Buses Past, Present and (Almost) Yet to Come
23 December 2023
What I describe as the second-greatest Christmas story ever told* was published 180 years ago. And A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens remains one of the most enduring and delightful stories of all time.
If you don't know the story (where have you been!), there will undoubtedly be about 40 variations of it broadcast on television over the next three or four days (as I write this) - whether it be a traditional version like Alastair Sim in Scrooge (1951), an animation like the 2009 version of A Christmas Carol, a musical like the 1970 film Scrooge with Albert Finney or a "modern take" on the story (Ross Kemp as Eddie Scrooge, anyone)? My personal favourite version is The Muppet Christmas Carol - sublime.
For my Christmas week blog, I wanted to find a Christmas 'theme' to hitch onto, however tenuous it might be. So, in the spirit of what Scrooge endured, here's a selection of photographs, linked by the themes of past, present, and (almost) yet to come. All pictures taken in 2023.
PAST
The organisations that plan Running Days continue to ensure that preserved buses can be enjoyed in 'service', by those of us who remember them and by a whole new generation. All of my pictures in this section are of London vehicles, as I didn't go to any non-London Running Days this year, unless you count Imber...
Former London Transport SMS 88 (AML 88H) entered service in 1970 as a red bus at Edgware Garage. It was reclassified as "SMD" in 1976 when its middle doors were locked out of service and extra seats were added (taking it from 33 seats to 42). It has now been preserved in green as SM 88, and looks incredibly smart when seen in the suburbs of Harlow, on the occasion of the Amersham & District Motorbus Society Harlow Running Day on Sunday 21st May.
Also at the Harlow Running Day was RF 146 (MLL 533), which entered service in London Transport's Country Area, at Weybridge Garage, in 1952. At age 71, it is seen at Harlow Bus Garage.
The London Bus Museum organised a Running Day on routes 65 and 71 in west and south-west London on Sunday 11th June. RM 188 (VLT 188) turns from The Broadway, Ealing, into High Street, heading for Kingston.
On Sunday 5th November, a privately-organised commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the closure of Chalk Farm bus garage in North London brought many vintage vehicles out in service onto a number of local routes. RTW 75 (KGK 75) is one of the wider variant of the famous RT design. It is seen in Camden Town on a journey on route 24, which has followed the same basic route from Pimlico to Hampstead Heath for well over 100 years.
Two weeks after the Chalk Farm event, another Running Day took place, based on North Finchley, in Outer North London. This also commemorated the 30th anniversary of a garage closure - that of Finchley (1993 was a bad year for garage closures in London). Route 263 (now Barnet Hospital to Highbury Barn) was introduced in January 1971 with Routemasters but moved to driver-only operation within 18 months. RML 903 (WLT 903) is seen at Barnet Church on Sunday 19th November. This bus actually worked from Finchley Garage when new in 1963.
One of the more modern buses showcased at the Finchley Running Day was MCW Metrobus M1014 (A714 THV), recreating part of London Transport route 26. Introduced in 1970, the route at its greatest extent ran between Barnet and Victoria. The route was axed in 1991, by which time it had been cut back from Victoria to Golders Green and diverted instead to Brent Cross. This view is taken on High Road, North Finchley.
PRESENT
The ADL Enviro400 remains one of the most common workhorses of the present day bus scene, found in every corner of Britain with examples at bus companies large and small. The panoramic upper-deck front windscreen is surely the 'best in class' and has yet to be surpassed - not even by subsequent re-designs of the same model. Arriva Wales 4540 (CX14 BYA) is en route from Rhyl to Llandudno when seen in Dundonald Avenue, Abergele, on Thursday 15th June.
There are also numerous ADL Enviro200s out there (Bus Lists on the Web can account for over 5400 examples worldwide). Many have now moved on from their original owners, including LX07 BXV, which started life as SE12 with Go-Ahead London General, but is seen here working with Central Connect of Great Hallingbury, Essex. This is Harlow, on Sunday 21st May, and the very faint destination equipment confirms that this bus is working route 418B, from Loughton.
Six miles north-east of Glasgow lies the town of Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire. Here, crossing the River Kelvin, on Eastside, First Greater Glasgow 33205 (SK68 LWT), an Enviro400 MMC, works route 89 (Glasgow to Kilsyth), on Monday 11th September. Whilst this "Major Model Change" looks smart and modern, the upper-deck front windscreen is not as expansive as the previous Enviro400 generation.
Cardiff Bus 261 (CN64 FWJ), an ADL Enviro200, passes along Wood Street, in the city centre, on route 95 (Barry to Cardiff) on Friday 10th February. The old Bus Station was on the left of this picture, just out of shot. There are now office blocks in its place. There's supposed to be a new bus station being built round here somewhere, but I have no idea where there's room for one!
Metroline's 13-year-old DE 1145 (LK10 BZN), another ADL Enviro200, continues in front-line service on Transport for London (TfL) route C11 (Archway to Brent Cross). This is Archway Station on Sunday 19th November. I had started that morning in East Sussex, but managed to North London in time for this 10.20am picture.
YET TO COME
OK, I'm cheating slightly here, because the buses below clearly have come. But buses yet to come would not make for much of a gallery! Electric buses are becoming more prevalent across the country now, and would appear to represent the future. Here are four that I stumbled across on my travels this year.
This is one of Optare's MetroDecker EVs waiting between trips on TfL route 134 (North Finchley to Warren Street), operated for TfL by Metroline. This is Tally Ho Corner in North Finchley, on Saturday 27th May.
Abellio London 1539 (BV23 ZZC) is a Caetano e.City Gold. Although the electronic destination blind display hasn't come across properly, this is working TfL route C10 from Canada Water to Victoria, and in seen on Waterloo Road (outside London Waterloo station) on Sunday 5th November. Route C10 was diverted to serve Waterloo to cover the eastern half of the old Red Arrow 507 route (Waterloo to Victoria), which was axed earlier this year.
Wrightbus has developed the Wright GB Kite Electroliner as its single-decker electric option. First Leicester 63501 (BK23 HCP) approaches St Margaret's Bus Station in Leicester on route 74 from Anstey, on Friday 9th June.
And finally... McGill's has a fleet of Yutong E12s like 5063 (SG23 OTA), seen pulling out of Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow city centre on Monday 11th September, on route X23 towards Erskine, just under eight miles to the north-west. This service runs along a stretch of the M8 motorway to speed its way out of the city, but still takes virtually an hour to reach its destination.
*In case you were wondering... the Greatest Christmas story ever told is, of course, the birth of Jesus Christ. Let's not forget what Christmas is really about. Have a good one!
Thanks to the following web resources for some of the historical information:
COMING SOON: My review of 2023. Have I beaten my 2022 mileage?