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| Over the bank
holiday weekend at the beginning
of May 1979 Southampton Transport
celebrated its centenary. Although
horse drawn buses had operated
in the town, typically carrying
passengers from the Docks railway
station to their hotels, true
public transport started in 1879. |
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One of the AEC Regent
double deckers (BOW
507C) was given the
new fleet number 100
and was repainted
in the old blue and
cream livery. |
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On the Sunday and
Monday we held a bus
rally on The Common
with preserved and
modern buses and coaches
from all over the
country on display. |
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spent a couple of
hours on car park
duty. |
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| There
were also new buses from Caen and Le Havre
and a preserved open platform Paris bus. On
the Sunday afternoon the vehicles paraded
through the city. There were bands and majorettes
with a firework display in the evening. |
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| Southampton
Corporation Transport Department ran trams
and buses in Southampton from 1879. Southampton's
early double deck trams were of the open-top
variety. When enclosed trams were purchased,
they were of a unique low chassis, domed roof
design to allow them to pass under the city's
mediaeval Bargate city gate. |
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tram network was abandoned in 1949 but, unlike
some other local authorities, Southampton
did not replace their trams with trolleybuses,
but switched directly to diesel buses. While
operating trams, Southampton Corporation,
in common with many authorities, ran their
own power station. This was opposite the down
or docks side of the central train station
but has since been demolished. |
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| 1879 - First
horse drawn trams operated by
the Southampton Tramways Company. |
| 1896 - Southampton
Corporation purchases the Southampton
Electric Light and Power Company. |
| 1898 - Southampton
Corporation takes over Southampton
Tramways Company. |
| 1900 - First
electric trams run between the
Junction and Shirley and between
Holyrood and Stag Gates. |
| 1934 - Southampton
Corporation purchases the Floating
Bridge Company. |
| 1938 - Last
tram to pass under the Bargate. |
| 1949 - End
of tram services. |
| 1977 - Opening
of the Itchen toll bridge and
the last crossing of the floating
bridges. |
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| From
1934, the Corporation operated the floating
bridges (chain ferries) across the river Itchen
between Chapel on the city side and Woolston.
These two bridges ran side by side from 1833
to 1977 when the new road bridge was opened,
but the originals had been replaced in 1962.
Until the new road bridge was opened, separate
bus routes ran from the Woolston side although,
unlike Hants & Dorset, there was no garage
here. On the last night of the floating bridges
there was a celebration on board with a jazz
band and fireworks. |
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