Southampton docks its last Atlanteans

摘要

Given the rivalry between Portsmouth and Southampton, you might be surprised that a native of the former has an appreciation of the latter's Leyland Atlantean fleet. But my marriage in 1991 and move to Shirley, Southampton coincided with the wholesale replacement of the Portsmouth Atlanteans fleet - with which I had grown up - by Transit Holdings' minibuses. Southampton's proved a noble substitute. The Southampton Atlantean era survived a brief move back to Portsmouth nine years later and only finally ended on 5 February when First Hampshire & Dorset held a farewell running day for a type that served the city for over 35 years. Following the earlier retirement of the fleets in Leeds, Manchester, Aberdeen and Glasgow, this was also First's last major city operation with Atlanteans.