A New Dennis Dominator at Chester YMA 101W

I have always been a fan of small Municipals and Chester was one of the most pleasing with it's tradition graphics and that chocolate-brown and cream livery which seemed so well suited the city streets. For many year Guy double-deckers were the choice and once the Arab stopped being available it went on to the Daimler Fleetline and then as seen here the Dennis Dominator. One thing they all had in common was the Northern Counties bodywork contract which till they merged was shared with not too far away it's fellow Wigan bodybuilder Massey Bros.

Preserved Buses in Morecambe

Some bus preservation rallies are better than others and I particularly like ones where it mingled with the people becoming a sideline. On a fine warm day the English Seaside has a magic of it's own and makes a great backdrop for the sounds and smells of buses that worked there or nearby. This was a Ribble event in 2018 but all sorts tuned up like this Leyland bodied PD2 from another Lancashire town Lytham Saint Annes.

Stagecoach National2 FDV 831V in Guildford

It would have felt like a long trip to Bognor Regis had one got on this former Devon general National2 at Guildford. Of course the journey would have been a lot more comfortable if it didn't have that horrid plastic seating but hopefully being a Stagecoach bus it might have sounded a bit sweeter than some!

Midland Red S26 Leopard DHA 462K at Cannock Garage

Just like the LS18's the thirteen S26 DHA Series Leopards were only allocated to a small number of garages but as time went on many strayed beyond them. 6462 seen here wet and gleaming having just passed through the wash went to Cannock for fifteen months in 1979 before moving on again to LN, RY, and BY before it was withdrawn in 1987. However it went on to enjoy further service and lasted till 1992 working in Northern Ireland.

Invictaway Leyland Tiger ESK 988

Maidstone and District retained it's striped NBc Invictaway coach livery after the break-up and I rather liked it. One thing for an enthusiast that was annoying though was the number of mystery vehicles carrying 'cherished registrations' like Duple bodied Tiger 2191 seen here in London. Actually it started life with Southdown as B815 JPN.

Y723 TOH arrives in Walsall

Of course I usually try to get a bus into them like this Alexander Dennis Trident but sometimes it is nice just to take pictures and see what happens.

A DMS in Chesterfield MLK 432L

There were days when we went somewhere and because it was somewhere different we took photos even though we shouldn't because the light was poor. Then when we developed them the negatives were a bit flat reducing the contrast even more so it was always pleasing then when years later after abit of tweaking we find one we really like which made it all worthwhile. I think I can certainly say that about this view of a former London DMS at work at Chesterfield in the Eighties. At one time most proud Municipal Boroughs wouldn't normally even consider buying anything secondhand but purses got stretched and good housekeeping became just as important and Chesterfield bought secondhand Leyland Panthers from Merseyside too.

Arriva VDL 3704 in Wolverhampton

This Wright bodied VDL was allocated to the 1 and 2 Service from Cannock to Walsall but were  replaced by new 'Saphire' Streetlites. Since then they have appeared on most jobs including trips to Wolverhampton.

Wallace Arnold Devon Mercedes-Benz 307D at Torquay

Wallace Arnold Devon had this Mercedes-Benz 307D mini-bus at Torquay which they must have used as a passenger shuttle.

Stagecoach Enviro in Peterborough SN64 OKU

I think we will be lucky to get any bus events to go to this year which makes me glad I went to Peterborough last year. It's always nice to go to somewhere we haven't visited properly before even if all th buses seem to be the same which is usually the case with Stagecoach. This Alexander-Dennis Enviro single-decker 37219 was about as ordinary as they come SK64 OKU so why not do something a bit different.

Midland Red ex-Harper Brothers Duple Leopard Viceroy MRF 419L

Midland Red was one of those NBC companies which could offer a bit of variety and this was helped further when vehicles taken over from Harper Brothers were added to the fleet. Midland Red had Dp Leopards and Plaxton coaches but from Heath Hayes came some Duples as well like 2254 at Victoria Coach Station.

JGU 724K. DMS on Oxford Park & Ride

The driver of this former London DMS now confined to Park & Ride duties has to cope with the hustle and bustle of Oxford in the Eighties.

West Yorkshite PTE Superbus L644 PWR in Leeds

In Britain's large cities numerous private bus opertors sprang up following Deregulation, and the West Yorkshire PTE seemed to want to confuse the public even more by fragmenting itself by creating new identities like this one on a Scania in Superbus Livery and had it not been for the fleetnumber one might never have guessed from this view.

Jeffs of Helmdon G908 WAY

A lot of coach firms had distinctive liveries but one of the most easily recognised were the ones belonging to Jeffs of Helmdon like this Caetano bodied Volvo seen in Stratford upon Avon in the Nineties.

BX61 XBS National Express West Midlands

One of National Express West Midlands Wright bodied Volvos needs so mechanical attention where despite it's size space space seems to be at a premium in Wolverhampton Bus Station.

The Quicker Way to Malvern: Midland Red WOC 733T

The 144 from Birmingham to Worcester and The Malverns was one of Midland Red's best known routes. But as pleasant as the towns and countryside like a many a long bus trip it was something of an endless slow plod  even upstairs on on a D9. But the Motorway Age gave it a spring in it's step as now services could speed along the new fast roads like the M5 and at least some of the letter x numbered routes started to live up to the idea of them being an express service. Indeed Midland Red even used some of it's fast 'London Motorway' BMMO CM6's on it but in later years it became the preserve of Leyland Leopards Dp's and later  proper service coaches like Plaxton Supreme 733 seen leaving a slightly murky Birmingham City Centre in the early Eighties.

Stagecoach Volvo DK09 GXX in Chester

A Stagecoach Wright bodied Volvo seen following a cyclist in Chester in November 2015.

Going to Imperial Avenue Leicester City Transport Park-Royal bodied Leyland PD3 GRY 61D

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The MCW Orion was always treated with derision by enthusiasts who said it was ugly. I must admit I didn't mind them as there were plenty in the Midlands and Manchester area and as I was familiar with them they looked normal. But whereas the genuine product was a bit like a 'jelly-mould' fit those which copied the design produced far more ungainly buses. Here is a good example in Leicester of a Park-Royal Leyland PD3 which was far more top-heavy and less rounded than an MCW. However despite that it added not just a bit of variety but also added a bit a bit of character. Of course all the smartly kept Leicester PD3 looks great but the most attractive had to be the superb looking East-Lancs bodied examples.

Arriva Optare Versa YJ12 PLU in Wolverhampton

I like there to be a few things happening in my pictures these days but obviously I quickly snatched this one of an Arriva Optare Versa in Wolverhampton. No people to enjoy either but and so a lone pigeon will have to do.