beckingtonian
Plaxton comparisons!
For a few years in the mid-80s I did some part-time driving for Midland Red Express, which became Midland Red Coaches, at Digbeth.
This 1986 picture was taken at the digs used in Manchester and shows the mainstay of National Express services at that time, a Leyland Leopard with a Plaxton Supreme IV body. This one is 576 (BVP 776V) which was delivered to Midland Red in late 1979 as a type C21 numbered 776.
With the split of Midland Red into five operating units in 1981 776 passed to Midland Red Express and subsequently became 576. MR Express, in an attempt to widen its market and lose its 'express coaches only' image was renamed Midland Red Coaches in 1985.
Parked alongside is another, somewhat more interesting Leopard.
794 YKM is a Plaxton Viewmaster bodied Leopard owned by Vale of Llangollen Travel and seen here on hire to D Coaches of Swansea who acquired her after VLT finished with her. Or perhaps this was after D Coaches had acquired her and the 'On Hire' paper was to cover the legalities.
794 YKM started life as RVJ 724S in the fleet of Penn Overland of Hereford in whose colours she can be seen on southlancs' photostream. In 1986 D Coaches acquired her from VLT, where she stayed until 1998.
Thanks to southlancs for the details above.
Plaxton comparisons!
For a few years in the mid-80s I did some part-time driving for Midland Red Express, which became Midland Red Coaches, at Digbeth.
This 1986 picture was taken at the digs used in Manchester and shows the mainstay of National Express services at that time, a Leyland Leopard with a Plaxton Supreme IV body. This one is 576 (BVP 776V) which was delivered to Midland Red in late 1979 as a type C21 numbered 776.
With the split of Midland Red into five operating units in 1981 776 passed to Midland Red Express and subsequently became 576. MR Express, in an attempt to widen its market and lose its 'express coaches only' image was renamed Midland Red Coaches in 1985.
Parked alongside is another, somewhat more interesting Leopard.
794 YKM is a Plaxton Viewmaster bodied Leopard owned by Vale of Llangollen Travel and seen here on hire to D Coaches of Swansea who acquired her after VLT finished with her. Or perhaps this was after D Coaches had acquired her and the 'On Hire' paper was to cover the legalities.
794 YKM started life as RVJ 724S in the fleet of Penn Overland of Hereford in whose colours she can be seen on southlancs' photostream. In 1986 D Coaches acquired her from VLT, where she stayed until 1998.
Thanks to southlancs for the details above.