How the Routemaster Conquered London

[@JayForeman]

Growing up in the 90s, I remember the sight of a Routemaster meaning that you were either in Exciting Central London, or tantalisingly close to Exciting Central London. They were a huge part of what made Exciting Central London and suburbia feel like different worlds. 

[@RogersRamblings]

@@JayForeman Meanwhile, for those of us from the 1960s/70s/80s suburbs, Routemasters and RTs were part of daily life. I'd never realised that younger people had such deprived childhoods as RMs and RTs were replaced on suburban routes. My sympathies.

[@jonharvey6277]

Exciting

[@Andrewjg_89]

It’s Jay. Nice to see you commenting on Jago’s video.

[@civlyzed]

Cool! Hey, I heard you're a bit of a map guy ;-) I love maps too!

[@seandelap8587]

Surely the most iconic bus of all time

[@NickyMitchell85]

I agree ☝🏻

[@meijiturtle3814]

Unless you slipped off the open platform and died of complications from a fractured skull. This happened to an elderly colleague who had survived WW1.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@meijiturtle3814 my nana broke her ankle in such a way in winter showers as a teenager, trying to get to her job as a shop girl. That ankle still gives her trouble, nearly 80 years on. (It wasn’t a Routemaster, it was an earlier rear-entrance design.)

[@pulaski1]

I can't think of another city anywhere in the world associated with a bus like London is. The closest other example that I can think of is San Francisco and its trolley buses.

[@lancervp]

OF ALL TIME!

[@arthurvasey]

3:10 Safety hazard? Jago mentioning one of his relatives here!

[@jimtaylor294]

😌👌

[@tonys1636]

I don't think anyone ever died falling off an open platform, many with egg on their face by missing grabbing the pole when jumping on a moving bus or landing on face jumping off and misjudging the speed. Safety should be taking one's own responsibility for one's actions and not having legislation telling one what can or can't be done.

[@alanclarke4646]

​@@tonys1636unfortunately an awful lot of people nowadays refuse to be held accountable for their own actions ( or lack of action ).

[@jimtaylor294]

@tonys1636 Well said. "Idiot Proof" is just the nanny state presuming they know what the greatest depth of imbacilic actions are 😅🤦‍♂️ . Better to adopt a position of *if you didn't follow commonly known / stated directives by the transport provider, the consequences are nobody's responsibility but your own* .

[@johnm2012]

​@@tonys1636One person died from falling off a Routemaster bus in London between October 2003 and September 2004. During that time, 287 other passengers were injured from falling off the open platforms. I'm happy to take responsibility for my own actions but it's other people who seem to behave more and more erratically these days. If you can be pushed off a tube station platform by a stranger you can be pushed off the back of a Routemaster. Besides, they're really not wheelchair friendly or even arthritic hip friendly.

[@capabilityred3606]

Before I retired I worked on the buses for nearly 45 years as a conductor, then a driver before becoming a trainer. I can honestly say that of ALL the buses I worked on, including the new electric ones, nothing, but nothing compares to the Routemaster. I doubt that it will ever be bettered. Great video Jago, keep up the good work.

[@Billrobster]

Couldn't agree more.

[@pilnes]

I went on one up to Marble Arch for the last day of service. There was a golden jubilee version, loads of beautifully restored ones, airport buses and all sorts. It was like a carnival, with thousands lining the pavements.

[@jadeboswell-rz2ly]

Hi Jago, great video I spent many years fixing them, I also did my apprenticeship at Aldenham(Elstree). Which was originally to be the Underground depot for the Nortern line extension. And overhauled ST's, RF's, RT's before the RM's. The great thing about them from engineering stand point was the quick workshop turnaround times on major components such engines. This could be achieved in an afternoon. They're do a morning shift came into workshop around midday and be ready for late evening services. Thank you Jago, regards Bill.

[@paulberen]

The quick and efficient engine repairs and maintenance etc was made possible by a deliberately designed bodywork, cover, that can be removed and out of the way in seconds.. This made it possible for an Engineer to stand and work between the front wheel and engine, when necessary, and made for an ease and efficiency to do any work at the front end.

[@Austin_In_Ukraine]

Were you always at Aldenham or did you move to Chiswick Works?

[@jadeboswell-rz2ly]

@@Austin_In_Ukraine Hi Austin after finishing my apprenticeship I stayed at Aldenham, until 1970 when I transferred to LCBS St Albans garage.

[@oc2phish07]

I was a child when the Routemaster first ventured out onto London's streets, and I remember on many occasions, with my weekend 'Red Rover' bus pass in hand, I would let all the 'ordinary' buses go past at the bus stop and wait for a Routemaster. I still ride them now whenever I can as there are quite a few 'heritage' ones still on our roads. Excellent video as always, Jago.

[@BrianBrown-f9i]

So we weren’t alone in the late 50s, when the RM started on the 15 route we would also let a few RTs pass hoping an RM would come along.

[@xrayfish2020]

me feel like the Don of London 😂👍

[@paulberen]

(The RMs first appeared in 1954-55)

[@pilnes]

The first time I saw a driver swinging an RM effortlessly around a corner, I was amazed. I'd never seen power steering before.

[@yuvalpn8838]

I loved the RM busses, especially when I could use them as "moving walkways" along Oxford street. Back in the mid 80's I visited London, and stayed at a hotel just behind Marble Arch. With a day travelcard in my pocket I could hop on the open platform of any one of the many RM busses running (or in fact crawling) through Oxford street, basically at any point, not only at bus stops, and hop off when I saw something interesting outside. Traffic was so slow that it was possible to hop on or off even when the bus was moving.

[@iancrane1188]

In the late 1950s, my grandfather took us kids to see the Christmas lights on Oxford Street. Because of the traffic crawl, we made up an advertising jingle (singing): "If you want to sleep before the next stop, travel by Routemaster Bus."

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

As a kid we used to take the 129 RouteMaster from Clayhall Avenue up to Barkingside. Price 2 1/2p. A bag of crisps at the time cost thrupence. The journey home took the bus through the side streets behind Claybury Broadway which lead to the parade of shops with a Post Office, kosher deli and Beigel shop, and a kosher butchers. However, there was no actual bus stop there in the 1970s. It was situated around the corner in Clayhall Avenue. So, as the bus slowed down to go around the corner, we kids used to quickly jump off to go get our Salmon and Cream Cheese beigels, much to the frustration of the conductor.

[@VP-1964]

Even by Jago’s excellent standards - this is one standout video. Those BEA buses with luggage trailers and the London air terminal-Remember those from my childhood! Thank you Jago!

[@timpedder6046]

Agreed. Very thorough coverage.

[@sheltie777]

Excellent video. I loved the buses with their open platforms at the rear. Many was the time I caught the bus after it had left the stop. That is being practical, and at the time it never occurred to me that there was a safety issue. That was just the way we did it.

[@mrb.5610]

Getting onto the platform as soon as the bus left my penultimate stop and leaning out was the fun thing for me to do - don't think the conductor ever yelled at me either !

[@komnsenz]

As a kid and a teenager, I jumped on and off moving buses on a daily basis, as did everyone else. It's a shame that suddenly became 'dangerous'.

[@katrinabryce]

They are quite often brought out of the museums into service during tube strikes. Last time I rode one, it was working part of the 94 route between Oxford Circus and Shepherd's Bush as a Central Line replacement.

[@SheeplessNW6]

And not just Routemasters: I was surprised, during a strike a few years ago, to see an RT in service!

[@cheesymice]

I love the Routemaster! I have an old Cath Kidston wallet covered with a Routemaster print that makes me happy every time I get it out. It reminds me of all my happy visits to London.

[@ulfehrning7009]

An English guy living here in Sweden has converted a Routemaster to a food truck and has since more than 25 years been selling Fish and Chips during the summer close to one of southern Sweden's best and largest beaches.

[@na195097]

I got to ride on one of these in February 2002. I was in London to attend a wedding and one of these came rolling down the street. Dunno if it was a heritage event or what. All the others that I saw that week were new ones. It confused me at first that we had to board from the open back corner and there was a conductor. This girl from rural Ohio had a blast with all the public transport in London.

[@nicolaschung916]

This brings back fond childhood memories of me riding the top deck with my Granny, God bless her. As a regular visitor from the continent, buses have always been my favorite means of transport in central London. This video was much awaited, and did not disappoint ! Thanks so much Jago.

[@louis1952]

As part of my engineering course in 1971, I had 8 weeks at London Transport's Acton works. Pretty well every bus component was stripped down for refurbishment including engines, differentials and fuel injectors (LT had over 20 different fuel injectors on trial). Lunchtimes were spent watching the buses negotiating the skid pan. The RM drivers position adjacent to the engine was a mixed blessing: I was told that engines located at the rear of buses fared worse than those on the RMs since the diver was unable to pick up on any unusual noises. However, there was minimal heat shielding between driver and engine so the RMs became rather uncomfortable in summer.

[@LesD9]

Wasn't that Chiswick?

[@louis1952]

@@LesD9 No, Acton was a separate works, although Chiswick was nearby.

[@paulberen]

@@louis1952 Chiswick was where Conductors and Drivers were trained, including the skid control finale, last part of the training of Drivers.. The Inspectors on the streets also regularly returned to Chiswick to do periods of training of the Conductors and Drivers.. In the early days, or until later, made easier; the skid training required a Driver to handbrake-turn a bus 180 degrees, and backwards into an area of cones no more than 8-9 inches away, around the length of the bus. This was meant to give a Driver the confidence to keep a control of their bus in whatever extreme circumstances.

[@timpedder6046]

@paulberen Indeed. They had to stop doing the handbrake turns when the RMs came out as the monocoque design couldn't take the stresses, unlike the RTs and other buses with a chassis.

[@rmbflk]

A second hand Routemaster was brought to the Falkland Islands and did tours for cruise ship passengers for several years - she (she was named Bessie) now serves as a cafe for tourists

[@caw25sha]

From your user name I suspect a connection . . .

[@rmbflk]

@caw25sha Local knowledge rather than a connection

[@johnaron9819]

Thank you for another wonderful feature. I lived on the 102 route in East Finchley and my favorite game was "What is the highest speed you can jump off/onto without major bodily injury". Both the R/T and the Routemaster were excellent launch vehicles.

[@chrisadye1590]

Yes, the underpowered RT's could be jumped off on a steep hill, the RM's needed to be slowing for a turn. I'm amazed there weren't more broken bones!

[@Gideonsmythe]

There's so much to love about the Routemaster design. The vinyl edges to the original seat cushions were a design feature, as it caused less friction with clothes and made getting up from your seat easier. The Routemaster is packed full of features like that. That short-term fiscal issues stopped the manufacture of the front door version, the legendary FRM, proved to be a bad decision and cost LT millions during the 70s. That they outlived 3 generations of new buses says as much about the quality of the Routemaster. If you ever get to travel on one, notice how sturdy and safe they feel.

[@mfx1]

They've only "outlived" other busses due to companies custom making spare parts which isn't particularly cheap but due to the nostalgia/tourist market the cost makes sense, it wouldn't make sense if they were still standard commuter busses.

[@1258-Eckhart]

I seem to remember that they didn't rattle and vibrate like many other buses do, some quite alarmingly, as if they're about to fall apart. I never experienced that in a Routemaster, they gave a very sturdy feel.

[@TheEulerID]

When you are lost in London And you don't know where you are You'll hear my voice a-calling "Pass further down the car!" And very soon you'll find yourself Inside the terminus In a London Transport, diesel-engined Ninety-seven horsepower omnibus Along the Queen's great highway I drive my merry load At twenty miles per hour In the middle of the road We like to drive in convoys We're most gregarious The big six-wheeler, scarlet-painted London Transport, diesel-engined Ninety-seven horsepower omnibus Earth has not anything to show more fair Mind the stairs lady! Mind the stairs! Mind the stairs! Flanders and Swann of course.

[@jimtaylor294]

🫡👌🇬🇧

[@Tevildo]

It should be noted that the song is about the LT, not the Routemaster. The song was written in 1957, so before the Routemaster actually appeared on the streets - and, more importantly, the Routemaster only has four wheels.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

@@Tevildo It has double wheels at the back (four on one axle)

[@jimtaylor294]

@Tevildo Not quite. The Routemasters have six if counting the rear wheels being doubled (standard practice for Buses, Coaches & commercial vehicles over a certain weight) While it is true that the Routemaster wasn't in service yet when the song was written, it was known about as an upcoming one, the song was performed live for some time after the Routemaster debuted, and crews drive and used them in the same way as their predecessors.

[@stephenspackman5573]

@@jimtaylor294 But 97HP is a little specific.

[@johnbyford9377]

A splendid video! One of your best, and that's saying something. I've not forgotten my first ride on a Routemaster. It was in July 1960 when route 220 was the replacement service for trolleybus route 630. A school friend and I used a Red Rover ticket - how wonderful they were - to travel from West Croydon to Shepherd's Bush.

[@edwardoleyba3075]

Ah. I remember the 220 route at Hammersmith.

[@steve08717]

used to watch them through class room windows going down fulham palace road by then they where Daimler dms the 74 and 30s where still rmls the 220 was very short lived as a rm route gone by 1974

[@paulberen]

And a 'thrippenny bit' - 3 Penny coin to get to school from West Croydon.. And still have the PSV Licence badge - Green circle for a Conductor, Red circle for a Driver.. Conductor and Driver with capitals; because in the days Bus Drivers and Conductors were seen by people as respected as Services, like Fire and Ambulance Services, Police and Soldiers, being just 10 years on from the end of the war, when the RMs first ran in London.

[@peedee2221]

During the eighties I rode on a Routemaster that had been cascaded to Southend Transport on my daily journey to the station. Some years later I was surprised to ride on exactly the same bus with the Southend destinations still showing at Niagara Falls

[@richardavsmith]

Oh, I remember that one very prominently from my first trip there! A very strange sight, given I'm from Essex too!

[@richardavsmith]

Must be even stranger if you've literally been on it for years.

[@grahampaulkendrick7845]

Excellent. I have been a London bus enthusiast since I was nine and I recall seeing CRL4 and the 'Silver Lady' back in the early sixties. It would be to look at RM1's cevelopment as it looked very different in 1954.

[@highpath4776]

Yes the front Grills must have changed two or three times - the release to toy companies of diagrams meant the Brimtoy one was based on SLT 56 as first built.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

My school was a feeder for new apprentices to the nearby AEC works. Our streets frequently saw test bus chassis out and about, the driver wearing googles! Happy memories.

[@johnrafferty8087]

What School was that. Dormers Wells? Villiers?

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

@ Dormers Wells 👍

[@leytonexile]

Next time you're up to Epping Jago, catch a ride on Routemasters on route 339. You may even find me driving one!

[@kevinasarlauskas3261]

Hello Dave!

[@tantaf123]

This man is single handedly entertaining all the transport enthusiasts. I salute you Jago! :D

[@johnhall6993]

Thank you, Jago. Like the Routemaster, I first appeared 70 years ago and I grew up in Walthamstow, one of the first areas where they replaced trolleybuses in 1960. Great memories of buying Red Rover day tickets at Walthamstow Garage with schoolfriends and having races across London.

[@robertward7449]

Yet another great video! When I were a lad - more years ago than I care to admit to - I recall the excitement of the brand new RMs replacing our local trolleybuses. They were quite a leap forward - automatically transmisdion, power steering, and - gasp! heating (admittedly fairly primitive) for passengers. Later on I used to commute from the outer burbs into London on a handy green line route using the coach version of the RM. Luxurious for 1960s London buses!!!

[@peterburgess5974]

@JagoHazzard I lived near the White Horse in East Ham for 23 years-right by the terminus of the 15 route from Trafalgar Square. The Routemaster, with its iconic design, punctuated my life during those years and became a symbol of London's unique character. As you so rightly said, the Routemaster is as quintessentially London as Tower Bridge, Big Ben, or even a plate of Jellied Eels. Thank you for the fascinating insights and for rekindling such fond memories. Ad altiora!

[@rotinkerbell]

Fabulous - all that was missing was a nod to Flanders and Swann Transport of Delight. I always really enjoy your videos.

[@rosmear7871]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aobKc42cftN1orc

[@barrykeen5643]

Although you show RM 577 as the 'Silver Lady' it was actually RM 664 which went into service from Highgate garage. I remember seeing it during its first week in service and it did look magnificent - until the sun reflected off its bodywork and nearly blinded me!! Also in 1977 during the late Queen's silver jubilee a fleet of 25 Routemasters were painted in silver livery and renumbered SRM 1 - 25. This was done at no cost to London Transport as each one was sponsored by a West End store and it was stipulated that they all had to be allocated on routes which travelled down Oxford Street.

[@MidlandMark]

Plus, the red and yellow Routemasters employed on Route 30p, the short-lived "Shop Linker".

[@steve.b.23]

I had a toy Silver Jubilee RM. I think it was made by Matchbox.

[@Anonymoususer_8823]

The older Routemaster buses are such iconic buses that London adored so much and you can still see them at museums and on excursion tours.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

When the RMS Queen Mary was sold and was on its way to Long Beach, California on its deck were two Routemasters. People got in fist fights trying to get in them when the ship went around Cape Horn.

[@culdeefp4817]

I’d definitely agree that the Routemasters are iconic, so much so that I’ve had a die-cast toy of one of them for most of my childhood all the ways in Canada

[@martinfriend6464]

My Dad was a mechanical engineer at Chiswick Works for over 30 years and the highlight of the year for me as a kid was the open day when you could ride on the top deck of an RM on the skid pan where they would 'drift turn' the RMs to show they wouldn't topple over. Great fun!

[@barrybarnard836]

Never been to the UK but I just love those old busses, reminds me of my youth, great vidio

[@Inverse_to_Chaos]

Hope you go there soon. I just visited last summer, and ‘it’s certainly a thrill.’

[@russbetts1467]

Thanks, Jago, for the trip down Memory Lane. I lived in London at various times from the mid- 1950's to the mid- 1970's and travelled on the RouteMaster's frequently. I'd like to think they will still be around in another 30 years, even though I probably won't be. Russ. Hampshire.

[@Froobyone]

My own city benefited from their withdrawal, as East Yorkshire Motor Services bought a number of them, painted them in their vintage livery and rostered them on the legendary 56A route. It never got old being able to jump on the platform and there was much nostalgia getting your ticket off the clippy. They were sorely missed here as no doubt they were in London. Great video. Thank you.

[@CareyMcDuff]

One of my happiest memories is riding a Routemaster on a busy Saturday evening from Leicester Square toward Picadilly Circus in 1986. Standing next to the open back as the bus creeped along, watching the sidewalk foot traffic and those hopping on or off the bus. I still think of that evening often. What a privilege it was to have had that experience; the feeling of being part of something exciting being shared by hundreds (or thousands) of people that evening all coming and going, making memories with family and friends.

[@eattherich9215]

I used the Routemaster for school, work and leisure. I loved the rattle of the engine when idling. We shall not see it's like again, well not everyday.

[@52robbo]

A wonderful bus, classic design and perfect for London. Long may they continue to be on London’s roads. Great video, too.

[@colinjolliffe]

I remember FRM1 on the 233 route in 1970, it just looked so different to the usual buses on that route. Great video, lots of fascinating information.

[@stevenrobertson4603]

Wondefully entertaining - thank you for this! I love the Routemasters; we had two stints of them running here in Manchester in the 1080s and 90s. My most memorable was RM149 from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport on the 203 service.

[@bigmick562]

William the Conqueror regularly used the 203

[@brianbell4937]

A Routemaster will be running a free service on Christmas Day. Anyone in the Putney area can travel for free on the 430 between Putney Bridge Station and Danebury Avenue in Roehampton. Buses will run every 20 mins between about 1000 & 1500. Three buses will be in use, one RML and two RTs.

[@grantbeerling4396]

That's Christmas day sorted...

[@paulberen]

(The RT bus was the predecessor of the RM, & an RML is a Routemaster Long, elongated RM, with 8 extra seats).

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

@@grantbeerling4396 Yes,I'm sure yule(geddit) be riding up and down all day from first bus(well not Firstbus) to last bus - NOT !!

[@nomadMik]

I do like the video. I like the curvy windows that follow the stairs down the back of the new buses, too.

[@paulberen]

The RM bus also pioneered the rounded corners as deliberate streamlining, giving it a stable handling and control.

[@radiosnail]

Brilliant. Very glad you made this one. As a lad growing up in Bexlyheath, I remember the RTs being withdrawn in about 75 or 76 (last one being the 51- recall a poster on the radiator of one announcing this). It was a delight when Routemasters were introduced to the 122 service from Slade Green to Crystal Palace. Always thought the RT and RM gave a nicer ride compared to the later rear engined "boxes". Of course the latter were faster and had better brakes. Great video. Thankyou.

[@spitfire1962]

My eldest brother was a conductor and then a driver on the route master. Firstly out of Bromley bus garage and then Peckham.

[@adamwalkervfx]

A conductor eh? Was your brother called Jack by any chance? 😛

[@Ay-B]

I used to watch an overnight news program called World News Now. They had a correspondent in London named Declan. Declan sat in front of a window and these busses would pass by. They'd put a graphic of a double decker on the bottom of the screen to tally the count. I loved it! Sometimes the count got up to four. 😅

[@edwardoleyba3075]

They have two of these classic buses in Yokohama both in absolute mint condition!

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

The Greenline RMC & RCL versions are my favourite Routemasters… absolute design classics which still look absolutely stunning, and haven’t really dated at all.

[@juli-tuesday]

Ahh I loved the route master buses up and down Oxford st and jumping off at the spot you wanted not the actual stop. But more importantly I went off and watched the opening of “Summer Holiday” the 1963 movie with Cliff Richard, and the opening scene at Aldenham bus overhaul works. They show how they tip the buses for maintenance and move the chassis and shell at the factory. Thanks Jago for sending me down this movie rabbit hole.

[@dougmorris2134]

Thank you Jago for a very interesting video which brought back a few memories. I travelled to school on the 194 bus route which at that time still included Croydon Airport (London’s first international airport) and from a garage that solely operated RTs. One of its fleet, that I travelled on, was the one now in the LT Museum on the red carpet. My next personal encounter was searching out and happily travelling on FRM1 but unfortunately I can’t remember any details. Going back further to 1959 and to route number 66 (not the USA route 66) but to North West Kent and Maidstone & District and to an estate (with the Tiger Moth pub) opposite Rochester Airport/Aerodrome of that time. Instead of the trusty Leyland Titan etc a new bus arrived for the trip to school, a Maidstone & District Leyland Atlantean in the familiar “Brunswick” Green? (dark green) and cream/ivory livery. Note: sorry I only remember knowing as a dull green and cream. I remember that the ride (from the lower saloon/deck was very different to the older half cab DD buses that my dad used to drive for M&D. The M&D Atlanteans were well ahead of the XAs and XFs and the unique FRM1 of London TransporT. In my days of a Bus Traveller, not spotter, where I had to have travelled on it and collected all possible details, now sadly lost through time, interests and life, I now try to recapture some of the past by buying models (alas no FRM1) of RTs and yes RMs, RFs from LT and those that I remember and that my dad would have driven (or mentioned). Strange that my first trip on a Routemaster was just a few years ago from the LTM Museum Depot on RM1 but absolutely a “Transport of Delight” The London “RT” family of vehicles are considered to have totalled 6956 vehicles in total. RTs, RTLs, RTWs. So in conclusion, something ( a quote or saying ) that I heard on a KZbin video about the restoration and modernising of the Schwebebahn monorail in Wuppertal Germany made by WSW “Old Love Never Rusts” Never let the past just rust away or decay but protect and preserve it for future generations to appreciate, but memories only fade away. Once again thank you Jago for a Transport of Delight. Best wishes from Oxfordshire

[@smartjim]

I remember 194 bus route too, did it go via Crystal Palace?

[@dougmorris2134]

My journey was from Elmers End to West Wickham Station or WW The Swan then via West Wickham, Shirley, East Croydon, W Croydon and Croydon Airport. From Elmers End the route was via Elmers End Road passing the ED bus garage (now closed/demolished) and Birkbeck Stn. turning down Croydon Rd (at the Robin Hood pub (demolished and now Aldi) to Penge Pawleyne Arms turning into High St. toward Lower Sydenham and Forest Hill. The only route to/via Crystal Palace that can think of was the 137. There have been many changes since the 1960s when I lived there.

[@neilforbes416]

10:17 "Silver Lady"? Ah, yes. The late actor/singer David Soul would know about this bus! LOL😆

[@jackmartinleith]

Haha! As soon as I heard those words I paused the video, whipped out my guitar and tried to remember the chords. There's a modulation I didn't quite get right, which meant revisiting the UltimateGuitar chord chart and listening to David Soul sing it - modulating between B♭m and B. (End of chord geekery.) Then back to the video. I was waiting for a mention of St Peter of Richmond Hill, his Routemasters and the annual Imber jamboree, but that never came. Next year perhaps?

[@isashax]

I am glad that they were still on service when I 1st visited London! I still remember that a conductor forgot warning me before my stop and made me jump off the RM when he realised. Thankfully, it was slowing down a bit in that moment 😂 Also, some friends rented one for their wedding and we went through the centre and Tower Bridge, while people cheered us on our way to the wedding banquet!

[@PopeLando]

64 is 8 more than 56. But anyway I see "Routemaster" I click instantly. Thanks for doing this, Jago.

[@AlphaBee6]

Great video. It's not just in London that you still see Routemasters. Almost every country walk I've taken (and I've taken quite a few!) I've seen some variant of this beloved icon, whether parked in a town or village, or left on a lay-by somewhere.

[@borassictime918]

As a kid my favourite place to sit was upstairs right at the front. I used to get so excited I’d jump up and down. Then the conductor would come along and tell my mother to get me to stop since it was annoying the driver below 😂

[@dvdvnr]

My father worked at AEC in the 1960s and I have memories of the huge Christmas parties they would put on for staff and their families. I also remember being annoyed at having to go to one of the parties, which meant I missed a crucial episode of some little -known TV programme called Doctor Who - I wonder what ever happened to that! 😁

[@bubblebus1]

Many happy memories of the Routemasters. The early ones had a single, central brake light and, even in my earliest recollections, the rear indicators had been upgraded to add an extra left one with the double arrow element of the original right side set-up now blanked off to indicate right only. There have been various upgrades since then. My favourite was the RMLC that required a journey to the outer suburbs where the Green Line services ran. You might recall the tops of the concrete bus stops could carry a red or green cap to indicate the colour of the buses that could stop there. If both, the cap was replaced by a pair of what looked like giant cotton reels, one of each colour. I recall also the routes that had express services denoted by blue backgrounds, rather than black for the route indicator signs. These missed out intermediate stops so you needed to know where to alight and leave to get the best out of them.

[@michaelwhite8908]

Fascinating video ! Just a point,at 4.12 you said that at 64 seats,it was four more than a RT.The RT seated 56. Minor detail !

[@pacerchaser9434]

Great video as always!! The original transmission was slightly more complicated. There was a gear selector in the cab, positions 1-4 on it were gears 1 to 4 and allowed the driver to change the gears. There was no clutch pedal, the design being known as semi-automatic. Position 5 allowed the bus to become fully automatic. Drivers were instructed to drive in automatic mode within central London and semi-automatic in outer London, with defined changeover points. This was supposed to minimise wear on the gearbox.

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

Good that you pointed that out. Back in the 80s there were three classes of bus driver (PSV) licenses and the London drivers got the easiest level because of all of the driver aids. At the same time in Bristol, which was still using the Lodekkas with fully manual crash gearboxes and no power steering, drivers had to pass the highest level test. As a consequence, most London bus drivers couldn’t do weekend or part time work as coach drivers - they would need the mid level or high level license for that

[@edwardoleyba3075]

Is that what they refer to as a pre selective gear box?

[@pacerchaser9434]

@edwardoleyba3075 no, on a preselector you moved the gear stick but the gear didn't engage until you pressed a pedal on the floor. So for example when pulling up you could put the gear lever to first or second ready for setting off and just hit the pedal to engage the gear when you were ready to move

[@atinshed]

​​@@edwardoleyba3075 No, but the predecessors of the RM, namely the RT/RTL/RTW series, had pre-selector gearboxes.

[@atinshed]

@pacerchaser9434 In the original Routemaster, there were five positions in the gate, one of which was for reverse. There were only four positions for forward progress. It was recommended that you drove in 'position 4' (on the top row, and pulled back towards the driver) at all times, except when heavily loaded or starting on an incline. 'Position 4' gave you second, third, and fourth gears in automatic mode. First gear, or 'position 1' (down one row, and then away), could only be engaged manually. Usually, when in service, the gearlever was left in 'position 4'. Only when starting whilst heavily laden, or on an incline, would 'position 1' be selected. Then, when the road speed was correct for second gear, the gearlever was moved to 'postion 4'; then gearbox would select second gear, then third when the roadspeed was correct, and then fourth. Effectively, there was little to be gained by manually changing through gears two and three and, if caught doing so gratuitously by a District Mechanical Inspector, the driver could expect a dressing down.

[@johnburns4017]

Other cities in Europe went through WW2 suffering similar if not worse. They manged to keep their transport (trams) infrastructure operating. The mass expansion of cities and new towns post war meant the motor bus was more flexible in routing and cheaper initially to get operational. So we did it on the cheap.

[@johnforrest695]

Replacement of trams was already underway from the late 30s in most UK cities - either by trolleybuses or motor buses. In much of the country this was because the tram infrastructure had worn out(c.f. the rails but also the trams themselves) and replacement with buses seemed cheaper. Whether it was you can argue about:) In London there was an added reason. Trams were run by London County Council who were rivals of the bus company, who were effectively owned by London Underground. After 1933 they all became part of "London Transport" but the senior management were inherited from London Underground and, surprise surprise, after that the trams fell out of favour. It is surprising that they lasted as long as they did - arguably the war kept them running rather than vice versa.

[@johnburns4017]

@@johnforrest695 Liverool had an extensive tram network - maybe the biggest, not too sure on that but big. The last tram was in late 1956. The same year the last train of the unique elevated Overhead metro train network stopped running. The abolishment of the trams was by only one vote in the council. The expansion of the city was one of the reasons, and that there was no really new advanced tramcar designs about did not help - although on the Continent they were far more advanced. The city had trams running in the wide central reservations in dual carriageways giving _fast_ services. It was a really stupid thing to have got rid of the trams and the Overhead. They could have merged the two in time creating a unique transport network. Liverpool is not alone in this short shortsightedness. Probably only Liverpool and London could have merged tram and metro networks.

[@kyle8952]

I'm not so sure about that, at least in the Netherlands the tram networks faced the same fate as in the UK.

[@johnburns4017]

@@kyle8952 But the Dutch kept the trams going when they could have taken the cheap way out buying buses. In the UK they got rid of all the (eco) trams, and there were lots of tram networks, apart from the one in Blackpool whch was more a pleasure ride. Then decades later they started to build them again.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

We had bendy buses at Stockwell garage long before the Mercedes -that's if you count one of our drivers wrapping his bus round a lamp post !!

[@kennethmacneil686]

Haha! Anything is bendy with sufficient commitment.

[@maryapatterson]

Quite a few weddings at my church hire these routemasters. They are extremely useful in getting the guests to the reception. They are extremely helpful especially if you dont know London or want to drink! It also means you are not having to wonder where everybody is! And yes we do love them in London even though they are way too small and not practical for the disabled!❤

[@tubularap]

5:17 - "understated streamlining" -- Yes, the perfect description for mid-century British transport designs.

[@ianthomson9363]

I do like the Routemaster, and took many a trip on them as a lad. Long may it continue! I was lucky enough to visit Aldenham on a school trip, which was most enjoyable.

[@rainyfeathers9148]

The buses @0:10 and 1:31 are adorable, they look like biscuit tins😍🙏🏾. Yesss, got a tram video then a routemaster video to finish off my binge session. Get in😄👍🏾

[@MidlandMark]

An excellent, evocotive, and in-depth video, the RM family were part of my youth for many years, and I have many fond memories of them - can I point out a couple of minor corrections? The RT seated 56, not 60 (you said the RM seated four more). The 27'6'' maximum length was dictated by the maximum permitted length by law at the time, not garage size; when the maximum permitted length was extended during building to 30'0'', LT took the chance to move the radiator from under the engine to in front of it, extending the length to 27'9'' and creating the famous and wonderful nose. And the first batch of RMLs entered service as the ER (Extended Routemaster) class, later becoming the RML, which involved RML 3 becoming just RM 3 (it reverted to RML 3 in preservation).

[@richardchorley9642]

Very good, as always, particularly with the extra-long format! For me, the best appearance of a Routemaster on TV was during the final episode of 'The Prisoner', when Number 6 and the butler ran to catch one towards the end of the final episode.

[@Steeyuv]

Ha! The butler running to get on that bus was the first image that popped into my mind when I clicked on the video!

[@megapangolin1093]

"London is a place with particular requirements". A true distillation of sublime deduction. Wonderful examination of a part of the soul of London. Lovely one, Jago.

[@tinitus23]

'A true distillation of sublime deduction' ...excellent.

[@patsyroberts3967]

I have a 1/72 scale Routemaster model kit waiting to be built, I shall be revisiting this video when I do, ta! :)

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir, I used to love standing on the open platform on those buses!

[@ronfisher2-railwaytravelvideos]

I wonder how many others on here can say that they went on RM1 when it was on test from Cricklewood garage? I went from Cricklewood to Golders Green and back sitting in the nearside front seat at the front of the upper deck. I'm sure that I went further than I should have done for my 1d fare, but the conductor seemed pleased that I was interested in his brand new bus.

[@AnthonyBrown12324]

I used to get the 26 bus in the early 70s from Golders green to Finchley my school . ( a routemaster ) We used to jump on after it was moving sometimes .

[@brunosdaddogwalker9529]

GREAT VIDEO old boy, the routemaster is the best bus London ever had by a country mile and they should be still in service.

[@caw25sha]

I saw a silver Routemaster in the Strand a few weeks ago. I had to go straight home and have a lie down in a darkened room to recover from the shock. I've just checked the photo I took and it was T15 to Tower Hill.

[@brianbell4937]

It is used fairly often on the T15, a tourist version of the 15, but unlike the expensive tours most get used on, the single and all day fares on this are very reasonable.

[@robertsmith4830]

They run on Heritage route T15, a privately operated service between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill.

[@highpath4776]

In this case being as one of the 25 painted Silver for Queen Elizabeth II silver jubilee

[@borassictime918]

Mercedes city blight, fare-dodger’s delight, red sky at night, bendy-bus alight. And they used to break down more often than the by-then 40-year-old Routemasters!

[@highpath4776]

early routemasters were not exactly relibable

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Even across the pond, you'll find Routemasters soldiering on as city sightseeing buses. There's at least one where I'm from (Toronto, Canada) giving tours during the summer months.

[@michaelturner4457]

I saw a couple of Routemasters at Niagara Falls in 2005, used for tours.

[@highpath4776]

@@michaelturner4457 were they not RTs ?

[@paulberen]

@@highpath4776 Some RMs at Niagra Falls - definitely the original RMs.. RML 2501 RM 1102 RM ???? Chopped touristified, part of upper deck roof chopped.

[@highpath4776]

@paulberen Yeah sorry , didnt notice you said Canada. US had RTs

[@GerardHowells]

As a non-Londoner who has one, very dim and distant, memory of riding an iconic Routemaster as a young child on a visit to the capital, I absolutely loved this. I spent much of my youth on buses, but since it was in Birmingham, they were mostly MCW Metrobuses, which certainly occupy less of a national (or international) place in terms of being iconic, but were all I knew when I was a kid, so were special to me (blue and silver WMT/TWM livery is a must!). That being said, even at a young age, it was clear how special and iconic the Routemaster was, and I was excited to hop on the back! It's truly amazing how technologically advanced it was for the time. They really thought of so much. Thanks for a great, educational and entertaining history of something so special. I'm very glad there are still so many preserved and in operation, hopefully that trend continues and they occupy at least some kind of space on the streets of the capital for decades to come!

[@lapiswake6583]

Very interesting. I have a model of RCL 2237 from EFE, in Green Line livery on route 709. I'd been meaning to get a routemaster for ages, but only managed to get one earlier this year. I guess now I should try to find other variants, especially a standard LT red one. Ruaridh MacVeigh recently released a video on the Routemaster's replacements, the bendy Citaros, which was also a fascinating and in-depth look at those.

[@ajs41]

I love being able to get off and on at the back of the bus.

[@johncassels3475]

I grew up in Cambridge during the 60s & 70s so probably did not ride Routemaster buses per se, but certainly hopped on and off moving open platformed double-deckers on a daily basis. Also, such thick cigarette smoke upstairs that you could get lung cancer in just a couple of rides. Good memories. How about a video covering the Boris Bus which has become iconic in its own right with the sweeping rear window following the stairs to the upper level? Thanks for a great video - as always!

[@kofib3]

Compared to the Brick like buses from past to present, The Route Master had a characterful cheerful appearance in my opinion.

[@backwashjoe7864]

The closed door variants are nice, but I'm glad that there is no barrier to me inadvertently clicking on a Jago Hazzard video! :)

[@johnrafferty8087]

Grew up with thwm. Proudly worked on them in the 90s and early 2000s.

[@daveherbert6215]

Thanks

[@Clyne-sv4hd]

Loved using this bus in London in the late 80's just fantastic 👍

[@DavE-bh8lz]

Great video. Not forgetting of course the single "front entrance" Routemaster built for London Transport - RMF1254.

[@AtheistOrphan]

As indeed featured in the video!

[@DavE-bh8lz]

@@AtheistOrphan RMF1254 was built new for LT. All the other RMF's were originally new to Northern General, passing to LT later

[@highpath4776]

I think its known as "Forward Entrance" - I get confused, as the entrance is behind the front wheels, on most Rear Engined vehicles (and the Guy Wulfrainina/ Volvo Alisa) the entrance is forward of the front axle right at the front

[@rosmear7871]

I boarded this when on display at the Commercial Motor Show.

[@thelastsaxtop]

My mum fell off the back off a Routemaster once. Somehow, the problem was not her getting injured, but my dad trying to find her after he got off at the next stop.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Fond memories of jumping on and off RMs in Oxford Street as a young guy in the eighties.

[@morrisminor19481971]

Nice shot of an RF at the beginning

[@TitanicTARDIS]

What a wonderful video. The routemaster bus is, in my humble opinion, the biggest icon of London. Even if they didn't run at all, you couldn't escape them because they are just everywhere in merchandise. I have a routemaster key ring and I've had both so many books, and several models as a child. Honestly I just adore the bus so much. At the London transport acton depot open day back in September I happily sat on a stationary one for half an hour and I have ridden one as little as last week as Beamish open Air museum have a couple. Whenever any film wants to show off London, or show their film is set there, they always do show the Routemasters are going by in the background. I've got Christmas tree decorations of routemasters and I must say I quite like the new one as well. Just as elegant in design with all the modern safety features are I approve of. I'm even in the stages of planning a novel set in the early 1960s where the main character is a bus conductor on one of these wonderful busses

[@benedictmarshall7031]

Always my favorite bus. In the 90s I worked in Battersea, along the road from what was then the turnaround garage for the no. 19 busses that headed through London towards Finsbury Park. I walked past them every morning - since my place of work (Foster and Partners) was literally 100m away. I miss those days so much, and I so miss riding the no. 19.

[@GojiMet86]

There's a Routemaster (RCL 2233) in Guatemala City (specifically in Cayala) that's been converted to a crepe restaurant!

[@starfish370]

Probably the one time that quality and quantity converged 👍❗️

[@davidchilds9590]

Born when I was, I went to school on a Routemaster - my grandfather worked at the Aldenham depot - it was very much my bus! My unexpected encounter was coming across one in Cyprus only a couple of years ago - in a somewhat sad state - it rather looked as if Cliff Richard had been trying to holiday in Larnaca, but had been thwarted by the United Nations 'peace line'.

[@ordinosaurs]

Sad to learn they were removed from the heritage lines in 2021. I rode one on my last visit to London right before Covid, and the highlight for my young son was doing the trip to our hotel seating on the front row of seats on the top deck. He may not remember much of the whole holidays, but this is definitely something that stuck ! Thanks, Routemaster !

[@Ribeirasacra]

For me. The RT and RM stories are like the Hurricane and Spitfire. Everyone forgets about the sterling work the former done. The latter would not be around if it was not for the former. The later is more adaptable than the former.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I’ve been curious about Routemaster buses since I first heard about them. Thank you for making our Sunday!

[@randomvidz20]

I really enjoy the ver pleasant way you narrate these videos.

[@MisterTea74]

I went to an open day at Aldenham works in the late 70s as a small boy. Was awed by the size of the place and particularly the gantry crane with whole RM suspended high above the shop floor. Also there were lots of new buses awaiting introduction into service that would be withdrawn long before the Routemasters. Cheers Jago you are the Aldenham to my childhood