Trent-Barton High Peaks Volvo

 Whereas many former NBC operators gaining their freedom took a very much see how it goes approach Trent buckled down bought new buses and thought it through. This included branding and the buses on the Alexander bodied Volvos on the Buxton to Manchester service were chistened Trans Peak doing away with traditional route numbers.

Chaserider Enviro 99

 Not so long ago one of the regulars on the 841 Stafford to Uttoxeter and when it was running the local 10 Service was Chaserider Enviro No.99. The last time I saw it was some moths ago when it was being towed back to Stafford. I was told the gears suddenly failed which wasn't surprising really as the gearbox was dropping off. 

Former Ribble Leopard with Staffordian Travel LCW732W

 After Greatrex Travel sold it's business it was rebranded as Staffordian and wore an attractive silver and black livery. This former Ribble Plaxton bodied Leopard might have arrived in all-white and bought mainly for schools contracts was given a cheap livery 'facelift' but still looked rather attractive. Another explanation for the livery change is more likely that by this time Staffordian iteslf had been merged with Happy Days with which it had close family links and who initially had to keep the name alive for various reasons. Unlike today's buses the Leyland Leopard was quite loud and this one particularly so as it had a none standard sounding exhaust that boomed even more than usual and in my opinion at least it sounded lovely as one could hear it's roar from miles away. 

You Have To Look Twice L503-CPB

 Seen in Stafford, at first glance I thought this was one of the East-Lancs EL2000 bodied Dennis Darts L503 BNX delivered to Midland Red North but it was in fact an almost identical bus which came from London and Country L503 CPB.

An Eastern Counties Ambassador at Norwich

 One of my favourite places for bus photography was Norwich especially as it was a late Bristol Lowdekka stronghold. Also it had an interesting large bus station on a slope with a good sized bus garage attached. One thing I liked about the Tilling Group and firms like Eastern Counties was the way it built attractive bus stations in brick with good facilities and kept them clean and smart even in the normally less proud cost-cutting NBC era. In that respect it often outshone parts of the BET Group like Nortern General which even in some important locations seemed to have rows of sad concrete and or cast-iron shelters, but of course that might have been on the part of the Authority which owned the land and provided the facilities. Perhaps it's worth mentioning too that standards were different in a grirrt working class town whereas Norwich was considered to be the unspoken capital of East Anglia I guess. Probably the only drawback here buswise was being at it's heart one only really saw Eastern Counties buses even if in the NBC era it was by another name. Now called Ambassador one of it's coaches a Duple Dominant bodied Leyland Leopard  makes a call on it's way up to Great Yarmouth.    

Jones of Market Drayton RAW735X

In the NBC days PMT was hit with a lot more service cuts than many of companies almost wiping out it's rural network. Not surprisingly this hit Stafford hard as the small garage closed leaving it with just the Hanley service that still operates today. One of it's services was a very infrequent Tuesday and Saturday service to Market Drayton via Eccleshall and Woodseaves which Jones took on and which often brought Duple bodied Ford RAW-735X into Stafford. 

Ride On Top Of A Fox M166GRY

 To think way back in 1962 Midland Red despite having a large rural empire to serve actually operated slightly more double-deckers than saloons if one discounts coaches. By the end of the NBC era thanks to it's buy Leyland National policy and the loss of it's most lucrative Birmingham and Black Country area to the PTE double-deckers were few and far between. The one exception was the more urban Leicester but because of their age the remaining Daimler Fleetlines had dwindled away too. Not surprisingly the Privatised eastern area called Midland Fox reintroduced them and typical was this East-Lancs bodied Scania.    

Western National Leyland Olympian A755 VAF from Plymouth to Torquay X80

 Once it stopped getting Bristol VR's Western National bought very few new double-deckers till Privatisation. The only exception was eight of these Leyland Olympians which fitted with coach seating must have clocked up huge mileages on the longer services to Exeter and Torquay. 

Blackpool AEC Swift

 A murky damp Summer Sunday in Blackpool but being able to photograph some interesting old buses still at work makes it enjoyable. Amongst the delights were the remaining AEC Swifts with Marshall bodywork like this one on a cross town service to Mereside.

SMY630X Green Line Leyland Tiger Plaxton Supreme

 At Victoria in London stands a Plaxton Supreme bodied Leyland Tiger which started life here with National Travel but had by now become a Green Line coach. I had about three images of this one to choose from but I picked this one.

Go-Goodwins AEC Reliance CAR 354K

The driver of this Plaxton Panorama bodied AEC Reliance of Goodwins finds time to stop in a South Manchester lay-by to spruce up his coach which had been new in London to Randall  in March 1972. Across the road is the huge Whithington Cemetery, I don't know where but my grandfather who lived till he was ninety-eight is buried in there somewhere.  

 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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

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.