Untimetabled 'E' Workings

[richardjones210368]

@Tony  It's worth having if it is used the same away across the board.

For example the short journeys on the 15 between Merry Hill and Wallheath are 15E, the short journeys on the 28 between Stourbridge and Merry Hill are just the 28 when theoretically they should be 28E.

Can honestly say I have never seen a 4HE only a 4H Halesowen on truncated journeys on NXWM or an X8E but we used to have a 140E and also still see both 9E or 9 Halesowen there is no consistency.

[mesub]

Can honestly say I have never seen a 4HE only a 4H Halesowen on truncated journeys on NXWM or an X8E but we used to have a 140E and also still see both 9E or 9 Halesowen there is no consistency.

Probably because they don't want to confuse the passengers.

[MasterPlan]

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[richardjones210368]

Probably because they don't want to confuse the passengers.

How would it confuse anyone?  4H E ?

[mesub]

How would it confuse anyone?  4H E ?

The fact that it has two letters probably makes it look and sound confusing for some of the older bus users.

[Justin Tyme]

A good sized book could be written about the use of 'E' and other letters for short workings.  Here are a few brief notes to provide some background.

In the 1920s Birmingham City Transport started using the letter 'A' for extensions of some journeys on services, with B and other letters following.  However, this was not always applied consistently and some short workings - particularly of tram-replacement services - were sometimes given a separate route number or no number or letter at all.

From around 1949 onwards a policy emerged where short workings received letters from A to, eventually, L if required (omitting G and I).  This was applied to nearly all routes, the main exceptions being the 8 and 11 (number blinds were turned to blank for shorts), and the 74/75 and 82 etc outside Birmingham only.

In 1975 WMPTE decided to simplify the Birmingham letter system so that all short workings showed 'E', including the 8 and 11.  The use of 'A' and 'C' for anticlockwise and clockwise services (initially 8 and 11) and 'N' for night services (in place of an NS prefix) started at the same time.  At the time no announcement was made about what the 'E' stood for, but in WMPTE South Division timetable books (which appeared from 1977 onwards) it was stated that 'E' stood for 'Exception'.   Initially applied just to ex-Birmingham services, 'E' was fairly soon extended to the whole of the PTE area except Coventry, which eventually followed some years later.

Needless to say, West Midlands Travel continued the use of A, C, E and N.

[Tony]

A good sized book could be written about the use of 'E' and other letters for short workings.  Here are a few brief notes to provide some background.

In the 1920s Birmingham City Transport started using the letter 'A' for extensions of some journeys on services, with B and other letters following.  However, this was not always applied consistently and some short workings - particularly of tram-replacement services - were sometimes given a separate route number or no number or letter at all.

From around 1949 onwards a policy emerged where short workings received letters from A to, eventually, L if required (omitting G and I).  This was applied to nearly all routes, the main exceptions being the 8 and 11 (number blinds were turned to blank for shorts), and the 74/75 and 82 etc outside Birmingham only.

In 1975 WMPTE decided to simplify the Birmingham letter system so that all short workings showed 'E', including the 8 and 11.  The use of 'A' and 'C' for anticlockwise and clockwise services (initially 8 and 11) and 'N' for night services (in place of an NS prefix) started at the same time.  At the time no announcement was made about what the 'E' stood for, but in WMPTE South Division timetable books (which appeared from 1977 onwards) it was stated that 'E' stood for 'Exception'.   Initially applied just to ex-Birmingham services, 'E' was fairly soon extended to the whole of the PTE area except Coventry, which eventually followed some years later.

Needless to say, West Midlands Travel continued the use of A, C, E and N.

The only letters on the blinds after the 1975 change were A C E N S W. The two not previously mentioned were S for schools and W for Works

[Stu]

The fact that it has two letters probably makes it look and sound confusing for some of the older bus users.

When there used to be a 31A in Acocks Green a few years ago, it did look 'odd' when there was a 31AE that used to terminate in Acocks Green village.

Never used to bother me at all, just looked 'odd' thats all.

[karl724223]

@Tony  It's worth having if it is used the same away across the board.

For example the short journeys on the 15 between Merry Hill and Wallheath are 15E, the short journeys on the 28 between Stourbridge and Merry Hill are just the 28 when theoretically they should be 28E.

the pn 28 is registered to run merry hill to Stourbridge and timetabled   no E is needed on that route

[Justin Tyme]

When there used to be a 31A in Acocks Green a few years ago, it did look 'odd' when there was a 31AE that used to terminate in Acocks Green village.

Never used to bother me at all, just looked 'odd' thats all.

And in the minibus era, garage workings on service Y (Hall Green - Yardley - Solihull) terminating at Acocks Green could show YE.  No doubt there were others.

[Gareth]

The S3E was always good one

[richardjones210368]

The fact that it has two letters probably makes it look and sound confusing for some of the older bus users.

Older bus users would be on the Diamond Bus 4H anyway so where is the problem the Diamond Bus 4H is always rammed with The Living Dead and not Eggs lot!

[John Stait]

I had a Frankley Holly Hill turn on the 49 yesterday morning, but unfortunately it's not available on the destination display, so had to show 49E Rubery instead.

[MasterPlan]

☓21 - University & ☓20 - Northfield.

[Trident 4194]

☓21 - University & ☓20 - Northfield.

Normal service resumes haha. Friday I caught an x22 at 6pm and it was actually early arriving at uni station, much to my amazement