Ailsa on the left, Fleetline on the right. Two of Derby's finest, laying over just behind the bus station
Derby became a latter-day haven for the Ailsa, this B55 was seen in the British Bus yellow, blue & red livery.
When Stevensons sold out to British Bus, some of its fleet suvived long enough to gain Arriva colours. 793 was a Pointer-bodied Dart
Marshall was better known for ts single deck bodies, however, this Volvo B10M in the Arriva Derby fleet displays the unusual styling of Marshall DD bodies
Arriva Midlands Scania L113CRL, R417TJW had come from the Stevensons fleet and its NC-style body is badged as a Plaxton
An ex-Shearings Tiger, F34ENF hustles through Birmingham traffic on its way to Burton
Through careful maintenance, Trent obtained long lives from its Nationals. 515 displays a Barton fleetname as well as proprietory indicator/sidelight clusters, presumably cheaper than the Leyland parts
Barton Optare Delta 308 in Nottingham
Birmingham Coach Company Dennis Lance K312YJA.
Birmingham Coach Company No.25 was an 11.35m National new in 1976 to West Yorkshire RCC
Formerly Southdown No.41, RUF41R joined the National-dominated fleet of the Birmingham Coach Company
Blue Apple Olympian 718 in Leicester
Centrebus ex-Nottingham Atlantean RTV439X in Leicester
One of the Olympians bought for LT Bexleybus routes, E913KYR in Leicester working for Centrebus
Chaserider Leyland National 693 threads through traffic near Birmingham New Street station
Chase Bus Services latterly gained a reputation for smart Leyland Nationals. Leopards like ex-Rhymney Valley LTG798P also wore the GMPTE-inspired orange & brown colours
This National 2 of Cheneys leaves Banbury bus station whilst trying to disguise its age with a Northern Irish registration, KUI5157
This Scania K92 G353SVV was operating in Derby. I think it is one which began life on LTE tendered services for Scancoaches of London
East Midland Tiger No.42 peeps out of Mansfield depot. Sister No41 can be found in my Lincolnshire Gallery
East Midland Tiger 54 inside Mansfield Depot
East Midland VRT 220 in Mansfield
Falcon Travel was one of the independents which took on WMT in the heady days of deregulation, using vehicles like VFX983S, an ex-Hants & Dorset National
First Leicester 421 was operating in Eastern Counties livery, but had been new to Greater Manchester (North) in 1996
L6 "Gatwick Motors Ltd". The registration is a give away to this Volvo B6's first owner. It was being used by First in Leicester when I took this shot
Leicester was the spiritual home of the Dennis Dominator. Number 91, new in 1988 looked reasonably smart in this green/yellow/white livery before "Barbie" swamped all
Derby Fleetline 304 in "Blue Bus Services" livery
Even after British Bus imposed this garish yellow livery, Derby remained "home of the Fleetline" like 310 seen laying over in the bus station
Just outside Cannock, I took this shot of East Lancs bodied Leopard YBO17T, working for Green Bus Service. It was new to Rhymney Valley in 1979
G&G Travel of Leamington Spa was taken over by Stagecoach, but not before it had purchased Leyland Lynx F660PWK
Ex-Nottingham Atlantean BRC678T laying over in Loughborough bus station
An early Leicester Dennis Dominator, number 233
Leicester Dennis Dominator 51
Leicester Dominator 85 carries an East Lancs body with more than a hint of Alexander RH about it. The white specks on the picture is not dust, it was lashing down with rain!
Leicester Dennis Falcon 618 in Leicester. Similar buses were transferred within GRT Group to Northampton
The GRT influence in Leicester can be seen by Merc 0405 No.505
Leicester ex-Shearings Tiger 404 shows off the uncompromising lines of its Alexander (Belfast) body
KCR108P had begun life with Portsmouth City Transport, but by the early 1990s, it had joined the Ludlows fleet, for whom it was working when I snapped it in Sandwell
This Midland Fox Olympian shot in Leicester had begun life with Rhymney Valley
This Metrobus working for Midland Fox was new in 1981 to another "Midland", Alexander (Midland)
Midland Fox 4522 was an Alexander bodied Olympian. It was photographed in Leicester
Scania N113CRB joined the Midland Fox fleet from BTS Travel of Borehamwood. It is seen in Leicester
MR(N) Olympian 1906 in Birmingham
MR(N) Olympian 1923 displays the later "more yellow" livery which was briefly replaced by traditional BMMO red, before being submerged in Arriva colours
The chassis of this Leyland Tiger started life beneath a Berkhof-bodied Green Line coach. MR (N) had it rebodied by East Lancs as No.1721 and was photographed by me in Lichfield
TPC114X gave up its ECW B51 body for this rather less stylish East Lancs number in 1990. It still has a certain brutal charm operating for MR(N) in Lichfield
In MR(N) livery but carrying no fleetnames, ex-Green Line Tiger WPH139Y in Burton
This former London & Country Volvo B10M, G646BPH was transferred within British Bus to Midland Red (N)
Midland Red converted this former touring coach into a breakdown vehicle and made a neat job too. It settled with MR (S) when the empire was split and I caught up with it in Rugby
MR(S) Tow Wagon Q342GVC in Rugby
Midland Red (South) National 505 in Rugby
This MR(S) National, 544 has succumbed to the stripes in Rugby
Midland Red (South) National 579 inside Rugby depot
Midland Red (S) National 589 in Warwick
Midland Red managed to avoid the early Bristol VRTs which were dogged with reliability problems. When MR(S) became part of Stagecoach, it began to draft in VRs from other group companies, like 949 from the East Midland fleet, seen in Warwick
This ex-Stratford Blue Leopard was attending the Bristol Commecial Vehicle Rally in July 1998 when I snapped it. It is one of a handful of surviving Stratfod Blue vehicles and is happily now preserved
Midland Red (West) 1133 near New Street station
Nottingham Atlantean 421
The later style Park Royal/Roe body was a handsome & well-proportioned design. Nottingham chose large rubber bumpers and shallow windscreens for its batch of Roe bodied Atlanteans in 1981. It was a bit like putting a joke nose & moustache on the Mona Lisa
Nottingham was keen on buying ex-demonstrators. This Scania BR112DH, EMJ560Y entered the fleet once its days as a demo were over
Nottingham 314, a Volvo B10M with Northern Counties body
