More of the Mule: the West of England Line

On Saturday 25th April, I had further reason to be in Exeter and once again used the West of England Line for my travel. The former London & South Western Railway mainline, connecting London Waterloo with Exeter and the west, is one of my favourite train rides - and good value, once again!

I boarded the 0747 service starting in Salisbury, heading down to the west in the morning, and caught the 1625 departure from Exeter Central home. With engineering works closing the line between Basingstoke and Woking, 159015 and 159105 were in 6-car formation and operated both of my trips, with journeys terminating at Basingstoke. The 'short' Waterloos from Salisbury were heading up to Reading for the day. Again, I booked advanced First Class, which, although restricting your choice of when to return, actually worked out not-much-more-expensive than a walk-on fare. Of course - I could've used a SWR weekend upgrade too - £10 across two 'zones' for each trip. 

Today's blog is meant as a 'B-side' album to my first blog entry on 10th April, featuring some of the other sights and delights. 

The start of my journey - Salisbury. Go South Coast fleet no. 1789 (HJ24 RCX) stands at the recently-constructed bus interchange at Salisbury railway station, with the connection to Ringwood and on to Bournemouth on Morebus route X3.

The opposite end of the line: Stagecoach South West 36242 (WA11 CGV) is pictured outside the station building at Exeter Central. The station was Southern's base in Exeter, formerly named as Exeter Queen St. The Enviro was operating route H, which connects Exeter city centre with St. David's station. 

Exeter Central, looking west and towards Exeter St. David's

I always find Exeter Central a rather curious station. Whilst certainly not as grand as its heyday, featuring two through lines, a further bay line, and freight facilities behind the present-day platform 3, it has turned in to a busy hub on the Devon Metro, with regular departures to Exmouth, Barnstaple, Okehampton and Paignton, along with the hourly service up to Honiton, Axminster, Salisbury and on to Waterloo. At times, it can feel a little empty - but when a train comes in, it returns to the bustling hub it once was in Southern days. 

158951 stands ready to operate the 2B81 to Barnstaple. 

Just outside Exeter is Exmouth Junction - once the most important site for the Southern Railway in the west, with one of the largest engine sheds, a vital marshalling yard and the concrete casting factory - products of which are still found all over the former Southern Railway region. Now, operationally at least, one siding remains for Barnstaple and Okehampton trains to turn back, with a mixture of the rest of the site derelict or being repurposed for housing development. 

The vast majority of West of England services appear to be two Class 159s together - therefore, there are two First Class sections (one in each of the 159s). Both were quiet during my journey - as illustrated here - but the seats were extremely comfortable and the journey very ambient! 

The countryside west of Salisbury is varied and enchanting throughout, whether in Wiltshire, Dorset or Devon. Here, the line down to Yeovil Pen Mill is shown, branching off north. A brief count of departures provided by South Western Railway gives six northbound service to Westbury and London Waterloo, with a further evening depature terminating at Salisbury. 

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, Templecombe railway station is beautifully preserved by the Friends of Templecombe railway station, including the former signal box, featuring restored Southern board. Templecombe is at the end of one of the longest double-line sections from Yeovil Junction on the West of England line. It was a shame that both platforms were not re-introduced back in 2012 for operational flexibility - with the line extended the short way in to the station - but I assume the finances / demand did not warrant the investment. 

Other sites along the line include various closed railway stations - my personal favourite being the remains of Seaton Junction, some beautifully preserved Southern Railway relics, including various station goods sheds and a gatekeepers' hut between Tisbury and Gillingham (I think) and, of course, Exeter St. David's at the end of the line - a busy interchange and on to the Dawlish wall, Plymouth and Cornwall. 

That's probably it from the Mule for now - more railway-related posts occasionally in the future. 

Taunton Time

In early April, I travelled down to the Somerset town of Taunton to sample the new arrivals. First have introduced twenty-five electric vehicles to the fleet, in partnership with BSIP funding. With their introduction, the local Buses of Somerset livery has also largely disappeared, with just six buses now wearing Buses of Somerset colours, along with a further six former Arriva London Enviro400s in the curious Buses of Somerset Green livery. 

The most prominent introductions are twelve Yutong U11DD buses - eleven brand new and a further example that was formerly a demonstrator. This batch are usually found on the 21 / 21A to Bridgewater and Burnham-on-Sea, the 22 to Tonedale and Tiverton (X22) and the 30 to Axminster.

The Yutong U11DDs in the fleet are re-using former First fleet numbers - this is fleet no. 30006 (YK25 OHR), which was previously used on a First PMT / First Manchester Leyland Olympian. 

First fleet no. 30009 (YK25 OHU) departs from the stops on Fore St en-route for Axminster on route 30.

The double decks are joined by nine full-length Wright GB Kite Electroliners. These have replaced former Glasgow ADL Enviro300s on route 28 out to Minehead. The frequency remains at a rather awkward 45 minutes for most of the day - it was half-hourly until recently, and, with Webberbus competition, I remember a time there were four buses an hour along the corridor. 

Fleet no. 63698 (BN75 NWF) sets off north for Minehead, pictured heading along Corporation St.

Most longer distance services terminate along Castle Way - such as the 21, 22 and 28 - although significant others, such as the 30 (Axminster), 54 (Yeovil) and 374 (from Wells & Bristol) terminate in the town centre. Here is fleet no. 63702 (BN75 NWK) arriving - with the Grade 2 listed 1953-build structure behind. 

Finally, four small Yutongs operate on what remains of the Taunton town service network. Once a busy hive of Mercedes-Benz minibuses and later a multitude of Enviro200s, now just four services remain. Route 1, heading out to the railway station and Ladymead Road, operates half hourly and takes up two of the buses. One buses operates route 4 (Lane Estate) and 6 (Juniper Road), with a further bus on the 7 to Galmington. 

Fleet no. 48502 (YK25 OHY) heads back to the town centre on route 1. This type are still relatively rare with First - the first of the type that I've photographed.

On route 7, fleet no. 48504 (YK25 OHA) arrives back in the town centre on route 7. This is another route operating at roughly a bus every 40 minutes. 

Further changes are expected soon to the infrastructure at Taunton. The bus station site, closed by First in March 2020 as the Covid Pandemic hit, has removed a central base for the interurban services in Taunton. The stops are Castle Way cope with the majority of services, but, regularly during my visit, I noted the stops having three or four buses deep, causing some congestion. Furthermore, as stated previously, a number of the longer distance services pick up from the town.

(c) Somerset Council

As pictured in the background of vehicles arriving along Tower St, the former bus station site is now being redeveloped in a £3.2m investment. It is suggested that, in this joint project, Somerset Council, Taunton Town Council and its partners are developinng a 'vital hub for bus services'. 

There will be eight new bus stops, plus two refurbished stops in Castle Way, with real-time information, a waiting room, toilet, cycle shelters and a cycle repair stand, along with environmental benefits such as 'rain gardens with attractive planting to manage rainwater run off". 

From the image above, it looks like a drive in, loop round and drive out facility - it will certainly be welcome for the town and I look forward to seeing it in place. It is due for completion by the end of 2026. 

Finally - a brief plug - please click here for all of my photos from Taunton, including the other operators in the town.

2004 Vintage in Exeter

Stagecoach are shortly to revolutionise core aspects of the city network in Exeter with the introduction of brand new electric buses. These follow Enviros and Yutongs already in service in Torquay, and preceed further electric vehicles entering service in Barnstaple. The first are already here - four of twenty Volvo BZLs are in the Devonian city, as illustrated here by fleet no. 66113 (BU26 WWK), turning into Exeter bus station on a training run. 

The new B7Ls will carry mostly carry the steel blue livery - which looks excellent when first applied and shiny, but I feel that it fades quickly and then does not have quite the same impact...

The arrival of electrics on the city network is likely to see the withdrawal of some of the oldest Optare Solos in service anywhere in the country. Largely new in 2004 to the very city, Stagecoach operate Solo minibuses alongside the fleet of 2015 Optare Solo SRs across the network. And it is not just one or two - ten new in 2004 are operated between Exeter and Barnstaple, with a further ten new across 2006 and 2007.

47101 (WA04 TXS) pictured heading through the city centre along Sidwell St on the usual haunt - route E - sporting the second version of the basketball livery, accompanied with a new fleet name. 

The Optare Solos replaced a variety of Iveco TurboDaily and Mercedes-Benz minibuses on core high frequency routes. The Ivecos were predominantly acquired from the previous regime, when Stagecoach took over, and many still featured dual-door layouts. 

Two views from August 2006 now. Above, fleet no. 47091 (WA04 TXF) stands along the bus-only High St in Exeter. From my very limited photos from 2006, it seems the buses were smaller and the frequencies were much higher! 47091 carries the name St. Mary Major's - I believe this was one of the churches in the Exeter region but I'm not fully sure. Sister fleet no. 47088 is pictured behind. Below, fleet no. 47107 (WA04TXY) is pictured in a special green livery, that a number of them received, to promote the University service. It is pictured on the D, with one of the later Varios and another Solo behind. 

Fleet nos. 47089-91 are presently in operation from Barnstaple, primarily on town services. All carry the local livery introduced in 2020. Fleet nos. 47092/3 and 47098-101 are in operation with Exeter, with 47088 withdrawn at Torquay. In Exeter, original beachball, modified beachball and local colours are worn by the remaining fleet. 

Fleet no. 47093 (WA04 TXH) heads along Sidwell St on service E on April 8th. 

How long the Solos will remain in servce is likely to depend on when the thirty  new electric vehicles enter service - the press releases denote a date of June. In the meantime, it does feel quite a novelty - a quick search of Bus Times indicate only one older Solo is in operation with Stagecoach - numerically the first, fleet no. 47001 (KX51CRU) with Stagecoach Cumbria and Lancashire. After that, in 2026, Exeter takes the crown. 

To finish the blog, here are a few more snaps of the fleet capture in Exeter taken in April. Thank you for reading.

Fleet no. 47100 (WA04TXR) on route E, pictured having just set off from the allocated bus stop on Sidwell St. 

Slightly younger fleet no. 47544 (GX57DJO), new up in Hampshire as an Andover Star.

Solo 47598 (YJ06 FYX) is one of the few remaining buses in service acquired with the takeover of Cooks Coaches in 2007 - pictured having terminated on the E and rounding to the starting point on Sidwell St. 

Heading off in to the sunset - albeit not for another month or so - fleet no. 47098 (WA04 TXN) heads for Exwick on the E on April 8th. 

Salisbury Electrics

Salisbury Reds have recently introduced two sets of brand new electric vehicles to the fleet, joining the three early BYD single decks that joined the fleet just before Covid. Eighteen brand new Wright StreetDeck Electroliner vehicles are joined by three ADL Enviro100EV single decks, supplementing nine diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz Sprinters - a significant investment by Go Ahead on to the city network. 

Fleet no. 1327 (HV26 CWF) crosses from Fisherton St to Bridge St on a high-frequency R1 service. 

Buses were introduced with much fanfare with a display in the Market Square. A number of vehicles were displayed, including both Salisbury Reds-livered Electroliners alongside one of the new Stonehendge Tour examples. Music from ELO Again also featured reportedly - Go Ahead are getting a reputation for high profile launches of brand new electric buses: a theme continuing from the stadium launch up with Go North East!

Standing along Blue Boar Row, here is fleet no. 1339 - HV26 JVD.

The fifteen Salisbury Red Electroliners have thus far have primarily dropped in to high frequency city route R1 (every fifteen minutes between the District Hospital and Bemerton Heath) and X4 (Salisbury railway station up to Amesbury and Larkhill). 

Electroliner fleet no. 1334 (HV26 EUW) arrives at Fisherton Bridge en-route for the city centre. 

The three ADL Enviro100EV are presently quite a rare beast, particularly in the south. Receiving fleet numbers 401 to 403, the buses are often on the city Reds network services that require smaller buses. I noted the buses on the r2 (to Bishopstown) but a quick check of Bus Times indicate at least two are out on the r4 today (to Paul's Dene) 

The first time I've seen one of the ADL Enviro100EV in the flesh - they are smart little buses! Here is fleet no. 403 (HF75 YRT) heading along Blue Boar Row. 

My report wouldn't really be complete without making note of the new Sprinters in the city - growing up in the minibus era, I welcome a return to these little minibuses, even if they may not be universally popular! The nine find themselves replacing Optare Solos on the 25, 26 and 27 down to Tisbury and Shaftesbury, their size perfect for the narrow lanes and rural villages of west Wiltshire.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 153 (WX75 OCU) arrives in to Salisbury on route 26 from Tisbury.

After a number of years with a static network, much change in the city recently and well worth a visit. 

Twenty Years Ago... the Waterside

A look back in the archive for today's blog entry. In March 2006, the emerging BlueStar network reached a new constellation of the Solent Blue Line network with an expansion to the Waterside - Totton and Hythe, down to Langley, Fawley and Calshot. The previous routes were the 38 from Southampton to Hythe and Langley, and the X9 connecting Southampton with Fawley and Calshot. 

I travelled down on 12th April 2006 to capture the latest arrivals, my first trip to the Hythe. It is charming, coastal town on the edge of the New Forest. It is probably best known in the transport world for its strong maritime history, with the ferry to Southampton, the Victorian pier, and the world's oldest operating pier train. More widely, Hythe is known for its high street with a mix of national brands and local merchants, along with its large marina nearby. Sitting on the bench along Prospect Place overlooking Southampton Water and watching the ships go by is a particularly peaceful past time. 

Brand new Mercedes-Benz Citaro 403 (HX06 EZC) stands at Hythe's Ferry Yard.

The routes were relaunched to a similar structure that they remain two decades later. The X9 became the 9, continuing to be fast between Southampton and Hythe, with extensions every 20 minutes towards to either Fawley and Calshot or to Langley. The 8 replaced the slower journeys, via Totton and Marchwood, terminating at Hythe. 

As well as the changes to routes, a fleet of ten brand new Mercedes-Benz Citaros were introduced to the fleet. This was at the time where a large number of similar buses had entered service with sister Go Ahead companys City of Oxford Motor Services (the Oxford Bus Company) and down the road, from Poole, at Wilts & Dorset. Further examples would come the year after to Southern Vectis, on the Isle of Wight. 

404 (HX06 EXD) stands outside the Ferry Yard, nearly in the position where the present day bus stop is. The Ferry Yard itself was taken out of use within a decade. 

The Citaros were the first single deck buses to carry the BlueStar brand. At this point, the majority of the non-premier BlueStar routes still carried Solent Blue Line branding. On the exterior, branding was applied noting the destinations served, key messages and frequency, along with promotional messages on the rear of each bus. 

The buses had full rear destination displays, which was still quite a novelty at the time. Here is 409 (HX06 EZJ) - the 'three pointed star'. 

... meanwhile, sister 410 (HY06 EYZ) has 'a star is born'.

The Citaros introduced full DDA accessibility, front, side and rear displays, along with the latest travelling and environmental benefits for passengers. They primarily replaced Leyland and Volvo Olympians, although, for reasons that I have forgotten over the past twenty years, one double deck was still required on one of the workings of route 8. This was certainly planned rather than a surprise - but I can't remember the reason for the non-Citaro allocation - possibly there were enough Citaros to cover the basic service, but no spares if one was undergoing maintenance. 

The old order - Leyland Olympian 729 (H729 DDL) stands in Hythe Ferry Yard on the 8 for Southampton. 

Back in 2006, the Hythe local services also operated six days a week. At the time, the services were numbered 36/36A and 37. The 36/36A connected Hythe with Dibden and Netley View, where the 37 operated between Applemore and Blackfield, via Hythe. Each service required one bus.

Former Southern Vectis Iveco TurboDaily 244 (P244VDL) still wears the Oxford blue livery of its former operator. It is terminating at Hythe Ferry Yard with the 36A. These buses carried coach-style seats and 2+1 seating.

Next door was Dennis Dart 583 (XIL 8583), new to London Buses as J393 GKH. This carried the the standard Solent Blue Line livery for the time. 

The service today received the most recent upgrade last year, with four brand new ADL Enviro400MMCs and eight ADL Enviro200MMCs purchased for the Waterside corridor. The bespoke branding has disappeared, but the BlueStar brand continues and Go Ahead continue to invest. 

Brand new Enviro400MMC 1806 (HJ25 BYK) leads another band new single deck relative in Hythe on 13th June 2025 on a route 9, heading for Fawley.

James, 18/04/26

South Coast Rail Replacement

Recent engineering works around Portsmouth and Southampton has brought out a variety of interesting buses and coaches to the south coast in recent weeks. With Portsmouth rail replacement in the weekends coming up to Easter, over the Easter weekend itself, the lines around Southampton up to Winchester were closed. 

On Easter Monday, with the increased sunshine in the afternoon, I headed off to the Central station in Hampshire, where I spent a couple of hours sampling what was on offer. Today's blog entry is a photographic record of what was on offer.

First up was one of BlueStar's brilliant EvoSeti-bodied Volvo B8L tri-axle double decks. Three were noted on Monday - fleet nos. 1051, 1053 (pictured here) and 1056. These are primarily allocated to Barton Peveril College services on a Monday to Friday, with their additional capacity necessary for college journeys. They always appeared to be at home on rail replacement services, although have only recently begun appearing on these operations.

Sticking with the BlueStar theme, the line via Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford towards Romsey was also closed, although journeys could still be made via Redbridge Junction. ADL Enviro200MMC fleet no. 260 (HF18 CKG) does the honours here, arriving from Romsey (despite what the display shows).

Tomorrows Travel operate from Poole and I've only recently noticed them on the rail replacement scene. Nearly new HF75 YSB does the honours here as it departs the north west car park with a service for Winchester. 

Down from Newbury for the day is Reading Buses' fleet no. 787 - SN16 OHE - always immaculately turned out. One of the highlights in recent years are Newbury Buses weekend day trips - £25 for a day out is great value to far-flung destinations such as Barry Island, Brighton, Hastings, Poole, Weymouth and Weston-super-Mare - well worth a look! It reminds me of days of old where local bus companies - such as Provincial or Wilts & Dorset - used to offer special trips out using surplus stock at weekends or school holidays.

I don't photograph many coaches and am not au-fait with makes and bodies, but here is Mervyn's Coaches resplendent OIL 4318 arriving in to Southampton.

Wheelers are not as prominent as they were approximately a decade ago, where they appeared to operate every tendered service in north Hampshire (slight hyperbole, of course). here is MO74 WTL on stand at Southampton Central having arrived from Winchester. 

Xelabus fleet is very impressive these days, with very new ADL Enviro400MMCs being used across the network, primarily on contract services in the week and rail replacement at weekends. This is fleet no. 587 (YX75 KVK) arriving in to the temporary bus terminus in the north west station car park. 

Rail replacement work is always a good time to capture those buses of Xelabus in special liveries for certain contracts. Here is fleet no. 582 (YY74WPE) standing out of service along Blechynden Terrace. 

Finally for today is Fairmanns Travel ADL Dart SLF RIG 3820, new as LK56 JKO to First Berkshire as their fleet no. 43926. It was initually used on Pegasus Park and Ride services and is now often found on rail replacement contracts - this was arriving from Romsey I think. 

Always a lot of variety locally on rail replacement work. Thank you for viewing!

James