Busworld Photography: Five Faces of Arriva

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

Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Five Faces of Arriva

Arriva built up a large number of Dennis Darts in Britain, but as well as the favoured Plaxton Pointer the fleet carried a wide variety of bodywork. These five examples at Burton on Trent garage might just all be Darts yet carry totally different makes of body. Nearest the camera is a Northern Counties 'Countybus' which came from Kentish and probably ran in South London from Catford. Next to it is a typical Arriva 'Plaxton Pointer SLF'. 2337 may not be a Dart but there are similar vehicles that are with this distinctive East-Lancs 'Flyte'. The company operates a good number of these slightly different not so common Marshall buses too like re-registered 2038 which once bore the old Midland Red '100 years' colours hence it's unusual M100 PHA marque. The Alexander ALX200 at the far end is most likely to be a Scania and came from the Leicester operation, and although Arriva has some of these bodies they are more typical of Stagecoach and First Group.