The Southdown Enthusiasts' Club
Founded 1954

We hold Winter Meetings, usually featuring an illustrated talk, often from a prominent
speaker from within the bus industry, in January, March and October.

NON MEMBERS WELCOME.

EVENING MYSTERY TOUR - Friday 29 July 2011

The Club's annual evening mystery tour will take place on Friday 29 July 2011 commencing, as usual, at Hove Station (18:00), picking up at Brighton Station (18:15) then head off into the Sussex countryside to who knows where.

As usual, one or more interesting vehicles is promised and we will, if all goes to plan, finish our tour of the Sussex countryside at a pub for those necessities of life, a good meal and a decent pint (well that's why I go anyway!!). Again, non-members are welcome.

Return to Brighton will be in plenty of time for those needing trains home. So, don't miss it! Download the booking form here.

Print it, fill it in then send it to:-

S.E.C. Mystery Tour Orgainser
13 Rudyard Road
Woodingdean
Brighton
East Sussex
BN2 6UB

(SEC Members should have received their forms enclosed with the April Journal.)

To whet your appetite here are some views of the 2009 and 2008 tours.

Vehicles this time were the recently purchased (from Metrobus) Brighton & Hove Routemaster, RML2317 (CUV317C) and Chris Pearce's ex-Thamesdown Daimler Fleetline/ECW open topper, KMW175P.

Both buses had been repainted recently, the Fleetline in Southdown green and cream - in fact the bus had been collected from the paint shop in Lyminster that afternoon ...

... and the RML in Thomas Tilling livery, reprising the livery carried by buses in Brighton in the 1930s.

Other detail alterations to the RML included the addition of the Thomas Tilling fleetname under the driver's windscreen ...

... and the Thomas Tilling logo in the AEC triangle on the top of the radiator, a nice touch.

The photo stop was made at Washington Recreation Ground in London Road - it's a good job that this section is no longer part of the A24! I sometimes wonder what on-lookers think when they see a coach load of bus enthusiasts spread out across the road like this with their cameras. (The same as some of us regard football crowds I suppose!!)

As the tour buses approached Roundstone Gates, the Fleetline, in the lead, just made it across the railway but the gates came down in front of the RML. Here 175 waits for the RML to get across so that the tour could continue.

A final stop was made along the seafront between Rustington and Littlehampton ...

... before we set off for our evening in Arundel.

Thanks must go to Jim Smith and Gerry Cork for again doing the driving, to Chris Pearce for the loan of the Fleetline and to Brighton & Hove for the RML. A special mention must also be made of the assistance provided by the B&H engineers at Conway Street when 175 failed to start at the beginning of the tour; Gifford Hazle for acting as conductor on the RML and last, but not least by any means, Alan James who organised the whole shindig. Splendid Job.

See you next time.

2008

In 2008, we were fortunate to be able to use Stagecoach's VR JOU160P - now kept at Winchester. Here 160 (which is allocated Stagecoach national fleet number 15760) waits at Hove Station for the second tour vehicle to arrive.

The tour followed at not-very-direct route via Woodingdean, Falmer and Beddingham (c'mon - it was a mystery tour - got to keep 'em guessing!) to reach the A259 at Newhaven. At Bishopstone, the route of the old A259 was followed through the railway arch onto the seafront at Seaford. Here we made a u-turn and parked the buses facing into the sun.

The second vehicle turned out to be the recently converted open topper, Scania 781 in City Sightseeing livery. It is the spare vehicle and can normally be found near Brighton's Palace Pier.

The photostop also called for the two buses to be posed side by side - like this.......

....... and this. Smile please!

Final destination turned out to be Beachy Head - 160, which got there first, poses at the Top of Beachy Head bus stand with appropriate route number in the display. 781 arrived shortly afterwards having apparently got lost in central Eastbourne - some excuse about having to go to the Sovereign Centre to face the right direction for Beachy Head.

Thanks are due to the two drivers, Jim Smith and Gerry Cork, who gave up an evening of their time (and couldn't even have a beer to compensate!), Roger French from Brighton & Hove and Andrew Dyer and Chris Pearce from Stagecoach.