Two Leylands Nationals at Stockport XAL 383S amd HNE 639N

A pair of Leyland Nationals of different operators meet up in the Stockport sunshine. Because Greater Manchester had so many double-deckers like NC bodied Leyland Olympian 3234 it as easy to forget it had quite a few Nationals and if one includes those from Lancashire United the fleet  was getting well towards the two-hunded mark.  A very typical NBC example of typically smart Trent in poppy-red makes a good contrast with a mellowed looking Manchester 115 HNE 639N. 

A Very Select Scania Omnicity in Stafford

Select wedded to the rather predictable Dart,  Enviro and Solo have been breaking out into new territory first with a VDL and now with this new arrival an impressive former Nottingham Scania Omnicity. I think they will have to be careful where they use it as it's not really suitable for the back streets or narrow country lanes.

Travel West Midlands GOG 106W

A sullen looking girl and No.2106 a MCW Metrobus in Birmingham.

Yorkshire Woollen L818 NWY in Leeds

Deregulation was great from the interestingness point of view with lots of variety and different standards. What killed it off was the imposition of corporate liveries and none of them were as good as the best they replaced. I liked it where tradition was given a modern touch to bring it up to date and I particularly liked the Caldaire group for they way they reintroduced the colours of it's Yorkshire West Riding fleets including Yorkshire Woollen as seen here in Leeds on a Plaxton Strider bodied Dennis Lance.

Midland-Red D10's were two-a-penny in Stafford

From a bus perspective Stafford's claim to fame is it was home to Midland Red's two revolutionary underfloor engined D10 buses. Experiments had been tried out as long ago as the 1930's but nobody built anything reliable for the British market till Volvo came along with it's Citybus in the 80's. So it was sad that these buses never went into production as they never gave any trouble here once the garage got on top of all the jobs that needed doing on them and made little unofficial modifications like a hatch in the floor to make jobs easier, not that it pleased Carlyle which and de-modified them again but Stafford changed them back again!  Before they arrived here they had been hard worked on one of the companies toughest routes the 245-6 called 'The Track' as it followed the old tramway between Wednesbury and Stourbridge. It also went through Dudley and the buses were kept at the old tram depot site at Hartshill near Merry Hill.  They regularly had a maintanance problem in the Black Country and with these buses being different they were deemed a lot more trouble and  were no doubt neglected even more than normal. When it was finally decided to move them away the company found it hard to find a garage that would take them and they spent a short three month spell at Leicester in 1964 before finding a loving home at Pilgrim Place for the next eight years. They regulary did the 836 to Cannock and one set out each morning at 06.15 sometimes with me on board for Lichfield on the 825. Another regular haunt was the S84 and S97 to Burton Manor Estate as seen here where 4943 the first of the two was waiting next to The Nesbit. It makes you wonder how many crews weren't tempted to go for a swift half as it wasn't quite so wrong in those days lol.

Reading Transport Scania BUS 5X

Reading Transport certainly had an interesting mixed fleet which ran in a variety of liveries. In red and gold was the Van-Hool bodied Scania seen on the busy London Embankment.where the two girls performed for my camera giving me a twirl.

Chester City or Subway City

For once a Subway sandwich take-away lives up to it's name for as soon as one exits this one there it is. The Arriva Enviro double-decker carries a cherished registraion and as well as J400 ABW I have J100 ABW so I imagine when new it was to boost their image as part of some promotion. Little do I know!

Brighton & Hove Scania in Eastbourne

I much prefer what I like to think are proper colours on buses and it was heartwarming when one or two NBC operators reverted to their pleasant traditional hues. It didn't matter if it had been updated in the process as it could look very smart as seen here on a Brighton and Hove East-Lancs bodied Scania in Eastbourne.

NBC Watfordwide Atlantean AN 37

It had more than it's fair share of Leyland Nationals but London Country was definately one of the most interesting NBC fleets and at least a lot of it's elderly RT's were replaced with these attractively bodied Atlanteans by Park Royal instead of Bristol VR's. This is one of those quick jump out of cab and grab a photo shots of AN37 so I can't remember exactly where it was but not too far from Croxley.  Some nice detail here though including a yellow Commer telephones van and I wonder if that handy looking branch of Lloyds Banks is still there, I doubt it!

KMP Mercedes N776 CJC in Caernarfon

When I was there at the end of the 90's Caernarfon like Bangor seemed to be awash with Independents including KMP who was operating this Mercedes minibus on what I imagine was the County Council funded Sherpa network.

South Wales Leopard NCY 476R bound for Haverfordwest

A cat or rather a Jojo must have nine lives. Today it seems unthinkable that one might attempt to  take photos on the tiny strip of pavement in the middle of the road in busy Bristol. But the world was a bit different in the early Eighties and not only were we not constantly being watched we were left to use our common-sense. All I can say is nobody seemed too bothered, I'm still here and believe it or not even managed to get back again without being run over despie not wearing a high-viz vest.  So I lived to tell the tale and also managed to get an unusual photo of a South Wales Duple Dominant bodied Leopard heading off for far off Haverfordwest. My advice though is as they say "don't try this at home".

F122 XEM Warrington Coach Lines

In this view taken on the M6 one can empathise with the hot tired people behind all that glass on the bus wanting to get home to a hot bath and a decent cup of tea after a long day out probably to Blackpool. I imagine it's a bit sticky as thundery storm clouds are gathering but maybe this East-Lancs bodied Dennis Dominator will make it home to Warrington before it starts. In the anything goes spirit of Deregulation a number of Municipals and PTE's set up coaching units like the eyecatching Coach Lines and why not as some of the coach firms were running smokey old bangers and trying to steal their remunertive stage routes. 

Five New Wright Bodied Scanias at Chester City Transport

These five Wright bodied Scania park and ride liveried bus must have been a significant purchase for Chester City Transport. Obviously they were still very new when I made my visit to the depot as they were all proudly standing in a line albeit not lined up in order.

Eastern National Tiger from Bishop's Stortford HHJ 374Y

An Eastern National Alexander bodied Leyland Tiger rests before setting off back to Bishop's Stortford on the 712. I lived here for about nine months in 1969 and love this area of Victoria and Pimlico but I think the way the light plays off these white buildings made photography difficult at times or maybe just the light might have been poor. However as much as I wish it not every picture can be perfect but the nice thing about Flickr is all these buses are interesting to someone and it works as a record shot at least.

K722 ASC: Leyland Olympians in Edinburgh

This rather bright looking Fife Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian in it's Stagecoach stripes looks like it's from another planet compared to the very plasant but conservative Lothian fleet.

Midland Red S23 RHA 937G at Coventry

Amongst the last of the BMMO's remaining in service was this S23 No.5937 at Coventry, once a Leamington bus which spent the last four years till Feb 81 at Rugby.

No Room To Park in Berlin for Wallace Arnold Passengers

Probably in the early Eighties a Dutch registered Neoplan has to double park and it's passengers squeeze between the cars as it unloads it chartered Wallace Arnod passengers in Berlin.

BVP 777V: Not Quite a Golden Age Maybe a Bright Patch of Purple

As a bus enthusiast my golden age was the Sixties and I've never quite got over it's passing. But especially looking back other times have had their highs too and this view of a Midland Red Leopard heading out of Birmingham without a care in the world for Hereford brings back pleasant memories of still nice solid more traditional buses and very interesting times.

YJ59 BUP: Empty Streets The Arriva Blues

Lockdown landscape where empty pavements like this have become normal, but I must admit I took it in Stafford just before Covid19 arrived disrupting our lives. I haven't bothered but had I taken any bus photos at this strange time in our lives I still think I could not have done it much better as unintentionally I seem to have caught the feel. I like the thin cool but sharp sunlight casting long reaching tenticles of shadow and even this current rather insipid and in poor light rather depressing Arriva livery makes me think of the poor old NHS and it's blues. But the people are coming out again hurrying to empty the rails at Primark.

VRG 415T Part of The Post-Deregulation Jigsaw Puzzle

A long time ago now but Deregulation was a bit like a big cat which jumped on the almost complete jigsaw puzzle scattering the pieces everywhere. Some people might want to try at some point to  write it all down but the fact that this Merseybus  MCW Metrobus in Liverpool carries an Aberdeen registration and London Buses livery could inspire a school essay on it's own and this is just one bus. In fact it was one of five which went to Tyne & Wear and if I remember rightly in London to Enfield or Potters Bar.

Prague 6579

When I was there in the mid-90's most of the Prague trams pulled trailers but Route 7 seemed to be an exception with just single units.