The London Bus Page - 02/09/04 - Tottenham Garage's Farewell Tour

All sixty-one of Tottenham garage's Routemasters completed another full day on the 73, with the last act to follow tomorrow when up to twenty preserved Routemasters and other classic buses will join them in an epic that is intended to rival the last day of the 8 three months ago. In the aim of commemorating the last Routemasters to work from the garage, three of Tottenham garage's routes saw appearances by classic buses today.
The 41, 76 and 243 all fell to OPO in the same year, 1985, during a multi-programme onslaught that saw the proportion of crew routes plummet from half the old London Transport roster to a quarter of it. The 243 was RML-operated by the end, but the other two were both still using RMs.

	The first part of the diagram saw the three buses perform a rounder on the 41, starting at Tottenham Hale, running to Archway and then returning to the garage. Arriva London North's finest, Routemaster RM 5 (VLT 5) arrives at Tottenham Hale at twenty past ten to set the ball rolling. Although this bus is the lowest-numbered Routemaster still in service, it carries a later body (B319) with opening front upper deck windows. However, it retains its original interior and AEC engine, and will be the very last AEC-engined bus in service when it completes the final journey on the 73 tomorrow evening.
	One of the very first preserved buses is RTW 467 (LLU 957), which was bought by a number of individuals after doing the honours of seeing the RTW class out of service on 14th May 1966. After many years out of the limelight, it returned to regular use with its debut on the last day of crew operation on the 8 three months ago. Today it did two of the three routes, first taking up the 41 and then the 76 for a run into town. At the close of its route 76 journey it is seen on Waterloo Bridge, where it paused for pictures.
	Third and last in the diagram today was the 243, which has really come into its own since being extended over the former Red Arrow route 505 to Waterloo. Blue Triangle's magnificent RTW 75 (KGK 575) was the final bus to perform today, and is seen in the 243's stand. On its way past is Volvo B7TL VLW 172 (LJ03 MOV), one of the 243's usual contingent nowadays.

So that's all the preparations done, thanks to all who participated with their smashing vehicles, and Black Friday is upon us.

Tomorrow the main focus will be on the 73, with twenty specials leaving Tottenham garage from about ten in the morning until seven in the evening. The 9 will field five specials and the 390 another six, with many of them swapping around as fit. Timetables and info are all at the LOTS website, but enough buses will be plying the streets that it should be relatively easy to capture them all if you just shadow the routes all day, as I'm planning to do. At the death, the last buses on the three doomed routes are as follows, subject to alteration on the day;

Route 9 - RML 880 as S319, departing Aldwych at 23:39.
Route 390 - RML 903 as KX8, departing Marble Arch at 00:50.
Route 73 - RM 5, departing Victoria at 00:44.

All routes' final workings will be preceded by duplicates so that everybody who wants to ride and photograph can get aboard. It is quite possible that the last 390 will hang back to accompany the last 73 on their common section.


by Matthew Wharmby
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