YBO 17T: Christmas is almost upon us

I'm afraid I don't get too excited about Christmas but I concede not only does it break up and add a bit of cheer to mid-winter we get to enjoy the Xmas Lights and all those gastric repeats and repeats on TV too. At times a rather Victorian Wolverhampton could do with a little cheer too but members of the fine very traditional looking Warstone's Green Bus fleet like this Tiger Cub always seemed to do the trick like this former Rhymney example YBO17T.

English Electric Works Service

A 1962 PMT Willowbrook bodied AEC Reliance makes it's way through Stafford on an extended works service to the main English Electric works on the Lichfield Road in about 1969. In the early Sixties the company was splitting it's yearly twenty bus saloon contract equally between Leyland and AEC. When English Electric was in it's prime in the days before the advent of general car ownership in the rush-hour there was a bus almost every five-minutes on the Number 10 Hanley-Stoke-Stafford.

Blackpool Happy Days in Happier Times

Love places like Blackpool or not, it used to be a great place for enthusiasts for as well as the local buses and trams on busy weekends it was packed with people and coaches from all over the UK. Here in 1990 late afternoon means it's time to return to the coaches and the driver of Happy Days Van-Hool bodied Scania G554CRF promised not to drive off without me whilst a took a few interesting shots of the hustle and bustle.

Jeffs of Helmdon

There is never a shortage of coaches to be seen in London and this Plaxton bodied Leopard of Jeffs seen in about 1993 hadn't come too far being based in Northamptonshire. Sadly I dont know what this bus was before it gained VNP 893.

Did Deregulation get it right?

Everything Barton touched had a bright cheery personal feel about it. A bit more mix and match 'tools for jobs' than classy perhaps but it seemed to say "Hello, we are open for business." Maybe when they deregulated the buses this is what they had in mind rather than lost beached whales today like First and plodding Arriva and National Express. Of course Go-Ahead and Stagecoach have done well but can anyone truly love them except as a business? Of course Mrs. Thatcher came from Grantham, Barton country, but her family were shop keepers and look what Tesco and the free market has done to them.

BVG 5124: Marzahn catching up with the West

It's amazing to think how quickly East Berlin and it's population became to look the same as those in the West after the fall of the DDR. Even the rows of soulless flats no longer look quite so stark against streets filling up with cars. A reminder of the old days though is a former BVG Ikarus still in orange and cream passes through Marzahn on it's way to Mahlsdorf.

Last stop for a Standerwick non-stopper

Some of you tend to think of buses as people and no doubt had this former National Travel coach been human it would be missing the exciting days when it sped passed these services most days in the fast-lane or even stopped here as a front line Standerwick coach in that attractive dark red and cream Ribble livery. The former Midland General Lodekka on the other hand is so boring and slow I'm sure it might be quite happy with it's lot as a Motorway staff bus here on the M6. I jest of course as todays buses are certainly not as interesting as they used to be and even down at heal these old-timers like these bring back fond memories of a more personal service, striking liveries and a proper bus network.

Once Wrexham was the heart of Crosville country and up to about 1982 one could still find it's rather fine Bristol Lodekkas gracing the busy bus station the Chester to Oswestry corridor like 1965 DFG 184 EFM 633C on the D2.

A busy Friday afternoon at Heathrow as National Express passengers muster heading for the Midlands and South West. Once a regular visitor local former Alder Valley Olympian coach YPJ 501Y  is helping out too.

Knotty returned AEC's to the Potteries

Knotty brought the AEC marque back to the Potteries and a good example was this former London Country Plaxton bodied AEC Reliance seen in June 1992 that was once used as a Green Line coach.

Low point for a Lowlander

I hope this was a free car park as not only was this former Alexander bodied Western Scottish Albion Lowlander turned motor-home UCS 644 using up a number of parking spaces it looked like it had been here more than two hours. Taken in the early Eighties I think it was somewhere in the Home Counties.

Paved with gold the road to Wigan Pier?

Unlike the keenly focused Stagecoach and Go-Ahead, the First Group has a reputation for resting on it's laurels, and whilst paying out big juicy dividends quietly sweeping all it's problems under the carpet. I feel with new more aware management and an unrealistic low share price now is a good time to invest in this company. However as part of it's efforts to sell off the 'dead wood' it has sold off it's Wigan buses. Analysts were alarmed as not only was it hardly a small unit it made First a good 1.5m profit last year. The response was that it was isolated from the rest of the network and had to go.....Hardly!
Wigan Corportation was one of Leyland's most loyal customers, and when taken over by Greater Manchester PTE in 1974 the tradition continued with the majority being improved AN68 Atlanteans like ANA649Y with Northern Counties bodywork built in the town.

V23: About to cross London Bridge

Taken from upstairs on another bus, heading towads London Bridge on it's way to Tooting Broadway was this London General Volvo D10M, probably No, V23.

A VR in rural Lincolnshire

To the east of Lincoln is the village of Heighington where in the Eighties I took this pleasant view of Lincolnshire Bristol VR JFE539G on it's way to another village nearby called Branston.

Yelloways in Newark

Fine Georgian architecture makes a fine backdrop for this Yelloways Plaxton bodied AEC Reliance calling at Newark Bus Station in the Eighties on it's way to Clacton on Sea..