London Buses 1986-Bow Garage Routemaster's Run-in 

I love seeing my Routemaster in this video do what she was designed for.

Wow, those busses are really whippin' it in there... Those drivers had to have known that turn so well to take it so quick.

I was there on the last night of RML operation on the 8 in 2004. It was widely acknowledged as the best send off to the Routemaster.

I was a driver at Bow on the 25 then I loved the routemaster. Oh I'm still there 35 years later as an official now. Good videos

The driver of the first bus in the clip must’ve been eager for tea break lol no hanging around to get in the garage, great bit of driving passing the Volvo, I always wanted a shot of driving one of these amazing buses.

Never saw a route 8A! Probably because I only went into central through East London on the weekends. Thank you Soi!

Wonderful!!! Tanking in! ♥️♥️

Fantastic!

4.22. AEC engined routmasters and Leyland 510 engined Leyland National. Both have a distinct and completely unique and unforgotten sound.

I drove out of FY from 1982 to it's closure around 10 years later then Holloway for a year, then Enfield for a while and finally Potters Bar until the early 2000s. My time at Finchley was mainly driving RM/RML and I can state that if we drove at speed into the depot during the evening run in we would have been written up for that! Bow was clearly a pirate outfit! lol

Excellent. That huge gothic building you see on Bow Road behind the vehicles as they come down Fairfield Road succumbed to the wrecking ball - and has been replaced by some tasteless 4-storey flats.

Loved the queuing and the sewing machine AEC engine sounds coming from the RMLs and RMs and the low idle GELUNK GELUNK GELUNK sound. A bonus thrashing from a Natter.

And the queues into the garage still happen today. But it’s good that in June the 25’s will be back at home in BW

Seeing some of those RMs on that route 8A does make me think thats one good thing about modern TFL bus network - no more suffix routes ive read up on some of them like 5A 5B 5C 15A AND 15B etc etc must have been a right pain having to remember the difference between them of both where and when they ran

Great video. Thanks as always. Was that a Marina van at 7:04. Good old days

Didn't the final Routemaster, RML2760 SMK760F belong at Bow garage? I've been on this bus about 20 years ago. The earliest Routemaster I have been on was RM6 VLT6. I've never seen RM5 VLT5 in the flesh. I would love to have a ride on RM1 SLT56, the Queen and Prince Philip have been chauffered around on this years ago. The withdrawal of Routemasters in large numbers started in 1982, such as shame some of the very earliest, RM11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20 were scrapped if I am correct.

i live here and the stairs to go to my house weren't even there. It was so weird to see how my area looked

Buses blocking the road during the run-in (usually at midnight though, not 2000hrs?) was something Oxford Bus used to have at its Cowley Road garage (closed 2004). The new place was designed with the fuelling alley at the far end of the site to avoid this, though I don't think it was entirely successful.

A depressing reminder of how standards within LT had collapsed by this time....the overall appearance of the buses......going through the bus wash without even bothering to close the windows......how tragic that LT had been reduced to that level.

A lot of my misspent youth at this garage standing out side getting numbers..

nice

I've got the actual video of this, purchased at a rally. It's a great video from start to finish. Did you film this or did you also purchase the video ?

Did the 6 also part run from BW or was it AG ?

ive just noticed some of those rear blinds have "ROUTE" above the number Something else that seems to have faded out over the years.

Only type trained on RMs a cracking bus to drive

Must have been a well hot day...plenty of open windscreens...couldn't imagine that these days...H&S claiming the driver might get a fly in the eye..

Hi mate, hope you're well, would it be possible to buy any bow garage footage you have unedited, I have a massive connection to this garage when they operated the D1, 108, 8, 25 Hope to hear from you soon

Didn’t the S2 run out of BW ?

The only bus that worked FOR London NOT AGAINST IT ! The Douglas Scot Route Master. We must campaign to have them reproduced back into full service. The new giant buses are dreadful. Dangerous FAR TOO large they don't all fit into the ruddy garages ! and bloody ugly. Far too complicated they're so big Oxford Street has to keep all traffic out for to allow room for them. The REAL London Bus the DOUGLAS Scot originals were only 7○5 tons had the same number of seats and allowed for traffic . A two man crew for better security. and never wore out ! They brought in world wide visitors. Looking into that old superior bus gives me the creeps though ... as they were so WELL DESIGNED they seem to predict the future of events to come. Dispite the open platform one never got cold on them . Let's all get a petition to get back THE LONDON BUS ...

Hi there my real Name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't all of you and your teammates could still be Rebuilding and Repainting a nice fresh shiny Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the East London bus route's such as 168, 141, 20, 210, 24, 173, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 188 of Those Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses Please? We desperately Need your and your Teammates' help and support in Bringing back those grey-green 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses again because we are Bigger fans of the patterns of those interesting colours of these Buses to be brought back again for all of us Grey Green bus Lovers out there in North London and East London bus route lovers so Please can Really Really bringing them back again for all of us Grey Green Bus route lovers out there in North London and East London lovers Pretty Please? and can you and your teammates could you and your teammates also put most of them on the London Bus routes such as the London bus route 123, N41, 86, 221 and that is including the North London Bus route 41 for all of us Grey Green bus lovers out there in North London and East London Pretty Please? Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour and put them on the London Bus Routes which are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41, 56 and N26 for all of us in North London and East London Grey Green Bus Lovers out there because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour's and I am a Big Fan of all of those Volvo TD102KF, Volvo D10A, Scania N230UD, Gardner 6LXB and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Transmission Enviro 400 MMC Buses Please? Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very much for your time, help and support.