Created by Ian Smith, updated 26th June 2020.
Table of contents
In 1929 AEC introduced a new range of chassis, including the Regent, a four wheel 15 ft 6.5 in wheel-base chassis with a petrol engine: the 661.
This allowed a 25ft long double-deck body, complying with the requirements of the London Public Carriage Office.
ST 1 The LGOC prototype ST 1/1ST1
Introduced in October 1929, ST1 was a revolutionary bus for London.
The London area had to satisfy the exceedingly conservative demands of the
Public Carriage Office, that seemed implacably opposed to any innovation.
What was so new? Well, ST1 had a Chiswick-built body, H30/20R, with a full width enclosed rear platform and an enclosed, straight, staircase! It had roller blinds at front and rear. The cab was square-cornered at first, and from new had a windscreen. (This seems to have naughty on the part of the LGOC: they only had permission for fifty buses to be so fitted, experimentally, and had used all fifty on the LTs!). (It also had a mirror at the top of the stairs, but this was removed because too many ladies preened before it!) The design of ST1 was used almost exactly on the Country STs (ST 1091-1132) and the Autocar STs (1085-1088). The fuel tank was changed onto the nearside before ST1 entered service at Hanwell in March 1930. At a later date the cab front was altered to match the rounded standard shape. Eventually, through the overhaul system that treated standard bodies interchangeably ST1 acquired the body that had originally been on ST 739. It was withdrawn from Holloway (J) in Dec 1949. ST 2 - 517 Standard STs (with exceptions), (Total 517). 1ST1/1
Standard 1ST1/1: early and late conditions. Drawing by Ian Smith
These were similar to ST1, but with the round-cornered cab,
and initially without wind-screens to comply with London regulations (!).
Originally they had the same minimal front blind arrangement as ST1,
with no rear display except for a number stencil on the rear bulkhead
and a decent blind over the door.
But the Public Carriage Office insisted that a more comprehensive display
be provided at both front and back.
A larger blind box was added to the front,
and a one line number and destination blind added at the back.
This displaced the number plate to the rear bulkhead.
Another difference made after delivery, while the rear was being modified,
was to provide a larger cut-out in the rear, for the doorway,
to allow escape in the event of a turn-over.
This in turn dictated a single platform window rather than the original pair.
They did all get equipped with windscreens eventually, of course.
Into service:The standard STs started service at Hanwell garage (HW) from 28th February 1930, on the 184 series of routes.The first hundred went to HW for the 184, 218 (alongside new LTs) and 291. Then 105 went to Hammersmith (R), also for the 184, and for the 11E and 25A. Twenty-three of the R allocation were transferred briefly to Shepherds Bush (S) for the 11E. Seventy-three new STs went to Seven Kings (AP), from September, for the 25, 26, 126 and 148 routes, which actually needed rather more buses. These were scrounged from Hammersmith, which then had the 23 back from Shepherds Bush in November.
This first batch was followed immediately by a second, that started arriving in October. Half of these were bodied by Chiswick, together with fifty by Strachans and fifty by Short Bros of Rochester. They were first allocated as follows, to Leyton (T), Chalk Farm (CF), Elmers End (ED), Norwood (N), Nunhead (AH), Forest Gate (G), Seven Kings (AP), Romford (RD), and Harrow Weald (HD):
Three of the batch, ST462, ST464 and ST466 were fitted with AEC-Acro A155 8.1l diesel engines. As these were longer than the petrol engine these buses exceeded the regulation maximum, and needed special dispensation. The extra weight reduced the seating capacity as well, down from 49 to 44. They went to Willesden, but were found to be sluggish, thirsty and smelly! They were moved to Harrow Weald just before the next annual overhaul, when the oil engines were replaced with standard petrol engines, and the seats replaced.
They were converted to diesel in 1950, lasting until 1952: the longest in-service survivors of the STs.
Many received modifications during their lifetimes, gradually acquiring Chiswick features: the cab doors went;
some received complete Chiswick cabs (that did not quite match the rest!);
windows were renewed, some receiving square -cornered frames while others retained the rounded-top style;
waist-bands, destination boxes and roofs were modified, so that by their final demise they were strongly individualistic.
The Metro-Cammell ST (Total 1) 1/1ST3One of the STs was sent to Metro-Cammell to be fitted with an all-metal body. It looked much the same , but with square edges to the windows. It was somewhat heavier than the wood-framed versions, especially when fitted with a heavyweight rear bumper. It was originally on ST 211, then after overhaul on ST150. It survived to 1949.The Second Standard STs: ST518 to ST836 (with exceptions)(1ST2)
Country Area ST2/1. (Ian Smith)ST 821 in the LT Museum, 1982. (Click for larger picture)The ST2s had bodies essentially the same as those for the ST1/1s, with the enlarged rear cutout, single platform window and improved destination displays, but the chassis included upgraded steering, brakes and gearbox. Ten bodies had the front destination blind incorporated into the cab roof, like contemporary LTs, (ST2/1), and a couple had a revised staircase that allowed two extra seats downstairs (ST6 and ST6/1). 25 of the bodies were built by Strachans and 17 by Shorts, the rest by Chiswick.162 of this lot were actually owned by the Tramways (MET) Omnibus Co, and ran briefly with their Metropolitan fleetnames until their next overhaul, when they reappeared with a General fleetname. The MET buses were allocated as follows:
This allocation of the 35 route to Metropolitan freed some of the General STs at Leyton, which were reallocated onto the 40, 100, 148 and 604:
ST821 was preserved by London Transport. After a spell in red livery the preserved ST has been restored to Country green and white livery, with black mudguards and cheat lines, and a brown roof (here glistening in the rain). Note the Country Area original-style small indicator panel. The Traffic Commissioner insisted on a larger box for the Central Area buses, which ran for half their lives with part of the box masked off as a wartime austerity measure! ST 821 is on the Covent Garden Piazza, outside the Museum, in December 1998, en route from storage at Ash Grove garage to Acton Depot, the new LT store. Photos by Ian Smith. Click for larger versions.
OvergroundST 822-836 were intended for Overground, but most were replaced before delivery by Dennis Lances with Metro-Cammell all-metal ST bodies. Most of the order went to LGOC ownership, but ST822-826 were leased by Overground and appeared in their colours of darker red in more places, and white, until repaint in March 1931 (ST 824) or October 1931 (the others). In autumn 1932 twenty seven other STs were repainted INTO Overground colours, for use at Potters Bar (PB) on the 285, 285A and 629 alongside the Dennis Lances, replacing Leyland LB types.
GeneralThose for General service went to Norwood (N), Hendon (AE), Turnham Green (V), Kingston (K) and Hammersmith (R) during the spring and early summer of 1931:
ST 746 was fitted with a Daimler transmission, with epicyclic gearbox and fluid flywheel. It was allocated to the garage currently favoured with "experiments", Harrow Weald, for service on the 18. ST 833/834 were transferred to East Surrey as 2/1ST2 in 1935.
After this series the LGOC continued building Regents, but on the new longer chassis, as STLs
The STs continued in service alongside increasing numbers of LTs and STLs.
Allocations of these to busy routes displaced some STs to other garages and routes,
so that soon they were a common type throughout the system.
Grays garage was selected for a trial of twenty gas STs, to be used initially on routes 370, 371, 372, with five T's for the 375,
although the actual routes changed at about that time (autumn 1942).
All these Grays buses were red, incidentally.
They had put in a very creditable performance, most lasting seventeen or eighteen years
with the war years in the middle.
For a wooden-framed bus that was truly remarkable.
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National needed modern buses for its trunk 301 route between Rickmansworth, Watford and St.Albans, where its open-toppers (NS and PS) were seriously outclassed by its rival Lewis with new Regents. It had been promised new STs in the ST501 series, but screamed to the General that it could not wait. It got its way, with these nine diverted from the original batch. So they were standard Chiswick H29/20R bodies with rounded cabs. In line with National conventions they lacked windscreens and garage plate holders.
Livery was standard LGOC red/off-white, with National fleetnames, until the LGCS takeover. Under London Transport they gained green and black, then two-tone green liveries, with "General" and "London Transport" fleetnames respectively. National fitted them with a deep valance below the cab roof, but it was not until LT days that they received cab glazing!
Many went into store, but some were converted for gas operation
and operated with coke-fired trailers for a year or two.
These trailers manufactured producer gas by drawing air through hot coke.
The gas was piped onto the bus, and along to a gas-tank in front of the front bulkhead,
and into the engine. The engines had to be modified, with an increased bore and compression ratio.
Petrol was still required for starting, with modified carburettor jets, and manual advance/retard of the ignition.
Garages had to be equipped for daily maintenance of the trailers, and procedures installed for firing them up
and attaching them to the buses.
These were started with petrol and then the gas supply was phased in and the petrol supply out.
Standing still in operation for more than a few minutes gave its problems too,
as it was engine throughput that kept the fire burning hotly and the gas producing.
Trailers were good for about 80 miles, so schedules had to allow for the swapping of buses,
as conductors were not expected to be stokers!
Special turning arrangements had to be made for the gas buses too. In general the performance was poor,
and gas buses were restricted to a few not too hilly routes. They smelled, too.
Many STs also went on loan to other companies throughout the UK during autumn 1942, including
Hants & Dorset, Wilts & Dorset, Venture (Basingstoke), Stockton Corporation, Bradford Corporation, Midland Red,
Coventry Corporation (which ran some on gas), City of Oxford, Cumberland, West Yorkshire, Crosville,
Yelloway (Rochdale), Lancashire United, Lincolnshire Road Car, United Counties, Young's (Paisley)
Northern Roadways (Glasgow), Red & White (Chepstow), Bristol Tramways, Rhondda, Pontypridd,
Caledonian, Enterprise & Silver Dawn, Trent, Halifax Corporation, Central SMT, West Bromwich Corporation,
South Shields Corporation, Bolton Corporation! They were returned in late 1944 or early 1945.
Part 2: Tilling STs.
Bus Stop
ST index.
standard STs.