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

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Stagecoach the Stripe-Tease Artiste


Those Stagecoach stripes, you either loved them or loathed them but I suspect mostly the latter, but even though I wouldn't want it to come back time is a strange thing as having once hated it I have become quite fond. Maybe it's because it gave Stagecoach it's strong identity and it always seemed to look good on those newer Alexander bodied buses they heavily invested in and which never previously wore anything we loved to upset us. Something else in it's favour was the professional well kept appearance of it's buses as can be witnessed in this busy scene on the out-of-town former Ribble side of Preston Bus Station. Also it might have only started as sketch on the back of a fag-packet and even though the current scheme is miles better yet I still prefer it to what we have to put up with in the way of colours from Arriva and First. No the styling and application might have been lacking a bit of imagination but the choice of pure white and strong primary colours was sound and bright like a flapping Northern washing-line of sheets and football shirts on a bright breezy day.

4 comments:

Terminal Rodoviario said...

I met old Stagecoach colours during 1996, when Stagecoach bought a part of Rodoviária de Lisboa (wich was part of Rodoviária Nacional), to be more precise, the depots of Sintra and Cascais. Stagecoach Portugal was created.

Back then, I've found them, immediatly, very old fashioned.

Seeing them on a brand new Scania bus, was, indeed, quite odd !

Soon after, they started to apply the paintscheme on some older bus presented on the fleet. Seeing it on 70's and 80's buses seemed more adequate.

The years went by and Stagecoach left it's branch in Portugal (but before this happened, we received in 2001 some 8 buses with the new Stagecoach colours...).

Sold to new owners, the old paint scheme remained the same until present days at the new company, Scotturb.

Nowadays, theses colours are facing there end. They are about to be replaced by a new and fresh company image.

When that day arrives, I will missed them...

A lot !

christopher said...

I suppose you have my local company Arriva in Portugal too?

Terminal Rodoviario said...

Yes, that's correct.

If you visit Portugal, you can find Arriva colours at Guimarães and some other places nearby.

Martin Hooper said...

I sorta remember this colour scheme. Bus Station is the same but now they have made a one-way system through the bus station so you can't actually leave the way this bus is going.

There is an entrance opposite the stands behind this bus but a bit further down that they have to go out of now..

They have done this so that people can walk across the apron at either end and they have now put level crossings at either end too.

And the Blackpool Express is now X61 Manchester to Blackpool...