Autobus - Grande Bretagne: livres - histoire et modèles

British Bus Garages

Bus garages, also known as depots, find their historical lineage in tram depots established by pre-electrification-era tramway companies. These depots were originally constructed to house horse-drawn and steam-hauled tramcars, often featuring attached stables for the former.

Diversity characterized bus garages, with variations in both size and construction type. Some, like London Transport's enduring Stockwell garage and Salford Corporation's Frederick Road tram/bus depot, stand as architectural marvels. Garage capacities spanned a wide range, exemplified by Ribble Motor's Bowness-on-Solway outstation accommodating a single bus and Oldham Corporation's Wallshaw Street garage, initially designed to house 300 buses under one roof.

While former tram depots have transitioned into bus garages, their numbers are dwindling. The deregulation of bus services in 1986 marked a pivotal shift in the bus industry. Privatization during the 1990s led to operators moving away from their inherited garages to establish cost-effective facilities, typically comprising a moderately sized maintenance building and a spacious open-air parking area.
This book offers fascinating unpublished shots of the UK's extensive network of bus depots.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Mike Rhodes
Présentation :	96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 0.8 cm, broché
Illustration :	180 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2021)
ISBN :	9781398100367

British Buses 1945-1975

The later 1940s and the 1950s saw a fascinating variety of different bus types reaching the British market.

In this book the 27 manufacturers - large and small - are dealt with in A-Z order: AEC, Albion, Atkinson, Austin, Bedford, Bristol, Commer, Crossley, Daimler, Dennis, Dodge, Foden, Ford, Guy, Jensen, Karrier, Leyland, Maudslay, Morris-Commercial, Rowe, Rutland, Seddon, Sentinel, Thornycroft, Tilling-Stevens, Trojan, Vulcan.

Pages du livre "British Buses 1945-1975"

The author gives a brief history of each and then provides individual coverage of the models produced, using original material from brochures and advertisements for the illustrations, not only to identify the vehicles but also to give the flavour of the times when they were to be seen going about their business. This is not only a reliable and comprehensive reference book but also via its illustrations a pleasing evocation of earlier times on Britain's roads and streets.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	James Taylor
Présentation :	192 pages, 28 x 22 x 2.3 cm, relié
Illustration :	400 illustrations en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Herridge & Sons Ltd (GB, 2011)
ISBN :	9781906133382

British Buses 1967

This book looks at an important turning point in the history of the bus industry in Britain. 1967 was the penultimate year to the end of an era, when private and semi-nationalized company's operated the bus networks in this country.

After 1967 the network was never the same again, with the formation of the National Bus Company in 1968. The NBC was a very bland organization compared to the colourful bus companies that had existed before nationalization, and many small municipal fleets amalgamated to form Passenger Transport Executives.

This comprehensive volume covers a large number of the bus companies throughout the country in 1967 and also has a good readable narrative describing Jim Blake's journeys travelling on these services across Britain.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Jim Blake
Présentation :	160 pages, 28 x 21.5 cm, relié
Illustration :	150 photos en N&B et 50 en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2015)
ISBN :	9781473827172

British Buses and Coaches in the Late 1970s

The provincial bus operations of Britain underwent great upheavals following legislation enacted in 1969. An expanded state-owned sector had merged the Tilling and BET groups to form the National Bus Company. The great corporation fleets of the Midlands and North had been combined with their smaller municipal neighbours to form the Passenger Transport Executives.
Elsewhere, municipal bus operations endured, ranging in size from Edinburgh Corporation to Bedwas & Machen Urban District Council, with its fleet of three vehicles. North of the border the Scottish Bus Group provided state-owned services, and Greater Glasgow had its PTE. London Transport retained, for the time being, its own arrangements and unique mode of operation.

In a selection of photographs taken between 1975 and 1980, author Stephen Dowle examines an interesting transitionary period, when much still remained of the 'old days' but developments were afoot that, in the mid-1980s, were to bring further convulsions to road passenger transport.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Stephen Dowle
Présentation :	96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 0.9 cm, broché
Illustration :	180 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2018)
ISBN :	9781445681351

British Buses in Colour

The buses on Britain's roads went through a period of great change between 1950 and 1986. In 1950 the bus manufacturers were at last recovering from the effects of the Second World War, and had new and innovative designs to offer.
By the time bus services were deregulated in 1986, buses were very different - longer, wider, more powerful and often with rear engines - and the industry had changed dramatically, with changes of ownership affecting nearly every major operator.

This book uses 150 colour photographs to tell the story of the buses that served Britain between 1950 and 1986 and traces the progression from the time-served pre-war buses that survived well into the 1950s, through the early underfloor-engined single-deckers; the lightweight era; the rear-engined double-deckers; the often unsuccessful rear-engined single-deckers; through to the types that could be seen on the streets in the 1990s, including the first of the new-generation minibuses.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Gavin Booth
Présentation :	96 pages, 23 x 16.5 x 1 cm, broché
Illustration :	180 photos en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2019)
ISBN :	9781445694597

British Buses of the 1980s

The 1980s were some of the most tumultuous years for the British bus industry. The Thatcher Government, in power throughout the decade, brought about privatisation of the National Bus Company and the Scottish Bus Group.
In addition, 1986 saw the introduction of full deregulation of bus services with the exception of London. London was also affected by these changes, as the omnibus operations of London Transport was split up and then sold into private hands.

Deregulation meant competition and 'bus wars' broke out in many parts of the country, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. However, towards the end of the decade, larger groups emerged such as Stagecoach.
The author was fortunate enough to be able to capture the scene on colour film through the decade and the best of his results are seen in this full colour album.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	John Laws
Présentation :	96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 0.9 cm, broché
Illustration :	186 photos en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Fonthill Media (GB, 2013)
ISBN :	9781781552278

British Buses Since 1950: Trendsetting Designs

Bus design has certainly evolved in the seven decades since 1950, but it has not been a steady process. Advances in bus design have caused manufacturers to rush back to the drawing board for fear of being left behind.
In 1950, the first of the new breed of underfloor-engined single-deckers appeared, and, just six years later, came the first rear-engined double-decker. Buses got longer, and one result in the 1960s was a rash of new rear-engined single-deck models.
Efforts to make buses accessible for all passengers led to low-floor models in the 1990s, and then, in the 2000s, concerns about the environment prompted diesel-electric hybrid, gas, electric and hydrogen buses.

Covering the designs that led the way with varying degrees of success over the past 70 years, and illustrated with over 170 colour images and period advertisements, this book showcases the good, the bad and the ugly of British bus design.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Gavin Booth
Présentation :	96 pages, 24.5 x 17 cm, broché
Illustration :	170 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Série :	Britain's Buses
ISBN :	9781802822403

British-Built Buses Abroad in the 1980s

Like the railway industry in the 19th century, Britain was a major player in supplying the world with buses, particularly double-deckers. The principal contributors in the mid-twentieth century were AEC, Daimler and Leyland Motors. Buses were exported throughout the world either as complete vehicles or as a chassis with locally assembled bodywork completing the bus.

As early as 1911, Leyland Motors sold five single-deck charabancs to Lisbon Tramways and three to Cape Town Electric Tramways. It says something for the endurance of the British-built chassis when examples of the Daimler CVG in Hong Kong and the AEC Regent III in Lisbon both managed to attain well over 25 years of service for their respective operators.

As London Transport found itself with a surfeit of serviceable buses in the 1960s, hundreds of redundant RTs, RTLs and RTWs were snapped up by the Ceylon Transport Board. Redundant Atlanteans and Daimler Fleetlines found favour with both KMB and CMB while sixty AEC Swifts saw further service with the Public Transport Association (PTA) and the Education Department on the island of Malta.

This book features previously unpublished photographs of British buses in China, India, South Africa, Portugal and Hong Kong.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Mike Rhodes
Présentation :	95 pages, 24 x 16.5 x 1.3 cm, broché
Illustration :	180 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2019)
ISBN :	9781445690209

Buses and Coaches 1945-70: From Contemporary Adverts

Bus and coach manufacturers advertised in the trade magazines for various reasons - it was to sell their products, of course, but also to keep their names in front of the people who made the decisions, to keep their shareholders happy, to boast about their successes and to support the trade press.
Over the years, the number of manufacturers promoting their wares has fluctuated from several dozen bus builders competing for orders in the years following World War Two, to the late 1960s, when British Leyland had acquired much of the competition and was starting to abandon popular brands as it moved to rationalise its product range. This impacted the monthly trade magazines as the number of advertisers dwindled, and this led to the closure of the market-leading magazine Bus & Coach in 1970.

The book uses trade adverts that appeared in the years between 1945 and 1970 to illustrate the development of new bus and coach chassis and bodies, and the constantly changing visual styles used by advertisers to catch the eye of potential customers.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Gavin Booth
Présentation :	96 pages, 24.5 x 17 x 0.8 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Série :	Britain's Buses
ISBN :	9781802823844

Buses Built Before 1950

Following the 1920s, bus transport experienced several decades of strong growth with an explosion of new operators and bus types. Charabanc trips were popular and many people chose the bus as their way of exploring the country and visiting the seaside.
Competition from the railways during the post-war period meant that bus operators often struggled under increased pressures, but the bus remained the favoured mode of transport for many.

Here, Royston Morris shares some of his photographs capturing surviving examples of buses built before 1950.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Royston Morris
Présentation :	96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 cm, broché
Illustration :	180 photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2021)
ISBN :	9781398105027

Low-Floor Double-Deckers

In just under 25 years, double-deck buses in the UK have undergone a transformation. Every double-decker in normal service in the UK today is a low-floor bus offering easy access to everyone.
This book traces the story of the UK's low-floor double-deckers, from the first tentative steps to the widespread adoption of this layout and the moves from diesel buses to diesel-electric hybrids, to gas, electric and even hydrogen buses built for bus companies of all sizes. It covers the London operators that initially drove the low-floor revolution, along with the major groups, the remaining local authority fleets and a range of enterprising independents that operate them.

Where once every double-decker for service in the UK was built in the UK, today many chassis come from mainland Europe and, increasingly, from manufacturers based in other and more distant parts of the world - and UK builders have gained an important foothold in Europe, North America, and the Far East as well. The story is told for the first time, on a model-by-model basis, supported by many unseen colour images, which show the buses in use throughout the UK.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Gavin Booth
Présentation :	96 pages, 24 x 16.5 x 0.8 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré de photos en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2022)
Série :	Britain's Buses
ISBN :	9781802821291

Low-Floor Single Deckers

For many years, individuals with disabilities, wheelchair users, and parents with young children faced challenges when attempting to access single-deck buses with high steps and raised floors.
However, a pivotal shift occurred in the 1980s when a new generation of buses with stepless entrances and level floors was introduced. This transformation reached the UK in 1992, prompting operators to gradually phase out older high-floor single-deckers in favor of these innovations.
Many of these buses were adaptations of existing European models, but UK-based manufacturers, such as Dennis, Optare, and Wright, designed more cost-effective models tailored to the domestic market. The most prominent example is the best-selling Dennis Dart, which later evolved into the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 series.

Traditionally, low-floor single-deckers were powered by diesel engines. However, environmental concerns in the early 2000s spurred engineers to reconsider this approach, leading to the emergence of diesel-electric hybrids, gas-powered buses, battery electric buses, and currently, hydrogen-powered buses. Diesel models are gradually giving way to zero-emission alternatives as the latter gain popularity.
Illustrated with over 150 images, this book tracks the evolution of low-floor single-deck buses from their initial introduction three decades ago to the latest gas, electric, and hydrogen-powered models.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Gavin Booth
Présentation :	96 pages, 24.5 x 17 cm, broché
Illustration :	150+ photos en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2023)
Série :	Britain's Buses
ISBN :	9781802824872

The British Bus in the Second World War

The British bus industry was ill-prepared for the Second World War. Among the immediate consequences were the loss of significant numbers of staff to the armed forces, a drastic reduction in the amount of fuel available and the introduction of the blackout. As the war progressed, it became increasingly difficult to meet the demand for new services to Royal Ordnance Factories and other government establishments despite the prior planning which had been done.
Meanwhile, resources were in short supply, the armed forces had requisitioned many of the best vehicles while new ones were almost non-existent, the industry had to rely on female labour, causing problems of recruitment and retention, and government exercised undue control over many operational aspects.

In this book, John Howie uses government archives and the trade press as well as contemporary photographs and advertising material, to look at how these problems affected the bus industry and how they were overcome, from cutbacks in service and the introduction of vehicles fueled by producer gas to articulated buses.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	John Howie
Présentation :	160 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 cm, broché
Illustration :	200 illustrations (dont quelques en couleurs)
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Amberley Publishing (GB, 2013)
ISBN :	9781445617084

Top-Deck Travel - A History of Britain's Open-top Buses

This illustrated history charts the development of the open-top bus, from the early 1900s when buses were built with no roofs to the bustling sightseeing operations so popular around the world today. Following the trends around the UK, from London and the south coast to the north and Scotland, enthusiast and author Philip Miles has collated many unusual photographs showing these buses at work. Detailing the bus and the operator concerned in each photograph, this affectionately compiled collection of classic buses recalls many operators now relegated to the realms of memory.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Philip C. Miles
Présentation :	128 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 1 cm, broché
Illustration :	abondamment illustré de photos en N&B et en couleurs
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	The History Press Ltd (GB, 2009)
ISBN :	9780752451374

Yesterday's Buses : The Fascinating Quantock Collection

AEC, Bristol, Crossley, Daimler, Dennis, Leyland and others were all manufacturers of passenger vehicle chassis which could be seen throughout the country in the years following the end of World War Two. They produced a wide range of double deck and single deck buses and coaches, bodied by a considerable number of body builders.
With the exception of Dennis, all those chassis makers have now disappeared, along with nearly all the body builders. In addition, most operators of this variety of vehicles are no longer in existence, being primarily absorbed into larger operations.

This book can only give a small indication of the major role Steve and his Quantock Heritage fleet have played in preserving not only part of the engineering history of this country, but its effect also on social history. In practical terms he has displayed this by enabling the general public to see, enjoy, and also use vehicles of a bygone era.

Both authors have been involved with Steve and his Heritage Fleet for many years, helping with restoration, driving the finished products, locating potential restoration projects and researching their history. Over the years they have seen well over 130 vehicles join the Heritage fleet.

Caractéristiques

Auteur :	Cliff Marsh , Peter Snowden
Présentation :	120 pages, 21.5 x 28 cm, relié
Illustration :	200 photos
Langue :	anglais
Editeur :	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2019)
ISBN :	9781526701152