RT London Bus Restoration at Brooklands Museum

We must be a similar age. I loved the RTs at the time and used  them  regularly to get from Streatham ice rink to Croydon where I lived. One day three of us were standing on the rear platform  waiting to alight. The bus must have been travelling at 30 mph. An old bloke, on reflection probably the age I am now, fell down the stairs and as he hit the platform accidentally pushed one of my mates off it. We heard a howl as my friend fell off the back of the bus and hit a rubbish bin attached half way up a lamp post. He hit it so hard he dented it and he just lay prone on the pavement as the bus sped on. The old bloke picked himself up off the platform, dusted himself down and as the bus finally came to a stop and we could all get off made no reference whatsoever to the fact that he had just pushed my friend off a bus travelling at 30 mph. The two of us remaining were convulsed with laughter, such is the lack of empathy of spotty youth and we slowly wandered back to the crumpled form of our mate

Had those red and green at Brentwood in the 1960’s central and country area, also used on the Green Line 721, oh happy days they were.

As a young kid I remember them being somewhat different to the routemaster ie the radiator etc classic bus

Ooo I do like that MCW in the distance and that Leyland National, the MCW was seen a lot at Peckham and Camberwell, New Cross garages and was quite popular for its racey look. Nice to hear a South London accent, my local garages were Catford and Bromley and used to earn a bit of pocket money helping out on a saturday at Catford and they kept on a RT many years after they had been withdrawn where if memory serves me right was moved to Bromley til someone up top decided to out it. I have driven a RT and an RM on a "thank you" shunt at the garage when the safety elf decided kids should not be sweeping and helping out in such a dangerous place.

the 70s it wasn't that long ago was it ?

Saw sterling service with Lockeys West Auckland County Durham hence black livery .

if that's black paint with a white band I wonder if it's last owner was Lockeys who operated around, I think, the Bishop Auckland area?

Western buses in Scotland ran those buses when I was a kid in 60-70. I actually got a road test on one when I applied for a drivers job with western buses, had to go to Glasgow for the road test. No joy on the job though lol.

I rode the RT's back in the fifties and sixties. The best London Buses for sure! I love them.

Who makes the authentic lightbulbs for the ceilings? Without those, it'd be customised.

I used ride the 184 ,not up top though ,no driver!

I passed my p s v on one of these , a great vehicle to drive

On a point of order: not all the RT/RTLs were built by Park Royal. MCW, Saunders Roe, Cravens and, in the case of the RTWs, Leyland, all contributed.

Rode to school and back on a green London Country RT bus back in 1972 (route 800/801). Lovely buses.

Google the reg. very interesting

I remember when signs on buses said ‘no spitting’, that’s how old I am.
That bus was beautiful, but it gives me the collywobbles thinking how much work there’d be to get it right again... good luck to whoever takes it on...

Mike Mellor, I drove RT's early 1972 at Holloway and Harrow Weald be for going on to the OMO'S

Used to be a conductor on the 109 Purley to Blackfriars on the old Rt 1968

Might also be just a parts bus. You need to have a few to save others

Initially, I thought, 'not too bad'. Then I saw the back...

There were two bus routes that ran along Hanger Lane in Ealing when I was at primary school in the 60s - the 83 which used RMs and the 112 which used RTs. The latter were still going strong then.

I actually preferred the look of the RT to the Routemaster.

Surprised to see this vehicle still survives. JXN 371 is one of three vehicles that survive from the small independent operator, Lockey's of County Durham, the other two been East Kent PFN 858 & Ribble FCK 884

Yes mate l to remember hanging
off the grab rail , but my memory
was listening to the RT iderling
when stationary or at the bus
stop , it ticking over was my
favorite memory , l am now
65 & living in Melbourne ,
Australia. I will come home
one day for a holiday & plan
to hire an RT & routemaster 😀

We used to chase those buses if we missed one, and try to dive onto the platform, because as children we believed we had super bionic speed like Steve Austin, the Bionic man. Those were the days! 😆

RT's are my favourites.

Hi There Again my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris I was wondering, why couldn't you Rebuild a nice fresh shiny Gardner 6LXB, Leyland TL11, Volvo TD102KF, Cummins L10 and Gardner 6LXC 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH’s and Repaint them to a Grey Green Colour's just like the original Scania Grey Green's which were in the North London and East London bus route's such as 141, 168, 20, 210, 275, 125, 173, 179, 167, 313 and also the bus route 103, if you guys would like to Rebuild about 187 of Those Gardner 6LXB, Leyland TL11, Volvo TD102KF, Cummins L10, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LX 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH Buses Pretty Please? could you Repaint them in the Exact Grey Green Bus Colour's and put them on the London Bus Routes witch are the 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41, 56 and N26 for all of us Grey Green Bus lovers out there because we are Really Really desprately needed those type of color buses to be brought back again Pretty Please? do it for all of us customers and for all of us passengers out there Pretty Please? because it would be a Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Interesting Buses to see them Repainted to a Grey Green Colour. I am a Big Fan of all of those Gardner 6LXB, Leyland TL11, Volvo TD102KF, Cummins L10 and Gardner 6LXC 4 Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Alexander RH Buses Pretty Please Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very much for your time, help and supports?

Exercise in futility. Best to break them up and recover whatever materials can be easily recovered without causing environmental pollution. Even the breaking up and recovery of useful materials will cost more.

This is an example of the RTL bus, the Leyland version of the AEC RT type. This particular bus is RTL48, the second earliest RTL known to have survived. Worse condition buses have been restored, but the amount and cost of the necessary work will be immense.

Loverly memories of being on these as a school boy, wish you well in keeping her on the road 👍❤️🇬🇧