It's Been a Little Quiet of Late

Another month has gone by and no blog updates - I'm falling into bad habits again!

Actually, I have a few excuses. The prepared artwork for the Standard & Triumph Pictorial History book came back for checking and a final edit. It's the first book I've done for Veloce and have to say I'm pleased with the results. You can pre-order from Amazon, or if you'd like a signed copy, you can purchase directly from me.

I've also been seriously hard at work on the next book - the master work on the bus and coaches built by Guy Motors. This has turned into something of an "Opus Magna". I've been chasing down a large number of images, sorting out which I want to use, writing captions and seeking copyright clearance where they aren't my own images, or those of friends that I've been given to use. In a previous "life", I'm sure I could recite sections of the Bail Act in my sleep and now I'm beginning to thing that the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act is bedtime reading. But nearly there, so this one should be ready to go off to the publisher in early summer ahead of schedule.

As part of this last little mission, I took a trip to the wilds of the West Midlands a week or so ago. First stop, the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum, now in Aldridge in Staffordshire where they have a selection of Guy vehicles and a comprehensive archive. Really helpful people too, I have to say. This was followed b a trip to the City Archive in Wolverhampton who hold a huge photo and drawing archive of material from the Guy factory. It's surprising how exciting it can be looking at a 1926 blueprint for a Guy BTX trolleybus chassis!

One of the Guy buses in the museum at Aldridge

Again exceptionally helpful people for whom nothing was too much trouble. I've found three council archives to be exceptionally helpful - Newcastle City, Leicestershire and Wolverhampton. 

I've also found one, quite local to home who has been less than helpful... Not quite obstructive, but a little like the Neil Innes song "Jobsworth": 

Jobsworth, Jobsworth. More than me Jobs Worth

Rain or Snow, don't want to know

Whatever you want, the answer's no!!

But back on the transport and photography theme. Having been a "good boy", I was permitted a day out on the Swanage Railway as part of a photography charter group. I've put the pictures on Facebook, but here's a few of them repeated here for those who don't "do" Facebook:

If you have enjoyed looking at these pictures and others in this blog, they are available in higher quality and resolution at my gallery http://kevinwarrington.zenfolio.com/ where you can purchase prints, artwork and gift items.