London Country's LR-class Olympians only comprised 75 buses, bought over several years,
but they have worn an astonishing number of liveries, and have lasted well in service in
London's outer suburbia.
The first few went to St.Albans for use on the 84 (St.Albans - New Barnet Stn), which London Country had won on Hertfordshire tender. Others went to Leatherhead, Godstone and Reigate for the arduous North Downs routes. Their arrival allowed the transfer of early Atlanteans to the training fleet in place of the ex-London DMS Fleetlines.
The fifteen delivered in 1983 (LR31-45) all went to Hatfield, after a period in store at Reigate while their routes were cleared of overhanging trees. From October they were used on routes 300 and 303, displacing long Nationals.
LNBs were also the target for replacement in spring 1985, when a further fifteen were delivered.
They went to Leatherhead (LR46-8, 50), Watford (LR49, 51-5) and Harlow (LR56-60).
Six (LR61-66) went to Hatfield, where four were allocated for the LRT-tendered 313 (Potters Bar - Chingford). LR67-68 went for Green Line service on the 799 (Stansted-Victoria) from Harlow, LR69-73 displaced SNBs from Garston, and LR74-5 went to Leatherhead, again displacing SNBs (which went to Lewisham for the P4). Livery was again NBC green with a white band.
From the end of 1985 a new livery appeared, with a pale green band rather than white,
and pale green fleetnames without an NBC symbol.
London Country South West, had a number of Olympians,
used from Godstone, Reigate and Leatherhead mainly.
The company was privatised in February 1988,
and rebranded itself to London & Country in early 1993.
This reflected tendered operations into the LRT area,
which resulted in the establishment of their Croydon operating base at Beddington Farm.
New livery settled on two shades of green with a red band - very smart.
The London & Country Olympians were good vehicles for their tendered operations,
and many were used on the London operations, and spent some time with the "Londonlinks"
operation while it lasted.
London Country North East had Olympians at St.Albans, Harlow and Hatfield.
It quickly adopted a new livery, a rather sombre affair with a dull green,
a dark green and white relief.
Again the Olympians were signicant on tendered work, notably the 313,
where they worked alongside some rather ancient secondhand Atlanteans.
The first shot at a new livery was a pleasing cream with green skirt and bands.
Later they acquired plum-coloured skirts with Cowie-stripes at the rear
Arriva national livery even later in the nineties allowed their easy transfer into The Shires fleet.
As early examples, some have been sold for scrap, while others soldier on in less arduous corners of the system.
Sovereign was the western part of the old LCNE, based at Hatfield, St.Albans and Stevenage,
and was bought by Blazefield Holdings in January 1989.
Policy changes with bus operations in the area saw several of the LRs transferred to Keighley & District in Yorkshire,
whence some have returned.
Whilst operations were mainly based in Hertfordshire the Olympians
acquired a cream livery with Cambridge blue skirt and lining, with Hertsrider fleetnames.
Stevenage operations, with some of the Olympians, were sold to Luton & District in May 1990.
When Sovereign expanded into the Harrow area,
and also worked Cambridge Coach Services from Huntingdon,
the livery was amended, with a black waist stripe and Sovereign fleetnames.
In 1994 some LRs were transferred into the Borehamwood operation and received poppy red and yellow livery.
By 2002 the surviving Olympians were at Edgware or Huntingdon.
London Country North West had a decent share of the Olympians,
primarily for Watford Area services based on Garston.
LCNW retained the London Country fleetname onto its new livery,
with a north-west pointing triangle incorporating "North-West" wording.
The new livery was dark green with silver-grey
- with more silver at the front and more green at the back.
Luton & District was in turn taken over by British Bus in July 1994.
A major rebranding started in April 1995,
with a new livery of blue and yellow with stone skirts,
and local fleetnames in white/orange.
The overall trading name was "The Shires", but this did not appear on the buses.
British Bus passed to the Cowie Group in June 1996, who rebranded their operations nationwide in November 1997 as Arriva. A national livery of turquoise with cream scoops at the front was introduced, and the Olympians gradually succumbed to this.
As they aged the Olympians have been gradually sidelined to less arduous duties,
which has seen more moving about from their original haunts.
Some of the Watford buses that spent their working lives on the 142 for LRT moved across
to Ware late in 2002 to perform similar duties on the 310 between Hertford and Enfield,
before being displaced by ex-London L-class Olympians.
The older examples have been disappearing from stock,
to the scrapyards or to other operators.
Jonathan Wilkins' LR page
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