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

Monday 4 October 2010

The London Commuter Rush-hour

To preserve the monopoly of London Transports Green Line cross-city limited-stop stage services there used to be a restriction of a about thirty-fives miles preventing rival operator's taking it's commuter traffic. With Deregulation this was more than halved to fifteen miles which was more or less the urban boundary of the M25. Consequently many old fashioned Green Line stage services were replaced by faster workings from other former NBC operator's wanting to expand plus others like Reading and Southend who sought to provide a regular service throughout the day. Better train services and the congestion have killed a lot of this off but Independent's did much better with more flexible commuter services particularly along the M40 and M4 Corridor plus down the M2 from North Kent and the highly populated Medway Towns. This Plaxton Paramount bodied Leyland Tiger B46 XKJ of Smiths of Sittingbourne could regularly been seen picking up for the homeward journey along the London Embankment in the Nineties.   

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