50 years ago today - 16th April 1971
Apr 16, 2021 9:45:47 GMT
twobellstogo, busman, and 2 more like this
Post by wirewiper on Apr 16, 2021 9:45:47 GMT
On 16th April 1971, London Transport's last lowbridge double deckers, the RLH class, operated in passenger service for the last time on route 178, Clapton Pond to Maryland Station. The first examples of the class entered service in 1950 with more arriving in 1952.
London Transport had a small but significant need for low-height double-deckers in both its Central (red) and Country (green) bus divisions, and by the early 1950s the entire fleet was in urgent need of replacement. The first 20 RLHs were actually a diverted order from Midland General, which like London Transport had also come into Government ownership in 1948. In stark contrast to the RTs and RFs entering service at the time, which were highly bespoke designs manufactured to London Transport's exacting requirements, the RLHs were a standard off-the-peg product with 56-seater Weymann lowbridge bodies on AEC Regent III chassis. The batch were all allocated to the Country Area at Addlestone, Amersham and Godstone.
Despite its non-London specification the design was considered a success, and a further 56 were ordered for delivery in 1952, the last 24 of which were in red livery for Central area services; these went to Harrow Weald for route 230 and Merton for route 127. Of the 32 green RLHs more went to Addlestone, Amersham and Godstone and some went to Guildford and East Grinstead, although the latter had no actual requirement for lowbridge vehicles. The East Grinstead vehicles were reallocated in 1955 when four RLHs were repainted red for a new route in Upminster, the 248, which at that time operated under the low bridge in St Mary's Lane, Cranham.
Route 127 was a casualty of the London Bus Strike of 1958 and ceased in August of that year, but a "new" route 178 (actually the 208A converted to double deck and renumbered) operated by Dalston Garage took up the slack from May 1959. Four more green RLHs were painted red for this. Despite this, the Central Area still borrowed green Country RLHs from time to time when its own fleet was undergoing overhaul, and routes 127,
178, 230 and 248 all saw green RLH workings from time to time.
The class declined during the 1960s. In 1964 the 410 was diverted to avoid a low bridge at Oxted and Godstone lost its RLH allocation. At Amersham the 336 was converted to single-deck in 1965 due to declining passenger numbers. At Addlestone and Guildford RLHs were replaced by high-capacity one-man-operated AEC Swift single-deckers during July 1970, and the last Country Area RLH ran in passenger service on the last day of the month. In London, the 230 had been replaced by flat fare MBS-operated route H1 in June 1969 and the 248 was converted to single deck one-man SMS operation in September 1970, leaving the 178 to become the last RLH-operated route. The 178 would prove to be short-lived route as it was also withdrawn at the same time as the RLHs and replaced by new route S3 and an enhanced service on route S2, both routes operated by high-capacity flat fare MBS single-deckers.
Many of the RLHs were sold on for further service, ending up with independent operators in the UK and further afield; several ended up in the USA and Canada where ironically they were often billed as "traditional" London Buses (despite being anything but!). A few have survived into preservation including RLH61 which was repatriated from Canada and restored by EnsignBus.
Most of the information in this post is courtesy of Ian's Bus Stop Page: www.countrybus.org/RLH/RLH.html
RT 75 at Ash Grove Garage by Julian Walker, on Flickr
RT 75 at Ash Grove Garage by Julian Walker, on Flickr
Routemaster Tribute - Route 38 last day by Julian Walker, on Flickr
London Transport had a small but significant need for low-height double-deckers in both its Central (red) and Country (green) bus divisions, and by the early 1950s the entire fleet was in urgent need of replacement. The first 20 RLHs were actually a diverted order from Midland General, which like London Transport had also come into Government ownership in 1948. In stark contrast to the RTs and RFs entering service at the time, which were highly bespoke designs manufactured to London Transport's exacting requirements, the RLHs were a standard off-the-peg product with 56-seater Weymann lowbridge bodies on AEC Regent III chassis. The batch were all allocated to the Country Area at Addlestone, Amersham and Godstone.
Despite its non-London specification the design was considered a success, and a further 56 were ordered for delivery in 1952, the last 24 of which were in red livery for Central area services; these went to Harrow Weald for route 230 and Merton for route 127. Of the 32 green RLHs more went to Addlestone, Amersham and Godstone and some went to Guildford and East Grinstead, although the latter had no actual requirement for lowbridge vehicles. The East Grinstead vehicles were reallocated in 1955 when four RLHs were repainted red for a new route in Upminster, the 248, which at that time operated under the low bridge in St Mary's Lane, Cranham.
Route 127 was a casualty of the London Bus Strike of 1958 and ceased in August of that year, but a "new" route 178 (actually the 208A converted to double deck and renumbered) operated by Dalston Garage took up the slack from May 1959. Four more green RLHs were painted red for this. Despite this, the Central Area still borrowed green Country RLHs from time to time when its own fleet was undergoing overhaul, and routes 127,
178, 230 and 248 all saw green RLH workings from time to time.
The class declined during the 1960s. In 1964 the 410 was diverted to avoid a low bridge at Oxted and Godstone lost its RLH allocation. At Amersham the 336 was converted to single-deck in 1965 due to declining passenger numbers. At Addlestone and Guildford RLHs were replaced by high-capacity one-man-operated AEC Swift single-deckers during July 1970, and the last Country Area RLH ran in passenger service on the last day of the month. In London, the 230 had been replaced by flat fare MBS-operated route H1 in June 1969 and the 248 was converted to single deck one-man SMS operation in September 1970, leaving the 178 to become the last RLH-operated route. The 178 would prove to be short-lived route as it was also withdrawn at the same time as the RLHs and replaced by new route S3 and an enhanced service on route S2, both routes operated by high-capacity flat fare MBS single-deckers.
Many of the RLHs were sold on for further service, ending up with independent operators in the UK and further afield; several ended up in the USA and Canada where ironically they were often billed as "traditional" London Buses (despite being anything but!). A few have survived into preservation including RLH61 which was repatriated from Canada and restored by EnsignBus.
Most of the information in this post is courtesy of Ian's Bus Stop Page: www.countrybus.org/RLH/RLH.html
RT 75 at Ash Grove Garage by Julian Walker, on Flickr
RT 75 at Ash Grove Garage by Julian Walker, on Flickr
Routemaster Tribute - Route 38 last day by Julian Walker, on Flickr