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17/01/2009

Saturday 17th January 2009 ~ Extra Value !

37567 with a Cadburys Creme Egg splattered on the side leaving Lynn on the 14.29 to Peterborough this afternoon.
37566 emerges embarassed from Vancouver Avenue garage today complete with passengers after a teabreak

20103 arrives at Wisbech this lunchtime (photo Rob Brooks)
Latest indications are that the Geminis are to stay. Two high level meetings have taken place in Norwich to discuss the X1 problems and slight route alterations are to be considered. Favourite option is to only serve Queensgate bus station once rather than twice. What will happen with the heating problem remains to be seen.
The B9 Geminis have some rather surprising claims emblazoned on their sides. Firstly we have 'Extra Frequent'. Not quite sure what this refers to, as the timetable hasn't changed and the Gorleston shuttles were introduced a long time before the B9s.
Next we have 'Extra Comfort', a claim which at best is dubious and at worst blatantly untrue. By this I mean it depends on the duration of ones journey, I suppose the great majority of X1 journeys are 30 minutes or under in this respect, so we will give them the benefit of the doubt. Finally we have 'Extra Value'. Now I think I have worked out what this one means. Basically if you are lucky, you get a surprise added bonus of a visit to King's Lynn garage en route to your destination. You perhaps recall that last Saturday evening I found 37571 dropping in for a top up of adblu - bit like popping in for a cup of tea I suppose - and then today it was 37566 with a healthy load of passengers on K18 13.29 Lynn - Peterborough which was being topped up. See the pictorial evidence above. 37566 left the garage at 13.47, about 13 late and at the time it should have been arriving at Walpole Highway. It was 12 late into Wisbech as witnessed by Rob Brooks.
There seemed to have been a B9 casualty today as 37577 was rostered for K1 06.29 Lynn - Peterborough etc. Whether it actually did any of the turn is doubtful as by lunchtime it was in Volvo at King's Lynn having attention to a diesel leak. The replacement on K1 was 37570.
Another out of service vehicle is 20353 which has spent several days over the pits at Lynn and today had back panels missing.
Of the 18 turns today, the following are known : K1 37570, K2 20351, K3 20352, K4 37572, K5 37567, K6 37564, K7 37573, Y8 37578, Y9 37579, J10 ?, J11 37xxx, L12 ?, L13 37565, Y14 37568, K15 37571, K16 20103, K17 37576, K18 37566.
37576 on K17 was 14 late when seen by me approaching Terrington St. John at 13.28. Just in front of it also on the old A47 was Stagecoach trainer B10M P108FRS, an unusual route for this to be taking. Services reverted to time after K18 and K3 with 20352 was on time at 13.59 to Peterborough. Rob B says 20103 on K16 was into Wisbech 11 late at 1307 and departed 13 late at 1314, after loading upwards of 40 people ! Coming back from Peterborough I saw it storming through Tilney All Saints about 10 late. there were other B10s out over here today, but on the Hunstanton route : 20106 & 20109. There was no sign of 20131 which is very unusual - may be it was at Hunstanton or stayed in Lowestoft last night ? Terence saw 20104 and another B10 on shuttles at Gorleston.
The B9s with creme egg ads are 37565/566/567/570/575/576/577, more than I'd originally noted.
Michael Bryant has not seen a single B10 on K19 X2 turn this week. He reports Monday as 37575, Wed as 20351 (am only), Thu 37575 & Fri 37563. In addition 37569 was out on the X2 yesterday afternoon.

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