Duple Elizabethan bodied AEC Reliance TYD 888, new in 1955 to Wake of Sparkford, enjoys a few minutes of sunshine outside the exhibition hall. The coach wears a version of Alexander's livery, a throwback to its appearance in a Scotrail advert a number of years ago.

Rear view of TYD 888 shows the elegant, uncluttered lines of the Elizabethan body design.

Just what you'd expect to find at a bus rally - fire engines!

PND 624R is a Leyland Clydesdale flatbed, and often appears at SVBM events. The Open Weekend Sunday's programme incorporates the Scotish Road Run, which is open to all vintage commercial vehicles.

GUS926, the Macbraynes Maudslay Marathon resident at Bridgeton, makes a return appearance.

Baby Bedford, UFJ 974R.

Another addition to the ranks of preserved Midland Scottish vehicles is Leyland Leopard / Alexander Y-Type WFS 145W. The vehicle started its life with Fife Scottish. Behind is MCW Metrobus / Alexander R-Type B105 PKS.

Baby Bristol MW / ECW, HDV 639E, preserved in Bluebird livery (which it never wore in service) was once an active member of the GT Coaches fleet, a less well known former trading name used by the Souter family.

Enjoying its new life in preservation, former Eastern Scottish ZVV187 (E187 HSF), a Volvo Citybus / Alexander RV, remained with that operator and its successors its entire working life.

Metrobus / Alexander MRM805 (B105 PKS) takes centre stage here. The wee man on the left spent his entire day wandering along the rows from one bus to another, diligently noting down all their relevant details in his wee leather-bound notepad......

Another returning visitor, Ex Western and Clydeside Scottish Leyland Leopard / Alexander Y-Type GCS 50V.

The fluctuations in the weather can be seen from this shot of Edinburgh Corporation Leyland Atlantean / Alexander 812 (EWS 812D) heading into the body of the site to take a pew.

Edinburgh Madder and White always looks good...

Now reunited with its original registration, Leyland Tiger Cub / Alexander FPD225 (RMS714, recently JVS541 then OSC711) heads through the site early on Saturday.

A cross section of the British motor industry of the 1970s, displayed on an AEC mandator transporter of similar vintage.

A recently established independent boldly taking on Stagecoach on their home territory of Perth and surrounding area, Bankfoot Buses run a selection of older, semi-preserved vehicles such as Leyland National SHH 389X.

Another addition to the ranks of preserved SBG Leopards, FPE88 (YSF 88S) ended its service days with Strathtay, and may well be the first Y-Type Leopard preserved in Fife colours.

Red Bus, Yellow Bus, Red Bus, Yellow Bus.....

Closeup on the Fife script

Typical of the Glasgow Corporation fleet in the 1960s, before the Atlantean rose to fame, SGD448 is an Alexander bodied Leyland Titan PD3/2.

Corporation Contrasts: Glasgow Corporation PD3/2 SGD448 slinks past Edinburgh Corporation Leyland PD2A/30 YWS611 and Prototype Alexander Y-Type bodied Leopard 101 (YSG101).

Another of the Scottish Road Run entrants was this attractive Albion flatbed.

RWE101 is a Leyland Comet.

Former Midland Scottish MRF133 (ULS 658T), later with Kelvin, is an ECW bodied "Leyland" Fleetline, and is preserved in the first Kelvin livery - rather more restrained than some of their later schemes! The basic design of the body structure is the same as that produced on Bristol Lodekka FLFs many years previously, but adapted for the rear engine / front entry layout of the Fleetline

Back on the road following a major engine failure in 2007, the Sydney Albion Venturer heads through the site on Saturday morning. It would later see service on the internal run.

A newcomer to Lathalmond was this beautifully presented Commer TS3 / Beadle of Moss Tours. According to one member who travelled to and from Dunfermline on this coach, thanks to its turbocharged engine it "goes like a scalded cat - and sounds like one too!"

One of the Shed 47 group's Hunslet Diesel locomotives prepares for a demonstration run along the group's reinstated section of track.

Ulsterbus 235, one of the Alexander Belfast bodied Leyland Leopardsmany must have felt would live forever in Northern Ireland; now they are all but gone.

THis Alexander TC bodied coach was new to Northern Scottish in 1987, most likely in Citylink colours, and ended its working days very recently with Strathtay.

The TC was the ultimate development of Alexander's T-type family and was intended for long distance operation. It could be argued, in fact, that it was Alexander's last proper coach design thus far.

A less luxurious relative of the Alexander TC was the TS bus seated variant created specifically for Central SMT. Central was one of many operators who were underwhelmed by Alexander's 1983 P-Type bus design, intended to be the replacement for the classic Y-type. Unlike other operators, who took small batches on trial, Central refused to entertain the P-Type, so this T-type variant was created to retain the business. Standing alongside former Central SMT LT25 (A25 VDS) is Blackpool 501, an MCCW bodied Leyland PD3A/1 of the type synonymous with that resort.

Western SMT L2466 (SCS 335M), part of a large batch of coach seated Y-type Leopards used on long distances in the 1970s, wearing the classic black and white Western coah livery much missed in today's sea of Stagecoach beachballs.

The Leopard reverses into its space at the start of the day's activities.

Yellow bus, yellow bus... On the left, Northern Scottish NLO16 (TSO 16X), an ECW bodied Leyland Olympian. An unusual departure from Alexander bodywork, this came at a time when Leyland, which had just bought ECW, was pushing its complete 'in-house' products and offering massive discounts. NLO16 was been modelled by EFE. On the right, former Midland, then Kelvin, Scottish MCW Metrobus / Alexander B100 PKS wears the vibrant Kelvin scheme of the late 1980s. Compare this to the 2-tone blue worn by MRF133 above.

An attempt by Lothian Buses to broaden the appeal of its Night Buses by running open toppers? Or perhaps the idea is to save on cleaning bills by giving alcohol-saturated passengers somewhere ELSE to do it....

One of few modern vehicles at the event on the Saturday was Strathtay 22580, an MAN 18.240 / Alexander Enviro300 in Hospital Link livery for a Dundee service.

Willowbrook bodied Bedford VAS1 380FGB is a regular at SVBM events.

As rain threatens, Eastern Scottish Ailsa / Alexander AV VV773 (CSG 773S) takes shelter.

Much as I like Ailsas, the prospect of a journey to Blackpool with the characteristic howling from the turbo all the way makes me shudder....

Forward entrance Leyland PD3/6 665 (ASC 665B) of Edinburgh Corporation takes a back seat at this year's event. It is often to be found dong the rounds of the rallys, though, so keep an eye out for it.

Edinburgh standard Atlantean 595 (JSX 595T), the type everybody still associates with the city. In fact, the last time an Atlantean operated in service in Edinburgh - apart from preserved running days - was on 3rd January 2000.

Early Leyland Olympian / Alexander 667 (GSC 667X). I have recounted the tale of this bus's devillishly-numbered sister and her fate many times before....

Tramway replacement Leyland PD2 / Metro-Camell Orion 777 (OFS777) of 1957.

173 (HSC 173X), a truck-based Leyland Cub with Duple Dominant body. Several of these and other types have been tried on less busy routes over the years; as Edinburgh's residents face unprecedented scaling back of services in the months ahead, perhaps the time is right to look again at smaller, cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicles for these routes, rather than reaching for the scythe...

ECW Olympian 777 (C777 SFS) and National 102 (KSX 102X). The screen carried by the National will soon be as much a museum piece as the bus itself...

A famous bus - TRR 814R is the unique lowheight Ailsa / Alexander delivered to Derby Borough Transport in 1977, and now part of the eclectic WJC Coaches collection. A feature on this bus appeared in Buses Magazine May 2008.

G545 RDS, latterally First Glasgow 31311 but originally Strathclyde Transport AH101, is a Volvo Citybus and exhibits the front end design unique to Alexander RV bodies built for Strathclyde.

A DAF 2100 heavy haulage ballast unit entered in the Scottish Road Run.