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The commencement of the
conversion of the 8 (Victoria-Old Ford & Bow
Church) to doored buses is imminent, so get
riding and photographing while you still can. A
spate of photography I undertook myself on
Saturday saw RML 2709 (SMK 709F) at Oxford
Circus, looking as good as ever, and certainly
not in any need of replacement. Stagecoach East London
have unveiled their plans for the end of the 8's
Routemasters, and they are absolutely epic. Every
weekend from the next until the final day of
operation, Friday 4th June, will see special
appearances by classic vehicles alongside the
dwindling band of faithful RMLs and incoming
Tridents.
The events
begin this Sunday with the appearance on the 8 of
two first of their types, Metrobus M 1 and Titan
T 1. They will be working short journeys between
Victoria and Holborn (or St. Paul's) throughout
the day, flanked by Bow's own RML 2456 (green)
and RML 2760 (the last Routemaster of all,
already a veteran of the last day of the 15 and
indeed intended to be the last 8).
On Bank Holiday
weekend (30th/31st May) the two special RMLs will
perform on an extraordinary variety of routes
that ran or used to run in east and north-east
London, encompassing combinations of the present
26, 53, 86, 101, 115, 277 and 473 and
long-withdrawn routes 6A, 6B, 8A, 10 (all the way
out to Abridge!), 10A, 23C and 169A.
During the
final week of RML operation guest vehicles will
perform throughout the daytime on Wednesday 2nd
June, Thursday 3rd June and Friday 4th June. On
this last day, the final day of Routemasters from
not only Bow Garage but by Stagecoach as a whole,
the last journey of all (BW75, leaving Victoria
at 22:45 to arrive home at 23:31) will be
operated by RML 2760, preceded in by duplicates.
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