London Pride:- And it's Official FDY 146X

In the Sixties sightseeing tours of London were still quite a modest affair compared to the situation in the Nineties when it became a kind of free for all money-pot if they could lure the punters on board. So smart vehicles were a huge bonus like this former Eastbourne East-Lancs Dennis Dominator with a good load working for London Pride in Victoria.

Crosville CTL 65 at Digbeth

A Crosville Duple bodied Leyland Tiger arrives at Digbeth on it's way to London on National Express 545 Service.

Grey Green D882 FYL on The Embankment London

Dealer stock coaches in all white of course are boring but I've always approved on white based liveries like this one used by Grey Green by the part of the Cowie Group. Of course one doesb't have to be Einstein to guess that this local Plaxton Paramount bodied coach on the London Embankment was a Volvo B10M.

DK09 GYG Stagecoach Volvo Wright by Chester Station

A Stagecoach 'Park and Ride' liveried Wright bodied Volvo was seen with the station at Chester in the background.

Merseyside EKA 224YDennis Lancet

Merseyside PTE had a batch of ten of these small Dennis Lancets buses with Duple Dominant bodywork with DP31F bodies. 7024 was seen in Liverpool.

Signs of the times: First SN14 TTO in Manchester

At one time it was easy to take transport photos for as long as one didn't bother other people nobody seemed too bothered that others should have a hobby. I rarely have any real bother but as well as occasional nasty types on the street bus crews can be quite hostile but I think this driver working for First in Manchester with his hand the right way around is giving me a more friendly gesture for a change lol. Normally they just pull their blind down or hide behind their work board.

VMCV Berna Trolleybus in Montreux

The VMCV fleet had the odd motorbus too but it's main function was the lengthy trolleybus route between towns either side of Montreux along lake Geneva.  along the in Montreux. A fleet of these Berna vehicles arrived just before I arrived at my school nearby up in the mountains in about 1962 and I was happy to see they they were still about in the early Nineties like No.10 seen in 1991.The VMCV towns were Vevey, Montreux, Chillon and Villeneuve.

Bristol City Line Lynx F626 RTC

Travel Express Alexander Bodied Dennis Fart Y184 KNB

Names can be misleading like the name of the now defunct operator from Bushbury who ran buses into Wolerhampton. They were interesting for not only did they run a fleet of elderly Dennis Darts with a variety of bodywork they were never repainted and I often wondered if they did in fact have an official livery. Perhaps 'Rainbow Buses' might have been a better name for them as the word express doesn't mean much in Wolverhampton with all it's traffic-lights particularly on the Inner Ring Road.

Kompas MAN in Pula

I liked this generation of rather angular MAN coaches like this one with Kompas from Yugoslavia on a Cosmos contract in Pula.

Sheffield Mainline CWG 701V

An iconic view of Sheffield with the railway station as a backdrop and the famous Park Hill flats on the horizon looking like a fortress so people cannot escape the present. It is even easy to date this image too of Alexander bodied Leyland Atlantean 1701 just by looking.

AEK 1B in Manchester

Former Wigan Corporation 146 taken into the Greater Manchester PTE fleet, this Massey bodied Leyland PD2A/27 of 1964 was seen in the early Eighties in Manchester by which time it had become a driver training vehicle.

NAW Midi-Bus in Chaisso

Chaisso is right on the Swiss-Italian boder in the south, and when Mecedes bought out Swiss makers FBW and Saurer they retained the Arbon factory and produced buses to local specification and to be bodied by builders here but of course with Mercedes running parts.

Summer Sunshine in Copenhagen HT 677

HT 677 an Aabenraa bodied Volvo B59-59 of 1976 stands outside the railway station with the famous Tivoli Gadrens opposite on it's way to Amager Island.

Enough Variety to Drive You Around The Bend DAK 303V

Heading for Cannock, what a fascinating place that was at this time for these unlikely Chaserider ariculated MAN buses used to rub shoulders with West Midland's Ailsas, MRN former London DMS Fleetlines, and of course an assortment of Warstone's vehicles including of course Leyland Half-Cabs just to mention a few.

Arriva Buses at Cannock

Cannock Bus Station about a year ago with type current VDL types in the Arriva fleet including the Sapphire used on the ! and 2 services to Walsall.

Classy Racing Transporter MLL 748

The high roof must have made this old BEA AEC Regal an ideal conversion into a racing car transporter. So many times I used to pass things like this regularly and never stop always putting it off but thankfully this time I did. It used to stand quite happily here beside the Walsall Inner Ring Road but no doubt today it would be set alight or just vandalised I'm afraid.

Two Generations: BVG Buses at Tegel

I remember catching a bus from here to Zoo Bahnhof where my brother was waiting but he was not at all pleased when I finally appeared from unlike the 109 which went more or less directly from the airport nearby the 245 meandered down side streets either side of where the Berlin Wall formerly stood. Even if it was slow journey it was interesting enough so like many others it is a pity that it got cut right back after passing through Moabit.

Lockey's Atlantean KUS 600E

Although very small in comparison with Trimdon MS, or Venture of Consett, with it's distinctive black and white livery Lockey was also well know amongst enthusiasts. Fortunately they always seemed to keep their buses clean otherwise they would have soon looked scruffy. Not too long after I took this photo of a former Strathclyde Atlantean the firm was taken over by probably the most highly regarded of the many Independents in Durham OK of Bishops Auckland nearby who also had a large fleet.

LVB 2113 Ludeck Tram at Bahnhof

People must think I'm a bit stupid when they see me taking transport photos but doesn't this say just as much about Lubeck as the more touristy shot and of course at the end of the day it's far more interesting than the stuff one can also buy on a postcard.

Former Porstmouth National ERV 118W with Hastings Buses

Much of the former Maidstone and District went to what became Arriva but Hastings Buses joined Southdown next door at Eastbourne in becoming part of Stagecoach. Still in red and cream a former Portsmouth Leyland National2 loads for the return trip via Bexhill.

A PAV Mercedes 0405 at the end of the line Route 695

We are more than likely to take our bus photographs close to where they set off in town but I always think it is nice to see the other end of the route whether it be a road full of 1930's Semi's, a muddy lay-by or as here close to Berlin just outside Potsdam typical German suburbia.

Arriva VDL Wright 3729 in Shrewsbury

 must have ridden on this bus a few times as the batch when new were allocated to the 74 and 75 Stafford to Cannock Hospitals Link, but they have now mainly been replaced by double-deckers and these buses have found their way to Oswestry from where they run into Shrewsbury.

Ribble Leyland PD2 Trainer TU1 Reg. HRN 32

As Seventies turned into the Eighties NBC fleets were awash with Leyland Nationals but certain fleets like Trent and as here at Preston with Ribble not only could we see reminders of the old days in the shape of driver trainers these by now elderly buses were kept in wonderful condition for their age like this MCW bodied Leyland PD2 formerly number 1392.

Pulham's Mercedes-Benz UK JTB.

Mercedes still haven't taken the UK bus and coach market by storm but there are a few to be seen like this Pulham's example leaving Chester and bearing a 'cherished' registration just before Christmas.

York Rider Renault Minibus G255 LWF

When I took bus photos in the Nineties I suppose I took half of them out of interest and the rest as photographs which meant I didn't discriminate too much. But looking back that was no bad thing as I don't think I would have bothered much with minibuses out of choice like this Renault or even perhaps a Renault-Dodge in York. Still  they all have their place in history show off their livery and no doubt some may  miss them perhaps if they grew up with them and they caught the imagination or enthusiasts bug.

East Lancs bodied Bristol VR with Maidstone & District

Some buses looked particularly odd in NBC green like this former South Yorkshire PTE East Lancs bodied bus which in fact was just another Bristol VR. It was seen one murky cold day in Tunbridge Wells

PMT GRF705V The kids used to write 'Please Wash Me!'

The livery adopted b the  post-NBC PMT stood out and was rather attractive, however the filthy roads caused by winter weather had taken any brightness away as Bristol VR 705 headed back out of Stafford on it's return trip back to The Potteries.

United Counties VNH 160W at St Margaret's Street Bus Station

Today the public and the coaches they board are much more segregated in our little paradise of health and safety concerns. But a few years ago the arrival of an express coach was full of interest with people coming and going just wandering and standing where they wish and not even getting run down. For me this one taken at the old Leicester St Margaret's Bus Station caught the arrival of a United Counties Duple bodied Leopard on it's long journey to Portsmouth and is a bit of a classic. My favorite bus photographer was Tom Moore and he more than anyone else inspired me to do these little story scenes around my shots when I can.

Former Midland Red Leopard JOX461P with Northern Bus

Northern Bus which ran i the Sheffield area expanded rapidly buying secondhand buses particularly Bristol Re's and VR's but the Leyland Leopard was also very much in evidence like this former Midland Red example with Plaxton Supreme bodywork.

New Years Day Bin Collection? I don't think they will get their wish

New Years Day Bin Collection? I hardly think so but it seems if one person puts it out they all do. Still I don't always get it right myself for I thought the revision of the Arriva bus services in Stafford with cutbacks and the local garage becoming an outstation again started New Years Day but it's not it's 3rd Jan 2016. Still it was good to get some images of the shortly to be discontinued 828 Stafford to Brereton service using mostly these 55 plate Darts.