BUSWORLD PHOTOGRAPHY

I AM CHRISTOPHER LEACH THE ARTIST. I started this blog so that I can share with everyone my vast collection of transport photographs showing a personal and nostalgic view of the industry with images that span some 45 years taking in the U.K and some of Europe. I have no darkroom and so rather than being the perfectionist after tidying them up I upload the images warts and all, and even those that won't scan squarely or are scratched. In a way it adds age and character. You are all free to download these for your personal use but please remember I still own them and you are not just free to use them without prior permission for any knd of publishing. Click on images to enlarge them and if you want to see more leave your comments or visit my website for the mother-site with galleries including those Buses & Girls: PICTUREWORLD

Tuesday 28 October 2008

Mid Warwickshire: Daimler Fleetline-Willowbrook


Mid-Warwickshire was one of those concerns that wasn't with us for long, less than ten years in fact, but unlike many others that quickly came and went later following the green shoots of deregulation this firm was quite memorable as not only did it come at a time in the Seventies when new bus operators of any interest entering the market were not so common it ran an interesting fleet of buses and coaches in an area to the South East of Birmingham based near Meridan a village reputed to be at the centre of England. Also of interest was that when it started running it's first a Meridan to Solinull service in 1973 it had the honour of being the sole Independent Company running a bus route in the West Midlands County, something that is hard to imagine today. As well as at Water Orton nearby one could usually find a number of buses parked on the large muddy and pot-holed parking area at the side of the Lincoln Farm Transport Cafe including this one, one of it's best know vehicles a rare 36ft-long Willowbrook bodied Daimler Fleetline single-decker that came from the Road Transport Training Board a non-p.s.v. operator. The fleet included some of the very late examples of the AEC Reliance coach as well these older buses. Altogether there were about about thirty vehicles and the livery was maroon and black or maroon and dark blue.

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