If after yesterday's excellent Gemini availability, I had thought that this was to become a daily occurrence, I was mistaken. To start with when I wrote last night's effort, I was unaware - due to the shortcomings of mobile phones - that Bruce was trying to get in touch to say 34108 (or 'the big bus' as he affectionately calls it) was back in action on the X1. Michael Bryant had seen it working on the X2 earlier in the day, but it was then employed on the second part of L8 so that 37567 could have a scheduled service. L8 finishes at Yarmouth and so today 34108 came back out of Yarmouth on Y7 which is the turn which has an early finish at King's Lynn.
There was more Gemini X2 activity again today when Michael B says 37569 worked the 12.08 and 15.38 departures from Lowestoft to Norwich via Beccles. With 567 and 569 off the X1 route, something had to give and in addition to 20104 on L8 today we had 20103 working L11. So that's one more B10M than yesterday's recent all time low of one, however, in addition Yarmouth had to find a replacement for 60863 and this they did by using 20107 on Y13 following its holiday on service 1 yesterday. Bruce was pleased naturally !
While the use of Profile 20352 on K3 which is a Lynn internal car line was not surprising today, the use of 20353 on K4 which finishes at Yarmouth certainly was. The cascade process involving 20500/1, the Profiles and the B7 Geminis could be a protracted one it would seem. Both Paragons and Profiles will need repainting prior to changing routes and with 20351 already at Full Circle for this, it would be logical to assume that a B12 will only be released once 20351 arrives fit for duties. On the B7 Gemini front, John W reports that 37158 arrived at Lynn today and was in use on a Hunstanton/Schools turn. Another reliable source says 37160 also made its King's Lynn debut today and indeed had an outing on the 42 to Fairstead, but the 50mph speed limiter on this one is also still in force. Both 37158/160 were parked at Rowan Road this evening. 37159 made its way back to Volvo this morning - presumably for tachograph purposes and maximum speed revision.
37574 had a service at Lynn this morning and was then able to work K5, meaning it has now worked daily for 64 days. The mileage 574 has accumulated in this period is a staggering 23,800 miles. Another interesting comparison can be made between the highest mileage Gemini, 37564 which has now done 113k in 11 months and new Lynn arrival 37158 which since March 2007 (30 months) has done 126k !!
This is the unofficial blog for the Peterborough - Norwich XL bus service operated by First Group. Originally reporting the introduction of the 'Gemini' double deckers and the phasing out of coaches, the blog is now incredibly in its twelfth year and in 2021 the new fleet of state of the art double deckers enter their second year in traffic. To contact me with your observations/experiences on the XL, email gerardtcc@gmail.com .
1 comment:
send 20500 and 20501 up here to glasgow to join their sisters.. and you can have some of your premiers back.
no point you having a small non standard batch of coaches for a handfull of services.
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