Written by the owner of a preserved Mr Softee vehicle, this book recaptures the story of a favourite brand.

The Last Decade of British Trolleybuses in Colour covers the general demise of the British trolleybus from 1961 to 1972 when the last Bradford trolleybus entered the Thornbury Works for the final time on 26 March 1972. Gripped by a fascination of trolleybuses, John Bishop and Malcolm Keeping decided to capture the vehicles on both cine-film and colour transparencies. Having seen the demise of their 'home town trolleybuses', both authors travelled the country photographing the remaining trolleybus systems, including the capital cities of Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and London. The photographs not only capture the vast array of colours of the vehicles, but the changing scene of the so called 'Swinging Sixties' when attitudes relaxed dramatically. Since these colourful days, the scene has changed even more so when the local government in the Seventies altered municipal operations becoming companies and many changed names or disappeared altogether. Therefore, this book records far more than just the demise of the trolleybuses, but changes in society as well.

Merseyside can claim, with some justification, to have provided the transport enthusiast with a greater variety of transport modes than anywhere else in Britain. By the 1950s, with many long-standing scenes about to disappear, photographers began faithfully to record what they saw in colour. It is these images, including road, rail, sea and other modes of transport, that illustrate this nostalgic pictorial portrait of key aspects of the richly varied scene. Taking the reader on a journey from Liverpool and its suburbs to Birkenhead and Wallasey, with one small detour to include views of the remarkable Runcorn Transporter Bridge, this book gives a full-colour view of the historic transport that was part of the Merseyside townscape from the 1950s to the 1970s.

This highly visual book explores the seldom-told story of how glamour, fashion, design, and styling became the main focus of automotive marketing from the post-war 1940s through the 1970s. With the expansion of the American suburbs after WWII, women suddenly needed cars of their own. By adopting the fashion industry's yearly model changes, as well as hiring many designers and stylists from the fashion industry, the automobile industry made a direct appeal to the rising sophistication and influence of women. By perfecting the fashion-centric concept of planned obsolescence, it became the dominant economic engine of American post-war prosperity. The dramatic photography, elegant fashion, and use of colour and materials in mid-century automotive marketing created a groundswell of demand for new cars. Much of the marketing imagery of the period has not been published since it first came out, and this book features some of the best.

In the early 1930s the tramcar in Blackpool was at a crossroads; the system needed investment in both new track and new trams whilst there was a serious threat that the 'town' routes - as elsewhere in Britain as operators faced the same challenges - might have been converted to bus operation. The appointment of Walter Luff as the new general manager was, however, to prove a turning point. Working closely with English Electric, based in nearby Preston, Luff developed a series of streamlined trams - both single-deck and double-deck - that were to revolutionise the town's tramway. By the end of 1930s, the corporation had acquired more than 100 new trams - the majority built by English Electric but with 20 coming from Brush - that ensured the survival not only of the key route along the Promenade to Fleetwood but also of the bulk of the 'town' routes. Over the next 70 years these trams were to form the cornerstone of the Blackpool system. Almost from the start, when a number were modified to cater for the changed requirements during the Second World War, many of the trams were rebuilt - into the power cars that worked with the trailers, for example, or the one-man operated cars of the early 1970s - that extended their lives and saw them outlast more modern designs. It was only with the modernisation of the Blackpool system in the first decade of the 20th century that, finally, they became largely obsolete but still, as part of the heritage fleet, they remain very much part of the contemporary Blackpool scene. This book examines the history of Blackpool's streamlined trams of the 1930s from development through to preservation.

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.

1959 was the year Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba, Cypress gained independence from Britain and trunk telephone calls were made available in Britain. These and many more fascinating facts are interspersed with photographs of Midland Red buses and coaches from the Midlands and further afield combine to provide evocative and nostalgic memories of the year in review. This is not just for enthusiasts - memories are made of these pictures, the street scenes, fashions, old cars, trucks, buildings, advertising, etc. will evoke memories of days past.

This book covers the operations of Jersey Motor Transport from the late 1980s, as well as looking at how the island's bus scene has developed over the last three decades, including the Easylink and Connex era. Jersey was a popular tourist destination during this period, and the coach business was booming. Operators Holiday Tours Mascot and Tantivy merged in the 1990s to become Tantivy Holiday Tours, operating over a hundred coaches and minicoaches. Blue Coaches later joined the Tantivy group, and the purchase of Pioneer Coaches followed. This leaves just two main coach operators on the island. Previously unpublished photographs document this unique bus scene.

It seems impossible to think that a company who imported their first passenger vehicle into Britain in 1972 would, less than twenty years later, take over what was once Britain's largest passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturer. It is a testament to the quality of Volvo's products that they are one of the most popular chassis on the road today. Covering Volvo from their entry into the UK market, this book gives an overview of all the models to enter the UK market. With a brief description of each chassis type and 180 photographs, all in colour and with informative captions, it showcases Volvo's products in their operating heyday.

Probably the single most numerous of tramcar constructed for operation on Britain's first generation electric tramways, the London County Council's 'E/1' class had an operational history that stretched for almost 50 years. The first were produced towards the end of the first decade of the 20th century and the last were withdrawn with the conclusion of 'Operation Tramaway' - the final conversion of the once great London tramway system - in July 1952. Over the years, more than 1,000 were built for operation by the LCC with similar cars being constructed for a number of the council operated systems in the capital prior to the creation of the LPTB in July 1933\. The last batch - effectively rebuilds of single-deck cars that had once operated through the Kingsway Subway prior to its modernisation - not completed until the early 1930s. During the 1920s the LCC cars had undergone a Pullmanisation programme and, during the following decade, a number underwent the LPTB's Rehabilitation scheme. Moreover, with the removal of the restriction on the use of enclosed lower-deck vestibules, many others were converted to fully-enclosed during that decade. Although withdrawals commenced in the 1930s, as the tram system north of the river was converted to trolleybus operation, and others were lost as a result of enemy action during the war, a sizeable number survived to the system's final days. This book examines the history of this important class from development through to preservation.

The Recollections seriesThe 66th volume in this growing series taking a nostalgic look at Britain's transport heritage...The aim of this series is to appeal to readers of all ages, perhaps fordifferent reasons...In this volume, the first of an occasional 64-page version in the series, we travel back to Scotland in the years 1963 and 1964 to take a nostalgic look at the street scenes in locations throughout the country. The majority of images in this volume are in black & white, this having been the more affordable and readily available film back in those predigital days; however, a real treat within are the wonderful colour images taken in Glasgow featuring the trolleybuses of the period - now long since gone. For the younger reader there are wonderful pictures of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, cars and other forms of road transport that they will never have seen. The Recollections series sets out to place road transport and other subjects in the context of key events, thus providing an historical perspective of Britain in times past.For those old enough to remember 1963/64, this book will, we hope, provide reminders for many of schooldays, time spent on holiday or on a day trip, perhaps even time spent on these very streets and riding on the vehicles featured! Of course the books in the series also make ideal theme gifts for the year of birth, marriage, retirement, starting work and other such events in life

Dissatisfied with the reliability of its AEC Merlin and Swift single-deck buses, London Transport in 1973 purchased six Leyland Nationals for evaluation. Liking what it saw of this ultimate standard product, where even the paint swatch was of Leyland s choice, LT took up an option to buy fifty more from a cancelled export order and then bought further batches of 110, 30 and 140 to bring the LS class to 437 members by the middle of 1980\. A year later the last MBAs and SMSs were replaced on Red Arrow services by sixty-nine new Leyland National 2s. Straightforward but reliable, the LS satisfied London Transport s single-deck needs for a decade and a half, often standing in for double-deckers when needed, and then going on to help hold the fort during the tough years of early tendering, during which some innovative LS operations introduced several new liveries and identities. The type served the ten years expected out of it with few worries, only starting to disappear when minibuses came on strength at the end of the 1980s. Although the LS was formally retired by 1992, refurbishment programmes gave survivors an extended lease of life, bringing us the National Greenway, the ultimate development of the Leyland National. Most of the Red Arrow National 2s thus became GLSs, and lasted until 2002. Matthew Wharmby is an author, photographer and editor specialising in London bus history. His published books include London Transport s Last Buses: Leyland Olympians L 1-263, Routemaster Requiem and Routemaster Retrospective (with Geoff Rixon), London Transport 1970-1984 (with R. C. Riley), The London Titan and The London Metrobus. He has also written many articles for Buses, Bus & Coach Preservation, Classic Bus and London Bus Magazine.

Dublin Bus was formed back in February 1987 when services were split out of Coras Iompair Eireann (CIE) and has, in time, become a modern and forward-thinking bus operator. During July 2018, plans were revealed for a complete overhaul of Dublin's bus services. The changes planned by the National Transport Authority have led to a renumbering of key routes and changes and improvements to frequencies. As a result Dublin Bus has lost some of its depots and routes to the Go-Ahead group, who have their own livery and created some new routes. In a tour of this fascinating and colourful city, Richard Walter illustrates the transformation of Dublin bus services in the twenty-first century, with photographs taken before and after the changes showing the variety of buses used. Also included are some of the interesting open- and closed-top vehicles that have provided tours ranging from sightseeing to afternoon teas and ghostly goings on.

The first forty-five years of the twentieth century saw the most formative period in the history of commercial vehicles: in 1900 the mechanically powered lorry was a novelty, yet by 1945 the ancestors of today's 38-ton juggernauts were clearly identifiable. In sharp contrast to the current picture, over forty lorry manufacturers were active in Britain during the period, most of whom have now sadly ceased production. In this book S. W. Stevens-Stratten has provided a concise textual history of forty-two manufacturers and their products ranging from the more prominent firms such as Albion and Foden to less well-known concerns such as Bean and Caledon. The book is profusely illustrated with more than 200 superb black and white photographs and provides a feast of nostalgia for the more general reader, as well as a comprehensive reference for the enthusiast.

Als groesster Wirtschaftszweig der deutschen Industrie versucht gerade die Automobilindustrie in den letzten Jahren verstarkt der Volatilitat der Markte mit der Einfuhrung von schlanken Produktionssystemen zu begegnen. Die Konzentration auf Wertschoepfung verbunden mit der konsequenten Vermeidung von Verschwendung wird dabei vor allem in produzierenden Bereichen seit langerer Zeit mit hoechster Konsequenz verfolgt. Dies fuhrt zu erhoehten Anforderungen an die Logistik, die auch unter den neuen Rahmenbedingungen sowohl effektiv als auch effizient arbeiten muss. Das methodische Vorgehen, aber auch die praktische Anwendung schlanker Logistiksysteme sind heute jedoch noch weit weniger entwickelt als im Bereich Lean Production, auch wenn eine leistungsstarke und flexible Logistik sich in den letzten Jahren als entscheidender Wettbewerbsvorteil weltweit agierender Wertschoepfungsnetzwerke abzeichnet. Im Forschungsprojekt LEAN:log wurde am Lehrstuhl fur Foerdertechnik Materialfluss Logistik der TU Munchen gemeinsam mit Projektpartnern ausgewahlter Unternehmen eine strukturierte und praxistaugliche Herangehensweise zur Umsetzung schlanker Logistikprozesse entwickelt. Das so entstandene Phasenmodell unterstutzt Unternehmen von der ersten Idee bis zum unternehmensweiten kontinuierlichen Verbesserungsprozess, indem es detailliert aufschlusselt, wann im Rahmen einer Transformation zu Lean Logistics welche Veranderungsschritte durchgefuhrt werden sollten, wie konkret vorgegangen werden muss, welche Methoden und Werkzeuge zur Hilfe genommen werden koennen und welche Menschen im Unternehmen wann einzubinden sind. Ziel dieses Buches ist es, den Unternehmen, die sich auf den Weg machen moechten, ihre Logistik "lean" zu gestalten, ein erprobtes Vorgehen an die Hand zu geben, an dem sie sich orientieren koennen. So koennen die richtigen Veranderungen zum richtigen Zeitpunkt sowie in einer strukturierten und standardisierten Weise angestossen werden, um Lean Logistics geradliniger, schneller und nachhaltiger im Unternehmen zu verankern. In diesem Buch berichten 21 Autoren von den spezifischen Herausforderungen und Hurden in allen Phasen einer Lean-Einfuhrung und beleuchten dabei die Schwerpunkte Prozesse, Technik und Mensch.

A completely updated and expanded edition of the cult bestseller, featuring subway, light rail, and streetcar maps from New York to Nizhny Novgorod. Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historical and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. In glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the cartographic history of mass transit-including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication. Now expanded with thirty-six more pages, 250 city maps revised from previous editions, and listings given from almost a thousand systems in total, this is the graphic designer's new bible, the transport enthusiast's dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who's ever traveled in a city.