On the Buses

First of all, I'd like to make it clear that I am not a bus geek. I met one today (a bit disconcerting) when I loitered near these old London buses which were parked up in a neat row outside the Royal Forest Hotel in Chingford which, I was told, used to be the terminus for all the local routes until some wise sage decided in the 1960's that it would be better for them to make the final stop the train station half a mile down the road.

The history of the nearest one you see here was displayed on the window. It is number RT 1702 and it has a Park Royal RT8 body. It was built in 1950 and entered service for London Transport at Chiswick. It was one of 4 buses chosen to be the first ever foreign ambassadors for London Transport, and it went on a goodwill tour of European countries in 1951 as a mobile exhibition of Britain to publicise the upcoming Festival of Britain. It toured Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. It ended its working life at Catford in 1972, and was purchased by three LT staff members who run it to this day.

Hmm...I wonder if Cliff Richard ever had a holiday in it?