563-TD Lancashire United 99

 In the early Sixties Lancashire United was luke-warm about the merits of the Daimler Fleetline and when it placed orders with local bodybuilder Northern Counties they were included as a smaller addition to it's much preferred trusty Guy Arab. No doubt the operator realised that they were the way forward and it looks like No.99 leaving Swinton Garage in about early 1980 when had just had a repaint. 

Preston Leyland Lynx H23YBV

 With the H.M.Prison in the background a Preston Leyland Lynx approaches the bus station followed by a similar bus.

Top Tour Berlin

 BVG the Berlin bus operator was running a small fleet of coaches plus a few sightseeing buses in that lucrative market. This Mercedes 0407 had been cut down and de-roofed to make an attractive chara for it's Top Tour. Personally I would much have preferred  to ride on the MAN double-decker with Stadtrunfarht Berlin, another former BVG bus.

Noisy Scania B6-7 WER They were a bit different

 Since Arriva pulled out of Stafford we have seen a wide variety of buses come and go from both Select and Chaserider. Looking like a Volvo or VDL Cannock based 748 was one of a pair of Wright bodied Scanias. New arrivals from Centrebus always stand out as they run around for a little while in their more attractive orange based scheme till one discovers if they will go back as being on loan or will stay. Sadly both have gone as one is being scrapped whilst the other returned to Leicester, i will certainly miss those transmission sounds they made a very different ride.

A Is For Augsburg

The letter 'A' in the German registration codes is for Augsburg as carried on this rather overpowering red and black Neoplan coach of Reim.  WIS carried by the by then quite elderly Setra might be a lot more difficult to guess but it's for Wismar, formerly part of the DDR and situated on the coast half way between Rostock and Lubeck. I've learnt something today as I had to look that one up and even though I've been to Lubeck I've never heard of Wismar before.

Merseyside PTE's Only New Leyland Leopard

 Unlike other PTE's which set up a coaching division Merseyside PTE only had a small fleet for coachwork. No. 7003 was a single Leyland Leopard which was fitted with a Duple Dominant 'Express' body and whose driver with arms folded seemed to be going nowhere as it took it's turn to leave a busy Digbeth whilst on hire to National Express and bound for Southport..   

From Brighton to Rossendale with a Lynx G994 VWX

 After Deregulation many former Municipal buckled under the pressure from ruthless predators like Stagecoach, but the former Rawtenstall renamed Rossendale bucked the trend and not only survived it expanded. This was done thanks to the the purchase of secondhand buses and coaches. They were mostly Leylands like this former Brighton Lynx.

Portcawl Omnibus Volvo B58M JBO 461N

 Porthcawl Omnibus was using this Plaxton bodied Volvo B58M with lots of  stickers for it's TOWN Link service between Wildmill and Bridgend on what looks like a more local service.

Post-NBC South Midland Rides Again in Oxford

 Having been sold off and severed from the clutches of the NBC most operators were quick to adopt or modify their liveries to exclaim that air of freedom and independence. Whereas City of Oxford was an exception and clung onto NBC poppy red for some time afterwards it's hived off country area now using the once familiar local coach title South Midland  initially adopted the dark red and cream too before going for something a lot more racy even 'jazzy'. Most of us bus enthusiasts of a certain age probably preferred  them like this.which showed sympathy for the rather elegant lines of the ECW body on this Bristol VR AUD464R 631. City of Oxford had been part of the huge private BET and as South Midland was part of the nationalised BTC it had come under the arm of Thames Valley in Reading but was based in Oxford. 

H192 JNF Arriva Wadham-Stringer Dnnis Dart

 Arriva had many Dennis Darts but this one seen in Stafford was a little bit unusual as it bore attractive Wadham Stringer bodywork and had been new to Jim Stones.

BVG Berlin 3534 at Reinickendorf

 Looking at the photos I took in Berlin and elsewhere I'm glad I used to get off the beaten track, but a consequence of that is I often can't consciously remember where they were taken it has gone fuzzy. This is a good example but the route displayed as 72 means it was taken before Reunification and indeed the still new looking MAN 3534 dated from 1986. I expect this is the opposite terminus of the 57 min 16 Km trip to Gartenfeld and was taken at Reinickendorf

 After buying the early Atlantean, Trent changed to the Daimler Fleetline including some with ECW bodies like 553 seen in Derby.

East Berlin: If It's a bus or coach it's an Ikarus

 I complain because some of my colour prints came back with the wrong colouring, but I'm afraid there's nothing much one could do about those taken in East Berlin as the air was so fogged with pollutant from burning brown coal the air was thick with it. No doubt in the same way we miss the smell of the steam railway and industry older people in that part of the city must miss their smells too. Ikarus supplied most of the buses for much of the Eastern Block and they came in all sizes and even as a not too convincing luxury coach.

I Spy With My Little Eye

 Yes there's certainly plenty to see in this view I took of Chester from the City Wall  as Northern Counties Daimler Fleetline CFM 86S approaches nearing the end of it's journey to the town hall terminus.

West Midland Travel Leyland Fleetline WDA924T at Coventry Pool Meadow

 Not quite ready to load for it's journey to the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry POOL MEadow BUs Station was 6924 one of the last batch of Fleelines delivered to West Midlands PTE and bore attractive MCW bodywork.

All Of A Rush on London Bridge

  It must be mid-afternoon as the shadows are already lengthening on London Bridge as the commuters start making their way home. In the background a Red Arrow National GUW465W 2 LS465 overtakes what I think is B15 Titan T932 A932SYE.