Buses, Trams and Trains at the Seaside

Bob Hodges Transport DVDs

Buses, Trams & Trains at the Seaside

Code: BH143

Description

The common theme of this DVD is that the towns and cities featured are all on the English coast. The city of Brighton and Hove is on the South coast Southend-on-Sea is on the Essex coast and Blackpool is on the Lancashire Coast. The chapters are as follows:

1: The Bendybus in Brighton, Go-Ahead Brighton and Hove acquired 22 of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses from Go-Ahead London between 2012 and 2017. In June 2022, when this video was filmed, 15 remained in service. They were withdrawn on 31st October 2022 because they either could not, or it would have been uneconomic to modify them to comply with the low emission zone that the city council is introducing in Brighton.

2: The Big Lemon Bus Company was started as a community interest company in 2007, today, its Brighton-based operation is almost all electric buses, the latest type to be operated is the Chinese built Higer Steed.

3: Volks Electric Railway on the Brighton seafront was opened in 1883. Built by Magnus Volk it was the first electric railway in the UK. It ran from Palace Pier to Paston Place, now halfway, the line was extended to Black Rock in 1901. Today the line is operated by Brighton and Hove City Council.

4: Ensignbus route 68, the Southend seafront open top service from Southend to Leigh-on-Sea. Ensignbus of Purfleet in Essex took over the operation of the 68 in 2020. Buses used on the service include 3 Volvo B7L/Ayats Bravo and the unique Alexander-Dennis Enviro500 No. 368, 68EB, was built as a test bed in 2001, the bus was acquired in 2020 after very little use, it was converted to open top by Ensignbus and entered service in 2021. Ensignbus has a large heritage fleet, occasionally open top buses from this fleet appear on route 68.

5: Buses in & around Southend-on-Sea. First Essex, Arriva and Stephensons of Rochford are the main operators in the Southend area. An unusual number of heritage liveries can be seen including Southend Corporation, Westcliffe-on-Sea Motors, Easter National and Midland Red, the latter having been transferred by First Bus from the West Midlands despite its heritage livery.

6: Southend Pier Railway, operated by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council opened on 1st August 1890. The pier is 1⅓ of a mile long (2.16km), the longest in the UK. The railway was operated by electric trains from the beginning until 1978 when the railway was closed. The line was re-opened in 1986 with two diesel trains which feature in this video. New battery-electric trains have been delivered and are replacing the diesel trains this year.

7: Buses and trams in Blackpool. This chapter features the modern Flexity trams and several of the heritage trams in operation on the seafront line from Starr Gate to Fleetwood. Blackpool Transport Services buses can also be seen in various parts of the town.