ISSUE No. 98 - JULY 2009

Tim explained his personal background as a professional railwayengineer, with a passion for buses in general, and trolleybuses inparticular. He has been involved with bus restoration since the 1960s.Tim was born in Ipswich, which until 1950 had a municipal bus fleetmade up exclusively of trolleybuses. Although the family movedfrom Ipswich when Tim was still at school, his new home in Surreyallowed trips to Reading and Bournemouth, and to London, all placeswhere trolleybuses could be seen, ridden on and photographed.When Tim became an engineering student at Portsmouth, thetrolleybus connections were maintained.

Later, as a member of the East Anglia Transport Museum, Timworked on ex-London Transport trolleybus 260 at Carlton Colville. Itwas there that he decided he would like to tackle a trolleybusrestoration and started asking if a suitable vehicle was available. Hewas shown a picture, with the comment: “It’s not as bad as it looks”.So began Tim’s involvement with Rotherham trolleybus 73.

Rotherham’s trolleybus network was opened in 1912 and featuredthrough running between the municipal corporation and theMexborough and Swinton Company. It was the fourth network in theUK to open, after Bradford, Leeds and Keighley. What is nowtrolleybus 73 was ordered and built in 1942. It entered service in theRotherham fleet (then with its original number: 88) in January 1943. Itwas a Sunbeam with East Lancs. teak-framed bodywork. Despite thewartime restrictions, the vehicle was not to utility standards, but was“built properly”. It was rebuilt in 1950 and withdrawn from service in1954. It was moved to a quarry near Doncaster, where it served as ameeting room for the Rotherham Chantry Rifle and Pistol Club. In2001, it was acquired by Tim and his colleagues and moved toSandtoft prior to the start of restoration work.

Tim identified four elements of the restoration work:

· Structural work to the framework and body panels: now largelycompleted.

· Mechanical overhaul: half completed.· Electrical equipment and getting it to run: two-thirds completed.

· Seats, painting and trim: half completed.

In total, after eight years work, the restoration was two-thirdsfinished. Put another way, that was 3000 hours done, with 1500 stillto go. Tim showed a detailed series of pictures, which illustrated thestages of the work that had so far been undertaken; and explainedsome of the sources for research: original engineering drawings, forexample, many of which still survive in archives. There were somefrustrating tales too, including the detailed research that had beendone on the place names for the destination blind (and their correctorder) – only for someone to say afterwards: “I have an original blindin the loft!”.

Asked about the distinction between restoration and rebuilding, Timsaid that the aim was to restore original items from the bus, wherepossible; otherwise to source contemporary materials to re-create a1950s vehicle, using “new” parts only where unavoidable.

After the presentation, which was received with acclaim, a collectionamongst Friends resulted in a worthwhile contribution to the projectfunds. Further information on the project is available from:

Rotherham Trolleybus GroupPO Box 5141Burton upon TrentDE15 0ZF.

Restoring A TrolleybusTim Stubbs was the speaker at the Friends’ April meeting – after the formalities of the

Annual Members’ Meeting (which are reported elsewhere). Tim described the challenges

which he and a dedicated band of colleagues are facing, in restoring a 1942 Rotherham

single-deck trolleybus.

Trolleybus 73 in service in Rotherham (Roy Marshall)

The

restoration

team

Restoration

work in

progress

The unrestored

vehicle at

Sandtoft in

about 1990

(Steve Collins)

Page 2

Barry Le Jeune14 Jireh Court, Perrymount Road,HAYWARDS HEATH,West Sussex RH16 3BHTel: 01444 450822E-mail:barry le jeune@yahoo.co.uk

Editorial

From The Director’s Chair

Sunday 13th SeptemberThe planned operation of heritage trainsand buses in connection with AmershamHeritage Open Day is likely to becancelled due to scheduled engineeringworks on the Metropolitan Line. Pleasecheck with the Museum website ortelephone the information desk on 0207565 7298.

Monday 28th SeptemberFriends’ meeting.18.15 hours in Cubic Lecture Theatre atLondon Transport Museum.Acting Head Curator, Davis Bownes, willdescribe the major exhibition onLondon’s Suburbia which will open inOctober

Perceptive readers will have noticed thatwe are approaching a significantmilestone for the Friends’ newsletter: the100th issue. We are planning aretrospective look at how the newsletterhas developed over the past 25 years forthe centenary issue in January 2010.

Methods of production, and therefore theappearance of the newsletter, havechanged much over the years. Theeditorial policy has been more consistent,under both the present editor and his oneand only predecessor. It is primarily toreport news of Friends’ activities andnews from the Museum, supplemented byother relevant contributions from Friendson recollections, views, knowledge orexperiences, which are worthy of a wider

airing. We have several of the latter in thisissue, of which David Wadley’s thoughtson the search for a “New bus for London”is an excellent example.

Friends’ recent contributions have beengenerous and welcome, and have enabledthe consistent production of a 12-pagenewsletter over the past two years. If oneself-critical thought is uppermost in youreditor’s mind, it is that much of what wepublish comes within the definition offairly “hard-core” transport interest. Thisis always going to be a strong ingredientand please do not stop sending in suchcontributions; but, as the Museumextends its presentation to a broaderinterest in London’s social history, itwould be good to see that reflected in the

the preservation of London’s transportheritage. During 2008/09, 3,741 itemswere added to the collection. Mostnotable were the Saviem SC10U single-deck French bus, an importantcollectionof pre-First World War busbadges and a newly commissionedartwork from Sir Peter Blake. Currently,there has been a significant focus onresearch and collection relating to ourSuburbia exhibition, which opens inOctober. We are also collecting materialrelated to the East London Line for amajor exhibition to coincide with thereopening of the line as part of theLondon Overground network in June2010. We have a full programme of roadvehicle and 1938 tube stock outings thisyear. Bob Bird’s sterling work was againawarded with a trophy, this year forRT4825 at the Brighton CommercialVehicle run in May.

The ‘Art of the Poster’ exhibition was ourfirst major collections-related exhibitionsince reopening. It closed in March and isnow on show at the Verkehrsmuseum inDresden, Germany. It is very satisfying tosee some of the highlights of our

The Museum completed its first year as acharity at the end of March. The charity’sannual report and financial statement isnow available online for you all to read onthe Governance page of our website(www.ltmuseum.co.uk/aboutus). Inpreparing this report for the first time,following the Charity Commission’sguidelines, we have focussed on thepublic benefit delivered by the Museum inpursuit of its charitable objectives. Thishas produced a well-rounded picture,which not only records the 446,000 visitsmade to the Museum since reopening (to31st March 2009) but also the 136,000young people reached by our Safety &Citizenship programme; in-depth work forpeople with special educational needs;family learners; the secondary schoolcurriculum; reminiscence sessions; andunder-fives work. During the year, we wonnine awards across the whole spectrumof our operations: for the permanentexhibition; for a community volunteer’swork; for marketing of the ‘Art of thePoster’;for educational work; advertising;long-term success; and bus restoration.

Our charitable objects link education and

contributed newsletter items too. Do youagree? If so, is there anyone out therewith a view or recollection of some moregeneral aspects of London life or history?If so, please step forward and put yourpen to paper. Maybe the forthcomingmajor Museum exhibition on London’sSuburbia will provoke some material fromFriends and readers?

outstanding poster collection exhibitedand shared with this remarkable city. Iwas invited to open this show in May andwe hope to add further UK venues to itstour. This project has seen a relativelyunknown aspect of our collection - theartworks commissioned for posters -better stored and catalogued, the subjectof an excellent scholarly publication andbetter known outside London.

Volunteering continues to be of greatimportance to the Museum. One hundredand sixty individuals contributed 6,900hours of their time in 2008/09, withinvolvement in the library, guided tours,the collections, oral history andphotographic projects, and the ActonMiniature Railway. Now the new museumis up and running, we aim to build on thissupport and develop the volunteer offerwithin the galleries again. If you are one ofour volunteers, many thanks for donatingyour time and knowledge to the Museum;it is much appreciated.

Sam Mullins

Meetings andEvents

Saturday/Sunday 29th/30th AugustOpen Days at Upminster Depot. Forfurther details, please see separateannouncement on page 3.

Saturday 5th SeptemberSpecial Friends’ “Behind the Scenes”event at Acton Depot.See item on page 3 for further details.

Please note, attendance must bepre-booked.

Saturday/Sunday 10th/11th OctoberPublic Open Days at Acton Depot.Concessionary entry rate for Friends.

Friends’ meetings will take place later inthe year on Mondays 2nd November and30th November. Expected topics are: TheWoolwich Ferry and Travels in Australiaand New Zealand. Further details in theOctober newsletter.

Please bring your Friends’ membershipcard to events at the Museum, as thisassists in the security arrangements forgaining access to the Cubic Theatre.

Final copy date for theOctober 2009 issue is:

Friday 28th August 2009

UpminsterDepot OpenDays

London Underground isplanning to mark the 50th

anniversary of UpminsterDepot with two “OpenDays” over the August BankHoliday weekend. Here is anoutline of what is likely tobe on offer:

The Open Days on Saturday 29th andSunday 30th August will show visitors howthe depot works, including theexamination sheds and lifting roads; andthe new cleaning shed and wheel lathebuilding.

There will be demonstrations of loweringand lifting an end of a ‘D’ stock carriage inthe lifting road shed, so that the publiccan see how the depot staff get to thebogies, wheels and motors to changethem. A ‘D’ stock unit will be placed ontop of the wheel lathe, with short talksfrom the wheel lathe operators on theoperation of the lathe and associatedequipment.

All being well, the mock-up of the new ‘S’stock will be on display in the lifting road.Arrangements are also being made to havesome rolling stock from the past in thedepot, as an added attraction. It is hopedthat the vehicles will include one ‘R’ stockcar, one ‘Q’ stock car (en route to its

restoration at Acton Works) and a vehiclewith a body dating back to 1864,belonging to Kent & East Sussex Railway(District Line coach 100). Workingheritage trains in attendance should be:Sarah Siddons, with her four heritagecoaches; a battery loco; and the four-car1938 tube stock unit. A GBRF class 66loco may also attend.

All the above attractions will be includedin the admission price, expected to beabout £10 for an adult. Children under 16will be admitted free, so long as an adultaccompanies them. Senior Citizens willalso be admitted free. The tickets will besold at the gate on the day(s). Various stallholders will be invited to sellmemorabilia; catering facilities will also beavailable on site. A limited edition tubemap is being produced (500) which willbe sold at a reasonable price. Separate tours, at additional cost, will beconducted to the Control Tower for anoverview of track layout and depotoperation. There may also be separatetours to view the workings underneath atrain. Due to space limitations, car parking isnot possible in the depot; however, tenspaces will be allocated for disabledparking on a first come, first served basis.General visitor access to the depot will beby special heritage bus service fromUpminster station. The depot will beopen from 11:00hrs on both days, withlast admissions at 16:00hrs.

At the time this newsletter went to pressin late June, many of these details werestill subject to final confirmation. Forfurther information, please consult theTfL website nearer the time.

A BrightonWinner

RT4825 won first prize in Class L (DoubleDeck Buses) at the Historic CommercialVehicle Society’s London to Brighton Runon 3rd May, competing against ten otherbuses. The cup was presented to BobBird by Councillor Gary Peltzer Dunn,Mayor of Brighton & Hove City. HCVSChairman Michael Banfield is also in thephotograph.(Photo and report by Laurie Akehurst)

New AcquistionsRecent acquisitions by the Friends (for theMuseum) have included: some postcardsfor the Suburbia exhibition; a watercolourpicture of an East Ham Corporationtramcar; photographs of an Electrobus;and a 1928 Metropolitan Railway poster,advertising through tickets to TottenhamHotspur FC.

The Friends recently acquired at auction,also on behalf of the Museum, a smallcollection of First World War bus tickets,each with a wartime slogan. As the text onthe back of each ticket has beentranslated into French, it is presumed theywere atone timeowned bya Frenchenthusiast.A photoof thecollectionappearsalongside.

Page 3

Behind TheScenes At ActonThe Museum has kindlyinvited Friends to a special“Behind The Scenes” eventat The Depot on Saturday5th September. Here are thedetails:

This is a rare and privileged opportunityfor Friends to see – and hear directly fromthe curators - more about the extensivecollections at Acton than is usuallypossible at the public Open Days.

The principal element of the day’sprogramme will be presentations bymembers of the Museum’s curatorialteam. These will take place both in thelecture theatre and out in the Depotamongst the collections. Proposed topicsand speakers are:

1. Behind the scenes with the vehiclecollection - Bob Bird

2. The oral history collection - JaneFindlay/Michelle Brown

3. The Engineering Project (see below) -Tim Shields

4. Poster and artwork collection -David Bownes.

The Engineering project is a new Museuminitiative, focussed on the engineeringcollections with the aim of reinterpretingthem. One specific aim of the project willbe reaching out to young people andusing the collections to inspire themto consider a career in engineering.

We plan to run an additional series ofguided tours covering other aspects ofthe collections at Acton, led by Friends’volunteer guides. The Friends’ sales stallwill also be open,with newly-acquiredstock.

Please note that these details are subjectto amendment as the day’s programme isfurther developed.

You will need to book for this event. Themaximum capacity will be for 120 Friends,split into two parties of 60. The firstgroup’s programme will start at 10.00hours and finish around 1330/1400. Thesecond will start at around 11.15 andfinish around 14.30. (Times are subject toconfirmation on booking.) Each Friendmay bring one guest. Please note that thisevent is not suitable for young childrenunder the age of 12.

The price, including a buffet lunch, willbe £10 per person. Tickets should bebooked through the Museum’sinformation desk, by phoning 020 75657298. Please state which of the twospecifically timed tours you would preferto join. The event is expected to bepopular, so early application is desirable.

Page 4

second green colour applied as relief around the windows; if itdid, I would suggest that it was after London Transport hadassumed control as a prelude to the “1935” livery style, whichhad black relief reduced to lining on beading at colour divisions.The original green and black Country bus livery, again as far as Ican tell from photographs, also lacked the second green aswindow relief. This scheme did last long enough for vehicles init to receive London Transport fleetnames (e.g. the Country AreaAEC Q double deckers) and some vehicles in it may have receivedthe second green window relief. I have one photograph (copyrightAndrew N Porter, reference no. 30061) of open top “NS” XU6154on route 21 (South Merstham), which very clearly does havedifferently coloured window frames; but this is exceptional inthe photographic record.

4. “Side by side” photographs of vehicles in the different liverystyles are elusive, which makes it difficult to decide whetherthere were changes to the basic colours. Some suggest that themain green colour of the “1935” livery was lighter than thatpreviously used, but this is a moot point. Some photographsdepict a lighter shade of grey for this than others. I believe thisis more to do with different photographic emulsions and filtersused on camera lenses than actual colour differences. The best Ican do in this respect is an uncredited picture of STL1030 in“1935” livery with a “Godstone” STL in green and black behind: ifthere is a difference in colour between the two, it is quitesubtle.

5. I am not familiar with the technique of “colourising” black andwhite images, but I suggest that it is fraught with danger, wherethe picture is from non-panchromatic film and the method ofexposure is not known. I would have thought that you wouldneed to know which type of film or plate emulsion was used andits characteristics, and also whether any filters were used on thelens, to have any confidence in the result. Notwithstanding that,the colourised picture of T405 at least seems to have the liveryin the correct area of the green spectrum, although in my opinion(and it is only an opinion) it should be the window surrounds thatshould be more yellowish and the main body panels more bluish. Finally, having invested in some back numbers of the OmnibusSociety London Historical Research Group Bulletins, thereproduction of a report from the December 1934 OmnibusMagazine in Bulletin 71 is of interest: “Destination boardexperiments – Certain Country buses are running with destinationboards in orange lettering on a black background, notably on route402”. In addition Bulletin 99 contains obituaries to H.E. Murrelland E.P. Gaffney, in which it is stated that the latter produced“drawings and paintings of vehicles in their correct colours andliveries”. Where are these now and would any of them help in thisdebate?

Do any Friends know the answers to Andrew’s final questions? (Editor)

I was interested to read Gordon Mackley’s contribution to thissubject in Friends’ newsletter 97. I think he is probably quite rightregarding the effect of varnishing and the aging of paint. The coloursused on Q83 were based on paint chips from the vehicle (see BillCottrell’s article on restoring Q83 in London Bus Magazine No.22,Autumn 1977); but perhaps the method of application and finishing ofthe new paint affected the resulting appearance. However, how manyof those who criticised could actually recall the original livery style?

Some other matters mentioned by Gordon merit some comment asfollows:

1. London General Country Services (LGCS) buses wore red livery;green was apparently first applied to buses in May 1933.Presumably, the decision was made to change colour inanticipation of London Transport assuming control in July. As anaside, it would be interesting to know the official reason for thechange (one can speculate several – operational, “political” andpromotional). I presume that the first green repaints used thesimple “General” fleetname, as initially adopted by LondonTransport, rather than the more complex LGCS one; I have seenno photographs suggesting otherwise.

2. As Green Line came into existence before Country buses becamegreen, it is quite clear that the Country bus green would havebeen inspired by the Green Line one; in my view it must havebeen the same. It seems to me that the inspiration for the GreenLine came from the London General’s private hire fleet, whichwas painted green and cream in the 1920s. There are a number offairly good depictions of private hire vehicles in coloured postersof the time. They are reasonably consistent in their depiction ofthe livery. I think it would be fair to say that a resemblance to thegreen colour carried by T219, allowing for aging, can be inferred.It is worth mentioning that in the 1920s the publicity departmentof the LGOC had used green-ringed General bullseyes on postersand maps relating to Private Hire and to bus routes into thecountry (though not consistently), so the use of green to denotetrips into the countryside had already been established.

3. A more difficult question is the date from which a second greenrelief colour was applied to the window surrounds of buses andcoaches. As far as Green Line is concerned, the initial liveryappears to have had black window surrounds (essentially similar inlayout to the preceding General red coach livery, though differingin detail). This scheme does seem to have lasted long enough tobe applied from new on the 1/7T7/1 coaches like T219 (e.g. seephotograph of T208 on page 30 of Laurie Akehurst’s Green Linebook). Hence the present livery of T219 is probably not correct, ifintended to be as first applied. The first Green Line scheme wassuperseded by one where the window surrounds were paintedthe same green as the main body panels, but retaining black onthe waist panels below the windows. It is not really clear to mefrom photographs whether this Green Line livery ever had the

Green Liveries

Andrew Colebourne adds to the ongoing debate, re-ignited by Gordon Mackley in the

April 2009 newsletter:

The following venues have confirmed continuing

entry concessions to Friends:

· Mid Hants Railway

· Kent & East Sussex Railway

· Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

· Bluebell Railway

· Museum of London (Special Exhibitions)

· Museum in Docklands

· Brunel Engine House, Rotherhithe

Most venues offer “two for the price of one” deals,

except on special events days.

At the Bluebell Railway there is a single concessionary

rate.

Please note that concessions are no longer available at

the East Anglia Transport Museum.

These concessions are available to all individual Friendson presentation of their membership cards. It may helpto bring a copy of this news item with you.

Membeship Benefits

Page 5

Festival Time At Rickmansworth

An established feature of the Rickmansworth calendar is an annual Festival featuring

canal and water-based leisure facilities, centred on Batchworth Lock on the Grand Union

Canal.

from Amersham. Just a fewshort of 300 passengersbooked the “all-day” traintickets.

Two buses – the Museum’sRM1 and Green Line RT 3228from Roger Wright’s LondonBus Company fleet – operated afree service betweenRickmansworth station andBatchworth Lock. The busescarried over 600 passengers,some from Sarah’s train, butothers from local visitors to theFestival.

The Editor is grateful toSpencer McManus for theaccompanyingphotographs.

This year, the Festival was enhanced onone day – Sunday 17th May – by theoperation of the Underground’s SarahSiddons and connecting heritage buses.Sarah operated four trips betweenHarrow-On-The-Hill and Rickmansworth,one via the Watford North Curve. Three ofthe four train trips were extended to and

Au Revoir OliverMuseum staff, past and present, Friends and colleagues from other museums gathered

at Covent Garden on the evening of 28th May to say “au revoir” to Oliver Green. It is “au

revoir”, and not “good-bye”, as Oliver, whilst stepping down from his full-time post as

Head Curator, will continue to work for the Museum on publications, lectures and

exhibitions in the role of Research Fellow.

Oliver was presented with two gifts: a McKnight Kauffer poster(not from the Museum’s collection!) and a special reproductionof the Underground map. The latter highlighted the journeywhich, until recently, Oliver daily made between Paddington andCovent Garden, as part of his commuting journey from Oxford;Oliver commented that he was looking forward to hiscontinuing connection with the Museum in his new role, withoutthat travel necessity!

In a “This Is Your Life” style presentation, Museum Director, SamMullins, identified fifteen of Oliver’s special skills and attributes.To spare Oliver’s blushes, we will not list them all here, but theyincluded: Londoner; social historian; transport enthusiast; mediastar; and author. Sam recalled Oliver’s two spells with theLondon Transport Museum, totalling 18 years. He joined asCurator in 1979, helping to create the new museum in its CoventGarden location, with a pioneering vision as a museum based insocial history. After opening in 1980, the Museum went on toacquire London Transport’s poster collection, with theassociated challenges of cataloguing it, conserving it and makingit publicly available.

Oliver then moved to a post as Head of Museum Services atColchester, rejoining the London Transport Museum as HeadCurator in time to drive forward the Covent Garden RedisplayProject.

In his response to Sam’s words, Oliver said that it had been aprivilege, in a museums’ career of 35 years, to be involved in twomajor refurbishment projects at Covent Garden. He paid tributeto the support he and the Museum received from the Friends, ofwhich Oliver emphasised he was, and would remain, anindividual member.

Photo:

A youthful Oliver,

supported by a bus

stop, at Syon Park,

before the move

to Covent Garden.

A New Bus For LondonDavid Wadley draws on his LT Engineering

background in offering his thoughts on

TfL’s recent competition:

I’m not sure exactly how it all started, but I think it was to do with theEvening Standard’s campaign against Bendibuses - a concept whichseems to work very well in countless other cities around the world.Perhaps, had ours been built at Southall, all could also have been wellhere. Alas, in the eyes of some, they are undesirable “NBAS” vehicles– work that one out! (See below, if you can’t: Editor.) Ken Livingstoneblew hot, then cold, then lukewarm aboutthe Routemasters still in service. Manyrealised that they couldn’t last forever;but what could replace them? None ofthe younger buses on the streets besidethem have provoked anywhere near thesame levels of brand loyalty, passion,ecstasy and utter fervour.

Boris rose to the challenge in his Mayorialmanifesto. With his election, in due course“Competition Rules” and “VehicleSpecification Guidelines” were announced.Offerings were to be in either the “Imagine”or “Design” categories. The former wasquite loose and entrants could offer ideasfor a whole bus or just part of one. All thatwas defined was that the colour should bered; it should be a double-decker with anopen rear platform; and have one otherentrance/exit with a door. No other details were specified.

The “Design” category was much more interesting, with the “VehicleSpecification Guidelines” defining physical dimensions; internalheadroom; door/aperture sizes; passenger capacity; and some aspectsof seat size, wheelchair space etc. Wisely, it did this largely on a“min/max” basis, offering entrants considerable scope for originalthinking. The number of axles was, however, specified a little moreclosely as “min 2, max 3”, so that ruled out some potentiallyinteresting entries - there were to be no extended Scammell“Mechanical Horses “, for example. Just think of the turningcapabilities of these, better than a London taxi! “Passenger Capacity”was to be not less than 72, with no guidance regarding the number ofspaces for “standees”. As it turned out, most finalists seemed tomaximise the number of seats – good!

Of course, all the designs would have to conform to therequirements of “The Motor Vehicle Construction and UseRegulations”, known in the trade as the “C and U”. These are national,and in some respects pan-European, requirements, which graduallychange and evolve over the years. In the early 1950s, the maximumlegal length for a double-decker on two axles was 27 feet (8.23m).There was pressure on the MOT for this to be increased and,eventually, this did grudgingly happen; but, for reasons that I havenever fully understood, the “Buses and Coaches” side of LT did notwant a bus as long as the thirty feet of those required by the “Tramand Trolleybus” people. Admittedly, all but one of the latter vehicleswere on three axles, in order to exploit the provision in the thencurrent length regulations. Presumably, “Chiswick” did not want to goback to the complication of a third axle; so, with a very clever pieceof packaging, the diesel buses achieved 64 seats, whilst most of theelectric ones had 70 seats. Both worked in Central London. Why wasthere such a radical difference in thinking in this and in so many otherdetails? Perhaps it was partly to do with the attitudes of the tradesunions. Replacing trolleybuses with smaller vehicles didn’t entirelyseem to make sense. Now – there’s scope for a new book, though“The Birth of the Routemaster” (Capital Transport, 2004, from theMuseum’s shop) does tell part of the story from the “Bus and Coach”point of view.

How it has all changed! The maximum length for entries in thecompetition was to be no less than 13.5m – 40ft 5ins in old money.What might a forty-foot RM have looked like – at the very least itwould have been an RMLL! Nothing in the rules said anything about

the power unit, but most entrants chose some form of hybrid unitpowering electric motors in the rear wheels. Most of thistechnology is relatively newish and, as yet, unproven over a wholevehicle life –say twenty years or more. However, there is never gainwithout some pain, least of all for the Development Engineer.Sometimes this pain also comes to those who “rush-in” to buy newvehicles that have not been fully developed. Then it is a case ofgetting rid them quickly, if you can, or trusting the poor old DE to getyou out of the mire after the event, rather than getting him toengineer it out before you had bought in quantity.

Coming now to the actual entries, let’s look firstly at the “Imagine”Category. This had classes for under 11; 11 – 15; 15 – 18; and over 18 years old. Some of the offerings were quite delightful, though I thinkthat “Dad”might have helped in one or two of them. In all, therewere 475 entries and 16 prizewinners. The judges must have

had a very difficult task, with entriesembracing “Flower Wheels”, the “BunnyBus”, hydrogen power, solar assistance,cooking oil and one offering whose rearwheels were the size of those on gardenwheelbarrows.

Some of the entries reminded me of myefforts sixty or more years ago – lots ofside view sketches of A4 “Pacifics”, butnever a scaled layout of the derived valvegear.

The “Whole Bus Design” category,seemingly for us near- grown ups,attracted 225 entries, though looking atthem I really wondered exactly howgrown-up a few of their authors hadbeen. Certainly, some of them hadobviously never been concerned with the

maintenance of buses and countering the horrible habits of a few ofthose who use them.

On the evening of 18th March, a full house in the Cubic Theatre wasgiven a short presentation by each of the nine finalists. I am not goingto mention all of them by name, as I do not wish to end up in court. Ifound some of the entries to be distinctly “underwhelming”, thoughall had been selected by the judges, even though some – the entriesthat is – at the time seemed to me to be little more than stylingexercises. However, there were three really interesting offerings. Thefirst of the joint first prizewinners were Capoco Design /AlanPonsford. This concern, though not well known to the passengers, issaid to have designed over 60% of the buses on our streets today.Their power unit was a small front-mounted engine, driving agenerator charging a lithium-ion battery, which in turn fed the rearwheel motors. If run on hydrogen, the engine would have near zeroemissions. An ultra-low emission diesel engine could also beoffered, to run on bio-fuel. “Hydrogen” - just think of thecomplications! Apart from the rather “flashy” looking area for thedriver, this seemed to be an engineering-led design and at the leastwould have received a hearing at Chiswick.

The second joint prizewinner grouping was of Aston Martin / Fosterand Partners. The first named is of course well known to lovers ofhigh performance cars, the second for “The Gherkin” and a

The joint first entry fromCapoco Design and Alan Ponsford.

(All images by courtesy of TfL.)

The

interesting

front door

arrangement

on Jamie

Martin’s

entry.

little right lock as he came to a stand, the door could perhaps nothave opened; or, if it had managed to do so, it would have becomebuckled had the driver then put lock on, ready to pull out and getaway once the door had closed.

One entry featured a central steering position. Once legal in Italy, itwas at one time illegal here, though the law may have changed since.

I am not sure just how serious the competition was meant to be –was it just a sop to public opinion? Nowadays, after more than acentury of buses, do we really need one with an open rear platform –incredibly this is not currently illegal. Yes, I do know that it is part ofour heritage, but so was the “B” type and we don’t keep them inservice!

It is perhaps debatable whether London’s contracted operators wouldreally want a bus that could be so different to those that they areusing now. Would a “New London Bus” be of interest to them?Might they have difficulty in redeploying them elsewhere at the endof their contracts? Could they afford them? The really difficultquestion is whether any bus builder would want to build a “LondonSpecial” in the relatively small numbers that might be required eachyear. A TfL spokesman at the meeting said that future tendererswould have to supply vehicles to meet London’s requirements and,should these be for a “New London Bus”, so be it.

I think that what is really needed now is the re-creation for Londonof a “Bus and Coach Design, Development and ExperimentalSection” – I know just the place for it! There, the design of an FRM,XRM, QRM, CHC or whatever, could be brought right up to date. Wewould use a fully-proven hybrid diesel drive with ultra-low emissionlevels, lithium-ion batteries, ultra capacitors, regenerative braking,wheel motors etc. There could even be a trolleybus version; thoughnow, with the revision of the overall length regulation, it could havefour wheels rather than six.

We would have a winner – which of you is up for it? We could goback to work “part –time”, some of us getting there not by using a“sticky” (staff pass) but by waving our “Freedom” passes!

Having taken off my deeply rose- coloured spectacles, I realise thatnone of this is really likely to happen; so, meanwhile, we will have tojourney on, on today’s buses, even though some of these seem tobe bereft of proper cushions in the seats, flexible road springs andvibration-reducing engine mountings – apart of course from thoseon the 9 and the 15.

We will just have to wait and see whether the competition doesproduce a truly “New Bus for London” – watch this space! Needlessto say, the views above are my own and are not those of TfL who,after all, were the judges in the competition.

NBAS = Not built at Southall.

footbridge over the river. This entry featured wooden floorcoverings, lots of highly curved glass, “drive by wire”, solar panels andwas said to have a “living room feel” to engender “a spirit ofconviviality”. Little real technical detail was offered then!

The entry from David Bradshaw was very interesting and featured anethanol-fuelled hybrid diesel powered generator, small enough to bepositioned under the rear stairs. Traction batteries were at the frontof the vehicle, with hub motors driving the rear wheels. For thosethat may be unaware of the emerging technology, in a hybrid design arelatively small engine runs continually at its most efficient speed,charging the traction batteries all the time. When acceleration isneeded, these can meet a very considerable current demand for arelatively short period. When the vehicle is decelerating, the tractionmotors “regenerate” to help recharge the batteries. In some cases,they can also push current into “ultra-capacitors” which, whendischarged, can give a hefty boost to help accelerate the vehicle.“Ultra-capacitor” – now that was a term unheard at Chiswick all thoseyears ago! The trolleybus people did have capacitors, but I do notthink that they were of the “ultra” variety .The capacitors today mayhave a long life, but we will just have to wait and see how well thebatteries do. Currently, they are terribly expensive.

Coming back to David Bradshaw’s bus, he has had considerableexperience in designing road and rail vehicles and this showed in thedetailing of his design. For example, many entrants had offeredcantilevered seats to keep the floor clear – those in his design wouldnot have caused the body framing pillars to fold and buckle!

Eric Woodward’s bus featured front wheel drive – I’m trying topicture the possible layout for a front wheel drive RM! It might bedifficult to achieve an acceptably tight steering lock, but I’m sure hehad thought about this. His bus had four wheels at the rear; thesewere arranged like those on a six-wheeled London trolleybus, thoughrather less in diameter and without all the former complications ofprop shafts etc.. This gave an exceptionally low floor line, soopening up fresh scope for getting the punters on and off,provided, of course, the design could comply with any regulationconcerning under-vehicle clearance. For me, David’s “winningline” was when he said that he thought that any design forLondon should be developed in a workshop environment inLondon – food for thought.

Other entries seemed to me to be just “styling-led”, with anexcess of curves in body panels and glazing. Too little thoughtseemed to have been given to reducing the count of body parts –keep them flat, rectangular and, as far as possible, identical,eliminating separate “LH” and “RH” parts. Storemen alwaysseem to have in stock 200 of the “hand” you don’t want andnone of those that you are desperate for!One design had a hinged cab door – the RT2 body had a slidingdoor way back in 1939, as have virtually all London buses since,apart from a few” stop-gap” vehicles in the immediate post-warperiod. Another, from Jamie Martin, had a sliding door forpassengers immediately behind the near side front wheel. Toopen, this slid forward, yes forward! Had the driver put on a

And a detailed drawing fromAlbert Braid, aged 12.

The pictorial entry from Olivia Carrier (aged 9)

in the “Imagine” category.

Page 8

Model BusesWe are providing a list of Museum commissions from ExclusiveFirst Editions for your interest. This list has been circulated toour Standing Order customers, who have ordering priority.Please note that, although we commission these models, wecannot guarantee dates of delivery.

If you would like further details of the Standing Order scheme,or wish to purchase any of these models (subject toavailability), please contact Sam Harrison. Sam’s e-mail issam.harrison@ltmuseum.co.uk

· Pre War RT bus in pre-war red livery. Route 28.

· Post war RT bus in red livery. Route 94.

· RLH (lowbridge) in LT green livery. Route 336.

· RML Arriva (red). Route 38 (last few weeks of service).

· 10T10 in pre war Green Line livery. Version A. Route C1.

· 10T10 in pre war Green Line livery. Version B. Route N.

· VCS series – Bristol RELH/ECW coach, United livery.Version A. Route 202.

· VCS series – Bristol RELH/ECW coach, United livery.Version B. Route 206.Both these variants, together with the original EFE release,may be used by model collectors to replicate the ‘convoy’system of United (as well as Western SMT and EasternScottish), which was a notable feature of their operations.

· VCS series – Bristol REMH/Plaxton Panorama Royal Blue(very limited and may be sold out as this newsletter ispublished).

We have launched our own specially commissioned model RM5,with a modified grille. Arriva did a magnificent job onrestoration of the vehicle for a private client, and the event tolaunch the vehicle was a great success. Plenty of models remainfor sale at £29.99. This is the Museum’s standard model RM forthe foreseeable future.

In addition, the first livery of the new BET 36ft bus has beenannounced by EFE. Maidstone & District’s smart dark green andcream livery will be a fitting first outing for this classicallyelegant bus. It is expected to be released this September.

Corgi have announced a number of new models for theremainder of 2009. Of prime interest to Friends is thesomewhat surprising decision to introduce a 1:76 scale castingof the Routemaster. The initial release (anticipated inNovember) will be a standard RM on Route 131 in earlier LondonTransport livery; a second release will be a standard RM in laterLondon Transport livery on Route K2. Expected price is £29.99each.

Shop News

Michael Walton sets out his stall:

The last three months have been fairly quiet for new models,but some significant books have been published.

BooksAs anticipated in the last newsletter, The Aldwych Branch byAntony Badsey-Ellis and Mike Horne, and published by CapitalTransport, is now available at £19.95. As usual, it is toCapital’s exemplary standards, and probably details everythingabout the Aldwych branch that one ever wanted to know. Alsofrom Capital is another superb bus book, London’s 1950sBuses – a class album, compiled by James Whiting and at£19.95 an absolute must. Rare colour pictures, many ofparticularly high quality, depicting almost every type of busrunning in London during the decade, single this out as theclass leader for the year. The pictures are complemented byrecollections of the period, including those of Friend Derek Fiskon working with LT Country Buses and Coaches at Reigate inthe early 1950s.

Again from Capital is another excellent railway book, WesternSteam in Devon and Cornwall. Like the book on London’s1950s buses, it is a class leader with superbly chosen imagesand Michael Welch’s well-written and comprehensive captions.Priced at £19.95, this book is a delight. A minor quibble is thatthere is no map to contextualise the locations.

Ian Allan have published two significant London books: LondonHalf Cab Farewell by Kevin Lane at £16.99, which is a largelycolour book featuring the RT and RM family favourites. If youcan’t get enough of RTs and RMs, then this is for you. Thesecond book from Ian Allan is London Underground Stations inColour (for the Modeller and Historian) by John Glover; this is avery useful survey of Underground architecture, all of which isin colour and well captioned. The book sells for £16.99.

The final book that may appeal to Friends is a rather lovely workfrom Aurum Press. The Book of the Edwardian & InterwarHouse (Richard Russell Lawrence) is a really well chronicled, andcopiously illustrated, book about suburban housedevelopment, much of it in London. As Edwardian and Thirties’semi-detached houses form the base of so many lives, suchbooks are quite rare. At £30, this excellent book deserves studyand a place on historians’ bookshelves.

DVDThe last Underground Driver’s Eye View, of the Victoria Line, isnow available at £19.99 and seems to be a firm favourite withall ages.

Acton Miniature

RailwayAdrian Allum reports on recent

developments:

The Acton Miniature Railway now has a platform at DepotApproach station. This is part of the overall safety andoperational improvements plan; and we are now in the processof arranging a ticket office and volunteer mess room. The ticketoffice will be directly where passengers enter the platform area;after buying tickets, passengers will be able to move forward to abarrier to wait for the next train. This will speed up the boarding

process, knowing that passengers waiting at the barrier willalready have tickets, leading also to less congestion. The messroom will be for our volunteers to keep belongings in (thoughnothing of value, of course), for an essential kettle (a railway isn’t‘proper’ without one!) and for a small relay rack for the signalling.

We have undertaken some work on the track circuits and wehope to have the first of these ‘live’ before the October FamilyWeekend. I have asked a ‘contractor’ about providing theilluminated track diagram for the signal cabin and, given thequality of the work on the original relay rack, I am hopeful of apositive response. Again, this would be as a donation (ofmaterials and time).

It is too early to confirm locomotives for the October FamilyWeekend, but I have enquired after a model of a BR Standardclass 2 ‘Mogul,’ in addition to a few regulars.

Page 9

Entrance Hall with those who live around it. Meanwhile localshave helped create a ‘hanging garden’ above the shaft, withexcellent panoramic views of the Thames; ascent is by verticalladder until proper access is arranged.

As this new development unfolds, it was with great sadness thatwe learnt of the death of Sir Alan Muir Wood FRS FRAE.Described in The Times as the “father of modern tunnelling”, SirAlan was a Brunelian figure, who made possible a number ofoutstanding infrastructure projects, including the ChannelTunnel.

Sir Alan led the campaign to save the Thames Tunnel. Initialproposals to strengthen and refurbish would have destroyedmuch of the original tunnel. Sir Alan headed a group ofengineers that persuaded English Heritage to Grade II* list it in1994 - the first such designation for a tunnel. We owe him ahuge debt.

For further information, email: director@brunel-museum.org.uk

Brunel Museum Update

Robert Hulse, Director of the Brunel

Museum at Rotherhithe, has kindly

provided Friends with this update on the

Museum’s “Grand Project”.

Thanks to the generosity of Balfour Beatty Carillion, our projectto convert the Shaft or Grand Entrance Hall outside the Museumhas begun. At one stage there was some anxiety that deadlinesmight not be met, despite the willingness and good intentionsof all parties. The East London Line is closed for 2½ years; butthe construction programme is complicated and left only anarrow window of opportunity for the work to be done.Remembering Brunel’s site has a history of overruns, it was withsome relief we inspected the new concrete floor in November2008! Access is currently severely restricted, but if you areprepared to crawl through a short tunnel, you have the chanceto make your own inspection! Come visit during Open HouseWeekend on 19th /20th September.

The magnificent chamber, pictured here, is over half the size ofthe dome of St Paul’s, and offers a range of exciting possibilitiesfor future programmes. As well as exhibition space, there isscope for performance, corporate and community use, and thechallenge is to arrive at a design that not only makes a grandstatement, but also offers a flexible and pragmatic solution tothe changing needs of a public building.

To help us, we have appointed Architects dRMM (de Rijke MarshMorgan). They have already come up with a range of interestingideas. One proposal is to raise the external height of the shaft byfourteen feet and so restore the original proportions of thebuilding. Fourteen feet is exactly the depth lost to the tunnelsbeneath the new concrete slab.

All these ideas are subject to planning permission andscheduled building consent. We have begun a series of socialevenings to discuss eventual use and design of the Grand

Annual Members’ Meeting

Some 75 Friends attended the Annual Meeting on Monday 20th April. Here’s a brief

report of the proceedings.

Summing up, Ian Arthurton said that 2008 had been a verysuccessful year, with Friends’ membership growing to over3000. There was an active and diverse programme of volunteersupport to the Museum; a widening range of Friends’ activities;and eager anticipation of the expected start in 2009 on the Q-stock restoration. Ian paid tribute to the Friends’ Trustees andmanagement team for their support.; to the Museum staff,especially Becky Lee and Joanne Howe; and to all Friends fortheir willing contributions.

Friends’ Chairman, Ian Arthurton, welcomed those present. Hethen introduced Ian Crane, the Friends’ Honorary Secretary. Ianpresented his Secretary’s report, reviewing the past year’sactivities. He was followed by Chris Angell, Friends’ HonoraryTreasurer. Chris talked the meeting through the annual accounts,explaining that the 2008 year had been one of transition, withthe handing over of responsibility for the corporate membershipscheme, with its attendant income, from the Friends to theMuseum itself. 2008 had seen the last of the Friends’ substantialgrants towards the Museum’s redisplay project. Friends’ supportof individual conservation projects continued.

Not

A Friend?

Visit our website

www.ltmuseum.co.uk/friends

for details of membership benefits and

to download an application form.

Page 10

LettersI am now a volunteer Science and Engineering Ambassador,helping to interest school students in a career in engineering. Inthat capacity, I would very much like to get hold of some smallassemblies from the original gates and ticket machines, to showstudents; but I have drawn a complete blank on whom to contactover this. I know they are being replaced and so there should besome assemblies available. Can anyone help?

And when is Acton going to get some examples of the gates andticket machines for show? Surely they are an important part ofLondon Underground history?

(Mr) Hilary Kilborn - London SE12(The Editor will forward any replies.)____________________________________________________

Trolleybus JunctionsIn reply to the letter from Leonard Hill in the April 2009newsletter, the honour of the most complex trolleybus junctionappears to be held by Ilford Broadway.

After the introduction of the 663 service in November 1939,this junction formed a three-quarter “Grand Union” – using thetramway term to describe a double-line right-angle crossing,with double connecting curves - here on three out of the fourcorners. Only the west to south corner was not wired up. Therewere 25 separate pieces of “special work” weighing some threetons. The services operated after the start of route 695 inOctober 1941 were as follows:

663: Aldgate – Ilford, using the west to north curves, toterminate in Thorold Road loop.

691: Barkingside – Barking, running north to south.693: Chadwell Heath to Barking, using the east to south curves.695: Chadwell Heath to Bow Church, running east to west.

The east to north curves were used for 43 days in 1938 by theSaturdays-only service 692 from Horns Tavern to ChadwellHeath. After this service was taken off, these curves were usedonly by Ilford Depot workings.

Ian Ross - Seven Kings____________________________________________________

Post Office RailwayI read with interest the article about the Post Office Railway inthe April 2009 newletter. In the final paragraph mention is madeof the units which have been preserved; but the one at AmberleyWorking Museum is not mentioned.

English Electric unit 808 of 1931 has been at the museum formany years, having arrived there from the West Somerset Railwayat Minehead, sometime after 1993. It is usually seen beinghauled along the running line on the railway in July, or otherwiseon static display in the railway hall. Malcolm Malins - Patcham, Brighton.

Roy Bell has also emailed to say that there is a further exampleof a preserved Post Office Railway vehicle at the NRM in York,which forms part of the TPO display. See Roy’s photo below.(Editor.)

Call outsDavid Wadley’s extracts from the Appendix to the MetropolitanRailway working timetable (April 2009 newsletter) werefascinating. I do enjoy literary visits to the City Widened Lines,pilferage and other lost bits of our vocabulary.

David wonders how key staff were summoned out of hours inthe 1920s, when telephones were not common. Forty years later,in the mid-1960s, though a mere key-holding booking clerk onthe Central Division of the Southern Region, I was twicesummoned in the early hours from my telephone-free flat toattend incidents. (One was to go to the signal box at WaddonMarsh Halt on what was called the “2-car line”, to collect upnumbered tickets after a rather messy break-in.) In both cases, Iwas knocked up by a railwayman from the nearby South EasternDivision train signing-on point. We didn’t know each other;normally, we had nothing to do with people outside the CentralDivision.

Looking back, this was a practical way of quickly contactingstaff, an arrangement about which I knew nothing until it neededto be invoked; so it quite possibly went back years, to a timewhen railway premises were scattered fairly regularly across theLondon area. I expect it involved what in those days was knownas “Control”, and the use of omnibus telephone lines.

Sometimes I feel quite old!

Terry Cooper - by email.____________________________________________________

Grid BoxesI have just read “An Interesting Appendix” in the April 2009newsletter. I believe I might be able to shed some light on item 4in the article, concerning resistance grid boxes at Aldgate.

The resistance grids were possibly linked to the current rails tofeed current to the conductor rails in the platforms. Theplatforms were very “tight” in length for a train and any trainreversing would be very close to the starting signal. To preventany movement with the starter at danger, the conductor railswould be fed through the grids, allowing enough power forlighting and compressors, but not enough for movement withthe signal at danger. When the signal was cleared, the currentwas fed directly, by-passing the grids. If the resistance grid wasdamaged by a train starting, the system could be by-passed byclosing or “shorting out”.

I think a similar system was used on the District at the PutneyBridge bay road, as this was very tight for a 6-car train. Thisshould not be confused with the resistance sections on PutneyBridge itself, and between Turnham Green and Gunnersbury,which were used to isolate LT’s power system from the SR’searthed system.

Dave Evans - Gravesend____________________________________________________

Oyster And BeforeI read with interest the summary of the talk by Shashi Verma(April 2009 newsletter).

There does not seem to be any mention of the predecessor tothe Oyster card: the “Touch and Go” ticket. (No, but there was inthe talk: Editor.) I worked as a Senior Design Engineer forWestinghouse Cubic for over five years during the developmentof the original automatic gates and ticket machines in the 1980s.Many of the features of the installed machines were my designand I had a patent awarded for the design of the Eskrow unit inthe coin handling mechanism.

Page 11

By email to: friendsmembership@ltmuseum.co.uk

By phone to: 020 7565 7296 - By post to: Friends’ Office,

London Transport Museum, 39 Wellington Street, London, WC2E 7BB.

Please note that the Friends’ office is staffed by volunteers and is not open

every day. Please be patient if you do not receive an immediate reply.

The Real RM5?

Andrew Colebourne commented on the

item on RM5 in the April 2009 newsletter

– and specifically on the statement

relating to its body. With the help of

another Friend, Damon Cross, we delve

deeper into the issues.

Andrew wrote:

“ I refer to article on the restoration of RM5, which I look forwardto seeing. It is stated that: “The bus…is well known for the factthat it retains its original body and registration”. Surely not itsoriginal body, which it has not had since 1963? Publishedsources say it has body B319, the original B5 having ended upwith the fleetnumber RM47. That bus currently languishesunloved in the US Virgin Islands. I would suggest the presentRM5 contains no parts of the original, but that should notdevalue Arriva’s restoration efforts. The same can be said formost Routemasters that have been restored to “original”condition!”

Over to Damon:

“I agree with all of this. It opens up a rather interesting debate,which has been had many times before. The current RM5 isbody B319, sitting on an A-frame and a B-frame. I presume thatthese frames are not A5 or B5 either, as fleetnumbers weresimply given to a complete bus, any complete bus, when it leftAldenham. RM5 sat on the works’ float from April 1963 untilJuly 1972, when it re-emerged with body B2203. It then wentthrough again with B71 in February 1977 and then B319 inSeptember 1981. RM5 has thus been in its current form longerthan any other. All these RM5s are also completely differentvehicles.

In my humble opinion, whatever LT sent out of Aldenham is thetrue vehicle, as “RM5” is simply a stock number which LTallocated to a member of its fleet. The last use of this stocknumber by LT is the vehicle we have today.

The overhaul system was such that anything from the RMbackwards is not what it seems, as even chassis were re-numbered. (Chassis numbers were removed from the dumbironsand put on another, overhauled chassis.) Take, for example, theMuseum’s RT4825. Neither chassis nor body belong to thenumber RT4825 as built, but for LT’s purposes that vehicle isRT4825. RT1 is also interesting, as the chassis is genuinely thatof RT1420 - I don’t believe this was ever overhauled. The bodyis that of RT1, but for LT’s purposes the complete vehicle was1037J in the service vehicle series. That is the true identity ofthe vehicle we see today as RT1. I’m not that much of a pedantthough, and think it’s probably right to preserve it as RT1, as thisis of far more relevance to us all. I do have my doubts over thelivery, but that’s another story!

Some Routemasters made it through Aldenham withoutswapping bodies. We have all four prototypes, plus RMF1254(which I don’t think had an overhaul anyway). The RCLs weredone at Aldenham under London Country ownership, butremained intact with no body swapping, I gather. I also believeRM8 went through as a complete vehicle, and is thus one of ourmost authentic preserved Routemasters, as indeed are any RCLs.

CONTACTTHE

FRIENDS

First And Last RTsThe Cobham Spring Gathering saw RT1 and the Musuem’sRT4825 lined up together at Wisley Airfield.

RT1 has just emerged after a £200,000 restoration, financedby its owner, Michael Selt and undertaken by Cobhammember, Ian Barrett. Cobham Bus Museum now has theopportunity to purchase the vehicle, failing which it may endup with a private overseas collector, who has already offereda six-figure sum.

The Cobham Bus Museum has launched an appeal to raisearound £150,000 to purchase RT1 and keep it in thiscountry. The appeal is being run in conjunction with IanAllan’s Buses magazine, where further fundraising details willbe published.

Newly restored RM5 on display at Covent Garden in

May. (Damon Cross)

London Transport Museum FriendsRegistered Charity 285108

39 Wellington Street . London WC2E 7BB

This newsletter is produced by JR Printing Services, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AA.

What, Where, When?Many Friends were misled by last time’spuzzle picture. It wasn’t Manor House (assome surmised), but the entrance to theformer tram depot at Archway.

Damon Cross, relishing another challengeafter RM5, explains the history:

The Archway depot wasopened by the NorthMetropolitan TramwaysCompany in 1873 and takenover by the LCC on 1st April1906. It was a standardgauge tram depot, withextensive stables for thehorses which pulled thetrams up and down. (Trams and buses generallyused eleven horses per vehicle if working with twoanimals, although I believethis may have been less fortrams, as railed vehicles areeasier to pull. Five pairs ofhorses were used each dayand one horse had the day off.)

Immediately through the gates, the trackfanned out into a covered four-road tramshed, with adjacent single-road coveredyard. To the right was a large block ofstables which stretched across to theadjacent Elthorne Road; there were morestables to the rear of the site, togetherwith a farrier. A hand-drawn map can befound in the Middleton Press’“Hampstead and Highgate Tramways”. The depot is believed to have closed by28th November 1907, whenits routes were electrified. The new electric tramsoperated from the large newshed in Pemberton Gardens,which we all know now asMetroline’s Holloway busgarage and which alsocontains some remains oftram rails. The rails in Holloway Road area remarkable survivor; this ispresumably due to it beingprivate residential land, withno need or funds to removethem! Beyond the gates, the

Moving on to the better-known ManorHouse track, this survives with thebuildings which were once the 1899 carshed and stables of the NorthMetropolitan Tramways Company. Thiswas taken over by the MetropolitanElectric Tramways Company in November

1902. The shed closed ator around electrificationin July 1904. The sitewas rebuilt as offices andstores, plus a permanentway and engineeringdepot. It was taken overby London Transport in1933 and retained, seeinguse as offices, a medicalcentre and as home to theelectrical engineers. Itlater saw use as headoffice of Leaside District,later Leaside BusesLtd., who appear to havemoved out to offices atWood Green bus garageduring 1993. I gather the

track may have remained in use fordeliveries by stores cars when we still hada tramway in London. It seems thebuilding is now flats and the tram rails sitin what is now a back alley to the adjacentshops. I attach a recent picture of ManorHouse. (This is reproduced above: Editor.)As readers will see, there is even morerubbish there than at Archway!

Damon wins the book prize, kindlydonated by Ian Allan Publishing, for hiscorrect entry and diligent research.

And so to this month’spuzzle. Where is themonument pictured leftsited (that’s the easypart!); and what tragicevent was connected withits unveiling?

Entries by email or postto the Editor’s homeaddress, by the copy datefor the October issue,please.

depot and stables are all gone. The big stable blocks on theright are now occupied by somesort of large commercial premises. Thereseems to be another large building at therear of the site. The car shed itselfappears to be occupied by private

gardens and it would be intriguing to seewhat may or may not remain on this patchof land!

Locally, there were several othertram depots. The London StreetTramways Company had car sheds andstables nearby in Junction Road andWarlters Road, whilst up the hill at 6/8Highgate High Street was the car shed andcable-winding house of the Highgate HillTramways Company. If you look just alittle further, then there are lots of others.