Eilat's Breakdown Tender in 1979

This might be just a cut down and customised Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster, but this beefy recovery vehicle belonging to TAN at Eilat certainly looked the business. I'm not sure what Voca would say about the large tyre mounted on the front but with so much sand drifting about in the desert obviously there are times when it had to push them out as well as pull and tow.

Busman's Holiday

A Scania belonging to the Israeli operator TAN sit's in the hot sunshine on the beach at the Kibutz at Neviot on the edge of the Sinai Desert.

THE MAGIC OF BUS GARAGES

No I'm afraid unless they're old elegant ornate tram sheds or wonderful examples of Art Deco architecture bus garages tend to be rather ugly affairs as far as the general public are concerned. I'm sure though the TAN Garage at Eilat in Israel was one of the least photographed by tourists as it was hardly a thing of beauty. Strangely enough I never really noticed how ugly they might be as I was always more excited by what I might find inside. In this Seventies view as well as the Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster we can also see the rear half of a Scania plus from behind a rather meaty looking recovery truck.

Georgia is always on my mind

Next to the beach at Neviot in the Sinai during the Israeli Occupation was a nice place to spend your retirement if you were an old American Bus. The bodywork on these old buses looked like a hut so why not use it as one.

First Bus in Beersheba

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything from Israel for a while so here is a rather utilitarian looking Leyland Royal Tiger bus working in the dust and the heat of the large inland desert town of Beersheva which might be notable for it's University but I can tell you with more certainly that it had a good sized bus station too. In the early Eighties when this view was taken the sprawling First Group empire of buses and trains was still just a twinkle in some corporate accountant's eye but I'm sure this bus is wearing the budget First Group colours Barbi Bargain luxury Travel. Okay this bus looked old and might even have dated back to the late-Fifties but there were still plenty of old Leylands not much newer than this running about in the less depressing TAN red and cream they pinched from Prague Trams or Halton (LOL).

More from Neviot

This Volvo bus slowly baking on the Sinai Desert sands of Neviot might be well laden but I'm afraid the palm tree growing on the roof is purely an illusion. When I took my Easter Holiday there back in the Eighties I didn't need to travel all over Israel to see these buses they just came and parked on the beach.

German Tourists: Camera Sheiks

A BIT OF HEAT

I'm sorry about the camera shake on this one but I haven't published anything from Israel recently so I thought I would use it. A mid-day worshipper tries to get out the desert heat at the Communal beach settlement of Neviot whilst German tourists as usual step in front of the shot. I'm afraid I know very little about this big yellow Volvo bus.

Tel-Aviv: Not Expecting Rain Today

Rather in the same way that in Britain sunglasses are more of a fashion item than of any practical use in other hotter parts of the world where they seem to have nothing else even windscreen wipers are there more as a prayer than anything else. Joking apart it is not a good idea to run for too long without wipers and I'm certain unless they were buying them from British Leyland in the Seventies there would not be a long waiting list. Although this view was taken during one of Israels more peaceful periods as usual army personnel are ever present travelling about on the buses including this well used Dutch lantern-screen Leyland Royal Tiger

United Tours: Turkish-made MAN (MANAŞ 590HO-R)

My visitor from Israel, Lert who tells me so much about the country's buses I've posted might be surprised to see that I actually know this one. I was reading through his comments and he mentioned one of these and I thought, yes I've got one of those. So folks as you see you're efforts aren't completely wasted and I look forward to them.

Israel: Where did I leave my fags?

I think if this was Britain this coach driver would have been stopped for a little word by the police concerning the huge pile of luggage items piled up on his dash. Maybe times have changed in Israel too but when I was there early in the 80's during a period of relative peace folks got on with their lives without too much fuss which was quite endearing in it's own way.

Shakes: No Great Sheiks it's Friday Thirteenth

Isn't it always the case that when you return from holiday you find that your favourite photograph is blurred or streaked by the Baghdad Airport X.Ray scanning machine that tells you it's harmless to film. As you can probably judge by now my favourite buses overall are Leylands of a certain age complete with the manufacturer's badges and wheel trims and this United Tours coach caught baking in the mid-day sun during Easter 1984 at Neviot in the Sinai was a real beauty even without it's Royal Tiger Worldmaster badge.

Desert Storm

Well it's not quite a British Tank charging across the desert but Leyland did build them during the war when bus production stopped. Lucky not only was I was able to visit Israel during one of it's more peaceful periods also by then getting quite elderly Leyland's still seemed to outnumber other makes except of course on prestige city and top-line work. But despite it's age and well used look this Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster was still able to turn out a good performance as it approached it's destination the Kibbutz of Neviot on the Red Sea, South of Eilat. Even though it was way back in the Early-Eighties I can still hear in my head the roar and transmission whine of TAN 89-256 creating a minor sand storm.

The Garage Mascot: The Breakdown Bus

Like everything else in a rapidly changing world even the garage tow truck seems to be disappearing as bus companies do away with equipment and prefer to contract out their service needs. But often not only was the breakdown bus an object the mechanics could customise and call their own it could be an interesting vehicle in it's own right. This one was a real beauty and the macho looking cut-down Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster belonging to TAN could be found at Eilat on the Red Sea in Israel.

Get a TAN in the desert sun

in the area taken from Egypt there were plenty of buses. This place where the arid desert met the crystal clear Red Sea was Easter in Israel, and even though the sky was wet and grey and the sea rough in Tel Aviv, down south in the Sinai Desert it was baking hot. Even though this kibbutz was situated in the desert in the Occupied Zone south of Eilatpopular with naturists especially the Germans and Israelis alike because not only could it boast a wonderful beach it was situated on a wonderful coral reef. But apart from all that sunshine, the naked girls, the wonderful fresh food, for me best of all was a wide variety of old Worldmasters some complete with their Leyland Royal Tiger badges like this typical example that kept me on the car park and off the beach. Not that there was much difference between the two.

It's either this or a camel

Alongside the Scanias and earlier generations of Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmasters to be found at the TAN Depot at Eilat in 1984 was this elderly American 'International' bus which had been used taking parties on tours out into the Desert. I was followed around by the 'Garage Help' who seemed to find a way to get in every picture.

TAN :Tel Aviv Scania 145

For many years most of the buses in Israel were built by Leyland at it's factory there, but when the dynasty ended as you might expect Swedish buses from Volvo and Scania were chosen in preference to the mighty Mercedes and other German Manufacturers. Considering this photograph was taken from an open bus window it is not at all bad.

The Desert Adventures of Dan-Dare

Oh dear I'm showing my age as my older brother used to read all about Dan-Dare in the Eagle whilst I had to make do with The Robin. But in Israel they never have to worry about operating empty buses and these solid Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmasters with locally built bodywork must surely be missed by operator's like DAN.