Solent Blue Bristol VR TRN 464V in Southampton

In the competitive days after Deregulation operators tried all sorts of tricks to gain fares including in some places the return of the conductor. With the public in mind the still ever popular London Routemaster was very much in demand for this but more modern 'OPO' type buses appeared too like this former Ribble ECW bodied Bristol VR of Solent Blue in Southampton where CityBus were using them along with it's 'heritage' very last AEC Regent.

"ENG-ER-LAND, Come on You Eng-er-land"

Vicky and I went on a shopping spree in Chester; or rather she did. I hoped to get some decent trademark bus photos in the winter sunshine lit steets but just my luck the town was closed to traffic because of extensive roadworks and a visit by Mrs. Wales, Kate Middleton no less. But buses have their celebrities too if one wants to include the FA England Team Coach, a Scania which looks like it belongs to Guideline. As you can see this sort of slate grey is the 'cool' colour to use at the moment as it appears on a number of new buses.

Swiss PTT Saurer RH 24360 heading off to Tschiertien

By the time this photo was taken at the Swiss PTT garage at Chur at the end of the Nineties the faithful Saurer RH population was getting thin on the ground, but this 1983 example with Ramseier and Jenzer bodywork from Biel was still the best bus to head up the traditional Post Bus mountain road journey to the village of Tschiertien. Despite being about fifteen years old with not too long to go it still looked as good as new.

Minsterley Motors DX12 OVZ in an early Festive Shrewsbury

This one of a Minsterley Motors Wright bodied Volvo was taken in early November last year even though the Christmas decorations might give the wrong impression as it went through Shrewsbury..

Alder Valley A215 SPB: Slow Progress through Knighsbridge

An Alder Valley Plaxton Paramount bodied Leyland Tiger heads west out of London near Earls Court on it's way to Reading whilst a Dennis fire appliance seems to find an faster way to get through the afternoon Knightsbridge traffic.

Nice First Bus in Salford City Colours

A lot of recent buses don't always look too comfortable painted in a version of traditional bus liveries especially the Enviro 400's, but like an old half-cab these Wright bodies have a similar slope at the front and sharp corners giving those ornate schemes a crisp angular look. They only one that springs to mind that I don't like in First's commendable recreation of the past is the one painted red and white  like a Mancunian, maybe boring old red and cream might have worked better.

Gleaming London Trasport National2 LS468 at Victoria

That's the beauty of black and white one can do a lot with a bit of contrast but I think LS 468 at Victoria Station in London was still quite new when I took this photo but not to be outdone RM 445 had just had a coat of new red paint to match. Not these older short ones but both London Transport's RML and Leyland National2's would have their lives extended and character changed, personally I liked them more as they were.

Shamrock & Rambler Tiger BPR 106Y

Following Deregulation anthing was possible and I never would have imagined that this Duple Laser bodied Leyland Tiger of Shamrock and Rambler seen in Southampton would end up with MRN at Stafford as one of the first arrivals from outside the company.

Arriva Dennis Dart W233 SNR in Stafford

In the early days I rather liked these Alexander bodies but having to ride on examples like this Arriva Dennis Dart I found them rather uncomfortable. Still it was always worth a photo or two as they are just a memory now. Obviously this lady heading for Burton Manor  has no objections to it's colour.

HT Buses on the move in Copenhagen

These two buses were very typical of the Copenhagen HT fleet in the Eighties. The Leyland DAB's were to be found closer to the centre and this style of Aabeneraa bodied Volvo B10M had been the choice for the outer district, but later deliveries joined the throng too. 1432 was new in October 1981 and 1062 December 1979 and both are heading for the island of Amager over the bridge.

A162 HLV Merseybus Volvo Citybus

A pair of Volvo Citybuses and a couple of Atlanteans all with Alexander bodywork suffer some unpleasant English weather at Woodside in Birkenhead.

Marchant of Cheltenham YDD 108S

Not all my pictures come up to standard and this one taken in Cheltenham was badly spoilt by the railings. Once upon a time grey and silver based liveries were quite common but as well as Marchant's, Abbott of Blackpool used a similar scheme which appeared on their Plaxton Supreme bodied AEC Reliance coaches too.

Warstone LCB 88G at Cannock

If one had to pick a typical Green Bus single-decker it had to be one of these East Lancs bodies which appeared on Leyland Leopards and as here on a former Blackburn Tiger Cub. To myself it seemed a bit strange really as by now they had an antique quality but when devised in the Sixties this was perhaps the Municipals ultra-modern equivalent to the BET same at both ends bus and added to their air of freshness many Corporations opted for a brighter livery combination pioneered on the Bolton buses where it started when GM Ralph Bennett was there. In two shades or green and cream and sometimes with red wheel trims and of course rather old fashioned sign-writing Warstone's livery was refreshingly well out of step by the Eighties

An Icey Day: VBD Davos Scania 113 No.2

Strange isn't it that as one can see from the snow on the trees it was below freezing point when I took this photo of a Scania113 of local operator VBD in Davos but it still feels warmer than a winter day in the UK. But maybe one just forgets or hurries to beat the cold.

Lincolnshire FW 5696: A Ride Into The Past

One of the things I like the most about the Lincoln Running Day is there are always some authentic pre-war buses giving rides so the next time I watch a bit of old footage or look at photographs I can relate it to my experience. This year the cold wet weather was probably closer to the reality but thankfully one thing that was missing was the fog of cigarette smoke in the packed bus as it sped along at top speed of 30mph, but even that had it's compensations in an age when people took just one bath a week 'whether they needed it or not.'. My guess without looking it up is this Lincolnshire bus was a Leyland TS7 of about 1937.

850 Years of the Birmingham Bull Ring

 but as the notice tells us we are not allowed to hand out fliers risking up to £2.500 in fines. I'm sure they could find better things to fine people for, but as long as they don't imprison me for taking photos in the street I don't mind, indeed it might even be an all-male establishment. Anyway at least National Express WM has healthy numbers of double-deckers like this Enviro.

A Wall's Daimer Fleetline 168 WAL

Walls ran a smart fleet of buses in Manchester on the Didsbury Corridor including former GMT Fleetlines and they looked extremely smart in what was a kind of green version of the original livery worn by the red and white Mancunian buses in the Sixties. In the background is a similar NC bodied bus but that one was an Atlantean seen just prior to the breakup of GM Buses.