Part 9 here. Index to series top right here
The National Bus shackles came off as companies passed from public to private hands. It’s probably true that this brief period coincided with a renewed optimism not seen within the industry since the post war days. Yes, competition was never more than 42 days away (as then was) but on their own two feet, managements were free of both National Bus Company and the political control that came with network support.
A little more individual but still traditional...
It’s hardly surprising that the main outward expression of this new freedom was the adoption of new liveries. With a couple of notable exceptions, from 1972 NBC had divided its companies into Poppy Red or Leaf Green subsidiaries. Even the solitary white band vanished for a time from some fleet repaints, as an economy measure.
The new, post-deregulation liveries were either complete contrasts, or conservative and nostalgic applications simulating traditional styles.
Examples of more traditional styles were:
Wilts & Dorset – mason’s red with black window surrounds and skirt, and white bands
People’s Provincial – emerald green with dark green skirt, white (or cream) roof
Southern National – light green with cream roof and window surrounds
Crosville – Brunswick green with marigold (later cream) window surrounds
Badgerline – base yellow with broad green diagonal swathe midway along vehicle side, together with white band above lower deck windows with alternate black badgers and Badgerline names
North Western (ex-Ribble) – poppy red with royal blue front nearside & offside rear corners, with colours separated by silver-grey bands
Northumbria (ex-United Automobile) – base grey & white with red skirt with red & white roof, with broad red diagonal band from off- to near-side at front and rear
Midland Fox (Midland Red East) – yellow front and dark red rear, separated by yellow/red diagonal stripes
Eastern National – yellow front and green rear, separated by yellow/green diagonal stripes
... to the singular and preculiar
Such was the rapidity of change that, with groupings, sales and regroupings, few liveries lasted more than 10 years. One notable exception was Wilts & Dorset’s, only now disappearing beneath a thoroughly modern redesign.
To be continued…
5 comments:
Wilts & Dorset's livery was marvellous; just right. It suited anything of any age, but it's now disappearing under an amateurish slop of unseparated, clashing red and blue, complete with some manky old font she found lying about in Photoshop. Zero out of ten, Samantha.
I agree the Original W&D livery is a timeless classic! Looked great on the VRT! But the new one s weird, I guess it's becuase I don't thkn blue and red goes together, blue and yellow, yes, red and cream, yes, but red and blue hmmmmm not really!
Northumbria's livery was unique but I liked it too! Looking at it, you'd never think it's from '86(a year after I was born!)
But I suppose at least bland liveries from NBC days are gone (though TfL want overall red, which is going backwards!) though many said the green wasn't too bad. Mind you thats my opinion, and I was brought up in green bus area (Leeds, in my days MetroBus and Yorkshire Rider, another great livery on a VRT!).
Another interesting former NBC company is East Yorkshire. Started using more white with the poppy red, then using the lovely indigo and primrose on Routmasters (and later some Olympians), then gave way to burgundy and cream.
I've even seen photos of Keiglhey and Districts first livery (which I don't remember, if so, I was only about 5), it was like Marmite, you either loved it or hated it!
Agree with both of you that W&D's former livery was a "timeless classic" and "marvellous", as the two gentlement put it. Where I *disagree*, though, is the style of "Wilts & Dorset" name on vehicles side and front. The black "W", ampersand and "D" plus red "ILTS" + "ORSET" in caps was rather amateurish, IMHO. It had no image, unlike the current, um, "manky old font" which I at least feel is rather up market!
And 10/10 for the MORE livery and logo.
Badgerline's livery was so BRASH at the time, wasn't it? It may seem a touch conservative now but back then - wow.
Never sure about all those trotting badgers, though.
Mark 2 Badgerline was equally inventive, a little more stylish, but again - THAT SMILEY BADGER
Sans serif fonts look so 70s, as does lower case lettering - think how cheap and nasty all our road signs now look since we got forced to adopt Euro-standards.
A perfect example of a company whose image is classic yet adaptable is East Yorkshire. Their President-bodied double-decks look absolutely mint in that livery.
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