issue 196 (April – May 2025)
Over 50 years ago, the M&D and East Kent Bus Club bought a rebodied wartime Bristol double decker from Maidstone & District; Richard Wallace tells the story of this bus and its preservation. Martyn Hunt remembers that Ipswich had a liking for Massey bodywork, including some single deckers, and Mike Fenton’s exploration of lesser-known coachbuilders this time looks at Trans-United.
In our Forum section recently, someone asked when the best time was to be a bus enthusiast. Tony Greaves suggests (with some lovely photographs) that, as far as he is concerned, this was Leeds in the 1960s. Martin Curtis recalls that, when the Scottish Bus group was restructured in 1985, its fledgling coach division, Scottish Citylink, had a route that covered some 500 miles, from Scotland all the way to Weymouth on the Dorset coast.
We also have an interesting story about some Barrow bus blinds in Tokyo and reveal a mystery in Derby discovered in The Bus Archive. Our bridge feature this issue is on a county boundary, where the bridge in question was only meant to be temporary – it lasted nine years! Cliff Marsh revisits Llandudno and Nick Newton shows us more Bristol LHs in Brixham.
in this issue
- over 55 years in preservation – the story of an M&D Bristol K6A
- Massey bodied single deckers – an Ipswich thing
- more odd registration numbers – on London trolleybuses
- Leeds in the 1960s – Tony Greaves reckons that was the best time
- Trans-United – Mike Fenton on another classic coachbuilder
- Scottish Citylink long distance – 500 miles to Weymouth in 1985
- a bit of Barrow in Tokyo – bus blinds, fashion…and a Routemaster
- a Derby single deck mystery – from The Bus Archive
- more Devon LHs – with Devon Services
- a bus on a temporary bridge – temporary for nine years, that is
- discovering Llandudno – a bit of an eye-opener