VRs normally in Southampton area:
149-165 (conductor operated routes 16/18/19) - these were 'Highbridge' vehicles with automatic gearboxes and 6LXB engines, though when new with Ribble until the mid-80s they had 501 engines and semi-auto gearboxes.
Also in Southampton in late 1989 (VRs known of) - 36, 41-43/9, 73/6, 85-7/9, 96-7.
1990 (those known of) - 36, 75/8, 85, 87, 89, 96, 97, 149-165
Number - Reg - last registered - first registered - notes
149 - LHG449T - 24/06/98 - 06/06/79
150 - LHG450T - 01/04/00 - 23/03/79
151 - LHG451T - 11/06/01 - 22/06/79
152 - LHG452T - 01/06/00 - 22/06/79
153 - LHG453T - 28/10/95 - 22/06/79
154 - LHG454T - 28/04/99 - 22/06/79
155 - LHG455T - 01/01/01 - 02/07/79
156 - LHG456T - 28/04/99 - 22/06/79
157 - LHG457T - 20/09/00 - 22/06/79 (last registered with Brijans, left SBL in xx/xx)
158 - LHG458T - 01/07/96 - 02/07/79
159 - LHG459T - 07/08/00 - 02/07/79 (last registered with Brijans, left SBL in xx/xx)
160 - TRN460V - 01/07/01 - 01/12/79
161 - TRN461V - 01/12/00 - 01/12/79
162 - TRN462V - 14/09/99 - 01/12/79
163 - TRN463V - 01/12/00 - 01/12/79
164 - TRN464V - 24/06/98 - 01/12/79
165 - TRN465V - 24/06/98 - 01/12/79
All of the above began life with Leyland 501 engines and semi automatic transmission, high speed provided by the 501 power units were useful for long distance running. LHG449-59T and TRN460-5V were new to Ribble as 1449-65 and were based at Carlisle for their entire Ribble careers, passing to Cumberland in February 1986 along with the Carlisle & Penrith operations. When Stagecoach acquired Cumberland these were transferred to Hampshire Bus in exchange for a motley selection of ex-London D.M.S. Fleetlines & Van Hool-McArdle bodied Volvo Ailsas that were new to South Yorkshire P.T.E. The VRs passed to Solent Blue Line when Stagecoach disposed of its Southampton area operations.
Only one of these buses operated in the Lancaster & Morecambe area, this being 1460, TRN460V that was loaned for a spell whilst it was in a light blue allover advert livery for British Telecom. There were a number of fullheight VRs based in the Lancaster & Morecambe area, these being 1437-48, LHG437-48T and these were shared between Lancaster & Morecambe depots. Whilst they had their Leyland engines they were used on out of town services but after being fitted with Gardner 6LXBs by the mid 80s they were taken off longer distance routes as the performance was considered much poorer, they then tended to mostly be used on services 470-2 between Heysham, Morecambe, Lancaster and the University from then on.
When they were re-engined with 6LXBs they also received (three speed) fully automatic gearboxes, presumably(?) including LHG437T-448T, though LHG438T and LHG439T (new in '78) are confirmed as now having semi-automatics. They too also have 6LXB engines.
The auto gear-changes gave a slight momentary pause between gears, setting off from a stand in first gear and going up through to fifth (rather than starting in 2nd). Recent debate suggests that most automatic VRs would usually start in 2nd gear except for the ex-Ribble vehicles, though a recent ride on ex-Cardiff CTX391V shows that it was not just those that would start in 1st.
36 - NDL636M - 14/07/90 - 24/10/73
41 - NDL641M - short term hire from Southern Vectis
42 - NDL642M - short term hire from Southern Vectis
43 - HDL - short term hire from Southern Vectis
49 - HDL - very short term hire from Southern Vectis
73 - NJT 33P - 01/10/90 - 21/05/76
76 - KPR 36P - 08/06/90 - 12/08/75
85 - RPR715R - 01/09/99 - 19/04/77 (last registered with Clydach)
86 - NEL116P - 12/03/90 - 01/05/76
87 - RPR717R - 15/08/95 - 26/04/77 (exported to USA)
89 - VPR489S - 01/10/96 - 01/04/78
96 - BFX576T - 01/10/01 - 20/03/79
97 - BFX577T - 19/08/97 - 16/03/79
photo copyright of Shaun C
149 - LHG449T at Ocean Village in 1990. This may have been the lowest numbered vehicle of the batch in Southampton, but the former Ribble batch started at LHG437T. Many still carried the full original Ribble fleetnumbers inside, 149's was 1449, others simply had the extra number removed.
photo copyright of Shaun C
LHG457T at Romsey on an 18 in 1990.
photo copyright of Shaun C
LHG457T in Southampton, 1990.
photo copyright of Shaun C
Route 47 when operated by Hampshire Bus in the 80s, above is KRU839W in Southampton.
photo copyright of the editor
Below five added on December 1st:
The first livery carried by LHG455T was NBC red, its first repaint involved receiving all over yellow when advertising TNT parcels service, seen at Above Bar Street on 16/10/88.
photo copyright of Steve Martin
During early 1990, 155 - LHG455T (and a Leyland National) received this bright advert for the Solent's 'Power FM' radio station. The advert is thought to have been carried for less than a year. 155 was seen entering Vincents Walk in Southampton on 22nd May 1990.
photo copyright of Steve Martin
It's possible that this was the only one of the 149-165 batch that never carried the diagonal stripes livery, it received this giant version of the minibus livery when the advert expired. Again at Vincents Walk but three years later on 22/05/93.
photo copyright of Steve Martin
'Nick Girdler' (a breakfast time DJ on the radio station advertised) VPR489S entering Vincents Walk on 22/05/90. 149-165 were designated 'Conductor Bus' vehicles, but low height vehicles operated the conductor bus routes frequently, as shown here by 89 working a route 16 to Hamble.
photo copyright of Steve Martin
TRN460V arriving at Vincents Walk on 9th June 1990 on route 45, proof that even back in 1990 the 'Conductor Bus' VRs didn't always operate with conductors!
photo copyright of Steve Martin
Below added in November:
The first Solent Blue Line livery was that demonstrated by preserved NDL637M (shown further down in the November news below), by the late '90s the above style had been introduced with diagonal stripes down the bodyside. Number 87, RPR717R shows the original version including white fleetnumbers in this 25/02/91 view in Southampton. It also had a full height rear end advert.
photo copyright of David Oborn
97 - BFX577T in Southampton on 29/11/94 shows the updated style which has a blue skirt around the front end underneath the yellow section only. Note the 'Solent Blue Line' logo is positioned centrally in the dark blue area, compared to the shot of 87 above. As the 'Blue Line' name is included on the front panel, a white fleet number is on the nearside corner (out of view in this photo).
photo copyright of David Oborn
1990s SBL repaints, shown on 109 - UDL669S above in Southampton on 25/11/96 had a blue skirt all the way around the bottom of the bus, unlike 97 in the previous photo. The Solent Blue Line name is shown around the destination box, and the fleetnumbers were dark blue by this time and were included on the offside too, they hadn't been originally.
photo copyright of David Oborn
106 - ODL666R has an unusual version of the later style - it has the blue skirt all around the bottom of the vehicle but the thin white diagonal lining continues through the blue skirt, on other vehicles it finished above the skirt as the lining was used near the separation of the light blue and dark blue stripes. On this one the blue around the front bumper is very thin as well, and there is no white stripe around the front roof dome above the top deck front windows. This photo was taken in Southampton on 29/11/94.
photo copyright of David Oborn
LHG455T in Southampton on 12/01/98, in one of Solent Blue Line's experimental liveries (anyone have a photo of this in the red and white 'Power FM' advert?)
photo copyright of David Oborn
YDL676T in Southampton, circa 2001.
photo copyright of David Symes
FDL677V in Southampton, circa 2001.
photo copyright of David Symes
One of the last high VRs to work for Solent Blue Line was LHG451T, seen at Barton Park after having been taken out of service, circa 2001.
photo copyright of David Symes
LHG451T.
photo copyright of David Symes
LHG451T, a TTT???X Olympian and preserved VR UUF110J at Barton Park.
photo copyright of David Symes
Other
The most recent VRs that Solent Blue Line operated were WTG360T and UFX857S which were used on the New Forest Tour. In what was likely to be 2005, WTG360T is seen at Exbury Gardens.
photo copyright of David Symes
WTG360T at Lymington.
photo copyright of David Symes
The other vehicle to carry the WTG360T registration - a trailer that the VR towed around on the tour, which carried route number 149 (most of the time at least), seen in Lymington loading a bike.
photo copyright of David Symes
Inside the trailer of WTG360T.
photo copyright of David Symes
NDL637M at Winchester on Saturday 15th November 2008 on a celebration trip of the former route 47 from Southampton to Winchester. Solent Blue Line operated the route from the early 90s, though it is now route 1 on the Bluestar network.
photo copyright of Chris Finch
UFX858S at Winchester too, this was the other VR present on 15/11/08. NDL637M would not have operated the 47 before apart from at the King Alfred events on New Years Days, and the same is possibly true for UFX858S - Hampshire Bus operated the 47 until the early 90s though VR operation with Hampshire Bus on the route had finished by at least 1989. Southampton Citybus operated the route for a while then, including the use of Atlanteans, Solent Blue Line took over the route and VR operation returned, worked mostly by the LHG/TRN batch of ex Ribble VRs - sadly all of the Solent Blue Line examples are now scrapped. Archive Solent Blue Line/ Alder Valley/ Hampshire Bus photo's would be very welcome to the usual address, especially from the late 80s/early 90s.
photo copyright of Chris Finch
