Central Scotland trip
Today's trip was mostly done on a First Scotland East day ticket (£8 worth, because the bit from St Andrews to just beyond Cupar is before 0930... but I still had £6 in vouchers to use from a time when a 23 - a two-hourly route - completly ignored my waiting at Balado Crossroads!). Anyway, I digress. Started of with Stagecoach 20329 on the 99 took me to St Andrews, where reconstruction of City Road and the bus station led to a lot of vehicles in wrong places, and waiting lights (road) or banksmen (bus station) to let them through! Full pics here, but my first First of the day was the "regular" bus on the 23, despite having no number box (and the digital display rescued from an M9 coach!), 62250. The coach handled somewhat roughly, especially over unmade bits of road. After getting off at Stirling bus station, I thought I was in somewhat of a timewarp (t..tt..tt..timewarp... etc.), as I was able to spot at least seven buses advertising "Dowa" month - which was MARCH, this is JUNE! Other notables included a brand new LINLITHGOW based Scania on the 58 - well, it was screened for it, but as you expect, it was acutally a 38 (the big Merc ex-demonstrator L140MAK was on 58's, running Dunblane-Stirling from Bannocklburn depot, as usual). Anyway, during/after breakfast, snapped at Murray Place, ex-CentreWest DW78 on the 51's (not low floor but never mind...) Mercedes 62365 on the 11 heading for Balfron via Aberfoyle (also with "Dowa"!), Mitchell's of Plean's Enviro 300, and what used to be Mercedes 54, on the 54! I started walking back to the bus station, and was able to snap an original, and newer Scania from Mackies, then for those wondering where all the Route 60 branded buses were, I snapped one on the X39 heading for Glasgow! Larbert were also at it, as a 6/7 branded Dart was on the 16!
So, I'd had a quick look at the Balfron timetable (well, a photocopy of one page of it), and could see the opportunity to go from Stirling to Glasgow via Balfron on a 12/10 combination. It used to be a through service, and some buses work through. I saw the driver of 30126 arriving as a 59, and started winding to the end of the blind - and he found it - Glasgow via Balfron etc. OK, so went for it, but as I hadn't been up this way for a bit, double-checked the arrangements for changing from a 12 to a 10. Driver stated that a change of bus was needed, and "this thing widnae make it to Glasgow". Having said that, it was one of the better journeys of the day, it had to be said! The bus was an ex-Manchester Olympian, one of those still with Manchester stickers all over the cab, and coach seats downstairs! We got to Balfron, and the landmark timing point "opposite clinic" had been demolished (Stirling Bus Station now referred to as "Going Local Office"). So, the bus took me round the corner to the depot, and the driver admitted he'd forgotten I was upstairs... never mind, just enough time to get back to Buchanan Street (Balfron that is!) Stopped at the council office as I could see someone else was waiting for the bus. The timetable booklet showed that on schooldays, another bus ran 15 minutes behind this one. Well, if I'd known that before... aah well. Later on, I saw it, a Metrobus... Anyway, Mercedes 62315 (used to be 55) took me on the 10 half to Glasgow, but not before I spotted 62365 finally arriving at Balfron, having gone the long way from when I snapped it in Stirling!
Upon arrival in Glasgow, had just over half an hour, but that ended up being a lot less due to feeling somewhat ill in the loo, but still managed to get about 20 minutes to meet up once more with the West End Poet (who beat our meet to his blog before mine!) An exchange of timetables should leave my bags a little lighter, but as I needed a few of each of all the new First and Arriva stuff for friends, I managed to leave with more than I arrived with... aah well, nice one all the same (and I love the choice of music you had for the day!) Left on 62378 (now registered N473 KHU) on the 15A to Livingston, where the pic was taken.
This was the point where I almost had as much time as I'd like, because it was around 1525 and my bus from Edinburgh back to Dundee left about four and a half hours later (the trip back takes about an hour or so, depending on traffic). I was able to grab another new OmniDekka, plain white Dart Y213 BGB which is "on loan" to Horsburgh on the 404/406, P199 ENN of Blue Bus, Shotts (the wife of the former proprietor of HAD Coaches), as well as some somewhat boring shoping by comparison - a bite to eat, and some paper from the Paper Mill shop. This offers the chance to fill a box with paper/card at a fixed price, and both A5 and A4 boxes can be had - the former boxes are magazine files in style, which are somewhat hard to find over the counter (i.e. without buying a case load) in A5 size!
Scania OmniDekka 36007 on the 28 (1647 ex Livi IIRC) took me back to Edinburgh via Sighthill. The routing on the way in allowed me to see the delays in the Hermiston/Sighthill area - primarily due to the construction of the new Hermiston Park & Ride! The top of Riccarton Mains Road is no longer used, and there is a new roundabout further back, just before the turn off for the Trefoil Centre etc. Buses and traffic heading for the uni would then turn left at the roundabout, passing the new P&R. Wonder if the delays make the drivers feel like the car in this picture? Aah well, it will be for the better long-term - there are going to be several of these created (Newcraighall and more-than-doubled-in-capacity Ferrytoll alreadfy exist, and Ingilston, Hermiston, Hillend, Straiton, Todhills, and more, will be with us soon).
On the Calder Road/Gorgie Road/Haymarket, spotted various off the top deck of the bus. A First Plaxton coach with large fleetnames and most recent livery, the Galleries Shuttle bus on the 44A, and G&L Executive Travel on Citylink's 904 to East Kilbride. Upon arrival at Waterloo Place, I was able to snap a few buses including a 26 Trident on the peak time X26 variant, a Yellow Taxibus with offside fleetname missing, and a Routemaster now painted into Guide Friday Edinburgh Tour colours. Stopped at a cashpoint on the way through the St James, and the change from the tenner when I bought two bottles of Coke was enough to give me the change for the locker, and 20p piece for the facilities. Left the bags in the locker, got refreshed, then back out for another go. No 43 timetables left, but a quick look at the office copy showed I probably did not have enough time for a complete rounder on that, and given the nature of traffic on the Queensferry Road, decided against it (you see when you see me with a radio earphone in my ear... it does come in useful to save getting stuck in bad traffic! That's my excuse, and....). Had a look down to Princes Street, and had a trip on ex-Bristol Leyland Olympian 31704 on the X81 to Birkenside, and I alighted at Lady Road/Cameron Toll. In the vicinity, I was able to snap up a variety of "part route" buses working back to the depot, like Lothian 179 on a 49 Kings Road (for Marine garage) part route, 230 on a 31 to Elm Row (for Central garage) (turning east at the top of North Bridge to get there, not left), and a look at the BusTracker real-time system, before taking a First Dart 40942 on the 77 back to town - with a few remnants of broken glass at the back of the bus...
Got back to the bus station, picked up the luggage, then got Megabus X676NSE back to Perth, and Neoplan 50127 back to Dundee.
So, I'd had a quick look at the Balfron timetable (well, a photocopy of one page of it), and could see the opportunity to go from Stirling to Glasgow via Balfron on a 12/10 combination. It used to be a through service, and some buses work through. I saw the driver of 30126 arriving as a 59, and started winding to the end of the blind - and he found it - Glasgow via Balfron etc. OK, so went for it, but as I hadn't been up this way for a bit, double-checked the arrangements for changing from a 12 to a 10. Driver stated that a change of bus was needed, and "this thing widnae make it to Glasgow". Having said that, it was one of the better journeys of the day, it had to be said! The bus was an ex-Manchester Olympian, one of those still with Manchester stickers all over the cab, and coach seats downstairs! We got to Balfron, and the landmark timing point "opposite clinic" had been demolished (Stirling Bus Station now referred to as "Going Local Office"). So, the bus took me round the corner to the depot, and the driver admitted he'd forgotten I was upstairs... never mind, just enough time to get back to Buchanan Street (Balfron that is!) Stopped at the council office as I could see someone else was waiting for the bus. The timetable booklet showed that on schooldays, another bus ran 15 minutes behind this one. Well, if I'd known that before... aah well. Later on, I saw it, a Metrobus... Anyway, Mercedes 62315 (used to be 55) took me on the 10 half to Glasgow, but not before I spotted 62365 finally arriving at Balfron, having gone the long way from when I snapped it in Stirling!
Upon arrival in Glasgow, had just over half an hour, but that ended up being a lot less due to feeling somewhat ill in the loo, but still managed to get about 20 minutes to meet up once more with the West End Poet (who beat our meet to his blog before mine!) An exchange of timetables should leave my bags a little lighter, but as I needed a few of each of all the new First and Arriva stuff for friends, I managed to leave with more than I arrived with... aah well, nice one all the same (and I love the choice of music you had for the day!) Left on 62378 (now registered N473 KHU) on the 15A to Livingston, where the pic was taken.
This was the point where I almost had as much time as I'd like, because it was around 1525 and my bus from Edinburgh back to Dundee left about four and a half hours later (the trip back takes about an hour or so, depending on traffic). I was able to grab another new OmniDekka, plain white Dart Y213 BGB which is "on loan" to Horsburgh on the 404/406, P199 ENN of Blue Bus, Shotts (the wife of the former proprietor of HAD Coaches), as well as some somewhat boring shoping by comparison - a bite to eat, and some paper from the Paper Mill shop. This offers the chance to fill a box with paper/card at a fixed price, and both A5 and A4 boxes can be had - the former boxes are magazine files in style, which are somewhat hard to find over the counter (i.e. without buying a case load) in A5 size!
Scania OmniDekka 36007 on the 28 (1647 ex Livi IIRC) took me back to Edinburgh via Sighthill. The routing on the way in allowed me to see the delays in the Hermiston/Sighthill area - primarily due to the construction of the new Hermiston Park & Ride! The top of Riccarton Mains Road is no longer used, and there is a new roundabout further back, just before the turn off for the Trefoil Centre etc. Buses and traffic heading for the uni would then turn left at the roundabout, passing the new P&R. Wonder if the delays make the drivers feel like the car in this picture? Aah well, it will be for the better long-term - there are going to be several of these created (Newcraighall and more-than-doubled-in-capacity Ferrytoll alreadfy exist, and Ingilston, Hermiston, Hillend, Straiton, Todhills, and more, will be with us soon).
On the Calder Road/Gorgie Road/Haymarket, spotted various off the top deck of the bus. A First Plaxton coach with large fleetnames and most recent livery, the Galleries Shuttle bus on the 44A, and G&L Executive Travel on Citylink's 904 to East Kilbride. Upon arrival at Waterloo Place, I was able to snap a few buses including a 26 Trident on the peak time X26 variant, a Yellow Taxibus with offside fleetname missing, and a Routemaster now painted into Guide Friday Edinburgh Tour colours. Stopped at a cashpoint on the way through the St James, and the change from the tenner when I bought two bottles of Coke was enough to give me the change for the locker, and 20p piece for the facilities. Left the bags in the locker, got refreshed, then back out for another go. No 43 timetables left, but a quick look at the office copy showed I probably did not have enough time for a complete rounder on that, and given the nature of traffic on the Queensferry Road, decided against it (you see when you see me with a radio earphone in my ear... it does come in useful to save getting stuck in bad traffic! That's my excuse, and....). Had a look down to Princes Street, and had a trip on ex-Bristol Leyland Olympian 31704 on the X81 to Birkenside, and I alighted at Lady Road/Cameron Toll. In the vicinity, I was able to snap up a variety of "part route" buses working back to the depot, like Lothian 179 on a 49 Kings Road (for Marine garage) part route, 230 on a 31 to Elm Row (for Central garage) (turning east at the top of North Bridge to get there, not left), and a look at the BusTracker real-time system, before taking a First Dart 40942 on the 77 back to town - with a few remnants of broken glass at the back of the bus...
Got back to the bus station, picked up the luggage, then got Megabus X676NSE back to Perth, and Neoplan 50127 back to Dundee.
Overall impression of First service on the day - good, but still not as good as the proclamations they make.
posted by Suzy Scott @ 23:10
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