London Transport 1970-1984

Although the late R. C. (Dick) Riley was best-known as one of the country's foremost railway photographers, whose collection of colour material was probably unrivalled in terms of the years covered, less well-known was his interest in road transport. Although a small number of images were taken in colour of buses from the early 1950s, including one of the few known images of the original Routemaster when brand new, it was from the late 1960s onwards, when his career in banking saw him based in London and when his interest in railways declined (like so many he saw the end of steam as a seminal point in Britain's railway history), he was to be seen regularly recording the changing bus scene in and around Greater London. Ironically, the last book that he compiled solely drawing upon his own collection was London Transport Buses: A Colour Portfolio that was published in 2001. The original book merely scratched the surface of the numerous images that Dick Riley took of London buses during this 15-year period. In this volume Matt Wharmby, whose earlier books on the London Titan and London Metrobus are regarded as the definitive accounts of the history of these two types, has thoroughly researched the collection to put together this new all-colour album featuring London Transport buses at the close of its glory days, from 1970 to 1984, when the capital was changed forever by tendering.The book includes introductory text allied to colour illustrations with detailed captions.