Sun. 7 Dec. 1975 - YRB 483 was all but retired by this time but had to do a further year's slog after the fire at the depot. She was a lovely old bus but sadly I watched her being broken up at Booths. Rotherham in 1977 - she deserved better!

Sun. 7 Dec. 1975. L-R : YRB 483, the 1955 Willowbrook / Daimler CVG6, ORA 818/819M, the very last vehicles bought by the old firm, a pair of Duple Dominant Express / Bedford YRT's, the Derby bought bus grant Plaxton Elite Express / Leopard HTO 91N and NRA 49J again. Within weeks, this picture could not be taken again after the garage holocaust wiped out all but YRB, which was in store at Derby and got reinstated after the fire

Sun. 7 Dec. 1975. The short-lived Derby identity at Willington. L-R : NRA 49J lowheight Alexander/Fleetline, Derby bought Plaxton / Leopard HTO 90N in traditional Argyle Blue, retained for the coaches, JRB 481D , the last of four similar buses bought by Tailby & George Ltd. and EXE 276J, the Willowbrook D/P Bedford YRQ, which actually looked quite well in this version of Derby's Larkspur Blue & Morningmist

ORA 819M sports both traditional Blue Bus and Derby emblems as she sits in the yard at Willington on Wed. 1 Oct. 1975, three months before destruction

Fri. 28 Dec. 1973 and NCME/Daimler Fleetline, ARA 762 B on the Blue Bus stand in Derby Bus Station. The company's independent existence came to a close that month. No apologies for the poor photo - it's a bit of history and I took it on my 1937 Ensign Selfix 320 bellows camera!

Old friends meet up! GNU 750 arrives alongside ORB 277 at Derby in 1981

New in May 1939, GNU 750 is a Daimler COG5/40 with Willowbrook coach body, seen after some years in preservation at an anniversary parade in Derby in 1981

GNU 750 is one of only two Daimler COG5/40's to survive, seen in 1981 at Derby's Silk Mill Museum

Also visiting Derby in 1981 was ORB 277, the 1950 Daimler CVD6 with classic Duple A-type coachwork. This was the last half-cab singledecker in the fleet, being sold to David Stanier for preservation in 1970 and subsequently donated to Wythall Museum, from which it was visiting

I know this vehicle belongs to the Derby era but XRR 50S was specially repainted in traditional Argyle Blue and cream livery and posing proudly against the old company colours is former Blue Bus driver Lionel Parkes, my main reason for including the picture!

ORB 277 or "12" as she was known, being the twelth daimler bought by the company, seen at Derby's Silk Mill in 1981

ORB 277 is a lovely coach, with a very tuneful Daimler preselect transmssion sound and that wonderful CD6 Daimler engine of 8.6 litres

ORB 277 looks very imposing in its Argyle Blue and cream colours

This rear view of GNU 750 clearly shows the splendid Tailby & George Ltd. company garter

GNU 750 shows off its prewar styling, emphasised by the large area of Argyle Blue

I know this is not the best of shots but it is rare. It captures TNU 687F, the Daimler Roadliner SRC6 with Cummins V6-200 engine and Plaxton Panorama I coachwork, waiting at traffic lights in St. Peter's St. Derby in November 1975, about five weeks before she was destroyed in the garage fire. By this time, she had been repainted with revised livery with Derby Blue Bus Services fleetnames. I so regret that this exciting coach was lost forever - I'd love to have ridden in it or even owned it!

Wed. 1 Oct. 1975 sees Bedford YRT / Duple Dominant Express ORA 818M, still devoid of Derby insignia but with the magnificent BBS motif on the sides, in Willington depot yard before doing a private hire. She and sister ORA 819M were the last vehicxles bought by Tailby & George Ltd.. The NCME / Fleetline lurking in the depot was ARA 762B. Sadly everything in this picture would be wiped out by the terrible fire on 5 Jan. 1976, just over 3 months later

465 FRB, the prototype Dennis Loline of 1957, is seen still sporting Blue Bus Services Argyle Blue and Cream, under a year after the Dec. 1973 takeover by the then Derby Corporation. The location is the erstwhile Reginald Street baths opposite Derby Arboretum, in April 1974. The Loline was allocated Derby fleet No. 32 and did get repainted into Derby's questionable Larkspur Blue and Morningmist before it was scrapped in 1977 at Booths of Rotherham

An uncommon rear view of the Dennis Loline, 465 FRB, at Reginald St. Derby, on Thurs. 4 April 1974. She really looked massive and solid, especially from behind. Note the Tailby & George Ltd. company "garter" emblem on the back platform

This is a little replica which I made of the Blue Bus Services "winged shield" motif that was carried on the vehicles, usually on the front dash and on the sides of coaches. For many years I had it attached to my photographic gadget bag!

465 FRB is seen outside Reginald Street swimming baths on Thurs. 4 April 1974. At the time, I was working in The Arboretum greenhouses and nipped out through the side gate to take this shot on my old Ensign Selfix 1937 folding camera, not long before I bought my first SLR, a Zenit B

Sat. 17 Nov. 1973 and 702 PRA on the Saturday "half hour" Burton via Repton service, still in Tailby & George Ltd. days (just!). This Daimler CVG6 has the later style of "Manchester" front grille rather than the "Birmingham Bonnet" of YRB 483. 702 was also bodied by Willowbrook as with YRB and was the last of this lowbridge style. In fact, Willowbrook borrowed YRB 483 as a pattern for her bodywork! She got repainted into Derby colours before the fire and looked quite dreadful, complete with the ridiculously huge block Derby fleetname! She is seen on Derby Bus station. I took this shot from the top deck of a Trent X42 Nottingham Express!

The Blue Bus Dennis Loline Mk. I, 465 FRB stands outside Reginald St. baths in Derby, on Thurs. 4 April 1974. Behind her is a Derby Borough Transport Daimler CVG6 / Roe, in the colours that were later to be applied to the Dennis