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(04/08/2012 17:44)kuyoyo Wrote: [ -> ]

(03/08/2012 18:53)kuyoyo Wrote: [ -> ]Rare thing for me tomorrow, for the first time in about a year, I'n having a Saturday at home (owing mainly due to the fact I'm near-enough skint). This next week is as followed:

Monday: Stockton and Middlesbrough (Hopefully will include a trip to Tees Valley Coach Travel's depot)
Wednesday: Same as Monday
Friday: Middlesbrough mainly (due to an appointment there at half 9-11)
Saturday: Middlesbrough and Stockton, hopefully the first day of the new B9TL on the X9/X10
Sunday: A first-time trip on the Moorsbus into the North Yorkshire Moors National Park

Change of Plans next weekend
Saturday: Tyneside, to photo Stagecoach loans in South Sheilds and hopefully photo and ride the new B9TLs on the X9/X10
Sunday: Moorsbus day cancelled

I am probably visiting South Shields to photo B10BLE's and Loans and photo the B9TL's

So, my Newcastle and East Cumbria turned out loosely as follows:

Mon 23 July - arrive at Gateshead via National Express to Newcastle and Metro
Tue 24 July - South Durham ie Bishop Auckland, Darlington and Bishop Auckland
Wed 25 July - "East Durham" ie Hartlepool, Sunderland and Washington
Thu 26 July - South Northumberland ie Newbiggin, Morpeth, Alnwick and Blyth
Fri 27 July - Gateshead/ Newcastle local and "East Tyneside" ie South Shields, Jarrow and North Shields
Sat 28 July - Gateshead West, Hexham and Consett
Sun 29 July - Sunday routes, rest of Metro and Durham rail extra
Mon 30 July - to Kirkby Stephen via Carlisle and Keighley
Tue 31 July - Hawes and Penrith
Wed 1 Aug - Barnard Castle via Middleton-in-Teesdale
Thu 2 Aug - Home via Kendal, Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness

I shall cover Go North East, Arriva and Stagecoach buses, and refurbished Tyne & Wear Metro cars in the respective threads. I also rode Solos with Phoenix, Scarlet Band and Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire, vintage buses with Cumbrian Classic Coaches, unfamiliar midibus with Grand Prix Coaches, and Mercedes Beaver with Blueworks Taxis. As regards trains, I rode refurbished 125s with Grand Central and Cross Country, and 322 481 with Northern Rail, as well as familiar 158, 185, 225 and 321 stock.

Oh, and I also rode Nexus Solo YJ61JHX on route 73. I understand that Nexus run it in-house rather than contracted out to a private operator.

I went out yesterday on a long-overdue, bus-related outing, armed with an All-Zone Saveaway! Here's how it went:

52 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Pulsar 2 MX59 JJO (3027)
Unfortunately, the ride-quality of this bus had seemed to have decreased since my last ride on it - although it sounded great, as usual. The first driver was a bit slow off the line, however he reached some satisfying speeds! The second driver was fast, although I only managed to sample his driving for a few minutes.

55 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Queen Square Bus Station
DAF/ALX400 S274 JUA (4094)
This was a surprise! Double-deckers aren't usually allocated onto this service. The bus' interior was tidy and in a nice condition and its' exterior seemed to be in the same condition. Operational-wise, though, it wasn't very good. It was very sluggish off the line and its' engine didn't sound normal, either. Up Hunter Street in Liverpool, it felt like it was going to stop (it was in gear one all the way up there, too)! In addition to the slow issue, the bus rattled a lot - violently, at times.

London Midland - Liverpool Lime Street > Liverpool South Parkway
350115
I'm not mad on trains, however London Midland, as a company, have always impressed me! This train was fantastic; on-board, it was quiet, comfortable and in a great condition.

Speke Hall Shuttle - Liverpool South Parkway Interchange (Bus Station) > Speke Hall (Carpark)
Solo SR MX12 KXK (719)
As expected, this new bus appeared. Externally, it was something different; internally, it looked very smart! The seats on the back row were strange - not comfortable to sit on. The bus was fast off the line (especially with the decent driver at the wheel!) and it sounded OK, although I'm not a fan of Solos. There was an annoying rattle, which came from above the front doors, oddly... Overall, it was something different and, in my opinion, that's all it was.

Speke Hall Shuttle - Speke Hall (Carpark) > Liverpool South Parkway Interchange (Bus Station)
Solo SR MX12 KXK (719)
This journey was generally the same as above.

501 (ANW) - Liverpool South Parkway Interchange (Bus Station) > Liverpool John Lennon Airport (Bus Station)
Commander CX06 BJZ (2597)
This was a surprise and something irresistible to ride on, although, on-board, it wasn't "irresistible"... It rattled violently at the back, where I sat. It also sounded quite strange. Despite those issues, though, the regular, friendly driver was fast and so was the bus.

82A (ANW) - Liverpool John Lennon Airport (Bus Station) > Aigburth, Otterspool Road
Cadet DK55 FXS (2529)
My original plan was to try and ride on the Commander on the 500 - CX06 BHU (2584) - however that left before my 501 had reached the airport, sadly! This bus, which was a "P&P'd" example, was great and the driver was quite fast. The ride-quality seemed to be good. The refurbished moquette among the green interior seemed to appeal to me, surprisingly!

68 (ANW) - Aigburth, Aigburth Vale > West Derby, Green Lane
Plaxton Pointer 2 X229 ANC (2229)
I hated this bus - worst bus that I've rode on in my life! It sounded quite nice, but it was very loud! The seat which I chose at the back was very uncomfortable. Other seats in my view seemed to be in a bad condition, despite the bus having had its' "P&P" treatment, and they clanged and rattled all the way, which gave me a headache! Also, the bus constantly jolted forward when the driver, who was fast, accelerated before the bus had stopped. I'd have waited for the next bus, but I'd already been waiting for a while for this one and I like to try bad buses again to see if they've improved (in this case, not one bit!).

18 (ANW) - West Derby, West Derby Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Commander CX06 BHE (2576)
I was surprised to see this bus as it usually avoids me! It wasn't much of a ride as it was busy on-board. I couldn't sample the first driver's driving because I only had him for one stop, however the second driver was alright - bit rough on the brakes, but quite a good driver. On London Road in Liverpool, the bus rattled a lot. Still, it seemed to sound nice.

53A (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Seaforth, Bridge Road
ALX200 X268 OBN (2268)
This was a surprise and was a blast from the past because it was displaying "NETHERTON 53A" - presumably because it didn't have anything for Aintree on its' destination unit. It rattled badly for the majority of the journey, however the driver was fast and the bus sounded great!

53 (ANW) - Seaforth, Bridge Road > Crosby, Islington
Pulsar 2 MX59 FFT (3015)
This was a great ride! The bus sounded fantastic and the driver was fast. It rattled quite a bit, but the rattles were easy to ignore!

53A (ANW) - Crosby, Islington > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Plaxton Pointer 2 X233 ANC (2233)
It was either this bus or PeoplesBus' Tempo, V1 BUS (0701), and I chose this...! The driver was very fast, however the bus was quite slow and it rattled a lot.

(I went home for about an hour.)

57C (Cumfybus) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle Bus Station (Vermont Way)
Solo M710SE MX08 DHL
This was another surprise - it's unusual to see a bus as small as this one on this service (and the 58C/144/145). The friendly driver was very fast! The bus sounded alright, however it rattled a bit, which was strange because there wasn't much on-board to rattle! Also, its' gearbox didn't seem to knock into gear five!

52 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar CX58 EXK (2918)
As I said with 2229, I like to give bad buses another chance - and, like with 2229, some buses don't improve! This was dreadful. It felt like it was going to fall apart and it was very slow - it took a while for it to get off gear two at times, which made the driver kick down at one point! Also, after gear three, braking sounded odd. It's hard for me to believe that this was my favourite bus at one point...

17 (SM&SL) - Queen Square Bus Station > Liverpool, Lord Street
Liberator R875 LHG (21075)
This was OK. It sounded nice, but a window beside where I sat rattled badly, which was annoying.

52A (PeoplesBus) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Alexander RH L971 MSC (0806)
Now, this was a MASSIVE surprise! It was very fast and it sounded fantastic - a blast from the past (it sounded like Birkenhead's legendary Palatine 2s and like Stagecoach's old Olympians on the X2)! It rattled a bit and was generally uncomfortable, but I didn't care! I actually seen this bus earlier in the day (whilst on my 57C) on a special wedding service.

52 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Liverpool, Hatton Garden(!)
This was another surprise because I'd had this bus earlier in the day on the 53...! It was generally the same as what it was like on that journey.

14 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Liverpool, Everton Road
Pulsar 2 MX61 AWF (3076)
As I had some time to kill, I decided to board this. It seemed to be a good bus - nice-sounding and only a few minor rattles - however the friendly driver's constant foot-on, foot off" action ruined the journey.

19 (ANW) - Liverpool, Everton Road > Queen Square Bus Station
MAN/Enviro300 PO59 HYG (24139)
This was a good ride. The friendly driver was quite fast and the bus didn't rattle much.

407 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Birkenhead Bus Station
Enviro400 CX58 GBF (4416)
This was an OK journey. The bus was fast, it didn't rattle much and it sounded great, but the family on-board, which featured a SCREAMING baby (all the way throughout the tunnel, too - the driver had even noticed!), ruined the ride, to a certain extent.

472 (ANW) - Birkenhead Bus Station > Liverpool, Whitechapel
DAF/ALX400 S276 JUA (4096)
This wasn't very good. Its' downstairs interior was a mix of the old standard moquette and the new standard moquette. Also, its' engine squeaked all the way - very annoying!

52 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar CX58 FZE (2923)
This bus sounded fantastic, however it rattled more than it did when I last rode on it (just like 3027 did, strangely...). Both drivers were great at the wheel.

(Just when you thought it was over...! Boredom too over, so I went back out to see if Cumfybus had any hybrid Solos on the 157/158. Sadly not!)

52 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle, Stanley Road
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYG (2945)
This was excellent! It rattled a bit, but the driver was fast - plenty of kickdown, which sounded great!

259 (HTL Buses) - Bootle Bus Station > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Solo M710SE YJ11 EKN (74)
This wasn't very good. It rattled quite a lot and, well, I'm not a fan of Solos! The driver was quite fast, though.

Photos that I took yesterday can be seen here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...716178530/

Michael - it was London Midland you would have caught between Lime Street & South Parkway was East Midlands don't have any 350's.

(05/08/2012 14:52)St Helens Rider Wrote: [ -> ]Michael - it was London Midland you would have caught between Lime Street & South Parkway was East Midlands don't have any 350's.

Thanks for that - London Midland is indeed what I meant!

Today, I Went to see what MPD's were out on there Regular routes, Especially now Macclesield sent some to us!, I Also bumped into another Member in Crewe!

29 (ANW) Grange Estate > Northwich, Watling St
Marshall V628 DVU (7628)
This was a suprise!, It Turned out, 3330 Had a problem with the blinds, Putting this on to the service!. The first driver (My friend) Wasen't very happy with this being on the Service, I Was the opposite, She even thrashed it down Bradbury rd!. Despite it being Very, Very Rattley, The engine is still strong!

4 (ANW) Northwich, Watling St > Barnton > Northwich
MPD (861)
Some alaming Bangs, Were coming underneath this bus!, And the ride was quite rattely :/

1 (ANW) Northwich, Watling St > Castle, Moss Rd
MPD 867
I Rode this bus to castle, To ind out where the X-over point is o the 1, Unortunatly, It was in Castle...So I Missed it!, I Went to Tesco, Then went to the bus stop, To wait or the next bus! See Below...The bus it's sel wasen't that bad!, Despite it now wanting to go into gear, It raellly moved! This bus has been Transerred rom Macclesield Outstation.

1 (ANW) Castle, Castle Hill > Northwich, Watling St
MPD 867
Same as above...

37 (ANW) Northwich, Watling St > Winsord, Dene Drive
Centro 2617 CX56 CEV
This bus was ok, Except its very bad (And Wierd) Idle vibrations...!

31A (ANW) Winsord, High St > Lieghton Hospital
Centro 2614 CX56 CEN
Verygood! But Very Rattley!, Also had a rather annoying Turbo Leak...

6 (ANW) Lieghton Hospital > Delamere St, Crewe (Outside Games Workshop)
MPD 878 Y38 TDA
Very good!...Again! No Rattles, And a nice sounding engine! Nice!

Bumped into Other Member, We went to DG Depot, And took pictures in Bus Station...

31 (ANW) Crewe Bus Station > Winsord, High St
Centro 2608 CX56 CDY
Nice!, No Rattles, And a nice Very Quick Driver!

29 (ANW) Winsord, High St > Grange Estate, Nixon Drv
ALX400 4040 S240 JUA

Tommorow, I'm going into Mersyside somewhere, With a Saveaway, So could end up anywhere!

On Tuesday, I went out for a non-bus-related purpose - although I did manage to ride on a few buses! Here's how it went:

52 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle North Park
Pulsar CX58 EXK (2918)
I still can't believe how bad this bus has became - from being one of the best to one of the worst! It takes a while to get off gear two, strangely. The driver used kickdown a lot after being on gear two at more-or-less the same engine pitch for about five to ten seconds...! Also, the ride-quality was bad - it rattled a lot and generally felt like it was going to fall apart.

53 (ANW) - Bootle North Park > Litherland, Bridge Road
Cadet DK55 FXD (2519)
This was disappointing. It rattled a lot and it seemed to stutter on gear one, strangely! Still, this one is the better Cadet out of the four that Bootle have, in my opinion.

53A (ANW) - Litherland, Bridge Road > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Pulsar CX58 FZG (2925)
This was excellent! The driver was fast, the bus sounded great and it didn't rattle much! I haven't rode on this bus much, but it certainly is impressive!

53 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Bootle North Park
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYD (2943)
My original plan was to ride on this to Crosby and then board a 53A from there to Netherton (home). Whilst the driver was friendly, he was slow. Also, I seen Palatine 2 R336 WVR (3336) on the 300, Liverpool-bound, whilst on this bus, so I decided to rush home and try and photograph it in Aintree!

52 (ANW) - Bootle North Park > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar CX58 EXH (2916)
ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING BUS! After gear one, it sounded very strange - a loud noise, which seemed to override the engine... The driver was quite fast, though.

122 (ANW) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Aintree Merseyrail Station
MCV Evolution AE56 LWK (256)
This was rattly, but nice. (To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to it. I was just interested in getting to Aintree for 3336!)

(SUCCESSFUL!)

53A (ANW) - Aintree Merseyrail Station > Netherton, Glovers Lane
ALX200 X263 OBN (2263)
This was fine. The nice woman driver was quite fast and the bus sounded fantastic - certainly better than what it was like when I last rode on it! The ride-quality was surprisingly good - again, better than what it was like when I last rode on it! The seat that I chose, at the back, was comfortable. Worryingly, another seat at the back seemed to be falling apart...!

Photos from Tuesday's (small) outing can be found via the below link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...012/08/06/

---

Yesterday, I went out and visited Liverpool, Southport and Bootle. Here's how it went:

52A (PeoplesBus) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Liverpool, Whitechapel
SPD S80 BUS (0705)
This was a surprise - especially with the boss at the wheel (credit to him!). The "PeoplesBus Standard" interior was well-presented and tidy and the bus looked fantastic, externally, in their new livery. The ride-quality was fine; it rattled a bit on the worst roads of the route, but I didn't see them as a massive issue. Its' engine sounded great and it didn't constantly hold its' gears - an issue which I've came across on other buses of this type. It wasn't too slow off the line, either. Overall, this SPD was definitely one of the better examples that I've rode on - certainly a credit to PeoplesBus' fleet!

300 (ANW) - Liverpool, Sir Thomas Street > Southport Railway Station
Palatine 2 R310 WVR (3310)
I was planning on heading to Southport, but I didn't plan on going today. My plan quickly went into force when I seen this bus coming into Liverpool - an irresistible ride! I don't usually sit on the top deck, however it was a rare opportunity, so I just had to sit upstairs! It was a blast from the past when we were travelling up Linacre Lane - it felt like I was on the 61 again! The bus sounded great. The journey was nail-biting along the rural part of the route, especially because the fast (experienced?) driver was dodging cars on the tight roads, which made the already-rough ride even rougher! Overall, it was a memorable ride.

46 (ANW) - Southport Railway Station > ANW's Southport Depot (Canning Road)
Pulsar 2 MX61 AWM (3079)
I was disappointed to see a Pulsar 2 show up - out of everything else that I could of had - but it was one that I hadn't sampled up to this journey, so I wasn't too disappointed, to a certain extent... It sounded quite nice, but it rattled and squeaked quite a lot. The friendly driver was quite fast.

46 (ANW) - Southport, Canning Road > Southport, Eastbank Street
Palatine 2 R336 WVR (3336)
I was lost for words when this showed up - my favourite Palatine 2! I didn't ever think that I'd be able to ride on it again. It sounded great and the ride-quality wasn't too bad (I sat downstairs). I was just happy to be on this again - another memorable ride!

46 (ANW) - Southport, Eastbank Street > Southport, Carr Lane
Palatine 2 R319 WVR (3319)
If somebody had told me that I'd have rode on three Palatine 2s by the end of the day, I wouldn't have believed them. I wasn't going to ride on this, to be honest, but I did - just to complete the set (three out in service). It evidently had some issues in the gearbox department as it over-revved when it changed gear. It sounded nice, though. The ride-quality wasn't great, from what I can remember. In my notes, I seem to have written "Bit rough" - well, from what I can read of it (it must have been rough!)...! Overall, I was pleased to have rode another Palatine 2!

49 (ANW) - Southport, Carr Lane > Woodvale, Liverpool Road
Pulsar 2 MX61 AVR (3088)
This was a nice ride. The bus didn't rattle much and it sounded nice. The driver was good, speed-wise, too.

44 (ANW) - Woodvale, Liverpool Road > Formby, Duke Street
SPD S249 UVR (2292)
This was an OK ride. The bus was quite rattly, but it sounded nice. The driver was excellent on Formby By-Pass, but the car in-front of us wasn't... I've always wanted to ride one of these buses at high speeds, so I was happy after this ride! PeoplesBus' SPD was much better to ride on, though.

Merseyrail - Formby > Waterloo
507024
Not bad, although it was busy on-board.

53 (ANW) - Waterloo Merseyrail Station > Bootle Strand Shopping Centrep
Pulsar CX58 EXK (2918)
I was horrified to see this bus again! It wasn't much better or worse than my last few rides on it, to be honest - still "slow", still very sluggish on gear two and still very rattly, although it still sounded nice.

52A (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Pulsar CX58 EXL (2919)
This was another "slow" example, but it sounded nice. The first driver was quite slow, but the second driver was friendly and quite fast! The bus rattled a bit, though.

52A (PeoplesBus) - Netherton, Glovers Lane > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
SPD S80 BUS (0705)
I was surprised to see this bus working on the afternoon duty, especially after it working on the morning duty - and still with the boss at the wheel! The ride was generally the same as my first ride on it. During this journey, however, a wheelchair user wanted to board whilst a pram was on-board. The pram and its' occupants did get off and protest their anger, which must have been embarrassing for the wheelchair user, but the driver was correct with his actions. The sooner that pram owners realise that wheelchair users come first, the better...

61 (ANW) - Bootle Bus Station > Bootle, Linacre Lane
Cadet DK55 FXC (2518)
Surprisingly, this bus was OK. It was busy on-board, but the ride-quality was fine. The bus sounded a bit unhealthy and the driver was a bit sluggish, but I was surprised at how "good" this bus was - for a Bootle-based Cadet, of course!

52 (ANW) - Bootle, Hawthorne Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX09 LYH (2946)
This was exactly what I was hoping for! As usual, its' kickdown sounded fantastic! Normal running wasn't as exciting and the bus did rattle quite a lot, but its' kickdown really did sound amazing!

12 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > West Derby, West Derby Road
Plaxton Pointer 2 X231 ANC (2231)
This was very busy - it featured a standing load from the front to the back, which was rather fun...! The bus sounded nice and the friendly woman driver was fast. There was a bad vibration when the bus was idle, but I couldn't "sample" how bad it was because of the busy load!

12 (ANW) - West Derby, West Derby Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Plaxton Pointer 2 S633 KHN (2133)
This was a surprise - again, another bus that I was hoping to ride on today! It was a bit sluggish off the line, but it sounded quite nice and it didn't rattle much. Its' interior was in an OK condition.

18 (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > West Derby, Muirhead Avenue
Pulsar 2 MX10 DCE (3055)
When this bus first went off the line, I couldn't believe what I heard - it was "slow"...! It seems that the 10-plated examples at Green Lane are starting to turn "slow" now, which is very disappointing! Nevertheless, the bus sounded fantastic and the ride-quality was fine. The driver was very fast and used "kickdown" a lot (needed!).

18 (ANW) - West Derby, West Derby Road > Queen Square Bus Station
Pulsar 2 MX59 JJZ (3031)
This wasn't very nice to ride on. It sounded OK, but it was "slow" (not that I didn't expect it to be "slow")... Its' interior wasn't very nice.

53A (ANW) - Queen Square Bus Station > Bootle Strand Shopping Centre
Pulsar CX58 EXJ (2917)
This was disappointing. This bus used to be fantastic, but it wasn't yesterday. It didn't sound as good as it used to sound and it rattled more than it did last time. The friendly driver was quite fast, though.

52 (ANW) - Bootle Strand Shopping Centre > Netherton, Glovers Lane
Enviro400 MX09 LXN (4431)
This was a different way to end my day! On gear four, the bus sounded like a Merseyrail train! It rattled and squeaked a lot, though, and the annoying pause between gear one and gear two was strange.

Photos taken yesterday can be seen via the below link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael2770...012/08/07/

Very good read seems you where luck Mike Peoplesbus SPD and 3 Palarine 2's much better than say A Trident and 3 Pulsar 2's haha

Monday: Crewe, To pick up new Camera at Argos
Tuesday: Unknown
Wednesday: Shreswsbury
Thursday: Liverpool

So, my eagerly-awaited Olympics Special yesterday. A Stagecoach Manchester Enviro400 to Stockport then Virgin Train class 390 to London Euston, then the following:

Walk to King's Cross to see new departure area
Metropolitan Line to Farringdon - S stock, to see refurbished station with new Thameslink ticket hall opposite Underground one
FCC to Blackfriars - class 377, to see refurbished station
District Line to East Ham - D stock
325 to ExCel - Arriva Enviro200 ENL52 to see Olympics buses there, then walk to Prince Regent
473 to London City Airport - Stagecoach Trident-ALX400 18274
DLR to Stratford International - B09 stock, and good walk in the area, eventually to Stratford Bus Station
308 to Homerton - First Volvo B9TL-Gemini VN37863
276 to Canning Town Hermit Road - Go-Ahead Enviro200 SE131, then walk to Canning Town Stn
309 to Burdett Road - CT Plus dual-door Solo OS25, then walk to Limehouse
15 to Tower - Stagecoach E400H 12131, then walk back to Aldgate
67 to Shoreditch - Go-Ahead Volvo B7TL-President PVN1 ex-First, then walk to Liverpool Street
Central Line to Bank - 1992 stock
Waterloo & City Line to Waterloo - 1992 stock, then walk to Westminster Bridge Road
148 to Hyde Park Corner - London United Enviro400 ADE26, then walk to Knightsbridge
Piccadilly Line to Russell Square - 1973 stock, then walk to Goodge Street
29 to Camden Road - Arriva Gemini Integral DW472
London Overground to Stratford - class 378
Jubilee Line to London Bridge - 1996 stock
SouthEastern to Orpington - class 466 (as I was staying with friends there).

As time was tight I concentrated on Olympics delights, rail developments, bus changes in Newham and short-lived operations in central London. Perhaps the Enviro400 on route 148 was the most spectacular as it was due for the tender of route 222 at Hounslow in September! Route 29 is due Hybrid buses early next year. Route 67 is to be lost by Go-Ahead next year, having uniquely got Go-Ahead, First, Stagecoach and Arriva history!