piccadilly, which I was slightly surprised at by now quiet it was... Piccadilly loomed at 0829, and I walked out to the McDonald's at Piccadilly Gardens to get breakfast, then up to Chorlton Street to wait for some spotted I know, who thought their cccoach would beat my train into Manchester.

I had a slight plan at this point, which was to get a B7TL/Gemini on the Witch Way, the X43... so I waited for around 10 mins, and lo and behold, 2753, PJ05 ZVZ, turned up on a Burnley short, and was cleared to Burnley, where I clocked 1071, a winning B10BLE on the 4, and cleared to and fro Worsthorne, which was quite good. Back to Burnley, I decided I'd jump on the ASDA Free Bus up to the ASDA, get a drink, then back into Burnley, and clear the 9, whichhh would hopefully be a B10BLE...

2011, LN51 GKD, a Dennis Trident/Plaxton President turned up on the Free Bus, and was in surprisingly good nick for a school bus. At the ASDA; I jumped onto the 95 back to the Bus Station, which was YJ56 AOZ, a mini Solo, just making the 9, which was winning B10BLE 1058; cleared to Accrington Bus Station.

At Accrington, I jumped on Versa 235, one of 16 such vehicles branded for the Blackburn-Accrington routes. After about 40 minutes, 235 reached Blackburn, where I immediately swapped to hotline branded 2758, on a Burnley bound 152; reaching Burnley some 55 minutes later.

I had decided to clear the M4 all the way to Keighley, and unsurprisingly, a mainline branded Versa, 270, turned up. The journey to Nelson was uneventful, but a police incident had blocked Colne High Street, thus our M4 had to divert down side streets, and with the traffic, ended up around 25 mins late, however, some of this would be made up between Colne and Cross Hills. Keighley was reached, only 18 minutes behind schedule, and I did some photography.

Another Versa would turn up on my 60 into Leeds, an unbranded spare, in the form of 240, one of 6 delivered in 2016 for the Dalesway 66, and the K7, although the K7s Versas were transferred onto the Aireline 60 last year. One thing to note, I like comedic announcements, but doing the whole lot of the 60s in a thick Yorkshire accent, is just really irritating...
The 60 is a slightly weird route to me, as it runs express to Saltaire, then all stops to Leeds, but the bit from Greengates to Leeds feels like an express route...

At Leeds, I went for the 1835 CITYZAP back to Manchester, which was dud 1871, getting me back into Manchester by 1950.
At this point, all started to go slightly ass over head...
I went to Piccadilly; got some food, and decided to get the 2101 Northern service to Crewe, and get some 319 haulage in, 2055 rolled round, no sign of the train, 2101, still no sign, then that dreaded tannoy announcement...

"We are sorry to announce.. that the 2101.. Northern service..to Crewe..is delayed. Listen for further announcements"

Ah. Well that's me f***ed then. Right, I'll get the 2127 to Wolverhampton, never mind the 319s... and then...

"We are sorry to announce.. that the 2127.. CrossCountry service..to Birmingham New Street..is delayed. Listen for further announcements"

Arriva. Couldn't trust them to organise a piss up in a brewery. But at least this one eventually left, 14 down. At Stockport, a mate of mine got on board, also going back to Wolverhampton, and the journey seemed that little bit more bearable... until Stafford. We left Stafford 14 down, but got to Wolverhampton 61 down... as a signal had failed at Penkridge.

Alighting at Wolverhampton considerably later than I'd planned, I decided that I'd rather take a taxi home, than get the last Scutter Shuttle (529) at 2355, which meant £9.10 down the drain, which is bad. Especially given i only live 3 miles fron Wolverhampton.

A good day... until the end. That bit was hell.

 

[Kite159]

It's similar to the 333s, and like the 333s they are a pig to try and ID due to the position of the number.

Sounded like a good day in the North, apart from the end with the signal failure

 

[bussnapperwm]

Edinburgh Holiday, 19th Feb till 24th Feb 2018

Day 1 - Monday

I got a lift to Wolverhampton Station, in order to meet my friend, for the 10:37 Virgin Pendelino to Edinburgh, which was 390121, getting us into Edinburgh for 14:15, where we went to look for our hotel. A brief rest, and we went back out, in order to get some stuff photoed. We then decided to jump on the X62 as far as Penicuik, around 40 mins from Edinburgh, with Scania N250UD/ADL Enviro400MMC YN66 BBX being our vehicle.

At Penicuik, we went to a takeaway near the stop, the Penny Cook, which was absolutely lovely, and really quite good value, with me having change from a tenner, having bought a 14" pizza, chips and a 2L bottle of Irn Bru...

We decided to get the X47 back to Edinburgh, which was B9TL/Gemini 885, a very good one. As the next day we'd be up in Dundee, it was decided to go back to the hotel and rest...


Day 2 - Tuesday

Up early, at 0545, we left the hotel at 0610, for the short walk to Edinburgh Bus Station, where we arrived at 0624. We boarded one of Stagecoach East Scotland's "Express City Connect" Volvo B11RT/Plaxton Elite i's, 53813 (YX66 WOD), on an X54, bound for Dundee, via Ferrytoll P&R, Halbeath P&R, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes and Thornton, a 2hr 20min journey...

Departure time arrived at 0635, and 53813 departed on time, with just Nathan and I aboard, and I decided to get some shut eye, after all, two hours is a long journey...
We reached Glenrothes at 0805, and finally arrived at Dundee at 0857, alighting at Seagate Bus Station, and walking outside to board a 29 to get around the city centre, providing a strangely familiar feel to somewhere very odd to me, as B7RLE/Eclipse 2 2044, A B7 in the same spec as the B7s I get to college most days!

We jumped off a few stops around the City, and boarded one of Stagecoach's B5LH/Enviro400 MMCs, 13048, on the 73 to Ninewells Hospital. At Ninewells, we decided to clear a route I've wanted to clear for a while, the X7 "Coastrider", which we ticked off to Arbroath Bus Station on board Volvo B11RT/Plaxton Elite Interdeck 54237 (YX64 WCA). Another B5 MMC was cleared in the form of 13053, on the 73A back to Dundee, where we alighted, and jumped on a 4 to Lochee, which was ex West Midlands 4026, one of the best examples of the B7TL/Presidents that I've had in recent years.

At Lochee, we went into a small cafe on the High Street, which was nice enough, and killed enough time until the 28 arrived, which was the main aim of our mission to Dundee, the unique Volvo B7L/Wright Eclipse Metro 7067 (Y722 CJW), cleared to Myrekirk ASDA. At Myrekirk, we decided to wait the 15 mins until the next 28, which was 2044 again, cleared back to Dundee.

Back at Dundee, we jumped on 4712, one of 18 B7TL/Geminis transferred to Dundee in 2016, on the 18 to Kirkton. We jumped on 5428, an E400 Hybrid, at Kirkton, working a 10 "Outer Circle" to Ninewells Hospital.

At Ninewells, some spotting was done, and we jumped on the X8 back to Dundee, which was Trident 2/Enviro400 19551 (SP59 APK). Back at Dundee, a plan was formulated, to clear the X7 to Perth, then the X56 back to Edinburgh. 54237 was caught to Perth Railway Station, with a short walk to Perth Bus Station following, and my god is the Bus Station a dull, dreary and dismal place...

Fortunately, the X56 pulled in, with 53719, a fairly well travelled B11R/Elite, providing the last journey of the day, with a 100 mins journey back to Edinburgh, but this time, I couldn't see a damn thing, one reason I'm not a fan of this time of year....

We arrived back in Edinburgh at 1905, and headed for the hotel, to get some rest.

Day 3 - Wednesday

Not up as early, thankfully, getting up about 9, with us leaving the hotel about 9:30, with a short walk to South Bridge following, in time for the 09:49 49 to Fort Kinnaird, which was Trident 689, a nice enough one. At Fort Kinnaird, we went for the more frequent 30 back to Edinburgh, which was Volvo 7900H 28, taking us back to South Bridge, in time for a 14 to Granton Church, which was B7TL/Gemini 713. At Granton Church, we jumped on a 19, which was 800, a B9TL/Gemini, to Granton Square.

Granton Square is quite near to the coast, and so, Lothians Skylink 200 to Ocean Terminal serves it, with B5TL/Gemini 3 436, one of a batch delivered new in 2015 for Airlink 100, but replaced last year with new 17 plate B5TLs, so the 15 plates moved onto Skylink 200, with a refurb in the process.

Ocean Terminal is far more of a shopping centre, than it is a sea port, so lunch was picked up from there, before heading for Skylink 300, back to Edinburgh. This is one of the 67 plate B5LHs delivered last year for what was previously the 35, now the Skylink 300, taking about 40 minutes to reach South Bridge, where we walked down to Princes Street, and boarded East Coast Buses 10062 on the 124 out to North Berwick. The 124 is one route I would certainly recommend, as the views are phenomenal, with the X5 being almost as nice. 10055 was our bus back to The Jewel, on the X5 via the A1..

We reached the Jewel, and managed to miss the half hourly 2, whoops, so B9TL/Gemini 2 20943 provided our 104 back to Princes Street, where we went for the Airlink 100, out to Edinburgh Airport, which was one of the 17 plates delivered for the route in 2017. Also, whoever called this route an Express, needs their heads checking, stopping every 2-4 stops, an Express doesn't make...

At Edinburgh Airport, We went for the tram back to the Gyle Centre, Which was tram 275, and can I just say what an improvement these are on ours! High backed seats as well...
Our bus back towards the hotel came in the form of Volvo B7RLE 132, on the 2 back to Fleshmarket.

Day 4 - Thursday

Up at the crack of dawn again, with a short walk to Edinburgh Bus Station, where we caught the 06:45 900 to Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station, which was Citylink branded LSK 876, a B11RT/Plaxton Elite, operated by Parkes of Hamilton. Glasgow loomed around 75 minutes later, and I realised the sheer size of Buchanan Bus Station, as we walked round for the X8, the Pollock Circular, and the only express circular I can think of. B7TL Gemini 32595 turned up, and was bashed to Silverburn, to connect with a 10 back into Glasgow, which was another B7 Gemini, 32600. Back at Glasgow, food was gotten quickly, from McDonald's, before walking back towards one of the main streets, where B10BLE 61602 turned up on a 263 to Hamilton Bus Station. Easily one of the worst B10s I've ever been on.... so much so, that the much hated Streetlites on the 267 didn't phase me as much, so 63225 was cleared back to Glasgow on the 267.

At this point, we decided to see if Glasgow's ex London Tridents were any better than Worcester's, so 33029, a President bodied one, was bashed on the 60 to Easterhouse. Simple answer, no. Lunch was grabbed from Easterhouse, and an ex London ALX Trident turned up on the 19, 33371 was cleared back to Glasgow.

The next bit of the plan was to clear one of the express routes, and a short walk to Buchanan Bus Station ensued. The X85 was in, so we jumped on that, for the short ride down the M8 into Kirkintilloch, on board 33988. At Kirkintilloch, both the 88 and X87 were due at the sane time, so a punt was taken, and we caught the 88, being ex South Yorkshire B7TL Gemini 37147.

Back in Glasgow, we decided it was time to leave, back to Edinburgh by 900, it was... McLeans VDL Futura AJ67 MCL turned up on the 900, on what i assume was a duplicate for a Parks or Stagecoach journey, back to Edinburgh, reaching Edinburgh at 1845.

Day 5 - Friday

Last day of the holiday, so I decided to have a lie in, and so, wasn't up till around 9, where we packed and left the bags at the hotel, while we did a short trip out.

I decided to visit a model shop I'd noticed while doing a trip on the 2, and came out with a £90 airbrush... whoops. On Princes Street, We decided to bash a First route, the 27/28 out to Livingston, with the outbound 28 being operated by one of the usual E400MMCs, 33442, out to Livingston Shopping Centre, with 33434, another MMC back into Edinburgh on the 27.

Back in Edinburgh, we went to collect our bags, and left for Waverley, using the 1st class lounge to rest for the hour until out train at 16:52, which was 390157, in 1st class, back to Wolverhampton.... 4 hours away, and as much as prefer Pendelinos to Voyagers, I think I'll fly that journey next time, wonder if a Dash 8-Q400 will trump those.

Anyway, the journey was mostly uneventful, and the train arrived back into Wolverhampton on time, with us getting a lift home from my dad.

This took a lot longer to write out than I expected it would've, so that may explain the 3 month gap from it happening, to this being uploaded...

A number of my photos are up on my Flickr page
https://flickr.com/photos/151712892@N07/

One thing I'd recommend (just for the novelty value) is the Inverness to Wick and Thurso service.

It'll take 9 hours out of your day but you get the fun experience of Georgemass Junction, a station which the same units 4 times on a round trip!

Plus the scenery on route is quite good too!

Only catch is you would need to be at Inverness station for 0700!

 

[Alex 2901]

West of England Wanderings...

Friday 17th August

I got up early (for me) at 0630, being fully ready by 0643, and out for my 25 at 0651, to Bilston Bus Station, which was 3/4 branded 2016. Arriving at Bilston by 0705, i lumbered down to Bilston Central, for the tram to Grand Central, which was Tram 22, a dud. Arriving at Grand Central with plenty of time until the Megabus at 09:10, which would put us in Bristol at 11:25... assuming my mate got to Birmingham in time. Which he did.

A short walk from New Street to the stop on Brunel Street later, and we were onboard 54269 on the M35 down to Bristol, a winner.

As we left Birmingham, the driver came over the PA, with a series of announcements that most definitely made the trip funnier! I'm struggling to remember them in detail, but the one in regards to smoking in the chemical toilet, was by far and above the funniest of the lot.

The first stop was at the Frenchay Campus of the UWE, where we had about 20 minutes dropback, only to watch 3 M25s depart for Cardiff... all with practically no-one onboard.

A short sprint down the M32 later, and we were in Bristol, where i dumped my duffel bag at the hotel, and we went for a walk into the Centre. A required B7TL/ALX was noted, 32090, working a 4 to Cribbs Causeway, which sounded like an idea, and a place to get food...

The hour long journey on the 4 passed through uneventfully, although the seats on the ALXs are still like bricks...

At Cribbs Causeway, lunch was the aim of the game, and so, we went into Pizza Hut, which was nice enough, and killed time.
Another required vehicle was noted, Bath's 66729, working a 19A to Bath, which was out of the boundary for our ticket... but UWE Frenchay wasn't!

66729 was bashed out to Frenchay, and as i noted, the internal state was, less than pleasant, shall we say? The threadbare seats were made worse by the fact that the headrests were missing on some seats, and on others, low back seats had just had the cover placed over the handrails...

Anyway, Frenchay was reached around 35 mins later, and we bailed, aiming for the m3... which we'd just missed. However, the 48A turned up, in the form of E400MMC(VE) 39192, a dud, but the 48A was a required route. Also, i see where a family members comparison of Fishponds Road, to the (in)famous Stratford Road in Birmingham comes from now...

We decided we'd go and check into the hotel, which was done in around 45 minutes. Nice hotel room as well, even if my mates irrational fear of lifts meant we had to go up 5 flights of stairs... (i later found out that a mate who stayed at the same hotel, had once had a hotel room on the 12th floor; with a non-functional lift...)

We set out again, this time to tick off a B7TL/Gemini, which came in the form of 32329 on the very long winded 73 from Broad Quay to Cribbs Causeway...

1 and a half hours, and a numb backside, later; we reached Cribbs Causeway...
Note: never doing a full 73 again...

We decided to clear another ALX on the 3 & 4, and as 32095 was parked up, it was a likely bet to be the next 3 back to the Centre... and it was.

I don't remember much from the journey as i dozed off somewhere near Henbury, and woke up at Clifton Triange, but apparently it was hellfire.

The next day, we would do the tour of the West of England, and so, we'd need to be up early...

Saturday 18th August

Up slightly later than the day before, and ready by 0725, we walked down to Bristol Bus Station, for the 0800 X1 to Weston-super-Mare, which was dud 33754. Weston beckoned within around 60 minutes, and given it was raining, maybe an open top ALX on the 1 wasn't such a smart idea after all...
However, 32014 turned up on a 20 to Burnham-on-Sea Haven, which we cleared, and waited for the next 20, which was open top 32002 (it'd stopped raining by this point, fortunately!), which was bashed back to Weston... and good god are open toppers unsuitable for that route! I still have a mark from the last time i had an open topper on that corridor (when it was the 102/112, way back in 2007...) and a tree branch smacked me just a couple of mm beneath my eye socket...

Anyway, back in Weston, food was cleared, and a wait for the 126 to Wells was the next line of enquiries, only to discover the 126... was a Streetlite (bleugh...). Beggars can't be choosers, i guess...

63078 wasn't that bad (i suppose), and got us to Wells in reasonable time, in time for the 174 over to Bath, which was 69444. I've cleared one of the 17x's already, which i think was the 173, but the 174 was a decent enough run.

At Bath, some spotting was the order, and I'd appreciate it if Bath Bus Company drivers didn't try to tell us what to do, especially when they themselves are wrong...

Anyway, that aside, we decided to clear a Unibus MMC, which was 33944, cleared to Brougham Hayes, with 44526 cleared back to the Bus Station on the 1.

Back at Bath Bus Station, we spotted 32096, one of the Bath Unibus (U5/6) branded B7TL/ALX400s, working a 19 to Cribbs Causeway, so it was decided to clear another ALX, and catch it all the way to Cribbs Causeway...

We arrived at Cribbs Causeway, almost 2 hours later, where food was grabbed from KFC, before a plan was formulated to clear the unique Scania N280UD/E400 City, 39401, which was on a 2 to Stockwood, via the Centre. We arrived at Broadmead, where Nathan decided to get the 4 up to somewhere (he doesn't know himself!), while i would get the 4 to the hotel, which was another winning ALX, 32094.

I went back to the hotel to sort the photos fron the day, and to settle down for the night.

Sunday 19th August

It was "up a lot later" time, so it was nearly 10 when we left the hotel room, walking down for the 6 at 1012, to Kingswood, which was winning ALX 32251.
At Kingswood, the 19 would again turn up, this time producing a B7RLE again, 66936, a slightly less tatty one than 66729...

At Cribbs Causeway, we decided to get the T1 back to Bristol, which gave us a winning Scania N250UD, 36819.

After a bit of spotting at the exit to Bristol Bus Station, we went for an ex-Glasgow Gemini, which seemed to be confined to the 75/76, with 32554 turning up on the 75 to Cribbs Causeway (Again).

At Cribbs Causeway, it was decided to get the 3 back into the Centre, which gave us another ex-London Gemini, 32337, and enough time for me to go and pick up my bag from the hotel, and to get the 8 to Temple Meads, which was 47570, a Streetlite.

At Temple Meads, we went for our train to Wolverhampton, which was a 221 (i dropped the ball on this, and forgot to write down which one, although 221129 seems to be the one i think it was...). We reached Wolverhampton at 1748, where i got a lift home from my dad.


Overall, a good holiday, and one i may repeat next year...

 

[Alex 2901]

I swear i meant to do these more often, so here's one for November:

Saturday 17th November 2018

Berk-ing up the wrong tree...

Unusually for me, i was up at 0420, and so i was able to be out by 0440, with a short walk to the 529 in Willenhall. As i was waiting, i noted two fire engines going past... to a fire about 200m up the road. Guess that means the 529s diverted then, good start to the day, and it's not even 10 past 5 yet!

Anyway, 6764 turned up, providing my bus to Wolverhampton, getting into the Bus Station at 0522, plenty of time for my train at 0540. 0540 rolled around, as did 158835, which would be my train to Birmingham New Street, arriving at 0558.

At New Street, i went for food, from McDonalds, before heading to Platform 8.
220024 would be my stead to Reading, and was my first winner of the day, reducing my number of required XC 220s to 13.

Arriving into Reading at 0808, i went for the first bus that turned up, which was a biogas Scania E300, 413, on "the leopard" 10 to Shinfield. At Shinfield, i went and grabbed a drink, and waited for a 3 back, which was 429, also "leopard" branded.
Back in Reading, i spotted OmniDekkas on the 21 and 26, and decided that the 26 would be my best bet, with unbranded 805 being cleared to Calcot IKEA.

At Calcot, i had around 25 minutes until the next 15, so i went and got a coffee, and waited outside. Sky Blue branded E400 Hybrid 224 turned up, and was ticked off to Tilehurst Water Tower, before changing onto a 17, which was a Scania N280/E400 City, 719, to get me into Central Reading. Not a fan of these if I'm honest, as the interiors do feel really dark and unwelcoming, a far cry from the interior of the refurbed E400H I'd just had to Tilehurst!

At Reading, i managed to miss DAF Gemini 530 on "the lion" X4 to Bracknell, so i decided to give chase, jumping on E400 Hybrid 216 on the 4 behind, making good progress, to the point of overtaking it at one point! I really should've remembered that the 4 then goes round most of South Bracknell, meaning that 530 was halfway to Reading by the time i reached Bracknell... oh well, guess I'll get the 3b back, which was 430, and quite a decent ride!

Back in Reading, i spotted Trident/ALX400 536 on the Sky Blue 16... and missed it. However, another winner turned up, 435, the only Scania in DP spec, which was on the "lime" 2a, and was ticked off out to Bath Road. E400 1202 was cleared on the "jetblack" 1 back into Reading.

As i got in, i spotted an ex Blackpool Trident, 535 (ex Blackpool 351) on the 16, and legged it for it, clearing it out to Purley-on-Thames, where the 16 terminates. I waited at the terminus for 20 minutes, until 1112, an OmniCity DD turned up for the return trip to Reading.

Back in Reading, i went for lunch/tea as it was now about 4pm, which was KFC. Having finished that, i spotted one of the recently rebranded Berry Routes (23/24) branded E400Hs, which was 221 on the 23, which i did a full circle on. After this, i walked down towards the station, and jumped on Orange Routes (13/14) branded 904, a Streetdeck, on a 14 to do a full circle. Can't say I'm a massive fan of the interiors on these, although they're certainly brighter than the E400 Cities on the 17...

Back in Reading again, i went and got a drink before heading back to Reading Station, for the 1945 CrossCountry back to Birmingham, but only after photographing 455865 on a Reading-Waterloo stopper. My train back was a dud 220, 220024, but it was nice and quiet, so i got a bit of rest on the way back up.

At New Street, i quickly changed for the 2125 TfW service back to Wolverhampton, which was 158828, and rammed to the rafters, quel surprise...

Back at Wolves, i went for the 2155 529 back to Willenhall, which was 6770, getting me back at 2209.

All in all, a good day exploring unfamiliar territory...

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a good day in Reading

 

[Alex 2901]

"I'll try to do these more often" - well, that went out of the window, didn't it...

Anyway, here's one of my summer trips...

Friday 30th August
Welsh wandering...

Quite a late start for me for once on one of these trips, as i didn't have to be up until half 7, which gave me plenty of time to wake up, and get ready for the 25 at 0824, which was 2082, getting me into Wolverhampton for 0910.
My train to Shrewsbury would be 1D12 from Birmingham International to Shrewsbury (usually continuing to Holyhead, although today it would only be going as far as Shrewsbury). 0941 rolled around, and 158s 821, 830 & 823 rolled in for Shrewsbury (wouldn't mind more 6 cars at peaks on this route...).

The journey was quiet, very quiet. I was the only person in the front car of 158821, the leading unit, all the way to Shrewsbury, although the train was held outside Shrewsbury, to allow a Cardiff bound service to pass. Arriving at 1031, I bolted it for Shrewsbury Bus Station, fearing that the 70 was due out at 1037...

It was actually due out at 1042, meaning I had enough time to get a drink quickly, before boarding former Derby Versa 2945 for the 55 min run up to Oswestry. I have to admit, i do miss Oswestry's 57 plate Pulsars, some of which absolutely demolished the old X70 (now the 70A) whenever I did it. Amusingly, most still carried their branding from Cannock days, suggesting that you could get this bus to Cannock Chase... in Shrewsbury.

Arriving into Oswestry, I'd only have 9 minutes for connecting to the T12 (both the 70 and T12 are due in at 1136, and both leave at 1145 to their respective destinations)... or I would, if both weren't running late. I arrived at 1142, while the T12 arrived in at 1145, where i purchased my TrawsCymru Day Ticket for £11, and met my mate, who'd been on the bus since Machynlleth (where the T12 originates). YW19 VUF, despite being an E200MMC (the definition of meh, in my eyes), performed pretty well on the fast sections out to Chirk and Wrexham, arriving into Wrexham at 1225.

I went for lunch at a chippy in Wrexham, which was nice, although the chips were a bit solid, in order to begin to kill the 50 minutes until the T3 was due out. For anyone unaware, TrawsCymru is the name given to a number of services subsidised by the Welsh Government, that cover long distances. Examples of these services include Machynlleth to Wrexham (T12), Wrexham to Barmouth (T3) and Bangor to Aberystwyth (T2). Considering that an 11 quid day ticket was valid all the way from Oswestry to Cardiff, I'd say that's fairly good value...

The T3 turned up, and was one of Lloyds Coaches Optare Metrocity's, YJ17 FYZ, which was pretty much full leaving Wrexham. The first town en route was Ruabon, to serve the train station there, although no one got on or off there. Next up was Llangollen, where half the bus got off, with about 10 people getting on. The T3 continued through the mid Welsh countryside, before reaching Corwen, ending the first T3 journey (officially, the T3 is split into 3 routes, Wrexham to Corwen, Corwen to Dolgellau, Dolgellau to Barmouth, to get around the 50km EU limit on non tachographed vehicles). The next section of the T3 would easily be the most impressive bit, with the fast country roads, and scenery proving very impressive!

Our stop was Dolgellau, to connect with the T2 onwards to Aberystwyth. Although the official interchange point is at Eldon Square, we were allowed to get off at Lloyds Coaches Depot in Dolgellau, a former Crosville and Arriva Wales depot, and a very small depot at that...

Metrocity DX66 NZJ would turn up on the T2, about 15 minutes late, and needing a refuel at the depot. We were told to jump on, while the bus was refuelled, and the drivers changed over. The new driver certainly didn't like the idea of being 15 late, and put the pedal to the metal... white knuckle through the cliffs near Machynlleth certainly is an experience that I don't think I'll ever forget! We arrived into Aberystwyth only 4 late, leaving me plenty of time to go and stock up on snacks for the journey back to Wolverhampton.

After getting snacks, I went and got my ticket back to Wolves (£24 for a walk up single to Wolverhampton from Aberystwyth...), and waited for my train back to Wolves, which was 158829, and was fairly quiet, meaning I got a table seat to myself all the way up to Newtown. Having never actually done this line before, it was nice to actually see the other train (158839) that would join the service from Machynlleth, as it passed across the other side of a lake, on the approach to Dovey Junction. The journey was uneventful, and arrived into Wolverhampton on time at 2010, leaving me 5 minutes to run for the 529, which i just about made, which was 6767, getting me back to Willenhall at around 2030.

I'll probably do more TrawsCymru trips when I can, as it often proves difficult to get back to somewhere convenient to get home from, especially with the more infrequent TrawsCymru routes (ahem, T14 and the last full journey at 1315...)

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a good day trip