Subject: Rhondda 246 (HTG 714)
Chassis: AEC Regent III 9612E
Body: Weymann H30/26R
Location: Cardiff, Greyfriars Road
Date: early 1950s

246 is here at the terminus of the Merthyr service before it was extended to the bus station on 1-Jan-1955. There is just a handful of passengers on board but the service wasn't always well-patronised, one of the reasons for Rhondda dropping out of operating it in 1971. This makes the presence of a second bus rather puzzling - Rhondda only put one bus on the service so it could only be a duplicate. Maybe the crowds are yet to arrive....

This is one of Roy's earlier photographs and was taken on non-panchromatic (orthochromatic) film which is film not sensitive to red light. Because it's not sensitive to red light the red bus appears black. Orthochromatic film tended to be cheaper and was also easier to process as you could work with a red safelight. Many early photographs in this gallery are taken on orthochromatic film.

Photograph by courtesy of The Bus Archive/Roy Marshall