Birthday Best: Western National Lodekka

" These days I would be more than happy to ride on a VRT, Atlantean, or even dare I say it, a National over a Dart ” dbg Elsewhere... Numberzz: 44 Others... Fray Bentos on Flickr TGP Goes to the museum TGP Goes bus spotting Bristol MP demands answers! Omnibuses2.0 Laughable

©Fray Bentos Western National's no. 2107, a Gardner-engined Bristol FLF Lodekka, seen in Plymouth on Friday 25th January 1980. Half the interest of such photographs is now in the background detail. The rebuilt centre of Plymouth still retains something of an authentic post-war look. Over the road at Collier & Co. there appears to be a solidly-constructed 1950s shop front, and the Post Office has a pleasing "slab serif" sign. Hanging baskets are not yet suspended from brackets on the lampposts, nor are there any flower tubs or black-painted "Victorian" litter bins with letters picked out in gilt paint. I imagine the honest-to-goodness flagstones have since been lifted and the authentic railings on the right also replaced by some fraudulent black and gold horror   Continuing my ‘indulgence’ for my birthday is this great shot from Fray Bentos. By this time in 1980 I was living in Ford, off St Levans Road and was served by Plymouth City Transport Leyland Nationals on the 8/9 routes, but often chose to take a ten minute walk up to St Levans Gate to catch a Western National into town in the hope that I would get a Lodekka. It was either these or a fairly new Bristol VRT - much better than an Atlantean in my view. These days I would be more than happy to ride on a VRT, Atlantean, or even dare I say it, a National over a Dart! I missed the opportunity to ride on Atlantean yesterday but did get to see 201 DDR201C on the road whilst taking Zak to McDonalds for tea. Looked fantastic too!