VICTORIA COACH STATION ANNIVERSARY

We will be located inside with the PMP stand somewhere at the Victoria coach station 'do', there will be a display of buses at the station itself and other buses / overflow in Battersea Park. Due to restrictions on movements we won't arrive until 09.30 and then quickly set up. Sunday will have the greatest amount of preserved content. We will of course film as much of the event as possible. Much has moved on from the initial pans below so it should be a good weekend, expect some hefty crowds.

VICTORIA COACH STATION 75TH ANNIVERSARY !

The weekend of 10-11 March 2007 is the 75th anniversary of the commencement of services into Victoria Coach Station by "London Coastal Coaches". The modern Victoria Coach Station Ltd. will be commemorating this milestone by inviting owners of appropriate classic coaches to participate in a special event over that weekend. The London Transport Museum has commissioned some 'specialist' merchandise for the occasion, and VCS hope to lay on some catering and other 'entertainment'. It will also be an opportunity to view the plans for the proposed new coach station to be constructed on the site over the next few years.
Being a working coach station, space is at a premium and the organisers would want strict control over movements and timings, but they propose to make available an 'area' of 3 or 4 departure gates to accommodate the rally. So there are two ways in which participation can take place;
(1) Owners could arrange a 'trip' to London on the Saturday or Sunday, ensuring co-ordination of arrival / departure times. Providing the timings are pre-arranged, there is no reason why arrivals / departures could not go on all day, both days.
(2) Two or three (but no more) significant vehicles could be on static display in the coach station all day on each day. For this, it is hoped that one historic vehicle from each of the main original participants in London Coastal Coaches - i.e. Southdown, Maidstone & District and East Kent, will be displayed. Arrangements for this are progressing well.
A press release will be issued shortly to help spread the word but, in the first instance, please Email me ( at Events Calendar not pmp) and they will be able to put you in touch with the organisers. The list of attending vehicles is growing daily.
This will be a very special (and unrepeatable) event. Don't miss it, and please bring your Eastern National L5G / Southdown Harrington Cavalier / BMMO C5 / Thames Valley Lodekka / South Wales Weymann Fanfare / East Kent Reliance / Royal Blue MW5G etc. etc. to the party. And don't forget, you heard it from the Classic Buses Website first !
Click here for a vehicle entry form.

Well look forward to seeing you all there. Amongst other things I'll need to sort hotel, anyone used Travelodge, aren't they the pits, good old Charlie slagged off McDonalds yesterday, may I give him my heartfelt support, they should certainly be banned along with other US imports like baseball caps, trainers, hoodies,guns etc!

Last night I got on well and have finished the Sheffield and Rotherham films and also done DVD covers, put clips on You Tube, sat down to watch Casualty and on came football, well I ask you, aren't there enough channels with sport on 24 hours a day.

AUDLEY TRAVEL RIP OFF MERCHANTS

photos courtesy Greg Bubb, well the Best Ever London Country programme is wrapped up, just doing the cover hence the photos, its posted on You Tube as well.

Running off the Yorkship material ready to edit.
my comments on Rotherham struck home with an inhabitant! Someone I know well enough for an honest word or two, was he aggrieved, well not really as GD said

'Re your comments on your blog about Rotherham, all I can say is that you don't have to live in the s***hole!!

It has gone downhill rapidly in the last 5 years, we now have more eastern Europeans, than Eastern Europe

Hope to see you & Mandy at a few rallies through the summer'

a bit more honest feedback would go down a treat.

Having hassles sorting Xmas trip, given up on Audley an outfit another bunch which has gone downhill since it was Asian Journeys, didn't like it when I said they were about £1000 over the odds on their quote but declined to justify it at all, as I said to them if I got a quote for a new kitchen it would be broken down to materials, labour etc, if I buy shopping in Tescos I get a receipt broken down, rip of Britain with rip off companies.

What about the East Anglia transport Museum at Carlton Colville, does it exist, I've phoned, faxed, written, sent numerous messages, SAEs , never a reply, what did I do to upset them so? Not another of the 'silent' enthusiasts. Thank god I've got a pint of Guinness and a little bit of perspective on the bus hobby.

DONCASTER BUS STATION

Sunday, battling through the sound effects on London Country DVD, still looking after myself, Mandy in Ireland. Another dull damp day, the garden is too wet to get out in although needs spring tidy up. Yesterday in Doncaster, there's a new bus station, not signposted anywhere, its actually not that far from the old one, only difference there is no chance of photography there, black hole of Calcutta job! Still the usual roundabout gave some action and looked nice with the spring pansies. Not a place for the faint hearted, Doncaster is the gusset of Britain's knickers, if you want the full third world experience without travelling come here.

SATURDAY SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Today I went filming at Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster. The weather wasn't ideal but I got two hours of film which isn't bad for this time of year. Sheffield wasn't very exciting bus wise, got some nice vantage points though and only limited amounts of hassle which is to be expected, after all this is our all time worse place for trouble over the years, too much poverty, drugs and too many feral children. Then on to Rotherham which defies description, how people can call parts of Romania and Bulgaria when we've got this lot I don't know. Lots of other bus photographers around but the usual situation they wouldn't chat, what is it that makes most so introverted! The weather looked like rain but it din't, still got views at bus station without hassle so a plus point there. I'll deal with Doncaster tomorrow.

LONDON COUNTRY BUSES

Well another long evening, this time I recopied some of the films I did the night before as there was some light intrusion on the video, next I did the rest of the films sitting around, this included a couple of 16mm jobs, they turned out to be rubbish, very frustrating getting all the gear out ready but there you go! I then turned my attention to the London Country film, 57 minutes collated, I'll add a few more scenes to take it over the hour but its nearly ready to start tweaking the images, the sound takes longest.
Mandy being away it's self help in the kitchen albeit the meals have been left in the freezer, still forgot my lunch for work today , typical, still no sign of my car back from garage, still using hired Picasso people carrier, horrid great thing.
Tomorrows filming undecided but probably Doncaster, Sheffield and or Leeds. Forecast light showers otherwise sunny, these locations should be ok except Leeds. Not too many orders to deal with, everything is going out by return of post.

LONDON COUNTRY BEST EVER

Last night I copied some cine film including the remainder of the London Country hires from John Bishop, I also got stuck into Paul Gainsbury's cine collection which as well as family footage contained an hour on railways, mainly end of steam in England era. This all went on until quite late, it had been a bitch of the day with car broken down and Mandy leaving for Ireland. Still hope to be on schedule for finishing London Country this coming weekend and to have several Manchester area videos converted to DVD next week. Not sure where filming will take place this weekend, waiting for weather forecasts to settle on a target. Got a trade order from Ian Allan Birmingham completed before bed but very tired today, hoping for my car back later on.

SPRING COMES AT LAST

The ship canal yesterday outside my office window
Dave at work sending out safety award t shirts, I got slagged off by female staff on my folding technique, ( or lack of it)

My car broke down last night and today I'm still waiting to get it picked up, thankfully its a works car and I wasn't far from home, Mandy rescued me as the work side had a problem with the lease company and Vauxhall re business recovery, this came about as I was the first to have a car under new arrangements, fun being a learning curve. Still the garden looks fine, I hope to have some nice spring photos on by the weekend. An order yesterday for Crich 2002 wasn't on DVD yet but I did it as I thought it would be a popular choice and its already on You Tube. The list still being updated on the web as I go, aren't I good? Mandy is off to Ireland today so I'll be in charge of PMP for the next week and thus very busy.

GOOD NEWS ON MANDY'S KNEE

Last night was taken up with visit to hospital to see consultant Mr Geary , good news was that the MRI scan on Mandy's knee showed little permanent dam,age from the fall last December ( remember on our return from Boyle St in the gales). Some serious physio is still required and more time for healing.
We didn't get back until late and spent a bit of timer catching up with the soaps on telly. Hopefully tonight I'll get the Hull truck DVD wrapped up and on the You Tube site. I did manage to get Buses and TUT adverts placed before we went out. The next Target is to finish copying John Bishops L Country 70s hirings cine for Best Ever London Country which I hope to finish over next weekend while Mandy is in Ireland. Next door but one was burgled night before last, very worrying.
People who rented house opposite for a while, super rich , loads of flash cars but very nice all the same, moved short distance to their rebuilt house, held at gunpoint with robbers pointing shot gun at their 3 year old, they ended up stealing just £10, the only cash in the house.

GOING SOLO IN DERBYSHIRE

Castleton today Sunday 18th Feb 2007, a sunny midday cruise without video but couldn't resist a few bus shots
Buxton, early afternoon today
near Macclesfield on the way home in Cheshire, not bad 3 independents with Solos, other operators seen were First and Trent. Edited the Hull truck programme and hope to get adverts ready for Buses mag etc.

HARROGATE KEIGHLEY JOHN BISHOP RENOWNED AUTHOR

Today we had the company of John and Maureen Bishop, John renowned Ian Alan transport author of many books accompanied us to explore Harrogate and Keighley.
Keighly, the light was failing but lots of new route branding in evidence

Harrogate, nothing really new but still impressive.
Blessed with good weather but winter sun always a bitch for shadows

TRUCKING IN HULL

Today I rattled over the pennines in a Transit van for work, after dropping of some urgent parts I had my lunch time a bit late filming the trucks near thedocks, it was cold and windy and dull until nearly time to leave. Made it back to pick my car up at Bolton about 5 then got stuck on M6 near home! Nothing New.

NORTH KOREA VIETNAM

Typical Vietnam
Hanoi Tram, they didn't last long
North Korean Gold mine loco
North Korean Trolleybus ( show model?)
En route to North Korea voa Pakistan

No not a day excursion but a trip to Vietnam by Martin Rickitt in 1989 amongst the first to see post war Vietnam and then in 1992 he went with a group to North Korea. Both out now on DVD. Tomorrow I'm over in Hull for work, hope to get a few trucks filmed.

WREXHAM BEGGARS BELEIVING

Today I popped out to Wrexham, the light looked good and I wanted to test a camera which had been playing up at the weekend. The snow had all gone and it was bright but no shadows. I got accosted by a beggar within seconds of arriving by the bus station, very friendly drivers though. A few head bangers, drug addicts etc but then that's Britain today.

PDRNK NORTH KOREA

A busy evening, now released on DVD Martin Rickitt's coverage of North Korea 1992 and his trip to Vietnam in 1989, the latter caught the last era of the trolleys and trams in Hanoi. I sussed out how to reduce the amount of pages displayed on the blog which will make it quicker to open, the archive has all the back postings. I'll put some pics on tomorrow

TRUCKING SUNDAY

guess what I've been doing, yes the covers for recent truck releases covering the mid 90s, here's a taster selection. A cold sunny day, cars washed, Swiss Tram / Trolley DVDs made.

SNOW SUN A FUNERAL AND A VISIT TO WALES

Dinner at the Olde Bull, highly recommended
no snow here, sunshine all day at Aber thingy
Newtown, where are the indians?
Well I got a couple of snow shots eventually, not a trace of white at Lower Peover
Pudding at Bull, even better than dinner, bit drunk to really enjoy it, but did our best!!

A great send off to Mandy's auntie Amy down at Beaumaris on Friday, super stay at Ye Olde Bulls Head where with family we drank and chatted until the early hours then rose somewhat fuzzy headed and after a hearty breakfast headed through the mountains to Portmadoc and on to Aberystwyth. No snow on Anglesey at all, a bit more heading south west and loads coming back through Newtown, the wild west of central Wales, hasn't got any better since our enforced stop one night amongst scenes of debauchery and drunken lasciviousness, ie drunks spewing in gutters and wandering all over the roads.

FRIDAY ICE SNOW AND A FUNERAL

Ballarat and Melbourne 1971 courtesy Alan Mortimer and last night i started on truck covers for our new Brit Truck range, they look very brash I'd say. Well what snow we got came late and not much of it, I got my hair cut on the way home, any chances of snowy bus scenes dashed again. Family funeral today in Anglesey.

AUSTRALIA 1971 ALAN MORTIMER

I promised some photos, I scanned these tonight, Australia back in 1971, Alan worked for the Brighton Bus Co in Melbourne suburbs. See it isn't just trams in Melbourne.