Sea Breezer Ceases Breezing
The Southern Vectis open top leaflet has recently been published - and something is missing.
In 2025 Vectis took a step back in time by operating an open top bus between Ryde and the fbbs' former alma mater, Seaview.
OK, these pictures are from a Ryde Bus Museum event, but fbb does remember open tops on the 7 ...
... a route which hardly saw the sea, taking the inland route to the village.
It was a bus like the above that ran open top to Seaview. Last year it was something like this.
The service ran "one bus in steam" with a lunch break for drivers hours.
The route saw more of the sea than the old 7 ...
... with a circuit of the boating lake at Ryde ...
... and the full length of the coastal road between Puckpool and Seaview.
... passing very close to the fbb's former pad!
The route was even equipped with its own bus stop flags!
But, from an "experience" point of view, over half the route was via very ordinary suburban housing ...
To add to the disadvantages of the route, local passengers were discouraged by a lack of local fares.
The Sea Breezer, with less than 50% of "sea", did not "perform up to expectations".
So this potentially enjoyable short trip for Ryde visitors attracted very few locals who might have 'talked it up'.
it will not reappear this season.
Go-Op Go or Stop?
Remember this open access proposal?
The company won access rights for a very different service along rural lines. So far all open access schemes have been for inter city routes.
the idea is that the project would be 'crowd funded' with a broad invitation for investors to come on board.
But they haven't - well, not enough of them and not enough with deep, well filled pockets.
The company is probably in the last chance saloon.
Here, the directors gaze enthusiastically on their possible territory, a vision which may, sadly, evaporate.
Pity!
Large Lumbering Lorries
In previous blogs, fbb has commented (adversely) about some of the misleading 'headline' pictures used by YouTubers to persuade viewers to open and 'enjoy' their unrealistic efforts.
Here is one for lovers of road transport, definitely transport used by the public, albeit indirectly. We would be lost without large lumbering lorries!
So here is a typical example.
As usual, the very long 'road train' does NOT appear anywhere in the body of the video.
But a collection of pictures from the wilder parts of Australia seemed, initially at least, to be going in the same sensationalist direction.
But the above headline shot was for real; indeed the above 'rig' was hauling FOUR trailers, not three.
And not a drop if Artificial Insanity in use!
Some are not quite as long, but very tall ...
... needing to avoid not just low but reasonably high bridges.
And another long 'un!
fbb does not expect to meet such a beast in nearby Axmouth!
In the UK, heavy and long truckin' does happen, but with expert support throughout the journey. Historically, Pickfords was the star if this trade in fbb's youth.
Allelys is often the go-to haulier these days ...
... being particularly well-known for locomotive transport!
Still not ideal for a quick nip round Seaton; maybe not Lyme Regis either!
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Having spent an age building a small fleet of OO Newton Chambers car carriers, their proud owner looked and looked again ...
... and to his profound disappointment the car carriers were a few critical millimetres too tall! They should be the same height as their accompanying sleeping cars.
Palpably, they isn't (kit on the left)!
Their creator shrugs his shoulders and closes his video.
In a later YouTube video, however, he does review, very enthusiastically, three ready-to-run ready-built Heljan models of the same vehicle ...
... and they are the right height ...
Did he consign carefully crafted kit carriages to the coach crusher?
... as seen in this direct comparison picture.
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Next single decker blog : Mon 20 April
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