一位公交车爱好者写的书

"1986 年 10 月 26 日，除北爱尔兰和伦敦外，英国全国的公共汽车服务取消了管制。D-Day之前和之后的几年是令人兴奋的时期，因为全国各地的车辆、车身、线路和运营商都在快速变化。 本书是继我早前出版的《放松管制期间的苏格兰公共汽车》一书的后续。在本书中，我将目光转向了放松管制时期苏格兰街道上的一些小型公交公司，令人遗憾的是，其中许多公交公司已不复存在。此外，我还选取了当时大型公交公司运营的一些有趣车辆的照片。在艾尔郡，有三家巴士公司： A1 公司、AA公交公司和克莱德海岸公司。虽然这三家公司的历史都可以追溯到 1930 年左右，但令人遗憾的是，这三家公司现在都没有运营公交业务了。A1 服务公司和克莱德海岸公司在上世纪 90 年代被 Stagecoach 收购，现在只有 AA 公交公司的一半，即特伦的多德公司作为一家长途汽车公司存活下来。 Wemyss Bay 的 Argyll Coaches 是在解除管制日后的众多新公交公司之一。奇怪的是，这些新公交公司中的许多都购买了苏格兰公交集团和国家公交公司退出运营的车辆，而正是这些公司在与新运营商的竞争中举步维艰。佩斯利的格雷厄姆巴士服务公司（Graham's Bus Service）是另一家历史悠久的运营商，但令人遗憾的是，它已于 1999 年停止运营，与我们永别了。这家公司我很熟悉，因为我在休斯顿读高中时经常乘坐它的车辆。他们的车队有许多有趣的车辆，其中包括许多 Duple Dominant 车身的 Leyland Leopards，这些车辆与其他车辆一样，始终保持完好无损。和其他车辆一样，这些车辆的外观总是完美无瑕。 然而，随着管制的放松，一些公司如 Stagecoach 和 Rapsons 确实得到了蓬勃发展，Stagecoach 收购了许多苏格兰巴士集团公司和国家巴士公司的分部，并很快将许多以前在苏格兰北部街道上看不到的车辆转移到了苏格兰。在苏格兰许多城镇，ECW 车身的布里斯托尔 VRT 和布里斯托尔 LH 车辆身披 Stagecoach 涂装，这种奇特的景象正是这一时期变化的典型代表。Rapsons 后来发展成为苏格兰最大的独立运营公司之一，拥有超过 250 辆车。公司成立于上世纪 90 年代，但在放松管制后真正实现了扩张，包括长途客车运营和巴士服务工作。公司最终于 2008 年出售给 Stagecoach。 至于苏格兰公交集团公司，许多老旧车辆很快被收回并出售，其他车辆则在不同的运营部门之间转让。大量车辆还获得了来自前伦敦交通局 Routemaster车辆的注册号码，以掩盖其车龄。这些车辆都是从加入苏格兰公交集团车队的大型 Routemasters 车队中拆卸下来的。有趣的是，现在 Stagecoach 和 First Group 车队的现代车辆上也有许多这些珍贵的车牌号。 斯特拉斯克莱德公交公司和洛锡安公交公司都订购了大批新车，因此之前的公交公司似乎比苏格兰巴士集团要好一些。这反过来又使大量老旧车辆得以收回，并出售给新老运营商。邓弗姆林的伦尼公司（Rennies of Dunfermline）就是从斯特拉斯克莱德公共汽车公司购买了大量亚历山大车身的莱兰亚特兰蒂斯二手车。 本书中的所有照片都是我自己的作品，是我多年来用我的老伙计佳能 AE1 相机拍摄的。我选择了一些有趣的照片，希望这些照片能展现出这一时期苏格兰街道上一些更迷人、更不寻常的车辆。我希望您能和我一样喜欢这本书。

On 26 October 1986, bus services were deregulated throughout the UK, with the exception of Northern Ireland and London. The years leading up to and following ‘D-Day’ were exciting times, with a fast pace of change to vehicles, liveries, routes and operators across the country. This book follows on from my earlier book, Scottish Buses During Deregulation, which was published in May 2017. In this book, I turn my attention to some of the smaller operators that could be found on the streets of Scotland around the deregulation period, many of which are sadly no longer with us. I also present a further selection of photographs of some of the interesting vehicles operated by the larger operators at this time. In Ayrshire three cooperative bus companies could be found: A1 Service, AA Buses and Clyde Coast. Although all three operators could trace their history back to around 1930, sadly none of the three companies now operate bus services. A1 service and Clyde Coast were acquired by Stagecoach in I99s, with only Dodd's of Troon, one half of AA Buses, surviving now as a coach company. Argyll Coaches of Wemyss Bay was one of a number of new operators to hit the streets following deregulation day. Bizarrely, many of these new operators purchased vehicles withdrawn from service by both Scottish Bus Group and former corporation bus companies, the very companies that were struggling to compete against the new operators. Graham's Bus Service of Paisley was another long-established operator that is sadly no longer with us, having ceased trading in 99o. This was a company I knew well as I often traveled on its vehicles during my high school days at Houston. They had many interesting vehicles in their fleet, including a number of Duple Dominant-bodied Leyland Leopards, which, like the rest of the fleet, were always immaculately turned out. Some companies like Stagecoach and Rapsons did, however, flourish with deregulation Stagecoach purchased many Scottish Bus Group companies and National Bus Company divisions in England and soon transferred many vehicles not previously seen on the Scottish streets north of the border. The strange sight of ECW-bodied Bristol VRT and Bristol LH vehicles wearing Stagecoach livery in many Scottish towns was typical of the changes to be seen during this period of time. Rapsons would grow to become one of the biggest independent Scottish operators with over 250 vehicles. The company was founded in I94s but really expanded following deregulation, both with coach operations and bus service work. The company was eventually sold to Stagecoach in 2008. Turning to the Scottish Bus Group companies, many older vehicles were quickly withdrawn and sold, with others being transferred between different operating divisions. A large number of vehicles also gained cherished registration numbers from former London Transport Routemaster vehicles, intended to disguise their age. These were removed from the large fleets of Routemasters that joined many of the Scottish Bus Group fleets. Interestingly, many of these cherished number plates are now carried on modern-day vehicles that can be found within the fleets of Stagecoach and First Group. The former corporation bus companies appeared to hold their heads above water a bit better than the Scottish Bus Group with Strathclyde's Buses and Lothian Buses both ordering large fleets of new vehicles. This in turn permitted a large number of older vehicles to be withdrawn and sold on to both new and established operators. Rennies of Dunfermline was one operator in particular that acquired a large number of second-hand Alexander-bodied Leyland Atlanteans from Strathclyde's Buses. All of the photographs within this book are my own work, captured over many years with my trusty Canon AE1 camera. I have chosen what I hope is an interesting selection of photographs featuring some of the more fascinating and unusual vehicles that could be found in service or the streets of Scotland during this period of time. I hope you enjoy this small selection from my collection just as much as I have enjoyed compiling this book.