BMMO DP BHA 399C; You Can't Paint A Rose

Well the bus rally season has started again and no doubt I will go to a few events that interest me. One of the best last year was an Open Day held by Arriva at the old Midland Red garage at Tamworth. Amongst the buses  giving rides was this D9 which was preserved as it was thought at the time to be the last one built entirely by BMMO at Carlyle Works. But I was sad to read that it's owners at Wythall have decided to repaint it out o this it's original Midland Red red into bland NBC poppy-red. No doubt this is how many younger enthusiasts remember it instead but for me in the Seventies everything went downhill and as I read somewhere some wag quipped that NBC meant 'No Body Cares' and that seemed to sum up the nationalised and PTE run bus industry.