Know Your Routes: Route E10

Today's Know Your Routes is the first published in a while. Looking at the picture, the subject today is on route E10, between Northolt Islip Manor and Ealing Broadway Station.

Arriva TGM 3425 (YX14 RYO) is seen at Greenford Broadway in the first week of the new service.

Today, two routes celebrate their birthdays. The first which we will celebrate is route E10 who turns 18 and after in a separate post, we will also celebrate 135's 7th year in service who passed to Go-Ahead yesterday morning.

So for those who are good with their numbers, you would've figured E10 was introduced on the 24th May 1997. It replaced the now defunct route E4, and sections of the current E9 route as well. The route is very much different to how it is today, in fact most of the route has nothing in common. At inception, E10 ran between Smith's Farm and Ealing Common, Warwick Dene where the current E11 terminates. Route E10 does still serve Smiths Farm to this day, which is a small estate located near Northala Fields.

The route from Smiths Farm, ran direct along Ruislip Road to Greenford Broadway before following the current E11 route all the way to Ealing Common to terminate. For those unfamiliar with neither routes, it ran (from Greenford Broadway) along Greenford Avenue, before ducking into Elthorne Heights. This section operates in a crescent format and consists of many residential roads, and in order they are Gifford Gardens, Bridge Avenue, Mayfield Gardens, High Lane and Studland Road which leads back to a bit further down Greenford Avenue. However, instead of going south (as the bus was already doing), the route then goes back northbound towards Greenford again, and nearly forms a loop - however this is not to be as the route dives back into the side roads at the first given opportunity. This time, Bordars Road to enter Castle Bar Park and serve the Greenford Branch Line station situated on Copley Close. This section forbids long vehicles to be used due to tight turns and several parked cars (too hard to handle a 10.2m bus here).

After that, Copley Close is.......well a close. So buses have to go into Framfield Road before turning into Browning Avenue. The bus then shortly enters the lovely area of Drayton Green and Sutherland Avenue. The route then follows E7 to Ealing Broadway via West Ealing Broadway. After Ealing, the route makes the short leg up to Warwick Dene, which is just off Ealing Common. Unlike now, where buses turn around on a roundabout, back then, buses did a loop via Elm Grove Road. 

Route E10 until last year (2014) had always run from Greenford (G) garage. At the time in 1997, the service did not run on Sundays and run as Ealing Buses using 4 MA-class single deckers. 

First DMS41342 (T342 ALR) leaves Ealing, Haven Green in 2008.
©Kevin Boyd

In 2001, by now buses were running under First's name, the E10 service was extended from Smith's Farm Horseshoe Crescent to Northolt, Islip Manor via Belvue replacing a section of route 398 who was re-routed to Greenford, Westway Cross. The E10 was extended using a mixture of fixed bus stops and 'Hail & Ride' sections. The section after Belvue and Northala Fields was hail & ride, until Moat Farm Road for Northolt Station. After the route was fixed stops until Islip Manor Road. The PVR was increased from 4 to 6 buses, and the rolling stock was upgraded to Marshall Capital bodied Dennis Dart SLFs displaced from elsewhere.

Just a year later in 2002, E10 was greatly modified. Most of the route had been changed as a result of the introduction of new route E11. To break down the whole change here is what happened:

1. Route E10 was cut back to Ealing Broadway from Ealing Common. This was replaced by E11.
2. Route E10 was re-routed between Smith's Farm and Greenford Broadway to no longer run via Ruislip Road. Instead buses would take a detour via Ferrymead and Oldfield Lane South replacing route E6.
3. Route E10 was simplified between Greenford Broadway and Ealing Common. This service became separate and was numbered E11. From Greenford onwards, E10 took a direct route via Ruislip Road East and then to Scotch Common. Here, several routes split up, and E10 was made to go via 297's way (via Cleveland Road) to Ealing Broadway to terminate at Haven Green.
4. A new Sunday service was introduced. Buses ran one every 30 minutes.

Brand new Marshalls were introduced on the route as well, which were LT02 plated. After this massive change, not much had happened on route E10.

Then in 2008, Transport for London (TfL) had proposed that as part of a review of buses in Chiswick, that route E10 was to be amongst the first routes extended to ultramodern high-tech business park in Chiswick. This would be an extension from the Ealing end of the line. The extension would be via The Mall, Gunnersbury Avenue, Gunnersbury Lane, Acton Town Station and Bollo Lane to connect through Stanhope Way and terminate at Chiswick, Business Park. This was strongly supported, however because the proposed route used the A406, the reliability would greatly suffer during rush hour. It brought complication and therefore the idea was dropped and using TfL's logic, route 70 is to be extended within the next fortnight to compensate*. 

Fun fact for you, the DMS buses are actually blinded for Chiswick, Business Park. It did take a few months and years to reach a final result of not following E10's proposal, but First ordered the blinds just in case. That also explains why the side blinds say 'E10 via Ealing' and not 'E10 via Ferrymead' as per seen on the Marshalls.

In 2009, First retained the contract with new Enviro 200 8.9m (DMS) buses to replace the Marshalls for their routes E5 and E10. Route E10 is restricted to 8.9m buses because of the termini at Islip Manor in Northolt. Buses turn around on a turning circle however the circle is too tight to hold buses longer than 9.4m of length. Above demonstrates DMS44412 (YX09 FMP) and below demonstrates DMS44414 (YX09 FLP) which is now Go-Ahead's SEN39. It is seen at Haven Green in 2013. The running numbers were G #101-107.

As we all know, First had to pull out of London in 2013. During the summer of 2013, June 22nd to be precise, Metroline purchased Greenford (G) garage. It meant along with several other routes based here, Metroline took over operations on route E10. Just before First pulled out, TfL did not grant an extension on route E10's contract and therefore placed the route up for tender. It was announced under Metroline's reign that E10 had not been retained and that Tellings Golden Miller was to return to London operation after a decade of absence. This time they'd be running under Arriva's name and not as a independent company. They were to run from Heathrow (HE) garage and notch the PVR from 7 to 8.

So 31st May 2014 came around quickly after the result and E10 brought a few shocks to people's faces. The most noticeable thing about the new batch of Enviro 200s, numbered 3425-3433 was the fact that the new buses broke TfL's laws: they had Arriva's yellow band around the skirtline, something that has been absent for years due to the 100% red rule. Another thing was the buses were delivered with Traveline stickers, so chances are they might have been ordered to a different specification of some sort - but all of that has disappeared within weeks to months of Arriva TGM taking over the route. To find out more about how the first day of Arriva TGM on E10 went, click here.

However there's more things that interested enthusiasts alike as well, E10 was the first of a brand new breed of single decker buses. E10's batch of Enviro 200s were the first ever Euro 6s of this type in London. People had stated they sounded like a cross between a Scania N230UD and a Volvo B5L Hybrid and were very powerful. Personally, I can agree with this - and as it stands E10 is my favourite single decker route and I adore these buses on the route, however we can save that for another day. 

The buses appearance actually have no physical links to Tellings Golden Miller, everything was ordered to Arriva's interior and specifications. Ever since, the yellow band disappeared. 

E10's operation is quite sophisticated and to my understanding it is as followed:
1) The drivers and buses are supplied by Tellings Golden Miller.
2) The engineering is done at Arriva Southern Counties' Dartford (DT) depot.
3) The controlling is done at Arriva Shires & Essex' Garston (GR) depot, however it is possible that Arriva may have transferred this to Dartford (DT) ever since.

E10 is now home to 9 Enviro 200s which I strongly recommend anybody to do if they are looking for thrill - but sometimes buses are absent at Heathrow (HE) and pop out to Dartford (DT) instead. There is one noticeable Wright Cadet from B13 that pops on the E10 every now and then, and until the New Year was not blinded for the route. 3948 (GK53 AON) is a uncommon visitor on E10, but it is helpful due to it's extra length to help cope with the crowds. I managed to catch up with it at Ealing last month.

Arriva 3948 (GK53 AON) on route E10 at Haven Green, Ealing Broadway terminus.

E10 has had a slight operator or subsidiary change in this case - that's the 4th one within 18 months. Arriva TGM ceased operation towards the end of 2014, so E10 theoretically is operated by Arriva Southern Counties. The running numbers are HE #301-308. 

Here is a fleetlist and a few more photos to round off the post:

GK53 AON - 3948

YX14 RYO - 3425

YX14 RYP - 3426

YX14 RYR - 3427

YX14 RYT - 3428

YX14 RYU - 3429

YX14 RYV - 3430

YX14 RYW - 3431

YX14 RYY - 3432

YX14 RYZ - 3433

Arriva TGM 3430 (YX14 RYV), Horseshoe Crescent on route E10. Shot was taken on New Years 2015.

Arriva TGM 3425 (YX14 RYO) passing Smiths Farm on Horseshoe Crescent on route E10. Shot was taken on New Years 2015.

Rear of Arriva TGM 3425 (YX14 RYO) at Greenford Broadway.

Special thanks to Kevin Boyd for supplying us his photo! Stay safe and keep on spotting!

*Compensate? Those familiar with routes 70 and E10 will know that they come from completely different directions. Why not extend E10 via the E11 down Warwick Dene, then via The Grove, Windsor Road, Kenilworth Road, Ascott Road, Elderberry Grove, Popes Lane, Gunnesbury Lane. Bollo Lane and Stanhope Way. Ealing Broadway - Popes Lane would be on the basis of Hail & Ride. This extension would only take about 16 minutes in the peak. It is possible.