The Heathrow project has proved very stimulating to the "leedle grey cells" and 22 bus maps have some far been completed. They have been designed to support "multi-use" as, say, small maps to enhance a printed leaflet (fat chance for London Buses routes) ...
... or as an A4 printout to post in timetable frames (with timetable or departure list) and thus remain legible.
Heathrow's bus publicity is atrocious, and that from an organisation which is striving to improve bus services to the airport; so there is no single source of information. Traveline's timetable search appears OK but the system searches wider geographically than for just one simple location, so you often get stuff you don't want. Having searched for "Heathrow Airport" none of the selection below actually goes there!
Not much help.
Thus fbb forgot the 703.
It is branded "Green Line" a name once common in London, used for a network of long distance bus/coach services numbered in the seven hundreds.
Today the brand is "owned" by Arriva, one of only two companies to operate service so labelled.
It is branded "Green Line" a name once common in London, used for a network of long distance bus/coach services numbered in the seven hundreds.
Green Line 702 has an interesting history much of which is a closed book to fbb. Your author has managed to glean a few snippets from various on-line sources and can only apologise for what could be a whole raft of errors and omissions.
The number (with 701) was used for a long, long route from Sunningdale or Ascot via Hounslow to central London and on to Gravesend, a marathon at over 2 hours and 45 minutes..
After a steady decline, it finally fizzlesd out in 1973.
Then came a route from Walthamstow to Bishops Stortford, possibly in 1977 ...
... offering, with the 703 variant to Waltham Cross, a generous 30 minute frequency.
The 703 variant was short-lived.
The modern 702 (with 701) became a First Bus route from Bracknell estates to London ...
... which developed positively with posh double deck vehicles.
Buses ran every hour ...
... with 701 used for faster peak time services.
Then late in 2017 came the shock announcement that First were to withdraw the service completely.
Some of the swish deckers eventually found their repainted way onto the X51/X53 Jurassic Coaster.
An expansion orientated Reading Buses took it on at short notice with a variety of Reading-owned and borrowed vehicles ...
... pending the delivery of a new fleet.
Then in May 2018 came a significant re-jig of the service.
The new pattern withdrew through buses from Bracknell to London leaving the 702 to link Legoland with Windsor, Slough and the capital.
701s are Summer extras for the Legoland trade.
A new 703 runs from Bracknell via Legoland etc. but terminates at Heathrow Terminal 5.
Combined, these two provide a splendid half hourly service between Legoland, Windsor, Slough and the London Road Langley stop, before the 702 joins the M4 and the 703 runs via the Colnbrook by-pass to Terminal 5.
It is more of a local bus route than a traditional Green Line limited stop affair.
For his Heathrow project, all fbb has to do is to work out where the 703 goes geographically and draw a map.
Seemples?
See what you think tomorrow.
Next Forgotten 703 blog : Saturday 11th April
------------------------------------------------------------
Short Thought
Possibly the most powerful writer to reveal something of the sort of Messiah Jesus would be was Isaiah. Scholars are confused and often in disagreement about Isaiah. Maybe there were three Isaiahs or maybe there was an Isaiah Prophesy Club. Equally debatable is what prompted one of the Isaiahs to write how he did.
Sometimes the simple answer, namely that he received his message from God, is unacceptable to academics!
Anyway, here is what Isaiah wrote roughly 550 years before the death of Yeshua ben Yusuf.
Possibly the most powerful writer to reveal something of the sort of Messiah Jesus would be was Isaiah. Scholars are confused and often in disagreement about Isaiah. Maybe there were three Isaiahs or maybe there was an Isaiah Prophesy Club. Equally debatable is what prompted one of the Isaiahs to write how he did.
Sometimes the simple answer, namely that he received his message from God, is unacceptable to academics!
Anyway, here is what Isaiah wrote roughly 550 years before the death of Yeshua ben Yusuf.
It really couldn't be clearer. If we reject the Covenant, the offer of Life in all its eternal Fullness, the alternative is Death - the eternal blackness.
But God is not vindictive; he sent us a way of avoiding his promised punishment ...
... Jesus bore the punishment for us.
Too good to be true? Too easy to be true?
------------------------------------------------------------
The present 701/2/3 is actually a combination of 3 historic services (none of which used the 702 or 703 numbers historically. The traditional Greenline service from London to Windsor, the remnants of the old Alder Valley Londonlink service from Bracknell to London (very much a ghost of what it was) & the traditional Thames Valley/Alder Valley/Bee Line local bus from Reading & Bracknell to Windsor & Slough (& for a period Heathrow). The 701/2 is effectively back to the old Greenline London to Windsor service whlst the 703 is effectively similar to the old BeeLine 191/2 etc which before First splits & cutbacks ran Reading-Bracknell-Ascot-Windsor-Slough-Heathrow.
ReplyDelete