My trip 3 June 2016

I've been meaning to cover routes 62, 173 and 368 in one fellow swoop for a long time, and the time has come for me to at least do something this holiday. I originally planned for all three but I saved the best for last, considering at the time when I arrived in Barking, no MMCs were within wait-able range.

First up, I did LT707 to Dulwich Wood Park/Kingswood Drive on route 3, nothing much. Spotted LT639 with 1967 tube stock style middle closing doors though.

Abellio London 8219 YX16OBH on 931

My first ever Enviro200 MMC ride which was actually decent, compared to other short vehicles, the CCTV screen makes the bus look much shorter, the rear is spacious but the legroom fits perfectly for someone average like me. Other details include the same feeling you'd have on a Enviro400 MMC. The Allison gearbox works decent with it though I always thought that Allisons semi-jerk (not like ZF ones) from 1st to 2nd looking at some videos but being on one in real life proves me wrong! So, being my first ride on route 931 which you may have not done, I'll explain the route.


You go down from the now non-existent Crystal Palace via Dulwich Wood Park, a hill. Then onto Kingswood Drive however entering bad-parking Kingswood Estate via Bowen Drive. The double runs route 931 serves alone are single file with dual parking sides therefore short buses are best for it. So, we tour around the so-so Kingswood Estate via Bowen Drive and Seeley Drive at 15mph where the only pickup (Seeley Drive Shops) in the whole estate, having picked up a family and an elderly couple. We tour back via narrow side roads very cautiously with large speed bumps.

We escape this tortoise-pace to rejoin route 450, going up Kingswood Drive which is a tiny incline in itself wasn't enough to challenge the MMC, then we turn right into College Road (then becoming Fountain Drive) which becomes much steeper, as steep as Dulwich Wood Park, the MMC handled well at low speed.

Then we hit what would be a few metres walk from the second stop on say routes 122/202/etc, yes, a waste of 12 mins in what could be done in 1 minute. Moving on, we pace up on Westwood Hill before making our second and last double run, Hillcrest Drive Estate, which campaigned for a daily service I believe. Anyway, we take a tour on what would be a combination of forest, mountain, narrow and ghost town with tall estate buildings all in one, at yet again low speeds including indeed large speed bumps. An old lady boarded here alone. And by the way, the double run is taking anti-clockwise and prior to it, you'd think the turn would be made. I got caught off three times wondering where it'd double run!

The non-stop section now begins, I'll talk no more, feast your eyes for, erm, a, uh, 16 minute decent ride.

*Non-stop/Express section* Abellio London 8219 YX16OBH, route 931 | ADL E20D 9m Enviro200 MMC

I then took a 108 from Lewisham which was supposed to be MEC21, but DWL21 appeared out of the blue with a rushing driver which absolutely hammered it all the way to Stratford barring things known as red traffic lights which if you're going to ask, he did send me flying to the ceiling by forgetting the existence of a road hump, in North Greenwich. Blackwall Tunnel was usually the test of speed but here it is not! It actually turned out to be Blackheath Royal Parade where the driver nailed the pedals down. I also have a video of this, which sounded like a kettle before drying out. But only between the last stretch, Bow - Stratford which took 5 mins.

Cadet McKettle: Thrash+kickdown: GAL DWL21 FJ54ZDV, route 108 | VDL SB120 10.8m Wright Cadet

I then took a 238 from Stratford to Barking, decent end-to-end which took 30 minutes on a typical Euro5 Voith E40D which was a soothing ride.

Now, I arrived at Barking to know no MMCs are nearby on the 62, so, I took the next 368 at the stop 62 serves en-route Marks Gate. Little did I know that, 368 goes to Harts Lane on this part.

Arriva London T178 LJ60AUE, Harts Lane

Now for route 368, which is a wholly residential route serving only Barking Town Centre, Chadwell Heath and Barking Industrial Park as non-residential related routings. From Harts Lane Estate, you flow through the mid-busy roads paralleling the 287 which instantly made me think of routes 68/468, due to the single bus lane on the westbound flow, we stay like this until Barking Industrial Park where we split from 287 but to rejoin the 62, this time with less busier but two lanes. And falling apart houses to one side and a motor service to the left followed by even more falling houses.

In matter of minutes we split from the 62 at a mini roundabout with a pub to serve more attractive but still uninteresting housing alone. You can compare with route 250 in the residential room if you wish now. However, at a random point in this we come to a beautiful avenue with space for individual lane tramway, the most interesting part of this route, with a bit better houses once again. We come to the same scene but busier when 368 last joins route 62 before ending. Anyways, we stay like this until we're forced to move out of such view, joining with 364 through dead narrower roads with dead houses, then Green Lane we meet 128/150 for a stop or two before joining 62, with the similar avenue.

Of course, that wasn't all there was to it. The bus was used to it's potential from Barking Town Centre, of course the commotion died out slowly one at a time as we went passing areas, and my journey was decent at around 40 mins long. 

Courtesy of T178, quiet roaring Trident E400. Beautiful refurb too. Really big thumbs up from Arriva with heavy service improvement (double decking + frequency increase). If you like decent paced, residential routes, I rate this 5/5.

So, back home I took route 86, which I stood 14 mins for (one at 6/9/12 respectively then 5/5/8) then standing between Chadwell Heath and Ilford, took a break in Forest Gate and a 25 Oxford Circus-bound to Aldgate with a driver having a clear fetish for spamming the "Please move down inside the bus" as well as telling someone to get off a priority seat for an old woman which no one stood for. We also wasted time because the controller in Bow Church didn't come to my bus in time so we stood more than simple minutes. 

At Aldgate I intended to take 40 but I was insisted with the 1 min due HA7 on 78 so a shopping tirp to ASDA was planned.

Then, a 172 came, a 415 left so I took a 133 and whilst I was walking past the closed part of Elephant & Castle roundabout, it's current use just seems to be a flat skating park.

I took the front seat of a decent 133, walked to Acre Lane Tesco, took a 37 to Herne Hill and this is what happened.

At first there were three 322s bunched in Brixton 11 minutes away, a 196 was due before seconds before, thus I took that and the first 322 came and was tailing mine, the other two were bunched behind. The 322 tailing me overtook me, thus I got off at West Norwood waiting for the other two which the first appeared to get subbed/given a turn and the one behind regulating the service. I come home on a fairly packed 322. Perfect route to take when you have lots of shopping. I haven't taken other photos during the day..

Except this! The legendary driver at the wheel of DWL21 lol :P . While this was on stand, MEC21 appeared too. Thank you for reading this post and as always, enjoy yourselves!

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