ROUTEMASTER HITS THE STREETS.
Iconic AEC bus enters service.
Don't you just love red buses?! They're one of those childhood obsessions that never leaves your imagination. Although all the buses I remember as a little kid on Merseyside were green, my uncle gave me a big red toy bus as a toddler, which seemed very exotic. The idea of riding on the open rear platform also appealed to my youthful imagination (surely this wasn't allowed?!). In our risk averse society, it's amazing that the Routemasters lasted in service as long as they did, especially on the Capital's busy roads.
Talking of open doorways, how I remember those hot summer days when the Crosville Bristol VR (on the H2 service) would be speeding out of Liverpool at 50mph, with the front doors wide open. I'd feel excited, yet terrified and gripped the seat rails for dear life. And then my brother would vomit into a Kwik Save carrier bag. What fun we had.
On a less smelly note, my improved EFE die-cast RM bus is now finished and ready for service. It has a full compliment of passengers, a driver and some extra period advertisements. Missing details such as licence plates and AEC radiator logos have been added, along with some detail painting, especially around the open platform and stairs. All that's missing is a 'Clippie' - the only one I could get hold of is a OO gauge figure, but the passengers and driver are HO, so he looks like a chubby Peter Crouch in comparison. So, just like the guy from the 'On the Buses' TV show, he's probably just popped into one of the nearby houses for a bit of you know what...
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| Look out for the full lowdown on the RM bus in Model Rail issue 212 (out July 30th). |
A few months ago in our town of Garlin in southwest France, just north of the Pyrenees, there appeared a Routemaster painted white. Tucked behind the supermarket, Le Bus has been converted into a cafe with seating on the top deck. The lady who runs it, bought it in Antibes. It is very popular with the locals and when we have clients on a painting course, we always take them to experience a little bit of Britain in France.
ReplyDeleteThis is not an RT but an RM!
ReplyDeleteOOOOpppps! Will have to change that...
DeleteYou've done a beautiful job of painting this, George. The restrained paintwork has brought out the fine-ness of the detail very well...it's really difficult to achieve this with vehicles as I know to my cost. My own fond memories are of North Western Road Car Co. Renowns...red again!
ReplyDeleteThanks Iain. Yes, the detail in the cast body parts has really come to life. I do remember some red buses, from Warrington Borough Transport. I had a real thing for Warrington's Leyland Atlanteans and Daimler Fleetlines at one point. Then there was the horrid orange and brown of GM Buses...
DeleteHi George my grandfather was a London Transport bus driver in the days before power steering. In Western Australia they have two RM double deck buses from the West Riding.
ReplyDelete