Enviro Lynxes, North Notts

Today saw the launch of six brand new vehicles on the roads of north Nottinghamshire. Operated by Stagecoach's Worksop depot, the four ADL Darts and two ADL Tridents all carry Enviro 200/400 bodies respectively and are owned by Notts CC. Both Tridents carry special "Airport Lynx" branding for new services 29/X29 (Retford - Harworth - Bircotes - Bawtry - Robin Hood Airport) and two of the 4 Darts carry a similar branding for new service X30 (Worksop - Harworth - Bircotes - Bawtry - Robin Hood Airport).

That said, the branding applied doesn't specifically refer to route numbers but consists of red and blue arrows between termini (Worksop/Retford/Robin Hood Airport). These four vehicles carry a totally different livery to the standard Stagecoach scheme. They have red frontages and green rears with a mix of green, red and white throughout the main body of each vehicle, and with a huge silhouette of Robin Hood's arm firing an arrow from a bow at the rear.

The two remaining Darts have a similar non-standard livery, not too dissimilar to the above vehicles, though with a light green front instead of the red. They have Local Lynx branding applied, again with no specific route numbers mentioned. I understand that these two vehicles are to be allocated to Service 23/27 (Retford Town Service & Retford - Misson) and Services 31/31A (Worksop - Tickhill/Doncaster). As soon as is possible, "Local Lynx" branding is being applied to all Alexander-bodied Dennis Darts allocated to Worksop depot. Local Lynx is the term Notts CC use to promote their services that are operated with their assistance.

The frequencies for the new services 29/X29 and X30 are excellent. The 29/X29 combination requires 2 Tridents and operates from 0605 from both ends of the route until midnight at a 30-min frequency and replaces the much lesser frequency of Service 29 alone, which didn't call into Robin Hood Airport. Service X30 is even better with buses from 0345 until 0135 - that means this service specifically only has 2:10 without a service! This route replaces a large section of Service 21, which was withdrawn as a result of its implementation, and alterations to Services 22, 25, 27 and 31/31A saw the withdrawal of Service 20 left no area without a replacement service.

Notts CC also went into partnership with Stagecoach in producing a network map of north Notts, encompassing all services operated by all operators in the Retford/Gainsborough/Worksop/Robin Hood Airport section. Even services operated by Veolia, who took a lot of RoadCar services, are shown. The map is in RoadCar style with full timetables of all services on the rear, again a typically RoadCar move. All Stagecoach services are shown with the exception of Retford town services and Gainsborough depot's routes are also given equal prominence. A superb piece of literatue.

The vehicles are numbered 19131/2 (Tridents) and 36001-4 (Darts) and photos can be found at the top of this entry.

Potteries Rally, Stoke-on-Trent

Decided to make use of my weekend off work and drive the 140 miles from Cleethorpes to Staffordshire for the 30th Anniversary rally of POPS - Potteries Omnibus Preservation Society. Although considerably more active than the LEYTR, we're considerably older than they are, which isn't a sleight at their Society, just continual amazement at how established the LEYTR is and how I'm continually honoured to be editing the publication.

The rally was held at the Wedgwood Pottery Centre, just south of Stoke, 10 mins from M6 J15. My friend Richard, who attended last year, claimed 108 vehicles attended - impressive statistics considering the rally appeared to me a smaller affair.

Despite taking around 30 photos before realising I had my camera set to the 'S' setting meaning they were all over-exposed, and deleting them to find the next 20 I took were all on manual focus, not automatic, I finally managed to photograph pretty much everything there as they were all located near to one another - a little too close if I'm honest. The majority were correctly positioned for the sun (south facing) and I managed to increase my tie collection by two: a First Flexi tie and a very old-style Crosville tie. I also purchased a tie I've already got, though with a plan: it was the first new-issue Stagecoach tie, with the huge 'beachball' logos on. Two people have recently asked me for this tie and I've only got the one, which is staying in my collection.

Of particular interest to me was Daimler Fleetline/Roe Park Royal O45/29D, 15513 (MBE 613R) - a vehicle I'd driven countless times when I was employed by Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes. Specifically, the highest concentration of times driven was in the summer of 1998 when I passed my PCV driving test and was given 6 continuous weeks' duties along Cleethorpes sea front as room wasn't available for me on their minibus rota. Along with sister Fleetline, BJV 103L, I've driven each around 50 times.

Now it's the Stagecoach Yorkshire publicity/event vehicle and has had its "Grimsby-Cleethorpes" fleet name removed. Yesterday it performed the task of publicity vehicle in Barnsley Town Centre when the new Barnsley Network was launched. It is now adorned with adverts promoting Barnsley to both sides, rear engine cover and front, above the destination display. This didn't sit particularly well with me - a Grimsby-based Fleetline for 30 years now promoting a service re-vamp in Barnsley? But had Stagecoach not decided to retain the vehicle following its withdrawal from service, it would probably have ended up scrapped.

Entry to the event was free and programmes were £2. They're invaluable when adding captions to photos taken. I also bought two models this time - the first models I've bought in years! One was a Mercedes-Benz Citaro on route 73 in London (a bendy-bus for the uninitiated); and the other a Docklands Transit liveried Dennis Dart. The clue here was its registration: N426 MBW - I'd driven this countless times, again while employed by Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes, on the route that passes my house (amongst others)! It is still in service and given fleet number 32426 - it was acquired with the business of East London when almost new.

Richard and I sampled a ride on the ex. GCT Fleetline at 1515hrs and the journey took around 40 minutes - far lengthier than other ad hoc free rides you can take advantage of at other rallies! We both sat upstairs (well, you have to on an open topper) and froze. It may have felt like 20C when walking around stalls but doing 45mph with the sun nowhere to be seen on the top deck with no roof, in May, is no laughing matter. The bus rode very well though and is totally unaltered inside.

I purchased a photo of one of the coaches I drive: Volvo B12M/Plaxton Paragon C49Ft, 53022 (YV03 TZN) but most importantly spotted me driving it!! It was taken very recently, in London, as I can be seen wearing my new-style glasses. 40p well spent.

A guy called Lee Roddis has preserved an ex Chesterfield Corportation Leyland Swift and brought it to the rally. I vaguely remember Lee as a chap I used to work with when living in Chesterfield during the summer of 2000. We didn't get chance to meet but I'm pretty sure he's the same guy. I managed to meet-up with other ex colleagues/acquaintances from Chesterfield - Rob Parkinson, Colin Sellars and (briefly) Shayne Howarth - who drove the Fleetline. I spotted a couple of others but didn't get chance to say hello. It's impressive the enthusiasm people in the Chesterfield-area have for buses/coaches. Very little on the same level exists in North-East Lincolnshire!

I bought the BBP Stagecoach Handbook 2007 (see how many errors I can spot!) as well as an official First Potteries fleet list; two LINCMAN stickers (from the 1980s!); two mugs and took 95 photos. Not a bad day at all.

Bus driver (and former colleague) jailed

A former colleague and friend, Sarah Smith, was jailed last week for pleading guilty to drink-driving. To make matters worse she was driving a coach at the time. The vehicle in question - an overall yellow liveried Leyland Tiger/Alexander TE vehicle for Judds Travel - was reported by numerous passengers who alighted early as the feared she was drunk and feared for their safety.

She was operating Service 337 between Coates - Whittlesey - Peterborough one evening in April when Police stopped her vehicle in Queensgate bus station, Peterborough after they witnessed her nearly hit a wall. As the article (link at the bottom) states, they found the vehicle being driven with its windscreen wipers on when it wasn't raining.

Sarah seemed to be a troubled sole in my opinion; that doesn't make her dishonest or in any way a lesser person than you or I, but it is unforgivable to take to the road behind the wheel of a 9 tonne coach when you're drunk. Despite being sentenced to 2 months imprisonment, if she volunteers to wear a tag she'll be out in between 3 - 5 weeks. She serves no threat to the public. She will never be allowed to drive a PCV again and will need to undertake two driving lessons and a Road Safety Seminar after 20 months before being allowed to drive a car again.

She is the sort of person who came across as being able to learn from her mistakes and no doubt she'll have the time and space to do so in this instance.

More here: http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/viewarticle.aspx?sectionid=845&articleid=2873397

Plaxton bought out

Three of the best known names in the British industry – Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton – joined forces this week to establish a powerful new force in the bus and coach sector.

The acquisition of Plaxton Holdings Limited by Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) creates Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturing operation and is designed to consolidate the market-leading status of both companies in the UK - and to provide a platform for entry into new European and global markets.

More here: http://www.alexander-dennis.co.uk/news/company_stories/news_story23.html

May/June 2007 LEYTR

I'm happy to announce that, following the Stagecoach in Lincolnshire notes being sent in from our new correspondant, Richard Woodhead, the next edition of the Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review (LEYTR), May/June 2007, will be ready for publication. This forthcoming edition is particularly special to myself and Peter (my co-editor) as it marks a 28-page edition (at no further cost to the membership). Technically, each LEYTR is to be 20 pages in length, though for as long as I can remember - and long before I joined the committee, it has always been a 24 page publication.

There is sometimes so much news and information of a recent nature that cramming items into 24 pages is very difficult indeed; of course there are a few occasions when we struggle to fill 24 pages as a result of very little breaking, though these times are becoming fewer and fewer. The actual news content of this edition is unchanged at the usual 24 pages in length, but with the addition of a 4-page centre spread of EYMS vehicles that I mentioned in a previous blog entry.

Peter - a pure genius with photo editing software - spent hours improving the photos that I'd taken last month in East Yorkshire, and along with two photos supplied by a LEYTR member in print form, we had a nice selection to choose from. 7 are needed - one in portrait format, the others in landscape - and last week I took them to my local camera shop to have the 5 I'm putting towards the set put onto print for our printer to use. You may not know this but if taking shots with a digital camera, your camera may say it's taking the shot in a 6x4 format but in fact it is about 5.5x4 format, so when you go to have the prints developed, in order that they fill the entire 6x4 glossy paper, the shot is zoomed in upon, resulting in sections along the lengths (top and bottom) of your photo being cropped.

Despite asking my local camera shop to ensure this didn't happen, Ravenscrofts Cameras of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes failed me. Not only did the photos come back cropped but a white border was present in all of them. I opted to take my cd to Snappy Snaps in Peterborough city centre and received excellent customer care by a 7ft tall German chap. He knew my plight and assured me that this wouldn't happen. The following day, and £3 later, the 10 photos I got printed were all done as I asked and will be taken to our printer next week for a proof to be produced.

All being well the LEYTR will be posted out in about 10 days time.

Rail Connections

Yesterday I went to London to see a West End show. I booked in February to travel by train and mixed/matched GNER's single fares to get the best deal. Southbound I caught the 0928 Central Trains service from Grimsby Town to Newark North Gate (1049) and then onto the 1059 GNER Mallard service to London King's Cross (1426). The cost? £17 single. I really enjoy travelling from Grimsby to London this way - journey time is under 3 hours (just) yet few connections are routed this way with Grimsby - Doncaster on Transpennine Express then Doncaster - London on GNER being the preferred method. Going via Newark straightens the journey and thus allows quicker/faster journey times.

Returning I caught the 2000 GNER Mallard service from London King's Cross to Doncaster (2135) and then the 2142 Transpennine Express service to Grimsby Town (2246). The cost? £13 single - a total cost of £30 return, excellent value.

As ever Central Trains departed Grimsby on time and our class 153 "brick" arrived in Newark North Gate punctually. The GNER service departed 1 minute late but we arrived in London on time once again. My return journey was less straighforward!

Journeys departing King's Cross before 2000 tend to be more expensive (even when booked months in advance) so I opt for the 8pm train. But only a 7 minute connection exists at Doncaster. In reality on the many, many times I've caught this train the connection is missed - often by quite a margin, meaning just under an hour on "Donny" station in the pitch black waiting for the 2242 Transpennine Express train. As it's the last one it calls at ALL the stations to Cleethorpes (Kirk Sandall, Hatfield & Stainforth, Thorne South, Crowle, Althorpe, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town). Yet again due to pantograph problems just north of Huntingdon, we didn't make the connection and I didn't get home until after midnight.

Despite this I find GNER one of the better inter-city rail companies to travel on. Their re-vamped Mallard-spec carriages are excellent. Sat, bored to tears on Doncaster station, I saw a Midland Mainline 125 train pull in with a really drab, cheap-looking interior. Virgin Trains are better though they compromise on space (what were loco-hauled 8 carriage trains are now either 4 or 6 carriage Voyagers/Pendolinos. GNER trains have 9 carriages; they also interract very little with other major train lines and operators, limiting the possibility for delays and problems occured through the fault of other firms.

My problem specifically is their timing points - King's Cross to Peterborough is timed at either 44, 45 or 46 minutes. I've never, ever in all my years of travel on this service, made Peterborough in these times. Never. This then makes the service late leaving Peterborough, then late at Grantham, Retford, Newark et al to either Newcastle/Leeds/Edinburgh.

Perhaps the TOCs ought not to suggest a 7 min connection as being lengthy enough, resulting in a train 30 mins earlier being shown as possible. A 1930 ex KX does run but the option to book it with a connection for Cleethorpes is not possible. I'm doing everything the TOCs want - booking miles in advance and travelling off-peak but it's starting to get to me with persistant failures to make connections.

There are other options available - book Hull Trains between Doncaster - London and a separate ticket on TPE between Grimsby - Doncaster. I doubt I'll beat the £30 total combined return fare though. There is also the National Express coach service I drive, which would be free for me, and the car. I won't be going in the car so whichever option I choose, my carbon footprint will not be noticed.