Cologne: Modern Transport

Cologne was badly bombed in the War and you can see in this view the ugly mass of Fifties and Sixties concrete that replaced the old city. However the city planners made plenty of provision for public transport with coordinated fast light-rail services to the suburbs like this one heading for Thielenbruch on the E15.

Green Line RF125

I can't remember where I saw this old modernised London AEC Regal RF but it still looked in decent condition here in the early Eighties.

Imperial of Torquay

 

Despite still wearing the colours of Imperial of Windsor where it just might have been going to nearby Marlow this Duple Viceroy bodied Bedford VAM was at a new home in Torquay and working out to Marldon.

A Burnley Leyland Tiger PS2/14 & National Mk1 in 1979

Burnley Colne and Nelson was a late buyer of the Leyland PS2 and consequently at least one example,  a 1954 East Lancs bus lasted till the end of the Seventies and makes an interesting contrast to the modern National at Queensgate Depot. Unlike today how nice it was that many of the old livieries suited their surroundings.

In Lisbon they never scrap buses

 

Unlike the rugged half-cab AEC 's of yesterday, or rather the day before as this must be a later yesterday, later buses didn't get through many bodies as unlike the Regal's and Regent's their mechanical parts were no longer of much use either. No doubt though I expect Carras got good value from Eighties Volvo's like No.1434 trying to wear out the cobbled sets as it hurries out to Alcantara. 

Stevenson's: All in a row

It only seems like yesterday but by the time Stevenson's of Uttoxeter sold out it's fleet of yellow buses to Arriva in the Nineties it was by far the largest Independent in Staffordshire and even the country. As can be seen in this view at Spath Leylands made up a large part of the fleet, but of course there were plenty of former London Transport Fleetlines and Metrobuses too.

To Lakenham in the English Summer

When still quite recent VR 282 one of many Eastern Counties VR's makes it's way through the wet streets of Norwich on a very damp day on  Route 556 to Lakeham. Wet weather is a bad time for buses as people get even more lazy and go shopping in their cars as can be witnessed here by the busy streets and full car-parks.

In Zurich every day is a new day

 

By the early Nineties bus-wise at least the remaining FBW and Saurer buses in Switzerland were being pushed out as the German Invasion continued and not surprisingly the Mercedes-Benz 0405 played an important part. There is no point saying that No.581 looked new as like the Post Buses,  Zurich's fleet spent their whole lives looking new. How us humans would like to learn from them.

Hearn's of Edgeware

 

A Tiger in the sunshine: Spring is in the Air

Normal blogging service has been resumed again as my comp is back up and running. Thankfully we did not need to do a reload to fix it which means I haven't lost my saved files either. However there are still glitches left with traces of the virus.

NO BUSES TODAY

I'm afraid my computer has 'gone down' with a virus and so I'm sorry but there will be no new posts till I get it fixed. Still it's not so terrible as you now have an excuse to delve into the vast archive of photos i've uploaded for you all to enjoy.

Heckmondwike: Just in case you are not yey sick of snow

I know you must be getting sick of snow and my glorification of it's chilly misery so here is another one, Yorkshire Woollen District Alexander T-Bodied Leopard No.14 confidently bound for Manchester on the 223 at  maybe Heckmondwick or Batley before heading for the hills and the endless sunshine of Lancashire..

Snow in Klosters

Deep snow in Klosters in Winter is hardly newsworthy, and indeed it's the fact that there is not enough snow that gets the newspapers writing headlines for the white-stuff is the iceing on the Alpine Cake. When I last visited switzerland in 2000 the current modern bus era was well under way and no doubt still quite uncommon new types like the Mercedes Citaro were still worth a second glance then. But as you can see as well as the urban streets they had reached the quieter resorts too like this PAH operated Swiss Post Bus meeting the rail arrivals at a rather slushy Klosters