The main purpose of this long weekend break in Berlin in December 2007 was to visit the Christmas markets to get my annual fix of glühwein and bratwurst, but I couldn't resist the urge to take photos of buses. I was particularly interested in getting shots of the MAN Lions City double deckers that have featured as 1:87 scale models by Rietze. But there are many other buses included as well!

This collection is presently under construction and, eventually, will contain photographs taken in 2005 to 2007, including some photos of superb 1:10 scale models on display in Bern's Museum of Communication to celebrate 100 years of Post Bus operation in Switzerland (1906 - 2006). Pictures of my own collection of model Swiss Post Buses can be viewed at http://www.worldwidemodelbuses.fotopic.net/c859404.html
Interesting to note that many of the earlier Swiss Post Buses had rhd even though that country drives on the right. This was to allow the driver to get as close as possible to the nearside of the road on hairpin bends without actually diving into the chasms!! Most of the photos of real Swiss Post buses were taken in the Bernese Oberland.

Most photos taken at the Wilts end of the Wilts and Dorset area

I have a large collection of model buses, mostly (though not all), in 1:76 scale. Over the next few months I hope to photograph more of them for this album.

Here are a few shots I took in Dublin over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend this year (2006). I'm not an expert on modern buses so I haven't tried to label each individual picture. Believe me, O'Connell Street on a bank holiday weekend is not the right place and time to try and photograph buses; you take your life in your hands! The last two photos were taken at the National Transport Museum, Howth, Dublin 13

These are occasional shots I have taken of buses that pass through the village of Ripley, near Guildford, in Surrey.

This is a "holding" album. It may or may not have pictures of either real or model buses in it when you view. If you see a picture you would like to download, please feel free to do so, (as long as you acknowledge my copyright)!

For many years I had great pleasure sailing my small Corribee sailing-cruiser, initially in the Baltic, and later in the Med. Unfortunately I had to give up the pastime in 2002, following some brain surgery. Happy memories!

Dan Dare, "Pilot of the Future" was one of the main features of the iconic boys' comic, "The Eagle". The comic was an attempt by a forward-looking vicar in the 50s to produce something that counteracted the highly-influential American comics of the day, which many of that generation felt were not in the best taste!

Britain was just emerging from a period of severe hardship - many commodities were still on "ration". There was a feeling that the great technological advances that had been made during the war should now be put to bettering the lot of the people of Britain. Space travel, telecommunications, healthcare, nuclear power etc were seen as reinforcements for a revival of national optimism and hopes for the future. Some hailed these post-war years as a new "Elizabethan Age" that would usher in prosperity, economic growth, and global influence to Britain. "The Eagle" fully endorsed these values with not only Dan Dare, but strip stories of influential people like Churchill and similar historical and Christian characters. In addition, to the delight of most of the boys who read the paper, it employed artist-draughtsmen to provide a cutaway technical drawing for each week's centrespread, featuring subjects of latest technological advance.

The Science Museum exhibition uses these artefacts and stories as a background to a display of life in Britain in the 50s and 60s, and is scheduled to run until Autumn 2009.

These photographs were taken either in Reykjavik, the capital, or in the south-west part of the country. Unusual vehicles were the four-wheel drive buses; many roads in Iceland are only open to 4WD vehicles.

A rather dull April day in downtown Bridgetown! Barbados has a busy bus network, Blue buses with yellow stripes are publicly-owned (Barbados Transport Board) and normally travel longer routes than privately-owned buses. Privately-owned buses have a reversed colour scheme to the publicly-owned ones, ie yellow with blue stripes, and typically travel shorter routes than the BTB vehicles.
Photographs taken at Bridgetown, April 2008.

On the four Sundays in September each year the Museum's Depot at Monumentenstrasse is open to the public to view a wide variety of vehicles which have been in use in the city over the years. My visit took place on Sunday 17th September 2006. All types of vehicle are on display, not just buses. Having first lived in the city as a child in the early 1950s and then having returned to work in the city in the late 70s/early 80s, the collection holds a particular fascination for me. Photography was particularly difficult. There were crowds of people in the exhibition hangar, and the exhibits were spaced very close to each other!

My first visit was to the German Technical Museum in Berlin, roughly equivalent in mission to the Science Museum in London. I had hoped to visit the Heritage Bus Fleet, which the museum houses in an annexe, but unfortunately this is only open for public viewing on dedicated open days. The two black and white photos are of posters advertising the fleet.
After Berlin I travelled to the Baltic resort of Bansin. Whilst there I was able to visit nearby Peenemunde, where the WW2 V1 and V2 "Doodlebug" Flying Bombs were developed. Also, moored in the harbour is an ex-Soviet Navy "Juliet" class conventional submarine.
The local bus service in Bansin: Ostsee Bus, (or Baltic Bus), was interesting. Although the route is only approx 12 kilometers long it is an international route, starting in Bansin (Germany) and finishing at Swinoujscie (Poland). Interestingly, the border crossing point the route uses, only permits pedestrians and cyclists to cross. This means that the passengers have to alight at the frontier, walk through the control post to have their papers checked and then board another of the company's buses for the final 2 kilometrs into Swinoujscie! As this bus is kept permanently in Poland Ostsee Bus has to have it registered with a Polish registration, despite the rest of the fleet being registered in Germany. All the buses we saw in Poland, with the exception of this one, were of local "Jelcz" manufacture, and were not very comfortable to travel in!

A few pics from a visit to DVN(transport restoration group)'s open day at Schoenhauser-strasse tram depot, north Berlin. September 21, 2008

This album contains photos taken on a trip in August 2007. The trip was not bus-orientated and many of the shots had to be taken on the spur of the moment, with no time for setting up camera etc! Well, that's my excuse!

June 4, 2006 marked the celebration of 100 years of motorbuses in the Aldershot area. They first arrived on June 1, 1906 and were operated by the Aldershot and Farnborough Motor Omnibus Company Ltd. Later, in 1912, a new company was formed and named the Aldershot & District Traction Company Limited. In 1969 the Government formed the National Bus Company and the end was in sight for the traditional green and cream vehicles of A&D. In 1972 A&D merged with the neighbouring Thames Valley company to form Alder Valley.
Today, bus services in the area are provided by Stagecoach and Arriva, and both companies were present at the celebrations with appropriately re-painted modern-day vehicles.

20 October 2006 - 4 pics added of Arriva and Stagecoach vehicles still working in the A&D paint schemes. The bright, low autumn sun was in absolutely the wrong position for taking shots, but I didn't know when I'd get an opportunity to take them again! They are best viewed by clicking the "Full size" button.

I was recently handed these photographs and pamphlets by my daughter-in-law who had come across them in her late grandfather's effects. They mainly consist of pictures of that gentleman (Joe Sakowicz) and his coach, Daimler Roadliner LAP 665E of Evan Evans, at the Blackpool and Brighton Coach of the Year Award rallies, where they were presented with the "Runner-Up" Cup. There are also a few shots of the outright winner of the 1967 Award, (an almost identical coach belonging to Black & White Motorways), and also of another Evan Evans coach, Daimler Roadliner ULR 963F.

Many of the shots illustrate the interior of LAP 665E, which surely must be considered as one of the earliest coaches to be kitted out for executive/corporate entertainment use. It must have appeared quite futuristic back in the 60s. A quaint feature of the publicity blurb is the daily hire rate which is quoted in guineas - an all-inclusive fee of either 50 guineas (£52.50) or 60 guineas (£63), sums which today would not even come near paying for a full tank of fuel!

I apologize for the random order of some of the shots. I have still not come to grips with Fotopic's method of uploading photos in a particular order!

I believe all the photos I have published in this gallery are copyright-free. However, should you know otherwise, I should be grateful if you would kindly inform me.

Enjoy some fond memories of the 'swinging sixties'!