Rail Replacements and Hire-ins

[Sun Chariot]

This week sees track infrastructure work at Portsmouth Harbour and around Fareham. Rail Replacement buses are a real mixture, to my eyes (I have zero bus knowledge ).

Apart from the Enviros - which seem to be of different body lengths - I have no idea what the others are. I'd appreciate a kind person telling me. Thanks in advance.

 

[richw]

Google the registration plates and full info for each comes up.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Google the registration plates and full info for each comes up.

Ah brilliant, many thanks. I hadn't thought of trying that approach

 

[richw]

Ah brilliant, many thanks. I hadn't thought of trying that approach

If not google Flickr search can bring up many other photos of the buses with details

 

[Sun Chariot]

If not google Flickr search can bring up many other photos of the buses with details

Will do - many thanks

 

[MasterSpenny]

This week sees track infrastructure work at Portsmouth Harbour and around Fareham. Rail Replacement buses are a real mixture, to my eyes (I have zero bus knowledge ).

Apart from the Enviros - which seem to be of different body lengths - I have no idea what the others are. I'd appreciate a kind person telling me. Thanks in advance.

To the best of my knowledge, the images in the first post type of bus are:

• The first image of SK23CUV is a Mortons Travel Enviro 400 MMC
• The Mayflower bus is a Scania N230UD chassis Scania OmniCity
• Not so sure on the 3rd image, feel free to quote me
• The 4th image is a North Dorset owned Yutong TC9
• The 5th image you’re attached is a London spec Enviro 400 operated by Go-Ahead London.

 

[richw]

Not so sure on the 3rd image, feel free to quote me

Volvo B9TL east lancs Olympus, although depending on its age it may be branded as an Optare Olympus as Optare acquired East Lancs in the last 00s and all future vehicles were plated as Optares losing the East lancs brand

 

[Sun Chariot]

To the best of my knowledge, the images in the first post type of bus are:

• The first image of SK23CUV is a Mortons Travel Enviro 400 MMC
• The Mayflower bus is a Scania N230UD chassis Scania OmniCity
• Not so sure on the 3rd image, feel free to quote me
• The 4th image is a North Dorset owned Yutong TC9
• The 5th image you’re attached is a London spec Enviro 400 operated by Go-Ahead London.

That's brilliant, thank you!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Feb 2024 ==

Volvo B9TL east lancs Olympus, although depending on its age it may be branded as an Optare Olympus as Optare acquired East Lancs in the last 00s and all future vehicles were plated as Optares losing the East lancs brand

And thanks, too, for the interesting insight on this one.

 

[Snow1964]

Seems to be the way now, subcontract to lots of companies.

The Bath-Westbury bus service at weekends had at least 3 coach companies (didn't see any buses), including Chandlers of Westbury, Excelsior of Bournemouth, another one I have forgotten name of.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Seems to be the way now, subcontract to lots of companies.

The Bath-Westbury bus service at weekends had at least 3 coach companies (didn't see any buses), including Chandlers of Westbury, Excelsior ofŔ Bournemouth, another one I have forgotten name of.

It's a colourful change here. Autumn 2023, a Brighton & Hove branded bus was on West Coastway rail replacement duties - and some very confused looks on Havant's disembarking rail passengers!

 

[Wyrleybart]

Just googled the Tri axle and it is apparently a Volvo B9TL chassis

ODL 678. Chassis: Volvo B9TL. Body: Optare Olympus. Operator: Xelabus. Fleet number: 601. Depot: Eastleigh. Status: Active - passenger use.


Were all tri axle buses ex Hong Kong or were some registered new to the UK ? O obviously know plenty of tri axle coaches are registered here.

 

[darloscott]

To the best of my knowledge, the images in the first post type of bus are:

• The first image of SK23CUV is a Mortons Travel Enviro 400 MMC
• The Mayflower bus is a Scania N230UD chassis Scania OmniCity
• Not so sure on the 3rd image, feel free to quote me
• The 4th image is a North Dorset owned Yutong TC9
• The 5th image you’re attached is a London spec Enviro 400 operated by Go-Ahead London.

The coach isn’t a TC9, that’s a Volvo Panther 3… I don’t know which type but it looks like a B8R, could be a B11R

 

[Sun Chariot]

Thanks all for your help and insight. I hadn't realised so much variety in the bodies and chassis combinations.

 

[hst43102]

Just googled the Tri axle and it is apparently a Volvo B9TL chassis

ODL 678. Chassis: Volvo B9TL. Body: Optare Olympus. Operator: Xelabus. Fleet number: 601. Depot: Eastleigh. Status: Active - passenger use.


Were all tri axle buses ex Hong Kong or were some registered new to the UK ? O obviously know plenty of tri axle coaches are registered here.

Many tri axle decker have been new to the UK, including all Olympus bodied examples. This one was new as LJ58GCK to Tellings Golden Miller.

 

[Eyersey468]

Thanks all for your help and insight. I hadn't realised so much variety in the bodies and chassis combinations.

There is a lot of variety in body/chassis combinations in the UK

 

[GusB]

Thanks all for your help and insight. I hadn't realised so much variety in the bodies and chassis combinations.

There is still some variety these days, but with manufacturers disappearing and the remainder becoming more vertically integrated over the years, there's far less than there once was.

 

[318266]

The coach isn’t a TC9, that’s a Volvo Panther 3… I don’t know which type but it looks like a B8R, could be a B11R

B8R, formerly YX66 WNF

 

[richw]

The coach isn’t a TC9, that’s a Volvo Panther 3… I don’t know which type but it looks like a B8R, could be a B11R

Someone Googled the registration and didn’t check it was the same vehicle and private plate had been transferred.

Something to bear in mind when google searching the vehicles is that private registrations are the same vehicle

 

[Sun Chariot]

The past two weekends have seen rail replacements on the West Coastway and the bottom of Portsmouth Direct Line.
Mostly a variety of coaches plus the odd single-decker; but these three added a splash of colour:
a Wright Eclipse Gemini 2,
an Enviro 400 City,
an Enviro 400 MMC (with longer body than our local 400s).

A question for forum experts -
The Enviro 400 City here is, I believe, one of two ordered by Southern Transit.
You can see that it has glass roof panels. I haven't seen any online images of other Enviro 400 City thus fitted.
Is that feature unique to Southern Transit's pair?

 

[Sun Chariot]

I've expanded this thread's scope, so that I can include some other Havant shots:
- Today,'s 23 Southsea (Portsmouth) service has a Swindon-Oxford route escapee.
- For D-Day 80th, one local Enviro has gained an appropriate wrap; but that doll looks rather nightmarish...
- An Enviro 400 has taken quite a bump and awaits recovery...

 

[hst43102]

I've expanded this thread's scope, so I can include three other Havant shots:
- Today,'s 23 Southsea (Portsmouth) service has a Swindon-Oxford route escapee.
- For D-Day 80th, one local Enviro gained an appropriate wrap - but that doll looks rather nightmarish...
- An Enviro 400 has taken quite a bump and awaits recovery...

And if any reader has insight on the question I posed in post #19, I'd be most appreciative.

When did 15988 have that crash? It's now fully repaired and in service in Oxford.

 

[Sun Chariot]

When did 15988 have that crash? It's now fully repaired and in service in Oxford.

The photo metadata says 26th June 2023. It had been left in a bus stop in Havant.
It was the last Enviro 400 I saw in "700 Coastliner" markings, as MMC fleet had already taken most of the Coastliner turns; and further MMC fleet entered service in mid 2023.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Portsmouth's annual "Victorious" festival of music and arts, on Southsea Common, also involves tight logistics to move campers to and from the festival. That rare thing we on the coast call "sunshine" appeared for a few hours; so here is a small selection of the transport.

I recognise the Wright Geminis (I see different body types on the Gemini 2s - and both differ to the "MetroBus" Gemini 2 on post #19) and the Enviro MMC.
The RML takes me back to when I worked in London - I used route 73 and I'd often hop on Routemasters.

The other buses, I'm unfamiliar with - and I would appreciate steer from wise readers.
And if any reader has insight on the question I posed in post #19, I'd be most appreciative.

 

[RhysHand]

Sure BA are happy with their branded buses being used on that !!

 

[Forbesy]

Portsmouth's annual "Victorious" festival of music and arts, on Southsea Common, also involves tight logistics to move campers to and from the festival. That rare thing we on the coast call "sunshine" appeared for a few hours; so here is a small selection of the transport.

I recognise the Wright Geminis (I see different body types on the Gemini 2s - and both differ to the "MetroBus" Gemini 2 on post #19) and the Enviro MMC.
The RML takes me back to when I worked in London - I used route 73 and I'd often hop on Routemasters.

The other buses, I'm unfamiliar with - and I would appreciate steer from wise readers.
And if any reader has insight on the question I posed in post #19, I'd be most appreciative.

Yellow/Black thing - W20 PAN (ex YJ16 DJO, L26 YNT) Optare Metrodecker MD1050 (Coach Events Services, Hedge End)
Yellow/Red thing - Y514 NHK Dennis Trident / Alexander ALX400 (Bird/Southern Transit, Beeding)
Xela thing - PA06 AHL (ex IoM HMN 246J) - Alexander Dennis Trident / East Lancs Myllennium Lolyne (Xelabus, Eastleigh)

Unfortunatley, I live in Southsea (I can hear who's playing right now through the window ...) and grabbed a load of shots at the business end of the shuttle services - these are being uploaded to my Flickr site if anyone's bored enough to "flick" through them.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Unfortunatley, I live in Southsea (I can hear who's playing right now through the window ...)

And I'd thought our local pub's live racket music, outside every Sunday, was bad enough...
Thanks for that info. I like your Flickr shots. The Brighton & Hove Wrightbus passed me as I headed back eastwards on the A27.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Aug 2024 ==

Sure BA are happy with their branded buses being used on that !!

The helpful info @Forbesy adds into Flickr, makes me think this BA branded one is simply in the BM Coaches pool.
Several BMC Enviro MMCs were being used (others carried BMC logos, though).

Sunday 25-August
A few more photos, before the late-morning's cloud cover.
The A27 west was at a standstill, due to a person hit and sadly killed whilst crossing this busy dual carriageway.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Weekend rail infrastructure work, in the Hilsea and Southsea area, means hire-ins for SWR / GWR services for Portsmouth.
SWR replacements include XelaBus's usual hire-in, plus these interlopers as well.

That XelaBus is my first sight of a "74" reg plate on the road.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Just googled the red and cream decker. Seems it was YN53CFO in a previous life

 

[Sun Chariot]

Just googled the red and cream decker. Seems it was YN53CFO in a previous life

Thanks @Wyrleybart - it surprises me how many fleets have "changed" reg plates.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Stagecoach's Farlington depot is a difficult location to get a photo; but here are two of the resident heritage fleet.
Nearest - I think is a Park Royal (lower height) bodied AEC Renown. East Kent colours.
Next to it - I think is an Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian.