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First South West (Kernow & Buses of Somerset)

richw

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33240 left for the bus residential home in Devon today. Engine went sick on route and needed a hand from Cornwall commercials to complete the journey
 
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RailUK Forums

richw

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11036 AN02 EDN ex-Dublin Airport
11038 CN02 EDN ex-Dublin Airport
11041 LK05 FDC ex-Uno
11085 Y1 EDN ex-GoSouth Coast
11086 BX54 UDL ex-GoSouth Coast
11087 Y2 EDN ex-GoSouth Coast
11116 BJ03 ESY ex-National Express Coventry
11117 BJ03 ETL ex-National Express Coventry
I think this is the total Eden fleet

11086 and 11116 both now gone for scrap
 

Goldfish62

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Short Solo SRs 83860/2/4/5 are plying their trade at Penzance on the A1 and A17 today. Possibly the first time these buses have operated in the far west?
 

Busaholic

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The 11.52 A17 off Market Jew Street that is meant to be a through St Ives service was only going to Penzance. I observed at least five passengers on board, but there might have been two or three more.
 

Busaholic

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Strange at 6.45 p.m. today to see absolutely no buses parked up awaiting service at Pz bus stn, but I guess one is going to have to get used to that. A T1 had just arrived, though, in the correct livery.
 

Yarp1

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21 Mar 2020
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Cornwall
Ye I found that in the end very odd to see bendy on the road but there being moved to storage, I was looking at the first kernow outstands and I couldnt find padstow one is is it literally a field next to tescos as cant tell and no buses parked near the address provided
It is the field next to Tesco's.buses can be seen from road normally
 

TheGrandWazoo

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What ever happened to the 12 plate enviro 400 kernow had with there tested livery they were really nice

There was one with an experimental livery (33660). The others 33658/9/61/2/4-7 (except 33659) had unibus branding on top of their First urban livery.

All moved to First West of England at Hengrove depot in Bristol. 33660 regained First urban livery, and all received orange fronts for service 50. With a PVR reduction, 33666/7 went to Weston super Mare and gained orange Excel livery.

However, all have now gone to Wells depot and wear blue and gold Mendip Explorer livery - https://www.flickr.com/photos/77751183@N07/49070420458/in/photolist-2hLbJq3
 

Lizard1324

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Cornwall
There was one with an experimental livery (33660). The others 33658/9/61/2/4-7 (except 33659) had unibus branding on top of their First urban livery.


All moved to First West of England at Hengrove depot in Bristol. 33660 regained First urban livery, and all received orange fronts for service 50. With a PVR reduction, 33666/7 went to Weston super Mare and gained orange Excel livery.

However, all have now gone to Wells depot and wear blue and gold Mendip Explorer livery - https://www.flickr.com/photos/77751183@N07/49070420458/in/photolist-2hLbJq3
Interesting as saw photos of 12 plate e400 and I was wondering why we got newer buses and then lost them again?
Were they brand new to kernow.
Wish they used the paint livery on more buses as it look really good
 

Lizard1324

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A question every old images of kernow buses it says devon and cornwall and I know first cornwall was rebranded as kernow did first devon exist and if it did what happened?
 

carlberry

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A question every old images of kernow buses it says devon and cornwall and I know first cornwall was rebranded as kernow did first devon exist and if it did what happened?
First South West was renamed from First Devon and Cornwall in October 2015 (and that had been renamed from First Western National in 2004 and Western National in 1999.)
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Interesting as saw photos of 12 plate e400 and I was wondering why we got newer buses and then lost them again?
Were they brand new to kernow.
Wish they used the paint livery on more buses as it look really good

I don’t know what you mean by “the paint livery”? Which one?

2012 Enviros were new for Olympic Games transport and immediately went to Plymouth for P&R work. Then moved to Tavistock before moving to Cornwall for use at Falmouth in late 2014.


A question every old images of kernow buses it says devon and cornwall and I know first cornwall was rebranded as kernow did first devon exist and if it did what happened?

I’m genuinely not being rude but how old are you? This isn’t stuff from many years ago.
 

Flinn Reed

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8 Dec 2017
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First South West was renamed from First Devon and Cornwall in October 2015 (and that had been renamed from First Western National in 2004 and Western National in 1999.)
What division was 'Buses of Somerset' under before First South West was introduced?

I think it would make more sense for Buses of Somerset to be part of First West of England, with the BoS areas being close to network at Wells and Weston super Mare.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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What division was 'Buses of Somerset' under before First South West was introduced?

I think it would make more sense for Buses of Somerset to be part of First West of England, with the BoS areas being close to network at Wells and Weston super Mare.
History time....

Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil AND Weymouth/ Bridport were originally Southern National which First purchased in 1999 from its management.

After a while, it was carved up and the Dorset Ops went to First Hampshire and the Somerset ones did go under First Somerset and Avon (Now FWE). At some point, Yeovil transferred to FHD control at Weymouth - I forget why but might have been to do with the Dorset tender exercise and having one OpCo doing it all.

Thr Taunton and Bridgwater Ops were always the poor relation compared to the old Badgerline Ops and were neglected so they were split and put under the control of FSW in 2013 with the BoS brand appearing the following year. Eventually Yeovil was returned to the Taunton fold in 2016.

So to answer your question....it has been tried before.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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BoS is probably a more natural fit to Kernow than Bristol. Rural running etc!

There is that. Also, the Somerset levels is quite a natural border between the operations around Weston and Wells, and those further South. There's one main bus service (Taunton to Burnham) and then three others that all run less than hourly into Wells from Bridgwater/Taunton/Yeovil so there's no great affinity.
 

iantherev

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I think part of the problem is that BoS isn't really a natural fit anywhere so it's finding the least worst outcome. I suspect that given the retrenchment from the ends of the network going on at First West of England, BoS may well be better off where it is.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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I think part of the problem is that BoS isn't really a natural fit anywhere so it's finding the least worst outcome. I suspect that given the retrenchment from the ends of the network going on at First West of England, BoS may well be better off where it is.

Very true. To be honest, I think it would make more sense for First Weymouth to sit with FSW rather than FHD and almost resurrect the old Southern National.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Plus Trowbridge and Stroud!

Sorry - you're right. I was talking of the second coming of SN (the late NBC/Cawlett) rather than the very old (or even the third coming at HP3) ;) Mind you, First have done a decent job of extricating themselves from Trowbridge anyway!!!

I think I read that when Bristol OC took Trowbridge on, there were mutterings that it could be a swap for Wells and Highbridge depots but that obviously didn't materialise.
 

Lizard1324

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I don’t know what you mean by “the paint livery”? Which one?

2012 Enviros were new for Olympic Games transport and immediately went to Plymouth for P&R work. Then moved to Tavistock before moving to Cornwall for use at Falmouth in late 2014.




I’m genuinely not being rude but how old are you? This isn’t stuff from many years ago.
I didnt mean it was along time ago just a few years ago, just remember seeing the 12 plate e400 when they were in and around Cornwall and wonder how we needed up getting them, and I've never really researched about the devon part of first till recently.
 

MB162435

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Penryn
Marc just tweeted that the last Javelin, UVG, and BMCs have now made their quite farewell to Cornwall
 

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