Bus garages, or depots if that is your preferred nomenclature, come in all shapes and sizes and have their origins in the tram depots that were established by the various tramway companies of the pre-electrification era. Tram depots were originally built for horse-drawn and steam-hauled tramcars and, in the case of the former, often had stables attached.Hardly any two bus garages were the same as they varied in both size and type of construction. Some, such as London Transport's Stockwell garage (which is still in use) and Salford Corporation's Frederick Road tram/bus depot, could be considered architectural gems. The capacity of a garage could vary enormously; examples of this were Ribble Motor's outstation at Bowness-on-Solway with space to garage just one bus and Oldham Corporation's Wallshaw Street garage, which when built was designed to hold 300 buses under one roof.There are still a significant number of former tram depots functioning as bus garages, but they are on the decline. The deregulation of bus services in 1986 changed the course of the bus industry forever. As undertakings were privatised and sold off during the 1990s, the new operators moved out of their inherited garages and set up more low-cost establishments. These generally consisted of a moderately sized maintenance building and a large open-air parking area.

British Bus Garages: A Portrait

Engineering & Transportation

Rhodes, Mike

Transportation

Amberley Publishing

The AEC Regal IVs and Regent IIIs, or to give them their class prefix letters RFs and RTs, are among the most revered buses to have served London over the years. The RFs were maids of all work and were tailored for private hire, Green Line coach work and ordinary stage bus work in both the central and country areas. The first of the type were introduced in October 1951 and a total of 700 vehicles were built for the London Transport Executive. They replaced virtually all the other types of single-deckers then operating in the metropolis.The RT was first introduced to service in 1939 and production ran to 151 vehicles before construction ceased in early 1942. Following the war, the Park Royal factory recommenced building the type in 1947, with the last new chassis being rolled out in 1954, taking the bonnet number RT4825.Both types soldiered on throughout the 1970s as LTE encountered severe problems with their 'OPO' replacements before both finally bowed out within a week of each other in March/April 1979. This account charts the last years of operation of both types from the mid-1970s onward, focusing on North London.

The Last Years of London RFs and RTs: North of the Thames

History

Europe

The AEC Regal IVs and Regent IIIs, or to give them their class prefix letters RFs and RTs, are among the most revered buses to have served London over the years.The RFs were maids of all work and were tailored for private hire work, Green Line coach work and ordinary stage bus work in both the central and country areas. The first of the type were introduced in October 1951 and a total of 700 vehicles were built for the London Transport Executive. They replaced virtually all the other types of single-deckers then operating in the metropolis.The RT was first introduced to service in 1939 and production ran to 151 vehicles before construction ceased in early 1942. Following the war the Park Royal factory recommenced building the type in 1947 with the last new chassis being rolled out in 1954, taking the bonnet number RT4825.Both types soldiered on throughout the 1970s as LTE encountered severe problems with their 'OPO' replacements before both finally bowed out within a week of each other in March/April 1979. This account charts the last years of operation of both types from the mid-1970s onward, focusing on South London.

The Last Years of London's RFs and RTs: South of the Thames

Blackpool to Fleetwood by Tram: A 40 Year Journey

MGR Coal Trains

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

A visitor to one of the principal cities of the East or West Midlands during the 1970s would not have failed to notice that all the incumbent local bus operators were still running buses which still resembled types which could be seen throughout Britain between the two World Wars - that is double-deck buses with the driver seated in his own cab area with an open space over the adjacent engine shroud. Whilst the vast majority of these also had an open entrance at the rear, there were some types which the passengers could board or alight through a doored-entrance at the front.With a wonderful selection of photographs that will delight enthusiasts of all ages, Mike Rhodes looks back on the twilight years of half-cab buses in the Midlands.

Midlands Half-Cab Buses: The Twilight Years

Edinburgh is reputed to have more buildings designated as of 'special architectural or historic interest' than any other city in the world. These range from rows of Georgian terraced houses and individual Victorian tenement blocks to such diverse structures as the diminutive Greyfriars Bobby sculpture and the Forth Rail Bridge. Many of the buildings were constructed from sandstone, from a proliferation of local quarries and which could be found in a variety of different colours.The city's local transport system has a similarly rich history, and this book looks to celebrate these two popular elements in the city's contemporary setting. Featuring unique and previously unpublished images of Lothian Transport buses sharing the scene with some of these historic buildings, this book will delight anybody who shares a fondness for Auld Reekie.

Lothian Buses in Historic Edinburgh

North-West Half-cab Buses: The Twilight Years

Rails Around Preston

Preston Buses Before and After Deregulation

Reference

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Books by Rhodes, Mike