Busaholic
Veteran Member
- Joined
- 7 Jun 2014
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- 14,126
10 years to the day from the conversion of London's last Routemaster route, the 159, to opo buses, RMs and other old London buses will partially recreate the route on Wednesday 9th, between Marble Arch and Brixton Station from around midday to 6/7 p.m. Buses will operate every 10 minutes over the MA- Lambeth North section, and every 20 minutes to Brixton.
The event is being organised by the London Bus Preservation Trust and all buses are for public use, free of charge of course.
Ironically, the anniversary occurs just three days before Arriva London South, who operated the RMs from its Brixton garage and continue to operate the successor vehicles, lose the contract to operate the route to Abellio, who will convert the route to so-called New Routemasters. This probably put paid to any ideas of running the buses through to Streatham Hill, Telford Avenue, the home of Brixton garage.
I have no inside information as to whether Arriva will participate in this event with some of their heritage fleet. They own RMs 5 and 6, the first two numerically of the production Routemasters, and, of course, RM 2217, the very last of the 'true' 64-seat RMs which so magnificently performed the 'last bus' rituals back in 2005 before it, and its driver and conductor, went into retirement. It will certainly add to the occasion for me and many others if they are there, particularly 2217. Just hope I can make it to London myself for the day.
Just like to add that the Routemaster Association are also going to be doing a road run over the route, from Thornton Heath, on Saturday 12th December but this is NOT open to the public.
The event is being organised by the London Bus Preservation Trust and all buses are for public use, free of charge of course.
Ironically, the anniversary occurs just three days before Arriva London South, who operated the RMs from its Brixton garage and continue to operate the successor vehicles, lose the contract to operate the route to Abellio, who will convert the route to so-called New Routemasters. This probably put paid to any ideas of running the buses through to Streatham Hill, Telford Avenue, the home of Brixton garage.
I have no inside information as to whether Arriva will participate in this event with some of their heritage fleet. They own RMs 5 and 6, the first two numerically of the production Routemasters, and, of course, RM 2217, the very last of the 'true' 64-seat RMs which so magnificently performed the 'last bus' rituals back in 2005 before it, and its driver and conductor, went into retirement. It will certainly add to the occasion for me and many others if they are there, particularly 2217. Just hope I can make it to London myself for the day.
Just like to add that the Routemaster Association are also going to be doing a road run over the route, from Thornton Heath, on Saturday 12th December but this is NOT open to the public.