The red RFs

This page created 28th December 1997, updated 7th February 2002.

The Central Area buses: 2RF2/2

RF 289 - RF 513, or RF 314 - RF 532/8, Total 225

Into service

RF350 on the 227, at Crystal Palace
Photo by BusSpotter. Click for larger image.

The 213 lost its LTLs from Sutton (A) and and 14T12s from Norbiton(NB), the latter allowing some of Kingston's old 1T1s and their remaining 4Q4s to be retired. Croydon (TC) also lost its Scooters from the 234A, and Dalston lost the last serving members of the type from the 208 in January 1953.
Sidcup (SP) received new RFs to displace their remaining 14T12s to Southall and Uxbridge(UX), in turn sending bus 10T10s to Kingston.
RFs replaced 5Q5s from West Green (WG)- route 233 - and from Dalston's 208, completing the change on that route.

RF366 with blinds for Sutton's route 213. It is now preserved with doors and stencil
and is seen at Cobham Open Day, April 98. Photo by Ian Smith, Click for larger version.

Muswell Hills allocation of 1TD1s were ousted by RFs on the 212, but found new homes at Loughton (L) and Kingston (K): 10T10s were the losers there, and at other garages involved in the shuffle of older types.
Finally the 241 was converted at Sidcup, replacing 5Q5s.
This still left the postwar 14T12s operating at Kingston, Uxbridge, and Southall, and postwar Leyland TDs at Edgware, Leyton, Tottenham, Harrow Weald, Muswell Hill and Kingston. Pre-war 10T10s survived in the short term at Kingston and Enfield (EN) (the latter awaiting RTs once a bridge was replaced), but these last 10T10s for Central bus services also went once Enfield's 2TD2 routes were double-decked.

Summary of initial allocations:

Dates	Route No	Route	Garage	Displaced types
Sept, Oct 52	210	Finsbury Park-Golders Green	MH	TD
October 1952	208A	Maryland Stn-Clapton Pond	D	LTL
Nov, Dec 52	227	Chislehurst-Penge	TB	LTL
December 1952	237	Hounslow-Chertsey	AV	LTL
December 1952	200	Wimbledon Stn-Coombe Lane	AL	5Q5
December 1952	202	New Cross-Canal Bridge	P	5Q5
Dec 52, Jan 53	213	Kingston-Belmont	NB	14T12
January 1953	234A	Purley-Hackbridge	TC	LTL
January 1953	208	Bromley-by-Bow-Clapton Pond	D	LTL
January 1953	228	Chislehurst-Well Hall Stn	SP	14T12
February 1953	233	Finsbury Park-Northumberland Park	WG	5Q5
February 1953	208	Bromley-by-Bow-Clapton Pond	D	5Q5
February 1953	212	Finsbury Park-Muswell Hill Broadway	MH	1TD1
March 1953	241	Welling Stn-Sidcup Garage	SP	5Q5
October 1953	254	Loughton Stn-Buckhurst Hill	L	5Q5

As the RFs settled into work, they were noticeably faster than their predecessors. This allowed some reductions in numbers of buses allocated to some routes, as schedules were adjusted, and so Loughton received an allocation of RFs to replace TDs. These were stored for a while, then replaced 14T12s at Norbiton, these last being sold.

(RF 366 at Cobham Station, operating a service on the 1997 RF Running Day. This RF has been equipped in preservation with semaphore indicators. The slot can be seen behind the doorway.
Photo by Ian Smith. Click on image for larger version.)

The 1955 survey of fleet requirements showed a considerable extra need for Green Line RFs, while the Central Area was deemed to have surplus single-deckers. So after some bitter wrangling Central Area was forced to give up ten of the Private Hire RFs and six buses. The latter were converted to Green Line specification, with doors, luggage racks, extra lighting and revised seating.

In order to keep the numbers of RFs in tidy blocks by usage, the buses converted were the first six numerically, RF289-294 (MLL926-931). But 19 Country buses were also being converted, so the next nineteen Central buses (RF 295-313) were renumbered to the end of the Central bus block, becoming RF 514-532.

But that was not the end of the argument. Central Buses were incensed at losing modern RFs when they still had old-fashioned (if not terribly old) 14T12s and 1TD1s to operate. The trades unions considered it a grave breach of faith, and threatened industrial action. Central Area won back six buses, which were extracted from Country Area and sent to Sidcup complete with doors and green livery. (Six red RFs went on to Muswell Hill, displacing TDs on the 251) Another twelve green RFs were borrowed by Central Area to cover during the 1956-7 overhauls, and these too were allocated to Sidcup, which therefore had a total of 18 green RFs for a year or so!

(Meanwhile Kingston borrowed three (or four) 15T13s from the Country Area - but that isn't really part of this story!)

Renumbering was as follows:

Old numbers	Old type	Work done	New numbers	New type
RF 289-294	Central Bus	Repaint, doors, roofboards, lights, lino, seats, racks	RF 289-294	Green Line
RF 295-313	Central Bus	renumber only	RF 514-532	Central Bus
RF 533-538	Country Bus	transferred (still green)	RF 533-538	Central Bus

RF 530, one of the re-numbered Central Area RFs, on duty at the 1997 RF Running Day, Cobham. Click for larger images.

Re-deployments

Three more spare RFs were found early in 1959 to allocate to Norbiton for the 201, allowing Central area to send back the three green 15T13s to the Country Area.

Meanwhile, Old Kent Road garage had closed, so that its RF allocation for the 202 went to New Cross (NX).

Summary of re-allocations 1956-59:

Dates	Route No	Route	Garage	Displaced types	Replacements
December 1956	251	Arnos Grove-Burnt Oak	MH	TD	RF
November 1958	228	Chislehurst-Well Hall Stn	SP	RF	RT
November 1958	241	Welling Stn-Sidcup Garage	SP	RF	RT (on 51)
December 1958	222	Hounslow Central-Uxbridge	UX	14T12	RF
December 1958	211	Ealing Broadway-Greenford	HW	14T12	RF
December 1958	236	Leyton (High Road)-Stroud Green	T/AR	2TD2	RF
January 1959	201	Kingston - Feltham	NB	15T13	RF

One Man Operation?

Routes identified for OPO conversion were the 216, 218 and 219, all operated by Kingston with TD2s. Enough RFs were found by pulling together the rest of the Sidcup allocation, converting West Green's route 233 to RTL operation, and altering the 208 to the 178 with RLH buses.

But the Unions wouldn't play. Whereas the Country Area had an existing OPO agreement, the Central Area had had no OPO working since Central's Leyland Cubs disappeared in 1949. Negotiations stalled.

Meanwhile Central RFs 502 to 538 were converted. They were stored for a while, then deployed as crewed buses to eliminate other pockets of TD operation, from North Street (250), Uxbridge (224,A,B) and Norbiton (206 and 264). The 216 from Kingston was also converted from TD operation to crewed RF.
Five of the red OMO RFs were loaned to Reigate (RG) in the Country Area, during the summer of 1959, for use on the 447, releasing further Country RFs for conversion.

RF 534, seen at the 1997 RF Running Day, at Cobham station. RF530 at North Weald Rally in June 1998.
Both RFs were converted for OPO in April 1959, and RF530 wears the blinds for the non-OPO route 250 where it was diverted.
As one of the last survivors in service RF534 acquired the white bullseye livery when re-certificated in 1976.
RF530, on the other hand, still wears original livery in preservation. Photos by Ian Smith. Click on images for larger version.

Summary of the 1959 re-allocations:

Dates	Route No	Route	Garage	Displaced types	Replacements
March 1959	233	Finsbury Park-Northumberland Park	WG	RF	RTL
May 1959	208	Bromley-by-Bow-Clapton Pond	D	RF	RLH (178)
June 1959	224,A,B	Uxbridge-Laleham	UX	2TD2	RF
June 1959	206	Claygate-Hampton Court Stn	NB	2TD2	RF
June 1959	264	Sunbury - Hersham	NB	15T13	RF
July 1959	250	Hornchurch-Epping	NS	14T12	RF
July 1959	216	Kingston - Sunbury - Staines	K	15T13	RF

At about this time the entire RF fleet was equipped with "trafficators", direction indicators mounted on swivels at the front cant rail level of the buses. In conjunction with this they had the double-headed rear arrow supplemented by a separate arrow on the nearside (the near-pointing offside arrow-head being painted over).

Preserved RF 486 shows the rear arrow arrangement, plus the front trafficators, at Showbus 97.
Photos by Ian Smith. Click for larger versions.

RF retractions

In 1960 the 212 had its RFs replaced by RTs. This released twenty-one RFs, which went to Kingston to replace TDs on routes 218, 219, and some 215 workings. (Route 215A had to wait another 2 years until agreement was reached with the Traffic Commisioners about using RFs on this route on weekdays.)
Further RFs became available when 222 (UX) was absorbed into double-deck 223, and the 224 group (also UX) became RT operated in May 1962.
Route 213 (NB) also lost its RFs in favour of RTs at the same time.

RF319 with route 219 blinds, Cobham April 98. Click for larger.

Suddenly there was a surplus of red RFs.
The last TDs, at Edgware (240A) and Kingston (215A) vanished, and some RFs went into store.

The 211 from Southall (HW) also went to double-deckers in 1964 (being extended to Ruislip at the same time), and the 200 from Merton (AL) in 1965.
Some Central RFs were loaned to the Country Area to cover during the 1964-5 overhaul round.

Summary of the early 60's changes:

Dates	Route No	Route	Garage	Displaced types	Replacements
January 1960	212	Finsbury Park-Muswell Hill Broadway	MH	RF	RT
January 1960	215(Sun)	Kingston - Ripley	K	2TD2	RF
January 1960	218	Kingston - Laleham - Staines	K	2TD2	RF
January 1960	219	Kingston - Weybridge	K	2TD2	RF
May 1962	222	Hounslow Central - Uxbridge	UX	RF	RT (on 223)
May 1962	224,A,B	Uxbridge - Laleham	UX	RF	RT
May 1962	213	Kingston - Belmont	NB	RF	RT
May 1962	240A	Edgware - Mill Hill East	EW	2TD2	RF
May 1962	215A	Kingston - Downside	K	2TD2	RF
July 1964	211	Ealing Broadway-Ruislip	HW	RF	RT
August 1965	200	Wimbledon - Raynes Park	AL	RF	RT

One Person Operation

A side effect was the conversion of some RT routes to RF, and the creation of some new routes.

Transfers from Country Area

No, RF 315 was NOT one of the transferred Country RFs. Converted for OPO in the Central area in August 1966, it was withdrawn from Fulwell (FW) in February 1973. It has been operated by Memory Lane on Surrey Sunday routes, and private hire, in Country Area livery, as worn by the 1969 transferees for about 6 months. Photo by Ian Smith, at 1997 RF Running Day. Click for larger image.

Further route changes: the Bus Reshaping Plan

In the end historical and local inertia, allied to the rolling stock short-comings, killed off the Re-shaping plan, and the final pattern of RF operations closely resembled the 1950s single-decker situation. One significant difference was the use of RFs for one-person operation on lightly loaded Sunday workings of otherwise double-decked routes, such as the 285.

Withdrawals

Aldenham overhauls for RFs restarted in February 1971.

RF385 on the 227. Photo, used with permission, by BusSpotter

The OPO buses continued stalwartly, operating reliably while the new generation came to smoking halts by the roadside, or sagged in the middle when fully loaded (a big problem with centre-exit single-deckers: it stopped the centre doors shutting fully, so the bus could not move!) Many RFs were overhauled in the 1970-1 cycle, but when others came due in 1973 it was decided to withdraw them. Immediate replacements came in the shape of DMS double-deckers and SMS single-deckers. Ninety-five Bristol LHS buses were bought (the BL class), and a large number of standee SMS buses were intended to be modified to properly-seated SMD versions, to act as RF replacements.

The RF was found to be a difficult act to follow, especially in the Kingston area. Some routes (215, 251, 264) should have received SMDs according to the plan, but proved too narrow in practice. Others, like the 212, 254 and 258, allocated BLs, suffered from lack of capacity. Finally, the position of the inspection pits at Kingston prevented the use of larger vehicles there! This meant that either RFs or a larger number of BLs were necessary for the 218 and 219 routes.

Left above: RF 502 on the 218 to Staines (K). Photo, used with permission, by BusSpotter.

Right above: RF 534 in late livery, with extra spotlight for training SM drivers. Photo by Ian Smith.

Right above: RF 486 recreates the 219 atmosphere at Esher during the RF50 celebrations, June 2001.

Some continued for a while with LT as trainers or staff buses, but the rest went mainly for scrap or preservation.

Surviving Central Area RFs

RF 453 at the East Grinstead Running Day, April 98
Photo by Ian Smith. Click for larger version.

Bus histories

Photo Refs