Ben's Turistbusser: The Line of Duty

Sticking an ugly service indicator on the roof of this beautifully styled Bova is rather like putting a rack and ladders on an E-type Jaguar. But the traditional Danish livery style and heavy signwritting didn't make it like a nice bed-mate either more like a catapillar on your pillow. It was from the village of Østbirk and might have actually been owned by Bent's Turistbusser.

The City of Oxford Bus Split: South Midland

I suppose one could argue that at least there was some logic in selling off the big sprawling NBC companies like United and Ribble in chunks but some of their actions were just cynical. How could the unremunative Oxford country area buses without the cross-subsidy make a living when they became a separate company from the main city fleet and this was not helped as it was also without proper facilities as all it's depots were small.  I can only see it as with the loss making country area removed the accountants saw bustling Oxford as as a big juicy financial cherry to be picked and splitting them up would make the most money for the Tory Coffers. Poor old rural South Midland as it was named could be sold off as a loss leader and it didn't matter if it went bankrupt. Of course the reasoning behind it was supposed to be that the new company would also need to compete on busy city services with CMOS.  However competition is costly and wasteful and with stretched resources the country services it inherited would get neglected and it is this unsatisfactory legacy of Deregulation we live with today as buses became just about profit and not service any more. After the sell-off CMOS carried on pretty well as before still in NBC poppy red for a time but South Midland introduced a confident rather striking livery to show that it wasn't going to give up and made headway taking a share of the busy London services with it's imaginatively marketed Oxford Tube too. In the end it was bought out by Stagecoach.

Midland Red National2 BVP808V at Tamworth

A few weeks ago there was an open day and free bus trips to celebrate 90 years of Tamworth Garage. This was slightly different to most enthusiast events as it had more of a the Midland Red family feel about it with lots of old staff and local well-wishers. My interest in Midland Red goes back to early childhood but I still felt a bit out of it as many there could only recall a different Midland Red to the real BMMO that built it's own buses. No it was not the same but I have some good memories of the NBC era too and one of them was when we got some lovely sounding buses the first five new Leyland National2 buses at Stafford and coincidentally my favourite 808 looked as good as new but personally I thought it looked even better with the black wheels it had then.

Hjørring Privatbaner DAB Bus in Aalborg

In Denmark 'pravatbaner' (private bus) didn't mean the same as it might in the UK. This was one the Independent operators one came across everywhere and particularly in Jutland, all with modern vehicles and in a whole variety of different liveries. The unrelieved sandstone orange colour on this DAB Leyland at Aalborg was not typical though but quite smart, and other Independent buses can be also be seen in the background as there were links to all the nearby small towns and large villages as well as Blokhus on the windswept west coast with it's fine sandy beaches and famous for it's giant sand dunes.

A Walsall Corporation Dennis Trident in Chasetown

A regular choice these Alexander bodied buses often appear in rekindled heritage special liveries. Often they don't look quite right as they don't have very crisp lines but BX54 DDJ seems to look okay in the old Walsall mid-blue livery with it's yellow bands. It was passing through Chasetown on a special running day organised to West Midlands Travel who own the Dennis Trident 4601.

Beautiful Bodies at The Zoo

As you can see I couldn't get a perfect result as I was trying to kill two birds with one stone here. However I rather liked those stylish Italian Padane coach bodies. It's on a Magirus Deutz chassis, a firm which I expect was absorbed by Mercedes or the like for as elsewhere in Europe smaller manufacturers found it harder to compete. But it is not forgotten as it built distinctive fire engines, water cannons etc. and has a following of fans. Every German town has it's own registration letters but I don't recognise this one so you will have to guess, as you will have to as well as to where the young lady visitor to Berlin was from. I would say Japan.

Merseyside R Series Olympian A317 GLV

In the early Eighties Merseyside was rather indecisive about it's new vehicle policy and bought small batches of buses to try them out. Double-deckers were supplied by Volvo, Dennis and as seen here from Leyland with an Alexander R bodied Olympian painted in Silver Service livery. With the uncertainties of Deregulation and in impact of newcomers stealing the trade like CMT with this former London Buses Leyland National the ordering of new buses cooled off till it was eventually sold off.

Oldham Corporation Leyland PD2/30 PBU 957

Another one of my early Ilford Sporti photos. Like many of the Lancashire municipals Oldham was principally a Leyland operation but there was a good variety of different bodywork to be found on them like PD2/30 of 1958 which carried a Northern Counties.

Former Hull Atlantean with Fylde

In blue and white looking quite at home with Fylde, the former Lytham St Annes Corporation was this former Hull Roe bodied Atlantean hard at work in Blackpool.

Birmingham City Transport Daimler CVG6 at work in Walsall

Today National Express West Midlands had a running day in Walsall with a few buses on the 301 to Bloxwich to mark the passing of this route and the 302 which will become 31 and 32. Not a good choice though as the road through Birchills is plagued with roadworks and resultant delays. But most journeys were on the 10A to Browhills and Lichfield. Star performer was this Birmingham Crossley bodied 1954 Daimler CVG6 which is owned by the company and can be hired for weddings etc too.

Alder Valley Dennis Falcon 1001

The NBC bought a few trial buses over the years including this Wadham Stringer Vanguard bodied Dennis Falcon. Maidstone and District and Potteries was where these buses were normal worked but I expect Alder Valley was chosen because it was close to the factory at Guildford. It had dual-purpose bodywork and was a regular visitor to London in service

City of Oxford Leyland Olympian FWL 778Y

Of the former NBC companies City of Oxford seemed the most reluctant to drop the old poppy-red and white image. Rather like Greater Manchester buses who liked to add it did slowly evolve and by the time I took this Leyland bodied Olympian it had gained a black skirt and white roof.