The next big service change maybe isn't the most-publicised one, but it is important for many of us enthusiasts. It's the impending replacement of all Euro2-compliant buses in London, which on one hand means older, more polluting vehicles can be withdrawn but for some enthusiasts means London has lost that bit of character... again.

Euro2 emissions regulations were introduced in 1997 and lasted until 2001, and with the low-floor revolution going on at the time, meant bus manufacturers had their work cut out to create cleaner and more accessible vehicles. Now of course this is getting easier as Euro6 has just been introduced and hybrid (and even electric) buses are getting more common, but some simply don't have the character that old ones have.

I have a lot of memories of these buses. Back in 2003 when I was becoming an enthusiast, basically every bus I had was a Trident on the 136 and 208 (though I didn't particularly like the allocated X-reg for some reason) as well as Darts on the 181. I also had some older, step-entrance Darts on the 138 but otherwise everything was low-floor and Euro2. Other stuff in the general area included many B7TLs on the 171, though the allocation was Euro2 and thus worthy of this post ramble, a better batch of Tridents on the 261 with East Lancs bodies and of course, a big pile of Darts on other routes with ALX200, Pointer and Marshall Capital bodies. The ALX200 was always my favourite body for the Dart, despite essentially being the regular ALX front bolted on to a standard boxy body.

17478, the last Euro2 Trident and a great bus in general.

©GloriousWater

The ALX200s and East Lancs Tridents went in 2006, but otherwise I've always been close to at least some Euro2s. Among the many buses I used to get to school there were always some Volvo B7TLs, in the form of London Central PVLs and East Thames VPs, all of which were a good ride. These Volvos sort of became my refuge after ELBG lost the 54/75, but that's another rant entirely. By this time the first Euro2s (P to S-reg) were starting to get withdrawn and with no more step-entrance buses around it was early retirement outside London for them. But in my area they were still common and the first bus I got after Stagecoach returned in 2010 was an X-reg Trident on the 208, which I probably enjoyed far more than a regular X-reg trip. But at this stage their days were numbered, as newer Tridents got cascaded from East London to replace them.

These replacement Tridents were.... more Euro2s, but Y-reg (known to me as Y-NHKs). Practically the only difference was the blue Stagecoach moquette and a ZF gearbox as opposed to Voith. But they were in far better condition than the old ones, and a lot faster with the ZF. After an epic ride on 17438 these quickly became my favourite Tridents on the 208, though I never managed to catch one on another route. However these didn't last particularly long in the south as the route's contract renewal came up in mid-2012 and they got replaced by new Euro5 Enviro400s, which I don't like nearly as much as they generally struggle to reach any decent speed. Around the same time I moved to Rotherhithe where there were no Euro2s usually, and they were no longer a daily sight for me from that point. The last ALX200s were replaced as well by this point, by new Enviro200s on routes 124 and 314. The only consolation was that these E200s were nowhere near as gutless as the E400s that replaced the Tridents.

Anyway my personal ramble has gone on long enough. Time for the other bloggers to write their memories of Euro2 buses, and hopefully not as long-winded as mine.

EastLondoner - A lot of my experiences with Euro2 buses happened quite a few years ago, BK garage was once home to numerous Euro2 Tridents, and I remember travelling on them every so often on the 369 and their occasional strays onto the 62. My most notable memories about them are the fact that their exit doors were further behind than the current Stagecoach Tridents and this meant that the wheelarch seats were on a raised section giving you a good view of the bus.

 Picture by Nico Hogg (Flickr) 

My local routes 62 and 366 also had quite a decent sized Euro2 allocation, and these were in the form of ALX200 Single Deck buses. I used to love riding on them with their distinct engine noise and their tip up seats in the Wheelchair area providing a decent number of seats for people to sit on when the area was not occupied. My favorite seats on these buses were also on the rear Wheelarch, Which was probably one of the highest seats on the bus, giving you a really nice view. These became my daily commute home from Primary School, and I always have memories associated with these buses.

But Stagecoach were not the only operator with ALX200s in my area, neighbouring operator Arriva also had a few stored at their Barking (DX) garage for route 78, which was operated from there at the time with them. These buses regularly strayed onto route 173 and these were among the first buses in the area to be fitted with iBus. Then when route 78 was converted to Double Deck in 2010, the allocation was also moved from DX to Ash Grove AE and with it left the ALX200s silenty overnight.

Something else which happened in 2010 was the withdrawal of route 369, when the route left BK, it took a lot of Euro2 Tridents with it. Being replaced by Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 buses on new routes EL1 and EL2 being operated by Go Ahead London. Then the few that were remaining left during 2011 when BK had a huge overhaul of its fleet replacing a lot of the older Euro2 vehicles with Enviro200s and Enviro400s with a Voith Gearbox, these new buses definitely had quite a big expectation to live up to, and the Voith Enviro200s do but the Enviro400s are quite another story.

Kieran - My interest of buses came in the Euro 2 era, thanks to the many different, yet outstanding, Dennis Dart SLF's I had in my surrounding area; especially on routes 49 and 219, they both used Plaxton Pointer 1 and 2's. These buses were amazing, their Allison whine was the best and it's only right I became interested in buses from that. These were not the only Dennis Dart's I had, there was also some 10.2m variants on the 319 and 345, however, they were both quickly replaced. The 319 introduced Wright Cadet's with Arriva in 2001 and the 345 introduced Go-Ahead's first Wright Eclipse Gemini batch in 2002. The 319's Cadets were excellent and they managed the full 5 years on the route before subsequently being replaced by displaced Euro 2 DB250LF's from the 68 in 2006. The 156 and 344 also used a batch of Euro 2 Darts, however, these were topped with the not-so-common Caetano Compass body and again, these buses were amazing. I grew up with excellent batches of Euro 2 single-deckers and I'm glad I did.

More on the deckers, the Euro 2's I had around me were found on the 44 and 77 at first. They both used Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL's out of Go-Ahead's Merton garage. At the time, I wasn't so fond of these buses because of their engine sound, funny because with age I've appreciated it much more than I did then.

I'm back, and now on to the Euro2 buses that survived into this year. Obviously I have to start with the Tridents, as they mean something to me personally. From the Y-NHK batch 17404/25/27/41 were the last four left in January, all at Plumstead except 17425 at Rainham. Mostly long-wheelbase ones with 17441 being short, these stayed at their garages until May when 17427 and 17441 went to Catford and the other two were withdrawn by the end of the month. These two survived really long, 17427 only getting withdrawn after 136 duty on the 5th of December and 17441 being the second last Euro2 Trident being withdrawn on the 19th after a 199 working. The only other Euro2 Tridents to survive into the year were also with Stagecoach, 17490 being the last at Plumstead working the 177 on the 15th of September. Catford started the year only using 17478 (which has never left the garage) but in addition to the two Y-NHKs got 6 others cascaded in for the 136 extension, 17466/87/503/05-07. One was replaced by a random Euro3 transferred from Leyton while the others basically carried on until December. But all of them got withdrawn before 17478 anyway, which was the last Euro2 Trident in London working route 47 (for which it was originally ordered) on Christmas Eve. Or so we thought, as it suddenly reappeared on the 199 on New Year's Eve.

17441 was the second last Euro2 Trident in London, seen here a month before withdrawal.

©GloriousWater

Before transfer to Catford, one of the Tridents, 17505,  stole the title of last Euro2 at Bromley when it was transferred in early March from Plumstead, to cover the extra requirement on routes 208/261 while roadworks went on in Lewisham. However it only appeared on school routes 636/638 apart from a few 269 journeys, and in late April was the first Euro2 transferred to Catford for the 136 extension ending the era of Euro2 Tridents at Bromley. Up in East London Leyton had about six Euro2s running mostly as spares for route 97, with one, 17489, lasting until late September before withdrawal. Bow's last was 17451, which was their only Euro2 to survive into 2014 working route 277 daily until July. West Ham had a decent amount of Euro2s to start off the year, though the numbers of these started to fall as early as February when 17460 made its last journey. By September this amount had fallen to 4, 17454/89/90/95, with two being cascaded to other garages in the middle of the month and the others withdrawn. Barking had a random working on route 5 in April as its last Euro2, which was again the much-travelled 17490 while at Rainham two Euro2s lasted into 2014, 17425 and 17507. The latter was transferred to Catford in May and at the end of the month 17425 had also been withdrawn.

The much-travelled 17490 on route 147 in East Ham.

©EastLondoner

The story of the last Euro2 Dennis Darts isn't so Stagecoach-dominated. It's also not so simple because at the time of writing the ones that lasted into 2014 haven't been withdrawn, in fact some have returned. With Go-Ahead two old Darts have survived with two subsidiaries. Metrobus have 334, a 10.8m Pointer (all the Euro2 Darts left are Pointers) that has tirelessly worked route 130 for the entire year, with workings on practically every Croydon route including double-decker routes 119 and 64. The other one is London General's LDP151, which is a Mini Pointer from 2001 that's basically lived on the G1 for the entire year and as of the 28th, both are still in service on the same routes. Abellio's Dart fleet actually grew this year, with a few 51-reg 10.2m examples and one X-reg Mini Pointer being reinstated during the year. 8041 is the oldest bus in TFL service currently, which started the year as a spare at Hayes appearing on every route, then getting transferred to Twickenham for route K1 when the 112 went to Metroline. 8044 from the same batch is one of four Darts that are regulars on Beddington routes 152, 322 and P13, the others being 8054, 8061 and 8062 from a slightly later batch of Mini Pointers. These four have stayed in TFL service for the entire year, even though they were meant to be replaced by longer Darts off route 100 when that passed to GAL. Obviously because the buses were late, the cascade still hasn't happened.

8062, one of four Darts at Beddington on its usual route P13.

©GloriousWater

8053 is another X-reg Mini Pointer, this one is at Walworth as a spare for route 484. This one last strayed off the route in July 2013 when it appeared on route 100, otherwise it's been solid on the 484. One more interesting Dart is 8051, which was last seen on route 112 in March 2013 and assumed withdrawn. Then on the 10th of December it mysteriously appeared on route H20 with a refurbishment and white blinds, though the number blind got stuck on blank. Anyway Abellio do have a batch of longer (10.2m) Euro2 Darts from 2001, which weren't all in service at the start of the year. One of the buses that started the year was 8437 at Battersea, working as a spare for route C10. Since there are no other single-deck routes at Battersea, it never really strays and as a result should be easy to snap. Except it's never on the route at a good time meaning I've only come across this bus once. 8434 is the oldest in the batch which has been at Beddington for the whole year, working routes 455 and 152 and it was joined by 8435/6/9 which transferred from Twickenham where they worked the 235 since the start of the year. 8438 worked routes 112 and U7 at Hayes until late July when the 112 passed to Metroline  It then reappeared in October, at Beddington and also worked the 455 and 152 regularly with one stray on to newly won route 201 in November. The last of this batch is 8440 which has been a solid performer at Hayes since 2013, rarely straying from the U7 after route 112 was lost. With 2015 fast approaching (it will have started by the time you read this) it makes me doubt all the Euro2s will be gone in January at least.

Now on from Dennis types to the Euro2s left with Arriva, which is the only operator in London with Euro2 DAF types. Route 255 is allocated SB120s with Wright bodies, the last full allocation of Euro2 buses anywhere in London. These are coded DWLs and have a very similar driveline to a Dart with the same engine and gearbox. These were new to route 319 (see Kieran's story above, etc) and don't really stray on other routes much. There's no word on when these will be replaced, and these look very likely to last well into 2015.

DLA253 on stand at Crystal Palace 3 days before 2015, where these are still around in decent amounts.
©GloriousWater

And now to a better known type of DAF, the DB250 double-decker.  The DAF DB250LF was the first low-floor double decker available in the UK and Arriva have some Euro2 examples lying around, with Alexander ALX400 bodies (DLAs) and some now-withdrawn Plaxton Presidents (DLPs). These are only left in south London now, though at the start of the year a few northern garages had them. A large chunk of them could be found on Palmers Green routes 34/125, both DLA and DLP types. At the start of the year some of these were based at other garages, such as DLA319 at Brixton and DLA311 on Barking school routes. But the 34 and 125 were lost to Metroline and with them went the Euro2s. The last DLA at this garage was DLA311 on route 125 on the 23rd of December and the last President was DLP80 on route 34 on the 7th of November. Barking briefly had a second DLA in February which was DLA205 transferred from Brixton and worked route 678 for a whopping 5 days before withdrawal on the 12th.

A lot more DB250s survived in the south, mostly at Brixton and Norwood garages. About 30 were in service at the start of the year, but withdrawals were already in progress with about 15 DLAs from Brixton alone being withdrawn by February. Brixton's last DLA was DLA311 working route 137 on the 7th of August, at which point it transferred to Norwood where it stayed until the 16th of September when it was transferred north to Palmers Green. Norwood's DLAs were much harder to move, with 13 still running routes 415, 417 and 432 by December. A few appeared to run their last service by the middle of the month but on New Year's Eve two X-reg and two Y-reg were still running on the 415 and 417. This is a type that definitely looks like it'll survive in to 2015, although with the 109 passing to Abellio soon it may bring the DLAs with it.

Two operators were still running Plaxton-bodied Euro2 Volvos at the start of the year, we start with Go-Ahead and their PVLs. Some W-reg ones working Rainham school routes at the start of the year were the last centre-staircase buses left in London. These started to be withdrawn in May with cascaded Scanias from routes 54/75 which had been lost to Stagecoach. PVL66/69 escaped however, appearing on Sutton route 154 on the 12th of May. Their last working was on the 10th of October, and they promptly reappeared on Peckham's route 37 the next day to cover for delays caused by roadworks. These were soon joined by PVLs 159 and 170, which had a conventional layout with the stairs behind the driver. PVL159 transferred to New Cross in December but the others stayed. PVL66 appeared to have worked its last just before midnight on the 22nd of December, becoming the last centre-staircase bus in London after PVL69 worked its last on the 19th. PVL170 however is still in service as of New Year's Day.

Bexleyheath had a decent allocation of X-reg PVLs that have worked the 132 since its conversion to double-deck, replacing newer DWLs. They haven't had a particularly interesting year though with no withdrawals at all during 2014. Sometimes one or two go on a New Cross route but that's about it. Stockwell had a few stray Euro2s during the year, with PVL113 having a central staircase. This one worked as a spare for route 87 until withdrawal in July. PVL203 was another 87 spare, which lasted into 2015 and had a few odd workings on route 333 while PVL232 was another 87 spare until transfer to Rainham in August. Camberwell had a single Euro2, PVL151 working the 68 group since February with appearances on the 185 and one working on the 345 which Kieran eventually chased down.

And finally the last batch of Euro2s to survive into 2014, Metroline's VPLs (long wheelbase B7TL/Presidents). A few survived at Edgware at the start of the year, working routes 186 and 204. They only lasted into the spring though and the last VPL at the garage was VPL217 working route 113 on the 24th of April. This then transferred to Willesden with a few workings on the 6 before settling down on routes 260 and 460, being ultimately withdrawn in June after being the last VPL at this garage too. Harrow's VPL allocation lasted longer, although VPL184 was the only one left from July. But against the odds it somehow lasted into 2015, still working route 140 almost daily.

Right, that was long and almost a fleetlist. Most of the Euro2s around were in fact meant to be withdrawn by December, but the only thing that went then was centre-staircase buses which were meant to go by 2012! In fact if you want to chase a Euro2 bus there are still routes scattered around London that regularly use them, but they're noticeably less common than they were even one year ago. And it's safe to say that a lot of enthusiasts will miss them once they go with several contracts being renewed over the next few months even though the withdrawals are really rather late.

Finally, have a rear shot of 17478 because it seems fitting to end this post with.

©GloriousWater

_______________________________________________________________________________

We would like to that our photo contributors in this post:

Lee Thatcher: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leesbuses/

Nico Hogg: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicohogg/

Pictures used in this post which display the © Symbol should not be used in other places without permission. Where this symbol is not present, you may use the picture so long as you credit the author and not use the picture for commercial purposes

On 19th December 2013, a new tender result was released in the London Bus industry. Ones which people had been waiting for quite some time, originally due to be released in October that year, they were late by over two months. Many enthusiasts were wondering what was going on behind the scenes. 

When the results were finally released, two routes were announced. Route 8 and Route 100. The 100 had been lost from Abellio London's Walworth (WL) garage and was awarded to Go Ahead London's Mandela way garage. New Single Decker Hybrids were specified, causing a lot of excitement as these were to be the first Hybrid Single Decker buses London was to see in a long time.

Speculation had started that these were to be Wright StreetLite Hybrid buses with a Hybrid system powered by Williams. Then later it was announced that Streetlites hadn't been ordered and instead Go Ahead London had opted for Enviro200 buses, but still Hybrid and powered by Williams. Then a few months later, it was confirmed the buses weren't going to be Hybrids but Diesels fitted with a Flywheel made by Williams.

A few months later, even further disappointment came when it was announced that the new buses would not be ready for the start of he contract. Instead Go Ahead London were going to loan the current buses on the 100 from Abellio London.

On 20th September 2014, the day came where the route was due to be handed over to Go Ahead London. As was stated, existing Abellio Enviro200s and Plaxton Pointer buses were still running the route albeit with Go Ahead London stickers plastered over the Abellio London logos. The buses were to be housed in Mandela Way garage as originally planned. As these buses aren't officially owned by Go Ahead London, they still contain WL garage codes, and Abellio fleetcodes. Upon their return to Abellio

Then finally in December, there were reports of the first few buses being delivered and spotted in the garage. Then on Friday the 19th, SE219 was the first Go Ahead London bus to operate on the 100.

© GloriousWater 2014

The buses are 9.6m, and a very minor change is that the windows towards the rear of the bus are configured slightly differently to earlier versions, (therefore the roundel on the nearside looks slightly squashed). Other than that, there isn't much of a change in terms of the vehicle type for the route. It has just become another one of London's single decker routes which has had Enviro200s replaced by Enviro200s joining C1, 251, 493, 233, K1, K3, 434, 165, 256, E10 and 286. 

What do you think of the 100 changing operators? Did you prefer it at Abellio or do you prefer it with Go Ahead London. Please let us know your views in the comments section below!

Route 34 is a unique route, it is special in the fact that it is one of few routes which go from North East London to North West London. From Walthamstow Central to Barnet Church. When the route was up for tender, it interested many as there was a wide variety of operators who could bid for the route, from Stagecoach to Metroline, as well as there always remaining the possibility that the route would be retained by Arriva London continuing many years of History.

© GloriousWater 2014

On the 21st of May, the long awaited tender results were revealed. To much people's surprise, the route was announced to be coming to an end with it's history as an Arriva London route, and begin a new era with Metroline from their Potters Bar (PB) garage. Many enthusiasts were awaiting this change due to take place on the 8th of November. It was later announced that Metroline had opted to order Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 buses for the route, although in practice they were to be diverted to the 82 in return for the 13reg and 62reg TEs.

© GloriousWater 2014

Eventually 8th of November came, and to many people's surprise there were quite a few Wright Eclipse Gemini 3s (VWHs) on the 34, alongside spare TEs from Cricklewood (W) and Holloway (HT) made available.  In the picture to the right, we can see VWH2028 on stand at Walthamstow Bus Station on it's first day of service on the route. Funnily enough, not a single VWH has managed to make it onto route 82 at the time of writing this post. Prior to these buses entering service, rumours had it that the buses will no be able to have regular service on route 34 as the route had some speed bumps that would damage the bus. But that has now been proved to be false.

©GloriousWater 2014

As I said earlier, the route is also home to some TEs which have been transferred from Holloway (HT) and Cricklewood (W). In the photo to the left TE929 takes stand at Walthamstow Bus Station awaiting departure on a journey to Barnet Church. On the first day itself we can see that some drivers have forgotten to set certain blinds to the correct routes. Hopefully this does not have any significance on the route's future with Metroline.



So what do you think of this change? Metroline finally enter East London after many years of being a North and West London operator. Arriva also continue their spell of losing routes and not winning any. Would you like to see Arriva operating the 34 again, or are you happy to let it remain with Metroline? Please let is know in the comments section!

Stagecoach-operated route 472, operated from Plumstead (PD), is finally converting to hybrid operation after a long delay.

© GloriousWater 2014

Last year it was announced that the 472's contract had been retained by Stagecoach with new hybrid buses due in January/February 2014. But as most enthusiasts know by now, Stagecoach had a massive shuffle of the hybrids so other routes got shiny new Enviro400s and Gemini 3s while the 472 kept running with the old Tridents, some of which were among the oldest in the Stagecoach fleet.

So here are some pictures of the old stuff on the 472.

17427, which is among several Tridents since transferred to TL for the 136 extension.

©GloriousWater 2014

©GloriousWater 2014

A common working was (and still is) an 11-reg E400 diesel, such as 19748 seen here picking up in Thamesmead.

©GloriousWater 2014

The new hybrids started to arrive near the end of September, but took a really long time to actually go on the 472 in any large amount. They are shared with the 122, and are pretty much the same as the batch delivered to TL in March. The conversion is still ongoing, so diesel buses remain common on the route.

Brand new 12342 in Thamesmead.

©GloriousWater 2014

Similar 14-reg hybrids delivered in May for the 122 also appear on the route (more often than the intended 64-reg in fact) as shown here by 12302.

©GloriousWater 2014

So overall, a very quiet conversion. Now there's just time for the fleetlist. Vehicles in italics are not yet in service at the time of writing.

Route 472 fleetlist:
12334 - SN64OGG
12335 - SN64OGH
12336 - SN64OGJ
12337 - SN64OGK
12338 - SN64OGL
12339 - SN64OGM
12340 - SN64OGO
12341 - SN64OGP
12342 - SN64OGR
12343 - SN64OGS
12344 - SN64OGT
12345 - SN64OGU
12346 - SN64OGV
12347 - SN64OGW
12348 - SN64OGX
12349 - SN64OGY
12350 - SN64OGZ
12351 - SN64OHA
12352 - SN64OHB
12353 - SN64OHC
12354 - SN64OHD
12355 - SN64OHE
12356 - SN64OHF
12357 - SN64OHG
12358 - SN64OHH
12359 - SN64OHJ
12360 - SN64OHK
12361 - SN64OHL
12362 - SN64OHO
12363 - SN64OHP

Thank you for reading this post, please visit again soon!

Unallocated: 2459, SL14DDX on route 49

On Saturday the 6th of September, Abellio London successfully took over the operations of the 49 from London United. The route is operated from Queenstown Battersea with 22 Alexander Dennis Enviro400Hs (2465-2486).

Abellio London ended London United's 15-year grip of the 49 on the 6th, as they took over from the west London powerhouse with brand new cleaner, greener hybrids. The 49 runs between Clapham Junction, Bolingbroke Grove and White City Bus Station passing through Battersea, Chelsea and Kensington on the way. It makes for a nice journey as the route passes many, detailed and historic houses.

The 49 was part of Tranche 449 (oh, the irony), and was the only route not to gain a 2-year contract extension, for the third consecutive time under London United. Unfortunately for them, this time, the route was lost to London's second youngest bus operator, Abellio. The change does bring a few positives to London United, it allows them to displace older buses in their fleet with the current Scania OmniCity (SP) buses on the route.

Now, let's take a look at the history...

London United won the route from London General back in September 1999 with 10.8m Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer 2 (DP80-99) buses, converting the CBC (Chelsea-Battersea-Clapham Junction) link to single-deck operation, with the 319 and 345 already single-decked. However, London United's takeover of the London General route didn't go so deckers. Due to weight restrictions on Hammersmith Bridge, the new 10.2m Plaxton Pointer 2 buses for the 209 were unable to cross the bridge as they were too heavy, and with the 49's DPs running late a logical deal was agreed that London United would continue to operate the 209 with the existing buses and Armchair would operate the route with the new buses intended for the 209 until they were cleared to cross.
smoothly.

Taken at Clapham Junction on 04/09/2014

Moving into 2004, the route was retained by London United for the first time, with much needed double-deckers, those consisting of new buses in the form of ten East Lancs Myllennium Vyking (VE) buses on a Voith Volvo B7TL chassis and existing buses in the form of 12 Alexander ALX400 (VA) buses on a ZF Volvo B7TL chassis transferred from the 337, which was lost to Arriva. These buses went on to work the route for the next 5 years.

The 49 was re-awarded to London United in 2009 with new buses to run alongside the VEs. The VAs were replaced by Scania N230UD chassised Scania OmniCity (SP) buses, this remained the allocation up to 2014 with a few other bus types temporarily filling in, more on that later. Shortly after the second contract renewal, the 49 was listed in London's Top 10 bunching on the route being recorded. As timed move forward, certain bus types were no longer to be seen on the 49. Common workings of the 52-reg VAs allocated to the 220, disappeared after new buses were bought for the 220. The two lingering Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs (VR) buses were withdrawn, followed by most of the spare Euro 2 VAs.

SLE43, YN55NKM on route 49
©Au Morandarte

Worst Performing Bus Routes, this has stayed with the route since with many instances of

SP32, YN08DHY on route 49 to Clapham Junction

During 2013, Shepherd's Bush became short on buses and needed some more if they were to provide for the scheduled PVR increase to 20. The two buses sent on a long-term loan were East Lancs OmniDekka bodied Scania N94UD (SLE) buses, numbered SLE43 and SLE44. This was a new type to Shepherd's Bush and nobody knew how long they would stay. They then became important to the 49's allocation with few SPs becoming problem buses (SP30 and SP35). Towards the end of 2013, the last two remaining VAs were withdrawn from service, to cover the loss, two TAs redundant from the 57 transferred over. Later on in 2014: SLE44, SP39 and SP40 all departed Shepherd's Bush, this then allowed a further four TAs to make the switch. They remained allocated to the 49.

Going back to November - On the 21st, the 49 was lost to Abellio London with 22 new hybrid double-deckers. The route was widely expected to be lost because of its inconsistent service. The specified hybrids for the route was to be a relief, cleaning the air along the busy
roads it travels along. If you want to get an idea of the inconsistent service, I took a few screenshots on London Vehicle Finder of the route at some of its bad moments.

SP34, YN08MRU on route 49

ADH16, SN60BYM on route 49

Towards the end of March (2014), the 49 was treated to an ADH (13) off route 94, this was the first time a bus of this type had made it onto the 49 in nearly 6 months. Previous workings of this bus type usually occurred during unsociable hours of the day or only made one or two trips, so yes, they were very rare. The spontaneous working of ADH13 on the cool Sunday evening was a surprise to many of us at the time, I myself, went out to get a picture, but the bus was
running earlier than I expected, thus missing the rarest working Battersea had seen in ages.

TA248, LG02FBV on route 49 to White City
©Au Morandarte

This working became a hot topic, many wondering whether they would continue to appear on the 49... And they did, becoming a vital part of the 49's allocation towards the final months of London United operation.
Apart from the increase of ADHs and TAs on the 49, the route remained quite quiet up to the last day. Scania OmniCity SP37, YN08MRY was the last bus on the 49, ending 15 years of service.

At current, SLE44, SP29-37 and TA231/8/40/5/7/8 are still in service or have no confirmed future. However, VE1-10 are all expected to return of lease in the coming weeks.
London United Fleetlist

Paper:

SP29 YN08DHU

SP30 YN08DHV

SP31 YN08DHX

SP32 YN08DHY 

SP33 YN08DHZ

SP34 YN08MRU

SP35 YN08MRV

SP36 YN08MRX

SP37 YN08MRY

SP39 YP58ACJ

SP40 YP58ACO

VE1 PG04WGN

VE2 PG04WGP

VE3 PG04WGU

VE4 PG04WGV

VE5 PG04WGW

VE6 PG04WGX

VE7 PG04WGY

VE8 PG04WGZ

VE9 PG04WHA

VE10 PG04WHB

Drafts:

SLE43 YN55NKM

SLE44 YN55NKO

TA231 LG02FAJ

TA238 LG02FBC

TA240 LG02FBE

TA245 LG02FBN

TA247 LG02FBU

TA248 LG02FBV

The change...

2482, SN64OFH setting off for Clapham Junction

2480, SN64OFE and the Westfield logo

2469, SN64OET on route C2
This was the first 64-reg to enter service
in London.

Abellio London took the operations of route 49 on the Saturday, although the buses weren't kept 'fresh' for the route, with 20 of the 22 buses all entering service prior to the changeover. Early comers, 2465 (SL14LOA) and 2466 (SL14LOD), entered service nearly 2 months before they were due to, registered on 14-plates, they worked along the other hybrids on the 211. The remaining 20 buses for the 49 came on a 64-plate, some entering service on the first legal day for 64-plate vehicles. For most of the week (Tuesday 2nd to Friday 5th), the new hybrids worked on route 156 (Wimbledon - Vauxhall), showcasing the new beasts of the 49.

After a week of service, Abellio still haven't quite got the hang of things yet, let's hope it doesn't take them too long to settle in!

Abellio London Fleetlist

2465 SL14LOA

2466 SL14LOD

2467 SN64OER

2468 SN64OES

2469 SN64OET

2470 SN64OEU

2471 SN64OEV

2472 SN64OEW

2473 SN64OEX

2474 SN64OEY

2475 SN64OEZ

2476 SN64OFA

2477 SN64OFB

2478 SN64OFC

2479 SN64OFD

2480 SN64OFE

2481 SN64OFG

2482 SN64OFH

2483 SN64OFJ

2484 SN64OFK

2485 SN64OFL

2486 SN64OFM

Unallocated: 2463, SL14DFA on route 49 at White City 

Route 49 runs between Clapham Junction, Bolingbroke Grove and White City Bus Station

Operates out of Abellio's largest garage, Queenstown Battersea (QB)

Uses 22 Alexander Dennis Enviro400H Hybrid buses

Was with London United for 15 years

Stay tuned for Part 2 due in January! 

Thank you for reading this post, please leave a comment below and be sure to return!

TA650 and TE926 take a break.
©GloriousWater

On Saturday the 2nd of August, Metroline West successfully took over the operations of route 112 from Abellio London. The route is operated from Cricklewood with 10 Trident 2/Alexander ALX400s (TA).

Metroline West took over the operations of route 112 between Brent Cross and Ealing Broadway. Initially, the route was rumoured to be operated from Greenford garage with brand new 10.8m Alexander Dennis Enviro200 buses (DEL), until there was word of the DELs for the route, running late due to the annual summer shutdown at Alexander Dennis. This then leading to discussions of which buses will deputise for the late buses, it was then believed that existing Alexander Dennis Enviro400 buses would be drafted in from Holloway until the new buses arrived, but this would not to be, why? Because the current drivers on the 112 were not all familiar on how an Enviro400 works. The discussion of the deputising buses rose again until it was confirmed that the route would temporarily operate from Cricklewood garage with the redundant TAs at the garage.

TA638 looking for a place to stand.

August the 2nd neared, it was said that ten transferred Enviro400s (TE925-934) from Holloway at Cricklewood were loaned to help out the TAs, as well as a few Enviro200s. Possibly hinting at a permanent stay at Cricklewood for the 112. 

The route successfully passed to Metroline West even though it operates from a Metroline Travel garage and operated the day using the planned TAs and one TE. I went to cover it to see how the route was operating on its first day, blog member Jack followed the next day.

©KTLBB

The 112's route is mostly on the North Circular Road (A406) with it only coming off most noticeably at Brent Cross and at Ealing. It passes through Neasden, Stonebridge and Hanger Lane en-route and has quite a few fast sections. It was previously operated by Abellio London - who took over from Travel London - who took over from Tellings-Golden Miller - with 10.4m Caeteno Nimbus Darts from Hayes garage. These buses were highly rated and reached high speeds, prom a friend of mine, to ask me to do the route.

©KTLBB

I ventured out to Brent Cross via the 189, my first time doing the route for such a long distance and I enjoyed it very much, TEH1114 providing me with my best hybrid journey in a long time. Going over the bridge leading to Brent Cross, I got my first sight of a Metroline operated 112, it was TA640 the bus I took to Ealing Broadway as I missed TA649 by a minute because of the backlog of buses trying to enter the small bus station at Brent Cross. It was an eleven minute wait for the next 112 and I happily waited observing the many buses entering, alighting and circling the bus station looking for a place to stand. Eventually, my bus, TA640 pulled round and we were off. The bus keeping to a nice steady pace for the first few minutes of the journey, I was highly anticipating the bus reaching high speeds of 40 to 50mph but instead was treated to a slow and quiet ride along a traffic-less A406.

I was so disappointed with this that I decided to take TA649 back to Brent Cross - scrapping the proposed bus to White City to take a 49 home - to see if my fortunes improved. The journey was literally the same, slower than I expected, with the driver only reaching a satisfying speed in Neasden. I was very displeased to say the least and the only interesting moments for me was seeing TAs passing in the opposite direction. Overall, I found the 112 over-exaggerated. I didn't have the pleasure of buses reaching high speeds and I didn't really enjoy the scenery of the route either. But I did like the state of which the buses were in considering they are 9 years old! It is a route I would like to try again and a route I think I would enjoy with faster drivers.

Jack:

©GloriousWater

My experience was very different to Kieran's. The bus station wasn't very busy when I arrived on the 102 and it was barely a minute before TE926 pulled up. Everybody crowded on the bus which made me doubt how a single-decker could cope with the loads. Almost immediately the driver thrashed the bus and it was regularly hitting 40 on the A406 despite some traffic. It stayed crowded for most of the trip until about Hanger Lane and the traffic didn't relent, but it always found a gap. So I would recommend doing the route, just hope you get a fast driver.

It has also been confirmed that the route will now stay at Cricklewood. 

Fleetlist

TA638 LJ05GFO

TA640 LJ05GFX

TA642 LJ05GFZ

TA644 LJ05GGE

TA646 LJ05GGJ

TA649 LJ05GGU

TA650 LJ05GGV

TA655 LJ05GHB

TA656 LJ05GHD

TA658 LJ05GHG

• Route 112 runs between Brent Cross, Shopping Centre/Bus Station and Ealing Broadway
• Operated from Metroline's head office, Cricklewood
• Will use TAs until the DELs arrive
• The TAs are also being assessed to see if the 112 will stay double-decker