Where are they now? ~ FJ53VDL

FJ53VDL in Leeds with Sandla Travel
Photo By Chris Nelson on Flickr

Another in the "Where are they now?" series, and in the spot light this week is Caetano Nimbus FJ53VDL.

FJ53VDL was new to Beighton based Amza / Travel Royall in 2004 where she ran services into Norwich, Wroxham, Great Yarmouth and the occasional TR14 School service run.

 In 2009 she was sold to Swift Taxis in Great Yarmouth following the Amza Travel demise, with Swift she was given fleet number 137 and name "Swift Lark" and generally ran the same services as she did with Amza.

FJ53VDL in Blofeld with Amza running
Service 29 toWroxham in 2007

In early 2013 she was told to Shropshire Bus & Coach where she was only needed to run a temporary service, however with Shropshire she received an LED display, a full engine rebuild, and some other work.

She can now be found in Leeds with Sandla Transport / Arrive In Style. In the picture kindly provided by Chris Nelson she is seen on the 4pm afternoon service 37 to Tadcaster via the villages, a journey that is only worked on saturdays and school holidays, this now being the longest time of the year where this working will operate mon-sat (until September).

Below you can see just how much FJ53VDL has been around with this trail of its journey so far which I created in Google Maps. (Click image to enlarge)

Caister Road Updates

Since our last post about Caister Road, a number of changes have taken place. Previously reported was that Great Yarmouth's final Plaxton Pointers were due to be transferred to Lowestoft. This has begun with 43481 now a permanent member of the Lowestoft fleet. 43480 is set to depart shortly. 

Other news includes two more Pointers at the back of Caister Road have been taken to the scrap yard, just leaving two left. The last ex-Jersey Dart is finally in its new home in Lowestoft. 43866 (EG52FGV) has been given a new engine, as has Yarmouth's 43863.

Finally, Enviro400 33423 (SN60CAA) has departed Caister Road to have a tacho fitted. It is still not clear what the near future for this bus holds. Once the new Enviro400s arrive for the X1, she is set to be used on the X1 Shorts between Norwich and Yarmouth but in the mean time, it is a possibility that she may be sent to Kings Lynn for use on the full X1 to allow the slow process of repainting the current X1 buses to begin.

anglianbus 229 enters service

As reported this morning, anglian's recently repainted Optare Excel re-entered service yesterday, back on it's regular 581 and 580 routes. Today, with the help of Steven at konectbus, I managed to photograph her as she came into Beccles looking very smart in the new modern livery.

Other interesting sightings of the day included koncetbus 504 on the Costessey Park and Ride, and anglian's 218 working the 588.

konectbus visit ~ 24th July

First day of konect's new expanded yard © Steven Royal

Sam and I ventured out to Dereham yesterday after being invited to be shown around the brand new premises. The company moved out of their old garage to the plot next door, where a garage and offices were built from scratch. The old plot was flattened and turned into extra space for konect to store their buses. Previously, they had been stored in the car park across the road.

We were shown the Operations room, where konect have a state of the art tracking program which track both theirs and anglian's buses down to a pinpoint, with details of journey, driver, and how late/early the bus is running. This was when we discovered that anglian's refreshed 229, X229WRA was in service in Great Yarmouth. Most likely on the 581, she has been out of service since she emerged from the paintshop two weeks ago. We believe yesterday was her first time in service. I am visiting Beccles today to try and photograph her.

I must say the most noticeable part of our visit was the working air conditioning! A welcome relief from the beating sun outside. We were then taken to the drivers room, where they pay in their cash, sit and relax and drink coffee during their breaks. This room features a window with a lovely view of inside the garage where the drivers can watch the mechanics working on the buses.

We were then treated to the arrival of 219, which will be konect's only Excel after the bus transfers with anglian are complete. We were allowed to have a little mess around with the screen and had it working the 8, 602, and the free bus to Tesco! We thought that the treats were over, but then we were offered a lift back into the town centre with David Smith, who was about to embark on a school run on the heritage Leyland National. We are very grateful to konectbus for their cooperation, with special mentions to Steven and David who helped us out on our visit.

152 after dropping off school pupils in Swaffham
© David Smith

Newmarket Road Accident

Police reopened the A11 Newmarket Road four hours after a collision between a motorcyclist and a van, which happened yesterday at around 11am. Reports suggest that a bus had stopped to let out a mail van from a side road which was turning right; the opposite way to the direction the bus was travelling. The motorcycle, assuming the bus was at a bus stop proceeded to overtake the bus, thus resulting in it crashing into the van which had pulled out past the bus. The rider is in a "serious condition" currently receiving treatment at the N&N for head injuries.

 

The bus was not directly involved in the collision, but it caused many delays to other services. One operator commented on the disruption.

 

"Konectbus said there were delays to the park and ride 601, delays and cancellations to park and ride 604 and delays to 6, 6A, X6 and 8’s, with buses diverted onto Ipswich Road." (source: EDP)

X2 Blog Withdrawn

Sorry for the lack of posts on this blog, its been rather quiet on the bus front recently with little or no movement worth blogging about. Due to the lack of updates and commitment levels needed to run the X2 blog, I have decided to withdraw it. I may pick it up again at some point in the future but at the moment this is looking unlikely.

anglianbus - Special Report

317, pictured on Wednesday boarding at the bus station.

After my sighting of a previously unheard of Sanders vehicle last week, Sam has been in contact with Sanders, and he was informed that they have taken on three Scania L94UB Wright Solar's, both from Reading buses. The vehicles are:

316 - YN05 GXX

317 - YN06 NXS
318 - YN06 NXR

So far, the buses appear to be mainly employed on the 44S service between Norwich and Sheringham though Sanders have classed them as 'spare' vehicles.

229, now complete and ready for service.

Something else you might like to know is that Anglian's latest arrival 229, X229WRA is expected in service this week as she was seen today at anglians yard, fully repaired after a water leak featuring the rather smart new anglian logo. This bus is built mostly out of panels from her old sister, X228WRA who currently sits cannabalised at the back of the yard.



Thanks to Steven at konectbus, I can supply a table of information regarding every single anglian route as of September.

* = operated by konectbus

There are some other transfers between the two sister companies that are expected to happen in time for the new network in September:

217 - W217 PRB (konect to anglian)
302 - AU08 DKL (anglian to konect)
303 - AU08 DKN (anglian to konect)

219, the only Excel that will not be transferred to anglian.

414 - YJ55 BLX (anglian to konect)
415 - YJ06 FZK (anglian to konect)

the remaining Optare Excel (W219 PRB) is expected to stay at konectbus for use on an Easton College contract and the Tesco free bus, where 302 and 303 are expected to feature mainly on the 52.

In the repainting news, the next buses to be repainted are anglian's Excels that are still in konect livery, followed by the buses that are due to be transferred to konect listed above.

All the service changes I have listed above are still subject to change and are very much in the planning stages. Please check back here and on anglian's website nearer the time for the final, confirmed details.

A special thanks to Steven at konectbus, Marcus Kerton, Joe Wilson, Sam Larke, anglianbus and CarCom Bodyworks for helping me with this report.

Norwich Bus Station set to open on Sundays

The decision to close the building at Norwich Bus Station on Sundays in 2011 caused many comments from bus users saying they feel there is a lack of facilities for for passengers waiting for buses on Sundays. The decision was made as part of the councils big conservation, consultation and spending review.But thanks to the amount of people who expressed their views, the council have had a rethink and as part of a scheme to encourage the public to to use public transport, the decision has been made to reopen the building each Sunday starting from the 28th of this month, but with the reduced hours of 9 til 5.

Norse Depot Visit - 7th July 2013

On Sunday 7th July, Zak and I were invited into Norse's depot in Norwich by Norfolk Norse Operations Manager, Andrew Quinsee. The site, located in the Airport Industrial Estate, doesn't usually open on a Sunday, however Andrew had a meeting on site that morning, and kindly agreed to let me and Zak in for a wander round the depot.

7163, 7170 and 7171 spend a day off at the depot.

Excluding 7167 PN03UMD, which was hidden away in the workshop, all thirteen Plaxton President's were present on site. Andrew informed us that he'd even gone to the liberty of arranging the fleet to make them easily photographable! Thanks to this, we were easily able to snap a shot of 7163, 7170 and 7171, Norse's three 'spare' Trident's. These three are used to cover the Sprowston, Airport and Postwick Park and Ride buses if for whatever reason, a Park and Ride bus cannot operate.

Also on site was my beloved OY53REU, sitting forlorn in the corner of the yard. Watch out for a new feature on the blog coming soon, Fleet Focus will be a weekly series focusing on a bus which has or is operating in Norfolk or North Suffolk. OY53REU will feature in one of these posts, so watch this space!

Norwich School's Plaxton Paramount probably visitng for
a service.

One of twenty seven Dennis Javelin Caetano Cutlass's which Norse
employ on school work.

Also of interest was Norwich School's Plaxton Paramount F459NDV sat next to 7165 which has now been out of service for over seven weeks! Norse aren't yet sure when 7165 will re-enter service, though the minute she does, we'll let you know!

As you'd expect, the majority of Norse's Cutlass's were present. Pictured below is 7102 T703APX, one of several Caetano Cutlass's Norse employ on school work.

Another piece of information Andrew provided us with is that latest arrivals, 7177/8 will eventually be repainted into the standard Norse livery, the same livery as LKZ 4453. They have retained the livery of their original owners as the paint was in very good condition, and are likely to wear that livery for at least a few months yet.

We would like to thank Norse, and especially Andrew for allowing us into the depot as well as providing us with free custard creams!

Other pictures from our visit can be found on our Flickr accounts.        Zak's Flickr            Sam's Flickr

X229WRA emerges from the paintshop

Previously unreported on the blog, was that recently acquired Optare Excel X229WRA was being repainted into anglianbus' new livery. I was told last week by Carcom in Beccles that she was due out on Wednesday afternoon. As I was passing through Beccles anyway I thought I'd go and have a quick peep. 

What I wasn't expecting was to be invited inside the garage to have a closer look. The remaining panels of sister X228WRA were leaning up against the wall, the others had been used to reconstruct 229. This is a nice touch for bus enthusiasts as many, like myself liked X228WRA and I'm glad that most of 229 is made out of her.

The timing of the visit turned out to be perfect as after just 20 minutes, she was taken back to anglian's depot at Ellough, enabling me to photograph her in good light. She is now off to konect's depot in Dereham to have her vinyls applied and is expected to enter service on Friday.

Another piece of information worth mentioning is that Sanders have acquiried this ex Reading Buses Scania L94UB Wright Solar, given fleet number 317. We have had no reports of any other arrivals.

Major Service Changes at Anglianbus

VOSA have published their bus registration / service changes for today, and Anglianbus have a heavy presence in the list. These changes are due to happen in September. Here is a full list of the services in a simplified version, or as much as I can understand it.

These new route numbers are expected to interlink with konectbus' routes, when they change in the coming months. Please note the only difference is the service number, the routes should remain as they are, but may have slight amendments made to the timetables. To view full details of all the changes on VOSA, please click here and select 'view all' and tick the Eastern Traffic Area box, on July 9th date.

FirstNorwich Begin Rebranding Scheme

As promised, FirstNorwich have began to rebrand the buses which are missing areas of branding due to window replacements etc. The process has began with 33165, which never received branding at all! Zak pictures 33165 with fleet names, but no colour branding as of yet.

Buses which will need rebranding are:

Generic (spare): 32100, 33057, 36171

Yellow Line: 32106, 33056

Purple Line: 33003

Red Line: 33158

Orange Line: 33169

Blue Line: 36174



It is also notable that 32100 was originally Turquoise branded. Kieran pictured her back in September with only the upper front window branded. It is argued that because she is often on other routes, she will be branded as a spare. This means she would be the only generic branded Volvo B7TL Plaxton President in FirstNorwich's fleet.

More Updates from Caister Road

There are now six buses from Ensign that have arrived at Caister Road this week, with three more arriving yesterday; all bound for Essex. These came in the form of two Enviro200s (44596 - EU60 LFS and 44597 - FJ58 YSL) bound for Clacton, and one Enviro400 (33424 - VT59 JPT) which will find home in Basildon. As part of First's new scheme to be involved with local groups, I was again allowed inside the depot and was presented with a few free gifts, such as stationary, a carrier bag and a sun cap. Obviously, as a local group ourselves, I for one am very happy that First have introduced this scheme. It is not yet confirmed whether or not any other buses are due to arrive from Ensign, though it is thought that another Enviro200 AY08EKT may be due soon.

Soon to be in Yarmouth? 30900 - W774 DWX

I was also told some updates regarding bus movements due to the arrival of the X1 Geminis across the Yarmouth and Lowestoft fleet. Six of the B9s are due to moved to Great Yarmouth, with the remaining 11 bound for Lowestoft. The arrival of the 11 in Lowestoft will enable the 2005 ALX400s to be transferred to Ipswich, and the W reg buses are currently planned to move back to Great Yarmouth, to replace to the final 9 step entrance deckers in the fleet. Please note that these plans are subject to change, and withdrawals may take a few months.

In other updates, Yarmouth duo 43480 and 43481 are due to be transferred to Lowestoft shortly, which means that the only Pointers left are the four '05 reg ones that came from Chelmsford.

37562 Enters Service



37562 - FJ08 FYN

Today, FirstGreat Yarmouth 37562 (FJ08FYN) was put into service for the first time. It appeared on the number 8 route between Caister and James Paget Hospital in Gorleston. Here it can be seen no less than 10 minutes before I wrote this post, with one of it's X1 cousins on Gorleston High Street.
 

Caister Road Updates

After forgetting my bus pass yesterday, I venture out to Caister Road today to photograph 33423 SN60CAA. She was sat near the entrance of the yard, in her allover white livery which is due to stay with her until the arrival of the other Enviro400s for the X1. She is and will be based at Great Yarmouth, but no confirmations have been made about which services she will be on, or when she will enter service. The most likely allocation will be Peterborough to Lowestoft to enable the Geminis to be repainted. The kind people at First allowed me to have a sneaky peak inside the bus and I must say I am very impressed. Comfortable leather seats and plenty of leg room, with tinted windows to prevent the upper deck getting too hot in the summer. 

Whilst I was at the depot, I was informed that three of the 21 buses purchased from Ensign were arriving in just a couple of hours, however the identities of these buses were unknown. I decided to stick around for a bit and managed to photograph them all coming in. Here we see 44599 (YX08HJF), displaying an incorrect fleet number on the front which is bound for Clacton at First Essex. A second Enviro200 arrived a few minutes later, (44598 - KX57BWF) also bound for Clacton. The third bus to arrive was the legendary 37562, FJ08FYN! This bus has been in service in the area before being bought up by Beestons. Whilst it was there, it retained its original First livery however now it can be seen resplendent in her Great Yarmouth colours. Unfortunately, I couldn't photograph the bus arriving as I was standing at the other entrance waiting to photograph her, when she went in the other entrance at the other side of the yard. But ever improving customer relations at First meant a little treat for me as whilst reparking her, the driver brought her out the front especially for me to photograph her. My many thanks to First for allowing this to happen. She is due for service any time now, however at the moment the only thing that the screen can display is Rail Replacement, so it may be a few days yet.

Meanwhile, 43487 - R687DPW has been transferred to Lowestoft, and 42451 - R451CCV and 43470 - R470CAH have been permanently withdrawn.

Interesting Norwich sightings

I was in Norwich today, and I noted several interesting workings, Anglian buses which have been transferred to Rackheath.

First off we have AU11EPF on 123 to Wroxham

YJ60KGV also a Optare Versa on 123

AU08GLY on 587.

AU11ESG on 587 to Poringland, prior to being transferred to Rackheath this Versa was a regular on the 581 Service between Yarmouth and Beccles.

Beccles based vehicle YT11LVF running the A47 to Gorleston. This is one of a number Beccles based buses seen running the route in the last few days.

Another sighting of interest reported to us is that a 13 reg EcoCity was on the A47 today.