1. We begin our Route 66 journey on the forecourt of Chesterfield Station with a Plaxton Centro bodied VDL SB120 operated by TM Travel as it prepared to depart on the 2.30pm departure for Buxton.

2. Chesterfield Transport was still in the hands of 350 employees in 1994 when fleet number 207 took on passengers in New Beetwell Street, Chesterfield. This Alexander bodied Leyland Leopard was one of forty originally delivered to the Scottish Western SMT fleet in 1977. Several of these buses found their way south across the Border and into a variety of English fleets.

3. During this period of the 1990s, the Chesterfield fleet was quite a diverse one with buses a several shapes and sizes. Included was this later Leyland Leopard which became number 305 in the fleet. Seen here within the boundaries of the old Beetwell Street bus station this was one of nineteen such vehicles supplied with Marshall dual-purpose seated bodywork to the Midland Red company in 1974.

4. Alongside the Leopard for many years was the Leyland National. Built at the company’s facility in the North West from the early 1970s this became the single-deck mainstay of a large number of operators, especially those within the National Bus Company (NBC). However, there were many that found their way into a variety of other companies, such as this one which began a working career with London Buses in 1977. What was once LS179 eventually became Chesterfield’s 309, well actually it was Whites of Calver in 1994, the bus seen here negotiating the bottom end of the bus station prior to a run out to Buxton. Strangely the vehicle retained the dual door configuration.

5. We fast forward to November 2007 and a midday departure from the New Beetwell Street bus stop was this Optare Tempo demonstrator. Loaned to TM Travel the bus passed by the relatively new bus stop area adjacent to the shopping centre that was still boarded up after the devastating fire in the Somerfield store above. None of the type was acquired.

6. By May the following year work had progressed well with the roof replaced and internal fittings restored. However, a large quantity of scaffolding encased the building as one of the many Leyland Tigers in the TM Travel fleet took up a 2.30pm departure in 2008. The then owner of the company Tim Watts was well known for his likeness for the type and had over the years gathered together an interesting variety of the type. Many were unique being single combinations of chassis and body in the fleet, such as this one with a Plaxton Derwent version. The bus was one of two supplied to Whitelaw of Stonehouse (Scotland) in 1988.

7. As already indicated there are several routes that provide useful links some of which parallel the 66 along the way. The 170 service from Chesterfield to Bakewell operates over the main road between Wadshelf and Baslow alongside the 66. Seen here at the former location as it attempted to join the main road at a difficult junction was a vehicle disguised by its Q-plated registration. Such plating is sometimes provided to vehicles of an indeterminate age or those that have had a major adjustment made. In this case the Willowbrook Warrior bodywork disguised what had once been a coach bodied Leyland Leopard, here operated by Hulleys of Baslow in March 1997 as their fleet number 14.

8. Hulleys home based village of Baslow played host to another vehicle operated once by Whites of Calver. 306 in the then fleet was previously 109 in the fleet of the Trent Motor Traction Company along with eight others of the type. Six similar Leyland Leopards with Alexander bodywork were supplied to the sister NBC subsidiary fleet of the East Midland Motor Services.

9. The sole double-decker in the Hulleys fleet in August 1994 was this former South Wales Bristol VR. Here it negotiated the narrow and humped bridge over the River Derwent as it passed through Baslow on a Bakewell to Chesterfield journey over route 170.

10. Oh dear and Chesterfield’s Leopard 305 appears to have lost its roar near to the historic ‘plague’ village of Eyam. But help is at hand in the shape of number A9 in the fleet, a towing and recovery vehicle. Whilst the body is recognisable as a Plaxton type, the mechanics beneath remain a mystery, unless anyone knows better of course.

11. Route 65 is run in conjunction with the 66 and provides a joint service between Buxton and Baslow. Here it parts and continues onwards via Owler Bar to Sheffield. In that city TM Travel operates a contract to provide free services to and from the Tesco superstore in the Abbeydale area. Two Plaxton Centro bodied VDL SB120s carry Tesco livery for the services, but this one (YJ07 JVC) appears to have escaped out into the country as it passed through the village of Foolow in March 2009.

12. The same spot but a few minutes later and a school bus on contracted route 100 passed by on the afternoon homeward journey. With pupils from the Lady Manners School at Bakewell the bus is one of several East Lancs bodied double-deck Leyland Lions that were built and supplied to Nottingham City Transport.

13. A couple of months later and the route 65 threw up another surprise in the shape of this Sheffield City Council liveried vehicle. Yet another Plaxton Centro operated by TM Travel, this was one of another two in a non-standard company livery but the mechanics beneath were an MAN 12.240. The livery on display this time was for the Sheffield city contracted and funded ‘Freebie”-marketed circular central area free bus service. The bus had just departed from the village of Great Hucklow when on way to Sheffield. A ewe and her new born offspring appeared to be interested in the sight just as much as was the photographer.

14. On the other side of the village of Great Hucklow and Hulleys route 68 was a very restricted Monday to Friday service with journeys morning and afternoon to serve the schoolchildren between the villages and Castleton. Number 7 in the fleet, a DAFbus SB120 (pre VDL) sported Wrights of Ballymena bodywork as it turned north towards Bamford, the next main place of habitation on the route. On many days during the year the skies over Hucklow are usually full of hang gliders and gliders from the landing strip on the escarpment above.

15. During October 1998 the long time Derbyshire County Council contract on route X67 (Chesterfield-Manchester), ceased to be operated by Hulleys of Baslow. On the last Sunday of service the one morning return journey from Chesterfield was specially run with the company’s sole double-decker of the time. This was historically the last Daimler Fleetline built registered as SCH 117X and acquired from the South Notts company based at Gotham south of Nottingham, hence the name. Numbered 20 in the fleet as was the previous Bristol VR, the bus is seen here on the return journey to Chesterfield as it passed through Tideswell.

16. The following day the X67 route was placed into the hands of Ringwood Coaches based at Staveley near Chesterfield. A sole Mercedes-Benz minibus with Mellor bodywork was acquired for the one-bus service, which has since become a casualty of government cutbacks. A good proportion of the route through Derbyshire operated parallel to route 66 but deviated away through villages such as Foolow and Litton. Here the bus had just passed through Litton before turning up into Tideswell. Bold route numbers and route branding were applied to the bodywork so as no-one could be in any doubt as that it “did what it said on the packet”.

17. Back to Route 66 and in June 1999 the service was run by the East Midland subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group. Inherited were a number of Leyland Nationals from the previous NBC ownership along with several from the Chesterfield Transport takeover. Number 24 here departed Tideswell for Buxton as it passed by the name signage along with accolades for the village’s ‘blooming’ abilities.

18. One does wonder how much longer some of the objects in this picture will last. What with the various cutbacks to bus services and the decrease in postal demands, along with vandalism to and thefts from telephone kiosks, will any of these still be around in places such as Litton here in the years ahead? A TM Travel Optare Solo passed through the village in March 2010 on way to Buxton. Will the bench seat be the last object left?

19. An Alexander (Belfast) bodied Volvo Olympian sped down through Millers Dale on a beautiful spring morning in May 2009 when on way to Buxton. A whole host of these buses came onto the market when they became redundant over the other side of the Irish Sea and several were snapped up by TM Travel. Reregistered with Essex plates due to their acquisition through the Ensignbus dealership, they replaced older Leyland versions of the Olympian, particularly a number with London origin. Traditional straight-lined fleet livery was applied to the first of these buses.

20. The traditional livery was replaced on later deliveries as illustrated here. By March 2010 the buses had all been allocated four figure fleet numbers such as 1129 here in the wide open spaces of the Peak District. Not only fleet numbers though, as the livery had received a makeover with a revision to the colours and curvature to their application. On the occasion 1129 was photographed it was some way off the usual course of the route, as owing to a major landslip on the A6 road east of Buxton, buses were sent on a lengthy diversion via Brierlow Bar.

21. Another Optare demonstrator to grace the original TM Travel fleet was this Versa version, a sort of long Solo. But unlike the Tempo earlier, the company liked this vehicle and purchased this and another one new. Still in the demonstrator livery the bus is seen as it arrived in Buxton in May 2009 having travelled as a 65 from Sheffield. It was later repainted into fleet livery.

22. Double-deckers have been allocated to route 66 in conjunction with other duties associated with college and school duties. Here an Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian operated by Stagecoach East Midland arrived in the Market Place at Buxton back in February 2000 ready for an afternoon journey back to Chesterfield.

23. And finally, exactly eleven years later and yet another double-decker at the Buxton end of the route 66. Previously operated north of the Border like the earlier Leopard, but this time by Lothian Buses in Edinburgh, this TM Travel Volvo Olympian with Alexander bodywork, number 1115 in February 2011 prepared to turn around onto the stop on the other side of Market Place before it headed back to Chesterfield.