137 Years of Carris: Many Happy Returns

I have been saving this view of the yard at the back of the Carris works at Boavista by Santa Amaro for a special occasion. As it was my last day in Lisbon I had hoped to be able to go inside but as it was the weekend I was told it was not possible. The next best thing was to scale the wall to the top and at least take a few shots from there of these wonderful slowly decaying AEC's that symbolised a previous era taking us back a good few more years when Bristish buses were king's of the road in Portugal.

Last Year at Meadowhall

A year has gone by since the last bus rally at Meadowhall and that's where I'm off to today. Former local Leyland PD2 buses with Yorkshire built Roe bodies from Leeds ferry people to the Transport Museum in Sheffield. It should be a nice day and when I get home I have Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding to look forward to. As you can see it's not that terrible being British and especially on Summer weekends when it's almost as if the old buses never went away with events and rides to enjoy.

Saturday in Sheffield

I know it's a bit daft but when blogging if I can remember it I like to post my pictures at the time of the week on which they were taken whether it be during a weekday or at the weekend. This one of a Mainline Metrobus Mk2 was taken on a Saturday in the mid-Nineties which might account for all the people standing around with not a great deal to do. Bus 1937 dated from 1984 and was allocated to Olive Grove Garage whose letters are carried on the front.

Carris Lisbon AEC Regal No.107

As you see I took one or two in black and white too when I went to Portugal in 1984. No.107 had been re-bodied at some time and despite it having quite a restricted carrying capacity it had been fitted with dual-entrances for fast a boarding and exit.

FBW Hess

A smart Hess bodied FBW bound for Rothenberg was seen in Luzern in the early Nineties.

Gardner powered Olympians: Still going strong.

Blackpool transport bought a number of standard NBC ECW bodied Leyland Olympian buses from Trent in the Nineties. This Summer they were still going strong despite being twenty-six-years-old and No.409 was pictured on the Sea Front at Fleetwood. Even though Blackpool also buys new buses regularly it has never thrown out sound vehicles because of their age alone and obviously the operation has a hand-on feel rather than being left to distant managers and the whims of accountants. With poor design issues when new these buses were not greatly loved but no doubt they have become more highly valued because of their comparative simplicity and not forgetting the legendary frugal and reliable Gardner engines that has also kep't the similar aged West Midlands MCW Metrobuses going.

Stop me and buy something

In the Danish town of Esjberg as you can see on this DAB Leyland they took full advantage of every space almost to sell advertising.

Midland Red's first Leopards

This Midland Red Leyland Leopard LS18 once looked extremely smart with a black top as it was one of twenty Willowbrook bodied vehicles from this 1962-3 batch of one-hundred fitted with coach seats to work the operator's long X-Services that covered much of the system. Tamworth Garage together with Coalville had several of these fast nice to drive buses for the long X99 from Birmingham to Nottingham which passed through the town. Shortly before it was withdrawn perhaps early in 1980 No.5182 was still working hard as it powered along the busy A5 Watling Street near Two Gates returning home from Birmingham on the 110.

Buses & Girls!

Well better luck next time with the young girls. But as this view of Plymouth Bretonside demonstrates many of the folks taking coach excursions and tours are elderly. Consequently drivers have to be chosen wisely and be in tune with their needs as it is not a job for those normally on service work who are always rude or and in a hurry. Skills is a well known and long established operator from Nottingham which started shortly after World War One with a bus service. Volvo coaches were favoured in the Eighties included this Van-Hool bodied B10M-61.

Service 999 to Malmo

Apart from the long finger pointing north called Jutland west of it Denmark is a series of large and small islands and those few which aren't joined by bridges employ ferries. It seems even the larger crossings have all been bridged now including the important one between Knudshoved and Korsor. As well as that there is also a long bridge between Denmark and Sweden and even though I expect coaches still depart from outside the railway station in Copenhagen the journey to Malmo most be a great deal shorter bringing the two nations ever closer.

Warrington Bus Station

If it says Leyland on the tin....

....it probably isn't. Well it's certainly not a proper Leyland bus more likely being based on the light truck Terrier chassis as often also happened in the UK. This student college bus was enjoying a lazy day as it was Sunday in Lisbon.