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

Thursday 10 August 2017

Ex-Southdown Fleetline in Wrexham with Crosville

Bristol lagged a long way behind the other UK manufactures like Leyland and Daimler with it's rear engined front entrance double-decker the VR. Consequently operators in the nationalised BTC Group had no choice but to buy convention half-cabs. No doubt the engineering staff didn't mind at all but the problems came when OPO was introduced widely on double-deckers as all of them were unsuitable. One solution was to take buses away from the more fortunate former more up to date BET fleets like Southdown and send them to places like Wrexham in Wales which was still full of Lodekka FS buses etc. On the face of it this Northern Counties bodied Daimler Fleetline was moons away from a Lodekka but of course they had one thing in common and that was most often a Gardner engine.

2 comments:

Ross said...

Intriguingly, although OMO fitted, I think this bus was being used with a conductor that day.
Why? Well, if you look closely, the ticket machine holder (which seems to me to be an unusual combined Setright and Almex fitting) is positioned vertically, so it's out of the driver's way, and also the driver doesn't seem to be paying any attention to the passengers who are boarding.
I believe Wrexham was Crosville's last depot with half-cabs, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were still some crew workings on OMO vehicles until the final conductors were retired or went driving.

christopher said...

Yes Ross they might have needed driver familiarisation first or maybe Union approval before they could use them as OPO's. They hung on to a few half-cab double-deckers which is one reason why I visited the bus station. I remember when Crosville garages just had one or two Lodekkas left Wrexham still had a lot more. Not a huge Bristol fan myself, but half-cabs are all half-cabs so I wanted them to live on!