Select SK52 OJG: All Things Bright And Beautiful

A newcomer to the bus scene in Stafford stands out for the timebeing at least as it wears an unusual and  somewhat jazzy colour-scheme which in this clean condition looked nicer than one might expect. But this rather mundane Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart surprised me as it started life in Edinburgh with Lothian one of Britains most highly regarded operators so perhaps it's in better condition than would expect for a bus dating from 2002.

Black Prince Atlantean XJA 504L

Most of the Greater Manchester Daimler Fleetlines and Leyland Atlanteans had their standard Northern Counties body built in Wigan, but one of the latter carries a Park Royal body and by this time it had passed to Black Prince and was seen in Leeds.

BMMO D9 BHA 399C: He Who Waits

Today Arriva had a garage open day at Tamworth to celebrate it's Ninety Year Birthday. Also there were some interesting rides which didn't exactly take one as the crow flies which wasn't a bad thing but it was certainly hot on the top deck of a D9 like 5399 BHA399C

Right till the end of the Sixties bus driving might not have been a well paid job it was still a skilled profession which merited some pride and even loyalty. There was always the odd scruffy driver who knew all the fiddles, raced along jumping gear changes and who ran early or late but rarely on time. But in those days there were always plenty of inspectors to make sure they didn't get away with it. By the Nineties bus driving had just become a job and crews often moved backwards and forwards between local companies so there was no incentive to fly the flag. In this view taken in Liverpool the driver of the NC bodied Olympian has his shirt undone to his waist, and  whilst the driver of the other Leyland an East Lancs bodied Atlantean might look much more smart and properly dressed he is smoking a cigarette. This of course was not uncommon and not against the law but it was against the regulations and I remember one poor Standerwick Gay Hostess driver passing through Stafford who got reported by the local Ministry vehicle examiner for contentedly puffing away on his pipe.

Alton Stagecoach: A Celebration of Those Stripes

The Alexander R type body especially with a flat front could have been designed for Stagecoach one might think as it fitted it like aglove. At the time most of us hated these corporate stripes for they rid vehicles of any individual identity but I think qualms we might have had over the scheme itself have faded into a certain accepting nostalgia. I must admit too the overall impression of Stagecoach is smartness and this Hampshire Bus Leyland Olympian attending the Alton Bus Rally in 2017 looked very much the way in did in service whereas many we so admire today as seen through 'rose tinted glasses' in their  traditional dark green and red liveries were quite hard to maintain

Moreira, Gomes e Costas

Seen in Porto in 1984 was this very smart very new Utic bodied Leyland which could boast a very low registration number NC 0008.

PMT 'Mini Link' C128 VRE

I think nostalgia affects us all and even the most boring of buses not only become more interesting once they've gone they remind us of the past in general. With a darkroom doing black and white photography was cheap so I had no qualms about photographing an insignificant PMT 'Mini Link' minibus in Hanley. People who caught a bus there might even miss the haircuts and that temporary safety fence beside the bus stop which looks rather like a hazard itself. Yes the trusty Merc has gone but for all I know it might still be there.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

I'm not big bus nut any more, I don't follow what's going on or try to see them all. I'm content to just notice what is going on and of course include them in my photos regardless of how many I take over a period of time of any particular bus. I say that as I've taken this D&G Alexander Dennis Enviro VX14 RZA a number of times and this is the seventh I've photo shopped. I've travelled on it many times as it works my route and it might look okay but these modern buses are such bone-shakers the way they rattle and shake. They talk about soccer stars getting brain damage from heading the ball I'm surprised bus drivers don't go the same way with their hearing.

BMMO D7 4507 at Hinckley

Here is another one of my early photos, this time of a ubiquitous BMMO D7 at Hinckley. This garage for a number of years was unusual in not having any of this huge class as it went from AD2, through D5B's to the D9. I think the odd one did appear later like if I remember 4462 but it was for other garages to bring them into the town like this example XHA 507 from Coalville.

Strachans bodied AEC Merlin Red Arrow XMS6

Not very well know as a bus builder Strachans must have seen a high profile order for a batch of experimental AEC Merlin Red Arrow buses for London as something of a coo. The Capital bought a huge fleet but sadly for the Solent bases bodybuilder it just did fifteen and small orders for similar buses with Southampton and Wolverhampton. It was a pity as these were a lot more attractive than most Strachans bodywork of that time. Another Ilford Sporti soft shot I'm afraid from my schooldays.

West Midlands Trident 4366 BV52 OAC & New Market

Today saw the official opening of Wolverhampton's new 'semi outdoor' market. It was supposed to cost to cost a staggering four-million-pounds but overran the budget to Five. It amazes me how much such a simple structure costs these days but maybe a lot of it was the land it was built on. Bus as you can see not everyone was impressed.

West Midlands One Livery for All

Change seems to be afoot in the West Midlands as the Metro has decided to standardise bus liveries of the various operators in the area. Personally I think these sort of political gestures are just that and a waste of time and money when done on their own without other improvements. It's a bit like calling the River Severn something else so that it will no long flood.  They say it prevents confusion but I argue that it is the other way around as many people now know which is their bus simply by the livery without looking to see where it's going. Naturally they will be wearing National Express West Midlands current two tone red colour but had it been a truly democratic decision they might have picked something else, but I only say this as the idea of West Midlands having to paint  all it's hundreds of buses in the thirteen Banga Bus blue and yellow made me smile imagining their shocked faces. I can't say I will miss the colours of Thandi though like this Dennis Dart seen in Walsall. I wonder if this will affect Arriva too and other operators who nip into the area like Select.