Not-so-super Superloop

 21st March 2024

I'm late to the party as usual but have finally ridden on part of the new Superloop branded TfL express bus service. The experience was ... well not that super to be honest. I was in Kenton early evening and wanted to get back to Hounslow West, not in any huge hurry, and the TfL Go app suggested a number of different routes involving combinations of Overground, bus, and Tube and then a step-free suggestion of the Superloop.

Well it was new and shiny and I had the time so why not? It started off well, the 18:10  SL10 rocking up on time for the one stop to Harrow Bus Station and lightly loaded enough to get a top deck front seat. We arrived at Harrow Bus Station with more than enough time to catch the next SL9 Harrow to Heathrow departure and there was an SL9 laying over at the back of the bus station ready to go. Which is where it stayed for the next 10 minutes - despite the app showing it as "due" at Harrow Bus station Stop B - while a large, jostling crowd gathered on the narrow foot-way at Stop B. Eventually it came out of the bus station and... drove straight past. The route indicators no longer displaying "SL9 Heathrow Airport Central" but simply "Transport for London". The crowd continued to swell, scrums forming to board other services at Stop B until another SL9 appeared about 10 minutes later behind a 114 that was already occupying Stop B. The British have a reputation for queuing which at this point they decided to disprove and there was a general melee for another 5 minutes or more until the "New Routemaster" bus was full. I mean full too, standing room only full, and as became apparent when we moved off, scraping the humps and bumps in the road full because these buses have very little ground clearance. 

Off we went into the evening traffic. By Northolt Station I had at least got a seat due to a few passengers alighting albeit not with a window view. Those who alighted were replaced by as many boarding so it was still a full load. Through Yeading and the bright lights of Hayes we went, delayed at several points and now running about 10 minutes late although no longer as tightly packed in. Then it happened. I could hear the conversation between the driver and the control as they told him to terminate at Harlington Corner instead of going all the way to Heathrow Airport, which he questioned, as was told there was another SL9 two to three minutes behind which would pick up any passengers wanting to continue. There was no announcement of the change and the on board displays and audio continued unchanged stating SL9 to Heathrow Airport Central. As we approached Harlington Corner a passenger who had evidently had a good afternoon in the bar went forward to ask if this was the last stop before the airport then returned to inform us "we're all being turfed off here" and sure enough, still without any announcement, the bus pulled into Stop J at Harlington Corner, the hazard lights went on, and the remaining passengers were indeed turfed off.

Sure enough two or three minutes later another SL9 bus rounded the corner... and drove straight past without stopping. Now this wasn't a problem for me as Harlington Corner was where I was to change to the 81 to Hounslow but it did leave quite a few people standing at the side of the road consulting the timetable on the bus stop pole or on their phones and trying to work out their next move to continue their journey. I wonder how many of them were late for work at Heathrow? At least no one had the sort of baggage that indicated they were on their way to catch a flight.

So the Superloop isn't that super and I'm sure it's very useful - as the loading on this SL9 showed - but it still suffers all the uncertainties of other TfL buses but stops in fewer places.

Anyway, that's SL10 and SL9 ticked off.

• Route SL1 - North Finchley to Walthamstow
• Route SL2 - Walthamstow Central to North Woolwich
• Route SL3 - Thamesmead to Bromley
• Route SL4 - Canary Wharf to Grove Park
• Route SL5 - Bromley to Croydon
• Route SL6 - Russell Square to West Croydon (peak services only)
• Route SL7 - Croydon to Heathrow Airport
• Route SL8 - Uxbridge to White City
• Route SL9 - Heathrow Airport to Harrow
• Route SL10 - Harrow to North Finchley

Though I've no intention of riding it all the way round like Geoff Marshall did.

The Biggest Working Steam Engine In The World

Saturday 16th March

 

and I paid another visit to Kempton Steam Museum to see what is believed to be the largest running steam engine in the world. Located in the Kempton Park Water Works in the New Engine House (completed in 1929) the Sir William Prescott Engine is 62 feet tall, weighs 800 tons and is named after the then chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board.

One weekend a month from March to November the museum have a steaming weekend on which they run the huge triple expansion steam engine that once supplied fresh drinking water to much of London. If it looks familiar that might be because it has stood in on film on several occasions for the engines of RMS Titanic, whose engines were very similar but are now unavailable for filming 😉

As well as The Sir William Prescott the museum contains two steam turbine pumps (not working) and a wealth of other associated waterworks equipment to see and lots of information and audiovisuals to keep the kids amused.

 

At the other end of the engine house sits The Lady Bessie Prescott Engine. This is the second of the pair and is not currently running, which means they give free guided tours of it from top to bottom. I've been up it before but not this time as the next free slot wasn't for about two and a half hours alas 🙁 The museum hope to have Lady Bessie running as well within the next five years 🙂

If you can get to Kempton Park for a steaming weekend do it, you're not going to see its like anywhere else.

Flickr Album from two visits here.

 

Rustival

9th March 2024

 

Clapped out to concours every vehicle is welcome! was the strap-line for a very different car show organised by British Youtubers Ian and Carly from HubNut, Matt from Furious Driving and Steph from idriveaclassic. Rustival was held at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, Warwickshire, a nicely central location with good access to the motorway network and only about 90 minutes drive away for me. I follow two of the organisers channels and fancied a Saturday trip out. Now I don’t have a particularly interesting car but that’s rather the point of Rustival - all wheels are welcome - and since it was also cheaper to go as an exhibitor than as a general visitor I booked my space. I even gave the car a wash and polish a couple of days before, something that happens… shall we say infrequently? 

 

Exhibitors were allocated into two car park areas named Van den Plas and Mayfair, I was allocated to Mayfair and entry was from 10:00 a.m. I arrived a little before 10:15 and the exhibitor areas were mostly full by that time so I was parked up almost at the far edge of the show. 

 

 

 

 It looks a little lonely here but the area quickly filled and my Toyota RAV4 Hybrid was framed by a Porsche 944 and a Vauxhall the details of which I cannot now recall. I’d been a little concerned that my boring and reliable modern car would look a little out of place but it was far from the newest car present. As far as I could tell it was, surprisingly, the only RAV4 present. As my sister pointed out it was bound to win the prize for “Car I’m Most Likely To Go Home In” :-)

 

I’d planned ahead and taken a flask and a picnic lunch because who wants to spend time queuing at the burger van when you can be checking out the exhibits? So first I took a cup of coffee for a walk around the Mayfair section which contained some interesting, ordinary, and rare cars

 

 

 

 and other vehicles, not all of which had seen wax or polish recently

 

 

 

which sums up the ethos of the show nicely.

 

I popped back to my car and ate lunch then headed down to the Van den Plas area where the various Youtubers’ displays, portable stage, stalls, and a lot more exhibits were located.

 

 

 

 And I spent the next few hours wandering around looking at what everyone had brought and chatting with or listening to exhibitors and visitors. There was getting on for 900 cars exhibited and although my ticket included entry to the British Motor Museum I never actually made it indoors (though I have visited before). Time flew and soon it was nearly 3 o’clock, prizes were being awarded

 

 

 

 and it was almost time to head home. Particularly since I set my alarm for 0600, woken at 0355, and failed to get back to sleep before it was time to get up so having been mostly on my feet I was starting to flag.

 

A couple of my show highlights:

 

 

 

 This Austin A40 Farina Mk1. I’m always going to be drawn towards one of these as a 1961 Countryman model was my first car. The young lady owner of this example has also adapted it into one of the smallest micro-campers I’ve ever come across. So that’s my choice for car of the show because I’m partisan :-)

 

 

 

This slightly scary Reliant Robin based trials car, complete with quite a lot of countryside still stuck to it from its last trials event. The gent who owns and built it was happy to explain to visitors the why’s and wherefores of his creation and yes, it’s street-legal and yes he drove it to and from Rustival so I guess he was as glad as anyone else that we had fine weather on Saturday!

 

Here’s 63 photos that I took on the day in a Flickr Album

 

 

 

 Rustival was a great success and the organisers plan to do it again next year so I hope to do it again too, I’ll be keeping an eye on https://www.rustival.co.uk/ and suggest you do as well if you’re interested in all types of cars not just the “special” ones.