My dad would have been so proud to have seen the last Routemaster. He worked on the Routemaster fuel pumps at "Chiswick Works". It is was a wonderful bus and it makes me proud to be British.
It's sad as the RMs were British, London and the RMs go together beautifully. I miss them, I live in Oz but when I go to UK for holidays,there's a kind of emptiness without the RMs
I grew up in Thornton Heath during the late 60's and 70's, used to love getting the 159 from the clock tower for a trip into London. The 159's full route back them was from Thornton Heath Clock Tower, across London to Hemel Hempsted. Most certainly an icon of London because they were built for London. Go to London now and most of the buses are of types you could find in any UK city.
I used to travel on the route master From southall to Acton to attend College approx 1982 I also I think used To travel on it for walk about in Ealing or going to central London 1982 to 1989 . It was a bus Which was not exactly a health Safety unit but can be Dangerous because of the Rear staircase. I still like the bus it’s still A legend of all London Buses .
I was over in London to see a gig by the band Marillion a few days before the last run. Some of my bus enthusiast friends from Dublin came over as well so there was a good few Irish bus enthusiasts outside Stretham garage that day. I got interviewed on sky news and relatives of the Routemaster design team had a champagne party on the bus I caught up to Stretham on the morning of the last run day. Sad to see them go. We have a few Routemasters on the roads here in Dublin now
I drove the number 3 and 159 crew bus for many years out of Camberwell garage. I refused to drive one man operation buses. The RM and the RML is still the best bus I've ever driven.
+seymour harris I was at Q in the 1980s and drove all the Routemaster routes and DMS on the 172. I eventually got made up one man on the 45s. Loved my time @ Camberwell. Rms were the best thing ever.
Heritage Route 15 is Now Heritage Route T15 Between Trafalgar Square & Piccadilly Circus is now operated by Londoner Buses Transpora Group Starting at Waterloo Station in the Morning & Returning back to Waterloo Station in the Evening
Tell that to people who are in a wheelchair or have a buggy. Or to tfls finances which can’t handle paying thousands more people for an unnecessary job. Ignorant nostalgia comment
retrorocker44 Did you crew the no. 36? That route was nuts! The characters on board! And the 36 used to go like the clappers - at least from Camberwell to Vauxhall.
@@Sailfire1 my Nan & Grandad lived in Bew Court Lordship Lane, as a kid in the 80’s we used to look out the windows on the first floor flats at the passengers, sometimes wave to them as the bus stopped right outside their flat.
The RM's on the heritage route 15 aren't proper RM's, they've had new engines from Dennis Darts, no longer Routemaster, now a Dartmaster, such a shame and not the same :(
+MUNKYBOi1989 As a footnote, there is a lot to be said for modifications such as different engines, transmissions etc if they ensure that a heritage item can be kept in running condition for all to enjoy.
Ben Summers true, but to be properly heritage they should have retained their original AEC or Leyland engines. Private owners manage to keep original engines in, so why can't TfL, parts can be made to replace worn ones. As I see if, putting in the new engines is only making a simple bus more complicated to fix when it goes wrong.
The RM’S engine had a distinctive sound it was music on a cold rainy night. It was as familiar as a Spitfire’s Merlin engine, and somehow reassuring. The buses used to be quick then, back in the day - even if they were late, then two (sometimes three!) showed up at once.
I found a few parts of my routemaster 2477 has gold paint on it. 2477 was on the 159 route until early 2005. It’s a shame some of these enthusiasts can’t put cash into help us owners keep the buses on the road. With zero carbon threats an affordable electric conversion is needed to keep these historic motors on the road. My Routemaster sits next to out old red phonebox and red letterbox in the front garden, two old has style genuine lamposts.
keep the routemaster the way it is, & to,hell with electric conversion. there will always be petrol & diesel car,s..buses..trucks etc. on the road..cos of people having classic car,s etc, & the last year that the combustion engine is made there,ll be people that can afford one, flocking to buy them, me for 1 will always have a petrol car cos i love the combustion engine too much to ever change to electric, & as far as globle warming etc. its prob sending rockets & missiles etc etc, up into the atmosphere thats causing all the problems, but ya never hear or read that they are gonna to stop doing it,so to,hell with electric .
Robbie Dale the last driver of my bus 2477 in service, twas Robbie that had to radio in that 2477 had a hub oil sill leak and from there 2477 went to Brixton tram shed, was stripped of its engine and many parts, then sold to Ensign who stripped parts off, they sold it to Steve Bunda who stripped more parts off it and well I paid over the odds for 2477, sank alot of money into her and coming closet to that day of it running.
I remember one route-master (a 37 that ran from Hounslow to Peckham through Richmond Putney and Clapham junction - blimey, such a long route it should have had a buffet on board). There was a bit of graffiti on it for a long time in blue marker pen - right at the front on the upper deck above the front window. It said: “TREVOR BROWN IS UGLY AND STINK’. The bus must have gone in for maintenance a few times before the graffiti was removed. As teens, we found it hilarious. “TREVOR BROWN IS UGLY AND STINK’.
Enjoyed the vid. Thank you for presenting this. May I ask: during the closing credits, 9:41, a longer version of the bus rolls by. seven top level windows where the middle one is shorter, square shaped rather than rectangular. What is the model of that particular bus? Where has it been put into service lately? And anything additionally special about it apart from the smaller window up top? Thanks.
Hi,..you maybe found your answer already but the routemasters with the extra sqaure shape window on either side of the bus on both lower and upper decks were known as the RML (Routemaster-Long). It provided eight extra seats. The number 22 (that you mention), and the number 14 Routemaster (both RML) operated out of Putney bus garage. I worked on both those routes as a conductor back in the day until we conductors got made redundant due to their demise. I have to tell you that the buses towards the end were unkempt, shabby and not in a good state inside due to no more parts being available.
My brother and I have been "bus spotters" since we used to buy a Red Rover for 99p when we were 9 and 11 years old . We visited all 68 London Transport garages , mostly on buses of the RM (Routemaster) family . We live in a country that has a £1 Trillion per annum economy . We have a capital city that is identified by the Routmaster by the tourists that visit our capital . Are you going to tell me that it would cost £250,000 (the cost of a new bus) to turn each Routmaster into an "Eco-friendly" bus ? Sad that politics and share-prices can crush people's love and their desire for something familiar in their daily lives . These "bean counters" and political dwarves will always be clubbed-together with the idiots who gave away OUR vertical take-off jet technology and OUR www.com idea .
