Triple Variety 39 [While stocks last that is]

LDP222 (SK52MLV) on Victoria Drive,
Putney Heath

The title directly refers to it's former but still used allocation of Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointers (the last of their kind alive right now), formerly used on 368 10.8m Enviro200s (SEN31-7) and brand new Streetlites (WS66-73).

The 39 is a busy trunk single deck route which used to be a double deck routes and used to enter Central London going as far north as Edmonton Park Road, but for the most part used to always serve Victoria until 12 May 1990 where it was converted to midibus operation and was shortened to be Clapham Junction to Putney Bridge, with 'bread-vans' as some call, the allocation, with a PVR of 8.

12 years later an allocation change to Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointers in 2002 with a PVR of 13 to deal with the extra loads balanced by much increased capacity on the busy former central London route. It's hard to believe since 1985 the running number was always 21+, the reason for that is, since 1985, the route was always based at Putney (AF) but moved to Plough Lane (PL) in 2007 to make space in Putney (AF), but transferred without running number change.

Interior of SEN32 (YX61FZR) facing rear

It was 27 November when the route started it's contract renewal with intended ex-368 SENs and new WSs, the WSs were for the most part late, the SENs were refurbished with a hint of First colour scheme to suit the green/purple interior better, some LDPs have left the fleet however.

SEN32 (YX61FZR) at the first stop
on Falcon Road

Before we jump onto 39's routing, I only did majority of the route (Clapham Junction-Putney Heath) and it was a good experience. From the populated Clapham Junction bustling with life, we stroll to Wandsworth Southside, a shopping centre, it's from there that we jump onto residential roads to gather people to get from A to B, with our next checkpoint being Southfields Station.

The distance between Wandsworth and Southfields is decent and a little short but fun if you get the right driver (you're bound to) and is slightly posh in it's residential form, we then arrive at the slightly more populated than average (for small towns) Southfields where people next board/alight as an interchange point. The awaiting checkpoint for us is Putney Heath, whilst I admit I didn't go exactly the known part of Putney Heath, time was running short for me so I alighted along Victoria Drive, at Levana Close.

Once we leave Southfields Station whilst still on Wimbledon Park Road, we go from what we had as house-ful yet calmly residential and posh (but not posh like Chelsea or you name it), we escape onto Victoria Drive to get to Putney as soon as possible as we took time by getting to Southfields in the first place...

Go-Ahead London General SEN32 YX61FZR | ADL Enviro200 10.8m | Route 39 

This is where 39 shares resemblance to another route, one I have done before and loved when I did it back then, Abellio's T33 (or now known as, 433), both the vehicles I did it in and routing (at this point) was striking similar, I had SEN32 (YX61FZR) which had vibration issues but was very nippy on 39 on this journey Putney-bound, and on T33 I had 8776 (YX61ELH) which was nippy too.

So, as my time was short, I decided to escape back to Clapham Junction, but wanted to savour the taste of an LDP in case I never have the chance to do so again as at the time, there was a decent number of LDPs in service despite the possibility to fully convert. My bus was LDP222 (SK52MLV), which was decently loaded, by the time we got to Southfields we were full up but by Wandsworth most people unloaded however a neat amount remained but all have left once we got to Clapham Junction Station.

Thrashy | Go-Ahead London General LDP222 SK52MLV | Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 | Route 39 

Hope you enjoyed this post as I've not done a post of a route in a very long time and by now you probably get the drill if you read my posts before.....but let me twist the words this time...stay safe until next time!

Note: Usage of any photos on this blog isn't permitted where no name is present (meaning it's mine, ©Unorm), or an All Rights Reserved symbol © is present. If you desire to use a photo, you must contact the original author. In my case, you should contact my Flickr.

Cherishing new bonds, 157 + Arriva

Arriva T112 (LJ59LYP)
in Crystal Palace

As you know today, 3rd December 2016, Abellio lost 152 to Go-Ahead, 157 to Arriva and Go-Ahead lost 413 to Quality Line, only 157 has not seen it's respective operator even once. However, prior to privatisation, Thornton Heath (TH) ran 157 for most of the 1973-87 period (not fully though).

My "Last byes for Abellio with 157" post can be seen here.

And so technically Thornton Heath (TH) run 157 again (but Norwood [N] behind the shadows do in fact), as drivers are from the depot with new drivers to the company going on the route, but buses are based in Norwood (N) due to space constraints at Thornton Heath (TH), and those same buses 157 needed are from Norwood (N)! Allocated to 133, it's part of the T84-117 batch of which some which are not needed for 157 will head to Wood Green (WN) for route 221's contract renewal which did not start with intended buses.

The old look. Abellio's 9021 (BX55XLS) in
Crystal Palace Bus Station.

The last Abellio bus in service on route 157 was 9072 which finished service at 2:15, the last Enviro400 MMC was 2512 at 46 past midnight and the last Trident was 9813 which finished quite ironically, at 6pm (or, 1800). For the time being Thornton Heath (TH) are also lending a hand in allocation as in the first place, it is Thornton Heath (TH) drivers (signing on at the depot before going to Norwood [N] to pick up intended bus) who're driving the route as I mentioned before, it seems the Enviro400s already in Thornton Heath (TH) have had blinds for 64 and 157 prior to even tendering seemingly, I'm talking about T118-21 which were intended for Croydon (TC) but moved due to school routes 663/689 being born.

SE145's the first Go-Ahead 152 and MCS04's the first Quality Line 413, just saying.

The service with Abellio had been questionable, sometimes dreadful, and had an allocation of Volvo B7TLs which were hated by drivers so weren't best for the route, even at times you'd have one or two Enviro400 MMCs on it due to drivers trying to be rebels. On the other hand, the service with Arriva is questionable as they only took over it now, and have decent vehicles coming off 157.

Thornton Heath (TH)'s T129 (LJ10HVK) on Whitehorse Lane

The full allocation for 157 isn't really known but I'd stamp a guess for T84-105 as they're 21 vehicles for a PVR of 18. Oh, speaking of 157's service, the Sunday frequency has been increased from every 20 to every 15, at least some change has been addressed, and Thornton Heath (TH) run the Sunday service thanks to the low PVR with spare Ts from routes 64/198/250.

My T112 (LJ59LYP) clip on route 157 on Saturday can be seen here.

Thanks for reading (the post was rushed and was supposed to be published on Saturday), and enjoy yourselves as always!

Note: Usage of any photos on this blog isn't permitted where no name is present (meaning it's mine, ©Unorm), or an All Rights Reserved symbol © is present. If you desire to use a photo, you must contact the original author. In my case, you should contact my Flickr.

Last byes for Abellio with 157

As you may have guessed, routes 152 157 & 413 leave their decade long journey with their current operators Abellio and Go-Ahead respectively (of which the former was in Go-Ahead's hands decades ago) to go to Arriva (157), Go-Ahead (152) and Quality Line (413). The 413 has only been with Quality Line for 4 years from 1997 through to 2001. Now a comeback for a 5-7 year contract until 2021-3! Anyways this post as mentioned in the title is focused on 157 so don't expect me to rant about the other two routes. Meanwhile, tenders came out and the results are below.

The old look.
Abellio's 9021 (BX55XLS) in Crystal Palace Bus Station
serving it's first stop en-route Morden
Part of the ex-Walworth (WL) batch route 157 received did
indeed receive smartblinds along with an interior overhaul

Route 157, a long trunk route allocated the 'crap' Volvo B7TLs, or so drivers talk about now and then of which struggle the hill up Anerley Hill, are 9021-33, 9067/8 and 9071-3. The first two are from Walworth (WL) during in exchange with 9756-72 back in 2011 during it's new contract, with refurbished Volvo's off the 188. Route 3 receiving a full allocation of new E40Hs (2414-37) thus allowing 9739-55 to shift and the 188 received 13 new E40Hs, 2401-13 which allowed the shifting of it's V's (former code) to be easier. However some of the Tridents along with 9813 from Battersea (QB) returned during these same Volvo's refurbishment (some were due a refurb since their contract in around 2012). More about 157's past can be seen below.

First things first, for those who haven't done the route I shall explain the route as detailed but least contamination of words as I possibly can. In the mean time, watch my video of 2512 (YY64TZM) on route 157 on it's last day with Abellio.

Abellio 9032 (BX55XME) in Morden
at the first stop en-route Crystal
Palace

Starting at Morden, a crowd gets on the route as per typical trunk route, you leave the people-full Morden Station to go on Morden Hall Road which is a four-lane dual carriageway with houses on opposite sides as well as minor greenery. We then approach Rose Hill Roundabout and take a turn onto Wrythe Lane which is two-lane with moderate houses either sides too, until we meet the large and appealing St Helier's Hospital which has a greenery opposite it. We continue the typical-ness until we pass Carshalton Station and hit Carshalton Pond, full of swans swimming about, and then the approach to Carshalton High Street is a bit narrow for two buses to pass but we made it.

After that we instantly hit on a narrower quiet residential road to direct ourselves straight to Wallington which takes faster than you think it would've, once we pass under Wallington Station, we turn to Stafford Road, last main road we hit on our way to Croydon, of which we pass many sorts of houses and shops. A few minutes later, the junction of Purley Way/Stafford Road approaches and we pass there, it starts to become less appealing, oh and by the way, to your left you can see the rail tracks as if the train line wants to share with the road or make itself visible, in any case it's mainly seen until you happen to know Croydon, an entrance from the middle of nothingness into a town centre, is pretty strange....

Morden to West Croydon takes 40 minutes on a good day, now for the Crystal Palace section which took an extra 50 minutes due to the interference with school rush hours and stupendous traffic. The 157 tries it's best to leave Croydon and head for Crystal Palace as fast as it could by serving Whitehorse Road, Northcote Road (again a narrow residential road) and then Selhurst Road (regular residential road which sees estate blocks and shops) as well as passing Selhurst Station of which one of the platforms for trains terminating is very very close to the road.

Traffic builds up as we reach Norwood Junction...it's a schoolchildren's headquarters...anyways, the 157 makes it's best efforts to get to Anerley before reaching the burnt-down so-called 'Crystal Palace'. We continue on Croydon Road until we make a left turn onto Anerley Road which is less traffic-infested and has cars parked halfway on the pavement and road, at first the road isn't much to note about bar the slight incline and moderate houses, as we approach Anerley Station it builds up more with 249/410/432 coming in, then as we reach Crystal Palace, more traffic builds up and even a bigger incline than we've ever had on our journey.....Anerley Hill. Whilst climbing, yet again moderate looking houses doesn't cease to bore us and neither does the cars with awkward parking positions to maximise traffic potential to sway past without error, once we finished climbing up, we reached Crystal Palace Park of which the next stop would be the Green 'Palace' known as Crystal Palace to many.

2512 (YY64YZM) in Morden at the
first stop en-route Crystal Palace

We now turn to it's history which dates back to 1934, when police started to record service changes. It was Morden to Wallington Station using the STL type. Over the months a reroute via Wrythe Lane (instead of Sutton) and an extension to Raynes Park have been issued. Allocation change to D-type Daimlers from Merton (AL) on the 10/10/45 with a PVR of 11. And the start of a new era, with new RT-type Regent III's.

On 4 March 59, it was given a large extension to Crystal Palace replacing the trolleybus 654 via pretty much the same routing today. Croydon (CN) assisted the route (PVR of 22). Five years later, CN closed in favour of Elmers End (ED) with Sutton (A) dealing with most of the PVR.

In Autumn 70, the Rayners Park end was cut to Morden on Sundays excluding evenings but that returned at the start of 1973 plus a conversion to One-Person-Operation.

Thus it was the 26th November 1988 where the route shrunk permanently to Morden Station (with a PVR of 13, low compared to now). Allocation was Daimler Fleetlines (DMS-class). However, replaced by the M-type, MCW Metrobus, during 1993. A further fact, the 157 had 413's current running number sequence, #51+. Then on the 26th July 97, new Volvo Olympians on the Northern Counties Palatine I body were brought to life.

Connex took over the route on the 1st December 2001 with 17 new Tridents (which very barely made it for the 51-reg deadline!), coded TA56-72 with a PVR increase to 16 and a running number sequence of #201+. Obviously running from Beddington Cross (BC). The sequence changed to #101+ on contract renewal in 2006, of which #201+ is now adopted by route 201.

Abellio 9032 (BX55XME) on stand
in a deserted Crystal Palace

The contract renewal in 2011 called for Volvo's from Walworth (WL), routes 188/381. The refurbishment featured the addition of smart-blinds, or automatic blinds one may call them. Abellio did this with the 56/07-plate Enviro400s and 9466, including the ex-Armchair 9830-43, the Nimbuses, and MPD (Mini Pointer Dart)s for route H26/U9. And exactly 2 years later, a sequence change to #1+ (vacant when 3/N3 left to Battersea [QB]).

And as a fact, it seems Abellio, sorry, I mean Travel London loaned the KN52's that were on route 237 during iBus installment (for 157) which some are on route 172 as of now.

Route 109's 2512 was the last Enviro400 MMC to serve 157 and predictions for actual last...9028 which should finish service at 2:38 following morning.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and as always, enjoy yourselves!

If you're here to read this then I'm surprised. Tenders came out today and it seems the following..

SD = Single Deck     DD = Double Deck
70 Contract awarded to London United from Tower Transit. PVR 18>19. To be confirmed. 24/6/17.
120 Contract awarded to Metroline from London United. PVR 17. New Euro6 hybrid DD. 24/6/17.
C1 Contract retained by London United. PVR 15. To be confirmed. 1/7/17.
R68 Contract retained by Abellio West London. PVR 10. New Euro6 diesel SD. 24/6/17.
R70 Contract retained by Abellio West London. PVR 11. New Euro6 diesel SD. 24/6/17.

Note: Usage of any photos on this blog isn't permitted where no name is present (meaning it's mine, ©Unorm), or an All Rights Reserved symbol © is present. If you desire to use a photo, you must contact the original author. In my case, you should contact my Flickr.