Colours of Buses and Trams - A Comprehensive Series

Since 1975, Capital Transport has been a highly regarded publisher of quality books on railways and road transport, beginning with what is believed to be their first publication: 'Trolleybus' by Ken Blacker. Among their significant contributions to bus histories, they covered a vast range of bus company fleet lists between 1975 and the mid-1990s, regularly publishing Bus Handbooks that listed the full fleets of operators throughout the United Kingdom in paperback format, using high-quality gloss paper. 

These publications have since been taken over by British Bus Publishing, which continued producing them regularly until early 2026, including annual releases for larger groups. In later years, all photographic illustrations were presented in vibrant color.

One of the standout series from Capital Transport books is their impressive nine-volume 'Colours of' series, compiled by various authors between 2009 and 2017. This series presents an extensive collection of full-color images predominantly captured by enthusiasts during the late 1950s and 1960s. The sheer number and quality of these images are commendable, especially considering the limitations in camera and color film availability at the time.

For me, this series provides added interest through the diverse environments that depict the vehicles—including the fashions of the day, showcased by pedestrians around the image, and the architecture and street furniture of the era, alongside privately owned motorbikes and cars that often surround the main subject of the picture: the bus, coach, or tram.

If you have a passion for vintage buses, coaches, or trams, I highly recommend adding this captivating series to your transport library. 

The following lists the operators featured in each volume, with titles presented in alphabetical order:

GREATER MANCHESTER (2009)

Manchester

Mayne

Salford

Stockport

North Western

Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley & Dukinfield

Ashton-under-Lyme

Oldham

Rochdale

Bury

Ramsbottom

Bolton

Lancashire United

South Lancashire Transport

Leigh

Wigan

SCOTTISH CITIES (2016)

Glasgow

Edinburgh

Aberdeen

Dundee

The Companies

The Independents

SOUTH YORKSHIRE (2017)

Municipals:

Sheffield

Doncaster

Rotherham

The Companies:

Yorkshire Traction

Mexborough & Swinton

The Independents:

Barnsley

Doncaster

Sheffield and Rotherham

The Incomers:

Trent

Chesterfield

North Western

East Midland

Lincolnshire

West Rising

THE MERSEYSIDE AREA (2013)

Liverpool

Birkenhead

Wallasey

St Helens

Southport

Chester

Warrington

Widnes

Crosville

Ribble

THE SOUTH DOWNS (2010)

Southdown

Portsmouth Corporation

Brighton Hove & District

Brighton Corporation

Eastbourne Corporation

THE WEST MIDLANDS (2009)

Midland Red

Birmingham City Transport

West Bromwich Corporation

Walsall Corporation

Wolverhampton Corporation

Harper Brothers

Stratford Blue

Don Everall

WEST YORKSHIRE (2013)

Bradford

County Motors

Halifax

Hanson

Hebble

Huddersfield

Ledgard

Leeds

Todmorden

West Riding (including Bullock & Sons)

West Yorkshire

Yorkshire Woollen

The Independents

YESTERDAY'S TRAMS (2012)

Manchester

Dublin

Blackburn

Giant's Causeway

Leicester

Rotherham

Southampton

Cardiff

Newcastle

Bradford

Gateshead

Stockport

London

Birmingham

Belfast

Sunderland

Llandudno & Colwyn Bay

Dundee

Edinburgh

Liverpool

Fintona

Aberdeen

Hill & Howth

Leeds

Swansea & Mumbles

Sheffield

Grimsby & Immingham

Glasgow

Blackpool

YESTERDAY'S TROLLEYBUSES (2014)

Bournemouth

Portsmouth

Brighton

Maidstone

Hastings

London

Reading

Cardiff

Llanelly

Pontypridd

Southend

Ipswich

Grimsby-Cleethorpes

Birmingham

Walsall

Wolverhampton

Nottingham

Notts & Derby

Derby

St Helens

South Lancashire Transport

Bolton

Manchester

Ashton-under-Lyme

Huddersfield

Bradford

Rotherham

Mexborough & Swinton

Doncaster

Kingston Upon Hull

Darlington

Tees-side

Hartlepool & West Hartlepool

Newcastle upon Tyne

South Shields

Glasgow

Belfast

The next section features a moving gallery of all the front covers from the nine volumes of the 'Colours of' series, complete with publishing details. For those looking to delve deeper into the contents of each book, many of these volumes are available for purchase second-hand online for around £15 on average. With unparalleled quality in boards, paper, images, and information, they are definitely worth the investment for any enthusiast or historian of bus and tram transport!