Confused Compilation For Cuwes

Not part of the recent running day, the above vehicle was operating Service 1 to Cowes on service; fairly obvious really, if you look at the blind.

LK58 CWO was previously with GoAhead London …

…. and is standing in for some new buses which are, surprise surprise, running late!

Isle of Wight Alan does not know where the original IoW vehicles have gone …

… thus necessitating the temporary replacement.

Once upon a time …

… SIGH!

Back in the day, service 1 ran frequently between Ryde, Newport and Cowes with a bewildering array of route variations. The route was long standing!

The service was eventually joined by route 2 which ran to Cowes Pontoon where it stopped right at the loading ramps for the Red Funnel ferry to Southampton. This map from 1931 shows that this was the only terminal for Red Funnel.

The floating “pontoon” ensured that customers could get to the boats at all levels of the tide.

Only later did Red Funnel open a terminal in East Cowes. Even after East Cowes became operational it was possible to book you car to West Cowes!

Then the Hydrofoils arrived and fast passenger only services called at West Cowes, leaving the car ferries to dock at East Cowes.

Connection with the fast boats became the province of bread van service 91, later with slightly more acceptable vehicles,

The pontoon terminal is just out of shot to the right.

In he most recent big change of bus routes om the Island, service 1 runs from Newport to Cowes and service 9 from Ryde to Newport. When this change was introduced, the full ten minute frequency ran to the pontoon. Small single deckers were used, necessitating a horrible right hand turn.

Quite a lot of green paint found its way OFF the buses and ON to the walls of the archway!

But most services got through unscathed!

The service is still eery ten minutes …

… but it now goes no further than Carvel Lane. This used to be Cowes railway station …

… then Fountain Coaches open air depot (?); then Cowes Co-op …

… now M&S Food!

Southern Vectis does, graciously, offer a little map.

It is not quite the same as getting off the Red Jet and hopping straight onto a bus …

… which used to stand next to the odd-shaped box junction.

It’s hard when you are ancient; they keep changing everything to confuse the old people!