47 years of bus photography

Southdown PSV's Enviro 200

Thu Aug 6 2009

Thursday 6 August 2009: Southdown PSV's Enviro 200

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Enviro 200 and 300

Fri Apr 2 2004

Friday 2 April 2004: Enviro 200 and 300

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Ford buses

Thu Mar 25 2004

Thursday 25 March 2004: Ford buses

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DAF buses

Sun Feb 1 2004

Sunday 1 February 2004: DAF buses

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Mercedes Benz minibuses

Fri Sep 17 2004

Friday 17 September 2004: Mercedes Benz minibuses

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Optare Solo

Wed Sep 22 2004

Wednesday 22 September 2004: Optare Solo

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Optare Versa

Fri Sep 24 2004

Friday 24 September 2004: Optare Versa

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Independents in Reading

Sun Jul 12 2009

Sunday 12 July 2009: Independents in Reading

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Enviro 400s

Sun Apr 4 2004

Sunday 4 April 2004: Enviro 400s

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Armed Services Day - the Chatham P&R service

Wed Jan 16 2008

Wednesday 16 January 2008: There were 30,000 visitors to the nation's focal gathering in Chatham for Armed Forces Day. Arriva arranged the buses for two Park and Ride services,drawing on its own DAF/Northern Counties vehicles, as well as hiring in a mixed bag, predominantly of Leyland Olympians. However the Arriva London subsidiaries provided eight Mercedes Benz O530G articulated buses, a useful way of finding out if the buses might be suitable for use in the medway Towns when they are finally withdrawn under the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, proscription. Roll on the new Routemaster! Viva the cost of designing a bus just for London!! What a waste of money.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Cabs

Sun Jan 27 2008

Sunday 27 January 2008: Cabs

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Platforms and stairwells

Sun Jun 7 2009

Sunday 7 June 2009: Platforms and stairwells

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Hythe Pier tramway

Wed Mar 26 2008

Wednesday 26 March 2008: Hythe Pier tramway

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Interiors - doubledecks

Sun Apr 6 2008

Sunday 6 April 2008: Interiors - doubledecks

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Interiors - saloons (looking back)

Mon Apr 7 2008

Monday 7 April 2008: Interiors - saloons (looking back)

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Happy Harold's latest appearance in Hastings

Tue Mar 11 2008

Tuesday 11 March 2008: Hastings & District 3 (DY 4965) is a 1928 Guy BT with Dodson open top H56R bodywork - and old-fashioned trolleybus..... Except it was fitted with a Commer TS3 engine when the trolleybus system was scrapped, and therefore no longer needs overhead wires to provide the power. Happy Harold is a wonderful reminder of a past era, makes rare appearances, but these days is in urgent need of a full restoration. Well, what can you expect from an 80-year-old trolleybus?

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Dealer stock

Fri Feb 1 2008

Friday 1 February 2008: Dealer stock

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Volvo B7L/Ayats opentoppers

Fri Nov 12 2004

Friday 12 November 2004: Volvo B7L/Ayats opentoppers

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Amberley Working Museum Bus Show, September 14, 2008

Tue Jan 15 2008

Tuesday 15 January 2008: The annual working day at the museum off a wide range of varied rides to visitors. They ranged from a 1908-bodied, 1914-registered petrol-electric Tilling Stevens to a 2007 Optare Solo. In between there was a chance to ride the noisy Thames Valley Tilling Stevens Express, a variety of Leyland doubledeckers including Titan TD1s and an N type, and a diminutive Dennis 30-cwt rural bus. Surprisingly, the solid-tyred petrol-electric was comfortable (despite wooden seats) and very quiet with a slow speed on the flat, but plenty of pull on the gradient upto White Quarry.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Mercedes Benz Citaro saloons

Thu Sep 16 2004

Thursday 16 September 2004: Mercedes Benz Citaro saloons

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Coach and Bus Live, NEC, October 10/11, 2007 - buses

Thu Oct 12 2006

Thursday 12 October 2006: The Coach and Bus Live exhibition at the NEC was smaller than previous events, but interesting nevertheless. Among the new vehicles were * the first MAN fitted with a Plaxton Primo body, * first appearances by SOL of Poland with a bus for the UK market * Dawson Group (ex East Lancs) bodied vehicles for Cardiff Bus and Preston Bus * and the continued growth of the East European and Chinese bids to dominate the British bus and coach market. Notable absentees were * the Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 and Enviro 400, but the Enviro 300 with its new front was on show in the demonstration park. I am particularly grateful to Pawel Grzywocz for his helping in identifying the varieties of Polish motors at the show.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Optare Tempo

Thu Sep 23 2004

Thursday 23 September 2004: Optare Tempo

Published in 47 years of bus photography

West Midland independent bus operators

Mon Dec 10 2007

Monday 10 December 2007: West Midland independent bus operators

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Historic Dockyard Chatham Rally, April 8 2007

Sat Apr 8 2006

Saturday 8 April 2006: Fresh out of the camera - a first view of one of the biggest transport rallies in the country. The Chatham Historic Dockyard two-day Easter festival includes steam engines, steam freight workings, cars, buses, lorries, coaches, bikes, motorbikes, steam ships, steam rollers, trucks, militaria.... even helicopters. Make a date to go next year! (PLEASE NOTE - THIS COLLECTION IS STILL BEING EDITED)

Published in 47 years of bus photography

West of England Transport Collection, Winkleigh

Tue Nov 14 2006

Tuesday 14 November 2006: West of England Transport Collection, Winkleigh

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Euro Bus Expo 2006 - outside demonstrators

Wed Nov 8 2006

Wednesday 8 November 2006: Euro Bus Expo 2006 - outside demonstrators

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Euro Bus Expo 2006 - mistakes?

Wed Nov 8 2006

Wednesday 8 November 2006: In the opinion of the photographer, these were among the mistakes, missed opportunities, and downright laughable at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at Birmingham NEC. Look - and despair.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Euro Bus Expo 2006, Birmingham NEC - buses

Wed Nov 8 2006

Wednesday 8 November 2006: Euro Bus Expo 2006, Birmingham NEC - buses

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Arty-farty

Sun Jan 9 2005

Sunday 9 January 2005: Arty-farty

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Cobus and Neoplan airport buses

Wed Jan 28 2004

Wednesday 28 January 2004: Cobus (and similar Neoplan) airport buses can shift hundreds of passengers in a hurry. They are low on seating (15 being normal) but high on standees and entrances.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Post buses

Tue Jul 25 2006

Tuesday 25 July 2006: Post buses

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Dennis Lance/Berkhof

Sat Feb 14 2004

Saturday 14 February 2004: Several were used by Stagecoach in Burnley before being laid up for several years. They were acquired by Amberlee, Strood, for nightclub contract work in Medway, but quickly broke down, apparently from cavitation problems.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Road trains

Sat Jun 3 2006

Saturday 3 June 2006: Road trains

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Vandalism

Sat Apr 1 2006

Saturday 1 April 2006: Vandalism

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Overall adverts

Fri Mar 3 2006

Friday 3 March 2006: Overall adverts

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Daimlers

Tue Feb 3 2004

Tuesday 3 February 2004: Daimlers

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Can you help?

Sat Jan 1 2005

Saturday 1 January 2005: I may have a big collection, and a long memory, but I am frequently stumped by something in my collection. Can you help - please? Use the reply button on the main collection page to contact me. Quoting the reference number (it will look something like 109.1213C_367.jpg) would really help. In advance, thanks.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Demonstrators

Sat Dec 17 2005

Saturday 17 December 2005: Demonstrators

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Gravesend Operating Day, October 16 2005

Sun Oct 16 2005

Sunday 16 October 2005: Hundreds turned out to enjoy free rides around Gravesend and the district on the annual running day. And the enthusiasts turned out with a splendid fleet of past vehicles. the only modern bus was Arriva Medway's 6400, the prototype of its 49 Gillingham-based doubledeckers. The star was an unlikely appearance from The King's Ferry's preserved former White rose, Llandudno Leyland Lioness charabanc, DM 6228. A fine range of London Country stock from an STL to an LHS and a Leyland National suburban express revived memories of the days when Green Line served the riverside town, while an RB-class survivor recalled the final, 1970s investment in the network. And everyone patiently queued for a choice of rides.... A great day!

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Ailsas in England

Thu Jan 8 2004

Thursday 8 January 2004: Ailsas in England

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Interiors - saloons (looking forward)

Fri Jan 9 2009

Friday 9 January 2009: Interiors - saloons (looking forward)

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Smileys

Sun Oct 2 2005

Sunday 2 October 2005: Smileys

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Crunch time

Sun Oct 2 2005

Sunday 2 October 2005: Every company has a crash at sometime or another. Some are embarrassing, some very serious, and some downright puzzling. Here are a few from my collection. Southern Vectis figures large, but only because I got hold of a few photos of Bristols a few years ago that included them, not because they had abad accident record.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Leyland Tigers of the Eighties

Thu Apr 22 2004

Thursday 22 April 2004: The Tiger name was resurrected in the late Seventies for Leyland's last large-scale coach chassis. A small number - mainly for Scottish state operators - were built as buses.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

BMC (Turkey)

Wed Jan 21 2004

Wednesday 21 January 2004: BMC (Turkey)

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Bristol buses

Sun Jan 25 2004

Sunday 25 January 2004: Bristol buses

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Merry Hill bus services, Dudley, West Midlands

Fri Jul 15 2005

Friday 15 July 2005: Merry Hill was an early, and still notable, example of private funding of a major regeneration of brownfield sites (to use the government phraseology). A disused steelworks was cleared, and replaced by the Richardson Brothers with a major shopping centre. Among its transport features was a Maglev rail system between the shops and the car parks. Many customers came by minibus, however. Carlyle Works (the old Midland Red Central Works) built, maintained and provided home for around 100 minibuses for the shopping centre. These gave links into Merry Hill from far and wide. In addition the major operators - Midland Red West and West Midlands - provided competing services.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Dennis Dominators

Fri Feb 13 2004

Friday 13 February 2004: Dennis Dominators

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Trolleybuses

Mon May 30 2005

Monday 30 May 2005: Trolleybuses

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Volvo B7TL and B9TL

Sat Nov 13 2004

Saturday 13 November 2004: This collection excludes the Arriva Medway batch which have their own, separate, collection.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Scania buses

Fri Oct 15 2004

Friday 15 October 2004: Scania buses

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Dennis Loline

Sat Feb 14 2004

Saturday 14 February 2004: Dennis Loline

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Guys

Thu Apr 8 2004

Thursday 8 April 2004: Guys

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Leyland Tiger

Wed Apr 21 2004

Wednesday 21 April 2004: Leyland Tiger

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Bedford buses

Fri Jan 16 2004

Friday 16 January 2004: Bedford buses

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Leyland Lynx

Tue Apr 13 2004

Tuesday 13 April 2004: Leyland Lynx

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Bristol - Inside Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Mon Jan 26 2004

Monday 26 January 2004: Bristol - Inside Bristol Commercial Vehicles

Published in 47 years of bus photography

AEC Regents and Renowns

Wed Jan 7 2004

Wednesday 7 January 2004: AEC Regents and Renowns

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Wreckers, trainers and assorted other non-PSV uses

Sun Apr 3 2005

Sunday 3 April 2005: Wreckers, trainers and assorted other non-PSV uses

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Trams

Tue Apr 5 2005

Tuesday 5 April 2005: Trams

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Daimler Fleetlines - Independents

Wed Feb 4 2004

Wednesday 4 February 2004: Daimler Fleetlines - Independents

Published in 47 years of bus photography

National Coal Strike battle buses - 1984

Sun May 1 2005

Sunday 1 May 2005: The confrontation between the British Government and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) led by Arthur Scragill still brings bitter memories for those that were involved more than 20 years after the action. Margaret Thatcher split the union. The Nottingham mineworkers formed their own union and continued to work - for the time being. But to get to work they had to run the gauntlet of the Yorkshire and South Wales mineworkers. They turned out in force to stop what they saw as

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Open toppers

Sat Apr 9 2005

Saturday 9 April 2005: Open toppers

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Olympians - built by Bristol, Leyland and Volvo

Mon Sep 20 2004

Monday 20 September 2004: Olympians - built by Bristol, Leyland and Volvo

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Saloons

Tue Aug 2 2005

Tuesday 2 August 2005: Saloons

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Mini buses and minibuses

Mon Aug 1 2005

Monday 1 August 2005: There were mini buses - in other words buses that were on the small size - and there were minibuses, the converted bread vans that populated the country in the late Seventies and Eighties in the wake of the successful minibus operations in and around Exeter. The mini buses, on the other hand were standard vehicles, but built to a short length. They included the Albion Nimbus and Bristol SU, and the cutdown saloons like the Ford R192s from Midland Red/Carlyle Works. You'll find a mix of them here.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Leyland Nationals

Tue Apr 13 2004

Tuesday 13 April 2004: Their turbo-charged Leyland 0.510 engines, the clouds of clinging black smoke, roof pods, and an apparently unfinished interior (there was nothing stylish about the interior of the body) made the Leyland national an unloved machine in the eyes of many. The policy of destroying other makes in favour of a ubiquitous, over-engineered machine was equally unpopular. And then there were the engineers: in winter they had to stand in pits full of freezing water with blow torches trying to warm up the underside piping to get the fuel moving round their charges. But the buses have lasted - and lasted and lasted. The early ones suffered from serious body rot from road salting in winter, there was some experimental rebodying by East Lancs, and DAF, Volvo and Gardner engines have replaced the turbo units. They have won an enthusiastic following. Here's a pictorial tribute to the species that killed the Leopard, the RE, the Sabre, Merlin, Roadliner and Worldmaster - and eventually laid Leyland wide open to a concerted attack by Volvo.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

MCW Metrobuses

Wed Sep 15 2004

Wednesday 15 September 2004: MCW Metrobuses

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Leyland Atlanteans - Municipals and CIE

Sun Apr 11 2004

Sunday 11 April 2004: The Leyland Atlantean first appeared in 1956, and is still with us today. You could almost say it was Leyland's Routemaster - but that would be pushing it! The doubledecker was the first successful rear-engined bus to be mass-produced in Britain. It took a bit of time to be accepted - but Daimler produced its version, AEC didn't - and folded - while Bristol (dear conservative Bristol) followed a decade later.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Leyland Titans

Sun Apr 25 2004

Sunday 25 April 2004: Pre- and post-war Leyland Titans feature in this section of my collection. Feast on two-door full-fronts, recall Lytham St Annes and Merthyr Tydfil, and savour half cabs, where the drivers like Cardiff's Matt Munro could sing to their hearts contents, and no-one cared a-less. And there are even some of the later TN Titans...

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Scrapyard scenery

Fri Apr 8 2005

Friday 8 April 2005: For the bus enthusiast there is something terribly sad about seeing an old favourite in the final stages of destruction. For the photographer, the opportunities for startling pictures are numerous.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

When half cabs ruled the empty roads

Sat Jan 1 2005

Saturday 1 January 2005: Names from the pastflow out of these pages - Neepsend and Bruce, Guys and Duple, Lodekkas and Lolines, Regents and Renowns, Fleetlines, Atlanteans and Titans. hh, those were the days...

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Darts - Dennis, Transbus and Alexander Dennis

Thu Feb 12 2004

Thursday 12 February 2004: The main part of the Arriva fleet in Medway is the Dennis Dart with Plaxton Pointer boywork. To enjoy Northern Counties-bodied Darts on the South Eastern Trains rail replacement contract, to see other Plaxtons in Maidstone, at the Bluewater Shopping Precinct or elsewhere in Kent, or to compare with East Lancs bodied examples, you'll have to look at the alternative collections on this site.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Bendibuses

Wed Aug 3 2005

Wednesday 3 August 2005: The articulated saloon - the so called bendibus - has finally broken the mould in Britain. It seems like centuries ago since I travelled on MAN's in oxford, and jack-knifed one on Redditch bus park when they were first transferred to Midland Red....

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Gatwick's internal bus services

Fri May 6 2005

Friday 6 May 2005: A morning in January, damp, overcast and not very busy. But there was still plenty to interest including BMCs from Turkey, DAF saloons and Scania/Wright buses.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Winter in Hastings

Tue May 3 2005

Tuesday 3 May 2005: No competition, no battles - just buses.

Published in 47 years of bus photography

Assorted buses

Sun Mar 13 2005

Sunday 13 March 2005: This site is intended to hold shots from my life-long hobby (and one-time source of income!) The older stuff will take some time to appear, but in the mean time here are some views of current vehicles in operation.

Published in 47 years of bus photography