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

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Leicester R Series Metrobus at Loughborough

Corrosion was the biggest problem with the MCW Metrobus so I imagine the outside Scotland not so common Alexander R Series bodied variant was a much better bus, they certainly looked good in their day. Following Deregulation Leicester City Bus found themselves well outside the city such as here at a rather dreary Loughboriugh Bus Station still with it's old concrete shelters.

Monday 19 January 2015

RHY 787M: Digbeth Mass Departure Time

A host of mainly Leyland Leopards take their turn to leave Digbeth Coach Station one Friday in the Eighties, but adding a bit of variety is a DAF from Midland Fox

Saturday 17 January 2015

Spot the real Cat amongst the Leylands

Plenty of cats to be found at the Ellen Smith premises near Rochdale but sadly unlike the real feline the playful days for the old Leyland Tiger Cubs had long gone. The one at the centre has a Duple body whilst the other one and the partly grimpsed old Leopard were by Harrington of Hove. This operator was a staunch Leyland fan but a few AEC's found their way into the red and white painted fleet as well from time to time.

Thursday 15 January 2015

Special Swiss Ski-Buses

Height can often be a problem with buses as when they have two floors can be just too big. In Switzerland they had the opposite problem and an unusual one at that. It needed some buses to serve the Ski-Lifts at Scoul right in the top R/H corner overlooked by Italy and Austria. The problem was as the standees packed inside the headroom was not adequate for some upright skis. So a few elderly Saurer DUK's had their roofs raised for the job. Two PTT owned examples were seen here alongside a more normal contractor's small Mercedes in the Nineties.  .

Wednesday 7 January 2015

KSD 109W: Kingdom of the Black Prince

Deregulation threw up all sorts of new operators and a few of them were interesting enough to become memorable probably because they included a 'have-a-go' enthusiast element. In Leeds could be found the intriguingly titled Black Prince which was partial to Volvo products like this lovely Ailsa new to Western Scottish.

Monday 5 January 2015

Old Crosville Bristol FSF DFG 79 in Warrington

Just like my old Voitlander camera which was making scratch marks as the film was wound on, this old Crosville Bristol FSF6G DFG 79 was nearing the end of it's days. In 1979 it was on school bus duties in it's hometown Warrington.

Sunday 4 January 2015

Basle Tram 475 Crosses the Rhine in 1990

My knowledge is not sufficient to enlighten you on Basle trams but I hope that won't spoil it for you.

Friday 2 January 2015

Edinburgh: First-SMT Atlantean ORS 204R

First Group was formed from a merger of the Privitised Groups Badgerline and Grampian. Grampian of course was formerly Aberdeen Corporation which in later years built up a large fleet of Alexander bodied Atlanteans. ORS 204R was still in Scotland when I caught it hard at work in Edinburgh with First-SMT and looking rather scruffy compared to the similar but always  immaculate Lothian examples

Thursday 1 January 2015

Geneva Saurer 423

When I came to Switzerland in 1963 to go to school the buses there in Geneva to greet me looked very different from their British counterparts. Thankfully there were still a few of these not unpleasant looking Saurer's still on the road in the early Nineties.