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
Friday 30 November 2018
Wednesday 28 November 2018
Monday 26 November 2018
WKR 136S Luton Corporation?
The highbridge bodied Bristol VR's built by ECW were scarce enough compared to their lowheight sisters to always look a bit strange. Maidstone and District had some and 5136 was seen close to the depot in Luton, not to be mistaken with the better known place with the same name where the Vauxhall's come from.
Friday 23 November 2018
Southampton Corporation Atlantean East-Lancs OCR 150G at Shirley
In the Sixties the BET Group could present a very modern image with it's curved glass same at both ends single-deckers and stylish products from Alexander like the Y-type and double-decker. The municipal sector was a lot more staid in it's 'tried and tested ratepayers money' approach but Ralph Bennett shook things up when he cooperated with East-Lancs to create striking new buses for Bolton. They first appeared with a flat front as part of the concept but this soon gave way to a more popular modification with curved glass. Other concerns were able to buy these buses too and they modernised many Corporation fleets including Southampton where they came to dominate. What I liked about this city was the fact that the new buses wore this the Bolton arrangement whereas the half-cabs retained the mostly dark red traditional scheme to the end and looked much better for it as it made the new ones look even more modern and exciting yet at the same time respected the heritage and suitability of the older fleet.
Wednesday 21 November 2018
Tuesday 20 November 2018
Northern General VFT 188T at Jarrow
Northern General bought some Atlanteans from Tyne & Weir and retained the same yellow livery which was adopted as standard for services in the PTE area. These buses were quite interesting as they were about the last bodies to be built by MCW before it dropped it's other work to concentrate on it's much in demand
Friday 16 November 2018
P25329 Le Chaux de Fonds
The Swiss Post Office operated a large fleet of Mercedes 0405's but some were to PTT's own specification and were bodied in Switzerland by R&J as they had to include a luggage compartment at the rear for the mail like this example at the Chaux de Fonds, a town in the Jura near the French border once at the heart of the world famous clock and watch making industry.
East London NDZ 3016 in East London!
No doubt many of you will recognise immediately where I took this photo of one of the many Wright Handy Bus bodied Dennis Darts originally placed in service with London Buses before finding their way into fleets like Stagecoach after the bits were sold off. These were hardly beautiful buses but they did the job. I know where it was but if I say not far from say Hackney someone will call me an idiot lol.
Wednesday 14 November 2018
Sunday 11 November 2018
Cardiff a break before the trip back to Merthyr on BHB 341C
First thing at about 7.30am was a good time to take photographs at Cardiff bus station with soft sunlight and it facing the right way. It's intending passengers prefer to enjoy the sunshine rather than board the bus to Merthyr whilst no doubt it's crew are getting a cup of tea and maybe a well deserved cooked breakfast before the long journey back up the valleys. Despite the distance covered the upstairs windows of the bus are still steamed up so it was still a bit chilly and the air damp inside. Today I for one wouldn't want to be up there with the acrid cigarette smoke in those conditions, stay downstairs where it's warmer too and listen to the East-Lancs bodied Leyland PD3 clatter through the gears as it dutifully slogs from one place to the next homewards.
Saturday 10 November 2018
Stagecoach FX12 BLK in Lincoln
I'm afraid I like to be different for whilst others were taking as many views as they could of all those gems at the Lincoln Transport Museum running day I also wanted to get some of the ordinary buses in service there, most of which were these Stagecoach Enviros. Of course the old ones are more interesting but I like to get a bit of everything I guess. Having said that I was pleased to include the lovely preserved Lincolnshire Leyland Lion one of the buses we were able to ride on.
Friday 9 November 2018
Preston Bus Dennis Trident V194 EBV
With the small town of Leyland right on it's doorstep Preston Corporation was very loyal to the big bus manufacturer over the years. When they were no longer available it had to go elsewhere for it's chassis and at least Dennis is British and the bodywork built in Lancashire in nearby Blackburn. In the 90's East-Lancs bodied Dennis Trident 194 approaches the bus station followed by a Leyland Lynx.
Wednesday 7 November 2018
Friday 2 November 2018
Down The Pan For This Neoplan
Is it just me getting old and boring or are buses and coaches really becoming more monstrously hideous looking? Now a retro-look from the comic books of the Fifties I suppose it's what could be called 'futuristic' but I think like the world of Spiderman it will all date very quickly as it is ugliness disguised as cutting-edge. I've never been a huge fan of the American influenced Neoplan either and this is about the worst of the lot. One thing will be interesting is if we ever we see in old age coaches like this Leon's example in Stafford doing the daily schools runs.
Thursday 1 November 2018
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)