As Leyland expanded to encompass all the British bus chassis manufacturers into a single group ranges were rationalised. Independent bodybuilders Metro Cammell Weymann seeing a gap in the market for a bus powered by the still revered Gardner engine produced a prototype/demonstrator for the Metrobus in October 1977 and delivered the first production bus to West Midlands in January 1978. Four more followed quickly plus five for London Transport. The Metrobus occupies a special place in my affections as the last major class purchased by an unadulterated London Transport. The fact that nearly all 1440 M-class buses were still on the road 20 years after M1 was first registered proves London Transport got it right this time.
In March 1987 the Routemasters departed permanently from the Uxbridge Road, making way for MCW Metrobuses to revive the association with Metro Cammell begun with the F1 and Q1 trolleybuses. OPO had finally come to route 207.
As the events building up to the dismemberment of London Transport and the founding of the present independant operators bubbled away quietly logos came and went but little changed. The only major upheaval was in March 1993 when Hanwell closed and 207 was shared between Uxbridge and the newly re-opened Acton Tram Depot.
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| M566 with the last version of London Transport logos | M349 plus the pre-privatisation CentreWest isignia | M976 at Uxbridge Station in similar livery |
These 3 images ©Paul Watson |
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CentreWest was privatised in a management buy-out in September 1994. The new company established a reputation by aquiring London Buslines and in November 1995 founded a new operating base in Orpington by winning a group of tenders in the area. Such a dynamic operation soon attracted the attentions of large corporates and CentreWest was absorbed by the Firstbus Group in February 1997.
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| M851 an unwilling participant in Acton Tram Depot's Open Day July 1996 is totally naked of branding | M851 at Ealing Broadway in May 1997. Is that another knock N/S front ? or unpainted after 10months ? | M414 & M347 at Shepherd's Bush wearing the initial version of First logos |
These 3 images ©Martin G. Layton |
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The development of the limited stop variation of the Shepherd's Bush to Uxbridge service reviving the number 607 is detailed in Express or jump into the new Millennium.