Easter 1999; one year after the Northampton Transport garage was flooded, I arrived for my early shift. At once, I realised something was 'up', as buses were strewn all over the place and the guv'nor was in at six in the morning. It turned out that a lunatic who'd been employed by the contract cleaning company had got into the garage late at night, hidden on a bus until everyone had gone home at around two o'clock in the morning. He'd then gone round every bus in the garage with a sledgehammer, smashing as many windows as he could reach. We were allocated buses as and when they arrived from other operators. Confidence of Leicester helped out with several buses, it being school holidays. KinchBus of Loughborough also lent buses, and provided me with ex-Nottingham City Transport RNU 432X for my 'first half'. I thought that was going to be hard to top, but when the allocated B10L failed with a jammed door - it had been VoR for this fault when the attack happened, I was given Confidence 23. Well, actually, I was asked if I 'minded' having it by our branch Chairman, Paul Steel. He had to ask, because HOR 23N didn't have power steering, but quite correctly, thought I would love it. I have to say it was one of the nicest buses I have ever driven, rattle-free and beautifully presented inside and out.
My shot shows Confidence 23 (HOR 23N) at Southfields terminus. The Atlantean had been new to Portsmouth Corporation in 1975.
April, 1999.
Canon 'SureShot' 35mm compact.
Kodak Gold 400 print film (negative scan).
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