Welcome to The South London Bus Blog

2014 is The Year of the Bus and you can celebrate it here with The South London Bus Blog.

The Team

South London Bus Blog has an excellent team of bloggers on the blog and we also run a forum @ ltbb.boards.net .

Service Changes

A page with the latest service changes can be found here.

Rare Working of the Month

Find out all the latest rare workings from the past month, to be released soon.

Route 136 Extension and Catford Bus Garage Open Day

Recently we saw Route 136 extended to Elephant and Castle to help relieve the 343, do you think the extension is useful? Did you guys also want to TL's open day and how was it? Find the two posts on our blog and enjoy reading it.

Tuesday 29 April 2014

South London Bus Route - 75

Stagecoach 12272 in Croydon on the first day of the new contract.
  Glorious Water
Route 75: Croydon Fairfield Halls - Lewisham Station
Operated by: Stagecoach London
Garage: Catford (TL)
PVR: 14
Length: 9 miles/14 kilometres
Allocation: Alexander Dennis Enviro400H 10.2m plus one E40D from route 208 for school journeys


Metrobus 891 bound for Lewisham Station in Penge.
  Glorious Water
Route 75 started way back in 1934 running from Woolwich to Caterham Valley using STs. It was run from Croydon (TC) and TL. In 1939 the route was cut from Caterham to West Croydon and the TC allocation was withdrawn. STLs were also introduced. RTs were slowly introduced between 1949 and 1951 at which point there was a partial Elmers End (ED) allocation. In 1960 weekday journeys were extended to South Croydon garage. By 1964 this extension was once again withdrawn together with the ED allocation and the route was cut to Blackheath on Sundays. In September 1969 the route got a Sunday allocation of Routemasters and was cut to Norwood Junction.

In February 1977 the route was converted to one-person operation using Daimler DMSes and the Sunday route was restored to West Croydon. July 1983 saw the route changed to Leyland Titan operation and start moving between garages as a result of closures. By 1989 it was back at TL. In July 1991 it was cut from Woolwich to Blackheath then cut from Blackheath to Lewisham then extended to Surrey Quays on Sundays barely 4 months later. Rather foolishly the Sunday service used minibuses which got crowded really fast. The Sunday service was converted to single-deck Dennis Lance operation 2 years later.

In February 1994 the Sunday extension to Surrey Quays was withdrawn and exactly one month later the route was fully converted to single-deck operation. These buses didn't last and in August 1995 the route got its Leyland Titans back, in the interim Selkent was bought by Stagecoach as part of the privatisation of London's buses. In 1997 the Titans were replaced by Northern Counties-bodied Volvo Olympians. Its contract was renewed in February 2002 specifying low-floor buses in the form of short-wheelbase Transbus Tridents, however these came 7 months late. A night service was introduced at the same time, numbered N75 and running the same route. In my opinion this was one of the best batches of Tridents I ever took and many are still running in East London. Their days are numbered though so get them while you can.

Metrobus 878 bound for Lewisham in Catford.
 Glorious Water
The route went to Metrobus together with the 54 in 2009 with new Optare-bodied Scania N230UDs, these were really nice to ride on and it's a shame these are going to Blue Triangle after only 5 years. As of this post they have 5 days left on the 54 so you still have a chance to ride them. The delivery of these buses was late again so they had to use the old Tridents for the first few months of the contract. In 2013 it was announced that Stagecoach had gained the route with new hybrids, which were later announced to be Volvo B5LHs. However due to the 8 getting Borismasters a shuffle of hybrids was announced which confused the enthusiast community and ended up giving the route new Enviro400Hs while the Volvos are to go on the 53.


Stagecoach 12267 in Croydon bound for Lewisham.
 Glorious Water
On the 26th of April 2014 the route returned to Stagecoach at TL using the new Enviro400Hs. The majority of them had already been in service on other routes, the first, 12261, starting in early March. The route's a pretty average suburban route and not very special to travel on, but the hybrids themselves are really nice buses and some of the best in London. If you want to get them however be warned that the route gets very crowded at peak times and is one of the only routes I've used where I had to wait for the next bus as the first one was full.

Here's the hybrid fleetlist, these buses will be shared with the 54 from the 3rd of May.

12261 - SN14 TVW
12262 - SN14 TVX
12263 - SN14 TVY
12264 - SN14 TVZ
12265 - SN14 TWA
12266 - SN14 TWC
12267 - SN14 TWD
12268 - SN14 TWE
12269 - SN14 TWF
12270 - SN14 TWG
12271 - SN14 TWJ
12272 - SN14 TWK
12273 - SN14 TWL
12274 - SN14 TWM
12275 - SN14 TWP
12276 - SN14 TWU
12277 - SN14 TWV
12278 - SN14 TWW
12279 - SN14 TWX
12280 - SN14 TWY
12281 - SN14 TWZ
12282 - SN14 TXA
12283 - SN14 TXB
12284 - SN14 TXC
12285 - SN14 TXD
12286 - SN14 TXE
12287 - SN14 TXF
12288 - SN14 TXG
12289 - SN14 TXH
12290 - SN14 TXJ
12291 - SN14 TXK
12292 - SN14 TXL

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog,
Remember to stay safe.

Blog Updates 29/04/14

Hi All,

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the blog is running with a least 2 bloggers due to Fernando having to take time off for his studies meaning GloriousWater and myself are present on the blog. Fernando has said that he will be back in July.

As of Fernando's long absent from the blog, the London Operator Game is highly likely to be discontinued for that period of time but do check the LTBB forum if any updates on the tenders etc are made on the game by him.

With the bus scene in the South being very quiet, we're both trying our best to deliver you the highest quality posts despite that there's expected to be gaps between posts as we all have other stuff to do meaning the posts may be delayed or later than usual which on behalf of the blog I apologise for. 

Upcoming Posts: (From now until July)
- Route 136 
- Route 75
- Route 54
- Route 148 (Part of the South London Bus Series)
- Route 10 (NRM conversion) 
- Route 38 (NRM conversion)
- Route 8 
- Further South London Bus Series posts
- Monthly South London Bus News
- Observations 

Obvious more posts will be released over time.

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting the blog,
Remember to stay safe.





Monday 28 April 2014

South London Bus News - April 2014

Welcome to the first South London Bus News edition where we recap the latest South London Bus News so far during the past month. So please make a cup of tea or coffee and sit back to enjoy the South London Bus News we provide on a monthly basis. Enjoy ;) .

Abellio London
Routes 109/N109 and 415 has been recently gained from Arriva London. Route 109/N109 will commence service under Abellio London at Beddington Cross BC garage on 30th January 2015 with 28 new hybrid double decker buses, which is likely to be Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrids Euro 6 version unless the company has decided to opt for Wright Gemini 3/Volvo B5L Hybrids. Route 109 will also be Abellio London's largest route in terms of PVR. Route 415 will commence service under Abellio London at Walworth WL garage on 8th March 2014 with 9 new hybrid double decker buses which are likely to be Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrids Euro 6 version.

Here is a picture of a notice Abellio London put around it's garages regarding their recent tender wins written by Tony Wilson, Abellio London managing director.



Arriva London
All of the last Wright Gemini 2/Volvo B5L hybrids there are has entered service at Brixton BN on routes 59 and 319. Unfortunately these new hybrid buses are mostly on route 59 despite it being originally ordered for use on the 319. 
(Creative Commons) Julian Walker

Arriva London has also lost routes 109/N109 and 415 to Abellio London. See Abellio London for details.

Stagecoach London
The introduction of the Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrids that are Euro 6 are really slow following the "Stagecoach Shambles" in which they have had their mass hybrid order in a mess and also a lot of other buses they've gained from tenders messing up everything. Anyways, these buses 12261-12278 and 12282-12283 has already entered service for type training purposes as well as not being in the garage to waste space. Our newest blog admin GloriousWater has already snapped a few of these new hybrid buses before myself and has said that these new hybrid buses are the most fuel efficient, comfortable and light weight hybrid bus so far of Alexander Dennis LTD. Some hybrids are at Plumstead PD for type training purposes as well when they receive these new hybrids for 122 (particularly) and 472, those are back at Catford TL getting ready for the 75's take over from Metrobus on the 26th.


(C) GloriousWater
(C) GloriousWater

(C) GloriousWater
(C) GloriousWater
(C) GloriousWater

Route 136 will be extended to Elephant & Castle Newington Causeway from 10th May 2014 via route 343 the PVR is increased to 19.

Route 54 will commence service on 3rd May 2014 using 17 of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrids swapped for the route itself and 75 which was gained from Go Ahead London subsidiary Metrobus from Catford TL garage. Route 75 commenced service on the 26th April 2014 with 15 of the new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 hybrids plus one Alexander ALX400 bodied Trident 2 from Bromley route 269 for a school journey from Forest Hall - Lewisham. 

Go Ahead London - Metrobus
Metrobus sent over 945 and 946 (YN56 FEF) and (YN56 FEG) to Rainham (BE) garage. Also, 143 (LT02 ZDS) has been sent over to Rainham as well, for route 193. 142 (LT02 ZDR) has been sent for the PVR increase on route W4 back in Feburary 2014 and these buses are obviously in bad condition already as most bus enthusiast mock Blue Triangle as "Bandit Triangle". For their silly job of running buses e.g having buses on paper blinds we call this an act of "Banditry" which is basically Blue Triangle's laziness into maintaining their buses and ensuring they run the best service with proper blinds where possible. However that fails to reach expectations as around over 75% of the time they're just running an inadequate service seriously wrecking Go Ahead London apart and giving them a bad reputation amongst the entire company itself.

Not another "Banditry" with a bus from the rest of Go Ahead London ... 
(C) Thomas Drake


Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog,
Remember to stay safe.









Saturday 26 April 2014

Travel Updates : RMT Union Tube Strike Information 28th April 2014 - 1st May 2014 (48 hrs)

As many of you are aware the RMT union has again called a strike on the Tube in response to London Underground’s modernisation plans. This is despite London Underground offering significant changes. There also remains a guarantee of a job for all London Underground staff who want one. For more information on modernisation plans please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/futuretube

If it goes ahead, the strike will affect services from around 9.30pm on the evening of Monday 28 April. Please try to complete your journey as early as possible on Monday evening.
The strike will disrupt services throughout all of Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April. We will run as many Tube services as we can but there will be disruption and some lines may have a limited service. Some stations will be closed. Please check the table below but remember that the situation may change throughout the day. 

Services will not return to normal until Thursday 1 May. Customers are advised to check www.tfl.gov.uk to plan an alternative route or method of transport. Remember that DLR, London Overground, trams and other rail services will be operating as normal, as will buses and river bus services where there will also be some extra services operating. All these services will be busy.
Cycling and walking may be other practical options. 



A reduced Heathrow Express service will run on Tuesday 29 April and Wednesday 30 April due to separate strike action by the RMT. Heathrow Express plans to run two trains an hour between Heathrow and Paddington and back. Check www.heathrowexpress.com for more information. 

Those members of London Underground staff who are on duty during the strike, alongside other public transport workers including TfL Ambassadors and volunteers, will be doing their very best to keep London moving and open for business. They will be on hand to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground. 

During the strike you can get regular updates and the very latest information on how 
services are running at www.tfl.gov.uk or by following our Twitter accounts: 
• @TfLTravelAlerts 
• @TfLTrafficNews 
• @TfLBusAlerts 
• you can also follow your particular line - e.g. @victorialine - see details in the 
table below. 
Advice for Monday evening, 28 April 
Services will be affected from around 9.30pm, so please complete your journey as early as possible. 
Advice for Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April 
The information in the table below is not a complete or final list of the services that will be running but is intended to help plan journeys in advance.
Please check for the latest updates before you travel. 

If strike action does take place and where we can operate services, trains will run from around 7.00am, or as soon as possible after that, and they are expected to conclude around 11.00pm, with no service beyond that. 
However, customers are advised that the last services from central London may depart significantly earlier than this, at around 9.30pm. 

We will run as many Tube services as we can but some lines may have only a 
limited service, and some sections will be closed. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to run all the planned services set out below and the situation may change throughout the day. 

In addition to those stations listed here as closed, some others may also need to close at times. 

Unfortunately, sections of lines not set out below are unlikely to have a Tube service. 


Services will run from around 7.00am, or as soon as possible after that, and 
are expected to conclude around 11.00pm, with no service beyond that. Some 
last trains from central London may depart significantly earlier, at around 
9.30pm. 

Customers are advised to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk and follow the 
individual Twitter feed for their line.

Bakerloo Line @bakerlooline

Trains running between Queen’s Park and Elephant & Castle around every six minutes in both directions.

These trains would not top at Edgware Road, Embankment, Kilburn Park, Lambeth North, Maida Vale, Piccadilly Circus and Regent’s Park stations.

Central Line @centralline

No service will operate through central London. Trains running between:
- Epping / Hainault and Leytonstone around every 10 minutes in both directions (possibly extended to Holborn)
- between West Ruislip and White City around every 10 - 15 minutes in both directions (possibly extended to Ealing Broadway)

Circle Line @circleline

See District Line and Hammersmith & City Line

District Line @districtline
Trains to run:
- between Barking and Wimbledon around every 12 minutes in both directions (possibly extended to Upminster)
- between Ealing Broadway and Tower Hill around every 12 minutes in both directions.
These trains would not stop at Aldgate East, Blackfriars, Gloucester Road, Sloane Square, Stepney Green or Temple stations. 

Hammersmith & City @hamandcityline

Trains to run between Hammersmith and Aldgate around every 10 minutes in both directions.

These trains will not stop at Barbican, Euston Square and Great Portland Street stations.

Jubilee Line @jubileeline

Trains to run:
- between Wembley Park and Stratford around every seven minutes in both directions.

These trains will not stop at Bermondsey, Canada Water, St John's Wood, Southwark and Swiss Cottage stations.

Metropolitan Line @metline

Trains to run between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate around every 10 minutes in both directions.

These trains wwill not stop at Barbican, Euston Square or Great Portland Street stations.

Northern Line @northernline

Trains to run over the whole line with a train around every five minutes via both the Bank and Charing Cross branches in both directions.

These trains will not stop at Borough, Chalk Farm, Charing Cross, Clapham North, Clapham South, Colliers Wood, Embankment, Goodge Street, Hampstead, Leicester Square, Mill Hill East, Mornington Crescent, Old Street, Oval, South Wimbledon, Tooting Bec and Warren Street stations.

Piccadilly Line @piccadillyline

No service will operate through the central area. Trains running between Acton Town and Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3 around every 20 minutes in both directions, and between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters around every 12 minutes in both directions.

These trains would not stop at Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Hounslow West or Southgate stations.

Victoria Line @victorialine

Trains running between Seven Sisters and Victoria around every five minutes in both directions (possibly extended to Brixton)

These trains would not stop at Pimlico, Vauxhall or Warren Street stations.

Waterloo & City @wlooandcityline

No service.

DLR
A normal service will operate. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.
Buses
 London buses operate around 700 routes and services are being boosted with over a hundred extra buses on key routes.
London Overground
 A normal service will operate. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.
Tramlink
 A normal service will operate.
Emirates Air Line
 A normal service will operate. LU tickets will be accepted on Emirates Air Line services on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 February and on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February.
Cycling 
Barclays Cycle Hire will be available to members and casual users, although demand is likely to be high, and cycles harder to access during peak times.
River Services 
Enhanced River services will be in place, including on Route RB1 between Greenland (Surrey Quays) / Canary Wharf and London Bridge.
- An additional centre London service (Tower/ Bankside / Westminster / London Eye) during the AM and PM peaks;
- In combination with the normal timetabled service, this will provide a 10 to 15 minute frequency on most central London piers during the morning and evening peaks.
Taxis & Private Hire 
- Between 7.00am and 11.00am on Wednesday 5 February, Thursday 6, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 February, a marshalled taxi service will operate at seven major London rail termini – Waterloo, Liverpool St, London Bridge, King's Cross, Victoria, Charing Cross, and Marylebone. The marshals will manage taxi and  passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers and other members of the public.

- Between 7.00pm and Midnight on Tuesday 4 February and Tuesday 11 February, a marshalled taxi service will operate at the same seven stations, plus Euston.

- Private hire and minicab services will be running as normal. Details for licensed private hire and minicab operators in London are available at tfl.gov.uk/cabwise
National Rail
- Oyster Pay As You Go is accepted for all National Rail journeys within Greater London.
- Travelcards are also valid for travel on National Rail within the zones purchased.
Roads and the Congestion Charge
To help keep traffic flowing, the Congestion Charge will remain in operation throughout the strike.

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog.
Remember to stay safe.




Saturday 19 April 2014

South London Bus Route 3

  All rights reserved by LondonBuses67


Route 3: Crystal Palace - Oxford Circus
Operated by: Abellio London
Garage: QB Battersea
PVR: 22
Length: 14 km/9 miles
Bus Type: Enviro 400 Hybrid 10.2m
Timetable: 
http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/003full.pdf


Route 3 started operation 1st November 1908, when a daily unnumbered route operating between Brixton Station and South Croydon was allocated the route 3. On 19th November 1908, the route was altered at both ends to run between Oxford Circus and South Croydon (Swan & Sugar Loaf). From April 1909 it was extended on Sundays to Purley, then to Whyteleafe in August. A month later the 3 was extended northwards to Camden Town, and was withdrawn between Streatham Common and Whyteleafe.

In 1910 the route was extended to Hampstead Heath over the Easter period. However, on 3 March 1910, the 3 was withdrawn between Brixton (Lambeth Town Hall) and Streatham Common and re-routed via Effra Road to Brixton (George Canning), thus not serving any of the original route. From 16th June 1912, the 3 became a Monday to Saturday route only, being replaced by the recently introduced 59 on Sundays.

On 11th May 1913, a new daily route 3A was introduced between Camden Town and Crystal Palace via the 3 to Brixton, then via Water Lane, Herne Hill, Croxted Road and South Croxted Road. The 3 and 3A only ran as such until 17th July 1913, when both routes became daily and exchanged numbers. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, the 3A was withdrawn as an economy measure, but was re-instated in October. The 3 was extended from Crystal Palace to Upper Norwood a month later. By the end of hostilities the 3A had been withdrawn and the 3 ran between Camden Town to Crystal Palace.

On 1 December 1924, a new system of route numbering on London buses came into force under The London Traffic Act of 1924. As a result the short workings of the 3 from Camden Town to Brixton were renumbered 3A. This situation continued until 3 October 1934 when all 3A journeys were renumbered 3.

Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, on 3 May 1939, the 3 was replaced on Sundays by a new 3A route, running from Crystal Palace to Oxford Circus and on to Baker Street, Swiss Cottage, Hendon, Mill Hill and Edgware Station. This was withdrawn after from 15th October 1939 as a wartime economy. The 3 returned to 7-day operation and remained virtually unchanged for the next 40 years.

In the early 1980s, the inhabitants of Parliament Hill successfully campaigned for a bus service from that area to the West End. From 26th April 1981, the 3 was extended on Mondays to Saturdays from Camden Town to Parliament Hill Fields. This extension was withdrawn on 27 October 1984, being replaced by an extension of route 53. On 21st June 1986 the service between Oxford Circus and Camden Town was reduced to Saturdays and Sundays only, as the section was now covered by recently introduced route C2. It was completely withdrawn on 4th April 1987.

The route was operated by London Central using 24 DAF DB250s with Optare Spectra bodywork until 1999, when the contract to operate the route was won by Connex, who introduced low-floor vehicles. It then passed to National Express Group-owned Travel London. National Express sold the company to NedRailways in May 2009, and it was Abellio in October 2009.

In January 2010, an out-of-service Abellio double-decker crashed into a low bridge at Bedford Hill while returning to its depot in Croydon having operated on route 3. There were no injuries.
Fleetlist
2414 SN61 DGX
2415 SN61 DGY
2416 SN61 DGZ
2417 SN61 DHA
2418 SN61 CXX
2419 SN61 CXY
2420 SN61 CXZ
2421 SN61 CYA
2422 SN61 CYC
2423 SN61 CYE
2424 SN61 CYF
2425 SN61 CYG
2426 SN61 CYH
2427 SN61 CYJ
2428 SN61 CYK
2429 SN61 CYL
2430 SN61 CYO
2431 SN61 CYP
2432 SN61 CYS
2433 SN61 CYT
2434 SN61 CYU
2435 SN61 CYV
2436 SN61 CYW
2437 SN61 CYX

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog.
Remember to stay safe.


Tuesday 15 April 2014

Circle Of London & Hillsborough Tribute Post

The South London Bus Blog wishes the Circle Of London blog a happy 4th birthday and wishes them many more successful years. The blog is the main reason behind this online bus scene and has inspired many London bus blogs to open, you gave us all the confidence to find people to talk about buses with and we are very grateful for that. We thank you for all your reliable information you have given us and for all your garage visits, we thank you for all your hard work and we thank you for making the online bus scene what it is today.


Today is also the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans never returned home. We here wish our deepest condolences to the families of the innocent fans and we hope those at fault pay. Justice for the 96. If you wish to read more about the disaster you can find the link here.


JFT96
(C) liverpoolfc.com

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog.
Remember to stay safe. 

Friday 11 April 2014

South London Bus Route C10

  All rights reserved by GloriousWater

Route C10: Canada Water - Victoria
Operated by: Abellio London
Garage: QB Battersea
PVR: 15
Length: 13km/8 miles
Bus Type: Enviro 200 10.2m


Route C10 was first introduced back on the 25th May 1991 running only from Victoria to Elephant & Castle operated by London Central.On 25th April 1992 saw the route re-routed to serve Pimlico. The route was operated out of SW Stockwell on 29th January 1994 but that didn't last long until Limebourne took over the route at QB Battersea on 15th June 1996.

From 2001, Limebourne was taken over by Blue Triangle due to it's poor performance on 7th April 2001, that same year it was then back with London Central based at Q Camberwell on 29th September 2001.
On 18th March 2006, the route had another extension with yet another re-routing; the route was extended from Elephant & Castle to Canada Water causing it to move to NX New Cross as well as being re-routed from Lambeth Bridge to run via St Thomas' Hospital to Elephant & Castle.

As of returning back to Go Ahead London:London Central at NX New Cross in 2006, the route ha many issues as the buses were often crowded to a certain state that it led to the bus being very inaccessible for wheelchair users due to the one door on the LDP which didn't help. Therefore this led to years of campaigning from people who use the route to force TFL and Go Ahead London : London Central under pressure and much criticised by them to do something about the situation and they have failed to do so. The route was lost to Abellio London at QB Battersea at last with 15 new Enviro 200 10.2m buses which are dual door to help with the issue on overcrowding and poor access on the bus.

From Abellio London gaining the route, I personally feel that Abellio London struggled with the route as of the pressure from improving the route for the general public but they had tried their best with the route. Presently, I feel Abellio London has a learnt a lot with the route by showing their strong resilience into learning how to run such a demanding single decker route as of now putting their best drivers on the route to really give the route a friendly feeling to those who use it. The route is still overcrowded during the peak hours don't get me wrong but they manage to run the route to the best standard even if it means the bus is overcrowded to the driver's cab and having the put extra buses such as older SD vehicles from QB to help out. 

Fleetlist
8552 YX11 AEA
8553 YX11 AEB
8554 YX11 AEC
8555 YX11 AED
8556 YX11 AEE
8557 YX11 AEF
8558 YX11 AEG
8559 YX11 AEJ
8560 YX11 AEK
8561 YX11 AEL
8562 YX11 AEM
8563 YX11 AEN
8564 YX11 AEO
8565 YX11 AEP
8566 YX11 AET

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting the blog.
Remember to stay safe. 



South London Bus Route: 320

Omnidekka 907 passes at Bromley South on a 320 to Catford Bridge.
  All rights reserved by GloriousWater
Route 320: Biggin Hill Valley Rosehill Road - Catford Bridge
Operated by: Go-Ahead London (Metrobus)
Garage: Orpington (MB)
PVR: 12
Length: 12 miles/19 kilometres
Allocation: Scania N94UD/East Lancs Omnidekka and Scania N230UD/Omnicity, both 10.6m

Timetable: http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/320.pdf

Route 320 is another suburban route in Bromley, almost getting rural at the southern end all the way in Biggin Hill. It started on the 1st of September 1990 running from Bromley North to Westerham, Biggin Hill on Sundays, replacing the old route 20. It was allocated brand new Volvo Citybuses of Kentish Bus. It ran pretty much unchanged until November 1997 when its weekday allocation transferred to Selkent with old Leyland Titans. The Sunday service remained with Kentish Bus. In September 1998 operation transferred to Metrobus and the southern end was cut to Biggin Hill. It got brand new Volvo Olympians, some of the last step-entrance buses new to London. The lost southern section was replaced by new route 246.
Olympian 864 passes at Bromley South on a 320 to Biggin Hill Valley in 2002.
  All rights reserved by grahamwalker007
Fast forward to the 29th of September 2003 and new Scania Omnidekkas were delivered for the route, many of these are still in service and they're amazing vehicles, really fast and you can see everything from it because of its huge windows. These form part of today's allocation on the route.
Another seven uneventful years later, on the 28th of August 2010, the route was extended several miles to Catford via the route of the 208, which until this point ran alternating sections from Catford to Orpington and Lewisham to Bromley Common. This change allowed the 208 to run as a whole from Lewisham to Orpington. New Scania Omnicity DDs were bought for the extension on paper, though in reality they're rarely on the route because of MB's notorious fleet mixing.
Omnidekka 911 in Bellingham on a 320 to Catford Bridge.
  All rights reserved by GloriousWater
As you'll have noticed reading this post the 320 doesn't exactly have a long or eventful history. Well today it's getting more eventful as we see what sort of mad workings Metrobus will put on the route, though those have become rarer over the past few weeks. Among the double-deckers MB have been known to put 8.8m ADL Darts on the route and more recently there have been Scania single-deckers from the 358. The route itself can get crowded on the Bromley-Catford section but is a fast rural route near its southern end. As a whole the route is rather nice to travel on, especially if you want to experience a classic Scania thrash. I recommend you go on it when you have the time.


Omnidekka 901 leaves Bromley North in light traffic on a service to Biggin Hill Valley. 
  All rights reserved by GloriousWater
So here is the fleetlist, I only put MB's double-deckers on it despite the fact literally anything can go on the route.

Scania N94UD/East Lancs Omnidekka:
456 YN03DFC
457 YU52XVR
458 YN03DFD
459 YN03DFE
460 YN03DFG
461 YN03DFJ
462 YN03DFK
465 YN03DFU
466 YN03DFV
467 YN03DFX
468 YN03DFY
479 YN53RYM
480 YN53RYP
901 YN55PZC
902 YN55PZD
903 YN55PZE
904 YN55PZF
905 YN55PZG
906 YN55PZH
907 YN55PZJ
908 YN55PZL
909 YN55PZM
910 YN55PZO
911 YN55PZP
912 YN55PZR
913 YN55PZU
914 YN55PZV
915 YN55PZW
916 YN55PZX
930 YN56FDD
931 YN56FDE
932 YN56FDF
933 YN56FDG
940 YN56FDU
941 YN56FDV
942 YN56FDX
943 YN56FDY

Scania N230UD/Omnicity:
974 YR10BCE
975 YR10BCF
976 YR10BCK
977 YR10BCO
978 YR10BCU

I would like to thank grahamwalker007 for allowing me to use his photo.

Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog.
Remember to stay safe.

Sunday 6 April 2014

Blog Updates 11/04/14

Written by: LondonBuses67 (Founder) & Kieran (Blog Coordinator) 

Hi All,

We would like to update you on the blog changes that will be happening for early April.

Changes & Updates 
The blog has received a new template that brings a more vibrant look to the blog and we hope you enjoy it. 

Eastlondoner has left the blog following the blog's discussion to do so and he will instead remain on our forum. The blog is renamed back to The South London Bus Blog as of this. Yebz will provide the North East coverage monthly even though the blog is renamed back as SLBB.

The London Operator Game is being delayed until there are at least 6 operators in the game and to join, please visit our forum here: http://ltbb.boards.net/ 

http://thesouthlondonbusblogc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/blog-updates-030314.html


Thank you for reading this post and for visiting our blog.
Remember to stay safe.