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

Friday 18 February 2011

The London XA Class Atlanteans

 We have become very accustomed to variety and the random mix-and-match nature of the bus scene following the succession of mergers and overnight changes that followed Deregulation. But in the Sixties everything was done properly and everything had it's place and so one would not expect to see off-the-peg Park Royal bodied Leyland Atlanteans like XA 10 plying their trade alongside the capital's familiar Routemasters. However that is what occurred when a batch of them arrived in red plus eight similar looking XF-Class Fleetlines for the green country area were also acquired as part of trials to help plan future buying policy. The less than perfect Leylands did not find favour here and in mid-life all fifty found themselves being shipped off to Hong Kong with the consequence that they represent one of the few important historical London types that hasn't been preserved. Tottenham Garage ran some on the 76 to Victoria and  CUV 10C shows off that characteristic rear bustle that made them look very much like a taste of the future in 1966.

No comments: