That childhood fascination when seeing a brand new bus doesn't quite leave us, or does it? I used to love the look of the new untarnished black and silver alluminium number-plates and some gleaming brightwork against a strong traditional dark bus colour, even a chrome plated radiator on a Leyland was a delight. But alas many more recent buses never have that first week magic like this rather ugly and much too bright looking East-Lancs bodied Scania of Midland Red North in Birmingham on the Tamworth service. The dummy grill looks like it's just been painted over and where is the brightwork!
Strange to think that the yellow was the DP version of the livery, and the more impressive white version (which always seemed to show higher quality and confidence to me) was the bog-standard service bus livery.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow could perhaps have worked if the proportions were right, perhaps balanced with more white.
But then this was also the time that MR West were busy ruining the Midland Express livery, going from the white with red and yellow Venetian blind which looked good (if very 80s) to red bottom and too bright yellow from wheelarches up, which just didn't look at all special, and Travel West Midlands were painting Fleetlines in "silver" which wore badly and simply looked like a drab grey after a week or two. Liveries didn't seem a strong point at the time.
Perhaps it was just a turn-of-the-90s thing.
Ross, I quite liked the TWM silver painted Metrobuses with coach seats as they stood out but as with First once they all went that way it became drab. I have to agree with you that in many ways I did prefer the MRN red and white to the yellow alternative and another good reason which you didn't mention was that at least it didn't just look the same as many buses were red and yellow at that time.
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