Unallocated Allocations

Yup, it was that time of the year again: the Notting Hill Carnival, where many transport networks were disrupted and diverted to make way for top quality excitement and joy on the streets of Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill and Westbourne Park.

It is not unusual to see buses allocated to unallocated routes during the Notting Hill Carnival and this always deems to be an exciting prospect with speculations rising as to what bus model would make its first appearance on which unfamiliar route. And this year did not disappoint.

VLA69 (LJ04 YWY), an Alexander ALX400 with Volvo B7TL chassis
allocated to route 2. It served route 2X on both days of the Notting Hill Carnival.
©Mark Collins

T115 (LJ59 LXR), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 allocated
to route 133. A small number of Enviro400 buses were allocated
to route 2X on both days of the Notting Hill Carnival.
Marylebone Station, ©London Bus Breh.

Arriva London route 2 is allocated with the Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL (VLA) model. Its evening service from 20:00 to 00:00 includes a maximum of five Alexander Dennis Enviro400s to serve the route. During the Notting Hill Carnival, route 2 is given an extra service which is also allocated to VLAs, and a couple Enviro400s. So it was not much of a surprise to see Enviro400s serve the route this year, although they are always a pleasant sight.

DN33787 (SN12 EHC), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 allocated
to route 23. It served route 28 on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Kensington Church Street, Kensington, ©Aubrey Morandarte.

Route 28, a successful First London route, was involved in the selling of First London to new operator Tower Transit from the Australian transportation company Transit Systems. For a decade, it has been allocated with the Wright Eclipse Gemini model on the Volvo B7TL chassis (VNW and VNZ), with Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident 2 (TNs) making many appearances during this time and a couple recent Wright Gemini 2 DL (WN) odd-workings.

So, to many enthusiasts and photographers' astonishment, 12-reg Alexander Dennis Enviro400s (DN) from route 23 started making appearances on route 28 during the Notting Hill Carnival, leaving one to question how many Volvo B7TLs were being used for route 31 (route 328 also operating with a few extreme odd-workings - more later) for Enviro400s to fill in the missing slots on route 28.



E266 (SN62 DGF), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 alloacted
to route 36. It served route 36X on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Wilton Street, Hyde Park Corner, ©Aubrey Morandarte

Route 36 is operated by Go-Ahead London subsidiary London Central. It was, until last year, allocated with Plaxton Presidents on the Volvo B7TL chassis (PVL). Now, 12- and 62-reg buses of the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 serve the route, with unallocated debendifying hybrids of route 436 becoming a regular working as well. During the Notting Hill Carnival, a 36X route is in service to and from Notting Hill Carnival (Harrow Road Elgin Avenue / Prince of Wales) and Peckham Bus Station.

WVL150 (LX53 BJO), a Wright Eclipse Gemini with Volvo B7TL chassis
allocated to route 11. It served route 36 during Notting Hill Carnival Sunday.
Chippenham, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.

This year saw the 36X service using 62-reg Enviro400s whilst Wright Eclipse Gemini bodied Volvo B7TLs (WVLs) were used to fill the missing slots made by the Enviro400s on the 36X service. This WVL service on the 36X route is quite common during the Notting Hill Carnival - not on the 36, however.



12148 (LX61 DCO), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid allocated
to route 15. It served route 205X on both days of the Notting Hill Carnival.
Harrow Road W2, ©London Bus Breh.

Another usual working includes Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrids from route 15 on the route 205 extra service. Although the 205 is a fully allocated Scania OmniCity route, its extra service is a fully allocated hybrid route running to and from Notting Hill Carnival (Harrow Road Elgin Avenue / Prince of Wales) and Aldgate Station.

 

TE1093 (LK60 AGZ), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 allocated
to route 332. It served route 316 on both days of the Notting Hill Carnival.
Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.

Being used to seeing one or two double-deckers on single-decker Cricklewood (W) allocated Metroline route 316, double-deckers of the Alexander Dennis Enviro400 model was to be expected during carnival. However, it was not just one or two double-deckers on route 316 - it was as if route 316 had been fully allocated to Enviro400 service; not a single single-decker had been allocated to its usual 316 service during the carnival.

TE1311 (LK12 AVU), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 allocated
to route 32 (but is commonly seen more on more popular routes such
as the 16, 139, 189 and 332. It served route 316 on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.


And that was not just it: due to the fact there are now over fifty hybrids at the Cricklewood Bus Garage all allocated to routes 16, 139 and recently 189 with Enviro400s still being used on all three routes (meaning spare hybrids), I highly anticipated seeing a hybrid service on route 316 - much to the disbelief of other speculative enthusiasts.

TEH1111 (LK60 AJV), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid allocated
to route 139. It served route 316 on Notting Hill Carnival Sunday.
Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.

TEH1453 (LK13 BGV), an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid
allocated to route 189. It served route 316 on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.

Route 328, a successful First London route, was involved in the selling of First London to new operator Tower Transit from the Australian transportation company Transit Systems. For a decade, it has been allocated with the Wright Eclipse Gemini model on the Volvo B7TL chassis. However, ever since the withdrawal of the route's five 2008 Wright Gemini 2 HEV prototypes and the garage transfer move of route 295 from Westbourne Park (X), the 328 has been given allocation to Wright Gemini 2 DLs - an allocation in which I predicted in October last year when odd appearances were made on the route for testing.

The Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 model on the Volvo B9TL chassis has made a couple of odd-working appearances in the past on separate occasions. During this year's carnival, however, even though the route has no extra service, extra buses must have been used for route 31 for Tower Transit to feel the need to borrow five buses of the model from a different garage for service on the 328, as is the guessed reason for route 28 using Alexander Dennis Enviro400s.

VN37977 (BN61 MYB), a Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 with Volvo B9TL chassis allocated
to route 266. It served route 28 on Notting Hill Carnival Sunday and
route 328 on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Kilburn Park, ©London Bus Breh.



VN37980 (BG61 SXL), a Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 with Volvo B9TL chassis
allocated to route 266. It served route 328 on Notting Hill Carnival Monday.
Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, ©London Bus Breh.

It gets better. Go-Ahead London routes 507 and 521 were named the Red Arrow routes when they became London's first ever articulated service in early June 2002, using the controversial Mercedes-Benz Citaro O530G. Route 436 became the newest of Go-Ahead London routes in February 2003 and became the operator's third articulated route.

The bendy-buses were withdrawn from the Red Arrow routes in September 2009 and remain the only routes to continue Citaro operation, purchasing fifty rigid versions to the bendy-bus. Route 436 continued articulated operation until November 2011 when it became the antepenultimate debendification, Alexander Dennis Enviro400 diesel and hybrids introduced in their place.

Like its parallel route 36, the 436 has its own extra service. The 436X, running to and from Notting Hill and Peckham Bus Station, had been seen using a rigid Citaro or two during the Notting Hill Carnival last year, but this year saw a whole allocated of rigid Citaros from Red Arrow routes 507 and 521 serve the 436X. Why Go-Ahead London decided to go for this allocation, I don't know - but no complaints can be said by enthusiasts and photographers alike!

MEC34 (BD09 ZVZ), a rigid Mercedes-Benz Citaro O530G allocated to the Red Arrow
routes 507 and 521. It served route 436X on Notting Hill Carnival Sunday.
Peckham Bus Station, ©London Bus Breh.

And on that note, that's the end of Unallocated Allocations that the 2013 Notting Hill Carnival had to offer. One wonders if next year's unallocated allocations of Notting Hill Carnival services could be even more as exciting and stunning as this year's!