Thank you so much for showing this video. I drove the Routemaster 15s for years and loved every minute of it. Ladbroke Grove to East Ham originally via Bank or Tower. Started with London Transport in 1987, Upton Park Garage. So many amazing memories, brilliant characters in the form of drivers, conductors, inspectors etc., Recently retired so nice to reminice about the best time of my career bus driving. Thanks again.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus2 жыл бұрын
My pleasure, i'm pleased you like the upload. Living in East London back then there are quite a few other vids with 15s in them, like this one here at the Boleyn kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKSleWZta7Fooqc
@fsr170409 Жыл бұрын
Fantastic nostalgic upload.I saw a couple of old friends there.I drove green RML,s on route,480 out of Northfleet garage,moving on to London Transport in1978 ,working at various garages in South East London .I retired a couple of years ago as an NTC out of Eltham with just over 40 years on the firm. Thanks for the happy memories 😊.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Жыл бұрын
My pleasure......
@EastStander0914 жыл бұрын
Hi, This was my local garage in my youth - long gone - and instead of Routemasters we had RTs, RTLs and my favourite RTWs, My Aunt lived in Tudor Road and at the bottom of her back garden was the huge west wall of the garage. Thanks for posting these vids
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
My pleasure.....I too remember RTs at Upton Park, on the 101s and 147s.....
@clarky23564 жыл бұрын
The ones with a back door and the 2 front head lights drooping make them look sad I love the old route masters when I was little always wanted the front seat so I could watch the driver but im sure we all did when we was young great video 👍
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
Thank you....the front seat behind the engine was always a top spot!
@clarky23564 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus aye that's where I meant
@MsOleblue4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Hi, do you have any video footage of Buses leaving or arriving etc at the old original Tram shed / West Ham Garage in Greengate Street Plaistow. I watch all your videos and rarely see any from West Ham, which was one of the bigger garages i worked out of. Brings back loads of memories for me as a driver of the Routemaster and also Leyalnd Titan & LS buses
@geroldluers4557Ай бұрын
Lovely to see it. I was on Route 38 for over 20 years. Stressful at times but also lots of laughs. I m retired now but things have changed.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbusАй бұрын
A friend of mine used to drive the 38s, at both Leyton and Clapton. He originally started at Walthamstow and kept the same Conductor at all 3 garages..... Have you seen my Leyton Garage vid? See it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnTOoqV5aKqDqpo
@TheWellington20063 жыл бұрын
Nice to reminisce,great looking buses and thanks to people like yourself we can still enjoy them.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus3 жыл бұрын
My pleasure....I only filmed these vids for myself, it's only the march of technology that has allowed them to be seen worldwide! ( there are viewers in Australia & New Zealand for instance)
@johnmichaeldorienjohn4674 жыл бұрын
Another fantastic video Soi! It's such a shame we don't have Rm's& Rml's in service anymore...
@djpeekay254 жыл бұрын
JohnMichaelDorien John agree miss them so much.
@jamesfrench72994 жыл бұрын
It's so good AEC, LT and and Park Royal put out such an iconic product that showcased all these defunct beloved companies/ organisations.
@paulhutchins6019 Жыл бұрын
I lived in the flats opposite this garage and i remember the early morning start ups and the guys moving them to the entrance and just keeping the throttle wide open for a few mins so they could leave them running whilst they went and got the next bus 🙂
@The2441cb4 жыл бұрын
Fantastic video, really captures the times. My old garage from 2000 until 2004
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
It was a nice garage, one of the few that was totally under cover, no outside yard at all.....
@ccjelley23904 жыл бұрын
Absolutely fab! It must have been great living in Redclyffe Road...a bit like Fairfield Road in BW. There' can't be many of these residential street garages left. I remember catching late night 11s [or were they 9s?] from the Royal albert Hall all the way back to D garage tucked away in the housing terraces of London Fields.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
Yes, that sounds about right. Funnily enough, the other end of the 9s at Mortlake was also at the end of a residential street. It is hard though in London not to have a bus garage near houses, sometimes they were built up around a garage that was already there....
@ryan20200913 жыл бұрын
I didn’t live on redclyffe road but I did live in earshot of it and could see the garage from my bedroom window. We had the district line on one side and the garage in the other, LT traffic was so frequent, you never noticed it. Great trip to the past seeing this video though, especially as the buses head off down redclyffe road you can see the derelict William White Court in the distance and when the camera jerks occasionally to the right you can glimpse the southern end of the James Sinclair Point building that was demolished in 1993. Strange to see as looking on street view it all looks very different now. Very run down back in 1991 but it’s the childhood memories for me.
@markcf835 ай бұрын
Holloway, Willesden to name two.
@alansolomons42646 ай бұрын
I worked there till the end the people I worked with were brilliant
@martynthomas74864 жыл бұрын
Another great video Soi. A shame that this bus garage had to go and also the Boleyn Ground. Not that I'm a West Ham fan (actually Charlton for my pains) but it was always a great atmosphere there which has been totally lost at the Olympic Stadium. Still, viewing this video with those marvellous RM's makes it a bit better.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
Thank you....great sentiments as well, maybe over time the new ground will engender a bit of atmosphere?....
@martynthomas74864 жыл бұрын
I suppose it will given time but from Hammers supporting friends I know they say the hostility of Upton Park has been forever lost. Let's see. Back on the topic of RM's on the 15 I'll never forget that fateful morning I was walking down Cannon Street in early 2003 on my way to work and saw not one but two Tridents on the 15, never realising that the opening salvo had been fired to start the slow withdrawal of RM's all over London which steadily grew in place over the next two and a half years or so until they were all gone.
@BristolRE4 жыл бұрын
Another cracking video
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Peter.......hope you are well? Do you actually have any passengers on your bus these days?......
@BristolRE4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Well there were plenty (but not AS many) up until 18th September when I went sick with stress. Not been back since so cannot comment, but due back on 21st November unless I win the lottery before then.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@BristolRE Don't hold your breath!.....lol You know you love it! How else are you going to make so many vids on how the buses work?.....Get a go-pro type cam and film a run on one of your journeys.....
@BristolRE4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I've got a GoPro, Hero 8 Black, not sure about filming a drive. Might do one day.
@pamfulcher60374 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the memories 🏴⚒🇨🇦
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
My plaesure.....a shame to think this is all demolished now.....
@pamfulcher60374 жыл бұрын
It really is, I was a conductor out of there in the early 60s so it has a lot of personal memories for me . Thanks again Soi 🏴⚒🇨🇦
@johnrafferty8087Ай бұрын
Miss Upton Park. Great people there. Dentist canteen❤
@anthonyfeeney121010 ай бұрын
Good times
@stephenport47683 жыл бұрын
This must of been around the time of the RML refurbishment program because you can tell by the note of the engine that some are AEC/Leyland 0.600 engine or the Iveco or Scania replacements
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus3 жыл бұрын
Yes, the new engine programme had already started. Once LT were happy that the new engines worked ok in the Routemasters they then decided to start the refurbishment programme.
@pallyali78610 ай бұрын
My dad used to work here. Started in the mid 90s
@akielkhan59162 жыл бұрын
Oh my days I remember this place
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus2 жыл бұрын
All gone now sadly...... buses and building!
@pamfulcher60374 жыл бұрын
My old garage as a conductor in the early 60’s, in those days it was RT’s and RTW’s
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
It was my local garage, and i remember RTs on the 101s and 147s....
@articeddie54944 жыл бұрын
Always had clean buses at U, as well as the last RML made 2760 did it get sold off or still owned by LT ?
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
2760 was sold off to Stagecoach upon privitisation. When they ran their last Routemaster route (the 8s at Bow) in 2004 it was loaned (possibly now formally donated) to the London Bus Museum (Cobham) at Brooklands. It is actually the genuine article as well, before Aldenham Works closed, LT arranged to get all 3 RMLs into works that carried the various bits of 2760 that had been mixed up on the overhaul cycle for years. So the body was re-united with the correct sub frames and given the correct identity, the bus at Upton Park had as RML 2760 was made up of no parts from that actual bus built! Such was the unusual way LT had overhauled its buses at Aldenham. There is a BTF film called Overhaul on KZbin that explains it to a fashion, although RT buses are shown the process was the same for RMs.....
@trainrover4 жыл бұрын
Whoa..your there Route 15 sure plies the bulk of the valley there..the world's most adjusted route. Makes me now ask: Do British buses and coaches still have their exhaust vented at asphalt level or mustcha've now got to at least floatin' yer emissions over there just a little, pray tell?
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
The 15s were a major London bus route at this time (now it's just a shadow of its former self, and runs about a quarter of its old length) and a fair few buses ran in after the rush hour and back out again forv the evening one. And yes, all exhaust's are still at road level....except the hydrogen buses that only throw out water vapour....they are up high!
@trainrover4 жыл бұрын
Really?!! and here I'd come to immediately supposing afterwards that my question be dumb! British cyclists just might be the slowest pokes ever..it'd appear that nobody be lobbying legislators there to properly vent vehicular exhaust, which I find gobsmacking!
@trainrover4 жыл бұрын
My city's w a y more car-centric than what I can make out of British cities.
@MsOleblue4 жыл бұрын
Hi Soi Buakhao , do you have any video footage of Buses leaving or arriving etc at the old original Tram shed / West Ham Garage in Greengate Street Plaistow. I watch all your videos and rarely see any from West Ham, which was one of the bigger garages i worked out of. Brings back loads of memories for me as a driver of the Routemaster and also Leyalnd Titan & LS buses
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
Yes, it was a large shed. When i was there in the mid 80s we had a run out of 110 (111 on Sats) and 135 buses on the books! I was a night Generalhand and did the allocation job sometimes, great fun working out which route to put vehicles what with spread-over buses for rota, unfits, rota holds ect. Here are two of my vids with shots of the old garage kzbin.info/www/bejne/inPIZId4f7GNaa8 and kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKSleWZta7Fooqc....enjoy!
@MsOleblue4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Oh wow, I did not know you also worked there... So you knew Big Harry the Foreman - Gary Hollands - John Easson and a few others... I used to drive our Routemaster & Leyland Titan Showbuses to shows and often went out with Harry. It was the best days of my life on the buses...I run a facebook page for Old West Ham Garage . Is it okay to share your video's on the page Soi. I must have seen you at some point in the garage during the night as i always did late turns and was the driver who drove the last Routemaster Bus on Route 69..
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@MsOleblue When i was there the 69s were OPO but the 5 & 25s were crew, RMs on the 25 & crew Titans on the 5, although i tried to allocate RMs on the 5 so the next day i copuld go out later that day and get some on film! The day foreman was Trevor Watkins, and we had two night foreman, Harry Skidmore & Bill Stumpke. I remember waiting by the vac's for the last bus in, 213 on the 25s as i recall.....Yes, please share the vids, a mention of my site as well would be nice, plenty of other bus vids, including a run in at Bow when it was almost all RM, just a few Titans forthe 10s! I knew John Easson, was involved at one time with RM 2116 as i recall. Gary was on the Running Shift if i remember correctly. My Boleyn/West Ham Garage vid shows 1037 passing by on the 5, complete with its Leyland lump.....
@MsOleblue4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I joined LT sometime around the late 70's until late 80's and i worked all routes beign a spare driver at the time... So you were used on all routes, which i enjoyed. I started as a crew driver and worked with loads of conductors, some good some bad..RM's were my favourite, but also liked driving the LS nationals and Titans..I remember Trever, but cannot put a face to Harry Skidmore, but i knew the engineering manager Harry Woods, he was a big bloke and full of fun, had some great times with Harry Woods & Gary Hollands and quite a few other engineers at West Ham. Yes Gary was running shift, normally always worked with Harry Woods The page i run is facebook.com/groups/2154013764685579 and you would be welcome to join. My name is Larry Collins. I have watched most of your video's Soi and just brings back so many memories for me, even my son likes watching them, as he was born when i was on the buses and the wife used to bring him out on routes when i was driving...I have to say i think we infected him with the buses and he was manager at Victoria Coach station for 8 years until recently when Stagecoach Megabastards made him redundant...RM1037 was our Routemaster showbus and Titan T613 was the other one dressed up in Centenary colours....
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@MsOleblue I will check out the FB page for sure....Yes i remember T 613, i have it on vid working the 101s when it was at U. I did end up bus driving myself with Blue Triangle which was great fun, lots of Titans, Metros plus a few Routemaster and RT jobs on rail and private hire, so much better than doing the 368s or 474s!
@MetroTitanD784 жыл бұрын
Have you got any Titan footage here by any chance? I noticed one T with the gold band and lettering towards the end ahead of a RM.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
No shots at the garage although i have vids uploaded in Green Street and the Boleyn, The gold band Titan i imagine was done for them taking over the X15 from the RMCs a week or two after i filmed this....
@ClydebridgeStation4 жыл бұрын
When was it demolished? It was standing, albeit closed, on streetview in July 2015.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
In 2016, there is a vid on KZbin of it half demolished.....
@ClydebridgeStation4 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Just found it, the blue roof spans still there in the demolition video.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@ClydebridgeStation That's the one, very sad......i went to school in Canning Town and used Upton Park's 15 & 23s every day....
@djpeekay254 жыл бұрын
Which other RM routes operated out of Upton Park in 70s and 80s? 58 and 101?
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
In the 1970s they still had RTs...right up until 1976 (101, 147 & 169A). RM & RMLs worked routes 15, 23, 86 (Sats), 101, 147 (weekends until July 71) & 169A. In the 80s it was 5, 15, 15A, 15B, X15, 23, 86 (Sats until 83), & 101 (until Sep 82). The 58s ran out of West Ham and i think for a while Walthamstow had a small allocation on it.
@djpeekay254 жыл бұрын
Soi Buakhao thanks. Wouldn’t have expected the 86.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@djpeekay25 The route was very busy on a Saturday because of Romford Market and they needed extra buses. Upton Park had loads spare due to the amount of RMLs needed for the weekday 15 allocation but not at weekends. So in the 70s, while the route was RT worked off Seven Kings you would see a few Routemasters in the mix on a Saturday! Around 1983/84 time, not long before the 86s went OPO, West Ham had the Saturday extras and worked it with RMs.....
@djpeekay254 жыл бұрын
Soi Buakhao good bit of knowledge there, thanks. I can’t remember any RMs in Romford though I must have seen them as I was born 1978. I lived off he Rush Green Road so must have been taken in the 87 or 175 when they will still RMs.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
@@djpeekay25 Yes, the 87s had RMs until early 1981 when crew Titans took over (along with route 62), they were actually delivered as crew buses and never had ticket machines or Pay The Driver lettering. Although on Sundays North Street had a part allocation on the 87s so RMs were still to be seen! It was around late 81/early 82 that NS lost its RMs on the 174 & 175s....And of course at Romford Station and Market you would have seen them on the 86 and 193 (which used to run from Barking to Hornchurch via Ilford & Romford until the cuts of Sept 82)......happy days!
@Gibbo-rf8ib11 ай бұрын
Why are some blinds black and white and some green?
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus11 ай бұрын
Black & white were the normal displays, the X15 had blue on white displays and some route 15 displays had yellow on black..... If any look green, it's a trick of the light!
@Gibbo-rf8ib11 ай бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus why did the bus at the start have black and white and yellow and black?
@Gibbo-rf8ib11 ай бұрын
Is one for day and one for night time?
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus11 ай бұрын
@@Gibbo-rf8ib No, blue for Express route X15 and at this time, B&W blinds for normal use. Routes 15 & 15B went via Towrer (of London) or Bank (of England) and had different coloured blind displays to help identify which route a bus was on......
@Gibbo-rf8ib11 ай бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus the bus at the start rolling through the blind has the same destination in B&W and Yellow and Black like Aldwych East Ham etc
@scotsboy4957Ай бұрын
👌👍
@jamesfrench72994 жыл бұрын
Not a fanatic of the dual headlights but at least you know it's most likely to have indigenous power. I'm surprised there were so many.
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
They were allocated to route X15 at this time, which was a rush hour route into central London in the morning, and back in the evening. They ran to & from Upton Park as 15B's to get to the garage.
@jamesfrench72994 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I came across one on some sort of charter in the middle of London and was struck by how nimble it was flung around a tight corner. It reminded me of our Mercedes 0305s in that respect. Take a squizz at this video . kzbin.info/www/bejne/jouTY5uoZa-gars
@davidrowe55763 жыл бұрын
*
@73driver101354 жыл бұрын
I worked the 101
@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus4 жыл бұрын
What do you work on?.....RMs, RTs, Titans.......
@73driver101354 жыл бұрын
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I worked Rt RM RML all one man busses and SLW in bow .west ham old one .