The 268 route was introduced in late 1968, long overdue as the first bus route to serve Hampstead Village. Dual-door AEC Merlin MB181 (VLW181G), recorded here at Golders Green, was originally a Red Arrow bus, but was transferred later to Cricklewood Garage (W) to operate the 268. The dual-door Merlins were succeeded in 1975 by their single-door brethren, followed by single-door SM Swifts one year later. Later 268 allocations included Leyland Nationals, a sequence of minibuses when the route was contracted out, then Dennis Darts.
Advertising the Ham & High (Hampstead & Highgate Express local newspaper), MB181 was withdrawn in 8/75 and subsequently sold to an Australian operator for further service.
May 1974
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 ASA 50 film.
Tags: ham & high 268 route 268 bus vlw181g mb181 london transport aec merlin Golders Green station
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The gamut of London Transport’s front-line double-deckers of the 1970s, caught in the one shot crossing Westminster Bridge. At the left, a rear view of Routemaster on the 12 route, while a long-serving RT on the 172 leads a DMS on the 170. The RT appears to RT1345 (KLB594).
December 1974
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Tags: klb594 rt1395 rt big ben Westminster bridge
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Eight, in fact. Those happy days of yore when Routemasters ruled the London bus routes. A cluster of nine RMs lay over in York Way, alongside Kings Cross station. At the head of the line is RM1371 (371CLT) of Tottenham Garage (AR), ready to head to the Stoke Newington end of the route.
RM1371 enjoyed nearly 20 years of London Transport service between 12/62 and 9/82. It spent an even longer period in Canada, joining the sightseeing fleet of Abegweit Tours of Charlottesville, Prince Edward Island, with whom it served between 6/83 and 4/10. It was repatriated to the UK by Roger Wright of London Bus Company fame. RM1371 was later recorded as being with a Nottingham owner from 9/15. (Ian’s Bus Stop refers.)
With reference to the front panel advert, who remembers Charlie Chester? He was a comedian in the Cheeky Chappie Max Miller mould, with a later career as a BBC Radio 2 presenter.
December 1974
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Tags: routemaster Charlie chester London transport York way kings cross 371clt aec routemaster rm1371
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RT357 (HLX174) pulls up at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall on its way to Wandsworth. Nominally an early member of the postwar RT family, new in 3/48, RT357 was allocated to Stockwell Garage (SW) at the date of this photograph. Ian’s Bus Stop records that it went into store in the following month, usually a precursor to withdrawal and scrapping, but it enjoyed a further lease of life based at Sidcup (SP). The scrapyard eventually called time on RT357 in 10/76. The valiant final members of the RT class remained in LT service until 4/79.
December 1974
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Tags: bus stop London transport aec regent 168 bus route whitehall hlx174 rt357
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Allocated to Camberwell Green Garage (Q), RM1580 (580CLT) was captured in Whitehall, in the company of a pair of K8 telephone kiosks, a design produced between 1968 and 1983 that is almost extinct today. Out of an original total of 11,000 examples, barely 50 are known to survive today.
The bus advertises Double Diamond beer, the ‘Party Worker’ slogan being a reminder that two general elections had taken place during the year. Double Diamond Burton Ale was a leading beer brand between the 1950s and 1970s, nationally distributed and heavily advertised (“A Double Diamond works wonders, works wonders” “We’re only here for the beer”). That advertising led me to drink a lot of Double Diamond in my student days, but at the very time of this photograph, I had freshly abandoned all keg beer in favour of real ale. Double Diamond in bottled form was said to have been a Prince Philip favourite. Limited production continues today under Carlsberg auspices.
RM1580 was withdrawn in 2/85, by then allocated to Tottenham Garage (AR), departing for scrap soon afterwards.
December 1974
Zorki 4 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Tags: k8 phone box double diamond aec routemaster London transport routemaster whitehall 580clt rm1580
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