LTSV > Service Vehicles > News > Latest Data > Latest Data Details

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This page shows the most recently added or edited database records.

Photos Added

Count	Photo	Details	Added
1,001		By Dave Wolstencroft Dave Wolstencroft's travels on 18th August 2022 took him to various locations, including as far out as Loughton. In the station car park there he found Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8678R in LUL Incident Response Vehicle livery. The normal IRV here is electric 8681R, but this was (temporarily?) at Acton Works and 8678R had moved across London from West Ruislip Station to cover.	25/08/2022
1,002		By Dave Wolstencroft Not much has been seen of Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8735R since it was delivered from Acton Works in December 2018, most likely to Stratford Market Depot. On 18th August 2022, new contributor Dave Wolstencroft found it parked at Dagenham East Station, alongside resident Ford Transit dropside truck 8472F.	25/08/2022
1,003		By Bob Milner An interesting find at Cockfosters on 16th August 2022 was this Fiat Ducato van registered NX67NLP. It was parked outside the traincrew offices and was there again the following day. The vehicle had blue TfL markings and a large well@tfl slogan on the side, this appearing to relate to a programme to help taxi drivers with mental health issues. The body has a small window in the offside, though the nearside configuration is not known. It is presumably some sort of mobile exhibition unit. Interestingly the vehicle is shown as not having changed ownership since it was first registered in October 2017, and its road tax expired at the end of June 2022! I suspect the vehicle may in fact be owned/operated by some third party, but nothing is mentioned on the outside and further details would be welcomed.	25/08/2022
1,004		By Andrew Lidinson Still carrying the basic LUL livery (albeit without lettering), Ford Transit van 7139F was found in Ryde on the Isle of Wight on 16th August 2022, just about 5 years after it left the central fleet. It had served for 6 years and accrued an impressive 86 sightings by virtue of often being parked at Neasden Station. This was one of several vehicles new in 2011 that featured registration numbers with no curves in their characters! Fairly trivial, but also very rare...	25/08/2022
1,005		By Bob Milner Sullivan Buses added a sixth Renault Zoe electric car to its fleet in spring 2022. When seen at South Mimms Garage on 8th August 2022, SE68VMM was still in unmarked white. It is likely to be reliveried to red (or perhaps green) in due course.	25/08/2022
1,006		By Ray Monk The LUL Lifts and Escalators fleet based at Frank Pick House in Acton was largely renewed in 2019, mainly with Ford vans. Since then a few Renault vans from the other L&E base at Griffith House have moved across, leading to mixed line-ups such as this one captured on 6th August 2022. Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8367R sits between Ford Transit Courier vans 8769F and 8764F, with Ford Transit Custom crew van 8752F on the right.	25/08/2022
1,007		By Ray Monk About 50 vehicles are allocated to Frank Pick House in Acton, though there are never more than ten or so there at any given time. The remainder are parked elsewhere but will visit from time to time. The current fleet includes nine examples of the Ford Transit Courier van, another nine being at other LUL locations. 8771F was photographed for the first time on 6th August 2022, when it was parked in the side yard (note the District Line train passing in the background). Note the similarity of the frontal design between the Transit Courier and Transit Custom van 8780F behind.	25/08/2022
1,008		By Ray Monk Ford Transit crew van 8578F was new in early 2018 and was initially quite elusive. It was usually only seen at night, often at stations on the southern section of the Northern line, and its allocation was unknown. In about August 2020 it moved to Frank Pick House in Acton, meaning that there were now daytime sightings. However, it managed to avoid being photographed until Ray found it parked outside the main Frank Pick House building on 6th August 2022.	25/08/2022
1,009		By Ray Monk LUL-liveried Ford Transit dropside truck 8940F was one of about 20 delivered in late 2019, the spread of fleetnumbers for which (8787F to 9002F) suggested that some at least had been on order for a while. Several were allocated to Lillie Bridge Depot, including 8940F, and almost half have not yet been shown on LTSV. 8940F was back at Acton Works for some reason when photographed on 6th August 2022. This revealed the fact that the truck was (like most of the others) equipped with a tail-lift.	25/08/2022
1,010		By Ray Monk 8482F is a Ford Transit Custom van that is often to be seen in the vicinity of Acton Works. It is possibly involved in a TfL-wide role such as internal mail deliveries or lost property, which could account for a few sightings of it at other locations. For example, on 4th August 2022 Ray caught the van leaving the Stagecoach London bus garage in West Ham.	25/08/2022
1,011		By Derek Everson This DS3 car seen at Watford Junction Station on 2nd August 2022 was in use as a crew ferry vehicle from the Arriva bus garage in Hemel Hempstead. It carried an anonymous blue livery (with a white roof) and was one of several operated by Arriva Southern Counties. Three others were at Northfleet (including black LD69SHX), while five were also used by Arriva London from Palmers Green Garage for a while in 2020. It is not known if the Vauxhall Combo van in the background (KP71RUY) was also a service vehicle. Watford is well outside the normal TfL operating area but the only buses visible are both RATP Enviro 400s on the two TfL routes that reach this far (142 from Brent Cross and 258 from South Harrow).	25/08/2022
1,012		By Derek Everson One of several Ford Transit Connect vans added to the Metroline fleet in summer 2020, AV20BYD initially carried incorrect registration AY20BYD. This was soon corrected, and Falcon Coachworks lettering applied, though it is usually to be found at Metroline's Central Engineering and Logisitics Facility (CELF) in Perivale, as here on 2nd August 2022.	25/08/2022
1,013		By Peter Terry A few years ago I published a photo of Southern Transit van V321KGW and mentioned that they also had V300KGW. The latter was photographed at a bus rally in Worthing on 31st July 2022. Compared to V321KGW, this van is plain (no side windows) and mid-height (rather than high-roof). It also has the black grille associated with basic specification Transit Mk7s (V321KGW had the body-coloured grille of the Trend specification). One further difference is that the lettering refers to Bus Engineering whereas that on V321KGW was for Bus Operations. V300KGW is slightly newer, having been built in 2011 (V321KGW was 2007), though neither is of course as old as their V-prefix registrations would imply.	25/08/2022
1,014		By Paul Nicholls LUL Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8372R is often to be found at Griffith House at night but on 28th July 2022 was photographed parked in Ockendon (Essex). If the location looks familiar it may be because I have published other photos of vans parked in front of this hedge last November and way back in September 2010!	25/08/2022
1,015		By Simon Dixon July 2022 saw some very hot weather, with a new UK record of over 40 degrees centigrade being recorded on the 19th. Advice was not to go out unless necessary, but of course for many people involved in essential public services, it was business as usual. LUL Mercedes Econic dustcart WO66HFM was caught passing St Pancras International station a couple of days later on the 21st July. I hope the cab had air conditioning!	25/08/2022
1,016		By Derek Everson Preserved AEC Regent Auxiliary Breakdown Tender 738J was photographed arriving at the Alton Bus Rally on 17th July 2022. The chassis of this vehicle is now 89 years old, having been new as bus STL169 in 1933. After 15 years carrying passengers it was converted with a new body in 1950 and went on to serve for another 19 years, spending time as both a bus breakdown tender and as a railway signal engineers vehicle. It was eventually sold into preservation in 1971, over 50 years ago! I am familiar with these vehicles but had never twigged that the windows and doors in the front part of the main body were for a compartment in which crews could travel to incidents!	25/08/2022
1,017		By Kim Rennie Four Renault Kangoo Maxi vans were delivered in November 2018 for use as Incident Response Vehicles at Central Line locations (West Ruislip, White City, Leytonstone and Loughton). All were photographed at Acton Works before entering service, since when I have only added a photo of the White City example. Here then is the Loughton van, which differs from the others in being electric (rather than diesel) and a crew van (with additional side windows). It was photographed in the car park at Loughton on 13th July 2022. Note that the charging cable is inserted behind the hinged logo in the front grille. A couple of weeks later this van was seen at Acton Works, with another of the four (8678R) present at Loughton, perhaps as cover.	25/08/2022
1,018		By Derek Everson When Derek visited Abellio's new Engineering and Training base in Hayes (Rigby Lane) on 12th July 2022, the only service vehicle present was this Peugeot 3008 car. It was anonymous apart from a sign in the windscreen stating that it was an 'Abellio Recruitment Car'. I was going to allocate this vehicle to this location (using new code HRL) but it has subsequently been noted at Battersea Garage three times.	25/08/2022
1,019		By Clive Greedus Ford Transit crew van 8443F has been a regular sight in the car park at Newbury Park Station in recent months and I should perhaps create a new allocation code for it. However, it was also seen at Hainault Depot recently so I will hold fire for now. For a few days in July 2022 it was joined by Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8270VW (also from Hainault but often to be found parked in New Addington!). Clive photographed the pair on 8th July 2022.	25/08/2022
1,020		By Ray Monk Now over 5 years old but not previously shown on LTSV, 8485F is a Ford Transit Mk8 long-wheelbase crew van. It is nominally allocated to Acton Works, though it is often absent. Ray found it parked in the DSM van yard there on 2nd July 2022, surrounded by various LUL vehicles.	25/08/2022
1,021		By Ray Monk Gold service vehicles are few and far between, the only current examples being a pair of Seat Ibiza cars added to the Arriva London fleet in April 2019. Licensing data suggested that one of these (DA19GOJ) had been sold in early 2022, but it returned to use later in the year. Perhaps it had just been temporarily delicensed. Ray photographed DA19GOJ at Eltham Bus Station on 27th June 2022, complete with an S33 duty number in the windscreen. For some reason this car has had plain Arriva fleetnames since new, while similar DK19ZDH also had the 'turning wheel' logos.	25/08/2022
1,022		By Dave Wolstencroft It's always nice to see new people join the LTSV 'community', especially if they contribute either photos or sightings. David Wolstencroft recently signed up, having been interested in London's Transport for many years. He has already made several epic journeys around London looking for service vehicles (amongst other things) and has submitted hundreds of sightings and a few photos. His first shows elusive Ford Transit crew van 8919F in Upminster Station car park on 9th June 2022. New in July 2019 this van may be based at Stratford Market Depot but has generally only been seen at night.	25/08/2022
1,023		By Ray Monk Another VW Caddy Maxi crew van seen at Acton Works on 12th March 2022 was 8910VW, which (unlike similarly-registered 8958VW) was still in use and fully lettered.	25/08/2022
1,024		By Ray Monk What we call the Stub Road (or Ramp) at Acton Works is often used for the storage of vehicles awaiting disposal or repair, or for new vehicles awaiting commissioning. Present on 12th March 2022 were two LUL vehicles still in livery but with all lettering removed. Nearest is Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8958VW, less than 3 years old at the time and latterly allocated to Stratford Market Depot. Although no damage is visible on the offside, it is assumed it had suffered an accident, and it was still to be found here several months later (July 2022). Behind is Ford Fiesta car 8225F, a photo of which was added at the time. It too was still present in July.	25/08/2022
1,025		By Scott Tillbrook A trio of typical 1980s vehicles were seen at Manor House on 18th February 1988. In the centre is service vehicle 3536F, a Ford Escort van leased from Avis in July 1987. As was common at this time, the only identification carried is the fleetnumber. On the right is a Vauxhall Cavalier car. London Transport had some similar vehicles in its unmarked 'private' car fleet but this was not one of them. Parked on the road outside is a long-wheelbase Ford Transit Mk2 van with a rather interesting registration of B402WUL. Similar marks from B56WUL to B305WUL were used by London Transport on MCW Metrobus double-deckers.	25/08/2022
1,026		By Colin Lloyd London Transport opened a new bus garage in Peckham in 1951, built on the site of Thomas Tilling's Bull Yard. Seen inside the garage on 22nd August 1987 was Ford Escort van 3518F, identified only with fleetnumbers. This van had been leased in June 1987 as a replacement for similar 3173F, and was assigned to Selkent District. It was withdrawn in 1990 but went on to serve subsequent owners for a further 10 years, during which time it was repainted yellow. The garage itself was closed in 1994 and demolished, buses then working from a smaller premises further from the town centre. In 1987 the trunk 36/A/B family of routes was still in the hands of Routemaster buses, but the Leyland Titan was becoming dominant on other local services. Both types can be seen in the background.	25/08/2022
1,027		By Colin Lloyd This Ford Escort 3-door estate was officially numbered 3493F, though the number was not carried at the time of this photo. New in March 1987 it was allocated - along with similar 3492F - to the Signal Engineer, and was to be seen at various locations mainly in the North West of London. On 13th August 1988 it was found parked at Wembley Park Station alongside a white Ford Escort van which could perhaps be 3320F.	25/08/2022
1,028		By Scott Tillbrook Four Peugeot 504 pick-up trucks were delivered at the beginning of 1987, these being the first from the French manufacturer to be used as service vehicles. A small number of similar vehicles followed over the next few years, before the model was discontinued in 1993. Three of the first four 504s were allocated to bus operations, one each in Abbey, Leaside and Wandle districts. All initially had white fleetnumbers as their only markings, as seen on Leaside's 3488P at Finchley Garage on 20th February 1988. Two London Transport lorries can be seen in the background, with a Ford Cargo ahead of rare Leyland Boxer 2305L.	25/08/2022
1,029		By Colin Lloyd Another of the dozen Ford Escort vans with D9xxTTV registrations was 3483F, caught as it left the Bollo Lane entrance of Chiswick Works on 19th February 1987. Official documents state that this vehicle was leased for use by the CSM (Cleaning Services Manager), though the cabside lettering is not legible in this photo. It remained in stock for just over 3 years before being replaced by very similar 3831F in October 1989. Some service vehicles are visible parked on the approach road, including another Ford Escort van and two Bedford Astra vans. This area is much changed since, with only the railway bridge surviving. The road beneath it is now used by buses entering the Chiswick Business Park.	25/08/2022
1,030		By Ivor Norman Seen outside Baker Street Station on 1st November 1987, 3481F was a Ford Escort van leased for the Signal Engineering department (as shown by the cabside lettering). All of the registration numbers in the block D952-963TTV were applied to LT Ford Escort vans, though the fleetnumbers were spread across a wide range from 3381F to 3484F.	25/08/2022
1,031		By Keith Grimes There are several points of interest about this photo of Bedford Astra van 3476B at Lewisham Bus Station on 8th July 1989. Most notably, the van seems to be missing its front number plate. It is also lacking the smart wheeltrims that were fitted to most of LT's inspector's Astras (both cars and vans). It has the roof mounted roundel but this is mounted in a red frame (others were grey or unpainted metal), this feature also being seen on similar 3477B which was also based locally. The cabside lettering has been all but obliterated, and the fleetnumber looks more like 34763! While most of the 1986/1987 Astras were withdrawn when less than 3 years old, 3476B was one of several to soldier on for another year and was one of the last pair when it was returned off lease in June 1990. The environs of Lewisham Bus Station have undergone two major transformations since this photo was taken. In 1999 an extension of the Docklands Light Railway to Lewisham was opened, the construction of the station involving the demolition of the houses seen in the background and the moving of the bus station (which became a bus stand only). More recently the area was further cleared to enable the construction of several high-rise residential blocks, with the bus stand now moved again to the other side of the train station. This area features junctions of both railway lines and rivers (the Ravensbourne and the Quaggy). The railways are elevated, while the rivers run in man-made channels, that for the Ravensbourne being visible beyond the van.	25/08/2022
1,032		By Colin Lloyd Another Inspector's Astra, this time a Bedford van. All such vehicles had the illuminated roof roundel fitted, though only the vans had the rails along each side. 3474B was allocated to Leaside District and was photographed inside Harrow Weald Garage on 16th August 1987. A red Ford Escort van is also visible, along with a Leyland National and MCW Metrobus. Route 114 still works in this part of London but the number 136 has since migrated to South East London where it took over the outer section of the traditional 36 route.	25/08/2022
1,033		By Keith Grimes 3468B was another inspector's vehicle new in early 1987 and allocated to Cardinal District, initially at Hanwell. It was photographed outside the garage on 28th May 1988 with a couple of the MCW Metrobus double-deckers that dominated services in the West of London. 3468B was one of the 3-door estate vehicles and has only the 'General Manager Buses' side lettering. I don't know if this was because the gold London Transport fleetname had already worn off (which was not unusual), or because the latter was never applied (its use being dropped at about this time). 3468B was withdrawn after just 2-and-a half years, being replaced by similar 3737B in 1989.	25/08/2022
1,034		By Colin Lloyd The 1986/1987 batch of bus inspector's vehicles were all Astras but featured both the Bedford-badged van and the Vauxhall estate version. 3463B was one of the former and was initially allocated to Abbey District's Wandsworth Garage, though it was photographed at Riverside Garage in Hammersmith on 31st January 1987. Abbey District was responsible for the central London area but was disbanded in August 1987, its garages being shared out amongst the outlying districts. Wandsworth had closed in July 1987 (though was later to become a base for London Coaches) and 3463B was reallocated to Wandle District's Stockwell. As was common with these vehicles, the gold London Transport lettering has largely worn away. Talking of closed bus garages, astute readers may have noticed that Riverside Garage had actually closed in June 1983, over three years before this photo was taken. The garage was in fact retained for several years as a covered parking area for buses terminating in Hammersmith. It was eventually demolished, although part of the frontage was incorporated into the new commercial development that took its place.	25/08/2022
1,035		By Derek Everson Ford Transit van 3446F was photographed at Kingston Bus Station on 18th August 1987. I presume this is the 'old' bus station in front of the railway station, this later being moved to the current Cromwell Road site. 3446F had been new that Spring and was allocated to Cardinal district, whose operations covered a large part of South West, West and North West London. The 'General Manager Buses' side lettering was common on inspector's cars and vans, but I don't recall seeing it on a Transit-sized vehicle before. As was mentioned recently, LT's early Mk3 Ford Transits were in a slightly orange shade of red. In this photo the van does look red, but not quite as red as the buses in the background. The buses by the way include a Leyland National of London Country (by then either with London Country South West or London Country North West) and two Norbiton-based double deckers. On the right is an MCW Metrobus, while just visible behind is one of 35 elderly Daimler Fleetline (DMS class) buses recently returned to passenger service after having been used as training vehicles for many years. These formed the low-cost basis by which London Buses retained some tendered routes in the area.	25/08/2022
1,036		By James Mair Bedford Midi van 2457B was caught leaving Acton Works sometime around 1990. This van was used by the London Transport research laboratory and joined the fleet in late 1986. It remained in stock until about 1998, though interestingly it was shown as being allocated to the British Transport Police at Baker Street from at least 1994. From the offside 2457B looks like a standard van, and I have no photos that show the nearside configuration. However, it is known to have had a window in its rear tail-gate door. The Bedford/Vauxhall Midi was built in Luton between 1985 and 1994 and replaced the Bedford CF van range. It was based on a Japanese design, the Isuzu Fargo, and was similar to but larger than the Bedford Rascal (which also originated in Japan as the Suzuki Super Carry). 2457B was the first of 13 Midis that joined the central fleet between 1986 and 1995, though it was the only one that was purchased, all others being leased. Smaller vehicles tended to be leased, though interestingly, 2457B turned out not to be the smallest D-prefix vehicle added to the owned fleet. A former London taxi cab D98FHM was bought in 1990 and assigned fleetnumber 2500 (without a suffix). It is believed to have been used in a covert/security role, and little else is known.	25/08/2022
1,037		By Derek Everson An open day was held at RATP's Fulwell Garage on 23rd July 2022, though it was rather a limited affair with only a handful of buses on display. Many visitors will have walked around to take a look into the Abellio base that uses what was the back half (and yard) of the former Trolleybus depot. There Derek photographed Vauxhall Astra car HK67ERJ departing on a crew ferry run. This is a relatively recent addition and has been given company names but with no sign of a fleetnumber. The buses in the background are of interest. Most are Abellio but there is also a coach belonging to Falcon Coaches (whose main base is the Byfleet Garage previously used by Abellio Surrey). Curiously an RATP BE class bus (BYD electric single-decker) was also present, for reasons unknown.	30/07/2022
1,038		By Ray Monk Ford Transit dropside truck 8668F was new in January 2019 and carried standard LUL livery. It was not actually seen until a year later and its allocation during this time is not known. Later in 2020 it was noted at Plumstead Elizabeth Line Depot, with several more sightings suggesting it was part of the full-time allocation. The Elizabeth Line had one Ford Transit dropside truck in its white/blue/purple livery (8654F), but they have also made use of two LUL-liveried examples (8667F and 8668F). On 23rd July 2022 the truck was photographed at Acton Works.	30/07/2022
1,039		By Ray Monk Seen in the front car park of Acton Works on 23rd July 2022, Volkswagen Caddy Maxi van 8473VW is one of several vans that we believe are based here for use delivering internal mail. Of interest was the recently applied red star on the bonnet. This has the number 4 on it, though the significance of this is not yet known. Just visible in the top right is TfL white/blue Renault Kangoo 9117R.	30/07/2022
1,040		By Thomas Young Another of my phone camera photos, this time of LUL Ford Transit crew van 8672F. Often to be found at Acton Works, this has been noted a couple of times recently in the car park of North Greenwich Station, as here on 22nd July 2022.	30/07/2022
1,041		By 60135 A number of LUL service vehicles are kept at Ruislip Depot, but it is hard to say which (or even how many), since virtually none of the large complex can be seen from public areas. Hence it is really useful to get the occasional photo from the 'inside'. This one, taken on 22nd July 2022, shows standard long-wheelbase Ford Transit van 8794F.	30/07/2022
1,042		By Thomas Young I have been trying to get into the habit of taking photos with my phone. Although the options are more limited than on a 'proper' camera, the quality is reasonable, and of course it allows photos to be taken on days when I don't have my camera with me. Such was the case on 21st July 2022 when I found one of the two Elizabeth Line Renault Kangoo Maxi Incident vans parked near the new (lower) entrance to Abbey Wood Station. Unfortunately it was the same one that we had earlier seen at Whitechapel, which means we still don't know what fleetnumber is carried by sister LX68MJO.	30/07/2022
1,043		By Derek Everson Stagecoach South was also providing bus services in connection with the Farnborough Air Show, and these were supported by a number of cars. Two were Skoda Fabias, including SB21UCN seen here on 20th July 2022. Both were in unmarked blue and it is not known whether they are part of the normal Stagecoach fleet or were just hired especially for this job.	30/07/2022
1,044		By Derek Everson Every summer (or at least every 'normal' summer) Go-Ahead London's commercial services department runs bus services in connection with regular major events. Some (such as the Wimbledon Tennis and Chelsea Flower Show) are within the company's normal operating territory. One that is a bit further afield is the Farnborough Air Show. At this year's show, Derek found the bus services being supported by Ford Transit Connect crew van EK64CFY, as photographed on 20th July 2022. This van was local to me during its first five years, being based at Belvedere and later Bexleyheath bus garages. During that time it carried fleetnumber FB1, later changed to FB2. It moved to Croydon garage in about 2020, sparse sightings meaning we don't know exactly when. There it lost its fleetnumbers but gained a light-bar. The white van alongside is almost certainly Nissan NV250 HG21XBL	30/07/2022
1,045		By Derek Everson The new bus garage that Abellio London opened in Dawley Road, Hayes in April 2022 does not have any engineering facilities, perhaps as a result of planning limitations. Therefore a unit on an industrial estate on Rigby Lane has also been acquired. This is about half a mile south of the garage, and is on the same road that leads to the former First London and Metroline Hayes garage. The new location does not have an official allocation code (since it will never have an allocation of buses), but for the purposes of the LTSV database I have given it HRL. When Derek visited on 12th July 2022, two single-deck buses were inside, both raised on portable hoists. It looks as though the building could hold three of four buses, but it only has the two doors shown here. Dawley Road's allocation includes a lot of double-deck buses, and I am not certain whether they can be accommodated here. The doorways look tall enough, but such vehicles could probably not be raised on hoists once inside. A curious feature was shown by looking at the location on Google Streetview. Both of the roller shutter doors have large notices at the bottom stating 'Stop - Height Restriction - Stop'. This would make sense if the bottom of the doors were still visible (at the top) when opened. However, as this photo shows, the doors do fully retract, meaning that the signs are no longer visible. As to service vehicles, the images on Google show Ford Tourneo Connect minibus EJ57WVE parked outside, but Derek found only a single car. Peugeot 3008 car GF16PPV was anonymous apart from a notice in the windscreen showing 'Abellio - Recruitment Car'. It has been reported that the Rigby Lane base undertakes driver training work as well as engineering. A photo of the car will be included in the next batch.	30/07/2022
1,046		By Derek Everson An overview of the new Abellio bus garage in Hayes, taken from the entrance on Dawley Road on 12th July 2022. Cars, including several crew ferry vehicles, are parked on the left, while a bus wash and staff building are on the right. The new garage does not feature any engineering facilities, work being undertaken at a nearby premises on Rigby Lane. Note the Wright bus parked at the far end of the garage. As yet unlicensed, this was the first of a batch of Electroliners that are due to take over the operation of route 111 later this year.	30/07/2022
1,047		By Derek Everson Another two service vehicles found at Abellio London's new Dawley Road (Hayes) Garage on 12th July 2022. On the right is Ford Fiesta YP61HVC, a member of the Abellio fleet since at least late 2015. It is allocated fleetnumber 6788 (not carried) and has worked from several Abellio garages including Byfleet and Southall. On the left is a much newer Ford, in fact the first 22-reg SV to be shown on LTSV. EO22KJF is a Ford Transit Custom minibus in anonymous white but presumed to be another vehicle used to ferry bus drivers to route changeover points. Further observations of this vehicle would be welcomed, so as to confirm its use.	30/07/2022
1,048		By Derek Everson Abellio London opened a new bus garage on Dawley Road in Hayes in April 2022. This was given the code DH by TfL and was a belated replacement for the former Wings Buses base in North Hyde Road (Hayes) that had been closed in December 2021. Bus routes were dispersed to other nearby garages (notably Southall) during the interim period. Derek visited DH on 12th July 2022 and found a number of crew ferry service vehicles present. Ford Fiesta GJ13SRX has been in the fleet for at least 5 years and carries fleetnumber 6811 on its bonnet. It also has the WS code of the former Hayes garage and a 482 to indicate that its main role is to ferry crews for that route. Ford Galaxy car ET11KWV has also been in stock for at least five years and is allocated fleetnumber 6780 (suggesting that it predates the Fiesta). However, it has never been reported or photographed before, perhaps as a result of it being totally anonymous.	30/07/2022
1,049		By Derek Everson Talking of the Wimbledon Tennis, several people sent in photos of this van parked at Wimbledon Station. I chose to use Derek's rear view taken on 5th July 2022 as it shows the addition of a camera mounted on the rear door. The neat labels in the side windows show that the van was being used as a crew vehicle for the tennis bus services, run each year by Go-Ahead London. EY67WUB is a Ford Transit Connect crew van that had been based at Morden Wharf garage since it was new in late 2017. It remains to be seen whether it returned there after the end of the special bus services.	30/07/2022
1,050		By Derek Everson On a tour of South London locations on 5th July 2022, Derek visited the Go-Ahead London garage referred to as Croydon but actually located some distance from there on Beddington Lane. As usual several Mercedes Vito crew ferry minibuses were visible in the front yard, though this one in particular caught my eye. RX71SYU had been new in autumn 2021 and was initially based at Northumberland Park Garage. Within a couple of months it had moved south to Bexleyheath, and was noted working from there with the fleetnumber FV65 applied to the front (with transfers). It had evidently moved even further south in mid-2022 but, more interestingly, it seems to have lost its fleetnumber. I hope to obtain an official list from Go-Ahead London at some point, as this might be the only way to get all the allocated fleetnumbers given the variations in application policy. By the way, it is possible that the move of this minibus to Croydon was temporary, perhaps in connection with the Wimbledon Tennis bus services. Further sightings would be welcomed. On the building behind the minibus is a sign made of a numberplate marked GL 45 SES. This will be a valid registration number in 23 years (!) but its significance here is unknown. Does Go-Ahead have its own Optician?	30/07/2022
1,051		By Derek Everson It surprised me to realise that the number of service vehicles in the white/blue/green livery of Trams has more than doubled in recent years. Until 2018 there had typically been about 7 or 8, but now there are over 20. Most are probably kept at the depot at Therapia Lane, which certainly has the space, but it is one of many locations that are hard to see into. Derek did well to photograph Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8662R through the fences and bushes on 5th July 2022. 8662R was one of the late-2018 additions and features a roof-rack and light-bar.	30/07/2022
1,052		By Ray Monk Ford Transit Custom van 8626F has appeared on LTSV before, so I wasn't going to use this photo taken in the van yard at Acton Works on 2nd July 2022. However, something seemed different about it, and I eventually realised what it was. The van has a single piece rear door. This type of top-hinged 'liftgate' door is available as an option only on low-roof Transit Customs, the standard fit being two side-hinged doors. I can't recall seeing any other Transit Custom SVs with the liftgate door. Note the van on the left is also a Transit Custom, but of the longer variant, where the black rubbing strip ends well short of the rear wheels.	30/07/2022
1,053		By Ray Monk Recent visits to Acton Works suggest that the hiatus in new vehicle deliveries is still ongoing. There is usually something of interest to be seen though, such as in this photo taken on 2nd July 2022. A number of Ford Fiesta cars and vans, and Toyota Prius cars were present. Many had not been seen much since delivery in 2016/2017, and the reason for their presence is not known. It is possible they were being prepared for return to lessors, though this seems unlikely given that there don't seem to have been any replacements. This photo taken in the corner of the DSM van yard shows Prius 8585T, Fiesta car 8228F and Fiesta van 8352F. Note the difference in livery treatment on the two Fiestas. The car has a plain white rear, while the van has a sliver of red and blue on the door. This does not wrap around to the sides, which is just as well as it would in no way line-up!	30/07/2022
1,054		By Derek Everson Former London Transport AEC Militant Master Breakdown Tender 1456MR has been resident at the London Bus Museum in Brooklands since it opened in 2011, and was at the earlier Cobham museum for many years before that. It still carries the brown livery of the National Rescue Group (NRG), who had bought the vehicle from LT in 1983. Retired in 1990 it was bought by the Managing Director of NRG (Andy Lambert) and has seen occasional use ever since, moving items around the museum (including aircraft). During an event held on 26th June 2022, 1456MR was on display with its jib raised. Its LT fleetnumber had been reapplied a couple of years ago, and a more recent addition was a label on the cab doors for 'Brooklands Recovery Engineering And Salvage Team', featuring a slightly saucy drawing of a young woman, alluding to the initials of the 'organisation'! In the background is one of several buses adorned with purple and white vinyls to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. This scheme was (to my eyes) not particularly attractive, and certainly less refined than the overall silver and gold schemes that appeared for the jubilees in 1977 and 2012 respectively. Also visible is former Go-Ahead London WVL1, one of the first Wright Gemini buses. I remember the impact these distinctive buses made when they first appeared in 2002. Many later examples of the so-called 'Nokia' buses are still in service in London and elsewhere, though the same can probably not be said for the phones that they supposedly resembled.	30/07/2022
1,055		By Derek Everson Since it was photographed this April, the Ford Cortina car now at the London Bus Museum has been refitted with an illuminated roof roundel. The white framing of the roundel looks odd but seems to be authentic, though the application of the fleetnumber 1464F to the front wing panel may not be - contemporary photos suggest that the number was either below the 'Radio Control' lettering on the door, or not carried at all. A pleasant array of vintage buses provides the backdrop to this photo taken on 26th June 2022.	30/07/2022
1,056		By Derek Everson Derek visited the White Bus Service garage in Horsell (near Woking) again on 26th June 2022 and photographed a different pair of service vehicles to his previous visit. Both of the cars seen had company names only on window labels, but fleetnumbers were also carried. Ford Fiesta AF06XXL was 97, while Nissan Micra RV55HUH in the background was 94. The vehicle partly hidden behind the black Fiesta is likely to be Vauxhall Corsa FL54HVF (fleetnumber 96) as seen on the earlier visit. Derek was told that there is also a Nissan Note car with fleetnumber 98, but this was not seen and the registration number supplied (SV10ASV) appears to be incorrect. Another visit is therefore required at some point...	30/07/2022
1,057		By Ray Monk Last month I got excited (relatively!) about the appearance of numbers in the windscreens of service vehicles operating from Arriva London's Dartford Garage. However, subsequent observations have shown that the numbers do sometimes switch from one vehicle to another, suggesting that they are duty numbers rather than fleetnumbers. This is a pity as it could have helped us work out exactly how many crew ferry vehicles Dartford has. On the other hand it will still be useful to confirm that a vehicle is actually in company use. On 22nd June 2022 Ray found a couple of recently added vehicles at Bexleyheath bus stand. To the fore is DN20GXR, a Vauxhall Crossland SUV showing number F4, with Ford Focus YR20KBX (F3) behind.	30/07/2022
1,058		By Malcolm Millichip Richmond Bus Station again, this time on 21st June 2022. The Vauxhall Vivaro minibus seen parked there was totally anonymous but is believed to be in use as a crew ferry vehicle from Metroline's Brentford Garage. I left this shot uncropped so as to include the vintage 'Buses Turning' sign on the left, and also the container that has been dropped here to provide additional (temporary?) staff resting facilities.	30/07/2022
1,059		By Derek Everson Derek sent a couple of photos of this Mercedes Vito minibus at Beckton Bus Station on 14th June 2022. This into-the-sun shot of the vehicle departing was not the best, but it does show an interesting development. Go-Ahead London has recently seemed to have an on-off policy about the application of fleetnumbers to its service vehicles. RX18LLN is one of several allocated to Silvertown Garage, and these gained yellow window labels showing both a local (FY01) and a company (FV16) fleetnumber. These labels were still in situ when seen, but the vehicle also now has a 'proper' fleetnumber, albeit with two different lettering sizes, on the rear.	30/07/2022
1,060		By Malcolm Millichip 8836T is one of the batch of Toyota Yaris cars new in 2019 and given full LUL white/blue/red livery that was quickly changed to TfL white/blue. We are still unsure of where these cars are based and what they do, but 8836T was seen at the bus stand on Wakefield Road in Richmond on 19th April 2022. Its visit appears to have been in connection with building work being undertaken on the adjacent staff facilities block.	30/07/2022
1,061		By Malcolm Conway Although I had a lot of unpublished photos of D-prefixed service vehicles from the central fleet, the same could not be said for the bus companies. Mind you, most of the 'red' bus operators were still being supplied with central vehicles in 1986/1987. The LTSV database lists just 19 D-prefix vehicles with other companies, and most were second-hand acquisitions later on. Here we see Armchair Passenger Transport Ford Transit minibus D829UTF at Haven Green (Ealing Broadway) on 26th September 1997. The history of this vehicle has already been covered in an earlier caption, so I will instead talk about Transits. As mentioned in another of today's photos, the streamlined Mk3 Ford Transit had been introduced in early 1986, replacing the bonneted Mk2. As such, not many Mk2 Transits gained D-prefix registrations (first used in August 1986). However, the National Bus Company had bought a large number of Mk2 Transit chassis cabs, with the intention of giving them bus bodies and using them on new minibus schemes in various parts of England. Some of these were not completed until later in 1986, and thus gained D-prefix registrations. D829UTF had apparently been booked to be plated as C331RPE.	30/07/2022
1,062		By Colin Lloyd Now here is something a bit special. This photo was taken on 19th March 1988 in the basement of Victoria (Gillingham Street) Garage. This garage was the only one in London to feature two levels and was opened shortly after the start of WW2. It included a basement area that was designed to hold up to 70 buses, although only single deckers could be accommodated. Access was via two separate ramps, one on each side of the main garage building. The plan had been to use this area for the parking of private hire and tour coaches, though the advent of war led to the suspension of all such services as being non-essential. It was utilised by airport service buses from 1947 onwards, and was then leased out to the GPO from 1957. It eventually started running London buses in 1986 when the minibuses for new route C1 were based here. A couple of other routes (also using minibuses) were added later, but the whole garage was closed in 1993 and later (1999) demolished to make way for a supermarket and flats. Back to the subject of the photo, 3570F was a 3-door Ford Escort estate car registered in Worcester in late 1986. It most likely entered LT stock shortly afterwards, though we have not seen any documents that give details. As the side lettering shows, it was allocated to the Catering section and it remained in stock until the end of 1989.	30/07/2022
1,063		By Colin Lloyd Fleetnumbers 3542F to 3547F were applied to a batch of 6 Ford Escort estates new in 1987, all with D3xxOBE registrations (originating in Lincoln). I have them listed as being a mix of 3-door and 5-door versions, though I don't have photos of all of them to back this up. 3547F was certainly 5-door, and was photographed in Hainault on 8th December 1988. It has a slightly non-standard livery comprising an Underground roundel on a white square, along with 'Depot Mobile Team' lettering. Official documents listed all six being leased for use by the 'D.E. (Met)', which could be Depot Engineer, while they were later all listed as 'Fleet Manager Met LUL'. I presumed Met referred to the Metropolitan Line, and several of the cars were allocated to Neasden (including this one). However, 3542F was allocated to Ealing Common, 3543F to Hainault (!) and 3544F to Morden.	30/07/2022
1,064		By Colin Lloyd The initial sections of the Docklands Light Railway were opened in August 1987, and a small number of service vehicles were allocated to support the network. One (Ford Transit minibus 3337F) had arrived over a year earlier and carried a mid blue livery, with red upsweeps around the door. This was based on the livery carried by the trains themselves. The later additions wore a darker blue livery, sometimes anonymous, sometimes with lettering and a white/red stripe. The latter scheme is shown on Ford Escort van 3537F (fleetnumber not carried). It was photographed paying a visit to Acton Works on 28th February 1990, while it was eventually returned off-lease a few months later. The DLR continued to be supplied with vehicles by CDS/DSM until the early 1990s, since when it has managed its own fleet.	30/07/2022
1,065		By Kim Rennie While many of the Astra cars and vans operated by London Transport were employed as inspector's vehicles, other departments also used the type. Kim's excellent photo shows 3-door estate car 3533B parked outside Euston Station. The date is not known but it is possible that it was during the flooding incident in 1987 or 1988. 3533B had been leased in 1987 for use by the Building Services Engineering Division (as shown on the side lettering), but was later listed as being with the LUL Fire Protection Engineer based at Lillie Bridge. Of note is that the car was registered in Preston. With suffix (1963-1983) and prefix (1983-2001) registrations the last two letters in the 3-letter block indicate the licensing office, though you would need a list to be able to decode them. FV was a block issued by Preston, while most other LT Astras had come from Norwich (AH, EX, NG, PW and VF) or Manchester (BU and NA).	30/07/2022
1,066		By Colin Lloyd Ford Escort car 3492F was found parked on Broadway in Westminster (just opposite the LT headquarters) on 10th August 1988. This 3-door estate had been new in March 1987, was allocated to the Signal Engineer, and was returned to Avis quite soon after achieving three year's service. Comparing this photo to one of 5-door estate 3547F, I wondered at first if the 3-door version was shorter, as there is less space between the doors and the rear wheels. However, it would appear that the doors on the 3-door version were simply a bit longer. The buildings in the background are still in situ, but now all form part of a Conrad hotel.	30/07/2022
1,067		By Richard Eversden The new Mark 3 Ford Transit was available in more size combinations than the previous models, and here we have an early example of a mid-height, short-wheelbase van. This may initially have been marketed as high-roof but is referred to on LTSV as mid-height since an even taller variant was added later on. It was seen parked outside Wood Green Garage on 28th April 1989, with Victor and Leonard (going by the windscreen sunvisors) presumably off doing some work in the nearby tube station. A fleet list dated April 1990 showed this van as being allocated to the LUL Change Manager based at Tower Hill Station. Not sure why a Change Manager would need a van....	30/07/2022
1,068		By Colin Lloyd Red was the standard livery for service vehicles in 1986/1987, being worn by at least 114 of the 135 D-prefix vehicles added to the leased fleet. Of the other 21 vehicles, blue or white were the most common colours, with one each in beige, black and orange. The white vehicles comprised 6 Ford Escort vans and one Ford Transit, the latter being an ex-dealer vehicle acquired for cover purposes. The Escorts are thought to have been specified in white to distinguish their petrol engines from the normal diesel ones. 3485F had been allocated to the Cleaning Services department, though it was lettered for the 'Dept. of Civil Engineering', and it remained in stock for the (then) customary three years. Colin photographed it at Acton Works on 30th May 1990, just before it was returned off-lease.	30/07/2022
1,069		By Colin Lloyd The majority of the 135 leased service vehicles new in 1986/1987 were of four basic models, the only exceptions being four Peugeot 504 pick-ups and a single Ford Fiesta van. You could also count the single Astramax supplied as being different to the standard Astra vans but, otherwise, everything was an Astra, an Escort, a Transit or a Bedford CF. Both the Astra and Escort came in both car and van forms, with LT taking slightly more vans than cars. 3482F was a fairly typical Ford Escort Mk4 van and was new in November 1986. It was slightly unusual for being assigned to the Commercial Operations Manager's section (soon to be renamed London Coaches), which perhaps explains its anonymous red livery when seen at Battersea Garage on 3rd January 1987. As already shown, 3482F later gained large London Coaches fleetnames. Battersea had closed as an operational bus garage in late 1985, only to be reactivated for the new operation in early 1986. London Coaches moved to the larger Wandsworth Garage in 1988 but Battersea remained in use by them, and later by Kentish Bus / Arriva London as an operational garage, before finally closing for good in 2009. Note that what looks like a cupboard behind the van is in fact the door to the Union office!	30/07/2022
1,070		By Derek Everson The 8 Astra cars in the 10th generation of inspector's vehicles were all estates with a 3-door layout, and the whole batch was registered in Norwich. 3473B was based at Stamford Brook Garage to cover West London, and it was found parked in Southall on the last day of 1988.	30/07/2022
1,071		By Richard Eversden The 10th generation of inspector's vehicles were all Astras but there was a mix of 13 vans (badged as Bedfords) and 8 estate cars (Vauxhall). They carried the hand-me-down illuminated roof roundels and lasted for the 2 years normal for such vehicles. A new London Buses corporate identity was introduced during the tenure of this batch and van 3466B was seen carrying the new roundel at Enfield Garage on 19th February 1989. The white 'General Manager Buses' lettering is still in situ, but the space above (where the gold 'London Transport' was when new) now bears the swan logo of the Leaside bus operating district. 3466B was returned to Avis exactly 2 months later, having been replaced by similar 3681B.	30/07/2022
1,072		By Derek Everson Seen at Heathrow Airport Central Bus Station on a rather dismal 17th January 1989, 3459B was a Vauxhall Astra estate that had been new in November 1986. Curiously, the official LT documents state that 3459B was returned to lessor Avis on 18th November 1988 (i.e. before the date of this photo). It seems that in, this instance, the official documents are incorrect, since Derek confirms that he also saw 3459B (at Fulwell) on 5th February 1989. It could be that 18/11/1988 was the scheduled date for return, being exactly 2 years from the delivery date. Perhaps tellingly, the vehicle that replaced 3459B (which was similar 3672B) did not arrive into stock until 23rd February 1989. Note the Ford D-series lorry in the background, probably belonging to the airport and seemingly lacking a nearside headlamp.	30/07/2022
1,073		By Colin Lloyd Ford Escort van 3455F was found lurking in the shadows of Harrow Weald Bus Garage on 28th November 1987. New just over a year earlier, it was assigned to the Plant Engineer and remained in stock for a shade over 3 years (being replaced by similar 3819F in 1989). Note the roof-rack fitted. Part of the reason for choosing this photo is the bus in the background, which is clearly not a London Transport vehicle. A batch of 27 new-build MCW Metrobuses had been ordered for use on the new 'Harrow Buses' network from 14th November 1987. However, their delivery was slightly delayed and a similar number of 13-year old Leyland Fleetline buses were hired from Kirkby Central of Sheffield to cover in the interim. These buses were all former Greater Manchester Transport vehicles, and they remained in that operator's orange, brown and white livery throughout the short period that they worked in London.	30/07/2022
1,074		By Richard Eversden The Bedford CF model was introduced in 1969 and, from 1977 onwards, was used by London Transport as an alternate to the similarly-sized Ford Transit. Most notably the bus publicity department operated successive large batches new in 1978, 1982 and 1987. The 1987 batch comprised 18 vans, some of which were used by other departments. These were destined to be the last CFs for London Transport, as the model went out of production in July 1987 (the same month that the last LT batch was delivered). All 18 vans had D3xxYBB registrations (originating in Newcastle) and sliding cab doors. It would appear that none actually carried their allocated fleetnumbers. The bus publicity vans just had a yellow label on the doors, though some later carried large 'London Transport Advertising' fleetnames. The bus publicity department had an office beside the running-in road of Stockwell bus garage, and several vans could normally be found here. In Richard's photo taken on 13th February 1988, no fewer than 7 can be seen, comprising 5 CFs and 2 Ford Escorts. 3441B (D334YBB) is to the fore, and I noticed that the numerical part of the registration has been written in the dirt on the front wheelarch! Also visible are some of the buses (mainly B20 DMSs) allocated to Stockwell, and a Scottish Citylink coach taking a break between long-distance runs.	30/07/2022
1,075		By Kim Rennie The change from C to D prefix registrations also marked a major change in London Transport's Ford Transit fleet. Not only was the model changed from the bonneted Mk2 to the streamlined Mk3, but the standard colour changed from grey to red. The Mk3 Transit had actually been introduced at the beginning of 1986 and a couple of C-prefix registered examples eventually turned up as second-hand acquisitions in bus company fleets (notably Westlink C612KWC). It is possible that 3378F (C667KWC) was also a Mk3, this being leased in September 1986 after use as a demonstrator. If anyone has a photo of 3378F I would be interested to hear from them. Kim photographed Transit Mk3 3408F round the back of Ealing Common Depot in about 1988. The van is lettered for 'London Transport, Rolling Stock Engineer (Railways)' and had been delivered in March 1987 as a replacement for Bedford CF van 3037B. It was returned off-lease after a little over 3 years. It is notable that many of the early Transit Mk3s appear to be in a lighter shade of red than normally used by London Transport, though this may be partly down to the vagaries of colour photo processing and reproduction. Certainly this van, and the similar one visible in the background, do appear to be more towards the orange side of red. Curiously, Ford Escorts delivered in the same era seem to be a more exact colour match to LT red.	30/07/2022
1,076		By James Mair After a delay of a couple of months, I am now going to resume my review of service vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s. I covered C-prefix registrations last time, so now I'll look at the D-prefix ones, these being vehicles first licensed in 1986/1987. A total of 12 D-prefix vehicles were added to the 'owned' fleet (with fleetnumbers in the 2xxx series), though a couple were later second-hand acquisitions. Perhaps the most conventional vehicles were four Ford Cargo lorries, delivered shortly after the registration letter change in August 1986. One was a box truck, while the others were dropsides (of which one also had a tail-lift), and all four were in the standard grey livery. 2438F was a Cargo 0809 dropside that was destined to last less than 6 years before being sold in 1992. James photographed it in Sutton Garage, along with a couple of B20 DMS class buses, in about 1988. The furthest bus has a revised grille, suggesting the fitting of an Iveco engine. This modification programme took place in 1987 and 1988, while later in 1988 many of the Sutton buses gained grey ('mushroom') skirts and Suttonbus fleetnames. The photo of this lorry taken at Stockwell Garage appears to slightly pre-date this one. In the former, the lorry has no fleetname, while here a red 'legal address' sticker for London Buses Ltd, as used on buses, has been applied.	30/07/2022
1,077		By Charlie Baldwin Ah, something interesting at last! This Ford Transit box truck was noted leaving Uxbridge Garage on 7th June 2022. It had Buses roundels on front and sides but was otherwise unmarked. The location, and the Ax registration series make it almost certain that the operator is Metroline, and the vehicle is perhaps used to ferry bus parts from the Central Engineering and Logisitics Facility (CELF) in Perivale. This role was latterly performed by three Ford Transit vans (AV16YGG/H/J), all of which were recently withdrawn. It could therefore be that this new truck is not the only one.	16/06/2022
1,078		By Ray Monk An open day was held at Go-Ahead London's Stockwell Garage on 11th June 2022, to mark 70 years since it was opened. Not part of the display but plainly visible were these two Ford vans parked near the main exit. EF19HFR at the rear is a Transit Custom van used by the engineers and based here since new in 2019. Transit Connect crew van EY67WYO in front was delivered in 2017 and was based at Morden Wharf Garage until a few months ago. It is presumed that the smaller van is still in use as a crew ferry vehicle, although Stockwell has not used these much in the past, with most of its bus routes either passing nearby or easily reached by other bus or tube services.	16/06/2022
1,079		By Ray Monk Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8856R is one of several allocated to the Power Supply section at Tufnell Park but was photographed at Acton Works on 11th June 2022.	16/06/2022
1,080		By Ray Monk Ray was back at Acton Works on 11th June 2022 and sent another batch of photos. By coincidence, my selections from this batch are the same as for his May visit, namely two Renault Kangoo Maxi vans that have not appeared on LTSV before. First up is 8716R, new in 2018 and reported at various locations. It is likely to be based at Stratford Market Depot. The black (as opposed to silver) rear wheels change the appearance somewhat.	16/06/2022
1,081		By Bob Milner Sullivan Buses has five Renault Zoe cars for crew transfer work, four of which are in the red livery shown here. Unlike many bus companies, Sullivans applies full lettering to (most of) its support fleet. Last to be shown on LTSV is EC4 (ND15XNR), seen at Potters Bar Station on 8th June 2022.	16/06/2022
1,082		By Derek Everson Talking of Hatton Cross, I can't resist the colourful line-ups of service vehicles that can often be found here. On 7th June 2022, Derek caught three Abellio cars, including a black Ford Galaxy and two Ford Fiestas. On my visit a couple of days earlier I also noted a plain white Tourneo Custom minibus which seemed to be doing crew transfers for Metroline's route 90 (now worked from Brentford Garage).	16/06/2022
1,083		By Derek Everson I had a blast from the past recently when, while passing through Hatton Cross, I noticed a bus working staff shuttle services that was carrying Transdev fleetnames. Transdev was of course the fleetname used on buses of London United and London Sovereign for several years, until it sold the operators on to RATP. I don't know the background to the Heathrow operations but Derek photographed a Hyundai I40 estate car with the same fleetname at the Central Bus Station on 7th June 2022. Since the company is not likely to be involved with public bus services, I have decided (for now) not to add this vehicle to the database.	16/06/2022
1,084		By Andrew Lidinson The appearance of windscreen 'fleetnumbers' on several Dartford crew ferry cars was mentioned on two of last month's photos. Additions since then have included F5, seen at Bexleyheath Bus Stand on 3rd June 2022. Registered WO21MJJ, this is Fiat 500, a type I never thought I would see as a service vehicle! To be fair, the modern 500X is quite far removed from the original (and diminutive) Fiat 500.	16/06/2022
1,085		By Bob Milner LUL Ford Transit crew van 9029F was new in February 2020, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown started. Sightings have been sparse but several vehicles with adjacent fleetnumbers are based at Edgware Track Depot, so it is probably also there. Backing this up (somewhat) was Bob finding it parked at High Barnet Station on 2nd June 2022. As can be seen, the van is a long-wheelbase, high-roof variant.	16/06/2022
1,086		By Peter Terry Peter found TfL Yaris car 8838T parked in the alley off Uxbridge Bus Station on 30th May 2022 (with TfL PCO VW Transporter minibus 8599VW nearby). 8838T is from a batch of white/blue cars that were new in 2019 and proved to be very elusive for a couple of years. Now they seem to be popping up all over the place, which doesn't really help determine allocations. 8838T was still here 5 days later but I would prefer to wait for another sighting before allocating it.	16/06/2022
1,087		By Ray Monk Another month, another 'new' service vehicle at Dartford Garage! I don't know why there is such a 'churn' of vehicles at this Arriva London outpost but it does at least give us something new to show. DY70ZCE is a Vauxhall Combo E van that was photographed at the bus stand in Bexleyheath on 30th May 2022.	16/06/2022
1,088		By Ray Monk Most Go-Ahead London bus garages have a Ford Transit Custom van allocated for use by the engineers. All are high-roof variants, most being short-wheelbase like EY67ZCE seen at Canning Town Bus Station on 28th May 2022. New in 2017 and based at River Road (Barking), this van has never carried any company lettering, although it does now have a cool teddy-bear on the front!	16/06/2022
1,089		By Ray Monk 24th May 2022 was a big day for London, with the opening of the first section of the new Elizabeth Line between Abbey Wood and Paddington (low level). Delayed by over 3 years and not yet calling at Bond Street or running through to Reading or Shenfield, the service will nevertheless be very useful to many Londoners. I might be biased in saying that, since I live in Abbey Wood! Anyway, on the first day I took a ride to Whitechapel, where I found a new facility on Durward Street, close to the rear entrance to the station. Parked there was Renault Kangoo Maxi van LX68MHU, one of two vans in Incident Response white/blue/purple that had been delivered with the rest of the fleet back in 2018. Ray visited a few days later (28th May) and found the van still present, suggesting that it may now be based here. Both the Kangoos had latterly been kept at the Network Rail ROC (Rail Operations Centre) in Romford, but Google photos suggest that they may have both moved elsewhere. A sighting of the other van would be doubly useful since it appears the fleetnumbers we have listed are incorrect, though they were taken from an official list. LX68MHU was listed as 8632R but this photo shows that it carries 8633R, suggesting that LX68MJO (listed as 8633R) may in fact be 8632R. We have published a photo of the latter van but it was not clear enough to make out the fleetnumber.	16/06/2022
1,090		By Andrew Lidinson As mentioned last month, we have recently discovered that the fleet of crew ferry cars allocated to Arriva London's Norwood garage carry what appear to be fleetnumbers. These are generally shown on a blue star in the top corner of the windscreen. Numbers S1 to S4 and S6 to S11 are carried by a batch of silver Vauxhall Corsa cars, while S5 is on this grey Vauxhall Astra estate. The numbers on the Corsas have been carried from soon after they were delivered in 2016. It is possible that HV66YYB was also new at this time, but was not noticed as it was a non-standard type and carried no lettering. It was seen at Norwood Garage on 19th May 2022.	16/06/2022
1,091		By Derek Everson To meet new emissions standards, Stagecoach London swapped six of its Ford Transit Custom vans for slightly newer Ford Transit Connect vans from Stagecoach South East in November 2021. Leyton Garage gained MV18HLX (allocated national fleetnumber 92939) from Folkestone, the van being seen at Walthamstow Bus Station on 24th May 2022.	16/06/2022
1,092		By Derek Everson A fine study of LUL Mercedes Econic dustcart LO66ZRC between Kings Cross and St Pancras Stations on 24th May 2022. Parked in front was an Ambulance Service mobile COVID testing facility.	16/06/2022
1,093		By Derek Everson Parked at the Allsop Place offices behind Baker Street Station on 24th May 2022 were a pair of Ford vans that started their lives elsewhere. Ford Transit Mk8 crew van 8492F (nearest the camera) was new in 2017 and was a regular sight at Neasden Depot until it moved here in 2020. Ford Transit Custom van 8414F in front was also new in 2017 and seems to be normally based at Hainault depot.	16/06/2022
1,094		By Ray Monk Another LUL Renault Kangoo Maxi van found at Acton Works on 21st May 2022 was a distinctly lesser-spotted example. It was noted at Acton when new in 2018, then just one other time in Dagenham in 2021. As such, it is a bit tricky to pin down where this van should be shown as being allocated!	16/06/2022
1,095		By Ray Monk Parked in the DSM yard at Acton Works on 21st May 2022, this anonymous white Volkswagen Golf estate is part of the 'unmarked car' fleet. Such vehicles have been a part of the central fleet since at least the 1930s and until 1980 they were purchased and tended to be registered in recognisable London Transport series. Details of owned cars have been included in the LTSV website. Since 1980, cars have been leased and are less easy to identify. Some patchy information on the post-1980 car fleet has been uncovered but it was felt best to leave these off LTSV rather than have incomplete data.	16/06/2022
1,096		By Ray Monk Ray has been continuing his semi-regular visits to Acton Works and, although there have been virtually no new vehicles delivered in recent months, there are usually a couple of vehicles present that have not been shown on LTSV before. On 21st May 2022 the front car park was host to Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8441R. This was based at nearby Museum Way for a while when new but has since moved elsewhere and it has only been noted at night. On the right is VW Caddy Maxi van 8474VW.	16/06/2022
1,097		By Andrew Lidinson A few days after Ray visited Norwood garage, Andrew mentioned that the crew ferry cars were gaining new labels. This photograph taken there on 13th May 2022 shows Vauxhall Corsa car WP66TDX parked on the forecourt. The square label in the bottom of the windscreen shows 'Hitachi, Inspire the Next'! Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions is (or was) a large supplier of leased vehicles and is known to also supply vehicles to other Arriva companies. However, the company was renamed as Novuna Vehicle Solutions in February this year. More interesting was the label in the top nearside of the windscreen. Although not clear in this shot, this comprised a blue star that appears to have been applied over an existing white circular label. On the blue star was the number S11, with S6 and S9 also seen on similar cars nearby. Again, not sure what the S stands for (service? support? silver?), or whether this will extend to all vehicles at this location (and/or others), but it is something to look out for. Hang on a minute! After writing the above I dug out some other photos of the Norwood/Thornton Heath Corsas. The Hitachi labels have been displayed since new, perhaps unsurprisingly. However it seems that the blue stars are not new either, and they are visible in photos taken from October 2017 onwards! They are so small that the numbers on them cannot be made out. Another photo (from February 2017) shows car WM66AFE with S6 on a card on the dashboard. So, it would seem that these numbers have been allocated and displayed pretty much from when the cars were new in late 2016. It's just that nobody noticed!	17/05/2022
1,098		By Ray Monk Shortly after he found an Arriva car with 'number' F1 at Bexleyheath, Ray found S32 at Eltham. It was being displayed by Seat Leon car DA69TFE when photographed on 13th May 2022 but this does raise a few questions. Firstly, what does the S stand for? Secondly, are there going to be vehicles numbered S1 to S31, or is the sequence different (perhaps starting at S31)? Thirdly, have Arriva now returned to using Eltham for changeovers after several months when they were done elsewhere?	17/05/2022
1,099		By Kim Rennie TfL Taxi Private Hire Compliance Enforcement minibus 8598VW can normally be found parked at Aldgate Bus Station during the day (as here on 12th May 2022). One of six Volkswagen Transporter minibuses to carry the white/blue/lilac livery, they are stationed around London and only seem to be active at night, undertaking checks on taxi and mini-cab operations. Two of the resident VW Crafter Incident Response Unit vans can also be seen, and it is good to see that the office building on the east side of the bus station finally looks like it is coming back into use.	17/05/2022
1,100		By Ray Monk Another new model for LTSV, and yet another new vehicle in the seemingly endless churn of cars used as crew ferries from Arriva London's Dartford garage, Nissan Qashqai PN69OHE was photographed at Bexleyheath bus stand on 11th May 2022. Perhaps more of note is the F1 label in the windscreen. Similar cards showing F2 and F3 have also recently been seen on the two Skoda Octavia cars based at Dartford (WV69FZS and WU69LHN). It would be nice to think that these are fleetnumbers and that they will be applied to all Dartford service vehicles. However, it is notable that the two Skodas have been in use for a few years (from new), whereas this Nissan appears to be a more recent addition, and hence perhaps only hired and/or temporary. We shall see. Interestingly another Dartford car was later seen with number S32!	17/05/2022

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