Greyhound Sunset

First Hants & Dorset 23319 - YN55PXK - Fareham (Hartlands Road) - 22nd May 2012

As the mid evening sun shines on the arrival of Scania coach 23319 from London Victoria, the Portsmouth and Southampton - London Greyhound services were in their last weeks of operation. Cut later in the year, gone are the sights of these smart coaches - and just to think that at the start there was mostly an hourly frequency on both routes.

The Star!

First Hampshire & Dorset 63042 - SK63KHT - Cosham (Highbury Buildings) - 29th October 2013

26 brand new Stars shining in Portsmouth. Named after 26 different Royal Navy Warships based at Portsmouth, the Streetlites feature leather seats, live information, announcements and this variation of First's interurban livery. They are very noticeable when out and about in Portsmouth, and can be found on routes 7 and 8 - 10 buses per hour between Portsmouth and Waterlooville.

Volvos takeover Gosport

First Hampshire & Dorset 66199 - S799RWG - Gosport bus station, 1st November 2013

Interesting times at First Solent (the new name for Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport) as allocations shuffle following the delivery of a combined 39 Streetlites to Hilsea and Hoeford depots. Usually found in Portsmouth on services 1, 2 or 3, Volvo B10BLEs are appearing in increasing numbers on the Fareham - Gosport services. Here is 66199 interesting blinded for Cherque Farm - as far as I am aware this did actually continue through to Fareham.

Sunday Lost Scenes - Sunday 18th August

Once upon a time, these were an every day sight in Portsmouth...

First Hampshire & Dorset 52070 - L170TRV - Southsea (South Parade Pier) - 15th February 2005

The Iveco TurboDaily - bouncy, vibrating, rattly buses, but a type of bus that I think you'll find nearly every enthusiast growing up in the People's Provincial area will have a small soft spot for. L170TRV was the last one I needed on camera from the batch that was in service at the time in February 2005, and I was rather chuffed to catch it by luck at Southsea's canoe lake, just up from South Parade Pier. 2005 saw the slow beginning of the end of the Iveco, with mass withdrawals in 2006, before the final buses went in 2007.

These Ivecos, new between 1993 and 1995, and then supplemented by a predominantly Mellor bodied batch acquired from Blue Admiral with First's take over in 1996, dominated the Portsmouth bus scene for over a decade. With the withdrawal of most of the former Blue Admiral buses, combined with the shift of several Iveco-operated routes to bigger buses, the former People's Provincial Hoeford based buses were shifted over to Hilsea. They were allocated to high frequency routes, such as the 3, then at five buses an hour between Paulsgrove and Southsea, or the 6, 13 and 14, all Portsmouth city services with six buses an hour. Long after the last regular Iveco service disappeared from Hoeford, Ivecos still ran all the way through Fareham to Warsash on the 57.

With Portsmouth routes receiving 37 Streetlites later this year, it is likely the entire network will be operated by large low floor buses. The smallest bus found will be a Solo. The goal will have finally been achieved - large, more comfortable low floor buses at lower frequencies - set in motion with the beginning of the end of the Iveco, back in 2005.

Why not try these...?

Just a quick prod in the direction of my photo website for those of you interested.

Click here to view photos from Appledore and Bideford in North Devon.

Click here to view photos from the North Cornwall town of Bude.

Click here to view photos from the west Dorset town of Lyme Regis, and the Devonian town of Seaton.

Photos from Plymouth, Christchurch and Portsmouth, amongst other areas, to be uploaded over the coming weeks.

Ride the North Devon Wave...

Stagecoach now rule the roost in North Devon following the closure of First's Barnstaple depot, and now they are cementing that advantage, with a fleet of brand new Scanias...

The North Devon Wave is the brand Stagecoach introduced in 2010 for the main North Devon route - connecting Barnstaple to Bideford, and onwards to the towns of Westward Ho! and Appledore. First used to operate these as the Atlantic Goldline and Atlantic Connection, amongst other brandings, but it is Stagecoach's version that now operates the main corridor in North Devon. A large batch of Scania N230UD/Enviro400s have been placed into service, with 15887 (WA13GDF), or 'Poppy', indicative of the batch.

The 22 North Devon Wave Scanias have been introduced, upgrading the corridor beyond Barnstaple, up to Ilfracombe too. The two routes combine on the Barnstaple - Bideford corridor, giving 6 buses per hour - three via East-the-Water and three via Instow. 15894 (WA13GDY) heads along Bideford Quay for Braunton on the 21. 

A number of unbranded buses have also entered service alongside the Wavers- what seems to be a standard policy where Stagecoach introduces a brand new fleet of buses. 15899 (WA13GEY) is named 'Abbie Rose' - I believe the names the buses carry are the names of bus drivers' children who won a competition. 15899 is pictured heading along the quay at Appledore, past a particularly attractive ice cream van.

The old order were former Stagecoach Oxford Transbus and ADL Tridents. These buses have literally run First off of the roads in North Devon - the old order pictured to the right. On 9th August 2010, Stagecoach's 18394 (KX55TLN) is pictured next to First's 42449 (R449CCV) - a bus now in service in Weymouth. An image of the Dart was perhaps a little unfair on First - most journeys were operated by Tridents (new in 2000 or 2005), with a few ex-London Tridents chucked in too. However, First had recently upped the route to a 10-minute frequency and they didn't have enough Tridents to cover all the workings - hence the drafting in of a couple of Darts each day.

A final view of another unbranded Scania - this time 15900 (WA13GFE). 'India May' is pictured heading along Bideford Quay for Westward Ho! on the 21. These are certainly impressive buses, and despite being a rather common (boring?) design for the enthusiast, the buses still ooze class and style with their attractive curves, clever use of glass and expected high-standards of presentation from Stagecoach.

To view the timetable, please click here. The Appledore photos were taken from about 1200 until about 1430 - although as the buses turn in the car park the sun is perfect whenever you visit. Nearside shots at Bideford possible AM - don't visit early afternoon as the sun will be too head on. Offside shots possible PM, and Bideford town's bridge is excellent for photos too, if a little tricky with the traffic.