Go Cornwall Bus

[fgwrich]

I came across this photo of one of Go South West's Ex London E200s post conversion earlier, and I have to say what a mess it looks (Window layout wise, not finish!). Unsure if this one has headed back to Cornwall, though it was one of the temporary ones sent down.

YY64GXK

Plymouth City Bus during refurb at Barton Park Hampshire

www.flickr.com

 

[Goldfish62]

I came across this photo of one of Go South West's Ex London E200s post conversion earlier, and I have to say what a mess it looks (Window layout wise, not finish!). Unsure if this one has headed back to Cornwall, though it was one of the temporary ones sent down.

YY64GXK

Plymouth City Bus during refurb at Barton Park Hampshire

www.flickr.com

It does seem that the door pillars need to be retained for body strength, but the same isn't true for the E400.

A bit of trivia on this batch. They were due to be a pioneer fleet of flywheel hybrids with driveline by the Williams F1 Team. Due to project delays they were delivered as diesels pending retrofit. One was converted and it was a disaster so the scheme was scrapped and the rest remained as diesels.

 

[busdave]

Not by TfC it doesn't. It's operated by First Kernow. The list is for services awarded to TfC prior to FK deciding to register some of these journeys commercially.

Hence TfC only operates the A17 Pendeen leg on Mon - Sat and nothing on the M6 apart from the return school journeys.

I see. The Council were prepared to subsidise GC to run the A17 on Sundays, but FK have decided to run it on a commercial basis? I'm surprised it pays. Do you know of other examples of this?

It does seem that the door pillars need to be retained for body strength, but the same isn't true for the E400.

A bit of trivia on this batch. They were due to be a pioneer fleet of flywheel hybrids with driveline by the Williams F1 Team. Due to project delays they were delivered as diesels pending retrofit. One was converted and it was a disaster so the scheme was scrapped and the rest remained as diesels.

That bit of trivia is interesting to me, & a bit sad, as I have a fascination for the flywheel idea, & was wondering how it was getting on. Now I know. It's been tried before, but I think this was the first British attempt at it.

 

[83G/84D]

E400MMC 5014 is at Penzance, I believe it will be out and about over the coming days although not sure if just training or in service.

 

[Lizard1324]

E400MMC 5014 is at Penzance, I believe it will be out and about over the coming days although not sure if just training or in service.

It worked the 39a to Camborne earlier, with sister vehicles 5016 on the 39a and 2 service all day

 

[83G/84D]

It worked the 39a to Camborne earlier, with sister vehicles 5016 on the 39a and 2 service all day

Thanks I will look out for it later in the week.

 

[MB162435]

There was a lucky escape for one of TfCs new E400 MMCs, a group of kids attempted to set fire to one I believe at Penzance Depot, not sure of the extent damage

Could of been another potential Western Greyhound scenario which we all hope never to see again

 

[Lizard1324]

There was a lucky escape for one of TfCs new E400 MMCs, a group of kids attempted to set fire to one I believe at Penzance Depot, not sure of the extent damage

Could of been another potential Western Greyhound scenario which we all hope never to see again

That's big news, may I ask where you hear this?
Imagine if they did loght them up as I know there were a few down there yesterday and there not even a week old if they did lose all the buses they would be in trouble maybe kernow would have to help?

 

[Busaholic]

There was a lucky escape for one of TfCs new E400 MMCs, a group of kids attempted to set fire to one I believe at Penzance Depot, not sure of the extent damage

Could of been another potential Western Greyhound scenario which we all hope never to see again

In a supposedly secure Cormac depot during the day? With a Morrisons petrol station mere yards away, not to mention FK's own depot? Can't find any info online.

 

[MB162435]

That's big news, may I ask where you hear this?
Imagine if they did loght them up as I know there were a few down there yesterday and there not even a week old if they did lose all the buses they would be in trouble maybe kernow would have to help?

In a supposedly secure Cormac depot during the day? With a Morrisons petrol station mere yards away, not to mention FK's own depot? Can't find any info online.

Only found out about it from a TfC driver on Facebook in a comment on one of the new E400 MMC pictures, where and when I don't know but maybe it wasn't severe enough to warrant a story or just Cormac/TfC wanted it to be kept quiet

 

[Busaholic]

It worked the 39a to Camborne earlier, with sister vehicles 5016 on the 39a and 2 service all day

Saw the lunchtime 2 in PZ today and confirm it was 5014 again. The extra capacity enabled the fresh air to flow on both decks, bereft as they were of any passengers.

Saw the lunchtime 2 in PZ today and confirm it was 5014 again. The extra capacity enabled the fresh air to flow on both decks, bereft as they were of any passengers.

Today, the changes were rung with 5016 instead, but no change in the other detail. It narrowly avoided being struck by a flying market stall covering from outside St John' s Hall, so perhaps these buses are already jinxed at PZ!

 

[Lizard1324]

Do Tfc still have the two 16 plate duel door 200mmc I saw them a few times in lockdown but haven't seen them in many months now.

 

[MB162435]

Do Tfc still have the two 16 plate duel door 200mmc I saw them a few times in lockdown but havnt seen them in many months now

They were tracking a couple weeks ago, and believe they are permanent members of the fleet

 

[SimH]

We now have a network map for TfC, and this has also prompted me to look again at the latest slimmed-down Kernow equivalent.

I am not convinced that giving each route its own colour really works. It is based, I imagine, on the London Underground map/diagram, but that uses very distinctive colours, and only needs about a dozen or so.

Bearing in mind that the most frequent user of the Kernow map will be someone unfamiliar with the area, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding.

For example, is the purple line in the Cornwall Services area bus route A30? Nope. It’s the 27. (Yes: it’s obvious enough to you or me, but what about visitors -- especially those from other countries?)

Why does a bus map show principal road numbers but omit the National Rail symbol at nearly all the intermediate places on branch lines? Lelant and Carbis Bay are honoured exceptions, but to make up for this although St Ives and Newquay are marked as places with stations Falmouth is not -- although it has three (not counting Penryn).

The road numbers oddity could perhaps be explained in a brief key, but there isn’t one (breaking one of the rules of mapping as taught to me at St Columb Minor Junior School!)

As for the colours, take the Carnon Downs/Devoran area. There are two routes here -- dark blue and sage green. Is the blue route the U1 or the 87? The two blues are pretty close in the palette, and I suspect their similarity breaks an accessibility rule or two.

Occasionally the map designer falls over his/her own feet. If you give both the former Tinner routes an identical red, you must add some roadside route numbers after all in a bid to make it clear that the T1 goes to Penzance and the T2 to St Ives -- and that the T2 has a little loop to serve Loggans while the T1 dives into the West Cornwall Shopping Park.

Incidentally, Porth Four Turns in suburban Newquay is not in Porth -- it's a crossroads in Henver Road which is quite a walk from Porth Beach! (A long-standing FK error.)

Finally, you might gather from this map that it shows the whole Cornwall network. There is a disclaimer about evening, Sunday & school day routes, so would a discreet note that ‘other operators also provide bus services in Cornwall’ really have hurt that much?

Coming next (if you can bear it), TfC’s equivalent effort.

 

[carlberry]

We now have a network map for TfC, and this has also prompted me to look again at the latest slimmed-down Kernow equivalent.

I am not convinced that giving each route its own colour really works. It is based, I imagine, on the London Underground map/diagram, but that uses very distinctive colours, and only needs about a dozen or so.

Bearing in mind that the most frequent user of the Kernow map will be someone unfamiliar with the area, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding.

For example, is the purple line in the Cornwall Services area bus route A30? Nope. It’s the 27. (Yes: it’s obvious enough to you or me, but what about visitors -- especially those from other countries?)

Why does a bus map show principal road numbers but omit the National Rail symbol at nearly all the intermediate places on branch lines? Lelant and Carbis Bay are honoured exceptions, but to make up for this although St Ives and Newquay are marked as places with stations Falmouth is not -- although it has three (not counting Penryn).

The road numbers oddity could perhaps be explained in a brief key, but there isn’t one (breaking one of the rules of mapping as taught to me at St Columb Minor Junior School!)

As for the colours, take the Carnon Downs/Devoran area. There are two routes here -- dark blue and sage green. Is the blue route the U1 or the 87? The two blues are pretty close in the palette, and I suspect their similarity breaks an accessibility rule or two.

Occasionally the map designer falls over his/her own feet. If you give both the former Tinner routes an identical red, you must add some roadside route numbers after all in a bid to make it clear that the T1 goes to Penzance and the T2 to St Ives -- and that the T2 has a little loop to serve Loggans while the T1 dives into the West Cornwall Shopping Park.

Incidentally, Porth Four Turns in suburban Newquay is not in Porth -- it's a crossroads in Henver Road which is quite a walk from Porth Beach! (A long-standing FK error.)

Finally, you might gather from this map that it shows the whole Cornwall network. There is a disclaimer about evening, Sunday & school day routes, so would a discreet note that ‘other operators also provide bus services in Cornwall’ really have hurt that much?

Coming next (if you can bear it), TfC’s equivalent effort.

Have you got a reference to the map you're referring to? (I assume it's the First one, not the Go Cornwall one).
The Porth Four Turns reference is from the National database so it's more likely to be a Cornwall County council error than First's.

 

[richw]

Incidentally, Porth Four Turns in suburban Newquay is not in Porth -- it's a crossroads in Henver Road which is quite a walk from Porth Beach! (A long-standing FK error.)

Porth four turns is not an error. It’s the actual name of the junction/ double mini roundabout! It’s the turn for porth and has 4 directions to pick

 

[SimH]

Porth four turns is not an error. It’s the actual name of the junction/ double mini roundabout! It’s the turn for porth and has 4 directions to pick

Porth Four Turns is not an error but it is not in Porth! In other words, the phrase is all in one -- it is not Porth (Four Turns), as timetables tend to imply by using bold and regular lettering. As you say it is indeed the turn for Porth -- but not in it.

Have you got a reference to the map you're referring to? (I assume it's the First one, not the Go Cornwall one).
The Porth Four Turns reference is from the National database so it's more likely to be a Cornwall County council error than First's.

You will find the map at https://www.firstgroup.com/uploads/maps/network map WEB sep20_0.pdf

 

[Busaholic]

We now have a network map for TfC, and this has also prompted me to look again at the latest slimmed-down Kernow equivalent.

I am not convinced that giving each route its own colour really works. It is based, I imagine, on the London Underground map/diagram, but that uses very distinctive colours, and only needs about a dozen or so.

Bearing in mind that the most frequent user of the Kernow map will be someone unfamiliar with the area, there is plenty of room for misunderstanding.

For example, is the purple line in the Cornwall Services area bus route A30? Nope. It’s the 27. (Yes: it’s obvious enough to you or me, but what about visitors -- especially those from other countries?)

Why does a bus map show principal road numbers but omit the National Rail symbol at nearly all the intermediate places on branch lines? Lelant and Carbis Bay are honoured exceptions, but to make up for this although St Ives and Newquay are marked as places with stations Falmouth is not -- although it has three (not counting Penryn).

The road numbers oddity could perhaps be explained in a brief key, but there isn’t one (breaking one of the rules of mapping as taught to me at St Columb Minor Junior School!)

As for the colours, take the Carnon Downs/Devoran area. There are two routes here -- dark blue and sage green. Is the blue route the U1 or the 87? The two blues are pretty close in the palette, and I suspect their similarity breaks an accessibility rule or two.

Occasionally the map designer falls over his/her own feet. If you give both the former Tinner routes an identical red, you must add some roadside route numbers after all in a bid to make it clear that the T1 goes to Penzance and the T2 to St Ives -- and that the T2 has a little loop to serve Loggans while the T1 dives into the West Cornwall Shopping Park.

Incidentally, Porth Four Turns in suburban Newquay is not in Porth -- it's a crossroads in Henver Road which is quite a walk from Porth Beach! (A long-standing FK error.)

Finally, you might gather from this map that it shows the whole Cornwall network. There is a disclaimer about evening, Sunday & school day routes, so would a discreet note that ‘other operators also provide bus services in Cornwall’ really have hurt that much?

Coming next (if you can bear it), TfC’s equivalent effort.

I look forward to your astute appraisal of the TfC effort.

 

[SimH]

I look forward to your astute appraisal of the TfC effort.

Thanks! I am a cartographer but don't want to bore for England -- or Cornwall. More follows ...

 

[83G/84D]

Do Tfc still have the two 16 plate duel door 200mmc I saw them a few times in lockdown but havnt seen them in many months now

2217 (YX16 OCW) has been VOR for a while.

 

[richw]

2217 (YX16 OCW) has been VOR for a while.

Is that the one that’s back axle Nearly fell off in bude?

edit... found a pic

 

[MB162435]

Truro Bus Station now has TfC timetables at all stands

 

[Lizard1324]

Is that the one that’s back axle Nearly fell off in bude?

edit... found a pic

Axle fell off? Its not that old

 

[richw]

Axle fell off? Its not that old

Age is irrelevant if it was caused by accident or bad driving

 

[fgwrich]

Is that the one that’s back axle Nearly fell off in bude?

edit... found a pic

How, Just how?! TFC never fail to amaze.

Have TfC Specified a different colour of LEDs for their Hannover screens? A few photos of E200s on Flickr seem to suggest that they are a sort of reddish/purply colour.

Transport for Cornwall Enviro 200MMC WA20 DWG 2409 , Green Street Truro 10.10.20

Transport for Cornwall Enviro 200MMC WA20 DWG 2409 , Green Street Truro 10.10.20

www.flickr.com

 

[Lizard1324]

Age is irrelevant if it was caused by accident or bad driving

They were ex London so they were probaly not treated very well, then going to Tfc won't make the condition much better.
Were just lucky the buses are newer becuase tfc would have real issues when a bus brakes down as it has to go back to Devon every time it breaks down

 

[MB162435]

How, Just how?! TFC never fail to amaze.

Have TfC Specified a different colour of LEDs for their Hannover screens? A few photos of E200s on Flickr seem to suggest that they are a sort of reddish/purply colour.

Transport for Cornwall Enviro 200MMC WA20 DWG 2409 , Green Street Truro 10.10.20

Transport for Cornwall Enviro 200MMC WA20 DWG 2409 , Green Street Truro 10.10.20

www.flickr.com

I've never seen a TfC MMC with that destination display colour since their launch, maybe something to do with the camera, my phone often makes orange displays white for example

 

[carlberry]

They were ex London so they were probaly not treated very well, then going to Tfc won't make the condition much better.
Were just lucky the buses are newer becuase tfc would have real issues when a bus brakes down as it has to go back to Devon every time it brakes down

Why does it have to go to Devon? The operator only has sites in Cornwall or Plymouth.

I've never seen a TfC MMC with that destination display colour since their launch, maybe something to do with the camera, my phone often makes orange displays white for example

Electronic displays and digital cameras often clash. With older displays you would often get parts of the display caught as that was the part that was actually active when the camera went off, I believe the newer displays in effect 'pulse' so you can easily capture the whole display, but at reduced output, which effects the colour that the camera then sees.

 

[MB162435]

Why does it have to go to Devon? The operator only has sites in Cornwall or Plymouth.


Electronic displays and digital cameras often clash. With older displays you would often get parts of the display caught as that was the part that was actually active when the camera went off, I believe the newer displays in effect 'pulse' so you can easily capture the whole display, but at reduced output, which effects the colour that the camera then sees.

Ah right, I did rarely catch the whole destination display on the older stuff like the Tridents and Darts and when I did it would be a completely different colour, remember all the comments on one of my photos of a Kernow Dart was people being baffled by 42562 having a white destination display, when it was still orange

I do have better luck with catching whole destination displays now especially on MMCs, helped by a more modern phone but it does show you still can't beat the old Roller Blinds!

 

[richw]

Why does it have to go to Devon? The operator only has sites in Cornwall or Plymouth.

Plymouth is in Devon.... and where they do all their heavy maintenance