My Mother was a clippie in the 70s. She started off on the 161a, going from Abbey Wood to Petts Wood. I know there was a break and turn around point at Chislehurst caves that she hated, because it was so cold in the winter. Later she transfered to the 180, but eventually did the 177 Abbey Wood to Blackfriars. Living in abbey Wood, we used many of the buses in this video. 122, 229, 177, 180, 51, 53 and 161a is about all i can remember, but it was great to see Abbey Wood Garage again. Great video, documenting real social history.
My dad was a conductor on the buses out of Abbey Wood in the early 70's when we moved to Thamesmead. As a kid, I used to love seeing him at work as he would let me turn the handle on the ticket machine 😎
I can remember the bus route 47 used to go all the way from Shoreditch to Farnborough, back in 1978, when I was thirteen. It was a great day out for kids/teenagers you could go for a walk from Farnborough to Downe. Ah they were the days. These days the route 47 goes from Farnborough to Catford only.☺️
One sunday evening Me and my cousin went to Edgware garage to see the brand new omo buses lined up and ready for service the next morning, then we travelled home on the last 292 RT Edgware to Borehamwood the crew decorated the bus with bunting etc. then the next morning I travelled to school on the first omo bus ...great memories ..i have now been driving buses for 26 years and am presently driving for hedingham in clacton on sea
Great video. I'm proud to say my local childhood bus route was the 62, one of the conductors was also our window cleaner. I remember they seemed so common around Barking on the 62 and 87 that I had no idea how rare they'd become. Luckily my Grandad knew I loved the old buses and made sure I was there to see them bow-out.
I used to hop on a 62 Route bus at the shops in Rose Lane on the Marks Gate Estate, (which crossed the boundary between Ilford and Dagenham) to go shopping in Barkingside or Hainault. Growing up, I caught an RT every day going to and from school plus shopping trips to Romford or into Ilford via Gants Hill. Trying to catch up on homework on some RT's was far from easy if you had a driver who imagined he was Graham Hill or Jim Clark competeing in the Eastern Avenue Grand Prix! Great film full of happy memories, thank you for posting it.
The 62 was one of my local routes. Used it so many times. Its sad to see how these venerable buses were allowed to get so externally shoddy when they still had a few years service to do. Standards certainly slipped. Thankfully we are able to see and travel on the preserved buses from time to time. Great film 😊
Thanks for posting that video. My going home school bus, 94 to Orpington from Bromley North. Plus the 47 turning around at The George in Farnborough village.
Happy memories of the 122 traveling from Kirkdale down to Lewisham to my nans. I'm sure I saw a quick glimpse of Lewisham high st/Loampit Vale before they tore the place apart. Remember seeing the RTs parked up in Molesworth St - behind the Odeon. Nans place was a new flat opposite the coca cola place on the corner of Thurston Rd where I seem to remember the 47 turned right instead of going up the hill towards New Cross. I lived in Sydenham which in the mid 60s was still RT country along with Forest Hill.
Entirely beautiful! Thank-you! I lived in Chislehurst then and, subsequently in both Bromley and Downe. And now I'll be standing as an Independent Democratic and Co-operative Socialist Candidate for Parliament for most of the 161 route, ie in The Eltham and Chislehust Constituency (which includes all of Mottingham. Again, thank-you!
Even though I was young I used to love the RTs. I sometimes used to catch the 79A from Alperton to Honeypot Lane and would look out and hope for an RT with the box number repeater at the front on the roof - Daft I know but I just thought it finished the look of these buses off perfectly - Happy Days.
Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing. To me, the RT just IS the epitome of perfect design. I know the RM took it further in some areas and they certainly became the iconic London bus, but to me, at least, the RM just didn't quite have that certain ' something ' that the RT did. Was it the body styling? The exposed radiator? Genuinely don't know. But whatever it was, for me, the RT was king. Excellent video. Many thanks
My dad was a driver started of at New Cross then he transferred to Abbey Wood then went to the old Plumstead garage until the new Plumstead opened in the 1980s up until the late 1990s then went over Bexleyheath garage for a few years and now retired
Listen to that “POETRY IN MOTION” of an AEC Straight-Six Diesel engine designed in collaboration with Ricardo performance engineering. The under-floor mounted version fitted into the AEC RF Single Deck bus had such a slow tick-over being so finally balanced😇. AEC …. Gone, but not Forgotten ❤
I wish some recieved the white roundel on the side like the Routemasters got. I saw it on the RTs used on An American Werewolf in London and they looked good and it modernised them a bit.
Can you put together some London buses of the 40s and 50s as it is embarrassing watching a Routemaster in the background of a drama based in the early 50s and late 40s.
@thelibrarian46 Hi, you replied to my question when you just needed to leave a comment. FYI, there's a company called Galleon Travel that has a large collection of vintage London and London Country buses. A lot of them run on the Epping - Ongar railway.
Another nice film of better times. I would guess 90% of the cars seen are still British made, despite this being British Leyland's worst period. Also only one 4x4 seen, a Landrover S2, whereas now there are many (and most are horrible!). A couple of those Rover P4s, I loved those cars.
