The London Dennis Trident by Matthew Wharmby

Author:Matthew Wharmby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: TRANSPORTATION / Public transportation
Publisher: Pen and Sword Transport
Published: 2021-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

With its intended new buses diverted away, the 295 was earmarked to receive the rest of the VNs displaced from the 23 by the balance of the new DNs and DNHs, and when that was done TNAs 33377-33382 and TNs 33184, 33186-33192 and 33194-33196 were transferred to Dagenham, both to replace that garage’s school-bus TNLs and to convert the 498 to 100% double-deck on 28 September; this route had already seen TNLs, especially on the journey that linked to the commercial 265 to Bulphan. Lea Interchange’s last TNs came off at the same time.

With the completion of the 23 and 295’s new or nearly-new allocations, just TNs 33197-33199 remained at Westbourne Park by October, and the recently-acquired TN fleet at Dagenham was gutted in December.

The sale of Northumberland Park had only helped FirstGroup’s bottom line for a brief time and in April 2013 preparations were made to dispose of the rest of its London operations. They were to be divided, Lea Interchange and Westbourne Park (together wth Atlas Road) passing to the Transit Group of Australia, while Greenford, Hayes, Alperton, Willesden Junction and Uxbridge went to Metroline. All that would be left after that was Dagenham, whose fortunes had been beaten badly in a round of tendering that cost its entire double-deck roster.

At the close some interesting spots for Tridents presented themselves, notably the use of Dagenham’s TNs and TNAs on the 368 on 1/2 June while that route’s E20Ds were needed for a rail job. But on 22 June the grand transfer was executed. Of those Tridents to leave for Metroline at this time, TNs 33193 and 33328-33342 at Uxbridge went with the U4 and TNs 33277-33293 with the 282 at Greenford. To Tower Transit went just five, numbering for service Westbourne Park’s TNs 33197-33199 and TNL 33036 plus long-time trainer TN 32822. Finally, the school routes were novated to Blue Triangle.

Dagenham’s residual Trident fleet after 22 June 2013 consisted of TNs 32963, 33185, 33187, 33189 and 33191, TNLs 32900-32903 and 32929, TNAs 33377-33382 and trainers TN 32806 and 32807. The lowest-numbered four TNLs plus TN 32963 had come back from First Berkshire, though they were not used again and indeed two TNAs and the other four TNs quickly departed.

With the departure of the DN-operated contracts to Stagecoach East London, the remaining First Capital East operations, and Dagenham with them, closed down after service on 27 September 2013, bringing a close to fifteen years of First in London and ending a lineage that stretched back to 1986 and the first Ensignbus contracts for LRT.

Registrations

TN 801-853 T801-853 LLC

TN 854-887 T854 KLF, V855-863 HBY, T864-866 KLF, V867 HBY, T868 KLF, V869 HBY, T870, 871 KLF, V872 HBY, T873 KLF, V874 HBY, T875, 876 KLF, V877 HBY, T878-881 KLF, V882 HBY, T883-885 KLF, V886, 887 HBY

TNL 888-930 V988, 889-899, 990 HLH, W901-909, 895, 896, 912-919, 897, 921-924, 898, 926-939, 899 VLN

TAL 931-952 W931-939 ULL, W840 VLO, W941-949 ULL, W132 VLO, W953, 954 ULL

TN 954-983 X954, 611, 956-959, 612, 961-969, 613-975 HLT, Y223

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