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 13^th 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 4^th 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.