(Channel 4 documentary series, 1985)

Presented by Kerry Hamilton, a ten part look at the lack of transport integration in the UK.

Losing Track 1: Speed
A woman boards a London Transport AEC Routemaster with a child and buggy:

Wilts and Dorset 630 (CRU140L), a 1972 Bristol RELL6G with dual door Eastern Coachworks body, is seen picking up en route to Swanage:

Losing Track 2: Company and Nation
Oft-repeated footage of LGOC B-types in use as military transport in France in World War I:
A Leyland Tiger express coach passes the camera with passengers waving from the windows:


This appears to be a London Transport Country Area T-class AEC Regal:


Losing Track 3: Nationalisation
Various UK operators represented:
London Transport AEC STLs not well seen:

This footage of Bristol Tramways Bristol Ks has frequently been used elsewhere, including C3450 (LHY939), a K6B/Eastern Coachworks:

Another Bristol K, this appears to be Eastern Counties LKH59 (FNG821), a 1946 K5G/Eastern Coachworks:

A Scottish Motor Traction Bedford OB/Duple:

This time a West Yorkshire Bristol K, 787 (HWW376), a lowbridge K6B/Eastern Counties:

….and a lowbridge variant:

Lastly we return to Bristol, including a Bedford OWB:


Losing Track 4: Modernisation
Footage of Bristol buses:

Victoria bus station in London…..:

…..and more modern footage of RT family buses:


Losing Track 5: Beeching
Footage from a train looking down on a London Transport AEC Routemaster:

A Midland Red BMMO S6:

Stevenage bus station, including a passing London Country RT1062 (JXN90):

A passing Plaxton Supreme IV coach in heavy weather:


Losing Track 6: Tram Towns
Opens with horse buses:

…followed by horse trams:



Electric trams mingle with the horse trams:


Footage of 1901 Glasgow:

The fitting of a postbox to the front of Liverpool Corporation tram 130:

A decorated tram:

Birmingham in 1928:

Footage of trams on longer distance routes in all weathers:



The focus switches to West Yorkshire PTE buses using the roads where once trams ran down the centre, including Roe bodied Leyland Olympian 5058 (CUB58Y) and a Duple Dominant bus bodied Leyland Tiger passing in front of a Leyland Atlantean/Roe:



London trams are seen competing for road space with buses:


A Leeds trolleybus in 1912, and the advent in 1931 of London's 'Diddler' trolleybus:


A London Transport ST class AEC Regent:

These appear to be Leyland Lions:

This futuristically styled beast was Leeds City Transport 200, an AEC Regent seen at the Charles Roe factory where the body was built, in 1935:

More trams, charting their decline:




Modern trams abroad:


….and a view of a London tram being scrapped:


Losing Track 7: Cars and Concrete
A yellow Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks is followed by a West Yorkshire PTE Leyland Atlantean:

A Midland Red Leyland-National:

London Transport AEC Routemasters in traffic:

London Country RT4787 (OLD824) arrives in Stevenage, with a departing AEC RF behind:

A Bristol Lodekka:


Losing Track 8: Capital City
A recap of goings on in London, with horse buses and trams:

London General AEC K27 (LU8250, new in 1920) leads AEC Regent ST187 (GF7231, new in 1930), and a London Transport AEC Regent STL is seen in wartime livery as a tank passes:

In more recent footage, RTLs and an RT are seen in traffic:

A pair of London Transport private hire AEC RFs (from the initial batch RF1-25) in transit:

Two AEC Routemasters, the foremost of which is RM1823 (823DYE):

Several Parisian Renault TN6 open backed buses, and a Saviem:
There's footage of one of Obsolete Fleet's BMMO D9 open toppers being used by the Greater London Council in its battle with national government over its low fares policy, followed by more footage of London Routemasters:


Lastly we see an M class MCW Metrobus:


Losing Track 9: Limited Change
A Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard or Bristol RELH on National Travel work:

Two Duple Vega bodied Bedford SBs:

A general shot of buses at work in Manchester:

The action switches to the North East, and Northern General 3487 (DVK487W), a 1980 MCW Metrobus in Tyne and Wear yellow livery, plus Tyne and Wear 551 (MVK551R), a 1977 Leyland Atlantean/Alexander:

As the camera pans past Northern General 3310 (MPT310P, Leyland Atlantean/Eastern Coachworks), a Northern Leyland Olympian is revealed on the next stand:

A Scottish Citylink Leyland Tiger/Duple Dominant III passes Eldon Square in Newcastle, then we see another Tyne and Wear Atlantean/Alexander, this tim 526 (MVK526R):

Turning to Sheffield, we see a Leyland-National and Leyland Atlanteans of South Yorkshire PTE:

South Yorkshire PTE 883 (GWA883N), a 1975 Daimler Fleetline/Eastern Coachworks, passes a Dennis Dominator/Alexander:

Glimpse of SYPTE 1536 (SHE536S), a 1977 Leyland Fleetline/Alexander, also the rear of 27 (KWA27W), a 1981 Leyland-National and Fleetline/Alexander 1555 (SHE555S):

An interior shot of SYPTE 1895 (JHE195W), a 1981 MCW Metrobus:

SYPTE 371 (LWB371P, a Volvo Ailsa/Van Hool) follows 1315 (JWF955N, a Daimler Fleetline/Roe):

An unidentified Leyland-National, then SYPTE 35 (NTV730M), a former Nottingham National:

SYPTE 1054 (TPJ60S), a 1977 Bristol LHS/Eastern Coachworks new as London Country BN60:

SYPTE 1031 (MCN846L) was one of three Leyland Nationals converted to be wheelchair accessible (35, seen above, was one of the others, renumbered 1030). It was new to Tynemouth and District as 46L in 1973:

A general bus station view:

An overhead view of two Alexander bodied SYPTE Dennis Dominators, 2144 (NKU144X) and 2157 (NKU157X), also Daimler Fleetline/Park Royal 778 (WWJ778M):

A West Yorkshire PTE Leyland Atlantean:

Tyne and Wear 627 (SVK627G), a 1969 Leyland Atlantean/Alexander, is seen supporting a local demonstration:

London Transport AEC Routemaster RM2020 (ALM20B):


Losing Track 10: Whose Loss?
The final programme opens with footage of buses in York, and a tram:

A London Transport MCW Metrobus waits behind presenter Kerry Hamilton, while a Leyland-National negotiates a roundabout:

This appears to be Bedford YMT/Plaxton PNK159R of Drewery of Abridge, but a better quality copy of the footage would confirm this:

Two London Transport Routemasters, one is RM1290 (290CLT), the other is from the ALD_B batch:

A South Wales Transport Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks:

A Volvo/Plaxton of indeterminate provenance and age, appears to be 5891CD:

Distant West Yorkshire PTE Leyland Atlanteans:

Continental trams:

Two more Bristol VRTSL3/Eastern Coachworks, a United Counties example at Central Milton Keynes, and a Northern General bus:

A night view of one of the first two Alexander bodied Volvo Ailsa B55s acquired by London Transport, either V1 (A101SUU) or V2 (A102SUU):

A return to Sheffield, and South Yorkshire PTE 827 (GWA827N), a 1975 Daimler Fleetline/Eastern Coachworks, leading a MCW Metrobus and a Van Hool bodied Volvo Ailsa:

Another view of Wilts and Dorset 630 (CRU140L), a 1972 Bristol RELL6G as seen in programme 1:

….and finally a glimpse of a Greater Manchester PTE MCW Metrobus: