Arriva Left Out In The Cold

Arriva's aquamarine bus livery has been with us so many years one might have thought when it came time to change it they would come up with something even if not exciting at least a bit better. It is hardly inspiring but maybe as happened at Cambus who started off with just light blue they might realise it's not very eye catching and add something stronger to set it off. It was very cold in Stafford and buses like Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart  2371 were running around with snow clinging to their tops even though they had been out all day despite dropping into pot-holes and bouncing over speed-bumps.

Ribble in Heywood BNB 244T

Places in Cheshire like Alderley Edge and Knutsford might have been affordable to  wealthy stockbrokers and the top footballers but to the north of Manchester was Heywood which was Just far enough away outside to make it popular with the cast of Coronation Street etc. where they should have felt very much at home as it had that friendly Lancashire feel even to seeing the odd Ribble bus on the 399. I might be wrong but I think this service went to Rochdale from Bolton but when I was there in the Eighties it was being operated with these Duple bodied Leopards like No.1244 looking quite attractive in one of NBC's local 'blind effect'  liveries introduced prior to Deregulation when it would all be sold off.

In Manchester at least The Commonplace: First Volvo Wright MX09 GYH

It's much busier than it used to be but I'm glad not all of central Manchester has been redeveloped like this gritty area of small businesses around Shudhill and Withy Grove. There used to be an open-air second-hand record stall down here too in my day where I picked up some rarities. Buses too seem to becoming a rarity in many parts of Britain especially on a Sunday but not in the big Metropolitan Boroughs like Greater Manchester and here a First Wright bodied Volvo double-decker tries to edge it's way passed an illegally parked car with it's hazards on. Not such a rarity!

Huddersfield Daimler CVG6 HVH 472D at the Gladstone Pottery

I had to have a ride on this East-Lancs bodied Daimler CVG6 at the Gladstone Museum POPS running day last October as I have the Corgi OOC model of it. Many of the municipals took a great deal of pride in their fleet such as here at Huddersfield, it's a pity though that on my model of it they got the colour wrong as instead of bright red theirs in more like a marmalade-orange.

Midland Red S22 MHA 901F at Stafford

Here we have a Midland Red BMMO S22 at the reaffic lights on Gaol Road in Stafford. It was a day very much like this one with dense shadow and thin sunlight which is one of the worst combinations for black and white photographs unless one picks exactly the right spot. 5901 wasn't at Stafford garage for long being allocated here between May 79 and May 80. It went onto Leamington to do another four months before withdrawal but travelled quite a bit throughout the system spending most of it's working life from July 1968 at Worcester till January 1979 where it did a short four-month spell at Hinckley before coming here. It was later preserved.

Taking a National Holiday in Chester

Most Duple designs looked quite different from their rival Plaxton and this Southdown Laser bodied Tiger makes a good contract alongside another Leyland but this time with the more common Plaxton Paramount belonging to London Country. Both were in NBC  National Holidays and seen whilst on tour in Chester. I must admit I like a bit of brightwork trim and I prefered these earlier Lasers to the later less cheerful tidied up version. In the early days of the NBC it was horrible seeing the beautiful traditional coaches of Maidstone and District, Ribble and Midland Red etc. being outshopped in this uninspiring white garb but I think it was largely in our heads as it was far less noticeable on later coaches that came painted white from new.

Two La Poste Volvos: Foul Day in Sion

Doing a check I was surprised there are no photos on here from Sion in Switzerland, a town I visited often and with the exception of Lugano it is the busiest post bus departure point in the country. When I was last there in 1999 or 2000 these Volvos were very much the choice here and two identical buses stand side by side, one can't tell them apart any more but the one with the P-Reg shows it was owned by La Poste as there is a garage here. It was unusual to see a dirty post bus but P25626 had some  uncharacteristic accident damage which probably wasn't that surprising with often difficult conditions  higher up above the snow-line.

Solent Blue Nationals in Southampton

Originally with Hants and Dorset a pair of Leyland Nationals were seen hard at work in Southampton surrounded by Christmas Shoppers in the Nineties.

Oldham Corporation Atlantean GBU 143D

Once image conscious General Managers and designers got their heads around the problems of designing a decent rear-engined double-deck body some of the results were quite pleasing such as this style of Roe body to be found on most of the Leyland Atlanteans in the Oldham fleet. Ian Allan called their main colour maroon but it wasn't quite that as it was pinky a bit like Eden Vale black cherry yogurt. Not as tasty but rather nice and distinctly different when freshly turned out like many of the Municipal liveries.

I Might Not Look It But I Am The Number One: N201 UHH Stagecoach Cumberland

It must go back to my spotting days but I'm still attracted to bus numbers and registrations and Stagecoach Cumberland number-one was too tempting despite being a minibus. I quite like the Mercs and another thing that attracted me was it still had it's badge another of my requirements lol. Despite all the bus trivia it is still a nice interesting photo as in the background a massive Taylor Martley Scania artic squeezes it's way through Kendal's narrow streets, th norm before the M6 was built.

A Redeployed AEC Regent at Cosford JCR 292E

Seen at the Cosford Air Show in the Eighties was this former Southampton AEC Regent with most of it's East-Lancs body removed. I imagine it was used to tow gliders and light aircraft.

An Alpha MB Tourismo in Stafford BU16 HBC

I couldn't snap this one as I was driving so I asked my friend Vicky to snap it. As quick as a flash she grabbed the camera and took a pretty fine photo considering. It was of an Alpha of Euxton Mercedes touring coach No.95  heading for a pick-up or drop-off by Stafford Station.