Following on from my photo of the four Southend Transport Leyland Tigers, here are the other three, seen here at London's Aldgate Bus Station, in early 08/1993, prior to their departures back to their home areas on the popular commuter services. There were actually seven in this line up but I couldn't squeeze them all in! Aldgate, also known as Minories, was always worth a visit at peak times due to the fact it's proximity to the financial sector of the City of London made it popular with commuters, especially after the rail strikes of the period and the competitive fares of the services. You could travel as far as Southend in the east or Oxford in the west, also Cambridge and East Anglia area services called here as well as a variety of London bus routes. In the centre is 555, A144EPA, a Plaxton Paramount 3200 Express bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R. It was new to London Country(TPL44) in 01/1984 for use on Green Line work. Forty of these 12 metre long Tigers along with the same amount of 11 metre long versions were built for London Country. It passed to London Country(South East) on the split of LCBS in 09/1986. London Country(South East) was re-named Kentish Bus in 04/1987 where it was re-numbered 102. It passed to Southend Transport in 10/1990, via the Kirkby dealership, from who London Country acquired them, joining up with several former stablemates. It then passed to London & Country owned Horsham BusesTPL44) in 08/1995, so therefore returning more or less to old haunts, not that it ever left them in the first place by the looks of it! By 03/2008 it was bought by Rutherfords, Chichester. It is flanked either side by 547, A247SVW, nearest the camera and sister 546, A246SVW, furthest from the camera. Both are Duple Caribbean bodied Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3RP's that were new in a batch of five, thus, 246-50, A246-50SVW. 246 was new in 05/1984 with sister 247 following on a month later. As a footnote, 250, A250SVW, new in 07/1984, is now smartly preserved under the wellknown Purfleet based Ensignbus ownership as part of their heritage fleet and is well turned out in Southend Transport livery. A photo of the other four Tigers with one of those, 551, B100XTW, new in 08/1984, that is just squeezing in, is seen a little further back.
The camera being a Praktica MTL3 with the film being the excellent Fujichrome colourslide.
I would request, as with all my photos, that they are not copied or downloaded in any way, shape or form. © Peter Steel 1993.
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