Tuesday 31 July 2012

Olympic Interlopers #2

Another instalment from the south coast, documenting the strange buses temporarily operating Stagecoach routes around Portsmouth, Chichester and Worthing.

Operating a little further East than usually expected, Stagecoach Eastbourne Scania N230UD 15774 (GN61EVX) is pictured entering Chichester bus station on 26th July. 15774 wears attractive branding for route 99, advertising the connection between Eastbourne and Hastings.

A number of new Tridents have been acquired by Portsmouth depot for the 23. 18172 (GX54DVP) was new to East Kent and has since operated from Eastbourne. It is pictured in Clarendon Road, Southsea, heading for South Parade Pier on route 23.

A number of P-reg Volvo B10Ms have been resurrected from the reserve fleet over the Olympics. Chichester seem to be the temporary home of many of them, including  20543 (P543ESA) entering the bus station out of service. 


A number of Aldershot's nearly new Enviro200s have gone on loan to Worthing. This is covering Worthing's own Coastliner and Pulse Enviro300s spending the summer in London. 36431 (GX61AYJ) is pictured in Chichester, surprisingly on a Brighton - Southsea route 700 working.

A little bit of Stagecoach Devon in Hampshire here. Dart SLF 33782 (T131MGB) is also pictured along Clarendon Road in Southsea. This batch of Darts once operated in yellow for the Exeter Park and Ride.

Another Wave 99 branded Scania - this time 15772 (GX61EVV). These Scanias are actually a year and a half younger than the usual Coastliner700 Enviro400s that operate the route.

Finally for today, another of the former East Kent Tridents in service along the south coast. 18174 (GX54DVT) is pictured entering Chichester bus station on a 700 for Southsea.




I must say, from an enthusiast's point of view, it is certainly interesting having a nearly entirely new Stagecoach fleet operating routes 23 and 700 into Portsmouth. I haven't even found any of the ex-Oxford Darts or Enviro300s yet, or the Hull Enviro300s. Olympic Interlopers will hopefully have many future entries...

7 comments:

  1. Noted sunday at winchester were 3 ex lincolnshire volvo olympians and a ps of swindon alan oliver in southampton

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  2. Not sure there are any Oxford Darts, are there?

    The Oxford and Hull E300s and the Aldershot E200s all seem to be at Worthing but they still occasionally escape onto the 700.

    15772/4 are based at Hastings, only 15770/1 are at Eastbourne.

    Chichester also has a batch of KX06 Tridents from Winchester.

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  3. Re: the Oxford Darts- technically what I said was incorrect but they do have two R---YUDs new to Oxford now in service at Portsmouth.

    Thank you both for the extra information.

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  4. Are you sure those Wave 99 Enviro400s are a year and a half younger, they only entered service in January this year. And the Tridents are Portsmouth, I'm would asume there the same as the E400/Scanias in being on loan until the E300s return from London??

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  5. Anon on 2nd August - technically you are correct. The Coastliners were in service March 2010, these ones January 2012, so 22 months younger would have been more accurate.

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  7. Stagecoach 700 Brighton Via Havant-Chichester-Bognor Regis-Littlehampton-Worthing-Brighton

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