RMA32 Plying for trade at Charing Cross

As well the 2760 Routemasters it took into it's own fleet London Transport also took 65 short front-entrance RMA Class airport buses to tow trailers for BEA. When still youthful they were no longer needed but LT found little work for them except as staff buses and trainers. Fortunately some of these low-mileage buses became smartly turned out sightseeing tour buses like Blue Triangle's NMY632E working on contract to the 'Official London Sightseeing Tour'.

Luton & District

Luton and District's ECW bodied Bristol VR 864 TNH864R looked a lot brighter in it's current red and cream livery than the former leaf-green it wore as part of the NBC's United Counties. This view was taken in Dunstable close to the M1Motorway exit.

York of Northampton

Visiting a town one often tends to overlook smaller coach operators but many are long established and when thinking of a place the better known companies seem to slip off the tongue like the dual blue liveried family named firm of York's of Northampton. When this view was taken in the Nineties German Setras made up the front-line fleet but like many Independents the humble Ford was still very much in evidence. YNH505W was a Duple Dominant bodied R1114.

Remembering Bristol buses in Bristol

The thing that amazed me about the 2011 Bristol Bus Rally held down on the dockside was how many older Pre-NBC Bristol Omnibus vehicles there are in preservation from the Forties, Fifties and Sixties, which all looked beautifully restored with crews immaculately turned out in period uniform too. I'm sure if you put together all the roadworthy restored vehicles from a couple of more obvious favourite fleets like Southdown and Ribble or Aldershot and District and Crosville they would not match the number or sheer quality which is a great credit to the local chaity organisations and people of the Bristol area . One of the oldest vehicles there was C3336 GHT 154 this 1941 BBW bodied Bristol K5G which has been restored to it's pre-Nationalisation livery.

At the back of Victoria Station

I always thought the open barn like structure at the rear of Victoria Station was rather odd compared to it's grand facade. Down the side of it coaches would sometimes wait including this Van-Hool bodied Volvo B10M of Golden Miller.

Lollipops or Knitting-Needles at Wellington Street?

When the NBC tried to bring back a bit of individuality to it's operating companies with the various venetian-blind colour schemes West Yorkshire shared with East Yorkshire a two-tone blue scheme. Recent coach-seated Olympians were put to work on the Yorkshire Coastliner services from Leeds to York and Scarborough. The NBC era had a cheap and cheerful feel to it and I don't think Satchi and Satchi or Norman Foster were behind the erection of the lollipop signs at Wellington Street Coach Station!

Trent Leopard at Alfreton

Thinking back to the NBC days it's easy to remember just those Leyland Nationals and Bristol VR's but both proper and grant-service coaches played an important roll too. Seen here at Alfreton ARB134T a Trent Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Leopard of Trent loads for Clay Cross.

The Guided Tour

"Sorry folks we seem to be lost, there are forty-five of you on the bus I'm sure someone must know the way out of here."

I'm having a bit of fun tonight as I've just managed to do some scanning at last, I'm experimenting as having moved from Windows Vista to XP I have new software to get used to too.

All Change in Berlin

Time is a cruel master pushing us along and looking back at some of these old photos still feels like yesterday. As well as having computer problems I've also just come back from Berlin which is one reason why I haven't been adding much. However once I get everything sorted I hope to get back into it again if the summer doesn't turn out to be a good one. This time in Berlin another once ubiquitous bus type of BVG had disappeared from the streets and that was the Mercedes 0405. In 1985 the first deliveries took the numbering sequence back to 2000 and soon afterwards another series from 1000. No.1060 was seen heading for Tegal Airport on Route 109, itself due for eventual closure once the now being enlarged main former East Berlin airport at Schonefeld is fully operational.