Friday 23 January 2015

A Found Farwell


The start of 2015 has seen some quite major changes to certain routes in South Hampshire, largely due to cuts imposed by Hampshire County Council. The loss of a bus service is never good news, but our resident website manager Tom and website editor Steven took this as a perfect excuse for a long overdue bus tour. This is what happened.

Our plan for this tour was to try and incorporate routes which sadly would be dramatically cut or axed completely come the new year – some of these routes having existed for decades. It was in many ways a farewell tour to some of those routes that have been around but never really been given the attention that they perhaps deserved (we certainly hadn't used them before). Therefore, it was with this in mind that at around 8:30 on a cold Monday morning only 3 days before Christmas that we set off.

Our first bus was a First bus. 'The Three' from Thornhill to General Hospital came after a short wait and we did something we had never done before – purchased a Solent Go Dayrider each. It's interesting to note at this point that the distinctive red livery for The Three is over a year old now. It certainly doesn't feel that long.

Following a fairly standard journey across the city, around 50 minutes later we were at the General Hospital, with 25 minutes to kill before our next journey. Our next service was one that were people to list which buses served the hospital, they would quite possibly forget to mention it, due to its irregularity. Stagecoach's only service that crossed the Southampton boundary, the 46 was our next ride, all the way to Winchester. This was sadly to be curtailed so it terminated at North Baddesley shortly into the new year, signalling the departure of Stagecoach buses from Southampton completely.
18512 - XSU 612 at Southampton General Hospital  
The bus was around 10 minutes late but we didn't mind as we saw the roof of the double decker making its way around Tremona Road and round the corner to us. We were slightly surprised to see that there were already two passengers on board by the time it reached us, and as we made our way towards North Baddesley, several more passengers joined the bus.
Going a somewhat interesting route through rural valleys and small villages, the bus eventually arrived in the heart of Winchester. It was here where time was of the essence, as Tom riskily decided to order a bacon sandwich from the cafe at the bus station, when there was only 15 minutes until our next bus, which we had to get to remain on schedule. Did we manage it?

Just about. The 69 to Fareham was waiting in the stand, loading passengers as we hastily made our way across the bus station. This route hasn't seen any major changes and still operates hourly between Winchester and Fareham. Our destination however was not Fareham, but rather the quaint village of Bishops Waltham – around halfway between the two termini. We took our seats on the single decker bus and headed off.

27616 - GX10 HCD in Bishops Waltham
The clock struck 1pm and we were at our destination. It has to be said that it was quite interesting viewing watching the bus make its way around the notoriously small square, but anyway. Our initial schedule allowed for an hour to have lunch at Bishops Waltham, but Tom had worked out that our next bus – service 8 to Hedge End – had yet to arrive. Had it have done so, it would have been running several minutes early, and this was unlikely. It's worth noting at this point that on almost every bus tour we have done, an amendment of some sort has been made along the way, as the schedules are created with strict adherence to the published timetables of the services. Where a service runs slightly late or early, this can allow for significant changes to the tour, which is precisely what happened here. Initially scheduled to travel on the service 8 just after 2pm, we were able to board the one just after 1pm instead, meaning we would arrive in Hedge End an hour earlier than planned. Normally this can be used to save time across the rest of the tour, and we be home an hour earlier but sadly this couldn't be done as our next service – the 26 from Hedge End Superstores to Fareham – operated every hour and 45 minutes or so, so all it managed to change was our location for lunch.

Anyway, back to the buses. When it arrived we boarded the cream-coloured single decker Brijan Tours bus, and it was completely empty, except for the driver. Rattling its way through areas and roads that were unfamiliar to both of us, we enjoyed the ride, even if it did look as though the bus couldn't possibly make it down some of the more rural lanes along the route.

111 - N5 BJT at Hedge End Superstores
As lunch had moved in time and location, we popped in to a well-known chain of fried chicken purveyors to eat, before having a slow amble back across the manic roads of Hedge End. A reasonable wait for the 26 followed, and when it came it was interesting to see that it was well used across the route. This was another route that sadly lost its life as a result of the cuts to public services, and was an absolute must on our list. Heavy traffic around Titchfield looked to delay us considerably but thankfully we made it through with no real problems. At this stage of the tour it wouldn't have been too much of an issue as once we reached Fareham we would be homeward bound anyway, and the services we needed to use from then on were regular enough.

Fareham Bus Station was packed with people – not an uncommon sight at all, and we scrambled our way through the masses to the stand for the X4 and X5 to Southampton. After a 10 minute or so wait an X5 came, in the form of one of the newish single decker Scanias that have been placed onto these services to replace the ageing Dennis Darts, and to increase capacity by a few seats. The journey back to Woolston Link Road was pretty standard, and nothing particularly notable really happened. The only thing was the short ride on The Three back to Thornhill, where every other service arrived before the one we wanted, and once it did arrive, it was standing room only, and this was even limited. We didn't really care though as it was only a short journey, and not long after boarding we were back home.

66202 - S802 RWJ at Fareham Bus Station
All in all it was a very enjoyable day. The weather was quite kind to us, even if it was very cold, but we didn't mind. The only regret we had was that it marked the end of two routes in Southampton that although not busy enough to warrant continued investment, will always be remembered. Still, maybe one day in the future they might well return, or perhaps a smaller operator will give them a go – Southampton has got its fair share of them now so who knows? 

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Review of 2014

Our first event of 2014 was on the very first day of the year, where we went to Winchester for the Friends of King Alfred Buses running day. Sadly 2014 was to be the last one to be held on New Year’s Day as Fokab are going to try something different on 3rd & 4th May 2015. As always we went along and it was a very good one. We took 1 - JOW 499E to the event and it was used on the Park and Ride service from St Catherine's site to the City Centre.

As usual we were at the Solent Model Railway Group Show at Fleming Park in Eastleigh over the weekend of Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd February, providing the free shuttle bus between the show and Eastleigh Railway Station and Southampton Airport Parkway Station. As it always is, it was a good weekend and 1 – JOW 499E was used for the shuttle.

 (No. 1 waits at St Catherine's Park & Ride site)
289 – E289 HRV, successfully passed its M.O.T on Friday 7th March at I M Services in Romsey - an M.O.T station that comes very highly recommended. On Sunday 16th March, 289 went on a member’s trip to the Swanage Railway which was holding a London & South Western Railway Event. A great day was had by all after what was a wet winter; it was nice to have a day out in the sun.

64 – FTR 511 head to Riverside Park in Bitterne on Saturday 12th for a community event. 71 – LOW 217 was on display at the Watercress Line for the Thomas the Tank Engine event being held at the railway.

After being off the road for much of last year 133 – TTR 167H attended its first event of the year where it went to Berrywood Primary School in Hedge End on Friday 2nd May, where they were having a Car Fest to help their pupils learn more about vehicles. Tuesday 6th May 1 – JOW 499E attended the unveiling of a Red Wheel plaque at the former Southampton Terminus Station, which is now a casino but was once the main station in the City. No 1 was out again over the weekend of Saturday 17th May and Sunday 18th May where it attended the Bill Target Steam Rally.
 No 1 at the Bill Target Steam Rally
Our busiest month of the year was June with no less than 7 events taking place throughout the month. The first event of the month was on Sunday 1st June, where we provided a free bus from Alton Train Station to Jane Austen’s House in Chawton with 64 - FTR 511. With 64 being in store in the Alton area after the event, 64 was brought back to Southampton as it was needed for events in and around the city.

One such event it was needed for was the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay celebrations that took place in Guildhall Square, Southampton on Wednesday 4th June. 64 is still owned by Southampton City Council along with 71 – LOW 21 and looked after by us on behalf of them. On Sunday 8th June, the Copythorne Steam & Vintage Rally took place; an annual event we go to every year with buses. 64 – FTR 511 was used to do tours of the New Forest. Whilst 1 – JOW 499E and 432 - NLP 389V were both used on the Park & Ride service to and from the event.

2014 was the celebration of 50 years of Southampton holding city status and on Sunday 22nd June a party was organised at Bedford Place in the City Centre. The event was organised by the Bedford Place Traders and the event was themed as a Vintage Family Festival. 64 was on display at the event and a good day was had by all.

(64 - FTR 511 in Bedford Place)
On Saturday 28th June, 133 - TTR 167 made a visit to Wordsworth School, who were having a summer fete and invited us to bring a bus along to the event. The day after on Sunday 29th June, 289 - E289 HRV was out and about this time; making the trip to Ringwood where the Wessex Transport Society were having a bus rally in the town.

During July we took part in two carnival, 133 – TTR 167H took part in the Hedge End Carnival on Saturday 5th and then on Saturday 12th July it took part in the Totton Carnival. Sunday 13th July 289 – E289 HRV & 432 – NLP 389V attended Fort Nelson where CPTTD were having a rally. Both buses were used in service with 289 going to and from Cosham Bus Station and 432 to Fareham Railway Station. The event at Fort Nelson was the first to be held there and a great day was had by all.
The biggest rally to take place in the south is the Alton Bus Rally, which took place on Sunday 20th July. The event saw 6 Southampton buses on display at the event. The buses which were on display were: 71 - LOW 217, 133 – TTR 167H, 274 - KOW 274Y, 335 - 335 AOW, 353 - 373 FCR & 367 - BTR 367B. 133 was used in service on the Alton Town service.
(Southampton Buses at Alton Bus Rally)
The Southampton Maritime Festival took place on Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd August at Southampton Docks. A number of buses were used on the Park & Ride service which linked the Festival to the Railway Station and City Centre and the tour bus. Southampton buses that were at the festival were: 1 - JOW 499E, 64 - FTR 511, 71 - LOW 217, 133 - TTR 167H & 367 - BTR 367B. There was also a number of visiting buses: 748 - JRX 823 (Thames Valley), 1224 – 274 KTA (Western National) and 1577 – LLJ 443F (Hants & Dorset).

September saw us take part in the Heritage Open Days on Saturday 13th, where a free bus service linked heritage venues in Southampton, with the free bus starting at SS Shieldhall and then going via Tudor House and then to the Southampton Old Cemetery which is located on Southampton Common. 71 LOW 217 was also out at the event doing free guided tours of the City from Tudor House. It is hoped that the event will be repeated in 2015 with more things to do.
We had one event taking place in Southampton on Saturday 4th October, that being Music in the City where a number of venues were open including Castle Vault, Westgate Hall and SS Shieldhall, and music was being played. 71 – LOW 217 & 133 TTR 167H were out in the City providing the free shuttle service between the venues. A great time was had by all and the buses were well used by the public. The event is being planned for 2015 and it's hoped the buses will be out again helping with the event.

(133 - TTR 167H at SS Shieldhall in Southampton Docks)
The other event we were at over the weekend of Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th October was the Fareham & District Model Railway Club 'Railex 2014' which took place at 1000 Lakeside, Western Rd, Portsmouth, Hampshire. We provided a free shuttle from Cosham Railway Station to the event via Hilsea Lido Bus Interchange. 289 - E289 HRV was used at the event and an enjoyable weekend was had by all.

Sunday 19th October saw us head overseas for the last event of the season for us, as we attended the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum for their last event at their Newport home before they move to their new home in Ryde. The day started with getting on the 10am ferry from Southampton and heading out and over to the island. Arriving at East Cowes at 11am 289 - E289 HRV & 367 - BTR 367B headed in convoy along with another ex Southampton 274 - KOW 274Y to Newport. 289 was in service at 12pm on a Myster Tour whiles 367 & 274 were on static display. We would like to take this opportunity to wish them well at their new home.  

(289 - E289 HRV in East Cowes)
In other news:

111 – G111 XOW, 141 – WOW 531J and 268 – FTR 268X which all for many years have been stored next to the M27 at Jct 3 have been moved to a new location so that work can be undertaken by their owners. 274 – KOW 274Y has also got a new owner after being sold by its owner. The coach seats that were saved by us from The Newport Inn, Braishfield, Hampshire have gone to a new home in Leicestershire, where it's hoped they will end up back in a restored coach.
There's always room for the fleet to get bigger and when a deal comes up sometimes it has to be taken, and that was certainly the case with 167 - EOW 400L which has been bought by two of our youngest members. 167 has been off the road for many years and it's hoped it will be back on the road in the near future. Fleeces with the Trust logo on are now available along with many other products from Carolines T-Shirts in Portswood. Contact us for more information about the fleeces or other products with the Trust logo on.

So if 2014 was a busy year what has 2015 got in store?

Well as there was no event on New Year's Day in Winchester this year, we decided to have our own run out. Out for a run was 1 - JOW 499E, 133 - TTR 167H, 271 - FTR 271X, 274 - KOW 274Y, 402 - KOW 410F & RM2037 - ALM 37B. We reiterated the former 6 route which took us from City Centre to Shirley, General Hospital, University, Portswood, Bitterne and then returning back to the City Centre. The day was enjoyed by all and it's hoped that another members and friends laid back run out will happen in the summer.


(Southampton buses in Mayflower Park)

Our 2015 dairy is filling up and you can check which events we will be at on our website. Don't forgot we also have our Facebook Page and we also tweet on Twitter


Here's to a successful and prosperous 2015.
 

Friday 24 October 2014

The Heritage Weekend, 2 events in 2 cities and then our last outing of the year

As 2014 starts to draw to a close and the buses rest for the winter there still time for a few events. On Saturday 13th September we took part in the Heritage Open Days. A free bus service linked heritage venues in Southampton, with the free bus starting at SS Shieldhall and then going via Tudor House and then to the Southampton Old Cemetery which is located on Southampton Common. As always there were inevitable problems and one of the main problems was our Swift 1 – JOW 499 sadly being unable to take part, so 133 – TTR 167H took over the duties. Unfortunately this meant that the bus couldn’t go down Cemetery Road as the trees are too low. Altogether though, a morning of getting back on time and a good day was had by all, 71 LOW 217 was also out at the event doing free guided tours of the City from Tudor House. It is hoped that the event will be repeated in 2015 with more things to do.
 
(133 - TTR 167H at Southampton Old Cemetery)
   (71 - LOW 217 outside Tudor House)
Another busy weekend for us was over the weekend of Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th October, where we had 2 events taking place in 2 different cities!

We had one event taking place in Southampton on Saturday 4th October, that being Music in the City where a number of venues were open including Castle Vault, Westgate Hall and SS Shieldhall, and music was being played. 71 – LOW 217 & 133 TTR 167H were out in the City providing the free shuttle service between the venues. A great time was had by all and the buses were well used. The event is being planned for 2015 and it's hoped the buses will be out again helping with the event.

(133 - TTR 167H at SS Shieldhall in Southampton Docks)
(71 - LOW 217 at Guildhall Square)

The other event we were at over the weekend of Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th October was the Fareham & District Model Railway Club 'Railex 2014' which took place at 1000 Lakeside, Western Rd, Portsmouth, Hampshire. We provided a free shuttle from Cosham Railway Station to the event via Hilsea Lido Bus Interchange. 289 - E289 HRV was used at the event and an enjoyable weekend was had by all.

(289 - E289 HRV at North Harbour, Cosham)
Sunday 19th October saw us head overseas for the last event of the season for us, as we attended the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum for their last event at their Newport home before they move to their new home in Ryde. The day started with getting on the 10am ferry from Southampton and heading out and over to the island. Arriving at East Cowes at 11am 289 - E289 HRV & 367 - BTR 367B headed in convoy along with another ex Southampton 274 - KOW 274Y to Newport. 289 was in service at 12pm on a Myster Tour whiles 367 & 274 were on static display. We would like to take this opportunity to wish them well at their new home.  
 
(289 - E289 HRV in East Cowes)
(274 - KOW 274Y & 367 - BTR 367B)
Introducing our models Steve & Roger, modelling fleeces with the Trust logo on. The fleeces, along with many other products are available from Carolines T-Shirts in Portswood. Contact us for more information about the fleeces or other products with the Trust logo on.

(Our finest models)
There's always room for the fleet to get bigger and when a deal comes up sometimes it has to be taken, and that was certainly the case with 167 - EOW 400L which has been bought by two of our youngest members. 167 has been off the road for many years and it's hoped it will be back on the road in the near future.
 

So 2015 is fast approaching and planning is already under way for another busy year. There's plenty of work to do over the winter for us to be getting on with, buses to tinker with, events to plan and of course, putting our feet up. Keep a check on our website for the latest news and also our Facebook & Twitter pages, which are updated regularly to show what we're up to. Coming soon will be our 2014 review.

Tuesday 2 September 2014

July & August

Since our last blog June, June, June we have been very busy attending numerous events, which has left us no time to write a blog but as it's quietened down a bit now seems the perfect time to report what we’ve been up to:
 
On Saturday 5th & 12th July 133 – TTR 167H took part in the Hedge End and Totton Carnival respectively. On Sunday 13th July 289 – E289 HRV & 432 – NLP 389V attended Fort Nelson where CPTTD were having a rally. Both buses were used in service with 289 going to and from Cosham Bus Station and 432 to Fareham Railway Station. The event at Fort Nelson was the first to be held there and a great day was had by all.

(133 - TTR 167H at Totton Carnival)

(Buses at Fort Nelson) 

The biggest rally to take place in the south is the Alton Bus Rally, which took place on Sunday 20th July. The event saw 6 Southampton buses on display at the event. The buses which were on display were: 71 - LOW 217, 133 – TTR 167H, 274 - KOW 274Y, 335 - 335 AOW, 353 - 373 FCR & 367 - BTR 367B. 133 was used in service on the Alton Town service.



(Southampton Buses at Alton Bus Rally)
 
Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd August saw the Southampton Maritime Festival take place at Southampton Docks. A number of buses were used on the Park & Ride service which linked the Festival to the Railway Station and City Centre and the tour bus. Southampton buses that were at the festival were: 1 - JOW 499E, 64 - FTR 511, 71 - LOW 217, 133 - TTR 167H & 367 - BTR 367B. There was also a number of visiting buses: 748 - JRX 823 (Thames Valley), 1224 – 274 KTA (Western National) and 1577 – LLJ 443F (Hants & Dorset).

(Buses at the Southampton Maritime Festival)
 
1 – JOW 499E passed its M.O.T on Friday 29th August at IM Services in Romsey. As winter is fast approaching it will give us time to get around to jobs that need to be sorted ready for next year, so while there may be no events over the winter, we will be busy behind the scenes sorting out the buses, planning events for 2015 and sorting out other bits and pieces.
The next event we will be at is the Southampton Heritage Weekend part of the Heritage Open Days, which is taking place on Saturday 13th September. A FREE bus service will link heritage venues in Southampton; the free bus starts at SS Shieldhall and then goes via Tudor House and then to the Southampton Old Cemetery (Via City Centre - Castle Way) which is located on Southampton Common. A FREE guided tour bus will also operate from Tudor House.  
 
A busy weekend for us is going to be Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th October, where we have 2 events taking place. One event taking place in Southampton on Saturday 4th October is Music in the City where a number of venues will be open and music will be played. The other event we will be at is the Fareham & District Model Railway Club 'Railex 2014' which is taking place at 1000 Lakeside, Western Rd, Portsmouth, Hampshire. We will be providing a FREE shuttle from Cosham Railway Station to the event via Hilsea Lido Bus Interchange.

Then we’re off to the Isle of Wight on Sunday 19th October for the last event of the season for us, as we attend the Isle of Wight Bus & Coach Museum for their last event at their Newport home before they move to their new home in Ryde. We wish them well at their new home.  

Our last photo shows our new information board at the Southampton Maritime Festival and our chairman David making sure everything is under control.

Sunday 15 June 2014

June, June, June

Our busy month of the year so far has been June with no less than 7 events taking place throughout the month. The first event of the month was on Sunday 1st June, where we provided a free bus from Alton Train Station to Jane Austen’s House in Chawton with 64 - FTR 511. With 54 being in store in the Alton area after the event, 64 was brought back to Southampton as it was needed for events in and around the city.

(64 sits outside Jane Austen’s House in Chawton)

One such event it was needed for was the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay celebrations that took place in Guildhall Square, Southampton on Wednesday 4th June. As 64 is still owned by Southampton City Council along with 71 – LOW 21 and looked after by us on behalf of them, they occasionally need the use of it and on this occasion it was used as a viewing platform for VIP's at the celebrations. Part of BBC South Today was filmed live from the top deck of the bus!

(64 at Guildhall Square, Southampton)
On Sunday 8th June, the Copythorne Steam & Vintage Rally took place; an annual event we go to every year with buses. 64 – FTR 511 was used to do tours of the New Forest. Whilst 1 – JOW 499E and 432 - NLP 389V were both used on the Park & Ride service to and from the event. During the day around 1,000 people were carried on the Park & Ride service and tours of the New Forest. 432 hasn’t been out much of late due to a number of problems but these are slowly being fixed but she is still fit for use.

(64, 432 & 1 at Copythorne Steam & Vintage Rally)
With such nice weather in June, on Thursday 12th we met up with the local Fire Engine Preservation Group, where we had an outing starting from Eastleigh and then making our way throughout Southampton and then The Forest Inn, Ashurst. 133 - TTR 167H was used for the trip. A nice evening was had by all.

(133 - TTR 167H at the Forest Inn, Ashurst)
 
2014 is the 50th years of Southampton becoming a City and on Sunday 22nd June a party was organised at Bedford Place in the City Centre. The event was organised by the Bedford Place Traders and the event was themed as a Vintage Family Festival. 64 was on display at the event and a good day was had by all.
 
(64 - FTR 511 in Bedford Place)
 
On Saturday 28th June, 133 - TTR 167 made a visit to Wordsworth School, who were having a summer fete and invited us to bring a bus along to the event. The day after on Sunday 29th June, 289 - E289 HRV was out and about this time; making the trip to Ringwood where the Wessex Transport Society were having a bus rally in the town.

(133 - TTR 167H along side the Mayor's car at Wordsworht School)
 
(289 - E289 HRV at the Ringwood Bus Rally)
 

 So the busy month of June is over and now the slightly less busy month of July starts. We will be at Hedge End (Saturday 5th July) & Totton (Saturday 12th July) carnivals. The buses will also be at two bus rallies. Fort Nelson on Portsdown Hill, which is being organised by our friends at the CPPTD - The City of Portsmouth Preserved Transport Depot on Sunday 13th July. Then on Sunday 20th July the buses will be off to one of the biggest bus rallies in the south of England, The Alton Bus Rally, which takes place in Anstey Park in town.

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Busy times

It’s been a few weeks since our last blog. We’ve been very busy over the last couple of months getting the buses ready for the season ahead including M.O.T's and attending and planning for many events. Here's our summary of what's been going on.

April was a very busy month with no less than 4 buses gaining their M.O.T, those buses being 64 – FTR 511, 71 – LOW 217, 133 – TTR 167 and 402 – KOW 910F , and all of them passed at I M services in Romsey.

In other news, 289 – E289 HRV's number flip dot destination screen is back working after a few years of being broken. 111 – G111 XOW, 141 – WOW 531J and 268 – FTR 268X which all for many years have been stored next to the M27 at Jct 3 have been moved to a new location so that work can be undertaken by their owners. 274 – KOW 274Y has also got a new owner after being sold by its original owner. The coach seats that were recently saved by us from The Newport Inn, Braishfield, Hampshire have gone to a new home in Leicestershire, where it's hoped they will end up back in a restored coach.

289 displaying a route it would have done many times

Since the trip to Swanage on 289 in March, we have attended more events. Saturday 12th April saw 64 – FTR 511 head to Riverside Park in Bitterne for a community event. 71 – LOW 217 was on display at the Watercress Line for the Thomas the Tank Engine railway also. After being off the road for much of last year 133 – TTR 167H attended its first event of the year where it went to Berrywood Primary School in Hedge End on Friday 2nd May, where they were having a Car Fest to help their pupils learn more about vehicles. Tuesday 6th May 1 – JOW 499E attended the unveiling of a Red Wheel plaque at the former Southampton Terminus Station, which is now a casino but was once the main station in the City. No 1 was out again over the weekend of Saturday 17th May and Sunday 18th May where it attended the Bill Target Steam Rally

 No 1 at the Bill Target Steam Rally
 
We get all sorts of requests sent to us for us to attend events. We do try our very best to attend as many as we can but as we are all volunteers we give up our own time for these events, which sadly means that if nobody is available then we have to give it a miss. With this in mind we are always on the lookout for more volunteers to help look after the buses and attend events. If you think you can give up some of your spare time to help then all you have to do is drop us an email.

Even our website manager Tom, has been busy passing his PCV test in April. Do look out for him driving one of the old buses soon.
 


Tom proudly holding his newly-acquired certificate
 
Planning is well under way for this year’s Southampton Maritime Festival where we will be out and about providing the free heritage shuttle bus; and new this year is a tour of the town. The timetable is nearly finished and it’s hoped it will be released soon but basically buses will run every 30 mins and more buses will run if required (this will be decided on the days). Tickets for the free tour of City can be booked online here.
 

Looking ahead to the coming months, we will be at many events throughout the summer so check out our Events List on our website for the full list of events we will be at.

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Spring Update...

After our first blog of the year “It may be wet but there's still plenty to do...” a few weeks ago , we have had a lot going on, and as ever we're still busy doing bits and bobs.

 
So what have we been up to? As usual we were at the Solent Model Railway Group Show at Fleming Park in Eastleigh over the weekend of Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd February, providing the free shuttle bus between the show and Eastleigh Railway Station and Southampton Airport Parkway Station. As it always is, it was a good weekend and around 300 passenger journeys were made. 1 – JOW 499E was used for the shuttle and since then it has had its ‘PAY AS YOU ENTER’ and ‘NO ENTRY’ signs applied to the exterior and work has also been carried on the interior where it's had a interior mirror and a sun visor fitted. There are still many jobs on the Swift to do but slowly they're getting done.

289 – E289 HRV, which is now owned by members of the Trust, successfully passed its M.O.T on Friday 7th March at I M Services in Romsey. An M.O.T station that comes very highly recommended. For the time being 289 will stay in its green livery which it gained whilst at Xelabus.  The cab has had a lick of paint to tidy it up and the number destination blind, which is a Flip-Dot on 289, has been fixed and is now working for the first time in many years. Over time it’s hoped that the seat frames can be painted. We will of course keep you updated.

On Sunday 16th March, 289 went on a member’s trip to the Swanage Railway which was holding a London & South Western Railway Event. A great day was had by all after what has been a wet winter; it was nice to have a day out in the sun.

133 – TTR 167H which has been off the road for a few months is slowly being put back together after its front offside spring needed to be repaired due to cracks in one of the leaves. It’s hoped 133 will be back on the road soon and ready for the coming show and rally season.