Potsdam to Ferch 607

At first glance nothing much had changed in Potsdam, but even though the yellow Ikarus buses still grated and grumbled their way on the picturesque route to Ferch they carried new 'West German' registrations plus their future branding as Havelbus. Of course even though I had the right zonal card the driver still told me it was not good for the journey. Some things never change.

Wallace Arnold PNW 333W

In the days when Routemasters could still be found coming down the Charing Cross Road on the 29, a smart Plaxton bodied Wallace Arnold Leyland Leopard had to fight it's way through the traffic as it approached Trafalgar Square. I thought at first this might have been a Saturday but what look like 'city types' mixing with the visitors suggests it might not be so.

East Staffordshire Daimer CCG5 No.89

Now as East Staffordshire, one of Burton on Trent's many Massey bodied Daimlers passes Whetmore Road Bus Station. As the town was mostly flat five-cylinder Gardner engines were deemed adequate as in this CCG5 of 1964 No.89 BFA589B.

Something newishly recent at last for the pot-holed 841

At last Arriva at Stafford have some newish buses, all the rest still dating from the old registration system about 2000. Six of these former Wellington Optare Versa's arrived for use on busy town services but reluctantly one had to be released for use on the 841 to Uttoxeter as the old Darts and Volvos kept having problems. But these more attractive buses won't be on it for long as D&G have won the tender starting on 27th April. But in a way it will be nice to see an Independent taking over this former H.Nicholls route that Greatrex acquired in the Sixties. Staffordian who took over Greatrex used old Leopard coaches on the route as did Midland Red North and probably the last time anything as new as three years old appeared regularly on here was probably those Greatrex 'Grant' Ford Duple coaches and some Willowbrooks in the Seventies.

Kirby Stephen Weekend Buses and Lorries

I'm much better at taking photos than managing my camera settings, and I was looking forward to seeing some cracking photos I took yesterday. But somehow I reset the image sizes so the image pixels have been compressed they 75%. Never mind, it will save me having to post them all, but fortunately the best were still good enough like this one of York Pullman JVY516 seen at Brough.

A Berlin House Christening Party

I'm afraid when I stay with my brother in Berlin he tells me nothing worthwhile about it's people unless by accident, usually it's just about unemployment and for instance rubbish about being able to tell the former East Germans as they have bad skin from eating nothing but pork. So it was only later that I learnt that one of their many customs is to visit your new home in build and offer a toast and a few words for good luck. So here were two smart MAN's of the tiny BVG luxury coach fleet on a private hire to one such house christening ceremony in the suburbs. There were just three of these SR240's and seen here are the two 1982 examples 1351 and 1355.

DBV40W: Good Friday in Burnley

I try to post pictures on the date they were taken especially as I can often remember if it was a Saturday or Sunday. Bank Holidays though also stick in my mind and here is one of my Good Friday photos taken in a quieter than usual Burnley of an East-Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard DBV 40W.

Whittle Bedford in Bridgenorth

In the congested streets of Bridgenorth I had to take a cheeky shot over the roof of a car to get a decent one of Whittle's Duple bodied Bedford PNT 804X loading on a Shropshire Tendered Service in July 92..

Bassetts of Tittensor F877 FRP

Bassetts of Tittensor as well as doing haulage took a lot of pride in it's coach fleet and we must all rather miss it's rather elegant livery. I liked the winged motif on the side of this Duple bodied Dennis Javalin seen in Bridgenorth.

BVG 2590 Disguised as a Bus.

In the Eighties Berlin BVG ran a large number of vehicles in advertising liveries which did I suppose break up the monotony of the usual unrelieved cream. Sadly most were not very beautiful and with Bussing type DE 74 2590 heading out towards Spandau from The Zoo  one can look at it for a some time and still not quite know what they've selling from what few might cite as it's clever graphic design. Still for all I know it might have been for a toy shop as it least children might like it more

Crosville's Tow-Bus at Warrington Depot

By the time I took this view in Warrington during the Eighties the once common Bristol MW had disappeared but former Crosville SMG 554 had survived as a garage service vehicle.

Birmingham Air-Rail Link

Here at Birmingham Airport this Ikarus bodied DAF was employed on contract to run to the nearby railway station whilst the .monorail' was out of use.

Potsdam After Reunification: P.AV.934

After German Reunification the out of town buses in the Potsdam area became Harvelbus, and not only could the locals now add fashionable clothes shopping to their favourite activities new buses in advertising liveries like this MAN were quickly consigning the once ubiquitous Hungarian Ikarus to History.

Cerbydau D&G MFV 32T in Bangor

In the Nineties there were a number of North Wales Independents enjoying the gradual retrenchment of the one vast Crosville empire. In Bangor as elsewhere on Saturday Morning teenagers gather in town to meet up with their friends and a few more arrive on this former Burnley and Pendle East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopard where no doubt short of money they tend to hang around the bus stands.

Former Red & White Guy KWO 35

Someone else also took a photo of this former Red & White Duple bodied Guy enjoying a quiet life in semi-retirement and if I remember rightly it's location was pinned down to somewhere like Middlewich in Cheshire. Apart from being somewhere not too distant I would never have remembered as sometimes when at work one just stopped for a few moments and then were gone, and back to following the farm tractors.