The LONDON TRANSPORT RT FAMILY: RT1

This page created 7th September 1997, last updated 27th January 1999.

RT 1 (Total 1)

Chassis: AEC Regent III, 16ft 4in wheel-base, 6 cylinder 9.6 litre diesel, A182 / A185
(a) 1RT: the original
(b) 2RT: from pre-war RT 19
(c) 3RT: from post-war Cravens RT 1420

Bodies:
(a) from a scrap Leyland Titan, TD111 (June to December 1938)
(b) Chiswick, RT1: 55 seats (26 + 29), an all-metal body, 4 bays.

London was seeking a new standard bus. The STL, in all its variants, had served it well during the thirties, but the design team at Chiswick knew that technology had moved on. With single deckers they had tried mid-engines, with the Q series, and were now trying out a flat underfloor mid-engine in the TF. A rear engine was being designed into the diminutive CR. But with "high-capacity" double deckers, where crew operation was a necessity for the forseeable future, the open rear platform and segregated driver seemed still the best option.
But there had been advances in engines and brakes, and new thinking on body design and finishing quality. This came together in London's unforgettable RT class: the Regent Three.

The chassis arrived in June 1938, the result of joint design work by LT and AEC. It had a new bigger, 9.6 litre engine, that because of its size could deliver enough power at a much lower rev rate: it sounded much quieter and smoother than the STLs. This was coupled with a pre-selector gearbox. Brakes used compressed air. For running trials it was placed under a second-hand body (from TD111), and placed into service from Hanwell garage as ST 1140, (EYK 396).

RT1 (chassis) wearing the temporary body from TD 111. Drawing by Ian Smith 1997

Meanwhile Chiswick was preparing the new body. This had composite metal frames as well as complete double-skinning - even on the domes. Another major departure was the use of just four bays between downstairs bulkheads. The passenger accommodation had also received proper thought from the engineers and designers, producing an interior that was a good place to be, for both passengers and crew.
Externally the body had a different shape from the STLs: the curving-sloped rear had given way to a vertical back, with a one-piece dome, while the front was elegantly curved back. Roofboxes were fitted not just at the front - where it looked good- but at the back too - where it didn't! The traditional window boards for route numbers were replaced by proper panels: a large one on the offside, between the saloon and the small stair window, and a narrower panel on the nearside in front of the platform. The driver's windows were sloped down at the outer corner to aid visibility, another feature that disappeared with the post-war version. But a major innovation for a Chiswick product was the sliding door for the driver. The classic Chiswick open door had had its day at last! (Or so it seemed: it made a comeback on the war-time lowbridge STL bodies!)

RT1 in its first trial livery. (Ad colours are guesswork)

Livery was also under review. The first colour scheme was basic overall red, with a silver roof and white surrounds to the upper deck windows, plus polished aluminium trim lines following the aluminium mouldings along the body sides. The bus was photographed and reviewed in this livery, but it seems not to have met with approval. It did re-appear in its first days in preservation.

A revised livery was worn for the next round of official photos. The roof was painted red overall, avoiding the awkwardness with the smooth rear dome. The aluminium trim-lines were painted over, to be replaced by a cream band, and the white upperdeck window surrounds became cream. This new livery became LT's first post-war standard livery, (although it was not used on the other pre-war RTs).

RT1 in its second livery. (Ad colours are guesswork)

In 1954 the body went onto the chassis from SRT45 (itself previously under STL2551) to form Mobile Instruction Unit 1019J. This arrangement was brief however, as in 1955 the RT1 body was mounted on the chassis of RT 1420 (A Cravens-bodied bus whose body lost an argument with a railway bridge). (RT 19 then acquired a Tilling STL body that had previously been fitted to a post-war 3RT chassis during the SRT period when bodies were in short supply!)
Got that?
RT1420/RT1 continued as a Mobile Instruction Unit, now 1037J, wearing trade plates and in September 1978 it was still intact, if tatty, resting at the back of West Ham garage. But resurrection was at hand, in the shape of Prince Marshall. It was pulled out of obscurity, overhauled by enthusiasts and repainted in its original livery, with original adverts. It was re-registered EYK 396, and re-numbered RT1 to make a surprise appearance in the parade marking the RT's last active day of public service with LT, in Barking on 7 April 1979. Prince Marshall used it in his Obsolete Fleet, and intended to run it on Route 100, like ST922, in Central London. But after his death problems with his estate led to the disbandment of his collection of buses, and "RT1" was sold to a company in the States. After journeys in the USA, and threats of its becoming a hamburger bar, it returned to the UK in 1986, where it enjoyed a period of active preservation.

In 1997 it began a period of restoration. At some time the body framing had been damaged, and much would need to be renewed. The body was propped and sections of the framing dismantled one at a time for evaluation and rebuilding. This has taken some time! It finally re-emerged in time for the Cobham Museum Open Day in April 2009.

Photo References: