No Solo for Solos

 For many years we never saw a Solo in Stafford till Arriva got a couple at Cannock. But by 2019 D&G and Select seen here had joined them. The numbers have dwindled again but I can't say I mind them particularly and being in the middle they seem fairly modern and well suited to the many bus services which sadly no longer carry many passengers.

Two Very Different Mercedes-Benz buses in Lugano, Switzerland.

 Very different Daimler-Benz buses at Lugano in 1990 was this 1988 Vetter bodied trolleybus of the now closed system and and a much older service bus.

The bright and cheerful livery of this less common highbridge Bristol VR of Solent Blue at Bitterne lifts it out of the gloom. It was formerely 1451 with Ribble.
 

It's Gone Off The Rails so I Wil Love You And Leave You

 It looks like my old blog won't function properly any more so thanks for that Blogger. I would like to thank you all for visiting me and especially those who have been good enough to leave comments. Those who still want to enjoy my photography can still see new postings by visiting me at Flickr where I am 'Call Sign Jojo'.

Stagecoad Gold Enviro 15233 WN65 XEH near Chorley

A Stagecoach Enviro double-decker seen not for from Chorley in Gold livery on the 125 from Bolton to Preston.

Articulated buses in Bern FBW 252

I expect I would come to terms with the acid-red colour scheme to be found on Bern buses today were I to pay a visit. But as it stands I don't like it much much prefering the traditional military-green and green colours which suited the architecture and old-fashioned feel of Switzerland's tiny Capital. I guess the undertaking wanted to show it was forward thinking and modern which is something I admit can't be said for this FBW articulated bus of the Sixties and still in all-day service in 1989

Darlington Marshall-Camair bodied Dennis Dominator

Darlington's buses were fairly conservative and mostly Roe Guy or Roe bodied double-deckers plodding about, but by the Eighties everything had changed. There were still a few lingering Daimler GVG5's but the rest was an interesting array of single-deckers including rarities like the Ward Dalesman, but more common was this Dennis Dominator albeit with Marshall Camair bodywork.

Two Leylands Nationals at Stockport XAL 383S amd HNE 639N

A pair of Leyland Nationals of different operators meet up in the Stockport sunshine. Because Greater Manchester had so many double-deckers like NC bodied Leyland Olympian 3234 it as easy to forget it had quite a few Nationals and if one includes those from Lancashire United the fleet  was getting well towards the two-hunded mark.  A very typical NBC example of typically smart Trent in poppy-red makes a good contrast with a mellowed looking Manchester 115 HNE 639N. 

A Very Select Scania Omnicity in Stafford

Select wedded to the rather predictable Dart,  Enviro and Solo have been breaking out into new territory first with a VDL and now with this new arrival an impressive former Nottingham Scania Omnicity. I think they will have to be careful where they use it as it's not really suitable for the back streets or narrow country lanes.

Travel West Midlands GOG 106W

A sullen looking girl and No.2106 a MCW Metrobus in Birmingham.

Yorkshire Woollen L818 NWY in Leeds

Deregulation was great from the interestingness point of view with lots of variety and different standards. What killed it off was the imposition of corporate liveries and none of them were as good as the best they replaced. I liked it where tradition was given a modern touch to bring it up to date and I particularly liked the Caldaire group for they way they reintroduced the colours of it's Yorkshire West Riding fleets including Yorkshire Woollen as seen here in Leeds on a Plaxton Strider bodied Dennis Lance.

Midland-Red D10's were two-a-penny in Stafford

From a bus perspective Stafford's claim to fame is it was home to Midland Red's two revolutionary underfloor engined D10 buses. Experiments had been tried out as long ago as the 1930's but nobody built anything reliable for the British market till Volvo came along with it's Citybus in the 80's. So it was sad that these buses never went into production as they never gave any trouble here once the garage got on top of all the jobs that needed doing on them and made little unofficial modifications like a hatch in the floor to make jobs easier, not that it pleased Carlyle which and de-modified them again but Stafford changed them back again!  Before they arrived here they had been hard worked on one of the companies toughest routes the 245-6 called 'The Track' as it followed the old tramway between Wednesbury and Stourbridge. It also went through Dudley and the buses were kept at the old tram depot site at Hartshill near Merry Hill.  They regularly had a maintanance problem in the Black Country and with these buses being different they were deemed a lot more trouble and  were no doubt neglected even more than normal. When it was finally decided to move them away the company found it hard to find a garage that would take them and they spent a short three month spell at Leicester in 1964 before finding a loving home at Pilgrim Place for the next eight years. They regulary did the 836 to Cannock and one set out each morning at 06.15 sometimes with me on board for Lichfield on the 825. Another regular haunt was the S84 and S97 to Burton Manor Estate as seen here where 4943 the first of the two was waiting next to The Nesbit. It makes you wonder how many crews weren't tempted to go for a swift half as it wasn't quite so wrong in those days lol.