The
foreigners think we're mad. Half the emails I get are
from international contributors who are astonished that
Transport for London is removing
one of the very reasons they come to this city in the
shape of the Routemaster bus. When asked just why this is
happening, I can't give a satisfactory answer. After all,
the official explanations, when they transpire, don't
wash in their entirety. So for all those who've written
to me whose emails remain unanswered in my Inbox (and
there are quite a few of you!), this is why; I can't face
replying, because I'm squirming with shame at what's
being done in the name of - I don't know what exactly.
Tonight route 7 lost its Routemasters and First London
became the second post-London Buses company to lose crew
operation entirely. As with the other conversions, a
great send-off was mounted for the buses and their
outgoing crews, with a large number of special vehicles
attending. |
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The 7's been a
bit of a forgotten route since its westernmost
section was sheared off in one of those rather
petty cost-saving exercises that saw the Acton
leg one-manned by the 52A (now part of the 70).
For all its short length and simple mission into
town from the west, it's surprisingly difficult
to run efficiently. The narrow, heavily populated
streets of North Kensington make for quite a
slog, and that's before you've hit the gridlocked
hell that is Oxford Street. For most of this week
buses had been turned at various points close to
Westbourne Park Garage, the operating base, and I
don't know how the OPO TALs of the future (not
new buses at all, as the publicity hints) are
going to make any difference. As it turned out,
both the Wormwood Scrubs terminus of 1987 and the
later choice of East Acton Station proved
unsatisfactory, so the 7 was extended on 1st
February 2003 to share the 72's stand at Brunel
Road. It was on that unassuming industrial estate
that scores of us gathered today to record
standard route 7 RMLs like RML 2473 (JJD 473D) and RML 2672 (SMK 672F). RML 2473
was one of very few Westbourne Park buses not to
receive a yellow band, while RML 2672 actually
performed the scheduled last crew journey on the
7, duty 1229. |
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The 7's last
day threw up some nice surprises, one of which
was an appearance by RM 938 (WLT 938), a
Routemaster that spent time with Reading Mainline
on that innovative and well-liked but eventually
short-lived network. The livery is excellent, and
quite close to the London Transport livery of
1933 that I think all London buses, regardless of
operator, should carry in the name of the lost
art of civic pride. It is seen leaving Brunel
Road just as I arrived for the day's work. Very
nearly all of Westbourne Park's RML fleet and
many of the specials carried 'LAST WEEK OF
ROUTEMASTERS ON ROUTE 7' via blinds to alert the
otherwise unsuspecting populace of the
significance of the occasion. |
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Friday's
weather was very erratic with sunny periods
broken by heavy rainfall, but most of us were
lucky regarding photography. We've been at this
for so long that we know exactly where to stand
and what time of day serves such locations best -
and in my case, all this without O-level
Geography! Thus Paddington station as Eastbourne
Terrace meets Praed Street was the best midday
location for another special to serve the 7 in
the shape of RM 613 (WLT 613), once an
Upton Park showbus and now in private hands. All
the original features have been restored, though
the radiator grille and white registration plate
are modern. The balloons are a nice touch applied
for the day. |
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Early
afternoon sees unobstructed nearside shots
possible at Marble Arch if what passes for lane
discipline on this mad roundabout is observed.
Once again RM 1 (SLT 56), the very first
Routemaster, made an appearance courtesy of
London's Transport Museum and this time I got to
go on it. It was interesting to see how
substantially different it is from production
models - the ventilation system is totally
different and the rear treatment is much closer
to the RT, plus the added design touch of
incorporating the nearside stop light into the
platform handrail, a feature that wasn't
continued. It's belting down as RM 1 passes on
its way back to East Acton, but luckily the
foliage at Speakers Corner afforded the valuable
lenses gathered some protection from the
elements. |
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A bit of
history now. When a route has a suffixed
addition, it isn't necessarily the case that the
suffixed route is a junior partner. In this case,
today's incarnation of the current 7 was actually
introduced in 1959 to replace the old 7A, which
ran from the traditional Acton terminus beyond
Oxford Circus to London Bridge. It was this
service that was recreated today using RTL 139 (KGK 803), a recent
Cobham purchase that has become really popular;
certainly it was packed to the rafters on its way
in and out of the City. The rain is streaming
down again as the Leyland enters London Bridge
Station, helpfully pulling across the junction to
gain a proper photographic angle which wouldn't
have been possible if it had taken the
conventional hard left hand turn. The 7's City
leg was a victim of Red Arrow expansion in 1970
and the 7 fell back to the West End, terminating
variously at Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road
and Bloomsbury before the smart decision was made
in 1992 to serve the British Museum and finish at
Russell Square. Shame the museum will now be
served by Tridents of considerably less classic
pedigree. |
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It was a
gamble and a half putting on not one, but two
open-top Routemasters on the 7 when the weather
was so changeable, but by the late afternoon the
elements had decided to behave themselves and out
came RM 120 (SSL 809, ex VLT 120)
from First Capital's private hire fleet. I'd have
loved a go on either this or RMC 1510 which also
appeared at this time, but I still had stuff to
photograph and I'd already enjoyed an open-top
ride a couple of years ago when RMC 1510 would
make regular good weather forays to the 23. The 7
was another route with a long Routemaster innings
- after the route had settled down without its 7A
companion, it was converted from RTL to RM on 1st
January 1964 and it wasn't until 1987 that RMLs
appeared. |
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As the chosen
buses assembled at Brunel Road for the final
round trip, which was due to depart for town at
19:34 for a 20:16 arrival at Russell Square, one
old route 7 Routemaster returned to its old
haunts - RML 2313 (CUV 313C), which saw
out its days on the 23 last November and is now
in private preservation in the same ex-CentreWest
livery. Even I thought it was still a Westbourne
Park bus at first, although the splendid
application of flags (one huge Union Jack in the
back window and one little Union Jack fastened to
the driver's door) and a large farewell banner in
the front window gave it away. It is seen pulling
past RML 885, which was to perform the last crew
duty. This stand can get busy even without last
day festivities, as 7s jostle for space with
London United Darts on the 72 and 283. |
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RML 2735 was
originally to be the last crew 7 if RML 885 was
not available, as had been the case for a period,
but the latter was repaired just in time and did
make it to East Acton after all. Both were
treated to cream bands and LONDON TRANSPORT
fleetnames. I wish the same level of sustained
interest and pride applied throughout the London
fleets and to the organisation which controls
them in general, because it's so gratifying to
see in action. Although RML 2672 on duty 1229 was
the last scheduled bus as mentioned earlier, it
had already departed by the time I took this
group shot at Russell Square. To be fair to the
'normal' route 7 passengers, there was no way
there would be any room for them on the special
duplicates that RML 885 was part of. With RML 885 (WLT 885) in the
foreground, I also managed to get what I'd missed
earlier in the day - Blue Triangle's RTW 75 and
ever-present RT 3871, silver RM 1650 on its last
day at Westbourne Park and a static appearance by
Arriva London South's RM 6 in Golden Jubilee
livery publicising Routemaster 50. |
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At the rear of
the 7's final convoy RML 885 (WLT 885) pulled into
Brunel Road at ten to ten, ending crew operation
on the 7 by Westbourne Park Garage, by First
London and by FirstGroup as a whole.
At the death RML 885 is seen bringing up the rear
of specials lined up for the flashguns. Although
it was an early finish due to the conversion of
the 7's evening service to OPO buses on 22nd May
1993 (and until very recently it was minibuses
that were on that ignominious duty!), it's barely
finished getting dark. Sleepy Brunel Road has
never seen such heavy traffic!
To avoid undue strain on Westbourne Park's
already very busy forecourt, the handover of the
7's RMLs to the incoming ex-Rainham Tridents was
accomplished off-site by the drivers taking the
Routemasters directly from East Acton to White
City, the former outstation that ran the 10 for
Westbourne Park and which is now used as a
storage depot, and swapping them for a TAL.
First's last service Routemaster was driven for
one last time by Leon Daniels and crewed by a
long-serving conductor, who as part of his final
day's work handed to the passengers commemorative
stickers and certificates to mark the occasion.
Many of the conductors at Westbourne Park had
forty years' service and dated all the way back
from when London Transport recruited Caribbeans
to come and work on the platforms - their
ever-cheerful manner is a part of London's unique
mixture of cultures that will really be missed
tomorrow when there's nobody to talk to or help
you out on 7s. |
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| So
that's the end of the 7, but already there's another
route conversion to come and that's on Friday 9th July
when crew operation on the 137 is discontinued. The
RML-operated route from Arriva London South's Brixton
garage has seen its intended DWs gain the ascendancy very
suddenly in the past few days, and it's reported that
absolutely nothing at all is going to happen. It would be
a terrible shame if the proud streak of last days was
interrupted, and I'd be quick to make my disappointment
known in these pages. Despite Brixton having one more
Routemaster service, (the 159), the 137 has a much longer
pedigree and its Routemasters form an attractive
complement to the smart regions the route passes through,
where the 159 is more of a slog through the inner city. I
also hear that Arriva London South's participation with
Routemaster 50 means they won't have enough resources to
put into a 137 finale. It's doubly unfortunate,
therefore, that Golden Jubilee-liveried RM 6, which was
visiting the 7's Russell Square terminus tonight and also
appeared at North Weald, is no longer a service bus,
having been pulled off the front line a couple of months
ago. One might have expected that to play a significant
role - but if the officials concerned are reading these
pages, I would beg them to consider it, or at the very
least speak to the owners and operators of these fine
preserved vehicles who have been making these last days
such a pleasure (albeit a bittersweet one) to be part of,
and allow them to operate their buses in some capacity on
the 137. It goes without saying that the last scheduled
crew journey on the 137 should be a Routemaster, and I
really hope they put one out. I'll be there next week in
any case, so the challenge is on. I'll end for now by
thanking all those concerned with the 7's send-off; it
was a good one and the weather didn't spoil it at all! |
