‘Scene’ in Southsea and Portsmouth 2

A recent short holiday at the side of the Solent gave me an opportunity to see what transport variety was on offer.

 

Apart from the buses, there are trains, Hovercraft, The Royal Navy and Merchant shipping fleets. 

 

Something for everyone I should think.

 

Buses are provided mainly by ‘Stagecoach’ and ‘First Hants & Dorset’ (FHD). However, in what normally are fairly standardised fleets, I found much of interest.

 

Apart from the dedicated livery on ‘The Star’ ‘FHD’ operate in more standard colours also.

 

SN14 ECC

 

A Wright ‘Streetlite’ DF.

 

The standard ‘FHD’ livery carries the branding ‘SOLENT’ on the cove panel.

 

S630 KTP

 Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork and still wearing the old ‘Barbie’ livery.

 

It is now 3 years since the livery to replace ‘Barbie’ was introduced so how much longer can she hang on for ????

 

S799 RWG

A Volvo B10 BLE with Wright Renown bodywork.

 

GX10 HBG

 

A Scania 230UD the ‘Alexander Dennis Ltd’ Enviro 400 bodywork of ‘Stagecoach in the South Downs’ in the dedicated route 700 ‘coastliner’ livery.

 

Seen helping out on the 23, it is usually seen operating between Portsmouth and Brighton.

 

YN54 NZA

A Scania CN94UB OmniCity of ‘FHD’.

 

KX09 NCE

 

A Volvo B12B with Plaxton Panther bodywork.

 

Operated by ‘Stagecoach’ subsidiary ‘megabus.com’. 

 

Seen waiting at the ‘Hard’ bus station in Portsmouth before operating a service to my home town, Sheffield.

 

S642 XCR

 

A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork of ‘FHD’.

 

I was a bit surprised that this now elderly bus was in the new ‘First’ livery whilst newer buses were still wearing the ‘Barbie’ colours.

 

S372 SUX

A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodywork of ‘FHD’.

 

I was intrigued by the appearance on the roof of what appears to be an air conditioning pack. An internet search into the buses background found that it had been originally supplied to ‘New World First Bus’ in Hong Kong along with another example S659 SNG.

 

I presume the a/c pack was for the Hong Kong conditions and it has never been removed 

 

Both were sold to ‘First’ group in the UK in 2000.

 

‘Buses’ magazine for January 2016 carries an article about this bus on page 64 which records its history and records its sale into preservation.

 

This image taken from the top of the ‘Spinnaker’ tower make the bus station at the ‘Hard’ together with the nearby Portsmouth Harbour railway station look like models.

V346 DLH

A Dennis Dart SLF with Marshall Capital bodywork of ‘FHD’.

 

An unusual angle captured from the top of the ‘Spinnaker’ tower.

 

YJ05 XOP

 

A short Optare Solo seen in the ‘new’ ‘FHD’ livery.