10 The London Bus
70 Years Ago
RIGHT: The first
of the Leyland-
built RTLs to
arrive, in 1948,
was Park Royal-
bodied RTL501.
That was because
the original plan
was to number
the RTWs and
RTLs in a common
series, but it was
then decided that
there would be
RTLs from 1 to
500 and one of
those, RTL68,
stands to the right
of RTL501 in this
picture taken at
Sidcup garage.
MICHAEL H. C. BAKER
COLLECTION
RIGHT: An RTL
crossing Tower
Bridge. RT
made headlines
here in December
1952 when the
bridge began to
open as the route
78 double-decker
was crossing
it. The driver
accelerated and
the bus leaped
across the
widening gap
without falling into
the River Thames.