At home with...Andrew Braddock - London Country Bus Services after 1970

[@davidsmith2529]

Brilliant, I was Staines 74-82, transferred to Alder Valley Nth, and it's changes until 2000. During that time Andrew interviewed me for a job, he told me, I had not been successful this time, Andrew went on to say I was management material an he would be very surprized if I didn't end up in management. I left the Buses in 2000, by 2002 I was Operations manager until 2019 for a local coach company in Bracknell, now semi retired, I'm compliance manager for the company now running out of Staines and Woking, ironically full circle. Thank you to Andrew and London Transport Museum Friends, for this lovely presentation.

[@stevensalmon9561]

Thank you for a broad and deep presentation. I was just a passenger for LCBS but had a much more active role in life after its sale.

[@christophernorris100]

A superb Show, I am a member of the Model Bus Federation here in North East and I have a lot of interest in the London Greenlines and the London Country Transport, as well as being a member of the London Transport Bus Museum of Cobham and Brooklands.

[@pacificelectric1955]

In 1970 I was 15, a French secondary high school pupil, and I came over to Harlow for the Easter break. I stayed in the Hornbeams area and I remember there was a London Country garage when I would walk downtown. i always found these green lines so far from downtown London quite mysterious and I am quite happy to find that type of video half a century later.

[@jet936]

Fascinating, thank you.

[@trevordance5181]

I remember when the 405 ran from West Croydon to Horsham via Purley, Coulsdon, Redhill, Horley, Gatwick Airport, and Crawley. Between West Croydon and Redhill it dovetailed with route 414 which ran between West Croydon and Horsham via Purley, Coulsdon, Redhill, Reigate, Betchworth, Dorking, Holmwood and Capel. Route 405 still operates today, but only between Croydon Town Centre and Redhill and is now a red Transport for London bus.

[@groffterry]

Excellent presentation. Very essentail to keep this as historical documnet!

[@PaulGodfrey]

Thank you for a very interesting presentation. A long time since I traveled on the 757 to Luton Airport.

[@michaelbentley4182]

Excellent.

[@mapala78]

I used to live in Brentwood up to the mid seventies. We had the 721 Green Line service to Aldgate which was a 10 min service run with RMC's & RCL's running Romford North Street garage. It was a very good service and busy, also very comfortable especially if travelling the whole route into London.

[@stevefloyduk2012]

Very interesting, and I was there! Managed to make many life long friends whilst always trying our best!

[@marksinthehouse1968]

I worked at S with Steve fennel nice man

[@leopoldbluesky]

Very interesting video. Although I grew up in Stevenage, I started my bus driving journey with LCNW on the short-lived Muswell Hill-based C2 Camden Hopper and 268 Hampstead Hopper midi buses. It was all over very quickly, mainly I suspect because it was 1, run by management who had little experience of this new type of high-frequency service, and 2, the unreliable VW Optare City Pacer buses were driven by a bunch of spotty 18-year-olds with scant regard for running to a timetable, or sometimes even the correct route! Happy days :)

[@paulstevens9746]

I remember that place, Julie was the office clerk at first...

[@lucythemoggy1970]

a very interesting discussion. i have just ordered that green line book. plus a fifty years green line book

[@kennethgreen7089]

Very interesting presentation. As a passenger of Green Line for many years this was nostalgic with the infusion of some wonderful insights. Thank you.

[@russ6697]

Very interesting and insightful. Undoubtedly, it was a very challenging time politically, which of course saw the sad demise of an organisation with high aspirations. I completed my apprenticeship at the central repair works near Gatwick and it will always hold some fantastic memories for me. I left of my own volition during the first wave of redundancies and never really looked back.

[@michaeltrew7683]

Wonderful - many thanks.

[@trevorhaynes7628]

A fascinating stroll through some interesting history and very insightful of the politics of the time. Could I just mention that the original livery of the RCs was not "standard LT Green Line livery" but a special silver and green livery as part of a Green Line renaissance.

[@paulstevens9746]

well white and green anyway, not silver by any means

[@441stainesphil5]

Brilliant Sir. Thank you

[@anth5122]

Worked for Northern Counties for 27yrs until it’s closure in 2005 by Alexander Dennis

[@London1064]

Great video. I served an indentured apprenticeship as a garage craftsman with LCBS and worked at many different locations after I completed it. Fantastic apprenticeship. There were many ex LT Staff still there and many of the LT practices were adopted and carried over. You could still join the LT Benevolent Fund when I started. Great description of the different types of vehicles and garages etc. However, just a couple of points. I could not see Slough Garage listed that opened in the early 80s when Windsor garage shut or any mention of the Green Line TL,s TP,s, TPL,s TD,s TDL,s STL,s. Very interesting still. Thank you.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Bout the RP's, new, if I remember right, bout 70/71 ? Used to visit Windsor, wish I'd got an LT Green RT rad badge !

[@paulstevens9746]

48.38 picture shown is Chelsham Garage, not Godstone....

[@travellifewithjobo5740]

Fascinating

[@bestclipsfromfn2881]

My dad (Tony McAndrew) would have found this hugely interesting.

[@markchadwick1378]

I would venture to suggest that the photo on the section about Geoffrey Howe's visit to GD is not actually Godstone garage!

[@highpath4776]

Swanley ?

[@johncourtneidge]

My intermediate comment: a) the creation of the GLC and London Boroughs was a catastrophe which endures b) Public Transport should have moved along the Public Lidraries, Public Education, NHS route: Community-provided and free-at-the-point of use business model. Funded, perhaps by 1p on 'the Rates' and a land-use tax on every car-parking space, where-ever. In terms of Territorial Management, that based on the former Metropolitan County 'Pizza Slice' idea. Tat, still is the way Londoners and Hinterland people see the place. Overall, this video is a magnificent piece of Social History, copies of which, I hope, will be placed in The Peoples' History Museum in Manchester and the Bishopsgate Institute Library and the Guilhall Libraries in London.

[@rogersexton7857]

Absolutely superb presentation. On reflection, I suspect that basing the management at Reigate in the less densely populated south of the area was not a great problem. But, as you hint at in your presentation, placing the central engineering at Crawley was a problem. Crawley was 50/60 miles from the big depots in Herts and Essex. (Garston, Hemel, St Albans, Hatfield, Stevenage, Hertford, Harlow and Grays).

[@London1064]

There was the Northern Area Works at Garston where major accident work and 7 year recerts were carried out.

[@highpath4776]

@@London1064 plus work which LT would have done at Aldenham was done more at the garages, some sub frame changes and so on.

[@ROCKINGMAN]

The great days from a passenger's point of view, was the 30's to about early 70s, with all the great vehicles owned by LT inherited bt LCBS. RT's, RF's, RML's and RMC's, wasn't a fan of the newer vehicles such as the Leyland National, although liked the XF's and Merlins. Still things change for economic reasons and passenger usage.

[@cidertom5140]

Who doesn’t love a Gardner or 680

[@andrewbeadle9168]

and now less some garages all LCBS is now part of the Arriva Group. shame Arriva doesnt conider demerging the companies in to there separate Branding ie: Kentish Bus, county Bus