Everyone has to have a hobby, and for some people its buses! During the weekend I popped over to Theydon Bois Village Hall out in the Essex countryside to have a look at some of the vehicles put on show by the North London Transport Society, a group of enthusiasts who restore and maintain classic buses, as part of their Theydon Bois & Epping Forest Running Day.
A whole host of London buses were parked outside, including several examples of the iconic Routemaster that formed the core of London’s bus fleet from their introduction in 1956 to 1982, when they were largely replaced by more modern vehicles (although two inner-London routes are still served by Routemasters, which I discuss here on the Londoneer). Also on display were some examples of the Routemaster’s rivals including RT1702 – manufactured by AEC and introduced in 1950 this bus operated throughout London right up until 1972, when the last model was withdrawn from service at the Catford Garage.
There were also several examples of ’Green Line’ buses on show – becoming part of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, these buses ran on routes which connected London with the towns of the home counties, in contrast to the familiar red buses which served the various districts of London itself. One particular bus that formed part of this display was a bit of an interloper however – while RT3254 started its life on the Green Line route to High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, by 1972 she had been repainted red and served routes in South and East London until finally being withdrawn from service in 1979. Languishing in a scrapyard for four years, in 1983 a refurbishment programme started which saw her returned to her original Green Line colour scheme in 1989…
As part of the ‘Running Day’, visitors were also invited to board several of the buses for various meticulously timetabled journeys between Theydon Bois and Epping Forest. One can only imagine what people standing outside Epping Station were thinking when a series of classic London buses pulled up outside and disgorged passengers – probably that they were unwitting participants in yet another period costume drama!
If you’re interested in the work of the North London Transport Society there are more details on their website here. The organisation’s next public events are a bus and coach rally at North Weald airfield on Sunday 7 July, and a bus display and running day at Chingford’s Royal Forest Hotel on Saturday 7 September.
About Pete Stean
