Routemaster Heritage Centre Open Day and Bus Rally

Sunday 27th July 1997

The day Mr.Unbearded forgot to check his camera was loaded !!!
All images ©1997 Martin G. Layton - just not taken on the day being described

Setting off in Hope

L304 seen at South Harrow Station

Saturday afternoon short workings on 607 and 207 returning to Uxbridge from Ealing Broadway

Armchair's R686RWU is a Dart 9.8SLF Plaxton Pointer. E2 is extended on Sundays to cover E8
Before setting out for Hanwell I carefully checked my camera bag and said "Oh look - the slide film hasn't even had a picture taken yet, it's still on'S' for start that means I won't get any other subjects mixed in with the Routemasters !" Mistake number 1. So I went the bus stop and caught a 140 similar to L304 (picture above left), I didn't get a chance to take a snap of the actual bus I traveled on so this 'ringer' would have been used anyway, changing at Hayes Grapes onto a 207 towards Ealing Broadway (represented by photo above centre) where the E8 to Brentford via Hanwell starts. Those cynics with a knowlege of West London geography might be about to point out that I had passed within less than a mile of Trumpers Way on the 207 but, as I meant to say before, I wanted to photograph the buses I rode on and at a terminus there's some chance that they might hold still long enough for me to get a picky without being left behind because I'm fumbling with my camera while the doors shut and the bus vanishes into the distance. E8 is operated by Armchair with Dennis Darts, so in best Blue Peter style above right we have an Armchair Dart I prepared earlier.

At Trumpers Way

Three generations of London bus. M851 RML2610 & RT1702

RCL2260 - last known address London Coaches and RM2214 scrapped in October 1987

RM254 in better than new condition with everything polished and immaculate
The Routemaster Heritage Centre is housed in a small industrial estate so buses are seen in something close to a working environment, rather like the three generations of London Bus seen at the Acton Tram Depot Centenary (picture above left). Retired buses don't spend their time grazing green fields like the Routemasters (picture above centre), photographed at Showbus85. Also photographed at Showbus85 (picture above right) and now resident at Trumpers Way is RM254 former pampered pet of Norbiton Garage owned and lovingly tended to award winning standard by Geoff Rixon since August 1985.

RM8 was at Hanwell for the 1996 Open Day, & is seen here at Buses of Yesteryear at Staines on 10th August 1997

Hanwell resident UYJ654 (former RM1224), also at Staines, sporting the strange combination of London blinds & StageCoach stripes.

Not at Hanwell but included because it's an RM and not in London colours RM2059
A free circular tour was on offer passing the site of the AEC works where all the Routemasters were made. The route then passed the Southall Railway Centre which was sadly unable to operate due to 'problems with their Railtrack agreement'. Continuing via Norwood Green the tour came within a few yards of the AEC site again but now on the other side of Brunel's Three Bridges. From there it was along Windmill Lane with the walls of the UK residence of the Sultan of Brunei to our right and open fields to our left. For a few moments I was 13 years old again enjoying the sound and feel of an RT at speed in a country lane. Turning left at the Gillette factory the bus rather anti-climaticly returned to Trumpers Way along the Great West Road and Boston Manor Road. Vehicles operating the tour were RML2760 and RT3491. RML2760 is numericaly the last Routemaster built for London Transport, now owned by Stagecoach East London, it is still a working service bus but is regularly to be found at gatherings such as the Routemaster Heritage Trust. RT3491 is resident at Cobham Bus Museum where it is maintained to full PSV standard. Painted green and bearing the fleetname 'Green Lane' RT3491 spent its working life as a red bus similar to RT1702 which I caught at Acton Tram Centenary.

RML2760 working the Canal Festival Heritage Service at Steam on the Met in May 1996.

RT1702 in the old Trollybus turning circle at Bromyard Avenue

RT3491 finally caught at Hatton Cross Station on its way to Buses of Yesteryear at Staines on 10th August 1997.

The After Shock

The keen eyed reader will by now have spotted that none of the pictures on this page were actually taken at Hanwell on Sunday 27th July 1997 ---Remember the exposure counter being on 'S' for start ? Go to the top of the class if you said "The idiot had no film in his camera !!" . Well I promise to do better at the '98 event.
Original graphics, photographic images and electronic derivatives © Martin G. Layton 1997/8/9