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Post by borneobus on Nov 6, 2022 1:13:05 GMT
LOCATION: COLLIERS WOOD STATION Stood outside Colliers Wood London Underground Station OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 57 / Go-Ahead / AL / 24 / 10 / Kingston - Norbiton - Raynes Pk - Wimbledon - Colliers Wood - Tooting - Streatham - Clapham Park 131 / Go-Ahead / AL / 21 / 8 / Kingston - New Malden Fountain - Raynes Park - Wimbledon - Colliers Wood - Tooting 152 / Go-Ahead / AL / 15 / 12 / New Malden - Raynes Park - Wimbledon Chase - Colliers Wood - Mitcham - Eastfields - Pollards Hill 200 / Go-Ahead / AL / 15 / 9 / Raynes Park - Copse Hill - Ridgway - Wimbledon - Haydons Road - Colliers Wood - Phipps Bridge - Mitcham 219 / Go-Ahead / AL / 11 / 12 / Wimbledon - Colliers Wood - Tooting - Trinity Road - Clapham Junction Asda 470 / RATP / TV / 7 / 30 / Epsom - Ewell - Cheam - Sutton - Sutton Common - Morden - Colliers Wood 6 Routes / 2 Operators / 2 Garages / Total PVR = 93 / Bus Departures per hour = 62 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Five of the ten routes operated from the large Merton Garage serve Colliers Wood Station and that’s not a big surprise as AL is a four-minute walk south on Merton High Street. Two of the DD routes are the 57 & 131 that both offer a ride to Kingston. The 57 via Raynes Park and New Victoria Hospital is operated by an impressive six types: E/EHV/WHV/WVL/WVN/WSD and the 131 via Raynes Park and New Malden (WHV/WVL/WVN/WSD with the odd EHV). The third Merton DD route is the 200 that’s operated by Optare MetoDeckers (Me1 – Me17) save for a fortnight in May after the type was ‘grounded’ after the Potters Bar fire and EHVs freed up from the 135 stepped in to operate the 200. Similar to the 455 mentioned under West Croydon SOEs survive for now on the 152 and you can currently see a subset of SOE2-3/6-15/19/21-22/29-30 operating the route alongside SEs whilst the 219 is operated by 10.8m StreetLites. Finally, the sole non Go-Ahead route 470 heads out to leafy Ewell and Epsom via Sutton and is operated by RATP’s Tolworth Garage with 9.7m Enviro 200s DDE20287-DDE20293 – may be someone can educate me why these received revised serials? (formerly SDE). This is the sole terminator at Colliers Wood Station. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A pleasant enough location and the Merton allocators ensure there’s a nice mix of types to be seen. There’s a Co-Op Food across the road from the station. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – London Underground Colliers Wood (Northern Line) 3) By Car – There’s a car park for shoppers at the nearby Priory Retail Park
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Post by borneobus on Nov 10, 2022 14:14:56 GMT
LOCATION: BETHNAL GREEN @ junction of A1209 (Bethnal Green Road / A107 (Cambridge Heath Road) / B119 (Roman Road) OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 8 / Stagecoach / BW / 22 / 7.5 / Bow - Old Ford - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - Bank - Holborn - Tottenham Court Road Station 106 / Go-Ahead / NP / 14 / 10 / Finsbury Park - Stoke Newington - Clapton - Hackney - Bethnal Green – Whitechapel 254 / Arriva / AE / 23 / 8 / Holloway - Finsbury Park - Stamford Hill - Clapton - Hackney - Whitechapel - Aldgate 309 / Stagecoach / HK / 9 / 12 / Canning Town Station - Bow Common - Stepney - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hospital 388 / Stagecoach HK / 12 / 12 / Stratford City - Hackney Wick - Victoria Park - Cambridge Heath - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - London Bridge D3 / Stagecoach / WH / 12 / 12 / Leamouth Orch Pl - Canary Wharf - Westferry - Limehouse - Shadwell - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hosp D6 / Stagecoach / HK / 14 / 7.5 / Crossharbour Asda - Poplar - Limehouse - Mile End - Globe Town - Bethnal Green - Cambridge Heath 7 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 106 / Bus Departures per hour = 89 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Three former HCT routes, now operated by Stagecoach from the shared facility (with Arriva) at Ash Grove that’s about a ten to fifteen minute walk north from Bethnal Green. The 388 appears to follow these reports around London as it’s already been mentioned under London Bridge, Shoreditch and Stratford City. Not previously mentioned though are two single-deck routes: 309 that terminates three stops away at Bonner Road. The TfL website continues to make mention of “Bethnal Green Chest Hospital” despite the fact it’s permanently closed. The route is operated by StreetLites (with the odd ADL200) and the route threads its way through Stepney and Poplar on the route to Canning Town. There’s a plentiful supply of ADL200s operating the D6 from Ash Grove Garage to Crossharbour on the Isle of Dogs. Meanwhile the Stagecoach West Ham D3 also terminates at Bonner Road before heading towards Canary Wharf and Leamouth and with this name no surprise that it's literally a stone’s throw from where the River Lea meets the River Thames. The WH allocators have only put out ADL200s on the route this year (36349-36361 & 36367-36371) and the last time a double decker operated the route was December 2019. Should really mention the New Routemasters on the 254 as it’s the only AE route (78 is the other) to serve Bethnal Green ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Not particularly busy but the single deckers make Bethnal Green interesting in what is what I’d describe as a “Good honest slice of London”. It’s actually quite pleasant and leafy with one corner of the intersection taken up by Bethnal Green Gardens. There’s a Sainsbury’s Local four or five doors away from the LU station. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – LU Bethnal Green (Central Line)
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Post by wirewiper on Nov 10, 2022 16:48:18 GMT
LOCATION: BETHNAL GREEN @ junction of A1209 (Bethnal Green Road / A107 (Cambridge Heath Road) / B119 (Roman Road) OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 8 / Stagecoach / BW / 22 / 7.5 / Bow - Old Ford - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - Bank - Holborn - Tottenham Court Road Station 106 / Go-Ahead / NP / 14 / 10 / Finsbury Park - Stoke Newington - Clapton - Hackney - Bethnal Green – Whitechapel 254 / Arriva / AE / 23 / 8 / Holloway - Finsbury Park - Stamford Hill - Clapton - Hackney - Whitechapel - Aldgate 309 / Stagecoach / HK / 9 / 12 / Canning Town Station - Bow Common - Stepney - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hospital 388 / Stagecoach HK / 12 / 12 / Stratford City - Hackney Wick - Victoria Park - Cambridge Heath - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - London Bridge D3 / Stagecoach / WH / 12 / 12 / Leamouth Orch Pl - Canary Wharf - Westferry - Limehouse - Shadwell - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hosp D6 / Stagecoach / HK / 14 / 7.5 / Crossharbour Asda - Poplar - Limehouse - Mile End - Globe Town - Bethnal Green - Cambridge Heath 7 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 106 / Bus Departures per hour = 89 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Three former HCT routes, now operated by Stagecoach from the shared facility (with Arriva) at Ash Grove that’s about a ten to fifteen minute walk north from Bethnal Green. The 388 appears to follow these reports around London as it’s already been mentioned under London Bridge, Shoreditch and Stratford City. Not previously mentioned though are two single-deck routes: 309 that terminates three stops away at Bonner Road. The TfL website continues to make mention of “Bethnal Green Chest Hospital” despite the fact it’s permanently closed. The route is operated by StreetLites (with the odd ADL200) and the route threads its way through Stepney and Poplar on the route to Canning Town. There’s a plentiful supply of ADL200s operating the D6 from Ash Grove Garage to Crossharbour on the Isle of Dogs. Meanwhile the Stagecoach West Ham D3 also terminates at Bonner Road before heading towards Canary Wharf and Leamouth and with this name no surprise that it's literally a stone’s throw from where the River Lea meets the River Thames. The WH allocators have only put out ADL200s on the route this year (36349-36361 & 36367-36371) and the last time a double decker operated the route was December 2019. Should really mention the New Routemasters on the 254 as it’s the only AE route (78 is the other) to serve Bethnal Green ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Not particularly busy but the single deckers make Bethnal Green interesting in what is what I’d describe as a “Good honest slice of London”. It’s actually quite pleasant and leafy with one corner of the intersection taken up by Bethnal Green Gardens. There’s a Sainsbury’s Local four or five doors away from the LU station. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – LU Bethnal Green (Central Line) My old Manor! I lived there for sixteen years and only moved away three years ago. Don't forget London overground services also serve Bethnal Green*. If you wanted to combine with a trip on the Elizabeth Line, Whitechapel Station is about ten minutes walk away or a few stops on the 254. I thought the 309 still used the unusual two-door Optare Solos? They were unique in being the only classic Solos built to this design, there were some 2-door SR examples later for the 470 with Quality Line. Completely off-tangent, but the big church on the corner, St John on Bethnal Green, is a Grade I Listed Building and was built in 1826-1828 by the eminent architect Sir John Soane, as one of twelve churches of the period built to serve London's rapidly-growing population. In recent years it has acquired a stunning series of paintings of The Stations of The Cross by the artist Chris Gollon. The paintings are on permanent display in the church and if it is open, it is well worth going in to see them. www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/?page_id=23 * although the same name as the Underground station, the Overground station is a separate station five minutes walk away and tucked down a side street, Three Colts Lane. This station was originally Bethnal Green Junction, but the suffix was dropped when the Main Line and Shenfield Line platforms were closed and subsequently demolished. It was intended to name the Underground station as simply "Bethnal" but this changed prior to it opening in 1946.
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Post by borneobus on Nov 11, 2022 13:31:40 GMT
LOCATION: BETHNAL GREEN @ junction of A1209 (Bethnal Green Road / A107 (Cambridge Heath Road) / B119 (Roman Road) OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 8 / Stagecoach / BW / 22 / 7.5 / Bow - Old Ford - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - Bank - Holborn - Tottenham Court Road Station 106 / Go-Ahead / NP / 14 / 10 / Finsbury Park - Stoke Newington - Clapton - Hackney - Bethnal Green – Whitechapel 254 / Arriva / AE / 23 / 8 / Holloway - Finsbury Park - Stamford Hill - Clapton - Hackney - Whitechapel - Aldgate 309 / Stagecoach / HK / 9 / 12 / Canning Town Station - Bow Common - Stepney - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hospital 388 / Stagecoach HK / 12 / 12 / Stratford City - Hackney Wick - Victoria Park - Cambridge Heath - Bethnal Green - Shoreditch - London Bridge D3 / Stagecoach / WH / 12 / 12 / Leamouth Orch Pl - Canary Wharf - Westferry - Limehouse - Shadwell - Bethnal Green - London Chest Hosp D6 / Stagecoach / HK / 14 / 7.5 / Crossharbour Asda - Poplar - Limehouse - Mile End - Globe Town - Bethnal Green - Cambridge Heath 7 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 106 / Bus Departures per hour = 89 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Three former HCT routes, now operated by Stagecoach from the shared facility (with Arriva) at Ash Grove that’s about a ten to fifteen minute walk north from Bethnal Green. The 388 appears to follow these reports around London as it’s already been mentioned under London Bridge, Shoreditch and Stratford City. Not previously mentioned though are two single-deck routes: 309 that terminates three stops away at Bonner Road. The TfL website continues to make mention of “Bethnal Green Chest Hospital” despite the fact it’s permanently closed. The route is operated by StreetLites (with the odd ADL200) and the route threads its way through Stepney and Poplar on the route to Canning Town. There’s a plentiful supply of ADL200s operating the D6 from Ash Grove Garage to Crossharbour on the Isle of Dogs. Meanwhile the Stagecoach West Ham D3 also terminates at Bonner Road before heading towards Canary Wharf and Leamouth and with this name no surprise that it's literally a stone’s throw from where the River Lea meets the River Thames. The WH allocators have only put out ADL200s on the route this year (36349-36361 & 36367-36371) and the last time a double decker operated the route was December 2019. Should really mention the New Routemasters on the 254 as it’s the only AE route (78 is the other) to serve Bethnal Green ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Not particularly busy but the single deckers make Bethnal Green interesting in what is what I’d describe as a “Good honest slice of London”. It’s actually quite pleasant and leafy with one corner of the intersection taken up by Bethnal Green Gardens. There’s a Sainsbury’s Local four or five doors away from the LU station. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – LU Bethnal Green (Central Line) My old Manor! I lived there for sixteen years and only moved away three years ago. Don't forget London overground services also serve Bethnal Green*. If you wanted to combine with a trip on the Elizabeth Line, Whitechapel Station is about ten minutes walk away or a few stops on the 254. I thought the 309 still used the unusual two-door Optare Solos? They were unique in being the only classic Solos built to this design, there were some 2-door SR examples later for the 470 with Quality Line. Completely off-tangent, but the big church on the corner, St John on Bethnal Green, is a Grade I Listed Building and was built in 1826-1828 by the eminent architect Sir John Soane, as one of twelve churches of the period built to serve London's rapidly-growing population. In recent years it has acquired a stunning series of paintings of The Stations of The Cross by the artist Chris Gollon. The paintings are on permanent display in the church and if it is open, it is well worth going in to see them. www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/www.stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/?page_id=23 * although the same name as the Underground station, the Overground station is a separate station five minutes walk away and tucked down a side street, Three Colts Lane. This station was originally Bethnal Green Junction, but the suffix was dropped when the Main Line and Shenfield Line platforms were closed and subsequently demolished. It was intended to name the Underground station as simply "Bethnal" but this changed prior to it opening in 1946. wirewiper - thanks for your comments and amazing coincidence as I am currently sat eating my lunch on a park bench in Paradise Gardens looking at St. John on Bethnal Green Church that’s opposite and was thinking the church is an unusual design - you make a good point about the Optare Solos and (two door) 47999 has just passed me on the way to Bonner Road
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Post by borneobus on Nov 17, 2022 11:55:17 GMT
LOCATION: STRATFORD BUS STATION Stood in Station Street, strategically by the entrance / exit to Stratford Bus Station OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 25 / Stagecoach / BW / 31 / 7.5 / Ilford - Manor Park - Stratford - Bow - Mile End - Whitechapel - Aldgate - Bank - City Thameslink Station 69 / Go-Ahead / DS / 18 / 8 / Walthamstow - Leyton Green - Leyton - Maryland - Stratford - West Ham - Hermit Road - Canning Town 86 / Stagecoach / NS/WH / 31 / 6 / Romford - Chadwell Heath - Ilford - Manor Park - Forest Gate – Stratford 104 / Go-Ahead / RR / 12 / 8 / Manor Park - East Ham - Upton Park - Plashet – Stratford 158 / Arriva / EC / 25 / 6 / Chingford Mount - Blackhorse Lane - Leyton - Stratford 238 / Stagecoach / WH / 12 / 10 / Barking - East Ham - Plashet - Upton – Stratford 241 / Stagecoach / WH / 10 / 10 / Stratford City - Stratford - West Ham - Balaam Street - Custom House - Keir Hardie Estate - Canning Town 257 / Stagecoach / T / 16 / 7.5 / Walthamstow - Leyton Green - Whipps Cross - Leytonstone – Stratford 262 / Stagecoach / LI / 10 / 11 / Beckton Sainsbury's - Gallions Reach Shopping Park - Beckton - Plaistow - West Ham - Stratford 276 / Go-Ahead / SI / 17 / 12 / Stoke Newington - Hackney - Old Ford - Bow - Stratford - West Ham - Canning Town - Newham General Hosp 308 / Stagecoach / LI / 13 / 12 / Wanstead - Forest Lane - Stratford - Stratford City - Stratford International - Homerton – Clapton 425 / Stagecoach / BW / 21 / 10 / Ilford - Manor Park - Forest Gate - Stratford - Bow - Mile End - Homerton Hospital - Clapton Nightingale Road 473 / Stagecoach / LI / 9 / 11 / North Woolwich - London City Airport - Plaistow - West Ham - Stratford D8 / Stagecoach / LI / 9 / 12 / Stratford - Bromley-by-Bow - Poplar - Canary Wharf - Westferry - Crossharbour Asda 14 Routes / 3 Operators / 9 Garages / Total PVR = 214 / Bus Departures per hour = 119 WHAT YOU’LL SEE As you’re aware, Stratford Bus Station is located just north of one of the key road arteries in/out of London that runs from Aldgate as A11 (Mile End Road) via Ilford to Romford as A118. Unsurprisingly then, Stagecoach’s two routes (25 from BW and 86 from NS supplemented by one or two WH ADL400s in rush hours) that ply up and down this road are the 5th and 6th busiest TfL routes carrying a combined 16.9 million pax per annum. The 25 travels east up to Ilford whilst the 86 is one of seven Stratford terminators. The other terminators include Arriva’s sole route serving Stratford, the 158 operated predominantly by DWs with a few HVs but sadly the Gemini 2s (VLWs) were withdrawn about a year ago. Go-Ahead operate the 104 with a mix of types from River Road whilst the other terminators are Stagecoach’s 238 & 257 plus a trio of routes gained (262, 473 & D8) as part of the acquisition of Tower Transit and their Lea Interchange garage. Staying with routes operated from LI, the 308 is one of two routes to serve Stratford Bus Station in only one direction (westbound > Clapton Pond), the other being the ‘electric’ 69 (northbound > Walthamstow). The token single-deck route is the 276 operated from Go-Ahead’s Silvertown garage by ADL200s (SE). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Although there are locations with bigger PVRs, and more Bus Departures per hour this ‘feels’ to me one of the busiest, if not the busiest single London bus location in terms of passengers (it would be great to see some numbers of passengers boarding here but I’m not aware that TfL publish this data). This backed up by the fact that in 2020/2021 Stratford was the busiest UK railway station with just shy of 14 million pax beating Victoria, London Bridge and Waterloo that all presumably have suffered a downturn in numbers presumably in part, due continued WFH post Covid. With the acquisition of Tower Transit, Stagecoach has a significant presence at Stratford with 11/14 routes and two-thirds of the total PVR. This is a great location to view London buses with often 4/5 buses sweeping into the Bus Station as the lights change on the nearby High Street / Broadway and many buses can be seen ‘parked-up’ between services. Needless to say, there are full facilities at the station and in the adjacent shopping centres. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Elizabeth Line / London Overground / London Underground / DLR 3) By Car – There are many public car parks but you’ll find me on the Elizabeth Line
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Post by borneobus on Nov 22, 2022 11:45:05 GMT
LOCATION: ELTHAM At Junction of Eltham Hill / Eltham High St & A208 (Court Road) OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htmRoute / Operator / Garage / PVR / Frequency / Routing 124 / Stagecoach / TL / 14 / 10 / Eltham - Middle Park - Mottingham - Dunkery Road - Grove Park - Waters Road - Catford 126 / Go-Ahead / MB / 11 / 10 / Eltham - Mottingham - Dunkery Road - Grove Park – Bromley 132 / Go-Ahead / BX / 16 / 10 / Bexleyheath - Bexley - Eltham - Kidbrooke - Blackheath - North Greenwich 160 / Stagecoach / TL / 12 / 15 / Sidcup - Chislehurst - New Eltham - Eltham - Middle Park - Eltham Green - Sandhurst Road - Catford 161 / Stagecoach / PD / 16 / 10 / Chislehurst - Mottingham - Eltham - QEH - Woolwich - New Charlton - North Greenwich 162 / Go-Ahead / MB / 11 / 15 / Eltham Station - New Eltham - Chislehurst - Bromley - Park Langley - Beckenham Junction 233 / Go-Ahead / MB / 6 / 20 / Swanley - Northview Estate - Foots Cray - Sidcup - Longlands Road - New Eltham - Eltham 286 / Go-Ahead / MG / 14 / 11 / Sidcup - Avery Hill - Eltham - Kidbrooke - Blackheath Royal Standard - East Greenwich - Greenwich 314 / Stagecoach / TB / 15 / 12 / New Addington - Addington Interchange - Hayes - Bromley - Elmstead Woods - New Eltham – Eltham 321 / Go-Ahead / NX / 17 / 10 / Foots Cray Tesco - Sidcup - New Eltham - Eltham - Lee Green - Lewisham - New Cross Sainsbury's B15 / Arriva / DT / 6 / 20 / Horn Park Alnwick Road - Eltham Green - Eltham - Riefield Road - Welling - Elsa Road - Bexleyheath B16 / Go-Ahead / BX / 9 / 15 / Kidbrooke - Eltham Green - Eltham - Falconwood - Welling - Bexleyheath - Bexleyheath Bus Garage 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 8 Garages / Total PVR = 161 / Bus Departures per hour = 117 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Of the twelve routes only four are decked and there’s been big change in the last year with the introduction of electric Alexander Dennis Enviro 40EV Citys on two routes serving Eltham: 1) Go-Ahead’s EP1-EP18 operating the 132 from BX and 2) Stagecoach’s 14148-14162 operating the 160 from TL. Meanwhile arguably the most interesting of the decked routes is the 321 operated by Go-Ahead from New Cross, predominantly with 59 plate WVL Gemini 2s. In terms of single-deck routes Stagecoach operate the 124 with ‘short’ 8.9 metre ADL200s from Catford and slightly longer 10.2 metre variants operate the 314 TB that links New Addington, Bromley and Eltham. Go-Ahead’s MB garage operates three single-deck routes 126, 162 and the 233 that is the only TfL route to serve Swanley terminating in a lay-by there that’s a stone’s throw from the M20/M25 intersection. Meanwhile Arriva’s sole route is the B15 that’s operated with 09 plate ENXs. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Recently I visited Eltham for the first time (arrived by 132 from Bexleyheath / departing by 160 to Lewisham Town Hall) and my impressions were positive. It’s reasonably busy for buses and there’s a good variety of electric / WVLs / hybrid Enviro 400 MMCs on the 161, various ADL200s and StreetLites operating the 286. The area is pleasant, leafy and if it’s raining there’s a McDonald’s on the intersection that faces Eltham Parish Church. The pavements are wide and not particularly busy in terms of pedestrians. One of the better “London High Streets”. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Eltham Station is a five minute walk north 3) By Car – There’s a public car park in Passey Place off the High Street
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Post by borneobus on Nov 27, 2022 8:42:38 GMT
LOCATION: ARCHWAY At Junction of A1 (Archway Road) and Highgate Hill by Flowers Mews OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm4 / Metroline / HT / 17 / 10 / Archway - Tufnell Park - Finsbury Park - Highbury - Islington - St Paul's – Blackfriars 17 / Metroline / HT / 16 / 10 / Archway - Holloway - King's Cross - Holborn Circus - St Paul's - London Bridge 41 / Arriva / AR / 19 / 6 / Tottenham Hale - West Green - Wood Green Turnpike Lane - Crouch End - Archway 43 / Metroline / HT / 26 / 8 / Friern Barnet - Muswell Hill - Archway - Holloway - Highbury - Islington - Moorgate - Bank - London Bridge 134 / Metroline / PB / 19 / 8 / North Finchley - Friern Barnet - Muswell Hill - Archway - Camden Town - Warren Street Station 143 / Metroline / W / 12 / 12 / Brent Cross - Hendon - Finchley - East Finchley - Highgate – Archway 210 / Metroline / W / 14 / 10 / Brent Cross - Golders Green - Hampstead Heath - Archway - Hornsey Rise - Finsbury Park 263 / Metroline / PB / 18 / 10 / Barnet Hospital - Barnet - Whetstone - North Finchley - East Finchley - Archway - Holloway - Highbury Barn 271 / Metroline / HT / 13 / 8 / Highgate - Holloway - Highbury - Moorgate 390 / Metroline / HT / 21 / 8.5 / Archway - Brecknock Road - York Way - King's Cross - Euston - Tottenham Court Road - Marble Arch - Victoria C11 / Metroline / W / 16 / 10 / Brent Cross - N Cricklewood - W Hampstead - Swiss Cottage - Hampstead - Gospel Oak - Parl Hill - Archway W5 / Stagecoach / HK / 6 / 12 / Archway - Shepherd's Hill - Crouch End - Hornsey Vale - Oakfield Road - Harringay Sainsbury's 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 6 Garages / Total PVR = 197 / Bus Departures per hour = 114 WHAT YOU’LL SEE There are seven Archway terminators and at least five use parking stands on the wide Archway Road / A1 whilst resting. Heading north and facing away from Archway are Metroline’s HT garage decked 17 (a mix of LT & BDE) and 390 (LT) whilst parked up facing south (towards Archway) are single deck routes 143 and C11 (both Metroline Cricklewood DE) and former HCT, now Stagecoach W5. This is operated by 8.8 metre StreetLites and a couple of the oldest buses left in London TfL service: 57 plate 8.9 metre Enviro 200s now 36037/36038 with Stagecoach but until recently 1300/1301 with HCT. The route east to Harringay seems to be one never ending “Hail and Ride” as the route negotiates very pleasant residential roads in Crouch End…but nothing wrong with that. I was surprised to see that the Arriva AR operated 41 (mix of DW/HV) has a six-minute frequency but it is the second busiest route to serve Archway after the 43. Whilst waiting to head back north to Tottenham Hale, The 41 parks up in MacDonald Road off Highgate Hill. As far as through routes go the most noteworthy are two major north/south links both operated by Metroline EV: the 43 from HT uses Alexander Dennis Enviro 40EV Citys (BDE) whilst from PB are Optare MetroDeckers (OME) on the 134. The east-west 210 (mix of Cricklewood TE/THE/VWH) is one of the more scenic London DD routes…well at least it’s scenic around the Hampstead part of the route… ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I was fascinated to see only DD parking up on the west side of Archway Road and only SD on the east side – but the reason may be that trees, specifically one tree in adjoining Archway Park significantly overhangs the parking stands. If you look up from the west side of the road, you’ll see a historic late Victorian building with two imposing towers that I learnt was opened in 1879 as the Holborn Union Infirmary…not sure of current use. More mundane, but pleasing to see on the pavement is a permanent one man/woman loo for use by drivers – wonder if the entry code is ‘390’ (!) I always enjoy visiting Archway, even if the geography of the road layout takes a little bit of getting used to. I’ve had reason to visit twice in the last week – early last Sunday morning to take advantage of quiet roads travelling through e2e aboard EvoSeti VMH2477 on 271 (to Highgate) and later on Gemini 3 VWH2005 to Blackfriars on 4. Pleasingly, both routes, that at the start of the week were then under threat of being axed now both appear to be safe. Both routes are of course Metroline and Archway has a significant Archway presence with many routes / PVR operated from the massive garage in nearby Pemberton Road (HT). Metroline currently enjoy 87% of the PVR / 90% of bus departures per hour. In terms of refreshments, McDonald’s on Highgate Hill (specifically the stools by the window) has a perfect view of buses departing from Bus Stop ‘E’ (4/43/271/C11/W5) and in addition to the W5 StreetLites chugging along you’ll also see other routes (but not all) including departing 41s. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Archway LU Station is a two minute walk 3) By Car – Parking not easy
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Post by borneobus on Dec 1, 2022 17:17:15 GMT
LOCATION: CHINGFORD MOUNT At Junction of A112 (Chingford Mount Road / Old Church Road) and A1009 (Hall Lane / New Road) OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm97 / Stagecoach / WH / 21 / 8 / Chingford - Chingford Mount - Walthamstow - Leyton Green - Leyton - East Village - Stratford City 158 / Arriva / EC / 25 / 6 / Chingford Mount - Blackhorse Lane - Leyton – Stratford 215 / Stagecoach / T / 5 / 20 / Lee Valley Campsite - Yardley Lane Estate - Chingford Mount – Walthamstow 357 / Go-Ahead / NP / 7 / 15 / Chingford Hatch - Chingford Mount - Walthamstow - Leyton Green - Whipps Cross 385 / Stagecoach / AW / 1 / 70 / Chingford - Valley Side - Waltham Way - Chingford Mount - Crooked Billet Sainsbury's 397 / Stagecoach / AW / 5 / 30 / Debden - Loughton - Woodford Wells - Forest Side - Chingford - Friday Hill - Endlebury Road - Chingford Mount - Crooked Billet Sainsbury's 444 / Go-Ahead / NP / 11 / 12 / Chingford - Larkshall Road - Chingford Mount - Upper Edmonton - Wilbury Way - Wood Green Turnpike Lane Station W16 / Stagecoach / AW / 9 / 13 / Chingford Mount - Chingford Hatch - Highams Park - Wood Street - Shernhall Street - Leyton Green - Hainault Road - Leytonstone Station 8 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 84 / Bus Departures per hour = 59 WHAT YOU’LL SEE Two terminators that both park-up next to the war memorial in Albert Crescent that’s on the north-west side of the intersection. Arriva’s only route here, the 158 is operated from Edmonton with a mix of DW & HV and is the busiest route serving Chingford Mount whilst the former HCT W16 links Chingford Mount and Leytonstone Station. Staying with legacy HCT routes, the 385 and 397 are both operated from what is now Stagecoach’s Walthamstow Avenue garage and both routes commence their journeys from the adjacent Crooked Billet Sainsbury’s. The 397 has no evening services and effectively feels like a ‘country’ bus service with a 30 minute frequency, that links Chingford with leafy small towns on the Central Line (Loughton, Debden and Buckhurst Hill). Meanwhile the 385 has just six Mon-Sat ‘shopping’ returns to Chingford Station and is the only route to serve the residential area around Waltham Way that's to the east of the large reservoirs that separate Enfield and Chingford. More often than not the route is operated by 8.9 metre ADL200 SN16 OGO that’s now Stagecoach 37720. Not so long ago I travelled on the route e2e on the bus in question that was then HCT 1220 and I was impressed with the patience of the lady driver who, on a Saturday morning had to negotiate countless ‘parked’ cars dumped (on tight corners) along the route. The route carried just 24k passengers last year…which by my reckoning is around eight per service. Finally, must mention the 97 which is a pretty much north-south trunk service linking Chingford, Walthamstow, Leyton and Stratford and the West Ham based Scanias survive for now! ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Another interesting and pleasant location, that’s unusual for these reports insofar as the nearest railway station is a mile-and-a-half away (London Overground Highams Hill) so bus will be very important for some local residents. A good place to view two ‘rare’ routes (385 & 397). GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Nothing in the immediate vicinity – Meridian Water & Highams Park are both a bus ride away 3) By Car – There’s a car park for shoppers at Sainsbury’s on Hall Lane – a two minute walk from the crossroads
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Post by borneobus on Dec 3, 2022 20:21:55 GMT
LOCATION: SUTTON At Junction of A232 (Grove Road / Sutton Road) and B2230 (High Street) There’s going to be a lot of change at Sutton over the forthcoming year with the garage schedule to receive a significant number of new EV vehicles. So, on Thursday I took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in Sutton to view the Optare Olympus making appearances on the 80, 151 & 213. Accordingly, I made sure to arrive on an Olympus travelling south from Morden Station on DOE6 on the 80. Arriving at Sutton, what I didn’t appreciate at the time was that this was the penultimate day of RATP operation on the 470! It will be interesting to see what becomes of DDE20287-DDE20294 that operated the route and if anyone at RATP knows why they were re-designated from SDE to DDE a while back that would be good to know. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm80 / Go-Ahead / A / 15 / 8 / Belmont Highdown & Downview Prisons - Sutton - Collingwood Road - Sutton Common - Morden - St Helier 151 / Go-Ahead / A / 14 / 10 / Worcester Park - North Cheam - Cheam - Sutton - Hackbridge – Wallington 164 / Go-Ahead / AL / 12 / 10 / Sutton - Rosehill - Morden - Wimbledon Chase - Wimbledon 213 / Go-Ahead / A / 16 / 10 / Sutton Bus Garage - Sutton - Cheam - North Cheam - Worcester Park - New Malden - Norbiton - Kingston 280 / Go-Ahead / AL / 14 / 10 / Belmont - Sutton - Rosehill - Mitcham - Tooting St George's Hospital 407 / Abellio / BC / 16 /12 / Caterham - Whyteleafe - Purley - S Croydon - Croydon - Waddon - Wallington Green - Carshalton – Sutton 413 / Go-Ahead / AL / 8 / 15 / Sutton - Gander Green Lane - Lower Morden - Cannon Hill Lane - Morden 470 / RATP / TV / 7 / 30 / Epsom - Ewell - Cheam - Sutton - Sutton Common - Morden - Colliers Wood S1 / Go-Ahead / C / 11 / 15 / Banstead - Belmont - The Gallop - Sutton - St Helier - Beddington Corner - Mitcham - Lavender Fields S3 / RATP / TV / 8 / 20 / Belmont Station - Carshalton Beeches - Sutton - North Cheam - Worcester Park - Malden Manor Station S4 / Abellio / BC / 6 / 30 / Roundshaw - Wallington – Carshalton - Belmont - Sutton - St Helier X26 / Go-Ahead / C / 10 / 30 / West Croydon - Carshalton - Sutton - Cheam - New Malden - Kingston - Teddington - Hatton X - Heathrow Airport Central 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 137 / Bus Departures per hour = 92 WHAT YOU’LL SEE As I write, it’s the first day of Go-Ahead operation (AL) of the 470 and SE235/238/239/241/242 made their debuts on the route today. All have moved in from SW with rumours on the forum of more to be transferred from MB. The three Sutton routes are the 80 (mix of DD & SD DOE/SE/SEN/SOE), 151 (DOE/E/WHV/WVL) and 213 (DOE/WHV/WVL and the most likely route to see the unusual Volvo B9TL / ADL400s VE1-VE3). Of Merton’s routes, apart from the newly acquired 470, the most noteworthy is the 413 that links Morden and Sutton in an indirect routing. Terminating at Sutton Garage in Bushey Road (along with 213) the route has been EV for about a year with SEe transferred from Q (SEe52-60/62-64 – SEe61 is at NP) that formerly worked the 360. Sutton’s allocators are generally flexible with their allocations but the SEe stick rigidly to the 413. So-Ahead’s C garage allocators are equally flexible with allocations on the S1 with ADL200s (SE), StreetLites (WS) and Optare Metrocitys (OM) all to be seen, although the availability of the OM fleet is a regular discussion on the forum. RATP have lost one route but still have the S3 operated from Tolworth with 8.9 metre SDEs. Finally, Abellio operate a couple of routes from their BC garage. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Sutton is a location where the ‘sweet-spot’ to view buses is made important by a significant north-south one-way system and to underline the length on the southbound section there are no fewer than five bus stops (High Street / Marshalls Road -> Benhill Avenue -> Manor Place -> Times Square -> Sutton Police Station). The ‘sweet-spot’ described above is around 100 metres north of busy Sutton Station and at the southern end of the pedestrianised High Street and you can view most bus operations here but only departing 213 / 407 / 413. This is a good location with a nice mix of buses including rare Go-Ahead DOE/VE/SOE/OM. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Sutton (SUO) 3) By Car – In the past, I’ve used the multi-storey in Gibson Road that’s about a ten minute walk away
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Post by southlondon413 on Dec 3, 2022 20:31:47 GMT
LOCATION: SUTTON At Junction of A232 (Grove Road / Sutton Road) and B2230 (High Street) There’s going to be a lot of change at Sutton over the forthcoming year with the garage schedule to receive a significant number of new EV vehicles. So, on Thursday I took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in Sutton to view the Optare Olympus making appearances on the 80, 151 & 213. Accordingly, I made sure to arrive on an Olympus travelling south from Morden Station on DOE6 on the 80. Arriving at Sutton, what I didn’t appreciate at the time was that this was the penultimate day of RATP operation on the 470! It will be interesting to see what becomes of DDE20287-DDE20294 that operated the route and if anyone at RATP knows why they were re-designated from SDE to DDE a while back that would be good to know. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm80 / Go-Ahead / A / 15 / 8 / Belmont Highdown & Downview Prisons - Sutton - Collingwood Road - Sutton Common - Morden - St Helier 151 / Go-Ahead / A / 14 / 10 / Worcester Park - North Cheam - Cheam - Sutton - Hackbridge – Wallington 164 / Go-Ahead / AL / 12 / 10 / Sutton - Rosehill - Morden - Wimbledon Chase - Wimbledon 213 / Go-Ahead / A / 16 / 10 / Sutton Bus Garage - Sutton - Cheam - North Cheam - Worcester Park - New Malden - Norbiton - Kingston 280 / Go-Ahead / AL / 14 / 10 / Belmont - Sutton - Rosehill - Mitcham - Tooting St George's Hospital 407 / Abellio / BC / 16 /12 / Caterham - Whyteleafe - Purley - S Croydon - Croydon - Waddon - Wallington Green - Carshalton – Sutton 413 / Go-Ahead / AL / 8 / 15 / Sutton - Gander Green Lane - Lower Morden - Cannon Hill Lane - Morden 470 / RATP / TV / 7 / 30 / Epsom - Ewell - Cheam - Sutton - Sutton Common - Morden - Colliers Wood S1 / Go-Ahead / C / 11 / 15 / Banstead - Belmont - The Gallop - Sutton - St Helier - Beddington Corner - Mitcham - Lavender Fields S3 / RATP / TV / 8 / 20 / Belmont Station - Carshalton Beeches - Sutton - North Cheam - Worcester Park - Malden Manor Station S4 / Abellio / BC / 6 / 30 / Roundshaw - Wallington – Carshalton - Belmont - Sutton - St Helier X26 / Go-Ahead / C / 10 / 30 / West Croydon - Carshalton - Sutton - Cheam - New Malden - Kingston - Teddington - Hatton X - Heathrow Airport Central 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 137 / Bus Departures per hour = 92 WHAT YOU’LL SEE As I write, it’s the first day of Go-Ahead operation (AL) of the 470 and SE235/238/239/241/242 made their debuts on the route today. All have moved in from SW with rumours on the forum of more to be transferred from MB. The three Sutton routes are the 80 (mix of DD & SD DOE/SE/SEN/SOE), 151 (DOE/E/WHV/WVL) and 213 (DOE/WHV/WVL and the most likely route to see the unusual Volvo B9TL / ADL400s VE1-VE3). Of Merton’s routes, apart from the newly acquired 470, the most noteworthy is the 413 that links Morden and Sutton in an indirect routing. Terminating at Sutton Garage in Bushey Road (along with 213) the route has been EV for about a year with SEe transferred from Q (SEe52-60/62-64 – SEe61 is at NP) that formerly worked the 360. Sutton’s allocators are generally flexible with their allocations but the SEe stick rigidly to the 413. So-Ahead’s C garage allocators are equally flexible with allocations on the S1 with ADL200s (SE), StreetLites (WS) and Optare Metrocitys (OM) all to be seen, although the availability of the OM fleet is a regular discussion on the forum. RATP have lost one route but still have the S3 operated from Tolworth with 8.9 metre SDEs. Finally, Abellio operate a couple of routes from their BC garage. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Sutton is a location where the ‘sweet-spot’ to view buses is made important by a significant north-south one-way system and to underline the length on the southbound section there are no fewer than five bus stops (High Street / Marshalls Road -> Benhill Avenue -> Manor Place -> Times Square -> Sutton Police Station). The ‘sweet-spot’ described above is around 100 metres north of busy Sutton Station and at the southern end of the pedestrianised High Street and you can view most bus operations here but only departing 213 / 407 / 413. This is a good location with a nice mix of buses including rare Go-Ahead DOE/VE/SOE/OM. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Sutton (SUO) 3) By Car – In the past, I’ve used the multi-storey in Gibson Road that’s about a ten minute walk away That’s Sutton Court Road, not Sutton Road. Also at that point the 407 are arriving into Sutton, not departing. Also you’d only see the 151 and x26 in one direction as well.
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Post by borneobus on Dec 3, 2022 21:25:36 GMT
LOCATION: SUTTON At Junction of A232 (Grove Road / Sutton Road) and B2230 (High Street) There’s going to be a lot of change at Sutton over the forthcoming year with the garage schedule to receive a significant number of new EV vehicles. So, on Thursday I took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in Sutton to view the Optare Olympus making appearances on the 80, 151 & 213. Accordingly, I made sure to arrive on an Olympus travelling south from Morden Station on DOE6 on the 80. Arriving at Sutton, what I didn’t appreciate at the time was that this was the penultimate day of RATP operation on the 470! It will be interesting to see what becomes of DDE20287-DDE20294 that operated the route and if anyone at RATP knows why they were re-designated from SDE to DDE a while back that would be good to know. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm80 / Go-Ahead / A / 15 / 8 / Belmont Highdown & Downview Prisons - Sutton - Collingwood Road - Sutton Common - Morden - St Helier 151 / Go-Ahead / A / 14 / 10 / Worcester Park - North Cheam - Cheam - Sutton - Hackbridge – Wallington 164 / Go-Ahead / AL / 12 / 10 / Sutton - Rosehill - Morden - Wimbledon Chase - Wimbledon 213 / Go-Ahead / A / 16 / 10 / Sutton Bus Garage - Sutton - Cheam - North Cheam - Worcester Park - New Malden - Norbiton - Kingston 280 / Go-Ahead / AL / 14 / 10 / Belmont - Sutton - Rosehill - Mitcham - Tooting St George's Hospital 407 / Abellio / BC / 16 /12 / Caterham - Whyteleafe - Purley - S Croydon - Croydon - Waddon - Wallington Green - Carshalton – Sutton 413 / Go-Ahead / AL / 8 / 15 / Sutton - Gander Green Lane - Lower Morden - Cannon Hill Lane - Morden 470 / RATP / TV / 7 / 30 / Epsom - Ewell - Cheam - Sutton - Sutton Common - Morden - Colliers Wood S1 / Go-Ahead / C / 11 / 15 / Banstead - Belmont - The Gallop - Sutton - St Helier - Beddington Corner - Mitcham - Lavender Fields S3 / RATP / TV / 8 / 20 / Belmont Station - Carshalton Beeches - Sutton - North Cheam - Worcester Park - Malden Manor Station S4 / Abellio / BC / 6 / 30 / Roundshaw - Wallington – Carshalton - Belmont - Sutton - St Helier X26 / Go-Ahead / C / 10 / 30 / West Croydon - Carshalton - Sutton - Cheam - New Malden - Kingston - Teddington - Hatton X - Heathrow Airport Central 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 137 / Bus Departures per hour = 92 WHAT YOU’LL SEE As I write, it’s the first day of Go-Ahead operation (AL) of the 470 and SE235/238/239/241/242 made their debuts on the route today. All have moved in from SW with rumours on the forum of more to be transferred from MB. The three Sutton routes are the 80 (mix of DD & SD DOE/SE/SEN/SOE), 151 (DOE/E/WHV/WVL) and 213 (DOE/WHV/WVL and the most likely route to see the unusual Volvo B9TL / ADL400s VE1-VE3). Of Merton’s routes, apart from the newly acquired 470, the most noteworthy is the 413 that links Morden and Sutton in an indirect routing. Terminating at Sutton Garage in Bushey Road (along with 213) the route has been EV for about a year with SEe transferred from Q (SEe52-60/62-64 – SEe61 is at NP) that formerly worked the 360. Sutton’s allocators are generally flexible with their allocations but the SEe stick rigidly to the 413. So-Ahead’s C garage allocators are equally flexible with allocations on the S1 with ADL200s (SE), StreetLites (WS) and Optare Metrocitys (OM) all to be seen, although the availability of the OM fleet is a regular discussion on the forum. RATP have lost one route but still have the S3 operated from Tolworth with 8.9 metre SDEs. Finally, Abellio operate a couple of routes from their BC garage. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Sutton is a location where the ‘sweet-spot’ to view buses is made important by a significant north-south one-way system and to underline the length on the southbound section there are no fewer than five bus stops (High Street / Marshalls Road -> Benhill Avenue -> Manor Place -> Times Square -> Sutton Police Station). The ‘sweet-spot’ described above is around 100 metres north of busy Sutton Station and at the southern end of the pedestrianised High Street and you can view most bus operations here but only departing 213 / 407 / 413. This is a good location with a nice mix of buses including rare Go-Ahead DOE/VE/SOE/OM. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Sutton (SUO) 3) By Car – In the past, I’ve used the multi-storey in Gibson Road that’s about a ten minute walk away That’s Sutton Court Road, not Sutton Road. Also at that point the 407 are arriving into Sutton, not departing. Also you’d only see the 151 and x26 in one direction as well. southlondon413 - thanks for the corrections!
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Post by borneobus on Dec 3, 2022 21:33:46 GMT
LOCATION: SUTTON (republished to include southlondon413 corrections) At Junction of A232 (Grove Road / Sutton Court Road) and B2230 (High Street) There’s going to be a lot of change at Sutton over the forthcoming year with the garage schedule to receive a significant number of new EV vehicles. So, on Thursday I took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in Sutton to view the Optare Olympus making appearances on the 80, 151 & 213. Accordingly, I made sure to arrive on an Olympus travelling south from Morden Station on DOE6 on the 80. Arriving at Sutton, what I didn’t appreciate at the time was that this was the penultimate day of RATP operation on the 470! It will be interesting to see what becomes of DDE20287-DDE20294 that operated the route and if anyone at RATP knows why they were re-designated from SDE to DDE a while back that would be good to know. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm80 / Go-Ahead / A / 15 / 8 / Belmont Highdown & Downview Prisons - Sutton - Collingwood Road - Sutton Common - Morden - St Helier 151 / Go-Ahead / A / 14 / 10 / Worcester Park - North Cheam - Cheam - Sutton - Hackbridge – Wallington 164 / Go-Ahead / AL / 12 / 10 / Sutton - Rosehill - Morden - Wimbledon Chase - Wimbledon 213 / Go-Ahead / A / 16 / 10 / Sutton Bus Garage - Sutton - Cheam - North Cheam - Worcester Park - New Malden - Norbiton - Kingston 280 / Go-Ahead / AL / 14 / 10 / Belmont - Sutton - Rosehill - Mitcham - Tooting St George's Hospital 407 / Abellio / BC / 16 /12 / Caterham - Whyteleafe - Purley - S Croydon - Croydon - Waddon - Wallington Green - Carshalton – Sutton 413 / Go-Ahead / AL / 8 / 15 / Sutton - Gander Green Lane - Lower Morden - Cannon Hill Lane - Morden 470 / RATP / TV / 7 / 30 / Epsom - Ewell - Cheam - Sutton - Sutton Common - Morden - Colliers Wood S1 / Go-Ahead / C / 11 / 15 / Banstead - Belmont - The Gallop - Sutton - St Helier - Beddington Corner - Mitcham - Lavender Fields S3 / RATP / TV / 8 / 20 / Belmont Station - Carshalton Beeches - Sutton - North Cheam - Worcester Park - Malden Manor Station S4 / Abellio / BC / 6 / 30 / Roundshaw - Wallington – Carshalton - Belmont - Sutton - St Helier X26 / Go-Ahead / C / 10 / 30 / West Croydon - Carshalton - Sutton - Cheam - New Malden - Kingston - Teddington - Hatton X - Heathrow Airport Central 12 Routes / 3 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 137 / Bus Departures per hour = 84 WHAT YOU’LL SEE As I write, it’s the first day of Go-Ahead operation (AL) of the 470 and SE235/238/239/241/242 made their debuts on the route today. All have moved in from SW with rumours on the forum of more to be transferred from MB. The three Sutton routes are the 80 (mix of DD & SD DOE/SE/SEN/SOE), 151 (DOE/E/WHV/WVL) and 213 (DOE/WHV/WVL and the most likely route to see the unusual Volvo B9TL / ADL400s VE1-VE3). Of Merton’s routes, apart from the newly acquired 470, the most noteworthy is the 413 that links Morden and Sutton in an indirect routing. Terminating at Sutton Garage in Bushey Road (along with 213) the route has been EV for about a year with SEe transferred from Q (SEe52-60/62-64 – SEe61 is at NP) that formerly worked the 360. Sutton’s allocators are generally flexible with their allocations but the SEe stick rigidly to the 413. So-Ahead’s C garage allocators are equally flexible with allocations on the S1 with ADL200s (SE), StreetLites (WS) and Optare Metrocitys (OM) all to be seen, although the availability of the OM fleet is a regular discussion on the forum. RATP have lost one route but still have the S3 operated from Tolworth with 8.9 metre SDEs. Finally, Abellio operate a couple of routes from their BC garage. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Sutton is a location where the ‘sweet-spot’ to view buses is made important by a significant north-south one-way system and to underline the length on the southbound section there are no fewer than five bus stops (High Street / Marshalls Road -> Benhill Avenue -> Manor Place -> Times Square -> Sutton Police Station). The ‘sweet-spot’ described above is around 100 metres north of busy Sutton Station and at the southern end of the pedestrianised High Street and you can view most bus operations here but only departing 213 / 413 and arriving 407 together with only westbound 151 & X26. This is a good location with a nice mix of buses including rare Go-Ahead DOE/VE/SOE/OM. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Sutton (SUO) 3) By Car – In the past, I’ve used the multi-storey in Gibson Road that’s about a ten minute walk away
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Post by southlondon413 on Dec 3, 2022 21:46:08 GMT
That’s Sutton Court Road, not Sutton Road. Also at that point the 407 are arriving into Sutton, not departing. Also you’d only see the 151 and x26 in one direction as well. southlondon413 - thanks for the corrections! No worries, one last gem you missed although it is winter. If you stand on the corner of Throwley Way and Carshalton Road adjacent to the Sutton Police Station stop and look north on a clear day you will get a perfect line of site to Wembley Stadium.
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Post by borneobus on Dec 10, 2022 2:31:42 GMT
LOCATION: SEVEN SISTERS Sitting outside Costa on the north-west side of the intersection of the A10 (High Road) and A504 (West Green Road / Broad Lane). I checked and the derivation of the name Seven Sisters dates back to the 1700s and the popular local name for seven elms that were planted in a circle with a walnut tree in the centre on an area of common land known as Page Green. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm41 / Arriva / AR / 19 / 6 / Tottenham Hale - West Green - Wood Green Turnpike Lane - Crouch End - Archway 76 / Go-Ahead / NP / 12 / 10 / Tottenham Hale - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Hoxton - Moorgate - St Paul's - Aldwych - Waterloo 149 / Arriva / AR / 29 / 8 / Edmonton Green - Tottenham - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Dalston - Shoreditch - London Bridge 243 / Arriva / AR / 27 / 8 / Wood Green - Tottenham - Stoke Newington - Shoreditch - Clerkenwell - Holborn - Aldwych - Waterloo 259 / Arriva / EC / 16 / 10 / Edmonton Green - Tottenham - Finsbury Park - Holloway - King's Cross 279 / Arriva / E / 29 / 6.5 / Waltham Cross - Enfield Wash - Ponders End - Edmonton - Tottenham - Manor House 318 / Arriva / AR / 9 / 12 / North Middlesex Hospital - Tottenham - South Tottenham - Stamford Hill 349 / Arriva / EC / 13 / 10 / Ponders End - Edmonton - Tottenham - Stamford Hill 476 / Go-Ahead / NP / 15 / 10 / Northumberland Park - Tottenham - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Islington - King's Cross W4 / Arriva / WN / 14 / 10 / Oakthorpe Park - Wolves Lane - Wood Green - Broadwater Farm Estate - Tottenham - Jarrow Road 10 Routes / 2 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 183 / Bus Departures per hour = 138 WHAT YOU’LL SEE For starters four of the seven routes operated from Arriva’s Tottenham (AR) garage. Located on Philip Lane, the garage is very historic dating back to 1913 and is either a couple of bus stops or an eight-minute walk north on the High Road from Seven Sisters. Of the four routes where else to start but with the 318, a route given semi-legendary status on the forum by ServerKing. The route, operated by some of the oldest buses in London (57 plate Enviro 200s – EN) is occasionally supplemented by ‘new’ 16 plate EN – most recently EN34 and EN38 loaned (?) / transferred (?) in from Enfield. Also covered recently was the question of blinds on the route and during a recent visit I also noted variations including 1) blank black blind 2) blank white blind / 3) Black blind ‘ARRIVA’ 4) No blind at all but my favourite ‘blind’ was the smallish board by the steering wheel of an EN simply stating ‘Stamford Hill’. From the south, the route starts in Stamford Hill near to the old SF garage and is the only route serving some residential roads here before heading north up the High Road including of course Seven Sisters before heading east near Bruce Grove and then again it is the only route to serve some roads in Tottenham with an opportunity to also ‘enjoy’ Harringay temporary traffic lights. Two of the three remaining AR routes are incredibly busy: the 149 is the 2nd busiest TfL route with a whopping 10.6m pax pa that follows a pretty much straight route to London Bridge down the A10 and through the city and operated by New Routemasters and the 243 is the 9th busiest route, this time operated by HV and again following the A10 before heading off to Old Street / Farringdon / Waterloo. Also operated by Arriva, although this time from Enfield with LJ61 plate T, and yet another very busy route (10th) is the 279, another blast up the High Road but this time heading further north and just beyond the M25 to Waltham Cross. Aside from the 318, the W4 is the other single-decker route you can view at Seven Sisters; operated from WN by 9 metre ENN, this is the only route to serve some roads in Harringay in the area between Bruce Grove and Turnpike Lane. Only two non Arriva routes here and both are operated from Northumberland Park by Go-Ahead and are the 76 (LT) and the 476 by a dedicated batch of 2010 Gemini 2s (WVN). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This is quite an Arriva stronghold with 80% of the routes / 85% of the PVR serving Seven Sisters. It’s a good, busy location to view London buses in an area that has high bus usage and it’s good to see the fourteen year old Enviro 200s soldiering on working the 318 plus of course there’s the benefit of being able to view the action from a perfectly placed Costa. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Seven Sisters LU or LO 3) By Car – Not sure, I’m on the train
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Post by ServerKing on Dec 10, 2022 6:37:53 GMT
LOCATION: SEVEN SISTERS Sitting outside Costa on the north-west side of the intersection of the A10 (High Road) and A504 (West Green Road / Broad Lane). I checked and the derivation of the name Seven Sisters dates back to the 1700s and the popular local name for seven elms that were planted in a circle with a walnut tree in the centre on an area of common land known as Page Green. OPERATIONAL DETAILS MON-FRI DAYTIME courtesy of www.londonbusroutes.net/details.htm41 / Arriva / AR / 19 / 6 / Tottenham Hale - West Green - Wood Green Turnpike Lane - Crouch End - Archway 76 / Go-Ahead / NP / 12 / 10 / Tottenham Hale - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Hoxton - Moorgate - St Paul's - Aldwych - Waterloo 149 / Arriva / AR / 29 / 8 / Edmonton Green - Tottenham - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Dalston - Shoreditch - London Bridge 243 / Arriva / AR / 27 / 8 / Wood Green - Tottenham - Stoke Newington - Shoreditch - Clerkenwell - Holborn - Aldwych - Waterloo 259 / Arriva / EC / 16 / 10 / Edmonton Green - Tottenham - Finsbury Park - Holloway - King's Cross 279 / Arriva / E / 29 / 6.5 / Waltham Cross - Enfield Wash - Ponders End - Edmonton - Tottenham - Manor House 318 / Arriva / AR / 9 / 12 / North Middlesex Hospital - Tottenham - South Tottenham - Stamford Hill 349 / Arriva / EC / 13 / 10 / Ponders End - Edmonton - Tottenham - Stamford Hill 476 / Go-Ahead / NP / 15 / 10 / Northumberland Park - Tottenham - Stamford Hill - Stoke Newington - Islington - King's Cross W4 / Arriva / WN / 14 / 10 / Oakthorpe Park - Wolves Lane - Wood Green - Broadwater Farm Estate - Tottenham - Jarrow Road 10 Routes / 2 Operators / 5 Garages / Total PVR = 183 / Bus Departures per hour = 138 WHAT YOU’LL SEE For starters four of the seven routes operated from Arriva’s Tottenham (AR) garage. Located on Philip Lane, the garage is very historic dating back to 1913 and is either a couple of bus stops or an eight-minute walk north on the High Road from Seven Sisters. Of the four routes where else to start but with the 318, a route given semi-legendary status on the forum by ServerKing. The route, operated by some of the oldest buses in London (57 plate Enviro 200s – EN) is occasionally supplemented by ‘new’ 16 plate EN – most recently EN34 and EN38 loaned (?) / transferred (?) in from Enfield. Also covered recently was the question of blinds on the route and during a recent visit I also noted variations including 1) blank black blind 2) blank white blind / 3) Black blind ‘ARRIVA’ 4) No blind at all but my favourite ‘blind’ was the smallish board by the steering wheel of an EN simply stating ‘Stamford Hill’. From the south, the route starts in Stamford Hill near to the old SF garage and is the only route serving some residential roads here before heading north up the High Road including of course Seven Sisters before heading east near Bruce Grove and then again it is the only route to serve some roads in Tottenham with an opportunity to also ‘enjoy’ Harringay temporary traffic lights. Two of the three remaining AR routes are incredibly busy: the 149 is the 2nd busiest TfL route with a whopping 10.6m pax pa that follows a pretty much straight route to London Bridge down the A10 and through the city and operated by New Routemasters and the 243 is the 9th busiest route, this time operated by HV and again following the A10 before heading off to Old Street / Farringdon / Waterloo. Also operated by Arriva, although this time from Enfield with LJ61 plate T, and yet another very busy route (10th) is the 279, another blast up the High Road but this time heading further north and just beyond the M25 to Waltham Cross. Aside from the 318, the W4 is the other single-decker route you can view at Seven Sisters; operated from WN by 9 metre ENN, this is the only route to serve some roads in Harringay in the area between Bruce Grove and Turnpike Lane. Only two non Arriva routes here and both are operated from Northumberland Park by Go-Ahead and are the 76 (LT) and the 476 by a dedicated batch of 2010 Gemini 2s (WVN). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This is quite an Arriva stronghold with 80% of the routes / 85% of the PVR serving Seven Sisters. It’s a good, busy location to view London buses in an area that has high bus usage and it’s good to see the fourteen year old Enviro 200s soldiering on working the 318 plus of course there’s the benefit of being able to view the action from a perfectly placed Costa. GETTING THERE 1) By Bus! 2) By Rail – Seven Sisters LU or LO 3) By Car – Not sure, I’m on the train Great review! There's easy access by car from the A10 which runs from Cambridge and Hertford down to The South and London Bridge, also routes in from Chingford and Waltham Abbey on the North Circular (A406). There's Event Parking, though check the boards for restrictions. The W4 goes through quite a few LTN (Low Traffic Neighbourhood) zones, not good to drive through these unless you have £65 to spare RingGo operate an easy to use pay by phone app for Parking (near the Magistrates Court off Bruce Grove), up to 4 hours, enough time to see Tottenham's latest signing, EN34 in amongst the elderly and infirm E200 Darts on the 318... be warned, this is an MMC with working blinds, like EN38 the 16 plate ENs transferred from Enfield, and were originally bought for the 377, hopefully some more will move in when the 377 goes electric. Perhaps some of the SLS's from the 450 will move across when Go Ahead take over the route next year, and ENRs redundant from the B13.... until then sometimes an ENN (Voith MMC) may help out when the teenagers refuse to do their chores on the route DW thrash on the 123 courtesy of 4 series DWs, plus DW's 536/7/8 if anyone fancies a ride to Ilford... South London enthusiasts may even get to see DW190 on the 279 since transfer to Enfield from South Croydon as it runs along the High Road Lvf.io is your friend for finding out what is going to pass by
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