Prepared on Notepad by Ian Smith,
This page created 29th April 2017, updated 15th July 2021.

First London Tridents: 2006-2008

Fire at Westbourne Park

An arson attack caused destruction at Westbourne Park on a Sunday morning in January 2006. Ten Tridents were destroyed, and two fire-damaged but reparable. Cover was provided by gathering under-utilised Tridents from around First London, and by borrowing six Volvo B7TL/Presidents from East Thames Buses.

All but two of First's Tridents on loan to Metroline stayed there during January, although most returned to store at Hayes in February. Some went back on loan. Stored Tridents then went to ADL at Ware or Harlow during February for refurbishment in March.

An unusual temporary allocation for a Trident occured when an Orpington Volvo caught fire in February. TN32809 was sent from Northumberland Park to cover on the 61, plus two VNLs from Alperton. TN32809 stayed until June.

Route 67 taken over

Northumberland Park received the refurbished TNs for the takeover from Stagecoach of route 67 in April.

No Route Garage
67 Wood Green - Turnpike Lane - Stamford Hill Bdy - Dalston Junction - Shoreditch - Aldgate Bus Stn NP

First TN, all-red

Repaints

Some repaints were bottom half only. This left the yellow line below the top-deck windows. Full repaints were into full red, losing not only the lower deck yellow/white willow leaf pattern but also the yellow line. Some later repaints lost the yellow and red f logos beside the front destination display.

Some buses also lost their lower-deck tip-up seats during refurbishment.

Route 7 lost, loans to Metroline.

It had been anticipated that when route 7 was lost by First on retender, from late in June 2007, the released TNAs would be transferred to First Glasgow. As it was, Metroline had a dire need for double-deckers because its new Scanias for the 7 were late. So twelve TNAs (from TAL936-952 with gaps) and six TNLs (32900-905) from Westbourne Park were loaned to Metroline. Metroline put them to work not on the 7 but mainly on the 297, with a sprinkling on the 460. Most returned to First towards the end of July or in early August, with some held on until September, then the TNAs set off on their delayed transfer to First Glasgow. When the TNAs had been returned to First London Metroline hired the six TNLs fur a further spell.

No Route Garage
297 Willesden Garage - Neasden - Wembley Park - Wembley Central - Alperton - Perivale - Ealing Broadway PV (Met)
460 North Finchley - Finchley Central - Golders Green - Cricklewood - Willesden Green - Willesden Garage PV (Met)

Loans to London United.

London United (Transdev) needed Tridents to cover for its own during its I-Bus fitting programme. Nine TNs were borrowed in August 2007 from Westbourne Park to Shepherds Bush, eight at a time plus a maintenance spare (TN32958-966). London United put them to work on the 49, 94, 148 and 220.

In November 2007 they moved to Tolworth, where they worked on the 57 during the I-Bus programme there. Then in December they passed on to Hounslow, where they were used on the 111, 120 and H32, with appearances on the 222, 697 and 698.

No Route Garage
49 Shepherds Bush - Kensington - South Kensington Stn - Clapham Junction S (LU)
94 Acton Green - Shepherds Bush Green - Notting Hill Gate - Marble Arch - Piccadilly Circus S (LU)
148 Shepherds Bush Grn - Notting Hill Gate - Marble Arch - Victoria - Westminster Bdg - Elephant & Castle - Camberwell Green S (LU)
220 Willesden Junction - Harlesden - Shepherds Bush - Hammersmith - Fulham - Putney - Wandsworth S (LU)
57 Kingston - Kingston Hospital - Raynes Park - Wimbledon - Sth Wimbledon - Tooting Bdy - Streatham Hill - Clapham Park TV(LU)
111 Heathrow Central - Cranford - Heston - Hounslow - Hanworth - Hampton Stn - Hampton Court - Kingston AV(LU)
120 Hounslow Bus Stn - High Street Hounslow - Hounslow Central - Lampton - Heston - Norwood Green - Southall - Yeading - Northolt Stn AV(LU)
H32 Hounslow - Hounslow High St. - Hounslow West - Southall AV(LU)

Hackney relocated to Lea Interchange.

In December 2007 the Hackney depot in Waterden Road had to be vacated, to make way for the Olympic behemoth. The new depot was across the Lea in Leyton, but First still referred to it as Hackney (code H).

Acton closes.

The garage at the old Acton Tram depot (AT) closed in March 2008, and its allocation moved mainly to Hayes (HS).

I-Bus reaches First Centrewest

The buses that had been acting as an I-Bus conversion float with London United (TN32958-966), together with TN33229-233, now performed the same job with First, initially at Hayes, Uxbridge and Greenford, which took them onto some unfamiliar routes, eg 282, 427, 607 and U4. Alperton followed in May, then Westbourne Park in June.

Loans to London General

At the end of June 2008 London General took TN32958-963 on loan for their I-BUS programme. They went to Stockwell, which was used to Tridents. They were used mainly on the 345, with some journeys on the 87, 88 and 133.

No Route Garage
345 Peckham - Camberwell Green - Denmark Hill - Loughborough Junc - Brixton - Stockwell Stn - Clapham Common Station - Clapham Junction Stn - Battersea - Battersea Bridge - Chelsea - South Kensington Stn SW (LG)

Meanwhile, at First London

Most of First's operations continued during summer 2008. Tridents stood in on route D6 in June, instead of single-deckers that had been transferred west for the 245. The East London line replacement service ELW, which had used a fistfull of Tridents since December 2007, went over to tiny-Dart operation in July.

No Route Garage
ELW Whitechapel - Shoreditch DM
D6 Hackney Central - Ash Grove - Betnal Green - Blackwall - Isle of Dogs Asda DM

During this summer, clutching my National Senior Bus Pass, I often used route 91 between Kings Cross and Aldwych (for the LT Museum) or Charing Cross, rather than rely on the vagaries and weekend abstinence of Thameslink.

TN32858 on 91 TN32853 on 91

TN32858 At Kings Cross on 91, September 2007. TN32853 on on arrival at Aldwych.
In late summer Tridents shifted around to be in the right place for Overground railway replacement work and then First Capital's I-Bus fitment programme at dagenham, Lea Linerchange and Northumberland Park. Most of the wandering I_Bus conversion float were the buses that had been on loan to other companies for the same purpose..

The end of the year (2008) saw a wholesale dispersal of the early Tridents with central staircases - those that had not gone in 2005. They went first to Hayes for removal of London bits and pieces, then headed north to First's disposal facility at Rotherham, where many lost their central doorways and gained digital displays as well as First's national Barbie livery.


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