London Victoria: Wessex coach 143 in from Bristol

Once there were mostly Leyland, Bristol and older AEC coaches coaches working for National Express. But after the National Bus Company operators were sold off Volvo's became the norm the some years but there were plenty of exceptions like this Plaxton bodied Scania of Wessex seen basking in the sunshine at Victoria Coach Station in London.

RN 9554

A then recent Utic bodied Leyland of RN loads at Monte Gordo for Faro in 1984.

Trent at Matlock

When the National Bus Company added the former BET Group fleets to the already State owned BTC fleets some well known names disappeared. Probably the best known of these was North Western which was wound up as most of it's best routes were within the Manchester PTA SELNEC conurbation. The bus fleet was shared between SELNEC, Crosville, and all single-decker Garages here at Matlock and Buxton went to Trent. The twenty allocation changed here quickly as Alexander bodied Tiger Cubs from the main Trent fleet moved in, but as the SJA Stockport Registration on Marshall bodied Bristol RELL 346 suggests it was ordered by North Western.

Duple Three-Axle Bedford VAL

I'm sure many young bus enthusiasts cut their teeth on the Dinky model of the rather impressive Duple Super Vega bodied Bedford VAL. Having several of the type EMP 799B was once No.80 in the Charles W Banfield  but by the Eighties had become a roadside cafe.

St Helens 50 carries a so-called St. Helens Fibre-glass front.

This St Helens East-Lancs bodied Leyland PD2 No.50 shows off it's fibre-glass grill that bears it's name at Warrington. Taken in 1968 the Corporation was celebrating 100 years of the town's Charter. In those days this service was operated jointly with Lancashire United but alas today that company too coming with Greater Manchester North is part of the aquamarine Arriva empire.

The new Arriva Livery?

Well it couldn't be much worse than that aquamarine and sandstone, also of course the new owners might want to buy German buses instead of the more usual Dennis and VDL offerings. This once common Mercedes 0304 bus was seen between journey in Giesen during the Nineties.

Winter Sun in Geneva

R&J bodied Volvo 176 awaits departure time outside the railway station in 1990.