Aviation Specials – June 2018

Celebrating a British icon 3

Editor: Alan Millar

Design: Steve Donovan, Leo Gehlcken

Authors: Michael H. C. Baker

(MHCB), Gavin Booth (GB), Michael

Dryhurst (MJD), Mark Lyons (ML),

Alan Millar (AM), Peter Rowlands

(PR), Tony Wilson (TW)

Advertising manager: Sam Clark

CEO & Publisher: Adrian Cox

Commercial Director: Ann Saundry

Marketing Manager: Martin Steele

Group Editor – Transport: Roger

Mortimer

http://www.keypublishing.com

http://www.busesmag.com

Printing: Precision Colour Printing

Ltd, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford,

Shropshire, TF7 4QQ

ISBN: 978 191 2205 42 4

Registered office: Key Publishing Ltd,

Units 1-4 Gwash Way Industrial Estate,

Ryhall Road, Stamford, PE9 1XP

© Key Publishing Ltd 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this

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Cover: London Transport RTL453, a

1949 Park Royal-bodied Leyland Titan

PD2 preserved in the Ensignbus heritage

fleet. KEITH McGILLIVRAY

CONTENTS

A BUSES MAGAZINE SPECIAL PUBLICATION

4 Saluting a big red friend

6 70 years ago — The legend that was the RT

14 60 years ago — The 1958 bus strike

18 London by bus — Route 13

24 London bus garages — Croydon

30 London by bus — Route 27

36 Oxford Street — They kept on coming

46 Modernising London’s buses — Looking good as new

54 London by bus — Route 36

60 Suburban London — Edgware has the edge

68 London bus garages — Uxbridge

74 Beyond London — A hard border

82 50 years ago — The reshaping plan

90 London by bus — Route 108

96 Lives after London — Guys go to Scotland

104 London bus garages — Romford

110 London by bus — Route X

116 London bus garages — Bexleyheath

122 London by bus — Nothing stands still

128 Lives after London — Routemasters in Canada

Fifty years ago, London Transport tried replacing many of its double-deckers with

high capacity single-deckers like AEC Merlin MB641 as part of its bus reshaping

plan (see p82). TERRY BLACKMAN

THE

CELEBRATING A GREAT BRITISH ICON

From Magazine

£6.99VOLUME 5

ROUTES • GARAGES •

TYPES • TECHNOLOGY

THE ALLURE OF THE FAMOUS RED DOUBLE-DECKER – THEN AND NOW