Photos 1

This is but a small selection of the many bus pictures I have!.
This page features some of the RM routes as they were in 2004, with a number of last days/last week photos.
Scroll down the page to view more. Click on the thumbnails to see the image.

Tottenham's RML2510 looking slightly worse for wear at Victoria Station, 8th April 2004.
Less than 5 months remained of crew operation.

One of the three routes that lost Routemasters in September 2004 was the 390, which was Metroline's last RML route. RML2395 is seen on 4th June in Oxford Street.

Talking about the last day of RM's on the 8, Blue Triangle's superbly turned out RML900 made an appearance.
Looking very smart indeed, it was pictured in Oxford Street. This bus is a credit to them!!

By way of contrast, what can I say about the formerly immaculate RML903, once the pride of Finchley garage. The only outside clues in this picture that this was a show bus are the offside route number, the rear lights which have not been altered, and the white on black number plate.
Believe it or not, RML903 looked like RML900 in its heyday. It was a show bus as it was the last of the initial batch of 24 RML's, (880 to 903) before standard RM's continued in production from RM904 onwards. RML903 heads towards Archway on the 390 in Oxford Street on 8th April 2004.

Bow's RML2429 is seen at Victoria in April, having been relocated to Wilton Road from the bus station, which after re-opening had less bays than before. That's progress!
Of course, this route lost it's Routemasters in early June 2004, but at least it was a running day to remember, with RM1 & 2760 (the first & last) on the road on the same route at the same time, passing in Oxford Street. I think that was a first!.

Another visitor to the 8's last day was First's RM1650, masquerading as SRM3 as it was in 1977 for the Queen's silver jubilee.

A jubilee repaint saw RM6 painted in Gold for the Queen's golden jubilee in 2003. This was taken at the East Grinstead running day in April 2004.

RML2734 was a regular on the 9 and was spotted in June 2004. The 9 is one of the routes that I didn't get to photograph enough in the final year, hence this is not the greatest picture.

And now a guest photo from Steve Ridley of RM2156 that he saw in Benidorm, "being driven round the streets as a mobile advert for the zoo. Although all the windows are covered with a (ali??) skin and the back was closed off with a gate I could see it was in complete condition inside. There is evidence of red paint round the drivers door and the original front nearside fog lamp still present."

Here's a shot I took a while ago of RM8. It was the first production Routemaster to be built in 1958, but the last to enter service - in 1976! - after being used for various trials. It ended up in Sidcup and worked the 21 up to its opo conversion on 1st February 1986. Since then it has been owned and preserved in superb condition by the RM8 club.

At the LOTS transport spectacular at Wealdstone on 21st November 2009 was privately owned RM158 looking resplendant.