A challenging day out on Monday
Oct. 6th, 2009 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
suzyscottdotcomThis day was not as it was meant to be. I’d originally planned a loop out, starting from Royston on the 331 to Ware/Hertford, and getting back in the evening. However, the first bus didn’t leave until fairly late (say nothing of the fact that we arrived at the bus station late, thinking it would be gone, but it was still there!) Add to that the fact that the driver got held up in Barley by bin trucks, we were rather late at one point.
Arriva Optare Versa 2404 331 Royston, Bus Station – Hertford, Bus Station
As that 331 missed the connection, I had a few moments to think. Tried using the Information Point electronic kiosk, but it was going slow, before it decided to reinitialise itself. So, from the panel timetables, before going for coffee and a bite to eat in the meantime, before deciding to change plans, and effectively “bridge” a bit of the journey that I missed, by going straight to Hatfield. From my mental notes of the service patterns, travelling to Hatfield would allow me to get to Hemel, either on the direct 634 or stopping 300/301.
Uno Dart/Plaxton 101 341 Hertford, Bus Station – Hatfield, UH The Forum
Since my last visit to the area, the former bus stops adjacent to the University of Hertfordshire’s College Lane campus have been substantially rebuilt. A new access road, further down towards the Park & Ride site, leads to the brand new Student Forum building, which includes bus stances and terminal facilities. While the bus I was on was naturally empty in regards to new timetable books, I managed to get one from one of the Shuttle drivers – the Uni ad in the back of the Uno timetable book mentions a new £38million entertainment venue and £15m sports village. The new building, from the bus stances, is certainly most impressive.
For the bus stances, there is a fair range of passenger amenities. While it is partially still being finished off (the uni reopened to students the previous week), facilities already there include full timetable panels and realtime displays, like it’s predecessor.
Uno Scania 353 634 Hatfield, UH The Forum – Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station
This gave me time to change over for my next bus. The Centrebus provided H11 town service passed by, and I was quite surprised to see a larger-than-minibus vehicle being used. (As it transpired later, the bus then does a school run, so presumably this was easier than going to/from Stevenage).
Went for the next bus…
Arriva DAF/Plaxton 3277 line500 Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station – Aylesbury, Bus Station
Anyway, despite the blank display (driver had switched the power off when he went to take his layover), the driver was defiantly going to Aylesbury. This brought me actually a little ahead of time, and after arriving in Aylesbury, I proceeded to County Hall to pick up some timetable books left for me. I then went on a quick browse around the shops, before stopping (as ever) to pick up some different sweets, from the old sweet store in the Cloisters shopping centre, before heading back to the new Aylesbury Transport Hub – read Bus Station – for a return back the way I came. I could have carried on elsewhere, but (a) I just felt like going back home, and I had time to do it without rushing around and still get the last 331 back to Royston, and (b) the gap in buses on the way back at Hatfield would give me plenty time to snap up a range of vehicles, with the new Student Forum building looking really good for pictures, despite the slight grey and overcast.
Except, just one problem. The line500 bus – due in at 1412 and back out at 1420 – was not to be seen. Having said that, the realtime display showed it was a fair bit late… 25 minutes by the time I snapped this picture!
The irony was, in my original plan, I was going to get this journey to Aylesbury! Just as well that I didn’t now! So, I decided that I wanted to know why this was late, i.e. breakdown, as there had been some problems getting out of Hemel with roadworks, stop/go lights, but not more than a few minutes. Naturally, I was concerned for the impact that this would have on the rest of my day. Anyway, went to speak with the controller, and he said he was putting on another bus, so I went back and advised the other passengers. This was much to their appreciation, although I was a little cynical after discussing the T1 was due at the opposite stance about 10 minutes later. The T1 would leave me a 0 minute connection, which I didn’t want to push, so I said that I’d see what happened between then, and the T1’s departure time. From the stance, I could see that there was a nice, shiny looking, line280 Enviro400 sitting over spare. A driver went over to it, turned the engine on, reversed a bit. He’s bringing it over here. What’s he doing with this? Check the blind… he’s going out as a 500. So, my next bus was a bit of a pleasant surprise…
Arriva Enviro400 5434 line500 Aylesbury, Bus Station - Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station
As we drove out towards Tring, we passed the late bus – a Trident – going the other way, with the next line500 just a few minutes behind. You want yet more irony? Well, back in October 2007, shortly before the last time I was in hospital, I did a trip that involved the 500, and a version of the route that I was originally going to do today. It too was almost 30 minutes late, around the same time of the day. This was seriously starting to freak me out, but somewhat fun nonetheless. Passengers who boarded the line500 were naturally appreciative of having the bus on time – perhaps as it also picks up a school run at Kings Langley – but of course, later passengers were none the wiser of the little change, about the non-usual vehicle, or even the new leather seats, fitted as an experiment to judge passenger reaction.
Just over half an hour at Hemel for pictures. This went without incident, save for the disgust of an Arriva driver, as he drove off on the 300/1. This was interesting, as said operator just put up a staff notice from the MD just last month, asking drivers to be polite etc. to enthusiasts! Having said this, all the others at Hemel were lovely – one even stopped leaving his vehicle so as not to walk into my shot! Speaking of CentralLine 300/1, the new buses could be snapped by me, for the first time in daylight!
While I did not manage to sample the T2 (another time!), the time in Hemel did allow me to snap the next departure, and it was quite interesting to watch as the 550 had been sitting on layover, before driving into the departure bay as the T2 was pulling in. However, it was quite interesting watching the passengers passing the 550 for the T2…
… I wonder why Wootten’s chose “Reliable” to promote their Service T2, which competes with the Watford end of the 500/550??? I don’t think I even need to ask, do you? given aforementioned events?
Speaking of Tiger Line, I did mention that the T1 was due off shortly after the line500 out of Aylesbury, well, it arrived before my 634, so snapped this one too.
The ducks seem to always warrant photography when at Hemel, as they are opposite the bus station…
… so anyway, after all that, back on to another 634 – same vehicle, which had been out back to Hatfield, Stevenage, Lister Hospital as a 635, then back to Stevenage, out as a 634 back to Hatfield and Hemel rail station, before coming back for me to get on at the bus station.
Uno Scania 353 634 Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station - Hatfield, UH The Forum
The express was used by myself and four others, presumably UH Students, as they all got off at College Lane/The Forum. Having used a very short stretch of the M1, followed by some A road, we arrived at Hatfield a little ahead of time.
Some of the adjacent UH buildings are now being demolished…
Nine new-style Mercedes Citaro buses have just been delivered to relaunch the 602, which has been standardised with most buses running from Hatfield to Watford. During my brief stop, spotted two - one was on the inter-campus Shuttle, which now runs (during term time) 24/7 with day, weekend and night variants.
This one was on the 602. The buses feature various “connections” rear ends, promoting the different uses and aspects of the service.
One final bit of civil engineering oddity, and did you know that pelican crossing comes in a roll?
Anyway, back to business, and getting home.
Uno Dart/Wright 776 641 Hatfield, UH The Forum – Hertford, Bus Station
The 641 pulled in, and was rather quiet – just me all the way back to Hertford! Having said that, the 341 earlier in the hour did run a bit late, so presumably took up it’s passengers.
A brief stop here, before continuing on the 331.
Arriva DAF/Wright Cadet 3832 331 Hertford, Bus Station – Royston, Bus Station
This former 331 vehicle (replaced last year by the Versa’s) was a very unusual working – the bus started the day on the 310/311, which is equally strange. Having said that, the power blinds would not stay still, so the bus drove off with the blind box flicking up and down between Buntingford and Royston, and no route number, so the driver advised that we were going into the garage to have this fixed. This was promptly resolved by the controller coming over with “331” printed onto a sheet of A4, and the clear sticky bit of a monthly laminate ticket! The driver also turned off the display, setting that back to black.
Anyway, very eventful day – you can see all the pictures here. While I didn't quite manage the original plan, I managed to improvise another, which worked well. Still plenty more pink stuff around Hatfield to do one day, and more besides!
Arriva Optare Versa 2404 331 Royston, Bus Station – Hertford, Bus Station
As that 331 missed the connection, I had a few moments to think. Tried using the Information Point electronic kiosk, but it was going slow, before it decided to reinitialise itself. So, from the panel timetables, before going for coffee and a bite to eat in the meantime, before deciding to change plans, and effectively “bridge” a bit of the journey that I missed, by going straight to Hatfield. From my mental notes of the service patterns, travelling to Hatfield would allow me to get to Hemel, either on the direct 634 or stopping 300/301.
Uno Dart/Plaxton 101 341 Hertford, Bus Station – Hatfield, UH The Forum
Since my last visit to the area, the former bus stops adjacent to the University of Hertfordshire’s College Lane campus have been substantially rebuilt. A new access road, further down towards the Park & Ride site, leads to the brand new Student Forum building, which includes bus stances and terminal facilities. While the bus I was on was naturally empty in regards to new timetable books, I managed to get one from one of the Shuttle drivers – the Uni ad in the back of the Uno timetable book mentions a new £38million entertainment venue and £15m sports village. The new building, from the bus stances, is certainly most impressive.
For the bus stances, there is a fair range of passenger amenities. While it is partially still being finished off (the uni reopened to students the previous week), facilities already there include full timetable panels and realtime displays, like it’s predecessor.
Uno Scania 353 634 Hatfield, UH The Forum – Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station
This gave me time to change over for my next bus. The Centrebus provided H11 town service passed by, and I was quite surprised to see a larger-than-minibus vehicle being used. (As it transpired later, the bus then does a school run, so presumably this was easier than going to/from Stevenage).
Went for the next bus…
Arriva DAF/Plaxton 3277 line500 Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station – Aylesbury, Bus Station
Anyway, despite the blank display (driver had switched the power off when he went to take his layover), the driver was defiantly going to Aylesbury. This brought me actually a little ahead of time, and after arriving in Aylesbury, I proceeded to County Hall to pick up some timetable books left for me. I then went on a quick browse around the shops, before stopping (as ever) to pick up some different sweets, from the old sweet store in the Cloisters shopping centre, before heading back to the new Aylesbury Transport Hub – read Bus Station – for a return back the way I came. I could have carried on elsewhere, but (a) I just felt like going back home, and I had time to do it without rushing around and still get the last 331 back to Royston, and (b) the gap in buses on the way back at Hatfield would give me plenty time to snap up a range of vehicles, with the new Student Forum building looking really good for pictures, despite the slight grey and overcast.
Except, just one problem. The line500 bus – due in at 1412 and back out at 1420 – was not to be seen. Having said that, the realtime display showed it was a fair bit late… 25 minutes by the time I snapped this picture!
The irony was, in my original plan, I was going to get this journey to Aylesbury! Just as well that I didn’t now! So, I decided that I wanted to know why this was late, i.e. breakdown, as there had been some problems getting out of Hemel with roadworks, stop/go lights, but not more than a few minutes. Naturally, I was concerned for the impact that this would have on the rest of my day. Anyway, went to speak with the controller, and he said he was putting on another bus, so I went back and advised the other passengers. This was much to their appreciation, although I was a little cynical after discussing the T1 was due at the opposite stance about 10 minutes later. The T1 would leave me a 0 minute connection, which I didn’t want to push, so I said that I’d see what happened between then, and the T1’s departure time. From the stance, I could see that there was a nice, shiny looking, line280 Enviro400 sitting over spare. A driver went over to it, turned the engine on, reversed a bit. He’s bringing it over here. What’s he doing with this? Check the blind… he’s going out as a 500. So, my next bus was a bit of a pleasant surprise…
Arriva Enviro400 5434 line500 Aylesbury, Bus Station - Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station
As we drove out towards Tring, we passed the late bus – a Trident – going the other way, with the next line500 just a few minutes behind. You want yet more irony? Well, back in October 2007, shortly before the last time I was in hospital, I did a trip that involved the 500, and a version of the route that I was originally going to do today. It too was almost 30 minutes late, around the same time of the day. This was seriously starting to freak me out, but somewhat fun nonetheless. Passengers who boarded the line500 were naturally appreciative of having the bus on time – perhaps as it also picks up a school run at Kings Langley – but of course, later passengers were none the wiser of the little change, about the non-usual vehicle, or even the new leather seats, fitted as an experiment to judge passenger reaction.
Just over half an hour at Hemel for pictures. This went without incident, save for the disgust of an Arriva driver, as he drove off on the 300/1. This was interesting, as said operator just put up a staff notice from the MD just last month, asking drivers to be polite etc. to enthusiasts! Having said this, all the others at Hemel were lovely – one even stopped leaving his vehicle so as not to walk into my shot! Speaking of CentralLine 300/1, the new buses could be snapped by me, for the first time in daylight!
While I did not manage to sample the T2 (another time!), the time in Hemel did allow me to snap the next departure, and it was quite interesting to watch as the 550 had been sitting on layover, before driving into the departure bay as the T2 was pulling in. However, it was quite interesting watching the passengers passing the 550 for the T2…
… I wonder why Wootten’s chose “Reliable” to promote their Service T2, which competes with the Watford end of the 500/550??? I don’t think I even need to ask, do you? given aforementioned events?
Speaking of Tiger Line, I did mention that the T1 was due off shortly after the line500 out of Aylesbury, well, it arrived before my 634, so snapped this one too.
The ducks seem to always warrant photography when at Hemel, as they are opposite the bus station…
… so anyway, after all that, back on to another 634 – same vehicle, which had been out back to Hatfield, Stevenage, Lister Hospital as a 635, then back to Stevenage, out as a 634 back to Hatfield and Hemel rail station, before coming back for me to get on at the bus station.
Uno Scania 353 634 Hemel Hempstead, Bus Station - Hatfield, UH The Forum
The express was used by myself and four others, presumably UH Students, as they all got off at College Lane/The Forum. Having used a very short stretch of the M1, followed by some A road, we arrived at Hatfield a little ahead of time.
Some of the adjacent UH buildings are now being demolished…
Nine new-style Mercedes Citaro buses have just been delivered to relaunch the 602, which has been standardised with most buses running from Hatfield to Watford. During my brief stop, spotted two - one was on the inter-campus Shuttle, which now runs (during term time) 24/7 with day, weekend and night variants.
This one was on the 602. The buses feature various “connections” rear ends, promoting the different uses and aspects of the service.
One final bit of civil engineering oddity, and did you know that pelican crossing comes in a roll?
Anyway, back to business, and getting home.
Uno Dart/Wright 776 641 Hatfield, UH The Forum – Hertford, Bus Station
The 641 pulled in, and was rather quiet – just me all the way back to Hertford! Having said that, the 341 earlier in the hour did run a bit late, so presumably took up it’s passengers.
A brief stop here, before continuing on the 331.
Arriva DAF/Wright Cadet 3832 331 Hertford, Bus Station – Royston, Bus Station
This former 331 vehicle (replaced last year by the Versa’s) was a very unusual working – the bus started the day on the 310/311, which is equally strange. Having said that, the power blinds would not stay still, so the bus drove off with the blind box flicking up and down between Buntingford and Royston, and no route number, so the driver advised that we were going into the garage to have this fixed. This was promptly resolved by the controller coming over with “331” printed onto a sheet of A4, and the clear sticky bit of a monthly laminate ticket! The driver also turned off the display, setting that back to black.
Anyway, very eventful day – you can see all the pictures here. While I didn't quite manage the original plan, I managed to improvise another, which worked well. Still plenty more pink stuff around Hatfield to do one day, and more besides!
