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| Count | Photo | Details | Added  |
| 1,101 |  |
By David Cooper New contributor David Cooper sent in this photo of LUL Ford Transit Custom crew van 8757F parked on a leafy road in Dartford on 10th May 2022. 8757F is another of the large number of vans new in 2019 for the Lifts and Escalators section. Nominally allocated to Frank Pick House, it has not been seen there since it was new, but it turns up at various tube stations during night-time work. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,102 |  |
By Peter Terry A photograph of this Mercedes Vito minibus at this same location has already been shown on LTSV (last August), but there is a slight difference. I keep hoping that Go-Ahead London will apply fleetnumbers to its service vehicle fleet, and there have been a couple of isolated examples. For instance, this minibus was based at Silvertown garage and had a yellow card in the side windows showing 'company' fleetnumber FV22 and 'garage' fleetnumber FY04 (which presumably indicates Ferry rather than Finchley!). This card was still in place when photographed at Canning Town Bus Station on 7th May 2022, but it had now been joined by a second card, also yellow, which shows 'DS05 Henley Rd'. DS is the official TfL code for the new garage at Henley Road, which is barely a hundred yards from the existing Silvertown garage. The latter site had no room for expansion so, when bus route 69 was won on tender, a new base for its electric double-deckers was obtained on a vacant site nearby. On the LTSV database I do intend to record the FVxx fleetnumbers (that are believed to have been allocated to all Go-Ahead crew ferry vehicles) but not the local fleetnumbers. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,103 |  |
By Ray Monk Although Ray has not seen many (any!) new vehicles at Acton Works in recent months, he does sometimes find older vehicles that have not been shown before. Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8547R was new in November 2017, meaning that it would be coming up for replacement under 'normal' circumstances. The van is a regular visitor to the area around Baker Street Station, but only at night. Presumably during the day it is parked up on some residential street. In fact the first day-time sighting of the van was on 7th May 2022 when it was left in the front car park at Acton Works. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,104 |  |
By Paul Nicholls This van has already appeared twice on LTSV but I liked this photo as it also includes a couple of related vehicles. 9116R is one of five Renault Kangoos (2 electric and 3 diesel) delivered to TfL in early 2020. They seemed to be assigned to the Streets operation, or whatever that is now called. Perhaps backing this up is the van visible behind, this being a Volkswagen Crafter belonging to Trueform. Trueform is a contractor that undertakes a lot of work on bus stops and shelters. Also visible in this photo is TfL Taxi Private Hire minibus 8601VW. By the way, we don't know where the five TfL Renault Kangoos are now based. They were probably initially at Chancel Street in Southwark, and one of the electric pair has since been noted at Acton Works a couple of times. If you have any more information, do let us know. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,105 |  |
By Derek Everson Ford Transit Custom van 8777F was new in May 2019 and is allocated to LUL's Lifts and Escalators section, based nominally at Frank Pick House in Acton. On 3rd May 2022, Derek found the van at a Ford garage in Alperton. It was just coming up to three years old so perhaps it was here for an MOT. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,106 |  |
By Peter Terry Go-Ahead London's Croydon garage is located on Beddington Lane, a stone's throw from the Abellio garage but about a mile from Croydon itself. Due to its remote location, crew ferry vehicles are numerous, with at least a dozen Mercedes Vito minibuses currently allocated. One of these (RK68GVZ) was photographed outside the garage on 1st May 2022, parked beside the resident engineer's van EO16PKZ. The latter vehicle was initially based at Northumberland Park garage, moving south in about 2019. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,107 |  |
By Bob Milner Following the disposal (seemingly without replacement) of three Ford Transits, the Metroline van fleet is now comprised almost entirely of Transit Connect Mk2 vans like AV20HYD seen at the Perivale CELF on a sunny 30th April 2022. Exceptions are a couple of Transit Custom vans and one Renault Kangoo electric van. Interestingly, Ford have launched electric and/or hybrid variants of the Transit and Transit Custom but the current Transit Connect has no 'green' versions. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,108 |  |
By Ray Monk Photographed at Arriva London's Norwood garage on 30th April 2022 was Vauxhall Corsa car WM66AOA, with similar WM66AEX and one other visible on the left. Ten silver Vauxhall Corsa cars have been based here from new in late-2016. This always seemed odd to me, since Norwood would not be expected to require many crew ferries. But some research has shown that only 3 of the 9 main bus routes currently worked by the garage (2, 432 and 468) actually pass the location. The others (137, 157, 202, 249, 417 and 450) do not, with Crystal Palace seeming to be a good place to do the change overs for several. But, Norwood cars have never been reported there, or anywhere else in fact, other than one sighting at Beddington and several at Thornton Heath garage. The regular appearance of these cars at Thornton Heath is a bit of mystery, but it was notable that all the cars seen at Norwood had labels in their rear windows proclaiming them to be Arriva Thornton Heath Garage Ferry Vehicles! Apart from these, the cars are anonymous, but see another Norwood photo later in today's batch for a development. The final note about this photo is that grey Vauxhall Astra car HV66YYB is just visible parked in front of WM66AOA. Observations suggest that this is also a crew ferry vehicle. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,109 |  |
By Ray Monk Abellio has a large fleet of crew ferry cars, most of which have company names applied. One that does not (now) is Ford Fiesta GL59VVJ. This car must have been acquired when it was only a couple of years old. Registered in February 2010, it was with Abellio by June 2014, spending the next five years working from Hayes and Southall garages in West London. It carried companies names, fleetnumber 6759 and large 'E-Routes, HA' lettering on the bonnet (see August 2019 photo). By mid-2021 it had moved to Beddington Cross garage and had had all lettering removed, though it did display number FB6 in its windscreen for a while. Ray photographed the anonymous car at the Cheviot Road bus stand in Norwood on 30th April 2022. Parked behind was a Hyundai I30 car in unmarked silver and with the unusual registration number RIG4837. This appears to also be an Abellio vehicle. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,110 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Continuing the 'LUL in Essex' theme, Paul found Ford Transit Mk8 crew van 8912F in South Ockendon on 28th April 2022. New in early 2020, this van is nominally allocated to Acton Works, as is VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8903VW which was photographed in almost the exact same location in January. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,111 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Toyota Yaris 9113T carries standard LUL livery but it has only been reported in London (at Acton Works) once since it was new in early 2020. As such we have no idea where it is allocated. On 28th April 2022 it was seen parked in Little Thurrock. South West Essex seems to be a good area to find LUL vehicles! |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,112 |  |
By Ray Monk The Dartford merry-go-round continues. You would expect companies to use fairly low-spec cars for crew ferry duties, as they will see a lot of use but generally over relatively short distances. This is not always the case though, and one of the latest additions at Arriva London's Dartford garage is this rather sporty-looking Ford Puma (seen at Bexleyheath bus stand on 28th April 2022). The Ford Puma is not a car, it is a 'Subcompact Crossover Sport Utility Vehicle', but it is based on the chassis of the Ford Fiesta. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,113 |  |
By Bob Milner Photographed at Bromley North Station bus stand on 23rd April 2022 was Go-Ahead London Mercedes Vito minibus RX71SYY. Wearing the standard anonymous red livery, there are notices in the side window about the wearing of face masks, while the label below these reads 'Orpington Ferry bus'. The blue container on the right has a 'window' in the end and is perhaps in use as a crew rest room. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,114 |  |
By Ray Monk Ray has made a couple of visits to Acton Works in recent months, but there have been no new vehicles to show. This is somewhat surprising given that things should be getting back to normal after the 2 years of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, perhaps the fleet is being reduced (and/or existing leases being extended) in an effort to save money. Among the vehicles in the DSM van yard on 23rd April 2022 was Ford Transit van 8674F, a high-roof Mk8. On the right are the last two Mk7 Transits in the fleet, facilities vans 7674F and 7675F, which have had most of their lettering removed. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,115 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Staying on Merseyside, this view shows Stagecoach Nissan Leaf electric car SM70XDL (national fleetnumber 97039) at Liverpool One Bus Station on 22nd April 2022. Note the green band on the number plate. Following Brexit, the previously optional blue band with the EU symbol was dropped, while a new (also optional) green band was permitted only for vehicles with zero emissions. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,116 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson No trouble identifying service vehicles at Arriva's Green Lane depot in Liverpool, since they all carry company names and huge fleetnumbers. Photographed there on 22nd April 2022 were Mercedes Citan 40 (LS14HHK) and Vauxhall Vivaro 53 (YD61ARU). Closer examination shows that the larger van also has another fleetnumber (8602) above the rear numberplate, while several other vehicles carried similar numbers by their fuel filler caps. Presumably the 4-digit numbers are 'company' ones, while the larger 2-digits numbers are for local purposes. Also, the Mercedes Citan on the left (a Renault Kangoo in all but name) looks like a van but is believed to actually be a crew van with the window in the nearside cargo door plated over. The history of bus operators in Merseyside is complicated to say the least, but Arriva has a presence here mainly due to its ownership of the former North Western (formed from part of Ribble) and MTL (previously Merseyside PTE) companies. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,117 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Ford Fiesta 8379F was new in 2017 and can often be found at Edgware Road Station. However, on 22nd April 2022 it was out in Stanford-le-Hope (Essex). The most notable thing about this car is that is has a FORS label applied, albeit on the offside only. FORS is the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, a TfL-run accreditation programme for commercial vehicle operators. The logo is carried by most of the LUL lorry fleet (such as MAN RK14ETU) and some vans (like Renault Kangoo 8612R) but I don't think I have ever seen it on a car before. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,118 |  |
By Derek Everson Another bus operator outside of London that has remained in public ownership is Reading Transport, which now uses the fleetname Thames Valley for certain services, including those taken over with Courtney Buses in 2019. This Ford Transit van was seen in Bracknell on 21st April 2022, parked at a bus stop that still displays the Courtney name. The black applied to the side panelling can make this van look more like a minibus from a distance. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,119 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Moving a bit further afield now, this Peugeot Partner van was found in Warrington Bus Station on 20th April 2022. Warrington is one of very few former municipal bus operators to still be council-owned, and this was celebrated by rebranding of the operation as 'Warrington's Own Buses' in 2018. The livery was also changed from red/white to include varying amounts of blue and there was a new logo comprising two inverted blue triangles (to make a letter W) and what appears to be a wolf's head. The livery change presumably accounts for the blue labels on the red van, while the fleetname on the rear of the Enviro 200 bus reads (rather confusingly) 'Your Warrington's Own Buses'! The lettering on the bus also highlights the fact that some non-profitable routes are run, though this has long been a feature of tendered bus operation across the UK. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,120 |  |
By Derek Everson The influx of (at least) 20 new Mercedes Vito minibuses for Go-Ahead London in autumn 2021 saw off several hired Volkswagen minibuses and also some of the older Vitos. Four of the latter were sent down to Brighton to work for Brighton & Hove (also a Go-Ahead company) and RX67OLO was found parked on Western Road (Churchill Square Shopping Centre) on 19th April 2022. Previously run in anonymous red livery from River Road (Barking) garage, it has now gained lettering (including fleetnumber 8004 in unmissable bold) and red/yellow chevrons on the rear. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,121 |  |
By Paul Nicholls LBSL (or not) Vauxhall Movano minibus 8304V pops up again, this time parked in Stanford-le-Hope (Essex) on 18th April 2022. If I mention that it was found on a road called Thors Oak, you may remember that similar 8302V was photographed in this exact spot back in January. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,122 |  |
By Ray Monk Ford Transit Custom van EF19HFU has carried this anonymous red livery and been allocated to Go-Ahead London's Northumberland Park garage since it was new in 2019. It is slightly curious that some Go-Ahead garages give their engineering vans full lettering while others do not. And there seems to be no movement on the apparent plan to give such vehicles external fleetnumbers. Note the charging points in the background, Northumberland Park being one of the first London garages to have a large allocation of electric buses. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,123 |  |
By Ray Monk Go-Ahead London Mercedes Vito minibus WV71ZVS was found parked outside Northumberland Park garage on 15th April 2022. Unless any have escaped being reported, the latest batch of these minibuses for Go-Ahead totals 20, all delivered in autumn 2021. This example differed very slightly due to its registration number, since all of the rest had grouped WO21Pxx, WP21Yxx or RX71Sxx plates. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,124 |  |
By Ray Monk More Arriva service vehicles at Edmonton Garage on 15th April 2022, with Vauxhall Corsas predominating. Nearest the camera is white van WM16CPF, first seen at Croydon garage but based here for at least the past 4 years. Behind that is silver car HK63YYL from a batch of 14 new in February 2014. This originally had fleetnumber WN208 on the rear, and was noted at Wood Green once but otherwise has also been a long-term resident of EC. Similar HK63YZX is at the back and FP67OGC (with label number EC220) on the left. The other silver car with a windscreen label visible is EC905, a Peugeot 308. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,125 |  |
By Ray Monk FL16SNX is a Vauxhall Corsa car with Arriva London that appears to have been based at Edmonton Garage since it was new in 2016. On 15th April 2022 it was photographed parked next to newer (and anonymous) Seat Leon car CX70LTY. I had allocated the latter to Palmers Green garage, and it would seem that the two allocations are somewhat mixed, possibly as a result of bus route 34 being a joint operation. Another Seat Leon (this time with Arriva labels) is visible in the distance, this being DG69AYN, previously of Dartford garage. At the far right are a pair of unmarked white vans (Ford Transit BK69UAJ and Vauxhall Movano DL21ZKD). It is possible that these are also used by Arriva, perhaps for driver training and assessment. They were parked close to a line of Enviro 400 training buses. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,126 |  |
By Ray Monk Arriva London's Edmonton garage used to be a regular destination for service vehicle hunters but it has seen a reduction in use over the past few years, and now only runs about 50 buses on 3 routes. Ray visited on 15th April 2022 and found a surprisingly large number of service vehicles still present, including several that had not previously been reported. One was red Seat Leon car DF69PYU, very similar to other vehicles used at Palmers Green and Dartford garages. Note the windscreen label showing number EC903. EC905 was also seen, but any other EC9xx cars were either un-labelled or out on jobs. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,127 |  |
By Derek Everson Falcon Buses uses several small vans as crew ferry vehicles from their base in Byfleet (previously used by TGM and Abellio). Ford Fiesta van BF16MHV was acquired during 2021 and was initially used in as-acquired white/blue livery, suggesting it had come from a Balfour-Beatty company. When Derek photographed it at Byfleet on 10th April 2022 it had been treated to a full application of company livery and lettering, though it still stands out by virtue of its roof-mounted light-bar. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,128 |  |
By Derek Everson I was going to put this photograph in the 'Non-London' category, since White Bus Service only operates in Berkshire and Surrey. However, since the fleet is covered by LOTS in their TLB newsletter and Fleetbooks, I decided to add the vehicles to the database. The photo was taken at the base in Horsell (near Woking) on 10th April 2022 and shows Vauxhall Corsa car FL54HVF (with no fleetnames but carrying fleetnumber 96 on the front wing) and Citroen Nemo van YG10PBZ (numbered 99). White Bus started working routes in the Woking area in September 2017 following cutbacks by Abellio Surrey and Arriva. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,129 |  |
By Peter Terry 8898T is one of a number of TfL-liveried Toyota Yaris cars that were delivered in spring 2019, went off to an unknown location for a couple of years then turned up back at Acton Works in late 2021. On 6th March 2022 it was photographed at Stratford City Bus Station, parked with the VW Crafter IRU vans that are the normal allocation here. It was still present the next day but has not been seen since. Similar 8838T was seen here later in March, but the allocation and role of these vehicles remains largely unknown. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,130 |  |
By Ray Monk Arriva London's Dartford garage has had a rapid turnover of vehicles over the past few years, with most being operated in anonymous liveries and some only staying for a few weeks. This mainly involves crew ferry cars but some vans have taken part as well. Ford Transit Custom van CT19UHD was seen at the Bexleyheath Bus Stand on 1st April 2022, and is believed to be in use with the garage engineers. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,131 |  |
By Derek Everson After three years based at Turnpike Lane Bus Station, LBSL Toyota Yaris car 8416T moved west in late-2020/early-2021. First noted at Uxbridge, it has since made Harrow Bus Station its home, as seen on 22nd March 2022. This car is notable for carrying incorrect fleetnumber 8357T. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,132 |  |
By Ray Monk New in August 2016, Ford Fiesta car 8225F has been pretty elusive, with just a handful of night-time sightings in 2018 and 2019. On 12th March 2022 it was found at Acton Works, parked on the stub road and with its LUL lettering removed. Although no damage was visible, it is presumed that the vehicle had had an accident. VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8958VW was parked in front (out of frame) and had also been de-lettered. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,133 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Although this car has been added to the LTSV database as a Citroen DS3, DS had become a separate brand from Citroen in 2015. Hence this car has the stylised DS logo on the front grille rather than the Citroen chevrons, and it should perhaps be listed as a DS DS3! The Arriva group has used at least nine of these cars as crew ferry vehicles in recent years, with both Arriva London and Arriva Southern Counties. Anonymous black LD69SHX works from Arriva SC's Northfleet garage and was seen at Bluewater Bus Station on 26th February 2022. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,134 |  |
By Malcolm Millichip Three Vauxhall Movano minibuses were leased in 2017 for use by the London Buses Passenger Data section. These carried the LBSL version of white/blue/red livery, featuring red roundels but otherwise identical to the LUL livery. Initially based at the now-closed Chancel Street in Southwark, it is not clear where the vehicles are now allocated, or indeed which section they currently work for. They do seem to pop-up in various places, and 8304V is being shown twice in today's photos. First up is this view taken on Palmer Street in Westminster on 23rd February 2022. This location adjoins the Petty France offices used by TfL/LUL (which itself adjoins the former Broadway headquarters building), while the LT car garage at Vandon Street is nearby. Vandon Street garage is now a DPD parcels depot, but it had latterly been used by the police, while the location shown here is also clearly in use by the police. Coincidentally, the last service vehicle to be found here (6221F in 2012) had also been photographed at Vandon Street garage in 2007. So, perhaps 8304V is now used by some police-related part of TfL. This location is evidently sensitive as it has been completely blurred out on Google Streetview, despite the fact that you can walk past and see everything there! |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,135 |  |
By London Spotter The Metrobus operation in Crawley continues to run under that name but is now managed within the Go-Ahead group by Brighton & Hove. In 2017 a new joint numbering series was introduced for the service vehicle fleets, this including an 81xx range for new vehicles. The first three numbers in this series went to Metrobus and comprised a pair of Ford Transit Connect crew vans (8101/8102) and a Ford Transit Custom van (8103). One of the Connects was seen at Redhill Station car park on 11th November 2021, also displaying duty number FB1. Further 81xx numbers were assigned to Brighton & Hove vehicles, and one of these (Ford Transit van 8108) has recently transferred to Metrobus. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,136 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Abellio London has a large fleet of crew ferry cars and had standardised on the Ford Fiesta model for many years. More recently, other types have started to appear, including this Vauxhall Astra hatchback seen at the Cheviot Road bus stand in Norwood on 2nd July 2021. |
17/05/2022 |
| 1,137 |  |
By Damon Cross This Ford Cortina car was photographed at the London Bus Museum at Brooklands during their Spring Gathering event on 10th April 2022. Latterly owned by John Marshall, it was his regular transport for many years and could often be seen around the Chiswick area or parked at the Museum Depot in Acton. Perhaps sensibly, John had decided to keep it in unmarked red. John sadly passed away in spring 2022, and the car has passed to the London Bus Museum (pending probate) where it had its London Transport lettering reapplied. Unusually, the London Transport fleetname was not carried, the lettering just being 'Radio Control' and the fleetnumber 1464F that was allocated in 1967. Roof roundels were originally carried but have not yet been fitted to this example. 1464F, and similar 1463F, were the first cars acquired for use by bus inspectors. Delivered in autumn 1965 with C-suffix registrations, they did not enter service until the following February, resulting in new D-suffix registrations being applied. They were sold less than 2 years later but were evidently successful, being followed by numerous large batches of red cars (primarily Ford Escort estates). John Marshall had actually owned several former service vehicles. He bought Ford Anglia estate 1407F direct from London Transport as well as Ford Thames vans 1378F and 1422F. He also owned bus RFW14, which cropped up in a recent photo on LTSV. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,138 |  |
By Ray Monk A batch of nine Ford Transit Courier vans numbered 8764F to 8772F was leased in July 2019 as slightly belated replacements for ten similar vans operated from early 2015. Both batches were assigned to the Lifts and Escalators section and nominally allocated to Frank Pick House at Acton, although normally only one or two of the type could be found there. On 9th April 2022 8768F was parked in the bays between Frank Pick House and the railway lines, along with Renault Kangoo Maxi 8363R (previously a Griffith House vehicle) and Ford Transit Custom crew van 8752F. Note the similarity in the shape of the front grille on the two Ford vans. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,139 |  |
By Ray Monk The adoption of electric-powered vehicles by LUL and others is slowly gaining pace. Found at Acton Works on 9th April 2022 was the first example of an electric Ford Transit Mk8 van. EU71HJD carries the white with green leaves' as seen on three Ford Transit Custom vans in 2018 (such as ET66AKF) and has lettering for both Ford and TfL. This suggests that it may be a demonstrator on loan rather than a normal fleet addition. Note also that the van is referred to as an 'E-Transit' |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,140 |  |
By Ray Monk Three service vehicles found in the car park at Acton Works on 9th April 2022 were quite interesting. On the right was previously un-reported Ford Transit Courier Kombi crew van 9124F. This vehicle was licensed in late July 2020, although its delivery may have been delayed by the COVID restrictions then in place. Similar vehicles 9120F, 9122F and 9123F had already been reported, and it looks likely that there will also be a 9121F with registration LR20FLE. It is believed that this batch was acquired to replace similar vans from the 8099F-8104F batch. Transit Couriers have asymmetric rear doors, that on the nearside being larger. On Kombi versions, the doors are glazed, with curious radiusing of the corners. The other two vehicles are both Toyota Yaris cars in TfL white/blue livery. Both were delivered in late May 2019, and the few sightings since of 8897T (in the centre) suggest that it is used by LUL. 8894T on the left was more elusive and had not been seen since leaving Acton when new. As such, allocations for the cars are not known. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,141 |  |
By Ivor Norman A lot of LUL employees seem to live in Essex! This VW Caddy Maxi crew van was found parked in Harlow on 5th April 2022. 8908VW is from a batch of 11 vans (8900VW to 8910VW) new in mid-2019 and nominally allocated to Acton Works, though it has only been seen there a couple of times. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,142 |  |
By Bob Milner Three Seats in a row? That's a bench isn't it? Seen at Edgware Bus Station on 3rd April 2022 were Seat Leon cars CX70LVF, CX70LWC and DG69AYN. All are based at Palmers Green, though DG69AYN worked from Dartford for a couple of years before moving North. It also stands out by having Arriva fleetnames whereas the others are anonymous. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,143 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson The South East Bus Festival was held at Detling Showground (near Maidstone) on 2nd April 2022. A couple of service vehicles were seen visiting, though were not on display as such. AK21TWZ is a high-roof Ford Transit Custom van used by Arriva's Roadside Publicity Team. Similar AK21OWO was also present, and it is presumed these were both from the Arriva Kent and Surrey fleet. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,144 |  |
By Peter Terry A running day was held over route 101 in east London on 26th March 2022, with dozens of preserved buses providing a free service in addition to the normal allocation. This brought out the enthusiasts and it was also interesting to see Joe Public's reaction when a RT or DMS rolled up at their bus stop. Not related to the event, but seen at Beckton Bus Station that day was this plain white Vauxhall Combo E van. It had a Buses roundel on the bonnet and was most likely in use by one of the bus stop maintenance contractors such as Trueform. A bus on route 101 is visible in the background but unfortunately it is one of the 'normal' ones. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,145 |  |
By Ray Monk While most recovery trucks tend to have quite tall cabs and bodywork (see Dynes KN20YBM for example), this one is distinctly low-profile, being just a little taller than the Enviro 200 bus it was rescuing. Also operated by Dynes, MX71BBZ is a 2-axle Scania P410, the same model as the 4-axle tipper used by LUL (MV69KVM). Seen at Eltham Bus Station on 24th March 2022, it had the name Nellie painted on the cabside. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,146 |  |
By Malcolm Millichip Lots of buses now perform ancillary roles which mean they could be considered to be service vehicles. Recently this has included a number of double-deckers positioned at bus terminals for use as crew resting facilities. I haven't bothered listing these in the database as they are likely to only be short term. I also take the view that I don't need to cover any buses that are still listed by LOTS in their 'Bus and Tram Fleetbook' series. The latter condition also applies to a number of minibuses that have been used as crew ferries over the years. Malcolm photographed this Mercedes Sprinter minibus at Alexandra Palace on 19th March 2022 when it was being used to support a shuttle bus service between the exhibition venue and the stations at the bottom of the hill (Alexandra Palace and Wood Green). Numbered as MB2 and wearing a pale blue livery, it was one of about a dozen similar vehicles acquired a couple of years ago for an experimental 'demand responsive' bus service around Sutton. A similar scheme in Ealing was run by RATP. DRT (Demand Responsive Transit) became fashionable a few years ago, although many of the schemes did not last very long. The two in London were suspended when the first COVID-19 lockdown was introduced and it was decided that they would not be resumed. Most of the minibuses passed to other Go-Ahead operators, but two were retained, mainly to support the commercial fleet operating from the Luton outstation. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,147 |  |
By Phil Hambling The central fleet currently includes around 50 Ford Transit dropside trucks, the majority of which are long-wheelbase Mk8s with single cabs. 8460F, photographed in Pitsea (Essex) on 18th March 2022, also has a tail-lift and is one of several that normally work out of Stratford Market Depot. The yellow frameworks at the back are hinged vertically and are folded out to form safety railings when the tail-lift is in use. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,148 |  |
By Derek Everson As far as we know there are five 'pick-up' trucks in the current fleet. Three are Ford Rangers (two with LUL at Hainault and one with Trams), while the other pair are Nissan Navaras used by LUL's Point Care section based at Arnos Grove. 8731N was photographed at home on 15th March 2022. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,149 |  |
By Ray Monk Recent visits to Acton Works have been a bit disappointing in terms of finding new vehicles, and it appears that the flow of deliveries has not yet returned to normal. However, there is usually something of interest. On 12th March 2022 Ray found Mercedes Sprinter hoist 8232 in the DSM yard. New in spring 2017 this vehicle carries generic TfL white/blue but is believed to be used by LBSL Technical Services, and can normally be found parked at their Mandela Way base. It replaced Ford Transit 6794F (which had London Buses lettering) and we have never been entirely sure of the function they perform. Best guess was that it was to facilitate access to iBus equipment mounted on the roofs of buses. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,150 |  |
By Bob Milner Another Sullivan Buses service vehicle found at Loughton Station on 6th March 2022 (during Central Line replacement bus services) was Ford Transit van FE17UVV. Acquired in late 2020 to replace an older Transit, this vehicle was numbered F3 and given full livery and lettering, very similar to later addition F4 FP67JDZ. The DVLA data for this vehicle record it as being white, and indeed the inside of the open passenger door appears to still be this colour, suggesting that the van had been repainted. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,151 |  |
By Bob Milner Sullivan Buses is one of the main suppliers of railway replacement bus services, and this often results in their Renault Zoe crew ferry cars turning up at unusual locations. On 6th March 2022 there was a job to cover the Central Line, and this photo was taken in the car park of Loughton Station. LN17XXG (fleetnumber EC2, nearest the camera) is one of four Zoes to wear red livery, while GY65EYS (EC5, far left) is the only green one. The vehicle in between is also a Sullivan service vehicle. DV59XFE is a Vauxhall Astra van acquired second-hand a couple of years ago and, according to the company website, normally outstationed to Thorpe Park to support the shuttle bus service between there and Staines. Unusually for a Sullivan vehicle, it has had no livery or lettering applied. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,152 |  |
By Ray Monk Eltham Bus Station is a good place to see service vehicles. As well as a large resident allocation of LBSL vehicles, crew ferries from various bus companies are also regular visitors. The latter have reduced recently, with Metrobus and Arriva crew changeovers now being done elsewhere. The only remaining crew ferries are from Go Ahead's Morden Wharf Garage for route 286. On 3rd March 2022 Ray caught their Mercedes Vito minibus RX71SZP making a flying visit. Of note is the sign in the side windows, which included the number FV76. This is believed to be part of a company-wide numbering scheme that was implemented a couple of years ago but which has only been actually applied to a handful of vehicles. Similar RX71SYU, recently transferred from Northumberland Park to Bexleyheath, was seen with fleetnumber FV65, although in that case the numbers were applied using traditional white transfers on the bonnet. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,153 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson This anonymous white Vauxhall Corsa van had been used by Arriva London from Norwood and Thornton Heath Garages for a few years. Towards the end of 2021 it was noticed that it had recently had a new V5C document (logbook) issued, this normally suggesting a change of ownership. As some similar vehicles of the same age had also been withdrawn, it was presumed that this one (FH65BYA) was no longer with Arriva and it was marked as withdrawn. However, it was then seen at Brixton Garage (photographed there on 25th February 2022). Perhaps it has been sold to a member of staff, or changed from being leased to being owned. In the absence of any official information from the bus companies, we just don't know for sure. The database entry has been re-instated, given that the van is still to be seen on Arriva premises. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,154 |  |
By Derek Everson Up to a dozen LUL service vehicles can normally be found parked at Finchley Central Station, the allocation including several different type. The most numerous at present are five Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans, of which three were lined up against the fence on 22nd February 2022. These vans appear to be identical except that the yellow speed limit notice on the rear has been applied in a different place on each. Note the disused signal box in the background. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,155 |  |
By Derek Everson 8679R was one of four Renault Kangoo Maxi vans in Incident Response livery, delivered in late 2018 but spending a couple of months at Acton Works before being delivered to Central Line locations. For 8679R, that was White City Depot, or at least the nearby car park beneath the Westfield Shopping Centre. It was photographed there on 15th February 2022. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,156 |  |
By Andy Bensted Having closed in autumn 2018, Garston Garage was finally demolished in the first months of 2022. In its final week of use (on 25th August 2018), a 'Garston Garage Farewell' event was held, and this photo shows AEC Regent tree lopper 971J outside the 'exit' side of the main shed, with the admin and engineering block visible on the left. Note that the vehicle has one of its upper-deck working platforms open. New as bus STL1470, 971J was converted to its new role in 1953 and served for 10 years. It was based mainly at Hemel Hempstead and St Albans so was likely to have been seen at Garston from time to time. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,157 |  |
By Richard Currie As I didn't publish any photos during March I am catching up with recent views today, meaning that there is only one 'archive' shot in this batch. I will pick-up the 1980s retrospective with some D-prefix vehicles next time. So, this is a really old photo (almost certainly the oldest on LTSV so far), and it is not even of a service vehicle. But there is a connection... Leyland LB5 bus MH2484 was photographed outside the house of its owners in Hornsey in about 1925. Edwin and Ernest Webber bought the Dodson-bodied bus that January and branded it as Empire's Best, believed to derive from the slogan of the Canadian Club Whisky, for which the bus carried exclusive advertising. Rather surprisingly, Empire's Best only ran one bus, using it on route 294 (related to present-day route 29). The Webber brothers sold out to City Omnibus in March 1928, the bus being numbered A35 and was soon fitted with pneumatic tyres to replace the solid originals. The Webbers then started Empire's Best Coaches, using new Leyland Tiger coaches from a base in Commerce Road, Wood Green. That company survived until 1961 when the brothers retired. The Leyland LB5 meanwhile passed to the newly formed London Transport in November 1934 and was renumbered L63, although it was immediately withdrawn. During 1935 the bus body was removed and a new tower wagon body was fitted, the vehicle then being used by the Tramways department from Rye Lane as fleetnumber 145. Under the 1939 service vehicle renumbering scheme it was allocated new fleetnumber 214L and it was eventually sold in 1946. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any photographs of this vehicle as a tower wagon, though there are some of similar vehicles 212L, 213L, 215L and 218L in various books (refer to notes on the respective vehicle detail pages for details). Many thanks to Richard Currie (the nephew of one of the Webber brothers) for sharing this photo and the background information. |
13/04/2022 |
| 1,158 |  |
By Peter Terry The on-street sections of the Croydon tram network seem to require a lot of maintenance, judging by the numbers of times I have been sent photos. The area around Reeves Corner and underneath the flyover has some very tight curves and is often being attended to. The service through central Croydon was suspended again during the half-term week in February 2022 and on the 14th Peter photographed Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8660R parked on the track below the flyover, along with several contractors' vehicles. Note the TWS and TPS labels on the seats. These are identifiers normally worn as arm-bands by staff with particular responsibilities. They stand for Tramway Worksite Supervisor and Tramway Possession Supervisor respectively. A Possession is the term used for when a section of track has its tram (or train) service suspended and is fully under the control of the engineers. Peter sent some more photos taken later in the week but these will be held over until the next batch. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,159 |  |
By Ray Monk Arriva London's Dartford Garage seems to have had dozens of service vehicles over the past few years, many used only for a short period. It is presumed that most are hired, and that social distancing has meant that more vehicles were required than before. One of the most recent additions is Volkswagen Transporter minibus GL69SFE, very similar in registration and appearance to GL69SFK across the river at Grays. Hired from Thrifty, it was first noted in December 2021, and was photographed by Ray at Bexleyheath Bus Stand on 2nd February 2022. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,160 |  |
By Derek Everson A bit of a mystery are the 'vehicle cleaning' vans. The first was Mk7 Ford Transit 6527F new in 2008. This was eventually replaced by Mk8 Transit 9141F in spring 2020. Both vans had large lettering, advertising their role, and were usually to be found parked at Acton Works. Derek was lucky to catch 9141F passing Marble Arch on 1st February 2022. The mystery (to me at least) is exactly what these vans do. Do they have a schedule for regularly attending to certain vehicles, or are they only called out when vehicles get very dirty? Do they only do LUL vehicles? The fact that the service is promoted suggests they also do outside jobs. But how effective is the advertising. If you ran a fleet of vans and saw this one passing, would you think 'ah, just what I need'?! Another mystery slightly related to this photo is The Marble Arch Mound, the artificial hill that was built here in 2021 as a tourist attraction. It is now being dismantled, having only been open to the public for a couple of months. It was only ever meant to be temporary but surely they could have found some way of making the millions spent on it seem less wasted... |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,161 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Another photo from our Essex correspondent, though this one was taken in London (just). Seen on Gaynes Park Road in Upminster on 27th January 2022 was LUL Ford Transit Custom van 9021F. This previously unreported vehicle was first licensed in July 2020 but had a V5C (change of ownership) issued in October that year. This suggests that its delivery was delayed by the COVID-19 situation, as had occurred with the VW Crafter vans for LBSL. We have not received an official fleetlist for the past couple of years, and visits to Acton Works have not been permitted at times. As such, even though the delivery of new vehicles has doubtlessly decreased, it is possible that we have missed some. Ten fleetnumbers in each of the 8900s and 9000s remain unreported. It is of course possible that some new vehicle orders were cancelled or deferred. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,162 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Vauxhall Movano minibus 8302V makes its fifth appearance on LTSV with this photo taken on the oddly named Thors Oak (no apostrophe) in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, on 25th January 2022. 8302V was one of three similar vehicles leased in spring 2017 for use by London Buses on passenger survey work. They were given a livery of white and blue with a red stripe, very similar to the standard LUL livery but with all-red roundels. It is thought that this was to become the new standard livery for LBSL service vehicles (it was also applied to five Toyota Yaris cars), though it seems to have later been dropped in favour of generic TfL white/blue. The minibuses were originally based at Chancel Street in Southwark, though their current home is not known. It is also possible that the COVID-19 pandemic has seen them switched to other roles, as a couple of sightings have suggested they were working for LUL. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,163 |  |
By Bob Milner The rather remote Go-Ahead London garage at Northumberland Park makes uses of lots of crew ferry vehicles and, following the introduction of social distancing guidelines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, these were joined by a number of hired Volkswagen Transporter minibuses. The delivery of further new Mercedes Vito minibuses in 2021 seems to have rendered the hired vehicles surplus. One of them was GL68HFG, which has since been noted with a new user in Welwyn Garden City, as photographed on 21st January 2022. GL68HFG was a bit of an odd-one-out, since most of the minibuses hired (not just by Go-Ahead) had been long-wheelbase examples in silver liveries. This one was short-wheelbase and brown. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,164 |  |
By Derek Everson A recovery vehicle is often to be found parked on Achilles Way (between the north and southbound parts of Park Lane), just north of Hyde Park Corner. This is a standby vehicle to deal with any buses that breakdown in central London. Vehicles used have in the past been given London Buses livery (for example L100JMH, GM03TOW and GN58KTX), but the current regular is C&S Motors Volvo AX19FZW in a distinctive black livery. Derek photographed it there on 18th January 2022. A front view of this lorry was published in 2019. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,165 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Another photo taken from the footbridge at Poplar Station on 16th January 2022, this one was sent to me mainly for information, as it showed some previously unreported vehicles. I hope Andrew doesn't mind that I have used it. The area shown is partially underneath the tracks in the station, and hence not visible from the platform or from trains. Parked here were Peugeot Expert van 005 (GJ18EJL) and Peugeot Boxer van 006 (reg unknown). The two vehicles at the bottom of the image were also in the white/green/yellow DLR Keolis Amey livery. Although neither could be identified, they do not match up with any known vehicles. One was a Ford Transit Connect van, while the other was a Nissan eNV200 crew van (or minibus) with fleetnumber 037. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,166 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson As has been shown on LTSV a couple of times, a view into the Docklands Light Railway depot at Poplar can be obtained from the adjoining station. This view was taken from the footbridge, with the roof of a train at the platform visible on the right. At a lower level is a car park where a number of Keolis Amey service vehicles can usually be found. When Andrew visited on 16th January 2022, nine Peugeot vans of various sizes could be seen. The majority dated from 2018, when the fleet was renewed (Keolis Amey had taken over the franchise from Serco in 2014), and these all showed fleetnumbers on the front and side. One newer van (Boxer GL21ZPH) was also present, with no visible fleetnumber. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,167 |  |
By Derek Everson A pair of DLR Keolis Amey vans were found parked outside the Docklands Light Railway station in Lewisham on 11th January 2022. This operator has standardised on Peugeot for its support vehicles in recent years, and nearest the camera is Partner van 026 (GN18LNX). The other vehicle is a bit different, being a Nissan eNV200 electric van numbered 039 (ET19RZY). Note the label on the cargo door. These are normally applied to buses and tube trains and advise passengers that face masks must be worn. This rule has remained in place even though a similar one applied to national rail services was recently relaxed. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,168 |  |
By Derek Everson TfL acquired a batch of Toyota Yaris cars in summer 2014. Three were allocated to the Taxi-Private Hire section and these were disposed of in late 2018. The others were assigned to TfL Streets, and these appear to still be in use, despite now being over 7 years old. However, there are some unknowns. The cars were initially based at Chancel Street in Southwark, a base which no longer appears to be used. Similarly, the TfL Streets name is no longer used (the grey/blue Streets roundel was withdrawn from use in 2014). In any case the cars carried a generic livery with a solid blue roundel. LL14VKP was caught passing through Catford on 11th January 2022. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,169 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Several London bus companies have been using additional minibuses as crew ferry vehicles over the past couple of years, believed to be to enable greater social distancing when undertaking crew ferry work. Volkswagen Transporters registered in Kent and hired from Thrifty (note the blue logo in the windscreen) seem to be the most common type, and they include GL69SFK seen at Lakeside Bus Station on 10th January 2022. This vehicle was first noted in Romford and was thought to be working from Stagecoach London's Rainham Garage. Subsequent sightings have shown that it is in fact based at Arriva London's Grays Garage. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,170 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Two Vauxhall Corsa cars from Arriva London's Grays garage were found at Lakeside Bus Station on 10th January 2022. As with most of this type, the cars are in an unmarked silver livery. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,171 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Lakeside Bus Station in Essex is served by London Buses and Ensignbus, and service vehicles from both companies make appearances there. On 10th January 2022, Paul photographed several, first up being Ensignbus Renault Trafic van NJ17YXM. New in March 2017 and registered in Newcastle, it is thought to have been acquired in July 2019, and was given the standard blue/silver livery with fleetnumber 806. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,172 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Back to South Ockendon in Essex now, with LUL Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8903VW found on 10th January 2022. Fleetnumbers 8900 to 8910 form a batch of similar vans, which are often (bit not always) to be found at Acton Works. 8903VW is one of several of the batch to have a roof-rack. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,173 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek visited the RATP garage in Harrow on 6th January 2022. Having fairly recently been modified to allow the accommodation of double-deck buses, it was undergoing further work, this time for the charging of electric buses. Parked amidst the contractor's vehicles was resident engineers van R70038 (MF20RZJ), one of 12 Renault Master vans acquired in July 2020. Two of the new BYD/ADL electric single-decker buses can also be seen. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,174 |  |
By Derek Everson Metroline added another Ford Transit Connect van to its collection in autumn 2021, AY71JDF being given Falcon Coachworks lettering and nominally based at the Central Engineering and Logistics Facility (CELF) in Perivale. Derek found it there, with a covering of frost, on 6th January 2022. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,175 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Another service vehicle found by Paul in Essex, though this time it is an ex-service vehicle ('It has ceased to serve!'). Ford Transit Connect van 6168F was new in April 2007 and was used by the Tube Lines Lifts and Escalators section, often being reported at Griffith House. Slightly unusually, it didn't get Tube Lines logos, being unmarked apart from fleetnumbers. Withdrawn in 2011, it has been reported a few times since, and seems to have passed through a couple of owners. It is currently used by a car mechanic and has what appears to be the remains of another companies' lettering. 'London Services' is carried on each bodyside, while a house/plug logo is on each cab door. Photographed in South Ockendon on 5th January 2022. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,176 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Paul Nicholls has supplied a lot of the photos used today, and he also contributed a large bundle for the new LTSV-RRV (Railway Company Road Vehicles) website. It would seem that lots of LUL employees live in Essex and Kent, and their vans and cars can often be seen parked up in residential areas. Ford Transit Custom van 8350F is often to be found at Edgware Road Station, but on 4th January 2022 it was in Stanford-le-Hope (Essex). A little over 5 years old, under normal circumstances we would have expected this van to be due for replacement soon. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,177 |  |
By Ray Monk Another rare Kangoo Maxi at Acton on 20th November 2021, this time 8561R in the DSM van yard. This van has only been reported four times, despite having been in use for over four years. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,178 |  |
By Ray Monk Ford Fiesta van 8346F has been fairly elusive since it was delivered in late 2016. Seen once at Baker Street at night, the only other reports were when it was visiting Acton Works. Ray found it in the car park there on 20th November 2021. In the background is TfL-branded Toyota Yaris car 8597T, and this angle highlights the slightly protruding 'nose' of the current design. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,179 |  |
By Ray Monk Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8881R was new in 2019 and is often to be found among the vehicles congregating around Griffith House at night. It has also been reported parked in Hextable (near Swanley in Kent), but on 20th November 2021 it was paying a visit to Acton Works when Ray photographed it in the front car park. Similar 8374R was parked nearby. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,180 |  |
By Derek Everson 8684F has been the Emergency Response Unit van for the past three years and on 5th October 2021 Derek caught it arriving back at Acton Works. I have commented on the side stripe before, which is applied at a slight angle. The previous van (7726F) had a stripe parallel to the skirt stripe, whereas the stripe on 8684F does not line-up with either the skirt or the body paneling. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,181 |  |
By Colin Lloyd When LCBS (London Country Bus Services) was broken-up into four regional companies in September 1986, new fleetnames were applied with the addition of 'South East', 'South West', 'North West' or 'North East' as appropriate. None of these names lasted more than a few years, giving way to new names such as County, Sovereign and Kentish Bus. London Country South West became 'London & Country' in 1989. Just before the change they had acquired this van, photographed at Chelsham Garage on 15th July 1989. C821VLN was a Renault Extra van in white livery and was apparently numbered A8, although this does not appear to have been carried. It may have later being renumbered R1. The Renault Extra was the UK and Ireland name for the Renault Express model, the change being to avoid confusion with the Talbot Express van (a badge-engineered Fiat Ducato built between 1982 and 1994). The Renault Express was based on the Renault 5 car and was introduced in 1985. It remained in production until 2000, when it was replaced by the Renault Kangoo. In the background is one of the ex-Southdown Leyland Atlantean buses acquired second-hand by LCBS mainly for LRT tendered route awards. These had Park Royal bodywork and thus looked very similar to the existing AN class buses. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,182 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Another of Colin's photos of a vehicle that many of us would have ignored. This unmarked white Ford Escort van was seen inside Dartford Garage on 4th September 1986, just three days before the division of London Country into four regional companies. C541UPK was later (1989) reported as fleetnumber 928 in the Kentish Bus fleet, but it would appear that it was actually delivered to LCBS. Presumably it was not numbered/lettered since it was known that the break-up of LCBS was imminent. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,183 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Kentish Bus inherited one of the Ford Cargo lorries bought by London Country Bus Services (46F FCD243X) and also operated two Cargo artic tractors as driver training vehicles. VCH20Y was given Kentish Bus lettering and a fleetnumber (920), but C765FKN only had the name on a banner across the front, other lettering showing that it was on hire from KT Group Truck Rental. C765FKN was a Cargo 3224 and was noticeably larger than VCH20Y, with an extra 'layer' of front bumper, and a longer cab. It also had a huge air-dam mounted on top of the cab. Its first use by Kentish Bus was reported in autumn 1989, and this photo was taken at Dartford Garage on 28th October of that year. VCH20Y joined the fleet in July 1990, so it is possible that C765FKN was only hired until it was replaced by the latter vehicle. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,184 |  |
By Damon Cross Various London Transport buses have been used for alternative roles over the years, sometimes with modifications and sometimes without. I have not been too concerned about including these on LTSV, as the information about them is often included in books and websites detailing the bus fleets. As such, there are some that are not listed but perhaps could be. An example is this Ford Transit minibus seen at Potters Bar Garage on 9th June 1990. Although looking little different to when it was in passenger service, the blind indicates that it was in use as mobile classroom. London Transport's FS class was started in the early 1970s when a number of 16-seat Ford Transits were acquired for use on several new services around the suburbs. The routes were generally successful, leading to the introduction of larger vehicles, and the last two to remain with FSs were the H1 serving the Hampstead Garden Suburbs and the PB1 in Potters Bar. FS27 was from a batch of 3 additional Transit minibuses bought in 1986 to replace earlier versions. They almost bridged the gap between the first and second 'wave' of minibus use, as it was in 1986 that various UK bus companies embraced the use of smaller vehicles. Most of the early vehicles were Ford Transits or Freight Rover Sherpas, followed by slightly larger types such as the Optare Citypacer and MCW Metrorider. London Buses caught the Minibus bug about a year later, and used many of the latter types, before moving onto even bigger models such as the Optare StarRider. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,185 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd made regular visits to Acton Works in the late 1980s and took lots of photographs. He kindly let me take copies of many of these but there were lots more that I had not yet done when Colin sadly became ill and died a few years ago. His huge photograph collection has apparently been saved but I am told it will not be accessible for some time. Perhaps one day we will get to see the rest. This photo is interesting as it shows a completely unmarked Ford Fiesta van in the DSM van yard at Acton Works on 8th May 1989. First licensed in August 1985, this van was taken on lease by LT in December 1987 and given fleetnumber 3577F. This was unusual as most vehicles were leased from new. I don't know if Colin took this photograph because he was aware of the vehicle's status, or because he just photographed everything. It was fortunate though, as the van was officially taken out of stock the following day. Another interesting point is that very few of the other vehicles visible appear to be 'proper' service vehicles. There is a Volkswagen minibus from London Car Rentals, and various unmarked cars. The Astra estate on the left may be 3212B (A196OHO), although that was reportedly returned off lease in March 1988. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,186 |  |
By Derek Everson 48 C-prefix registered vehicles joined the leased fleet, though I only had two photos on file that had not already been shown on LTSV. The first is this one showing Bedford Astra van 3360B at St Pancras Station on 21st April 1986. This was one of a large batch of 15 petrol Astra vans with C8xxFME registrations, and which initially operated without fleetnumbers. LT documents show that they were 'additional' vehicles (i.e. not acquired as replacements for existing vehicles), and were intended for use by LT Builders. The vans were given large 'work force' fleetnames and labels on the cab doors showing the Parsons Green address of LRT Builders. The focus on this photo is a little off, being centred on the vehicles in the background. Among them are an MCW Metrobus (which looks fine in unrelieved red) and a Bristol LH single-decker (which does not - they originally had white relief). The 95 Bristol LHs in the London Transport fleet (along with a smaller batch of shorter LHS buses) were a bit of an oddity. They were the only Bristols bought since the 1950s and they were used on routes that could not handle the standard single-decker at the time (the Leyland National). Most of these routes were in outer London, but the C11 came in as far as Kings Cross. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,187 |  |
By James Mair A second batch of Mercedes 307D trucks was delivered in summer 1986, this time totaling ten. All were bodied with a curious type of curtain-sided box body, where the curtain appeared to retract upwards. The trucks were registered in the C7xxWLB series, with some of the (non-matching) numbers duplicating those on the slightly earlier C7xxVOY batch. They were at least numbered in registration order. Vehicles from this batch were allocated to the Commercial Advertising section, and they appear to have been rarely photographed. This view of 2454M at an unknown location has been selected as it shows the large 'London Transport Advertising' later applied to the plain rear of the bodywork. All ten trucks were sold in 1993. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,188 |  |
By Keith Grimes 2439F and 2441F were both C-registered Ford Cargo 1011 box trucks with tail-lifts and quite long rear overhangs. Keith caught 2441F passing Oxford Circus on 13th July 1988. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,189 |  |
By James Mair The only full-sized LT lorries to get C-prefix registrations were six Ford Cargo lorries new in July-September 1986. These comprised two dropsides, two box trucks, a curtain-sider and an artic tractor. Rather surprisingly, I have never seen photos of two of these six (curtainsider 2434F and dropside 2440F). James photographed dropside 2433F in the yard of Edgware Garage in about 1990. The DMS-class trainer bus in the background shows the Metroline name introduced in 1989. This high-level view shows the inside of the lorry bodywork, in this case looking rather grotty. 2433F was sold in 1992 after less than six years' use. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,190 |  |
By James Mair Six of the 8 Mercedes 307D trucks new in March 1986 had dropside bodies and were used by the Works and Building department (although some were later used by other sections). 2428M was seen at Neasden Depot while it was still quite new, with no markings on its grey livery. The disposal dates for these vehicles are not known, but were most likely around 1993/1994. |
18/02/2022 |
| 1,191 |  |
By Derek Everson Having looked at A- and B-prefix registered service vehicles over the past couple of months, I am now continuing on to the C-prefix ones, which date from August 1985 to July 1986. A healthy 26 C-prefix vehicles were added to the owned fleet, though two thirds of these were Mercedes 307D trucks. Since the split of the leased vehicles in 1982, additions to the owned fleet had mainly been full-sized lorries. The Mercedes 307D was a relatively small truck, barely larger than a Ford Transit. The first 307Ds to arrive were 8 with C/VOY registrations, delivered in March 1986. Six had dropside bodies, the other two having curtainsided box bodies. One of the latter was 2426M, acquired for use by the LT Builders but seemingly later allocated to the Commercial Advertising section. On 27th May 1988, Derek found 2426M in the rather unusual location of Heathrow Central Bus Station. Alongside was a Green Line liveried Leyland Tiger with Plaxton Paramount 3200 bodywork. The Paramount body was quite ubiquitous at this time, and was available in several lengths and heights. London Country had leased 60 in 1983/1984, classifying them as TP or TPL (depending on the length), with two more batches following before LCBS was split-up in 1986. The split saw the type divided between the four new regional companies, and TP37 ended up with London Country South East. The company was soon renamed Kentishbus, and the coach was renumbered 249 in the new prefix-less series. It was working on the lengthy Green Line route 726, running from Heathrow, through Kingston, Croydon, Bromley and Bexleyheath to Dartford. Unlike most Green Line routes, the majority of the length of the 726 was within Greater London, and the route was eventually to become a TfL route. Today only the western section remains, as the limited-stop X26 using double-deck buses between Croydon and Heathrow. |
18/02/2022 |
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By Bob Milner The last photo in today's batch is the first to have been taken in 2022, on 1st January to be precise. It shows Metroline Ford Transit Custom van AY21KKH parked outside its home garage of Uxbridge. First reported in July 2021, the van had likely been delivered soon after it was licensed in April. |
05/01/2022 |
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By Peter Terry Sullivan Buses has five Renault Zoe electric cars, mainly used as crew ferry vehicles to support its varied bus operations. Four of the cars are red and feature yellow graphics referencing the TfL bus routes operated. The fifth car is green, almost the old London Transport country area green, and references Borehamwood/Watford routes 306 and 398. It can also be seen elsewhere though, as on 27th December 2021 when it was photographed at Willesden Green in London. Sullivan Buses is often employed to provide railway replacement services for LUL and on this occasion was working a Jubilee Line cover service between Willesden Green and Stonebridge Park (for connections to the Bakerloo Line). |
05/01/2022 |
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By Clive Greedus LUL Ford Transit Mk8 crew van 8443F was parked at Newbury Park Station for a couple of weeks in late 2021, being photographed there on 22nd December. New in July 2017, this is a decidedly rare vehicle, with just two previous sightings, both of which suggested it was allocated to Hainault Depot. A slightly sad aspect is that this reminded me of Steve Howard. He was very keen on seeing all service vehicles, particularly central fleet ones. Whenever there was a report of a vehicle he had not yet seen, he would usually nip out the next day in case it was still present. Steve tragically died in early 2021, and 8443F was one of the few vehicles he never saw. |
05/01/2022 |
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By Derek Everson As mentioned recently, Arriva closed its former London Transport garage in Guildford on 17th December 2021, bus services passing to other companies. When Derek visited on 21st December, only one Arriva bus was present (Dennis Dart 1558 KX56HCP, on the right) was present, while work was underway to recover reusable equipment. SN64WJG, a DAF artic lorry of D&G Assist was loaded with steps, vehicle jacks, a metal press and a fork-lift truck. The curious trailer is of a type shown on LTSV before, whereby the rear of the trailer is lowered to ground level by moving the wheels forward. |
05/01/2022 |
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By Derek Everson Former LUL Ford Transit van 7678F appears to now be in use with one of the mainline railway maintenance companies, presumably still as a staff welfare facilities vehicle. On 21st December 2021 it was found parked at Woking yard. |
05/01/2022 |
| 1,197 |  |
By Derek Everson Looking very smart for an 18-year old van, this Ford Transit Connect is number 9068 in the fleet of Bluestar and based at Eastleigh, where it was photographed on 14th December 2021. Vehicles of this vintage are all but extinct in London, especially following the introduction of restrictions such as the Ultra-Low Emission Zone. Bluestar (note the 'Shining across your city' tagline on the bus alongside) is a company with a complicated history but which is now part of Go South Coast in the Go-Ahead group. Go-Ahead has built up quite an array of operations in the south of England, and runs buses in Brighton, Crawley, Southampton, Salisbury, Poole, Bournemouth, Swindon, Plymouth and on the Isle of Wight. Parked in the background is a Bluestar Iveco Daily dropside truck. Derek has actually sent me 8 different photos of this 2004-vintage vehicle over the past few years and I could have sworn I had already published one of them. It seems I was mistaken, so I will pencil it in for a future batch. The vehicle on the far right is also of interest, although it is not known if it is operated by Go-Ahead. This 71-reg van is an example of the new Maxus Deliver 9 van, a Chinese-built van designed as a successor to the Maxus V80 which (if you have been reading all of today's captions you will know) was derived from the UK-built LDV Maxus. The new model (which looks a lot like the Mk8 Ford Transit) was introduced in 2019 as the Maxus V90, UK exports being badged as Maxus Deliver 9s. Curiously, the model is also sold in Australia, where it is badged as the LDV Deliver 9! |
05/01/2022 |
| 1,198 |  |
By Ray Monk 8840T is another of the Toyota Yaris cars that were delivered in unmarked white/blue, given LUL lettering and red stripe, then changed to TfL white/blue before delivery. As with most of the batch, we have no idea where it was actually delivered to, with just two sightings reported. These were in Catford and Sydenham, which would tend to suggest the car was working for Streets rather than LUL. What we do know is that a number of the Yarises were returned to Acton Works in late 2021, believed to be for the fitting of new tracking equipment. 8840T was photographed in the works on 11th December 2021. |
05/01/2022 |
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By Ray Monk Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8369R is normally part of the night-time Griffith House gatherings, but was photographed at Acton Works on 11th December 2021. Coming up for being 5 years old, it could be due for replacement, or it might have been here due to some slight accident damage around the rear and a flat tyre. Other vehicles parked in the DSM van yard at the time were one of the Mercedes Sprinter crew vans and ever-present Ford Transit 8286F. |
05/01/2022 |
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By Ray Monk TfL Toyota Yaris car 8895T in the Acton Works car park on 11th December 2021. New in late May 2019, it has only been reported 'in service' once, coming out of Stratford Market Depot at night (suggesting use by LUL despite the TfL livery) in July 2019. |
05/01/2022 |
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