This page created 1st December 2003
Staff busesLondon Transport ran a considerable network of staff buses to and from its works at Aldenham and Chiswick. Aldenham Works was set up after the war as a centralised bus overhaul centre, and Chiswick returned to LT work, with component overhaul and experimental work. But during the war the work had been devolved to various garages around the system, and the staff gathered in to the two works were allowed staff transport to get them there and back. The drivers were members of the Aldenham work-force, who worked in pairs, one driving there and the other back. Once the post-war bus renewal had worked through the public service fleet most of the staff buses were replaced by RT2s, which in turn were largely replaced by RTLs once they started to become redundant. But some routes used single-deckers, and 10T10 and 15T13 Regals had periods of use before the GSs were made available after the October 1962 shake-up.HD Harrow Weald railway staff busThe Harrow Weald railway staff bus was an exception, operating to move Underground Railway staff around the system as required. RTL435, the Harrow Weald staff bus until January 1960, was replaced by GS21. GS78 arrived from Dunton Green to take over in June 1961, when GS21 went for its Aldenham overhaul. GS78 persisted (with assistance from GS47 in February-March 1962) until February 1963, when it was transferred to Garston as a trainer.Allocation Summarylong-term: GS21: 1/60-6/61, GS78: 6/61-2/63short-term:GS26: 2/60-2/60, GS47: 4/62-5/62
TG Tring staff busAllocationIn the big Country Area shake-up of October 1962 Tring garage had a significant swap-round of vehicles. The previous month it had lost a couple of RTs from its allocation. With a substantial number of GS now redundant (replaced by RFs), one was allocated as a dedicated staff bus. GS62 stayed until it went for overhaul a year later. GS75 took over until its turn for overhaul, when GS62 returned, having been in store. GS62 stayed fifteen months, until replaced by RT1103 in November 1964.GS62: 10/62-11/62, GS75: 11/62-9/63, GS62: 9/63-12/64
AW/AM Abbey Wood / Plumstead staff busThe south side of the Thames was another area with a considerable staff travelling to Aldenham, who had been based at the tram works at Charlton. Staff buses operated from Abbey Wood or Plumstead, with one or two of them being a GS. One travelled up to New Cross Gate, then up the Old Kent Road and through to the Elephant and Castle, before heading north over Blackfriars Bridge and up to Kings Cross. Thence it passed up York Way and up to Archway, and out along the old highway - the City A1 - to skirt round Edgware to reach Aldenham. Thus it gave the unusual sight of a GS in the heart of the City, twice a day, wearing London Transport green livery well into the 1970s.
T787 was the last of the 15T13 post-war Regals to be used on the Abbey Wood staff bus.
It must have been quite a let-down to exchange the RT smoothness of the Regal for the
joys of GS travel in April 1963.
But GS50 took over properly at Abbey Wood in April 1963, and stayed there until March 1967. By this time GS18 had been operating in parallel from Plumstead from August 1965 until February 1966, followed by GS35 for a year and then GS56. GS66, and GS10 followed on, with GS66 returning as a second string in January 1968. GS13 took over from GS10 in March 1969, and moved its base of operations back to Abbey Wood in July 1969. At that time GS28 took over from GS66 at Plumstead, only to move to Abbey Wood in August. GS13 and GS28 maintained the service from Abbey Wood through into 1970, with one at least available. London Transport had officially transferred them out of the Country Area in December 1969, although they retained green livery with London Transport fleetnames. In August 1970 GS28 was swapped with GS52 from the Reigate-Chiswick run. GS13 retired in April 1973, and, after a short spell with RF317, GS52 continued until April 1974, after which RT4168 took over. Allocation Summary
AW GS44: 2/61AWs-2/61NXs-3/61 GS50: 4/63-3/67 AM GS18: 8/65-2/66 GS35: 2/66-2/67 GS56: 2/67-7/67 GS66: 7/67-12/67 GS10: 12/67-4/69 GS66: 1/68-7/69 GS13: 3/69-7/69 GS28: 7/69-8/69 AW GS13: 7/69-2/70 GS28: 8/69-8/70 GS52: 8/70-8/72 GS13: 2/71-1/72 GS13: 8/72-4/73 GS52: 5/73-4/74
RG Reigate staff busReigate, a major repair centre in early LT days, and again during the war years (and after), had a large number of Chiswick employees, and had long operated a staff bus - or several - to Chiswick, whence one ran on to Aldenham. This ran back to Chiswick at lunch-time, then back to Aldenham. RTL454 was one of the staff buses, which in April 1963 was put into store. RT2585 took over in May, but it was supplented by one of the GSs made redundant by a surplus of RFs the previous October. GS48 only held the job for two months, then GS52 did another two months. GS56 did a year to August 1964. Then GS21 did seven months. In March 1965 GS45 took on the job through to April 1969, when GS52 returned for a second round. That stayed in place through to August 1970, when it swapped places with GS28 from Abbey Wood. GS28 kept the duty through until February 1973.RT2585 went off to be a trainer at Alperton in June 1965, its place being taken by GS26. GS62 took over in February 1967, and again stayed on the job until February 1973. A third GS was added in February 1966, when GS12 joined the party. It stayed until October 1969, when its place was taken by GS10. This was to be the last, surviving until October 1973. Those on duty in December 1969 were taken into Central Area stock, so avoided being transfered to London Country. Oddly, they acquired London Country "Private" blinds, with a message to contact any London Country Garage to "hire a bus"!
Allocation Summary
GS48: 4/63-6/63 GS52: 7/63-8/63 GS56: 8/63-8/64 GS21: 8/64-3/65 GS45: 2/65-4/69 GS26: 6/65-2/67 GS12: 2/66-10/69 GS62: 2/67-2/73 GS52: 4/69-8/70 GS10: 10/69-10/73 GS28: 8/70-2/73
GS62 visited Reigate Garage during the Dorking Running Day in September 2005, and is seen wearing its own London Country Private blinds, as used on London Transport staff bus duties.
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