Bedford is one of many towns where the buses succumbed to those Stagecoach Stripes but when I went there a bit before that in about 1986 it's local operator United Counties had still yet to privitised. As bus enthusiasts we probably didn't realise how lucky we were as even though the National Bus Company was strict about livery the companies under it's umbella were allowed to continue long held practices like the way they organised and displayed their fleet numbering and even the way they chose to apply them to the vehicles. Like many of the former BTC 'Tilling Group' companies United Counties used metal plates but very nice for the enthusiasts was the way the company added an individual coloured background to show the depot too. Ahead of Privisation United Counties reverted to it's pre-NBC Tilling Green but with a not terribly imaginative diagonal stripe of three colours but at least the bold crisp lettering was nice. But yes it's still a shame that this view isn't in colour as you would be able to see these Bedford based ECW Leyland Olympians just like the old days carried fleet Nos. 609 and 610 on a background plate of light blue.
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