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Autumn

Updated 24.11.04

September, October and November are the three months of autumn where the day is getting gradually shorter, temperatures are dropping and nature is preparing for its winter skin. In this part of Norway, specially in coast-near Moss, we normally have to at least get into November before we experience the first night of frost. But anyway, things are getting more cumbersome in the bus business. Busses have to be pre-heated with their engine idling for some time before they leave the depot. Sometimes windows are ice-covered, and roads may have a thin ice-layer - specially if the road authorites spend too long time in bed in the morning. Dark and rainful evenings make pedestrians and bicyclists difficult to see. Still, the season has its charm.
I took wonderful Mercedes-Benz O405 #018 for a photo session down to beachclose Fiske on September 9 2004 before departure to Larkollen at 14:00. A nice sea breeze and milde 20 degrees temperatures made this a beautiful autumn day. This bus - due to its low mileage of 175 000 kilometers - is just fantastic to ride. So much smoother and much better sound proofed than its newer cousin, the Citaro, and still mechanically good as new.
18.10.03: On a cold Saturday morning with temperatures slightly below freezing, I took this 2002 model MAN NG313 #723 into service on line 37 (Norway's most heavily passenger loaded bus line) at 7:08 on the first trip from end destination Kjelsås. This picutre was taken an hour and a half later, back at Kjelsås ready for round trip no 2.
Sunday Oct 26 2003 I drove this Scania CN113 #842 on line 55. Good to relax on 55 after a hectic Saturday on line 37. The first thing you notice when you start driving one of these 10 years old Scania buses is their strange sideways gentle rocking, just like riding a rocking chair sideways. But its powerful engine feels like it provides much more than 255 hp. This rocking chair sure can move!

 
21.9.03: #981 on line 21 just arrived at destination Aker Brygge. This MAN NL262 is a bus that that has been taken specially good care of. In spite of 400 000 km there is hardly a scratch to see.

6.10.04: Schøyen/Concordia's Citaro #233 at destination Refsnes at Jeløy, Moss. The sun shines over the Oslo fiord in the background while rain clouds are still dominating over the mainland.
7.10.04: #010, the lowest numbered bus at the Moss Garage, a Mercedes O405, relatively new registered first time in March 2001 with a mileage of only 195 000. A better bus to drive than the brand new Citaro in the picture above. The bus is returning to base after three afternoon trips to Larkollen. Strange weather with some sunshine and some thunderstorms.
9.10.04: Saturday night and last bus on line 54 to Oslo downtown from Kjelsås at 23:45. The bus is an old Scania CN113 (#841), a rattling beast; the passengers are numerous: Absolutely packed bus after a while and 13 minutes late to the final destination at Aker Brygge. Most of them on their way to bars and discos in Oslo, already pretty much geared up. This is a trip with a high noise level!
20.10.04: Old #622 at Ekholt School in Moss at latest departure on Pendulum 3. This line discontinues at 17:30 in the evening. Leaves are falling, the day has been rainy and dusk.
30.10.04: Definetely autumn is here. MAN NG313 #734 parked for a break at Galgeberg. The shift lasts from 11:30 until 18:00, and runs one of the buses that reduces line 37 frequency from 10 to 5 minutes between 11 and 18:00 on Saturdays.
24.11.04: Full winter in Moss in November is rare, but this November has already brought us two heavy snowfalls, cold weather and a complete lack of the mild winds from the Southwest. This is Schøyen/Concordia's  Mercedes-Benz O408 #237 from 1992 on its way to the depot after 200 kms of countryside driving - most of them on white, snowcovered Christmas-like roads.