BUSWORLD PHOTOGRAPHY

I AM CHRISTOPHER LEACH THE ARTIST. I started this blog so that I can share with everyone my vast collection of transport photographs showing a personal and nostalgic view of the industry with images that span some 45 years taking in the U.K and some of Europe. I have no darkroom and so rather than being the perfectionist after tidying them up I upload the images warts and all, and even those that won't scan squarely or are scratched. In a way it adds age and character. You are all free to download these for your personal use but please remember I still own them and you are not just free to use them without prior permission for any knd of publishing. Click on images to enlarge them and if you want to see more leave your comments or visit my website for the mother-site with galleries including those Buses & Girls: PICTUREWORLD

Sunday 18 May 2008

Manchester: Stockport Weekend


I've been rather busy over the last few days and my activities included a visit to the Manchester Museum of Transport in Boyle Street at the back of Queens Road Bus Garage where they were staging a Stockport Weekend featuring displays and former buses from that town as well as North Western of course whose headquarters were there at Charles Street along with a large garage. Old NW Bristols from the early-Fifties were very much in evidence as of course were Leylands of both operators. Former Stockport all-Leyland PD2 308 gave a perfect rattle-free ride despite being built in 1951. Stockport was the last major customer for the bigger similar half-cab Leyland Pd3 in 1969 and these East Lancs bodied buses with crash gearboxes entered service when the nearby much more adventurous Manchester was taking delivery of it's futuristic looking jumbo Atlantean and Fleetline 'Mancunian' OPO double-deckers. Indeed the PD3's also seen in this view were still in service when Stockport's new PTA owner Greater Manchester Transport was buying the new generation British Leyland London Bus the Leyland Titan at the end of the Eighties. Having said that the new Titans TN's didn't last much longer than their solid trustworthy elders and were quietly sold off as being none standard and as well as more Atlanteans, and similar Fleetlines the operator chose instead the cheaper Leyland Olympian and Metrobus as it's preferred future choice.

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