Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,
This page created 27th September 2016.
TA, TAS: Dennis Trident, Alexander ALX 400Stagecoach returnsStagecoach bought the whole company back from Macquarie Bank in October 2010. It kept it as a stand-alone company rather than as part of the main Stagecoach enterprise. This meant that the rest of the UK would not be blighted by having to receive old London cast-offs. Selkent and East London fleetnames began to be peeled off. Stagecoach fleetnames began to appear, but the livery remained as overall red - now a TfL requirement of course.
December 2010: 17286 has lost its Selkent hops and fleetname, and as yet has no new Stagecoach fleetnames. It threads a way northwards through Bromley, along Tweedy Road. Similarly with Catford's 17326, seen here leaving the Grove Park terminus on a 136 in December 2010.2011The return of Stagecoach did not mean the end of the troubles. The London operations had lost 5.9M£ in the previous year. Worse, contract renewals for three of the trunk routes, due in 2011, had been lost to First Bus. Actual contract renewals specified new buses, which under Stagecoach control were Dennis Tridents - but the new Enviro400 or Enviro400H versions, which took over on the new routes, or began to filter onto other routes. With about 140 new buses, and a requirement some 110 buses (Tridents and Dart SLFs) fewer, Tridents were hard-hit.EnviroTridents took over the 99 (Catford) in March, and in April/May took over at Barking from Tridents or Dart SLFs on the 5, 62, 145, 169, 174, 287, 387 and 687. During April they also began to take over from Plumstead Tridents on route 53, due to renew in July. Romford also began to use EnviroTridents on the 496 (recently renewed). In June trunk routes 25 (Oxford Circus - Ilford), 26/N26 (Waterloo/Trafalgar Sq - Hackney/Chingford Stn) and 30 (Marble Arch - Hackney Wick) were lost to First London. September saw First take over the 608 (Gallows Corner - Shenfield High School (SDO)). The upshot was the disposal of many older Tridents, and the closure of Upton Park garage in September. Its 94 Tridents had to move. West Ham took over the 104, 115, 238, 262, 473 and N550, by dint of passing the 15 and 277 on to Bow, and taking most of the Upton Park refugees. The 101 moved to Barking. During 2011 the fleet age profile was markedly changed: almost all the first 350 Tridents were either sold or transferred to other Stagecoach companies, exceptions being the training fleet. This disposed of nearly everything over eleven years old. Some other companies in and around London snapped up some of the Tridents. Most prominent was Golden Tours of Hayes, Middlesex, who bought quite a few. Most were converted to part-open-top and given a blue livery with orange and yellow sights freeze around the base, for use on their various London Tours. Some stayed with closed tops and overall advetising for "The Making of Harry Potter", for use on a service out to Warner Brothers studios. Others went to Sullivan Buses (South Mimms), Mullany's (Watford), Regal Busways (Chelmsford) and Go Coach (Otford). Meanwhile the Tridents remained in red, and had Stagecoach fleetnames and beach-ball logos added. Some received white TfL "Buses" bullseyes. Refurbishments recommenced.
Leyton's 17877 and 17908 at Chingford Station on the 97 to Stratford City. This new terminus at the Westfield shopping centre was opened in September 2011. The buses now (December 2012) wear Stagecoach fleetnames and small "beachballs", plus white London bullseyes.2012In February route 15's conversion to new hybrid buses caused a mass transfer of young Tridents from Bow to West Ham, and a consequent shuffle-around of older ones.March saw Arriva give way to Stagecoach on the 275. This required new buses, but Leyton Tridents had to stand in until they arrived in May.
Later in March Catford received more EnviroTridents, for the 199 and 136. (The 624 had been lost to Go-Ahead). April was a time for Trident replacement on the 158 (WH) and 101 (BK), then May saw their loss on the 238 (WH) and 275 (T). June and July was time for Bromley's conversion of the 208 to EnviroTridents. Lots more Tridents headed for the dealers. Ensign took a few into its subsidiary fleet, keeping them red, but with Ensignbus fleetnames. This was in preparation for the BIG EVENT in August twenty-twelve, when they would be used on Park & Ride services. For the BIG EVENT Stagecoach borrowed new buses from all over the UK for its contracted services for the O*****c organisers. Its own Tridents were either too old to be of interest to the nobs running the event, or too busy maintaining services around the route restrictions imposed on significant corridors to Stratford. The extra buses on normal(ish) routes in the east end and Woolwich areas were covered from the existing Trident fleets, where the buses normally used for school-day-only services were fully redeployed. West Ham used thirty-two Tridents to provide extras on the 15, 69, 115 257 and 473, while Plumstead used an extra twenty-three on the 53 and 177. Plumstead also used extra Darts on the 386. Afterwards the 122 returned to Plumstead,from Catford, mopping up the reserves collected at Plumstead and causing a clear-out at Catford.
After the fuss: Romford's 17569 at Romford Station, setting out on a 175 to Hillrise Estate, and 18451 on a longer 86 trip to Stratford, both September 2012.
20132013 was a relatively quiet year for Stagecoach Tridents. Newly taken over routes were serviced by new EnviroTridents, or displaced Scania OmniCitys. More of the elderly Tridents went for sale, or transfer to Stagecoach in other places.In July there were a couple of temporary routes for which Tridents were allocated: West Ham's temporary 588, crossing the Olympic Park at Stratford now that public accesss was renewed, and the 522, a local shuttle to cater for a lengthy diversion on other routes.
Romford Station bus stance, November 2013: 17748, 18474 on 86, 17995 on 247However, the takeover of the 261 (Lewisham - Grove Park - Bromley - Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough) by Bromley in November 2013, although mainly EnviroTridents, did also involve a Trident interworked from the schooldays-only 638. The 261 also featured the new white on black blinds.
Bromley's 17794 takes a turn on the 261 at the Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough, March 2014.2014Hybrid buses arrived in large numbers in the spring of 2014, causing cascades on several routes. Inevitably, Tridents fell out at the bottom. However, there were few disposals. Eighty Tridents were prepared (at Upton Park) for use at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Some went on loan to Chichester for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, and some to Northampton for the Silverstone Gran Prix in July before heading north over the border, a few to both, before heading north. Many of these were from Plumstead, displaced by hybrids from the 53, and Bow, displaced by Borismasters from the 8. After the Games twenty three of them went to Stagecoach Manchester, where thirteen were repainted two-tone blue with yellow swirls for a new Mancheter Megabus service. Another six from Scotland went to Stagecoach South. One went to Stagecoach West, one to Norfolk Green, while seven stayed with Stagecoach Scotland West. The newer Tridents, in the 182** series, returned to London, to check-ups at Upton Park before dispersal around the London garages.Thirteen leased buses from the 18221-18235 range were then returned to the lessors in September. During the rest of the year "normal" disposals continued, mostly via Ensign Bus for private sale, or transfers to other Stagecoach companies. One hiccup in the autumn saw two batches of Tridents sent to Ensign Bus, reclaimed and then transferred - to Manchester for Magicbus, or to East Kent. 2015January saw substantial disturbance to London Bridge Station, with Charing Cross trains not stopping due to station rebuilding. To help out Stagecoach put extra Tridents onto the 47, which passed the station. They were based at West Ham, including three low-height and one normal Trident from Stagecoach Manchester. These returned to Manchester in February. The 15 also received a supplement of Scanias and Tridents from West Ham, to help out between the City and Cannon Street.Throughout the year Tridents gradually disappeared, so that by year's end only the youngest ones remained (apart from middle-range trainers). Few had been scrapped: the survivors, even from the first batch, were hard at work all over the UK.
Sightings of Tridents diminished during the year. By December it was unusual to spot 17864 on the 208 in Bromley. However, the 638 schooldays-only service was still Trident-worked, as with 17844 heading for Bromley South in April 2016.
Catford was still using Tridents on the extended 136 (now Grove Park to Elephant & Castle), such as 17851, 18482 and 18499.2016In February nineteen Tridents (18237-18256, less 18251) were loaned to Tower Transit using West Ham drivers, at Lea Interchange for use on route 69 taken over from Stagecoach.Also in February Catford Tridents on the 47 were replaced by new Volvos, and went elsewhere, two to Barking and six to Bromley, which was still using Tridents on the 269 and 638. The Trident story in Stagecoach London is not over. At the end of 2016 there are still some routes operated by them. The ex-London buses are still mostly active. More to come!
November 2016: Trident 18213 takes on a full load of ordinary passengers at Grove Park Station, as it duplicates routes 261 and 126 between here and Bromley South after its schooldays-only job transporting students from Eltham College.
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