For decades the phrase “Would all passengers please remain seated whilst passing under the pier” was heard many many times everyday of the summer season in Southend, as the open top busses passed under the low pier bridge.
It’s a phrase that had not been heard for a while ever since the Number 67 open top service was suspended a number of years ago and pier bridge was re-built and made higher.
Well for one weekend the phrase made a comeback with a special service operating over the weekend of Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th August to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Castle Point Transport Museum, the museum rolled out a number of its vintage busses to run an open top service along the sea front one last time.
Ensignbus Daimler
Bristol RELL 3/919 ex-Eastern National (FWC 439H)
Bristol KSW (WNO 478) passes under Pier Bridge (ex-Eastern National)
Bristol KSW (WNO 482) (ex Eastern National this machine was actually Clacton based)
Bristol KSW (WNO 478) (ex-Eastern National this was actually a Southend based machine)
The two ex-eastern national KSW’s (WNO 478 front, WNO 482 rear) love a nice pair of Bristol’s!
Third Bristol KSW (WNO 480)
You wait for ages then...
Layland Leopard (GJN 509D) from 1966 ex-Southend Corporation (Southend Transport) now Arriva.
The Leopard taken from the top of the CWA6.
Corporation Coat of Arms Per Mare Per Ecclesiam loosely translates into “By the Sea and By the Church”
The Daimler CWA6 still retains its wooden seats!
The old and the newish
KSW & CWA6
Daimler CWA6 FOP 429 from 1944 genuine ex-Southend based machine approaching Pier Bridge
“Passengers must remain seated”
Southend was bursting at the seems all weekend. the special open top service was very very popular, no fares were charged but it was requested that you make a donation or buy a £1 key ring, I now have 5 keys rings and an empty pocket, I alway drop a quid or two in the collecting box. Hopefully the museum broke even better still if they made a profit.