825 A Midland Red Survivor

In Midland Red North days the 825 from Stafford was extended to Tamworth where 1709 was based. Today it has reverted back to the traditional Lichfield terminus. However the once direct service is much slower than it was in BMMO days as the 62 minute journey now makes various diversions and takes a more tedious 80 minutes, one can't enjoy doing it upstairs on a D9 or the regular D10 either, more's the pity.

Yardley's: Welcome to Brum

Where else could it be, and even though the horrible Sixties Bull Ring has gone I'm glad the Rotunda has been saved as an icon of the times. Local firm Yardleys did a lot of National Express work with Leopards or Tigers like Plaxton Paramount 3500 C543KOX.

Lauber bodied Saurer RH580-25 at St Moritz

By the time I took this photo in the late Nineties PTT Saurer RH's were getting thin on the ground. P25656 a less common 1982 Lauber bodied V-HU had till recently been based at Chur and now redundant no doubt was helping out elsewhere before it's withdrawal.

First Huddersfield Scania in Halifax

The First Group was rather more interesting when it retained the local liveries on it's older vehicles before the introduction of that unpleasant Barbi2 with the 'dribbled' paint look to give than the corporate feel.. Some of the earlier colour schemes were better than others and of the former WYPTE fleets the Halifax blue white and yellow seen in the background was by far the best whilst Bradford's light blue and tomato-red was horrid. This middle-aged 1989 Huddersfield Plaxton bodied Scania No.1460 G460JYG leaving Halifax was quite acceptable too and even more so for being a less common type.

Wadham Stinger Lancet in Southampton

An unusual vehicle in the then predominantly Leyland Southampton Citybus fleet was this Dennis Lancet with Wadham Stringer bodywork, one of three that Portsmouth operated. This local bodybuilder had been associated much more with military and local authority vehicles but never really made much of a mark supplying PSV's.

Stafford was Deetenville

From a bus viewpoint think of Stafford and Midland Red fans usually think of the revolutionary underfloor engined D10's as they came here in a run down condition 1964. But once they were brought back up to scratch they were just as reliable as the other BMMO's including the D9 and it's a pity they never stuck with it.  In 1969 4943 was caught heading up the Newport Road bound for Highfields Estate. As I was at Wythall yesterday I had my first ride on her since the Sixties, I also went on the SON, S12, S16, S20, CM6 and a D9 so it was an enjoyable and well organised Midland Red day. Thanks to all concerned.

485CLT: Wedding Belles & RM Decibells

You don't have to be a bus fanatic it would seem to hire an old bus for your wedding especially a Routemaster. Still they could have done much worse than choose smart Stagecoach East London RMC 1485 485CLT which was usually still in service in the Nineties running passed here regularly on the 15. These buses were delivered as Green Line coaches but spent much of their lives as trainers due to their having semi-automatic gearboxes. Many looked very scruffy towards the end but thankfully Deregulation made the friendly and reliable Routemaster a useful tool once more.

Stevenson's Leopard Buses

Stevenson's like other prudent Independents was rather partial to the secondhand Leyland Leopard for bus work. Fortunately a number of smaller Municipal managers had shunned the ubiquitous National for something more down to earth otherwise good used buses like this former Rhymney Valley East Lancs bodied bus DUH78V pictured in Stafford would have been a lot more hard to come by.

TPJ501Y: Bee Line to the Capital

This Leyland Olympian coach was operated by Alder Valley one of a number of NBC companies in the Home Counties that had them for commuter express services into London and 801 TPJ501Y dating from about 1981 is seen here negotiating the West End traffic in later years after the operations passed to Bee Line. I'm not sure if I was so keen on the Dutch inspired livery which seemed much more at home in Holland.

Liverpool: Tall buildings & tall bus.

Because of the heavy solid looking early reinforced concrete architecture from the same period of the early C20 and grid-like street patterns downtown Liverpool has a very American feel and it could be say Chicago perhaps. Hardly surprising then that people often compare the city to New York and in this Eighties view it looks as if 1139 UKA590H a rather ungainly tall looking Alexander bodied Atlantean is trying to become a skyscraper whilst the newer East Lancs bodied version has a less racy feel.

The only Midland Red Atlantean

Sadly after a series of mishaps saved former PMT Atlantean L910 never made it into preservation. This vehicle which along with L909 were new to Stafford had the distinction of being the only Atlantean to see service with Midland Red briefly in Leicester in 1979.