Bus Shite

[lisbon_road]

16 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Well the 1 is Bluestar and the 46 Stagecoach so completely unrelated but I know what you mean, there's no joined up thinking. Years ago it would all have been Hampshire Bus (or even Hants & Dorset) so they would have had a more even spread, hence the alternating 45 and 47.

If you remember years back, the 46 started in Southampton centre. I've got pictures of the VR JOU160P doing it (I think). Hence the 1 and 46 have a somewhat historic tenuous relationship? Perhaps.

Good point about Sunday, I'll look out for you.

[Yoss]

6 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

If you remember years back, the 46 started in Southampton centre. I've got pictures of the VR JOU160P doing it (I think). Hence the 1 and 46 have a somewhat historic tenuous relationship? Perhaps.

Good point about Sunday, I'll look out for you.

I probably won't do all day, just a couple of trips. I'd like to find an Atlantean. Not even sure what's turning up, I'm not really involved with them anymore since I sold mine, but that will add to the fun. 

[hammy]

Having held a PSV licence for the last 24 years, I rarely do any in service driving these days other than with my  vintage stuff.

I still do ad-hoc bits for a local coach firm, and recently I've finally ticked off a coach from my list, the iconic Bova Futura. Drives very well although it's a bit like being in a fishbowl on a sunny day. 

[lisbon_road]

13 hours ago, hammy said:

Having held a PSV licence for the last 24 years, I rarely do any in service driving these days other than with my  vintage stuff.

I still do ad-hoc bits for a local coach firm, and recently I've finally ticked off a coach from my list, the iconic Bova Futura. Drives very well although it's a bit like being in a fishbowl on a sunny day. 

 

I have to ask, do Centurion still have the old Bedfords?  I think they had one on Glastonbury a few years back that was '70s.  Also, of course, may we ask what your 'vintage stuff' is?

[lisbon_road]

@Yoss I managed to find this one of a Stagecoach VR on the 46, just going past Southampton Central railway station.  This is one of their ex Bristol VRs.  I have some others but perhaps this is enough!

We might be interested in the local stuff, but the nationwide loss of services is serious.  I've heard it called the Beeching of buses and that it happens quietly as there are no lines to rip up.  Trouble is, when I lived in Chandlers Ford and used the 46 now and then, there was hardly anyone on it.

[hammy]

2 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

I have to ask, do Centurion still have the old Bedfords?  I think they had one on Glastonbury a few years back that was '70s.  Also, of course, may we ask what your 'vintage stuff' is?

Yes, but they don't get used very often. The body on the P reg Dominant has got beyond sensible repair.

However the YNT / Lazer has been spruced up, but it now has a Volvo engine in it so its a wolf in sheeps clothing. 

My vintage stuff is co-owned, through a charity called the UCPG and consists of shares in:

A 1968 Bristol RELL6G

A 1969 Bristol VR series I

A 1970 Bristol VR series II

A 1971 Bristol VR series II rebuilt as a series III

A 1974 Bedford YRT / Willowbrook.

 

 

[hammy]

My driving at Glastonbury is all done through Chepstow Classic Bus. 

Now that is enjoyable!

[danthecapriman]

52 minutes ago, hammy said:

My driving at Glastonbury is all done through Chepstow Classic Bus. 

Now that is enjoyable!

Oh my! Those VR’s!!

I love the VR as I remember them well going to town on them as a kid. Great looking bus too.

I don’t suppose you have any drawings of them? And/or dimensions? I’d like to make a model in 1:43 scale but finding decent information is not so easy.

[Yoss]

3 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

@Yoss I managed to find this one of a Stagecoach VR on the 46, just going past Southampton Central railway station.  This is one of their ex Bristol VRs.  I have some others but perhaps this is enough!

We might be interested in the local stuff, but the nationwide loss of services is serious.  I've heard it called the Beeching of buses and that it happens quietly as there are no lines to rip up.  Trouble is, when I lived in Chandlers Ford and used the 46 now and then, there was hardly anyone on it.

I didn't realise the 46 came all the way to Southampton. That passed me by completely. So it looks quite like the old 54 which they withdrew due to lack of patronage. Then reintroduced as the 46, then withdrew that. Looking at the Barbie dart in that picture it is post 1997 though I've no idea how long Stagecoach kept their VRs. 

On the plus side, a few months back Bluestar split the 19 in half and now run every other bus up Hill Lane. Until then every bus ran up Shirley Road and must be one of the best served roads in the country so it really couldn't hurt to divert two buses an hour away from it. I can't remember when First Bus withdrew all services from Hill Lane but I reckon it was twenty years ago so for Bluestar to reinstate it is a real positive move. They definitely seem like a better operator than First. 

Something else that pleases me but makes no actual difference to the service is that these new services are numbered the 19a and so reintroduced a letter suffix to Southampton after many years. And even better, most of the buses they use are the ex London DOEs so they have proper blinds not dot matrixs. This pleases me also. 

I use Hill Lane in the car a lot, its on the way home from work, and they seem pretty well used so hopefully they are here to stay. 

[SunnySouth]

On 23/09/2025 at 16:29, Yoss said:

I didn't realise the 46 came all the way to Southampton. That passed me by completely. So it looks quite like the old 54 which they withdrew due to lack of patronage. Then reintroduced as the 46, then withdrew that. Looking at the Barbie dart in that picture it is post 1997 though I've no idea how long Stagecoach kept their VRs. 

On the plus side, a few months back Bluestar split the 19 in half and now run every other bus up Hill Lane. Until then every bus ran up Shirley Road and must be one of the best served roads in the country so it really couldn't hurt to divert two buses an hour away from it. I can't remember when First Bus withdrew all services from Hill Lane but I reckon it was twenty years ago so for Bluestar to reinstate it is a real positive move. They definitely seem like a better operator than First. 

Something else that pleases me but makes no actual difference to the service is that these new services are numbered the 19a and so reintroduced a letter suffix to Southampton after many years. And even better, most of the buses they use are the ex London DOEs so they have proper blinds not dot matrixs. This pleases me also. 

I use Hill Lane in the car a lot, its on the way home from work, and they seem pretty well used so hopefully they are here to stay. 

Love that second pic!

[Yoss]

15 minutes ago, SunnySouth said:

Love that second pic!

Thanks. It was proper twighlight but you know how phones make things lighter. But it still shows the lights off well. 

[cms206]

I swore after Oldham I was done with this shite but here we are... welcome to Bolton.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, cms206 said:

I swore after Oldham I was done with this shite but here we are... welcome to Bolton.

Commiserations

[cms206]

@hammy by any chance are you hamster! on flickr who used Mike Ponsonby Recovery to move the Willowbrook Bedford? If so it's a small world!

[hammy]

1 hour ago, cms206 said:

@hammy by any chance are you hamster! on flickr who used Mike Ponsonby Recovery to move the Willowbrook Bedford? If so it's a small world!

That is me indeed! That move was a long time ago now! 

[Yoss]

Southampton running day. Started off miserable but I think that makes for better pictures. 

[Yoss]

As well as the runners there was a static display in Guildhall Square. Though not that static as they were swapping buses over quite regularly. 

 

[Yoss]

Back round the corner I spotted this RE had dual purpose seats and thought that ought to be a nice place to spend some time. 

So I got on and see they are still vinyl seats, so not as posh as I first thought. 

Then I sat down and the legroom was ridiculous. I'm not even that tall. 

So I got off again and opted for this instead. 

The went for a healthy lunch with a view! 

[bramz7]

I ended up in Southampton as it was too wet to venture to Beaulieu for the Italian car day.

 

 

What a cool old thing. Even the bodywork is local. 

 

It was a bit busy to attempt photography elsewhere. 

[Yoss]

And finally a trip to Shirley on a Guy Arab. It's a bit austerity compared to an RT which would be it's London contemporary but it has some lovely details. 

One Arab from another. 

 

That's me, that is. 

 

It's always struck me that Arab is a strange name for a bus but when they have an Indian head on the radiator too it really is sending out strange messages about colonialism and stuff. Different times etc. 

 

The delights of Shirley. 

This church is actually quite cool. Mostly brick but all the details, and there are a lot of them, are made from roof tiles in lots of different patterns. 

Then, being as sad as I am, I tried to get a picture outside our office which failed miserably but as I'd stood there for fifteen minutes you're getting the result anyway. 

Although these two cars did crash into each other while I was waiting which helped pass the time. 

Then I went home on a normal bus. 

[High Jetter]

10 minutes ago, Yoss said:

And finally a trip to Shirley on a Guy Arab. It's a bit austerity compared to an RT which would be it's London contemporary but it has some lovely details. 

 

She doesn't look that impressed! 🤣

[lisbon_road]

Impressive pictures from @Yoss and @bramz7. Perhaps we should have organised to meet. I like Yoss's picture of the Regent through a shop door and the one of 373FCR.  You're right about the AEC Swift, that is one amazing survivor.  Actually that many of these buses survive is impressive given that almost all live outside.  Not much left to illustrate, so here's another Arab.  I went on this on the Wooston open top trip, which was actually a lot better than it sounds as the views over the bridge are great.  You're right Yoss that these are basic but the driver managed the crash box silently.  

Also here's a picture of the Western National Lodekka, I think this is an LDL.  

and lastly two more modern Stagecoach buses.  We have to get used to buses like this appearing at rallies - they certainly both go like modern buses and the Alexander bodies are impressively lacking in rattles.  

[lisbon_road]

An addition: I like these small Darts.  This and another survived long after others on a First Bus contract job for Park and Ride for an insurance company, painted in a very bland livery.  Looks a lot better in red.

(edit) someone has really done a good job on the branding on this

[bramz7]

@lisbon_road

Ah I missed F601MSL, although I have seen it at Alton. I remember it ending it's service days in Basingstoke, I think maybe late 2009 or early 2010. It was certainly the loudest bus there by that point. 

 

I try to pretend to not be into buses, and I'm not massively into them, but I think I have to accept the fact that being into vehicles and driving trains for a living means I probably am, whether I want to be or not! 

[quicksilver]

32 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

Impressive pictures from @Yoss and @bramz7. Perhaps we should have organised to meet. I like Yoss's picture of the Regent through a shop door and the one of 373FCR.  You're right about the AEC Swift, that is one amazing survivor.  Actually that many of these buses survive is impressive given that almost all live outside.  Not much left to illustrate, so here's another Arab.  I went on this on the Wooston open top trip, which was actually a lot better than it sounds as the views over the bridge are great.  You're right Yoss that these are basic but the driver managed the crash box silently.  

Also here's a picture of the Western National Lodekka, I think this is an LDL.  

and lastly two more modern Stagecoach buses.  We have to get used to buses like this appearing at rallies - they certainly both go like modern buses and the Alexander bodies are impressively lacking in rattles.  

That Olympian brings back memories. The higher numbers in the F-MSL batch went to United Counties and I remember them running from Bedford and Northampton into Milton Keynes for years.

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

Southampton running day. Started off miserable but I think that makes for better pictures. 

Hey, I've driven that National...Small world!

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, lisbon_road said:

Impressive pictures from @Yoss and @bramz7. Perhaps we should have organised to meet. I like Yoss's picture of the Regent through a shop door and the one of 373FCR.  You're right about the AEC Swift, that is one amazing survivor.  Actually that many of these buses survive is impressive given that almost all live outside.  

I was disappointed that neither Atlantean was running. 133 was the control bus and 274 was in the Guildhall display. I spoke to one of the organisers who said 133 had bodywork issues and don't ask about 274, so I didnt. But you make a fair point, these things were having bodywork issues 25 years ago so it is a miracle any still exist at all. 

[Yoss]

2 hours ago, High Jetter said:

She doesn't look that impressed! 🤣

She does look very much like a normal passenger who wandered on by mistake and is now having flashbacks. 

[lisbon_road]

19 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I was disappointed that neither Atlantean was running. 133 was the control bus and 274 was in the Guildhall display. I spoke to one of the organisers who said 133 had bodywork issues and don't ask about 274, so I didnt. But you make a fair point, these things were having bodywork issues 25 years ago so it is a miracle any still exist at all. 

It is such a shame we lost 252.

[Yoss]

16 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

It is such a shame we lost 252.

I haven't seen that since the last day of the Atlanteans, from which that picture was taken judging by the advert on the side. We went on it on the day on route 14 and it was really struggling up Cobden Ave and Mousehole Lane because it refused to change down and there was a smell of burning rubber (we were sat downstairs at the back). It was owned, and being driven, by Phil Blair who whilst an enthusiast is ultimately a businessman. So I don't what he did with it. He also owned 276 for a while and let that go too and that really should have been saved (it was Southamptons last Atlantean).