Routemaster 60

Saturday 12th July 2014

Prepared by Ian Smith, 17th July 2014.

Part Two: more Routemasters

Long buses: RML2660, RML2755

Ex-Northern General forward entrance RMF2771, standard LT RM1699

LT RML2544, LT RM1840, RM999 (Reading 15)

Shilibeer-liveried RM2208, Central Area RM1449, LT Country Area RML2440

RML2740, London Northern RML2494, LT RM291

First London RML2352, London Central RML2396

From Sweden: RML2698, and from Germany, with lowered roof: RML2663

A Routemaster moving! RM1822, restored to South London livery, arrives. Open-topped by London Transport for Ind Coope, RM1403 still earns its living on private hire work.

London Central RML2539, LT RM765.

RM1368, cut down after a top-deck fire to become the Chiswick test-bed. RMC1462, once a Green Line coach, then a hire bus.

London Transport bullseye-liveried RM116. Another BEA Routemaster, difficult to recognise as such as preserved in LT red with front blind box, NMY655E It is undergoing a repaint with RedRoutemaster.com.

Also under repaint for the very active Routemaster hire business is RM1086, while RML2267 and RML2583 show the normal sparkling condition of such hire buses.

RML2683, RML2366 and RML2323, the last in the short-lived London Country apple green and yellow livery.

RM1375, then, at the end of the row, the last RM: front entrance, rear-engined FRM1.

But those in the luine-up were not the only Routemasters there. Others were dotted about the field, as snack bars, stages, ... RML2291 is a snack-bar.

RML2715 is a bar. More buses came creeping down the drive, lokking for a place to pull in. RML2363 looked fresh from the paint-shop, while RML2334 wears the leaf-green and white NBC livery.

RML2344 squeezed through the crowds. RML2741, dressed in pink for Superdrug, was performing a support function on the field.

RM613 had arrived while I was looking the other way, and was parked between RML2334 and RML2344. RML2589 came bustling in too.

I reached the end of the row, with Arriva trainer DLA1 (in blue) and Stagecoach 19000 as well as FRM1, and decided where to go next. Rather than go back down the long line I continued up through Finsbury Park, along a tree-lined drive. I first met RML2478 arriving, then further up met B2737, immaculately restored, trundling round the circular drive. Wonderful!

Then, by the upper gate to the park, I came across RMC1485 and RCL2226, ready for use on the X60 tours.

A couple of gleaming RMLs, including RML2366, went ahead of me out of the gate. Perhaps they had an appointment with a wedding or another birthday celebration. I headed for the old railway line from Finsbury Park to Highgate, which held a totally different fascination for the next hour or so.

Buses attending

RM1, RM2, RML3, RM5, RM6, RM7, RM9, RM16, RM44, RM66
RM108, RM116, RM188
RM238, RM254, RM275, RM291
RM308, RM349, RM357
RM471, RM479
RM545
RM613
RM752, RM765
RM811, RM848, RM857, RML883, RML898
RML903, RM938, RM999
RM1000, RM1005, RM1033, RM1063, RM1086
RM1138
RM1274
RM1348, RM1357, RM1368, RM1394, RM1397
RM1403, RM1449, RMC1462, RMC1476, RMC1485, RMC1497
RMC1500 (RMC1486), RMC1507
RM1620, RM1650 (SRM3), RM1699
RM1804, RM1822, RM1840, RM1842, RM1871 (SRM 7)
RM1955, RM1990, RM1993
RM2037, RM2060, RM2097
RM2116, RM2173, RM2179, RM2180, RM2186
RM2208, RM2213, RM2217, RCL2226, RCL2229, RCL2233, RML2262, RML2266, RML2267, RML2271, RML2276, RML2284, RML2291
RML2304, RML2306, RML2310, RML2323, RML2334, RML2344, RML2352, RML2363, RML2364, RML2366, RML2368, RML2391, RML2393, RML2394, RML2396
RML2400, RML2412, RML2440, RML2452, RML2464, RML2468, RML2478, RML2494, RML2498
RML2514, RML2516, RML2528, RML2539, RML2544, RML2583, RML2589
RML2606, RML2620, RML2660, RML2663, RML2683, RML2698, RML2699
RML2715, RML2731, RML2740, RML2741, RML2751, RML2755, RML2760
RMF2771
BEA's KGJ601D (BEA1, RMA 28), NMY655E (BEA 55, RMA58)
FRM1
plus DLA1, 19000, Excel R197DDX, B2737, STL2377, RT113, RT2177, T1, L2, LT60

Photos by Ian Smith. Click on any of them for a larger picture.

Ian's Bus-stop 1 2