RLH 61 on Route
230.
Photo: John Shearman
This view was taken in the late 60’s - early 70’s in Dalston Garage. Photo courtesy of Kevin McCormack from the Julian Bowden Collection
route 178 based out of Dalston Garage.
Seen here in Stratford in February 1968
(Photo by Chris Stanley)
(Photo by Peter Esposito, via Chris Stanley)
(Photo by Peter Esposito, via Chris Stanley)
Signs of things
to come were the enormous loads these buses carried on their last day,
being the very last low-bridge buses in LT ownership.
By mid-afternoon the buses had
started carrying various signs indicating that it was their last day in
service.
Photo Peter Newman courtesy of the
AEC Southall.co.uk
By evening time
with various duty changes it became apparent that RLH 61 was indeed going
to be the very last RLH back to the depot, thus making it the very last
London Transport owned low-height bus in service.
The loadings were becoming so severe that various duplicate vehicles had
to run as can be seen by the GS following.
Photo Peter Newman courtesy
of the
AEC Southall.co.uk
In this shot, taken at the first stop in Lower Clapton Road, the conductor at the stop of the stairs has just called down to the inspector that the bus is well and truly full (with enthusiasts, mostly!) and so the inspector is putting his arm across to prevent the lady from boarding - hopefully she wasn’t intending to travel all the way to Stratford and could catch an alternative route! Photo Peter Newman courtesy of the AEC Southall.co.uk
After completing the journey to Stratford, RLH 61 then worked back to Dalston Garage where this shot was taken as the bus pulled in, now minus its passengers and with two inspectors riding ‘shotgun’ on the platform.
Photo Peter Newman courtesy of the AEC Southall.co.uk
Next, the driver (standing in front) has handed the bus over to a member of the garage staff who drove it onto an inspection bay. The LT staff were very co-operative and allowed enthusiasts right into the garage to take photos. Having given everyone a few minutes to fire their flash guns an official then very politely asked everyone to leave the garage, which everyone did.
Photo Peter Newman courtesy of the AEC Southall.co.uk
The last shot in this series of five, showing RLH 61 over the inspection pit in Dalston Garage. Parked alongside is an MBS-class AEC Merlin, allocated to Dalston for route S2 which partially replaced RLH route 178.
Photo Peter Newman courtesy of the AEC Southall.co.uk
Following her moment
of fame as the last RLH in service she went on to work in Canada. Initially
having worked in Toronto she was sold to Kingston Tours in Ontario where
she worked for the 1975 Summer season
before being sold on again in March 1976.
Photo via Peter Gasgoines' 'RLH
Remembered'
Her next owner in
Canada was Travelways who again used it on sightseeing duties. Looking
slightly scruffier than she did in 1975 in this view taken on the 22 April
1978 in Travelways yard.
Photo via Peter Gasgoines' 'RLH
Remembered'
These pictures were
taken in the Autumn of 2003 before the Winter snow set in. They were then
posted on the internet as the owner was moving house and she was not destined
to go with him.
The state of her meant you would have to be slightly mad to take it on
as a restoration project, as can be seen by this front view showing corrosion,
rot and deflated tyres...
Photo Paul Bateson
If her front was
bad the rear was a complete shambles. The platform was collapsing, the
rear quarter was missing showing exposed rotting framework and even most
of the original lights had been removed.
Photo Paul Bateson
The interior seemed to offer a little more hope, however as we will see this proved not to be the case. But it was based on these pictures that RLH 61 was purchased by Ross & Steve Newman. It would still be sometime before she could be moved due to the snow and ice that would render any recovery operation impossible until the Spring. Her final Winter in Canada had begun and locals swore they heard her sigh with relief...Photo Paul Bateson
Near side views showing some of the more cosmetic damage over 10 years of outside storage had done.Photo Paul Bateson
An offside view of
the generally poor state
of RLH 61. Photo Paul Bateson
With Spring now here
the opportunity was taken to start the recovery operation. Paul Bateson
and
volunteers went out to see how she had survived the harsh Winter a week
before the move was
scheduled and to work out what they needed to bring with them for the
following week.
Photo Paul Bateson
Photo Paul Bateson
The interstate long-distance part of the journey would need to be completed by low-loader. The cross loading was completed more rotting panels were taped up and our Canadian volunteers bid her Bon Voyage!
Photo Paul Bateson