The London Transport TFs

This page created 19th February 1998, updated 17th May 2003.

Introduction.

The TF was the big step forward in LT single-decker design that bridged the gap between the revolutionary AEC Q class, with its offside engine, and the highly successful RF class of underfloor-engined buses and coaches. The last design to enter LT service before the second world war swept across Europe, the TF was caught up in the whirl-wind, with a lack of trained mechanics, and hiccups in the service for which it was designed. One sub-class, the private-hire TFs, was almost wiped out (with one survivor) in one bombing raid. But they withstood the exigencies of war-time, and were back in service on the revitalised Green Line services as soon as possible. They would have had much longer service lives with LT if it had not been for the policy of standardisation that saw the RF sweep away all other LT single deckers, carrying away the TFs along with the 10T10s in the early fifties.

The prototype: 1TF1, TF1, C34C, Total 1

The prototype was revolutionary with its chassis, and bold with its bodywork.
The chassis, by Leyland, was the Tiger FEC - which bore little if any relationship to the contemporary PS Tigers. It would, however, have been recognized in its layout thirty years later, when underfloor mid-engined coaches were common-place. Presumably FEC stood for Floor Engine Compartment.
The idea was to obtain the maximum coach seating within the statutory limitations of a 27ft 6in by 7ft 6in body, without transverse-facing seating. The Q had suffered from the latter, with its mid-side engine, but the TF had its engine under a high floor (no SLFs then!). The sliding door was to go behind the front wheels, which were nearly at the front of the chassis. The wheelbase, at 18ft 6in, was a foot longer than the contemporary 10T10s. TF1 had single tyres on all wheels.
For the technically minded, the underfloor engine was a Leyland 8.6 litre diesel, coupled through an AEC pneumatic gearbox. The vehicle was delivered to Chiswick in July 1937. 1TF1 drawing

The Chiswick-designed Leyland body that fitted onto this chassis looked unlike anything that had gone before, and had a strong art-deco feel to it. Actually the changes were mainly at the front end, the rear being very similar to the 9T9 body, with a stepped window-line. But at the front the driver was perched very high in a half-cab glass-house. Livery was three-tone green, with Green Line fleetnames. It had seats for 34 passengers.

TF1 went into service in early December 1937, from Tunbridge Wells (TW) on routes C1 and C2, but was transfered later in the month to Romford, in preparation for the allocation of the production GreenLine coaches.
Garage No. Route
TW Tunbridge Wells C1 Tunbridge Wells - London - Chertsey
TW Tunbridge Wells C2 Tunbridge Wells - London - woking
RE Romford (London Road) Y1 Brentwood - Aldgate (- Horse Guards (Sun))
RE Romford (London Road) Y2 Corbets Tey - Aldgate

Like other Greenline coaches it was withdrawn at the outbreak of war, but unusually went into store at Chiswick. It was overhauled in 1940, emerging similar in appearance to the production greenline TFs. It was given some duties in London (Green Park). It wound up in the Private Hire fleet at Old Kent Road (P) for a while, then worked at Merton (AL) and Sidcup (SP). It was overhauled again at the end of 1942, but then went into store. TF1 was sold in January 1946, passing from Henry Lane to Castle Coaches of Lewisham, who hired it back to London Transport for service during the 1946 vehicle shortages.

TF1 history summary


The private hire TFs: 2TF3, TF2-13, C33C, Total 12

Park Royal won the contract to body a dozen TFs for London sightseeing and private hire work. This was in the hands of the solid Renowns (LTCs), plus a motley collection of surviving coaches from the GreenLine fleet, including five Leyland Tigers and eight coach Regals. Also displaced was the only real coach in the fleet, LT 1429, the luxurious and stylish Harrington bodied Renown acquired with the business of Hillmans of Romford.

2TF3 drawing The new coaches were on the updated 2TF chassis, with a radiator built into the nearside front wing. The Park Royal bodies had metal framing, essential in the light of the amount of glazing. They had deep side windows, glazed quarterlights and an opening canvas roof almost the whole length of the saloon. There was nothing quite like them as a city viewing platform until the seventies craze for open-toppers. They also had a radio, with roof-mounted aerials. An offside emergency door cost a pair of seats, but allowed a rear aspect unlike anything on LT before or since. Livery was a two-tone green applied in sweeping curves. (The post-war survivor went into Lincoln Green and flake grey, like the private-hire RFs).
They arrived during the late spring of 1939, being allocated to Old Kent Road garage (P). They had a summer of sight-seeing work before the war called a premature end to their activities. Unlike the GreenLine TFs they were not placed on ambulance duty. They had their quarterlight glazing painted over and were loaned to the Country Area for use as service buses - until the end of November. Then they were delicensed and placed in store. This was fatal for them, as on the 22nd October 1940 they were destroyed by a bomb - all except TF9.
TF9 escaped because it had been relicensed three weeks earlier to cope with such private hire work as could still be found. TF9 survived the war and formed part of the post-war private hire fleet until the private hire RFs and the RFWs came along. It was sold to Norths in Leeds in 1952, and may have been exported.

Private Hire TF histories


The Green Line TFs: 2TF2, TF14-88, C34C, Total 75

The Green Line TFs had Leyland FEC chassis with Chiswick coach-work. The design was tidied up somewhat, with a straight bottom edge to the window-line and a radiator built in to the curved nearside front wing. A remaining oddity was the upsweep in the gutter line, matching the coach-roof-boards. Presumably this avoided breaking the gutter for the fixing points, but it produced an untidy effect when different length boards were used, or in the latter days when they were demoted to bus work. They were handsome machines, with a favoured twin seat at the nearside front.

2TF2 drawing They were built during 1939, the chassis having been delivered by Leyland before Chiswick was ready to build the bodies. The entire batch of 75 was allocated to Romford for the heavily loaded services to Aldgate. Of course, shortly after their arrival, these Green Line services were suspended, and the TFs re-allocated to ambulance duties. When the Romford services were allowed to restart in 1940 they used STLs for capacity, so the TFs remained on ambulance work during the war. When the post-war GreenLine services resumed, the Romford services retained double-deckers, in the form of austerity Daimlers plus some STLs. So the TFs went to Dorking (712/3/4 + 412), St Albans (712/3), Grays (723+375 ), Epping (720) and Luton (727).


TF77 in LT Museum 1998 TF77 in LT Museum 1998, rear view The Grays TFs were displaced from Green Line work by RFs in January 1952, and moved to St.Alban's for bus work.
The St Alban's GreenLine TFs also remained at St Alban's for bus work in March 1952 when the GreenLine GreenLine RFs arrived, in turn displacing all SA's 10T10s for work elsewhere.
Dorking's TFs went to Hertford for bus duties on the 308/A, 329, 342, 372, 386/A, 389 and 390.
Epping kept some of its TFs from the 720 to use on the 399, and sent the others to Hitchin for the 364 and 399.
Luton kept its own for the 356, 364, 376 and 376A.

TF77, preserved in the LT Museum, Covent Garden, London, in 1998.

2TF2 drawing 2TF2 drawing At first the displaced TFs retained the two-tone green livery, but some later received overall Lincoln green with cream lining.

The respite in Country Bus work was short-lived however, as the Country RFs followed. St Alban's, a TF redoubt, lost them in April and May 1953. May also saw Hertford's allocation go, followed by Hitchin and Luton in June. Epping saw the last of its TFs at this time too, as they were replaced by 10T10s from elsewhere. Similarly Grays received postwar Regals, 15T13s, for its bus work.

Greenline TF histories


TF77 and RT44 at Stratford 1970

Survivors

TF 77 is active in the London Transport collection.

TF 43: the chassis frame is in service on Malta, with a replacement body, a front-mounted engine and Bedford axles/wheels!

TF77 with RT44 at Stratford Rally, 1970. Photo by Ian Smith.


TF bus histories TF photo references

Ian's Bus Stop 10T10s TF text 14T12s