Spare

To day I found myself spare for a couple of hours, not something I usually do. Being spare driver can be nice. Sometimes there is nothing that needs doing so you sit around and do just that: nothing. In the end it can get boring doing nothing so when the controller called my name and said he had a little job to do I was quite glad. Not a difficult job. One of the buses out on the road needed changing and I had to take a bus up to Padacre, the terminus of the 34 and 31, and change a bus. The bus I was to bring back to the depot was due at 13:04 and I had to be back at the depot to take over a number 12A at 13:32. Not exactly tight as it only takes 15 minutes to get from Padacre, park the bus in the yard and walk down to the main road to pick up my 12A.

However the 34 I was to collect was running late. To make matters slightly more worrying, and I hate worrying, we have been having a small problem with the radios and an engineer had all the valves and such like spread out testing each one to see which one was bust so I could not contact control. I could be forced to make an executive decision. I am not used to making executive decisions. I usually make the wrong executive decision when I am forced to make executive decisions. Probably why I am not a controller. I had to be back at the depot no later than 13:27 to connect with the 12A I had to take over. Take 15 minutes from 13:27 equals 13:12. I had to leave Padacre by 13:12. The bus didn't absolutely have to be changed, that could be done later if necessary. So not exactly an exactingly difficult executive decision but still a decision. Anyway the 34 turned up at 13:10 so the bus got changed and I got back to the depot on time. The bus I was taking over was 15 minutes late due to on going road works in Churston. And the radio burst into life just as it arrived. And here is a picture of a 34 in Padacre.