90 years
Another shot of the last day of Stagecoach's participation on the 12 between Eastbourne and Brighton. A second of the Northern Counties bodied Volvo Citybuses was borrowed from Chichester, being 302 or 15202 (F302 MYJ) seen here at Seaford, which had been repainted in original livery to mark Southdown's 90th anniversary. The east West Sussex and west East Sussex area is one of the few locations that Stagecoach nationally hasn't managed to make work, although they did get back into Eastbourne by buying up the incumbent former municipal and its competitor.
The building behind the fence on the right is the former Southdown Seaford garage, which has since been demolished. It's on a lower level than the road pictured! It had been built in the 1950s and closed sometime in the late 1970s or very early 1980s, latterly being used as a removals depository, although buses were still stabled on the forecourt right through until Stagecoach sold the operation to Go-Ahead. Buses are now outstationed in nearby Newhaven.
Obviously this year (2015) is Southdown's centenary, and whilst it is due to be celebrated, technically all operations ceased last autumn with the wholesale transfer of everything onto the Stagecoach (South) licence. I did wonder whether they would end up renaming Stagecoach (South).... they still might, we shall see.
90 years
Another shot of the last day of Stagecoach's participation on the 12 between Eastbourne and Brighton. A second of the Northern Counties bodied Volvo Citybuses was borrowed from Chichester, being 302 or 15202 (F302 MYJ) seen here at Seaford, which had been repainted in original livery to mark Southdown's 90th anniversary. The east West Sussex and west East Sussex area is one of the few locations that Stagecoach nationally hasn't managed to make work, although they did get back into Eastbourne by buying up the incumbent former municipal and its competitor.
The building behind the fence on the right is the former Southdown Seaford garage, which has since been demolished. It's on a lower level than the road pictured! It had been built in the 1950s and closed sometime in the late 1970s or very early 1980s, latterly being used as a removals depository, although buses were still stabled on the forecourt right through until Stagecoach sold the operation to Go-Ahead. Buses are now outstationed in nearby Newhaven.
Obviously this year (2015) is Southdown's centenary, and whilst it is due to be celebrated, technically all operations ceased last autumn with the wholesale transfer of everything onto the Stagecoach (South) licence. I did wonder whether they would end up renaming Stagecoach (South).... they still might, we shall see.