Fife trip
Today, I had booked paid leave for a trip around Fife. While others covered the golf related events over the weekend, I decided to wait till Monday, which I already had booked off anyway. Today saw the annual Burntisland Highland Games - and as a result, Stagecoach Fife operate a special bus service 21 from Cowdenbeath to Burntisland. This route operates with two double deckers, one day a year, and is well worth a hurl if you ever get the chance. The bit south of Beverkae Roundabout is not served by any other mainstream route, but as there are now houses going up there... logic might suggest run a 21 for crew changes on the B1, and run it from Cowdenbeath - but the latter depot does not operate minibuses (hence stuff like the 20A and the new 204 being run from Glenrothes, B1 from Aberhill, etc.) This year's web timetable, and the bus bill, showed the service had been stripped back to a bus every hour i.e. one bus. The web timetable also showed that the service started at Kelty Junction - that should have read Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction...
52246 X54 Dundee Bus Station - Glenrothes Bus Station
Spent some time here, in the rain! Volvo/PS 20328 snapped with new Carlton Bingo advertisment, also caught loaned 20306 working from Glenrothes - one of two swapped with St Andrews for Olympians. M&W had Mercedes Vario SP 04 FKN on the 5/5C, and the Volvo B7 decker was spotted on the 4 (but not photographed) - now in full livery.
16173 30 Glenrothes Bus station - Cowdenbeath depot
Glenrothes's new Solo was spotted on the 201's as I was leaving. Took this bus through to Cowdenbeath, via the bit where you leave Fife for a few hundred yards, into Perth & Kinross, and then back again! In this bit of isolation, there are no Perth & Kinross Council shelters, and the route does not warrant mention in their local area guide. Passed Ballingry Terminus and was able to snap a Volvo Olympian on the 34, and a MAN on the 19. And all without getting wet... As we passed Kelty Junction, spotted an ex-A1 Service Olympian 16847 on the 21... wait, wasn't that supposed to be an hourly service? Either half an hour early (not likely), or there were two buses after all? Well, I was on the way to the depot, so I could ask fairly easily. Got off at the depot (spotted two megabuses in the depot!), and asked - the office assistant did me a photocopy of both drivers running boards, which showed there were two buses an hour, at the usual xx15 and xx45 times from both ends. From Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction 1015-1845, with returns from Burntisland Harbour Place thirty minutes later. That done...
22253 19 Cowdenbeath Depot - Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction
This is the vehicle that has been painted into the Crimestoppers "Night & Day" advert. To see the front and offside, click Depot. To see the rear and nearside, click Kelty Junction. While waiting for the 21, MAN 22265 (the one with Route 19 branding) stopped conviently.
16402 21 Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction - Burntisland Harbour Place
As can be seen, snapped at both sides, giving the unusual sight of a Cowdenbeath based bus in Burntisland! Volvo Citybus 15212 was on for duplicates, and two controllers were asking for passenger loads, obviously in anticipation of duplicates as needed. The 6's and 7's were all double decks.
16114 7 Burntisland Harbour Place - Dunfermline Bus Station
Not quite a Trident, but never mind... This Olympian was one of several fitted with CCTV for use on school runs, including the "Ned TV" display monitors! Spotted at Dunfermline were 52366 with new lettering, 16410 on the 76 (first decker I've seen on this for a few years!). The second Carlton Bingo bus was spotted in the Bus Station, as 20338. Also, see if you can spot the "86" in this view at Dunfermline Bus Station... James Street (for town services) saw 16156 on newly curtailed (further!) Service D9. The D9 now operates as far as Birrel Drive, with the section between there and Tesco Duloch Park withdrawn - except if you get on the bus in Johnston Crescent, where the bus will continue to Tesco on request! To get a bus to take you back, you need to phone in your request at least two hours in advance, to the same phone number that is used by Yellow Taxibus... Also spotted were several of the D5/D6 CityRider new Darts, including the rear and the front of 34725, and the front of 34729. Also spotted was 34082 rear and front with X40 branding, on the D7...
52361 X24 Dunfermline Bus Station - Glenrothes Bus Station
Was going for the X1 but missed it, so got
16412 39 Glenrothes Bus Station - Kirkcaldy Bus Station
Upon arrival at Kirkcaldy, I see Citybus 15292 parked up, blinded Cowdenbeath 16 - whey hey!
15292 16 Kirkcaldy Bus Station - Beverkae Roundabout
The interior of the Citybus was still almost as new - well, mostly original seat trim etc... As there were two buses on this route (rather than the planned one), I decided to stop off earlier so I could get the second one. The Beverkae Roundabout is in the middle of no-where, apart from the chemical plant, so the driver was a little surprised when I rang the bell and headed downstairs... "You want off HERE like?" Driver then reminded me nothing else passed this way, and I advised I was alighting here for the 21 i.e. one day a year when you can do it... "Well I turn left here eh?", to which I replied "yeah, that'll do..." and was duly dropped off at the roundabout. Cross over the road (the A909) and wait for...
16847 21 Beverkae Roundabout - Burntisland Harbour Place
Only had about five/six minutes to wait for this bus... As can be seen as we headed dowhill, the view from the bus extends across Fife into East Lothian. At Burntisland. 40496 had arrived as a duplicate to the Trident from Kirkcaldy, which was 18096, seen here amongst the tourists and the flag bunting. As there was about twenty minutes to wait - or so I thought - for the next bus to Kirkcaldy, headed into the chip shop for food... and then came out and saw waiting...
18100 7 Burntisland town centre - Kirkcaldy St Clair Street
Very quick across the road, seems as if the 7 is running about twenty minutes late. The driver had one of the two inspectors on board, and still had the heating on full blast, and only lowered the step when verbally complained at by a customer. The bus includes one two Dundee City Coucil SmartBus posters, unlikely that it will ever make it to Dundee though! There were already two prams on the bus, but a wheelchair user boarded soon after, and then about four or five buggies tried to get on at the end of the fair... and one of them tried to get off at Pettycur Bay (the caravan park further along), meaning everyone had to get off and back on again! When we got to Kirkcaldy Bus Station, we were just in front of the 7A, due twenty minutes ahead of us. At this point, all the other 7's were running a few minutes down, but not too bad.
16850 39 Kirkcaldy St Clair Street - Kirkcaldy Railway Station
then
16067 7A Kirkcaldy Railway Station - Aberhill/Bawbee Bridge Roundabout
The kids on this bus were VERY loud upstairs, but the CCTV was working fine! I managed to snap the bus on the way back to the depot, and a Citybus goes out for replacement (some Aberhill stuff works back to the depot for crew changes, Dunfermline and to a latter extent). Apart from a private hire, these were the only two Fife Citybuses I saw in use today.
16084 44 outside Aberhill Depot - Glenrothes Bus Station
I had intended to stay on the 44 to Whitehill and back, but the bus was rattling and shaking so badly (reminding me of the one-time Ailsa/NC's at Tayside) that I bailed out at Glenrothes. Rather than going for the 1800 66, I went for the 67 a bit earlier instead - which I'd not tried since the route was changed to run via Markinch and Tofthill. Dart 32111 (on the 40) broke down and stuck for well over 15 minutes before the mehcanics Transit dropside got them going again... when the next 40A was loading up!
52246 X54 Dundee Bus Station - Glenrothes Bus Station
Spent some time here, in the rain! Volvo/PS 20328 snapped with new Carlton Bingo advertisment, also caught loaned 20306 working from Glenrothes - one of two swapped with St Andrews for Olympians. M&W had Mercedes Vario SP 04 FKN on the 5/5C, and the Volvo B7 decker was spotted on the 4 (but not photographed) - now in full livery.
16173 30 Glenrothes Bus station - Cowdenbeath depot
Glenrothes's new Solo was spotted on the 201's as I was leaving. Took this bus through to Cowdenbeath, via the bit where you leave Fife for a few hundred yards, into Perth & Kinross, and then back again! In this bit of isolation, there are no Perth & Kinross Council shelters, and the route does not warrant mention in their local area guide. Passed Ballingry Terminus and was able to snap a Volvo Olympian on the 34, and a MAN on the 19. And all without getting wet... As we passed Kelty Junction, spotted an ex-A1 Service Olympian 16847 on the 21... wait, wasn't that supposed to be an hourly service? Either half an hour early (not likely), or there were two buses after all? Well, I was on the way to the depot, so I could ask fairly easily. Got off at the depot (spotted two megabuses in the depot!), and asked - the office assistant did me a photocopy of both drivers running boards, which showed there were two buses an hour, at the usual xx15 and xx45 times from both ends. From Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction 1015-1845, with returns from Burntisland Harbour Place thirty minutes later. That done...
22253 19 Cowdenbeath Depot - Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction
This is the vehicle that has been painted into the Crimestoppers "Night & Day" advert. To see the front and offside, click Depot. To see the rear and nearside, click Kelty Junction. While waiting for the 21, MAN 22265 (the one with Route 19 branding) stopped conviently.
16402 21 Cowdenbeath Kelty Junction - Burntisland Harbour Place
As can be seen, snapped at both sides, giving the unusual sight of a Cowdenbeath based bus in Burntisland! Volvo Citybus 15212 was on for duplicates, and two controllers were asking for passenger loads, obviously in anticipation of duplicates as needed. The 6's and 7's were all double decks.
16114 7 Burntisland Harbour Place - Dunfermline Bus Station
Not quite a Trident, but never mind... This Olympian was one of several fitted with CCTV for use on school runs, including the "Ned TV" display monitors! Spotted at Dunfermline were 52366 with new lettering, 16410 on the 76 (first decker I've seen on this for a few years!). The second Carlton Bingo bus was spotted in the Bus Station, as 20338. Also, see if you can spot the "86" in this view at Dunfermline Bus Station... James Street (for town services) saw 16156 on newly curtailed (further!) Service D9. The D9 now operates as far as Birrel Drive, with the section between there and Tesco Duloch Park withdrawn - except if you get on the bus in Johnston Crescent, where the bus will continue to Tesco on request! To get a bus to take you back, you need to phone in your request at least two hours in advance, to the same phone number that is used by Yellow Taxibus... Also spotted were several of the D5/D6 CityRider new Darts, including the rear and the front of 34725, and the front of 34729. Also spotted was 34082 rear and front with X40 branding, on the D7...
52361 X24 Dunfermline Bus Station - Glenrothes Bus Station
Was going for the X1 but missed it, so got
16412 39 Glenrothes Bus Station - Kirkcaldy Bus Station
Upon arrival at Kirkcaldy, I see Citybus 15292 parked up, blinded Cowdenbeath 16 - whey hey!
15292 16 Kirkcaldy Bus Station - Beverkae Roundabout
The interior of the Citybus was still almost as new - well, mostly original seat trim etc... As there were two buses on this route (rather than the planned one), I decided to stop off earlier so I could get the second one. The Beverkae Roundabout is in the middle of no-where, apart from the chemical plant, so the driver was a little surprised when I rang the bell and headed downstairs... "You want off HERE like?" Driver then reminded me nothing else passed this way, and I advised I was alighting here for the 21 i.e. one day a year when you can do it... "Well I turn left here eh?", to which I replied "yeah, that'll do..." and was duly dropped off at the roundabout. Cross over the road (the A909) and wait for...
16847 21 Beverkae Roundabout - Burntisland Harbour Place
Only had about five/six minutes to wait for this bus... As can be seen as we headed dowhill, the view from the bus extends across Fife into East Lothian. At Burntisland. 40496 had arrived as a duplicate to the Trident from Kirkcaldy, which was 18096, seen here amongst the tourists and the flag bunting. As there was about twenty minutes to wait - or so I thought - for the next bus to Kirkcaldy, headed into the chip shop for food... and then came out and saw waiting...
18100 7 Burntisland town centre - Kirkcaldy St Clair Street
Very quick across the road, seems as if the 7 is running about twenty minutes late. The driver had one of the two inspectors on board, and still had the heating on full blast, and only lowered the step when verbally complained at by a customer. The bus includes one two Dundee City Coucil SmartBus posters, unlikely that it will ever make it to Dundee though! There were already two prams on the bus, but a wheelchair user boarded soon after, and then about four or five buggies tried to get on at the end of the fair... and one of them tried to get off at Pettycur Bay (the caravan park further along), meaning everyone had to get off and back on again! When we got to Kirkcaldy Bus Station, we were just in front of the 7A, due twenty minutes ahead of us. At this point, all the other 7's were running a few minutes down, but not too bad.
16850 39 Kirkcaldy St Clair Street - Kirkcaldy Railway Station
then
16067 7A Kirkcaldy Railway Station - Aberhill/Bawbee Bridge Roundabout
The kids on this bus were VERY loud upstairs, but the CCTV was working fine! I managed to snap the bus on the way back to the depot, and a Citybus goes out for replacement (some Aberhill stuff works back to the depot for crew changes, Dunfermline and to a latter extent). Apart from a private hire, these were the only two Fife Citybuses I saw in use today.
16084 44 outside Aberhill Depot - Glenrothes Bus Station
I had intended to stay on the 44 to Whitehill and back, but the bus was rattling and shaking so badly (reminding me of the one-time Ailsa/NC's at Tayside) that I bailed out at Glenrothes. Rather than going for the 1800 66, I went for the 67 a bit earlier instead - which I'd not tried since the route was changed to run via Markinch and Tofthill. Dart 32111 (on the 40) broke down and stuck for well over 15 minutes before the mehcanics Transit dropside got them going again... when the next 40A was loading up!
20323 67 Glenrothes Bus Station - Cupar Crossgate
I was starting to nod off on this bus... so when it arrived at Cupar, crossed the road for
20149 23 Cupar Crossgate - St Andrews Bus Station
This journey is one of the "dead mileage killers" that run between St Andrews and Cupar in service, and I was the only one all the way through. As I passed Seggie Farm, I could see the last remnants of the Park & Ride site materials being removed.
20303 96 St Andrews Bus Station - Dundee Seagate
And that was it - got off the bus, and headed for home. Saw Travel Dundee 147 in the bus stop - where only TD Service 51 to Fowlis leaves from... the bus was blinded Sorry Not In Service, so obviously wasn't going to get used on the 51. Came home, fell asleep fairly quickly... and that's it for another day.
I was starting to nod off on this bus... so when it arrived at Cupar, crossed the road for
20149 23 Cupar Crossgate - St Andrews Bus Station
This journey is one of the "dead mileage killers" that run between St Andrews and Cupar in service, and I was the only one all the way through. As I passed Seggie Farm, I could see the last remnants of the Park & Ride site materials being removed.
20303 96 St Andrews Bus Station - Dundee Seagate
And that was it - got off the bus, and headed for home. Saw Travel Dundee 147 in the bus stop - where only TD Service 51 to Fowlis leaves from... the bus was blinded Sorry Not In Service, so obviously wasn't going to get used on the 51. Came home, fell asleep fairly quickly... and that's it for another day.
posted by Suzy Scott @ 23:45
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