A rather nice East Lancs bodied Dominator of Leicester Citybus loads on the Nether Hall barrier in Humberstone Gate. Behind it lurks some sort of delivery van, garishly painted in it's owner's livery. Perhaps it was delivering towels or fresh linnen to a pub. The British-built Dominator has a throaty sounding Gardner 180 engine and tuneful Voith gearbox. Little did I know that five years later, I would be driving these when Northampton had too many drivers and Leicester not enough. These 'square' Dominators were the best, IMO. They had the wonderful interior, little changed from the PD3s bought in the '60s, whilst East Lancs hadn't got to the parts bin era of the s-type body which was used from the B-reg batch onwards.

I seem to recall resting my camera on a handy litter bin as light was fading fast.

Jan 1994

Pentax ME super/ 50mm
Kodak Gold 400asa

Tags:   tbc51x leicester citybus dennis dominator 51 east lancs humberstone gate grt dusk pentax me super

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I have to admit that the principal attraction of working for Northampton Transport was driving the fleet of aged Leopards which had arrived the previous year. Fast forward to September 1997, and I'm doing an early afternoon turn which worked the twenty minute route 121 'Semilong Circular amongst other things. Pottering round the town and county in these classic Y-type Leopards wasn't really work to me.

A handful of elderly passengers board former Alexander Midland Leopard GMS 297S in St. Andrew's Road without complaint. The lady about to board my bus was formerly the seamstress for the Corporation Transport Department. She carried her free pass in a holder she'd made from seat leather offcuts. She would always insist on boarding last, no matter whether she had been waiting longer than other passengers, 'because I don't have to pay'.

This was my favourite NT uniform - the grey trousers, white shirt, navy tie and navy summer dust jacket. The shirts could be worn with the smart NT 'All Saints Church' epaulettes, though I hadn't got mine at this time.

D.Henderson collection/ Patrick Rawlinson

Tags:   northampton transport firstbus grt leyland leopard 25 gms297s alexander y-type

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Glasgow suburban trains are in the hands of a number of different classes of EMU, the oldest being the BREL built class 314 and 318 units.

314 211 waits under the impressive roof of Glasgow Central.

Tags:   scot rail scotland glasgow central 314 211 train unit EMU

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Here's one for the Northampton flickrites. Smartly turned out Leyland Leopard/ Plaxton Supreme IV Express, no.30 (WSU 481) is seen at Foster's Booth on the A5 with the 0700 service to Northampton.

September 1997

Tags:   leyland leopard plaxton supreme express IV wsu481 pattishall northampton service 64 firstbus transport early morning thrash

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At the top of the hill between Rothersthorpe and Pattishall, I stopped to get a quick photo of Leopard no.26 (ULS 328T) as it got light. I was running light from Northampton bus station to Pattishall to work the 86 scholars service to Bugbrooke Campion School.

No.26 was the loudest Leopard I have ever driven, looking underneath it seemed to have a home-made exhaust, consisting of flexi and a single silencer box. On the down side, the transfer box was very noisy, but I managed to get the garage to swap it for a better one.

October 1997

Pentax ME super
Kodak Gold 400

Tags:   leyland leopard alexander y-type uls328t first northampton school bus early morning daybreak

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