Congratulations Your Majesty
I’ve only seem it on one bus on route 21, so it might be unique.
Congratulations Your Majesty
Although, I have seen it several times, before I got this picture at Newington Green. In some ways to photograph it there is appropriate, as that is the area of London, where the non-comformists based themselves in the seventeenth century. It has a long connection with Mary Wollstonecraft. It is a place well worth a visit, as it has a nice garden and some buildings worth a look.
I Finally Get to Loughborough Junction Station
Today all of the trains were running and I was able to get to Loughborough Junction station.
The pictures don’t really do, one of the worst stations I’ve visited in recent years, justice. It had the usual long difficult staircases to the trains, narrow platforms, difficult access for the elderly, the disabled and buggy pushers and no visible staff. It did though have what looked to be a reasonable cafe, but as I was running late, I didn’t have have time for a coffee.
But as it is on a major cross-London route, you’d hope it would be a station on the list of stations to be improved. I’ve searched the Internet and Lounghborough Junction station is not slated for any improvement in the next few years. I did find this blog post, moaning about lack of improvements in the area.
In the pictures, you’ll see the line, that will take the London Overground on its way to Clapham Junction station. This is to the right in the pictures, with the line to the left leading to Denmark Hill station. Putting platforms on the London Overground on this line here, has been dismissed on the grounds of cost, just as they have been at Brixton.
This may be right, but it just shows what a mess has been left by Victorian railway engineers in this area.
However, linking the London Overground to an improved Thameslink at this point, may offer a very much better financial case, than to link with the Underground at Brixton, which is linked because of the Victoria line to larege numbers of important places in the capital anyway, but of course to nothing towards the south, like Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
It is one of these problems that needs imagination. A good architect might be able to produce an elegant connection between the two lines and then link it to the ground on the other side of Coldharbour Lane to the current station entrance. Looking at the local bus map, shows that the area is well served by bus routes, so perhaps we could make Loughborough Junction a true interchange in the east of Brixton.
I just think that London can be improved by providing proper bus/rail interchanges and Loughborough Junction could be another, to join Stratford, Canning Town and West Hampstead, that have been created in recent years.
Whether Loughborough Junction could be one is debatable though, especially as I was told at London Bridge by a ticket inspector, that First Capital Connect, don’t want the connection built. That surprised me, as the link would not be built, if it wasn’t going to be used. And users would mean money for the company.
London Bridge Bus Station Opens on Monday
Over the last few months, getting a bus at London Bridge and especially the 141 that gets me home, has been difficult to say the least. But not as of Monday, when the new bus station on the forecourt opens.
As you can see from the pictures, it will be a great improvement on what is there now and what was there before the Shard put its enormous feet all over the place.
This is the bus spider map that shows the routes from London Bridge. It is a bit out of date at the moment and let’s hope that it links to the new map on Monday. I hope to that the temporary stop shown in the picture has been replaced by a permanent one.
By the way, there is no sign up to say that the new bus station opens on Monday, but a member of staff with the right helpful, intelligent and cheery attitude, who gave me the information. People like him, are one of Transport for London’s big strengths and they’re always there to help. The same can’t always be said for most bus and metro companies outside of the capital.
Pictures From a Bus on Southwark Bridge
The tourists boats on the Thames, always used to claim that Southwark Bridge was the one over the river that had the least traffic. Today, because of diversions, I was on a 21 bus, that took a detour on its way to the Deep South. So I took some pictures, which are probably the some of few taken on a bus on that bridge. Only one route crosses the bridge in normal service, the 344.
I could of course be wrong, but as you can see they were taken from the lower deck, so there is more of a chance they’re the only ones taken from the lower deck of a bus on Southwark Bridge.
There Are Now Guard Whippets On London Buses
Because of the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, specially trained whippets like this one, are now being carried on London’s buses.
A Guard Whippet on a London Bus
I spotted this rather smart grey one on a 141 bus this afternoon.
I had a brief chat with the handler and they said, they were a bit short of whippets, so they’re going to have to use beagles and coney dogs as well!
The Rain Claims a Victim
Tonight, the rain didn’t give up, so I took the bus to Carluccio’s in Upper Street for supper. In fact I had to go somewhere, as I hadn’t got any supper in because of the rain.
But coming down Essex Road, there had been an accident, and as we passed, I noticed that a motor cycle was on its side and it appeared that a passer-by was giving first aid to the rider. It looked like a police car had just arrived and they were helping out too.
Hopefully, everything will be alright in the end.
But it is that sort of night, where accidents will happen and you’re much safer in a full-size bus.
It’s Official Now!
They’ve announced that the rain is now the worst since Genesis Chapters 6 to 9.
I did walk to get my paper today, but I then waited in the shelter at the bus stop and cleared out the rubbish into the bin there, before taking the bus two stops to home.
At least my copy of The Times is dry.
The Waitrose Obstacle Race
Last night I decided to do a bigger shop at Waitrose. My local one at Upper Street is a bit small and doesn’t stock half the things I need. So I decided to go to the shop in the old Jones Brothers store on the Holloway Road.
Unfortunately, it is a two bus trip and I had to change from the 277 to a 271 at Highbury and Islington to complete the journey. The 271 is one of those routes that desperately needs some new buses, as like last night, some of them are a bit tired, like the Plaxton President I was on, to say the least.
But I got there about 19:30 and then spent a frustrating half-an-hour getting what I needed. The only bread was thick-sliced, there was no gluten-free beer, I couldn’t find the smoked salmon, but there were two packets of the breakfast cereal I like. I’ve had more successful trips.
Coming back, it was another 271 followed by a 277. I would have preferred a 393 for the first leg, as it means less walking at the change. But the bus decided to charge straight past the stop on the Holloway Road.
Voting for the Bus
I was at the Angel yesterday afternoon, waiting for a 38 or 56 to take me home, when a New Bus for London passed the other way going towards Victoria.
The guy standing next to me, asked if I’d ridden the bus and I said several times. We then both agreed that we liked them and I said that as an engineer and a designer, it had a lot of good ideas that would find their way into new buses, making them all better.
He then made the statement, that although he was a lifelong Labour voter, he would be voting for the one candidate, who won’t be scrapping the bus; Boris.
Is this the first time that the man on the Dalston omnibus, has been swayed in his voting preference, by that bus?
A Second New Bus for London is Spotted
Tonight I spotted a second New Bus for London in the Balls Pond Road.
A Second New Bus for London
It appears to be numbered as LT6.
They all appear to have registration numbers starting with LT
The Anonymous Widower 