Of course all old buses have a certain nostalgic charm and especially much missed operators like Aldershot and District. But looking through modern eyes we much prefer classic bus designs to an updated image. This Dennis Lance tries to look modern but just looks quirky and even an East Lancs body which in those days had an attractive look it doesn't really do much for No.220. To ride on and to listen to it was a bit like an under-powered Bristol K-Series and A&D were getting rid of these after twelve years. But it's good that unusual buses like this 1953 bus have been preserved as seeing them make distant events worth travelling to.
It's probably an age thing and looking back to the familiar scenes and sounds of childhood, but nowadays I find myself getting nostalgic for Leyland Nationals like the one behind, especially if they still have the original Leyland 510 engine and that characteristic whine.
ReplyDeleteRoss maybe it's because what used to be an irritant has become a rare pleasure. No they didn't look very exciting but like the original Routemaster they had a sound of their own which is something we probably miss. They were certainly nicer than the horrible minibuses that replaced them and those bland Dennis Dart Pointers.
ReplyDeleteIronically I saw an Optare City Pacer at Dewsbury on Sunday and whilst I didn't exactly drool over it, I was quite pleased to see it had survived and been preserved (I think Keighley museum has one too).
ReplyDeleteMind you, the City Pacers were the best of the first gen. "real" minibuses (i.e. designed as minibi rather than van conversions), at least from the passenger's point of view, looking good and being reasonably comfortable: a heck of an improvement on a Ford Transit breadvan or similar!