Bøker av Mike Rhodes

The Leyland Atlantean was in production from 1958 until 1986 and around 15,300 buses of the type were built over this period. Whilst over 3,500 were exported abroad, the remainder gave sterling service to over a hundred different operators in the UK.

The author has recorded the railway scene in the locality for over sixty-five years. His lavishly illustrated collection is a celebration of Preston's railway history.

This nostalgic collection of rare and previously unpublished images celebrates the fleet of this iconic much-loved company.

A lavishly illustrated celebration of half-cab buses in north-west England. A fascinating period in the region's transport history.

A terrific selection of images celebrating the rail scene around Manchester, featuring 180 rare and previously unpublished images.

With rare and previously unpublished photographs exploring the final years of Midlands half-cab buses.

A unique celebration of Lothian Buses and the city of Edinburgh, featuring previously unpublished images of buses sharing the scene with Edinburgh's spectacular buildings.

With previously unpublished photographs documenting merry-go-round coal trains on Britain's railways.

Wonderful photographs published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Preston buses in January 2022.

The Blackpool Electric Tramway Company commenced operation of a conduit system of railed vehicles along the Promenade between Cocker Street and Station Road on 29 September 1885. By the 1930s the rolling stock was becoming somewhat worn out and, following the appointment of Walter Luff as General Manager in November 1932, the fleet was revolutionised. Over the next few years Luff introduced a fleet of eighty-four streamlined cars and built a new depot at Rigby Road in which to house them. These formed the backbone of the fleet for several decades and a considerable number, although significantly altered, continued in service until the end of conventional tramway operation on 6 November 2011. Following a substantial injection of government funding in January 2008 the failing tramway was revitalised and like a phoenix from the ashes the whole system was modernised and reopened as a Light Rail Transit system in April 2012, with a fleet of new LRT articulated vehicles, which were housed in a new depot at Starr Gate. This book features a wide cross-section of trams that have operated at the seaside resort over the past forty years and follows the line from Starr Gate to Fleetwood, with many comparisons made between the old and new systems.

The AEC Regal IVs and Regent IIIs, or to give them their class prefix letters RFs and RTs, are among the most revered buses to have served London over the years. The RFs were maids of all work and were tailored for private hire work, Green Line coach work and ordinary stage bus work in both the central and country areas. The first of the type were introduced in October 1951 and a total of 700 vehicles were built for the London Transport Executive. They replaced virtually all the other types of single-deckers then operating in the metropolis. The RT was first introduced to service in 1939 and production ran to 151 vehicles before construction ceased in early 1942. Following the war the Park Royal factory recommenced building the type in 1947 with the last new chassis being rolled out in 1954, taking the bonnet number RT4825. Both types soldiered on throughout the 1970s as LTE encountered severe problems with their 'OPO' replacements before both finally bowed out within a week of each other in March/April 1979. This account charts the last years of operation of both types from the mid-1970s onward, focusing on South London.

The AEC Regal IVs and Regent IIIs, or to give them their class prefix letters RFs and RTs, are among the most revered buses to have served London over the years. The RFs were maids of all work and were tailored for private hire, Green Line coach work and ordinary stage bus work in both the central and country areas. The first of the type were introduced in October 1951 and a total of 700 vehicles were built for the London Transport Executive. They replaced virtually all the other types of single-deckers then operating in the metropolis. The RT was first introduced to service in 1939 and production ran to 151 vehicles before construction ceased in early 1942. Following the war, the Park Royal factory recommenced building the type in 1947, with the last new chassis being rolled out in 1954, taking the bonnet number RT4825. Both types soldiered on throughout the 1970s as LTE encountered severe problems with their 'OPO' replacements before both finally bowed out within a week of each other in March/April 1979. This account charts the last years of operation of both types from the mid-1970s onward, focusing on North London.

In 1959 there were twenty-seven Corporation Transport systems in the Red Rose County. These were significantly reduced in 1969 with the creation of the Passenger Transport Executives in Manchester and Liverpool and further reduced in 1974 following the reorganisation of local government, when boundaries were changed and new administrative boroughs created. All but two of the remaining systems were privatised during the 1990s, following the deregulation of bus services in 1986. Rossendale clung on to its own transport organisation until 2018 when it too was bought out by Transdev, leaving just Blackpool Transport as the only council-owned operator within the redrawn county boundary. This book picks up the story following local government reorganisation in 1974 and uses a comprehensive selection of photographs to depict the closing years of all of Lancashire's Corporation Transport systems.

Bus garages, or depots if that is your preferred nomenclature, come in all shapes and sizes and have their origins in the tram depots that were established by the various tramway companies of the pre-electrification era. Tram depots were originally built for horse-drawn and steam-hauled tramcars and, in the case of the former, often had stables attached. Hardly any two bus garages were the same as they varied in both size and type of construction. Some, such as London Transport's Stockwell garage (which is still in use) and Salford Corporation's Frederick Road tram/bus depot, could be considered architectural gems. The capacity of a garage could vary enormously; examples of this were Ribble Motor's outstation at Bowness-on-Solway with space to garage just one bus and Oldham Corporation's Wallshaw Street garage, which when built was designed to hold 300 buses under one roof. There are still a significant number of former tram depots functioning as bus garages, but they are on the decline. The deregulation of bus services in 1986 changed the course of the bus industry forever. As undertakings were privatised and sold off during the 1990s, the new operators moved out of their inherited garages and set up more low-cost establishments. These generally consisted of a moderately sized maintenance building and a large open-air parking area.

An illustrated look at the Routemaster which is an iconic London bus, recognised around the world, from the late 1970s to early 1980.

Previously unpublished images of British buses in Canada, Macau, India South Africa, Portugal and Hong Kong.

Showcasing rare and previously unpublished images documenting the years 1979 to 1993 in Preston's bus scene.