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| Count | Photo | Details | Added  |
| 1,801 |  |
By Philip Hambling Ford Escort van 3256F was one of several used by LT's Advertising and Publicity section, though they were usually outnumbered by Bedford CF vans like the ones seen on either side here. New in June 1984 as a replacement for similarly-sized Bedford HA 2331B, 3256F was officially allocated to Walthamstow, initially at the bus garage then moving to the new premises in the industrial estate at Blackhorse Road. It was photographed however at the southern base for publicity vehicles, Stockwell Garage, in February 1988. Withdrawal came five months after this. |
21/11/2020 |
| 1,802 |  |
By Philip Hambling Photographed at a chilly-looking Archway in January 1987, 3220F was a Ford Transit van used by the Commercial Advertising section from Jamestown Road in Camden. New in September 1984 it was to the revised Mk2 design, with the front indicators given a black plastic surround and the headlights and grille more deeply recessed. The black surround to the windscreen was standard on all Mk2 Transits. This particular van has hinged doors (sliding doors were an option and preferred by several LT departments) and an undated photo taken after it was sold in February 1989 showed that a nearside hinged cargo door (with a higher sill) was also fitted. This was quite a rare feature on short-wheelbase Transits, though it was similar in configuration to that on long-wheelbase vans such as 3000F and 3199F. I was going to add a link to a photo of one of these but then I realised that neither of the photos show the nearside! Hang on, I've found one. The hinged side doors can be seen on these R&I minibuses. |
21/11/2020 |
| 1,803 |  |
By Ray Monk Sovereign Recovery trucks don't seem to be seen (or photographed) as often as they were a few years ago. The first photo received in a while was this one of their 2-axle DAF CF GN65NHH taking a Stagecoach Enviro 200 bus out of Eltham Bus Station on 18th August 2020. The truck was one of three similar vehicles acquired in early 2016 and which now carry fleetnumbers H128 to H130. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,804 |  |
By Lee Thatcher It must be time for another Abellio Ford Fiesta! YS11VPA has been in the fleet for at least 5 years, initially being based at Beddington Cross garage and allocated fleetnumber 6778. It later moved to the temporary garage at Bridge Road in Southall, then on to the new Great Western Business Park garage when that opened in 2019. More recently it moved again to the small Hayes garage, where it was photographed on 4th September 2020. Note the U7 route allocation lettering on the bonnet. Referring back to the photo of similar EK61WWA published last month, this high-level view shows that there is no Abellio lettering on the roof of this car. Reports of any Abellio cars with roof lettering would be welcomed. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,805 |  |
By Ray Monk Another slightly mysterious Ford Transit at Acton now. 9140F was one of three long-wheelbase, mid-height vans delivered in February 2020 with KE69xxx registrations and given (high at the time) fleetnumbers 9139F to 9141F. 9141F was soon marked up as a vehicle cleaning van, while no more was seen of the other pair. 9139F was eventually found at Lillie Bridge, and it was noted to have a vent fitted to the roof, with the name of a generator company on it. This suggested that it had been fitted with internal equipment for use by the tunnel ventilation team as replacement for the unique Peugeot Boxer vans 7941P and 7942P. 9140F has not yet been reported in use but it seems likely to be for the same role. When seen at Acton Works on 1st March 2020 there was no sign of a roof vent. Perhaps it had not yet been fitted. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,806 |  |
By John Woolf I will probably show photos of all 45 Volkswagen Crafter Incident Response Unit vans in due course, though I won't bore you by putting a load up in one go. 9065VW was one of the batch delivered before the COVID-19 lockdown, these all getting '69 registrations. Now a regular feature of Edgware Bus Station, it was photographed there on a fine 26th September 2020. The white Vauxhall Corsa van in the background is likely to be an Arriva London vehicle, while the bus on the left has an advert warning that the wearing of face coverings on public transport is now compulsory. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,807 |  |
By Ray Monk There is a little bit of a mystery surrounding this van seen at Acton Works back on 5th January 2020. 9053F (and similar 9052F) had both been licensed on 26th November 2019 and delivered to Acton Works a few days later. They remained there until at least mid-January 2020, after which they seem to have been allocated to Lillie Bridge depot. However, when checked recently the licensing dates had changed, both now being shown as licensed from January 2020 (with new log books issued on the 23rd). It is possible that the initial vehicles were unsuitable for some reason and were replaced by newer examples. Although it is conceivable that these would be given the same fleetnumbers, re-use of the same registration numbers seems rather unlikely. So, I can't really explain it. Both the vans are long wheelbase, mid-height crew vans based on the '2020 Facelift' Ford Transit Mk8. Numerous other Ford vans can be seen in the background. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,808 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Toyota Prius car 8890T was new in September 2019 and spent a couple of months parked up at Acton Works before it was allocated to the Power Supply section depot at Tufnell Park. Though it can often be seen there, Malcolm found it on 18th August 2020 in Newbury Park. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,809 |  |
By Philip Hambling As well as a bundle of nice shots from the 1980s, Phil has contributed a few photos taken much more recently. On 14th September 2020 he found Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8331VW parked in Basildon in Essex. This vehicle was new in March 2017 and was initially allocated to the offices at Seven Sisters before moving to Northumberland Park Depot a couple of years later. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,810 |  |
By Derek Everson Former Facilities Ford 2. Companies involved in maintenance on the national rail network have a requirement for facilities vans for use when worksites are remote from niceties such as toilets. A few years ago there was talk of LUL being given a contract to supply a large number of such vehicles, though nothing came of it. It does look like at least one of the LUL fleet is now involved in mainline work. Former 7678F was photographed beside the tracks at the end of Eastleigh Station on 29th September 2020. It still retains the blue skirt but has lost its red stripe and (unlike the previous photo) all of its labels and notices. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,811 |  |
By Paul Nicholls Former Facilities Ford 1. Seen in Tilbury on 26th August 2020, jumbo Ford Transit van YS08FUP was being used as a mail order delivery van. This van had been number 6519F in the Tube Lines / LUL fleet, when it was used as a facilities van. The lack of additional side windows suggest it was one of the type that had 4 toilets inside, rather than those which had 2 toilets and a small cooking/washing area. Disposed of in late 2017, it is presumed that the toilets were then removed. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,812 |  |
By Philip Hambling By the time Ford Escort vans 3326F and 3327F were delivered in July 1985, London Transport had already made use of nearly 300 of the type (not all at the same time). This pair were for use by the Plant Manager (Buses) and official documents showed that they were 'additional', indicating that they were not leased to replace any existing vehicles. Based at Chiswick Works their role took them to various bus garages and 3326F was photographed inside Enfield Garage in September 1987. This was the month in which Enfield lost its last conductors and Routemaster buses, with the conversion of route 279 to OPO (one person operation). For at least the next six years, Enfield's scheduled allocation was made up entirely of M-class MCW Metrobuses, with none of the early mini- and midi-buses being based here. A handful of Routemaster and Daimler Fleetline buses were retained for use as trainers, some of which can be seen in the background of this photo. The Routemaster on the left is a trainer (recognisable by the black panel on the rear) as is the Fleetline in Leaside livery alongside. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,813 |  |
By Philip Hambling The first Ford Fiestas for the (numbered) central fleet were four vans leased in April 1985 and given fleetnumbers 3304F to 3307F. All were allocated to the Engineering Manager Operations at Chiswick Works and wore red livery. Last of the four, 3307F, was photographed in Eltham in April 1988 (from the back window of a Leyland National bus). According to official documents, this replaced Bedford HA van 2332B and was itself replaced by newer Fiesta 3757F in June 1989. The Fiesta van shared its body with the more common car version (as seen by the pale blue car following behind), though LT never had any liveried Fiesta cars, just one in the unmarked 'private car' fleet (BYW54V). LUL leased one in 1991 (4069F), with a dozen for LBSL following in 1998-2000. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,814 |  |
By Derek Everson One of the most rarely seen service vehicles is the Emergency Control Unit, currently formed of MAN demountable lorry 2587 combined with Lyntons body DB25. Both parts of this vehicle were new in 2006, though they have only worked together since 2014, when the previous chassis (2488M) was withdrawn. Normally parked at Acton Works, the combination was photographed at the Bedfont dealerships on 13th October 2020. The only visible changes since the last time it was shown on LTSV (at the end of 2017) are the addition of lock-nut caps on the front wheels and the securing of the fold-out awning box with cable-ties. The yellow notice on the door warns that 'all conversations (including telephone calls) are being monitored and recorded'. This rearward view also shows that 2587 is still fitted with a fold-under tail-lift, though this has presumably not been used for several years. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,815 |  |
By Philip Hambling Four Ford Cargo 0811 dropside lorries were bought in 1988 and given fleetnumbers 2465F to 2468F. For some reason they do not seem to have been photographed much, and I have never seen pictures of 2466F or 2467F. The only image of 2465F that has come to light is this one of it parked in Walthamstow Bus Garage in April 1988. Walthamstow was usually home to quite a lot of service vehicles because, like Stockwell, it was used by Distribution Services as an outstation. While SW was virtually my local at the time, I think I only visited WW once, in about June 1983. The only allocation information available for 2465F shows that it was based at Acton Works by June 1990. Also unknown are the disposal dates for this quartet, though I suspect they all went in the early 1990s, giving them a very short working life. Apart from seven Routemaster trainers, the bus allocation of Walthamstow at this time was made up entirely of Leyland Titans (about 83 in total) like T316 parked alongside. According to my notes, during my 1983 visit the garage contained eleven service vehicles and two preserved RFs, in addition to seventeen Titans and one each of RMA and RMC. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,816 |  |
By Philip Hambling Dodge Commando lorry 2313D was caught coming along a quiet Chelsea Embankment in February 1987. The London Transport lorry fleet became more interesting in the early 1980s, although the plain grey livery remained standard. After years of relying on the Ford D series, some examples of the replacement Ford Cargo model were bought but there were also quite a few Bedford, Dodge and Leyland types as well. 2313D had been new in late 1981, allocated to Neasden Depot and appears to have been fitted with a tail-lift in about 1984. It was sold in 1988 and was last licensed in 1991. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,817 |  |
By Philip Hambling Another excellent photo of a preserved service vehicle, this being Bedford CALV ambulance 1532B. It was caught passing through Crawley on the 1st of May 2016 while taking part in the HCVS London to Brighton run. 1532B was one of two ambulances owned by London Transport for use at their largest works, Aldenham and Chiswick, with 1532B being based at the latter. It was withdrawn with the run-down of Chiswick Works in the mid-1980s and was sold in 1985. Not seen for many years, it returned in fully restored condition in 2013 (as seen at Brooklands). I have always listed these two ambulances as having been in a white livery, though it looks distinctly cream in this photo, and is recorded as such by the DVLA. Compared to when it was in service, the wing mirrors have been moved from the bonnet to the windscreen pillars, and the beading low down on the nearside (visible here and possibly a repair job) has been replaced with plain panelling. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,818 |  |
By Philip Hambling 1416LD makes its sixth appearance on LTSV with this fine shot of it being driven through Labworth on Canvey Island, Essex in October 1999, no doubt on its way to a bus rally. Following behind is some old bus, provincial half-cabs being beyond my ken. New in May 1966, 1416LD was a Leyland Titan breakdown tender, initially used by the Signal Engineer but transferring to Camberwell garage for use on bus recovery work in about 1976. It was sold in 1982 and has now been in preservation for more than twice as long as it worked for London Transport. That is, if it still survives. It was resident at the Pumphouse Museum in Walthamstow for much of the early 2010s, but the large yard at that location was sold off for housing in about 2014 and many of the vehicles had to be moved away. 1416LD was last licensed in 2013, though it had a new V5C (logbook) issued in April 2016, suggesting it had changed ownership. Any info on this vehicle's current location would be welcomed. |
14/11/2020 |
| 1,819 |  |
By Ray Monk Arriva London had (to some extent) standardised on the Vauxhall Corsa for its crew ferry car requirements from 2008 onwards, but just a couple were added in 2019, followed by a number of Seat Leon cars. By late 2020 there were seven Leons allocated to Dartford Garage, and an eighth was seen at Edgware (suggesting allocation to Palmers Green). On 18th August 2020, Dartford's DA69TFE was photographed at Eltham Bus Station in the company of Go-Ahead's Mercedes Vito minibus RF19UZP. Note that the car has Arriva fleetnames but lacks the corporate logo, and that it has sustained some panel damage above the front offside wheel. The notice in the window of the minibus behind most likely gives advice for users about maintaining social distancing. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,820 |  |
By Keith Grimes Metroline Ford Transit Connect van AY20YYM was caught leaving Golders Green Bus Station on a sunny 12th September 2020. This van had been new in about July, the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning it is hard to be certain when it was actually delivered. Also unknown is the van's allocation, there being several Metroline garages that it could have been working from. Although not fully visible, the double-deck buses in the background are slightly interesting in that they represent three different versions of the Wrightbus Gemini design so popular with London operators. Furthest from the camera is Metroline VW1267, a Gemini 2 with the deep side windows of the original design married to an updated front dash panel. Nearest the camera is Metroline VWH2035, a Gemini 3 with shallower side windows but the front design of the Gemini 2. In the middle is Tower Transit VH38118, a Gemini 3 with the much more angular front end introduced in about 2015. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,821 |  |
By London Spotter Another IRU with poppy, this being 9093VW at Chingford Bus Station on 28th October 2020. As with Edmonton Green, this location does not have a fixed allocation, vans from Turnpike Lane attending when required. 9093VW was first licensed in June 2020 but, because of COVID-19 restrictions, it was not delivered until September. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,822 |  |
By London Spotter More IRUs with poppies, this time at Edmonton Green Bus Station on 28th October 2020. The vans are 9091VW (left) and 9097VW (right), both believed to be from the Turnpike Lane allocation. Edmonton Green has (as far as I know) never had an allocation of service vehicles, meaning that we have not given it a location code. However, I may do so in future, simply so that photos (and sightings) can be appropriately tagged. Turnpike Lane has an allocation of about 8 IRU vans to cover a large area of north London. Over half of the allocation can usually be seen 'at home', though some recent visitors have found the bus station containing only LBSL cars, with the vans all out at other locations such as Walthamstow, Chingford and Edmonton. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,823 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Many of the Incident Response Unit vans operated by London Buses gained poppy stickers on their fronts in late October and early November, there being space on the bonnet to place these above the normal roundel. This view of 9070VW at Busch Corner in Isleworth on 4th November 2020 shows this, and also the side door in the open position. It is known that for this role, vans with full-height doors are preferred, which may explain why Ford Transits are not currently favoured. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,824 |  |
By Peter Terry Work on the tram tracks at Reeves Corner in Croydon has been taking place recently and several service vehicles were photographed nearby on 30th October 2020. Shown here is Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8661R, with one of the Ford Transit Custom vans parked beyond. The Trams service vehicle fleet has become quite mixed (and large) recently, but 8661R was one of six consecutively-numbered Kangoo Maxi vans leased in 2018. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,825 |  |
By Thomas Young When filing the previous photo I noticed that I had a couple of nocturnal shots of sister van 7535VW which, although of fair quality, had not previously been used. This Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van was based at Stratford Market Depot and was photographed parked on Piccadilly (for Green Park Station) on the night of 18th August 2015. The six vans in this batch were all sold in January 2017, while the six at Edgware lasted three months longer. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,826 |  |
By Thomas Young The area between Abbey Wood and Thamesmead has been undergoing redevelopment for the past few years, following the demolition of some iconic but unloved concrete flats. The roads are often lined with builders vans during the week, and these sometimes include former service vehicles. Photographed on Yarnton Way on 29th October 2020 was Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van RK62XGH, which had been Tube Lines 7534VW until the end of 2016. Two batches of six each of these vans had been leased in October 2010, numbered 7532-7537VW (for Stratford Market Depot) and 7545-7550VW (for Edgware Track Depot). Ray managed to photograph several of the vans passing Acton Town station when on delivery, but they otherwise proved to be quite camera-shy. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,827 |  |
By Philip Hambling Former London Transport bus SMS300 is included on LTSV because it served for a few years as a store vehicle for plumbers and electricians working on the rebuilding of Norbiton Bus Garage. The exact dates of its use are not clear but seem to be from March 1982 until at least 1984. It was sold to Allco in early 1986 and was photographed on what looks like a farm at Northaw (near Potters Bar) in February 1987 with a couple of similar vehicles (one of which is probably former SMS730 which had also been a service vehicle). Many vehicles sold to Allco saw further use or were preserved but, as far as I know, SMS300 was scrapped. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,828 |  |
By Philip Hambling The second-generation (Mk3, 4 & 5) of the Ford Transit emerged at the start of 1986 and was radically different from the first (Mk1 & 2) chiefly in having a 'wedge' front, with the bonnet raked back at the same angle as the windscreen. London Transport took to the type and leased several hundred over the next 15 years. 3495F arrived in September 1987 and was the second in a batch of five consecutively numbered (and registered) petrol-engined, long-wheelbase vans. It was allocated to Baker Street and official lists show it as being assigned to the 'Light Inst.' department and (shortly later) the Signal engineer. When seen outside Kings Cross Station on 25th November 1987 its only lettering was the fleetnumber and 'Installation Manager'. This was soon after the major fire at this station and various other service vehicles were also present. The cab roof of Bedford Midi van 2457B can just be seen, a photo of that van from the opposite side showing 3495F in the background. The grey livery previously applied to LT's Ford Transits does not seem to have been available on the new model, and red was the most common colour until the white/blue livery was introduced in 1990. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,829 |  |
By Philip Hambling The central fleet has included almost 600 Ford Escort vans between the arrival of the first in 1968 and the disposal of the last in about 2007. For the first few years, such vans were painted grey, with red becoming standard from 1972. From the mid-1980s vans were sometime white or blue instead, while the white and blue livery became standard for LUL vehicles from 1990. 3420F was one of twelve Escort vans delivered in October 1986 with D9xxTTV registrations, several of which carried the white livery shown here. It had been thought this was to indicate those fitted with petrol (instead of diesel) engines but this does not seem to be consistent. 3420F was leased for the catering department, as shown by the 'General Manager Catering' department lettering. Note that the main fleetname is lacking the first and last letters. Photographed in the old Turnpike Lane Bus Station in March 1988, observant visitors may note the shop in the background with Grey Green Travel branding, this later being changed to Dix Travel. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,830 |  |
By Philip Hambling A new base was opened for London Transport's publicity and advertising vans in about 1986 at Ferry Lane, Walthamstow. Despite the name, this location was actually off Forest Road (this becoming Ferry Lane nearer to Tottenham), east of the reservoirs, and was close to where the original AEC Works had been. The location took on the vans previously based at Walthamstow Bus Garage and it remained in use until at least the 1990s, albeit by then semi-privatised as LTA. More recently it has been redeveloped with flats as 'Blackhorse Mills'. Photographed in the car park in April 1988 was Ford Transit van 3192F, new in September 1984 and destined to be sold before the end of the year. This Mk2 Transit has the sliding doors favoured by the publicity department but it appears to have been a cover vehicle, official lists showing it as allocated to the Distribution Services Manager at Chiswick Works. |
07/11/2020 |
| 1,831 |  |
By Derek Everson Service vehicles operated in support of the Docklands Light Railway mainly carry this white livery with yellow and green striping and Keolis Amey lettering. They also carry fleetnumbers in the range 001 to 031, although only 14 vehicles have so far been identified. The latest addition to the database is 017, a Peugeot Traveller minibus found near Stratford Station on 6th October 2020. Parked behind was Peugeot Partner van 010. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,832 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Photos of the new RATP Renault Master vans in service have been slow in coming in, the first being this shot of R70034 at Hounslow bus station (aka garage forecourt) on 15th September 2020. As this and the previous two photos all show bus company vans in 'London Transport' red livery, it made me wonder why so many companies seem to use this as standard, while some others do whatever they like. I presumed it was not something that TfL could stipulate, though the fact that Buses roundels are also carried may be significant, this being a logo that TfL hold the ownership of. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,833 |  |
By Derek Everson Metroline's Alperton garage received one of the new Ford Transit Connect vans in summer 2020, AY20YYR being photographed inside its home base on 8th September 2020. Metroline has plans to sell the Alperton garage site for redevelopment, since it is in a prime location very close to an underground station. The buses would be moved to a nearby but cheaper site, no doubt hidden away on some sort of industrial estate. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,834 |  |
By Neal Marshall Tower Transit is a significant operator of buses in London but, since the fleet is concentrated at just two garages, the service vehicle fleet is relatively small. Lea Interchange garage recently got a new engineers van to replace Ford Transit BG66VKT, even though the Ford was the newest service vehicle operated. The new van is high-roof Volkswagen Transporter VU69FYO, seen leaving Walthamstow Bus Station on 26th September 2020. The following Tower Transit bus usefully shows that the rear of the van carries yellow/red chevrons, while the company's logo appears on the side along with a Buses roundel. The use of an old-style light-bar is notable. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,835 |  |
By Ray Monk It's a Combo Jim, but not as we know it. The Vauxhall Combo name now applies to a fifth generation of vehicle, identified by parent Opel as the Combo E. This was introduced in 2018 following the sale the year before of Opel/Vauxhall by General Motors to the French PSA group (formed mainly of Peugeot and Citroen). While the Combo B and C had seen extensive use as service vehicles (notably by LUL and Arriva), the Combo D has only appeared on LTSV a few times (with Arriva and Go-Ahead). The first Combo E to be reported as a service vehicle was DN69AOA, an unmarked white Combo Life model used by Arriva London from its Dartford garage. It was photographed near the garage on 22nd October 2020. Apart from the obvious changes of design, the type is now also available as an MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle), also referred to rather unfortunately as a LAV (Leisure Activity Vehicle), with windows all around the body. Elements of the design, in particular the shape of the side windows, can also be seen in the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo models. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,836 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Abellio Ford Fiesta cars have been a fairly regular feature of photos added to LTSV over the past few years. I do generally only add photos that show something new or interesting, and in the case of this view of Abellio 6768 (EK61WWA) in the car park of Tesco in Ivybridge on 23rd September 2020 it is the roof. This car was acquired by spring 2014 when it was less than three years old. Initially based at Beddington Cross, it had moved to Hayes by spring 2017. More recently it has lost a couple of wheeltrims and its front Ford badge, the fleetnumber on the front has been moved and, perhaps most interestingly, it has gained a new roof in a non-matching red colour. Even more curiously, the new roof had a rather faded Abellio fleetname towards the rear, something which I cannot recall seeing on any other Abellio cars. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,837 |  |
By Ray Monk The highest fleetnumber reported as of late October 2020 was 9165VW on a VW Caddy van new for LUL that month. On the 24th it was photographed in the DSM yard at Acton Works. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,838 |  |
By Ray Monk Five new Volkswagen Crafter crew vans for LUL were found in the DSM van yard at Acton Works on 24th October 2020, this photo showing the rear aspect of 9146VW. Notable features are the large rear step, and a further addition to the set of rear-end labels which reads 'Please be patient. Vehicle driven to speed limit'! As to why these vehicles lack the blue skirt and red stripe, the theory that it is because of the large expanse of black plastic in this area is plausible, though the first new-generation VW Crafter for LUL did manage it (see 8934VW). An alternative is that it was to try and save a little money, although as will be seen, a VW Caddy also delivered in October had full LUL livery. Some further speculation concerns what vehicles these new vans have been obtained to replace, and my money is on the thirteen Mercedes Sprinter crew vans new in late 2015 and numbered (mainly) in the 8134M to 8145M range. If correct, there may be a few more Crafters still to come, and their allocations are likely to be mainly to Stratford Market with a couple each at Bollo House and Finchley Central. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,839 |  |
By Ray Monk Several VW Crafter crew vans were noted at the Bedfont dealership in mid-October 2020 and although they were in unmarked white, it was thought that they might be destined to be service vehicles. This theory was proved when Ray visited Acton Works on 24th October and found no fewer than six of them awaiting entry to service. As with the Crafter vans delivered to Hainault the preceding week, the new crew vans were finished in plain white but with full lettering. This photo shows 9144VW parked on the stub road in the works. The lettering below the fleetnumber reads DuoVan, this presumably being Volkswagen's take on the 'Kombi' branding often applied to vans that combine cargo space with additional seating. Further up the slope was a recently delivered Mitsubishi Outlander electric car, DY70SKZ. This was in unmarked white/blue but had a red bonnet and a light-bar, suggesting it may be for use by the Emergency Response Unit. The ERU has had a car in its fleet for many years but, since the departure of Volvo estate LM66UNH in early-2020 they have been making use of a standard-liveried Toyota Prius car. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,840 |  |
By Kevin Bullions Somewhat unexpected was the delivery of several Volkswagen Crafter vans to LUL's Hainault Depot in October 2020. Two were present on the 21st, with 9126VW nearest the camera and 9125VW on the other side of the Sixt hired Ford Transit. A couple of days later 9127VW was added, perhaps as a replacement for the hired Transit. Also visible in this line-up are two of the existing allocation of Ford Transits, 8406F and what is probably 8409F on the end. The new Crafter vans are similar in configuration to the recent LBSL Incident Response Units (i.e. medium wheelbase and high-roof) though they are notable for having a full set of LUL/TfL lettering but no side skirts or stripes. The reasons for this are not known, perhaps being because the large black plastic rubbing strip takes up so much space. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,841 |  |
By Les Savine The area around Victoria Bus Station has been undergoing construction work for quite a few years, and evidence of this is visible in this photo taken round the corner on 15th September 2020. 9090VW is one of the Volkswagen Crafter Incident Response Unit vans whose delivery was delayed by the COVID-19 lockdown. Licensed in March, it was stuck at the dealership in Bedfont until at least early-August. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,842 |  |
By Derek Everson More of the new VW Crafter Incident Response Unit vans entered service in October 2020, although a couple of the earlier Mercedes Sprinter types were still in use towards the end of the month. On 6th October, Derek found 9087VW (nearest) and 9072VW parked at Stratford City Bus Station. Judging by their pristine condition (note the white inside the rear wheelarches), they had only recently arrived. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,843 |  |
By Peter Terry Peter Terry found the new Ford Ranger allocated to Trams parked near to Reeves Corner in Croydon on 24th October 2020, the tram lines being closed for engineering work. This showed that the truck has fleetnumber 9038F, a winch at the front, and that it is able to climb up grass embankments! |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,844 |  |
By Ray Monk Vehicles parked at the top end of the car park of Bollo House in Acton are often those awaiting entry to the adjacent Smallbills Garage, rather than ones that are allocated here. Illustrating this on 19th September 2020 was the presence of LUL VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8701VW from the small Earl's Court allocation, and TfL Compliance VW Transporter minibus 8714VW. The actual allocation of the latter is not known, and it appears to work mainly in south London. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,845 |  |
By Ray Monk In 2016 it looked as though the Volkswagen Golf might become the new standard estate car for LUL, a total of 14 being leased that year to join a half-dozen new in 2013-2015. However, just three more followed in 2017 (of which two were actually hatchbacks) and there have been no more since. The cars are spread around various locations, and it has to be said that most of them are rather elusive. 8282VW was new in October 2016 and was allocated to Hainault Depot. It was photographed by Ray at Acton Works when new, but a better photo was obtained when it returned there in October 2020, being found in the front car park on the 24th. As the car is four years old, it could be due for replacement. Also visible in this photo are the two standard types of small van, the Renault Kangoo represented by Maxi van 8359R, and the Volkswagen Caddy by Maxi van 8687VW. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,846 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Seen parked rather haphazardly at Gants Hill on a grotty 2nd October 2020, this is TfL's Nissan Leaf electric car 8210N. Two such cars were leased in October 2016 and were used by TfL Streets from their Chancel Street base in Southwark, replacing Toyota Prius hybrid cars. The second Nissan (8211N) was transferred to LUL in early 2020, seemingly to replace similar but slightly older 7711N. Rather surprisingly (given that it was already over three years old) it had its livery and lettering suitably amended. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,847 |  |
By Philip Hambling In early 1987, the Leaside District bus operating unit developed a variant of standard red bus livery, adding a black skirt and thick white waistband (as just visible on the bus on the left side of this photo). This was applied to a fair proportion of their fleet of mainly MCW Metrobuses, but was supplanted at the end of the year by a new London-wide livery of red with a grey skirt and thin white waistband. Another practice pioneered by Leaside was the direct procurement of service vehicles, although they also continued to be supplied with some from Central Distribution Services (CDS). Among the first additions were four second-hand Mk2 Ford Transit vans, including DLK261Y seen here at Muswell Hill Garage in October 1988. As an aside, although such vehicles were not managed by CDS, three of the four were included in a CDS list of vehicles dated June 1990. The vans gained the Leaside livery upon acquisition, but DLK261Y had been partially altered to the new grey skirt livery when photographed. Note that the buses in the background include a Leyland Titan as well as two MCW Metrobuses. Since delivery, these two types had generally been kept to their own areas, with Titans in the North-East, East and South-East, and Metrobuses in the West and North. In the late 1980s this policy was diluted with traditional MCW garages such as Muswell Hill and Finchley gaining Titan allocations. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,848 |  |
By Philip Hambling This lorry has made two appearances on LTSV before, but this photograph shows an intermediate stage in its career. New to London Country Bus Services (LCBS) in November 1981, 46F was the first of eleven Ford Cargo lorries to be bought. It had a half-tilt cover over its dropside body when new but by the time of this March 1987 photograph, only the framework remained. LCBS had been split into four regional companies in September 1986, and 46F found itself in the newly formed London Country South East. This fleetname was rarely seen, as the company was rebranded as KentishBus in April 1987, with a bold new cream and maroon livery replacing the National Bus Company green. The location of this photograph is somewhat unusual, as the lorry was caught passing Cricklewood Garage in north-west London, rather far from its home base at Dartford. It is presumed that it was working to Garston, another former LCBS garage that was by then operated by London Country North West. Cricklewood garage sits in a triangle formed by two railway lines and the Edgware Road. The bridge in the background carries the southern chord of the triangle, connecting Dudding Hill Junction (and Acton Wells Junction beyond) with the Midland mainline at Cricklewood station. It is freight-only and currently sees no more than six trains a day. One curious fact is that this chord was originally opened in 1870 but was closed between 1875 and 1902, reasons unknown. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,849 |  |
By Philip Hambling The new fleet numbering series for leased vehicles was started in 1982, with numbers in the range starting from 3000. Thirty vehicles arrived before the change from X-suffix to Y-suffix registrations in August 1982, these being allocated numbers between 3019L and 3114L, other numbers going on Y-plated vehicles. The thirty X-regs included four Ford Escort 3-door hatchback cars, a type which was never as common as the estate version. 3041F was one of the four, and replaced similar 2112F with the Plant Engineer at Stamford Hill Garage. It was photographed at its home garage in August 1986, a couple of months before it was returned to Hertz off lease. Apart from wondering what the 'Plant Engineer (Buses)' actually did, a couple of points about this photograph caught my eye. The first is the telephone box in the left background. The telecomms market had recently been opened to competition but I don't recall seeing boxes of this type before. The other point is the MCW Metrobus parked outside the garage entrance. The M class was the standard type in this area at the time, but this example appears to have a non-standard silver front grille. It also seems to have the word 'Bristol' (in a curious font?) in the front blind via-points box, with the destination being a more mundane Ponders End. |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,850 |  |
By Philip Hambling Leyland Freighter bus recovery truck 2391L was caught leaving Bexleyheath Garage in January 1988. The garage here (a former trolleybus depot) had been closed in August 1986 following route tendering losses, but it was reopened in January 1988 (at the expense of Sidcup Garage) to be the home of the new 'Bexleybus' low-cost operating unit. 2391L was the second Freighter recovery truck for London Transport, being delivered in February 1983. Apart from an initial period at Cricklewood, it was based at Camberwell Garage and carried the Selkent District 'hops' logo in front of the larger roundel. It was the first of the type to be withdrawn, going in late-1990/early-1991, and it appears to have not had its twin-booms replaced with more modern lifting gear, as occurred with some of the other Freighters. There are (as usual) a couple of interesting aspects to this photograph. The first is that the truck is carrying its allocated registration of NYR391Y rather than trade plates. I had understood that until 1990 tow trucks were allowed to operate on trade plates. Perhaps the date of the change in legislation was in fact earlier. The second point concerns the buses visible parked in the garage's back yard. Bexleybus started with a mixed fleet of new, reinstated and third-hand buses, the latter being former DMS class buses bought back after working for Clydeside Scottish for a few years. All of the buses were repainted in a distinctive blue and cream livery, as seen on the Leyland National single-decker visible in the background. However, beyond that are a pair of double-deckers with red tops and white around the upper deck windows. I presumed these were some of the DMSs that had been reinstated from sales stock, though I can't confirm whether any of these were still in the so-called 'white-top' livery. However, a small part of each bus can be seen through the windows of the single-decker, and these also appear to be white. Unless I am mistaken, the Clydeside Scottish livery was yellow and red, so I cannot really explain this. Any suggestions...? |
30/10/2020 |
| 1,851 |  |
By Derek Everson Metroline received at least six new Ford Transit Connect vans during July and August 2020. They are being allocated to various garages for use by engineers, and I have received photos of several of them in service. However, these will have to be saved for next time. For now, here is a view of a slight oddity. Parked outside the CELF works in Perivale on 8th September 2020, this unmarked red van was clearly registered AY20BYD (on the rear at least). However, this registration does not come up as a current mark on the DVLA website. The new vans all have either AV20xxx or AY20xxx marks, so I thought I would check AV20BYD and it appears that this is the correct mark (unless the DVLA database is wrong and the van is right). Hopefully, sightings of this van in service (and perhaps from the front) will settle the matter in due course. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,852 |  |
By Bob Milner Metroline has been receiving a batch of new Ford Transit Connect vans recently but, before looking at them, here is a view of a similar van that was delivered last year. AX19ZFF has been based at Potters Bar Garage since it was new in August 2019. On 27th September 2020 it had made its way over to Edgware (which also has a Metroline garage) to attend to an Enviro 200 bus on route 384. Although a little fuzzy, I liked this photo because it shows part of the interior. This highlights how the proximity of the rear wheels impinges on the door opening space on short wheelbase Transit Connects. It looks as though the interior has been divided into two sections, accessed from the side and rear doors respectively. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,853 |  |
By Ray Monk Delivered to Acton Works on Friday 11th September 2020, and seen parked in the lorry yard the following day, these two Ford Transits were fitted out as facilities van, with toilets, sinks etc. LUL built up a fleet of about 15 such vehicles between 2007 and 2013, for use at more remote work sites. A change of policy in 2018 saw the quantity reduced to just three, and this new pair seem set to replace them. At the time of the photograph, the new vans were unmarked other than a yellow safety stripe along the sides, and 'Highway Maintenance' lettering on the chevroned rears. They also have tyre pressure markings but in a non-standard red font. It is hoped that the new vans are given proper livery and/or fleetnumbers in due course. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,854 |  |
By Ray Monk Illustrated at Bedfont last month, Volkswagen Caddy van RK70VRW had made it to Acton Works and been given Trams livery by September 12th 2020 (when it was photographed in the car park). It replaced Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8173R, which was seen in the same location a week later. Also visible are TfL Nissan Leaf car 9102N (soon dispatched to Turnpike Lane) and LUL Toyota Prius+ car 8692T from Wembley Park (which was parked here from at least mid-August). |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,855 |  |
By Bob Milner Something of a surprise was that the new Nissan Leaf electric cars delivered in August 2020 and given TfL white/blue livery have been turning up at bus stations. 9101N was first seen at Walthamstow on 26th September (as shown here), though was later seen at Turnpike Lane along with sister 9102N. Going by allocations over the past few years, Walthamstow does not have any dedicated vehicles but is often visited by vans and cars from Turnpike Lane. The odd aspect is that these cars carry generic TfL livery, previously used mainly for the Streets section. The most recent cars for LBSL carried the LUL-clone white/blue/red livery. I can speculatively come up with three possible explanations. 1. The Nissans are only here temporarily, pending other deliveries. 2. It has been decided that the 'new' LBSL livery was too much like the LUL livery. 3. It has been decided that cars should be in a generic livery to simplify transfer. We shall see... Sorry about the rather odd framing of this photo. It seems that Bob's camera was irresistibly drawn to the HCT Enviro 200 bus in the background! |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,856 |  |
By John Woolf With restrictions on non-essential travel in place for much of the year, reports and photographs of the new LBSL IRU vans that entered service shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown have been a little sparse. 9082VW was delivered in late February 2020 and was seen at Harrow Bus Station in early March. It was there again on 26th September 2020, when John took this photo. Despite these sightings, I have allocated this van to Uxbridge. Going on past data, the IRUs that are sometimes seen at Harrow are more often reported at Uxbridge, and it is believed that this is their 'home' base. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,857 |  |
By Philip Hambling There are three Ford Rangers in the current central fleet, two with LUL and one with Tramlink. Of the LUL pair, 9008F has been seen near Hainault, and this depot does have something of a tradition of usually having one or two 'off-road capable' vehicles on strength. On 3rd September 2020, 9008F was found parked in Basildon. Sister 9009F has only been noted at Acton Works but may also be at Hainault. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,858 |  |
By Ray Monk TfL Taxi-Private Hire Toyota Yaris car 8690T was based at Eltham Bus Station from new in September 2018. I had yet to get a good photograph of it, but I figured there was no hurry. But then, in spring 2020, the car was moved elsewhere, possibly due to changed requirements following the COVID-19 restrictions. It was seen at Chancel Street (Southwark) in early September but (luckily) returned to Eltham later in the month, being photographed on the 22nd. Ray advises that it was gone again a few days later. Sightings are always useful to track allocations, so if you see this car, please let us know. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,859 |  |
By Derek Everson Only four Vauxhall vehicles remain in the central fleet, all being Movano minibuses in white/blue/red livery, although one is with LUL and the other three are used by LBSL Network Development (previously known as Passenger Data). The latter's 8302V was found parked at Hatton Cross Bus Station on 18th August 2020. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,860 |  |
By Ray Monk Various Ford Transit dropside trucks from Lillie Bridge have been noted at Acton Works over the past month or so, presumably there for disposal. By slightly annoying coincidence, most of the trucks were parked in such a way that good photographs could not be obtained. I have chosen to use this view of 7995F taken on 29th August 2020. Only five Transit dropsides had '16 registrations and, although 7995F was the oldest of these, it was also the last to remain. It is not yet clear whether any new trucks have been sent to Lillie Bridge as replacements. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,861 |  |
By Andrew Lidinson Volkswagen Caddy van 7803VW was new in March 2014 and lasted for a little over 4 years. It was based at Stratford Market Depot and was reported quite a few times, but only ever at night (apart from one sighting at Acton Works when it was there for decommissioning). Over two years after that, we finally managed to get a photograph of the van when new contributor Andrew found it parked in Crystal Palace on 25th September 2020. Slightly unusually it retained not only its blue skirt and red stripe but also its fleetnumbers. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,862 |  |
By Ray Monk There are believed to be just three Mk7 Ford Transit dropside trucks remaining in the central fleet. 7552F from Edgware Track Depot was at Acton Works in August 2020 and has possibly already been disposed of. It is unfortunate that it was not photographed there, as it was probably the last leased vehicle to carry Tube Lines livery. 7589F is recorded as being in plain white with Tramlink, though it has not been noted since September 2019. The third is LUL-liveried 7700F, which has spent most of its life based at Rickmansworth. It was seen parked up at Acton Works in September 2020 (photo here taken on 12th) and was presumed to be on the way out. However, it was then relicensed for a further six months, suggesting that a replacement is not yet available. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,863 |  |
By Philip Hambling The large bundle of photographs recently contributed by Philip Hambling included coverage of the LCBS service vehicle fleet, and also of the former buses used in ancillary roles by both LT and LCBS. London Transport adapted five AEC Swift buses for new roles between 1978 and 1981, including SMS441, which became a mobile recruitment centre. Officially numbered SMD441, it was noted carrying 'hybrid' fleetnumber 441R. Although it only saw a couple of years use, it was retained in stock until 1987, when it was sold to dealer Allco. They sold it on to Hants and Sussex, one of several bus companies owned by Basil Williams. Mr Williams had a penchant for operating certain older types of buses, and he owned at least 20 different former LT Swifts and Merlins at different times. SMD441 was returned to service in May 1987, but the Hants and Sussex operation was sold on to Solent Blue Line just five months later. Solent Blue Line was interesting in itself, having been formed as a new company by Southern Vectis (the former National Bus Company operator on the Isle of Wight) to enable expansion onto the mainland. As this photo taken in Eastleigh in October 1987 shows, some of the Swifts were used by Solent Blue Line for a while (with new fleetnames on the existing liveries) but they were destined not to last long. SMD441 was withdrawn in January 1988 and was bought the following month (along with several other Swifts) by White Heather of Southsea. It lasted here for almost 2 years, later served as a mobile cafe in Kent and seems to have been scrapped in 1994. SMD441 appears to be the only one of the five 'service vehicle' Swifts that returned to passenger service. Some of the others did survive into semi-preservation (as will be covered by further photos soon) but only SMS753 remains today. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,864 |  |
By Philip Hambling This photo has a couple of similarities to the previous one: It shows a red Ford operated by London Transport that has already appeared twice on LTSV. However, in this case there is a good reason for including a third view. 3353F was one just six examples of the early-style P100 pick-up to be leased by LT. Initially allocated to Parsons Green for use by the newly renamed 'LT Builders' department, it was notable for later being repainted cream for use by the Bexleybus 'low-cost' unit. It was photographed at Stamford Hill garage in August 1987, at which time it carried no lettering. Stamford Hill is in the news at present, Arriva having announced that the garage will be closed operationally in early November 2020, although the premises will be retained for the time being. The Ford P100 was an interesting design. Making car models available in an open-backed cargo version (often referred to as a 'pick-up') was common in the 1960s but had become rare by the 1980s. The P100 was launched in the UK in 1982, the vehicles being built in South Africa. It had in fact been available there from 1971, badged as the Cortina Pickup, since it used the front half of the Cortina car's chassis and bodywork. The model was replaced in 1988 by a new P100, built in Portugal and using the front half of the Sierra car model. Remaining in production for six years, the revised model proved more popular with London Transport, who leased a total of 17. Indeed 'old' P100 3353F was replaced at Bexleyheath by 'new' P100 3806F in 1990. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,865 |  |
By Philip Hambling The Mark 3 version of the Ford Escort was introduced in 1980 and was much more angular than the earlier Mark 1 and 2 designs. Remaining in production throughout the 1980s (latterly as the slightly revised Mark 4), it was one of the best-selling vehicles in Britain, and it saw much use by London Transport, in both car and van formats. Two of the vans were seen coming down Seven Sisters Road in November 1986. They later parked in front of the nearby Manor House offices. There are a couple of interesting aspects to this photo. Firstly, 3319F (nearest the camera) has a chrome strip around the windscreen, which is not present on 3315F following behind. A quick look through my photo collection suggests that 3319F was the only LT Escort to have this feature. 3319F was of course displayed at the Chiswick Works open day in 1985. The second point is the bus in the background. Various companies used former LT DM/DMS buses on London sightseeing tours during the 1980s, most of the buses being converted to open top. However, I could not think of a company that had a base in north London. Judging by the traffic, this photo was taken in the morning rush hour, and the bus was most likely making its way into central London to start work on the tour. Using the excellent (but sadly no longer supported) BusView tool from BusData, I found that the bus was former DM1110, sold by LT in September 1985, and acquired in March 1986 by a company called Evencost Ltd., registered at Uffington (near Shrewsbury) but with a licence to operate in London using the fleetname 'London Tour Company'. Four further double-deck buses were added later in 1986 but the company ceased in April 1988. DM1110 passed to Blue Triangle and then London Coaches. It later spent a couple of years in Ireland before returning to England and eventually being scrapped in 2004. |
04/10/2020 |
| 1,866 |  |
By Derek Everson The first '70 registered service vehicle to be reported was this Volkswagen Caddy van, first seen at the Bedfont dealership in plain white on 18th August 2020. By the 1st of September (when this photo was taken) it had been given a blue skirt, together with a roof-rack and light-bar. The latter features are not standard on LUL Caddy vans, which made me think this van may be destined for TfL or Trams. RK70VRW was first licensed on Monday 7th September, and on Saturday the 12th it was found in the car park at Acton Works, now in full Trams white/blue/green livery and with fleetnumber 9164VW (photo next time). Also visible in this photo are six of the 'frozen' LBSL Incident Response Unit vans, several of which also got to Acton by the 12th. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,867 |  |
By Les Savine Arriva London's Dartford garage has had a high turnover of crew ferry vehicles over the past few years, many of which were not used for long. More recently, Seat Leon cars have become the most common type, although other models do also appear. First seen in July 2020 was YH19YWW, a Ford Tourneo Custom minibus in unmarked silver. On 1st September 2020 it was photographed at the bus stand in Bexleyheath. In the windscreen is a label with MF2 on, perhaps a local fleetnumber. Below this is text which appears to read Ferry Driver Car. This minibus may have been acquired/hired to enable more social distancing (as per the Abellio minibuses at Southall). In a way I hope it does not stick around. Registration numbers with WW in them usually take up more width in printed lists, and the registration index section of the SUP24 booklet series is particularly tight! |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,868 |  |
By Neal Marshall A couple of years ago I published a photo by Neal Marshall of lots of Norwood's Vauxhall Corsa cars parked up at Thornton Heath garage. We never quite got to the bottom of why this occurred, but it does still happen. The photo here was taken (by Neal Marshall again) on Monday 31st August 2020 and shows WP66TDX parked up with four similar cars. It is believed that this is in connection with the outstationing of certain Norwood buses to Thornton Heath (or perhaps vice versa) at weekends, although the details are not known. Two other unmarked silver vehicles were also present. Mercedes Vito minibus HX05DZS was a former London Dial-a-Ride vehicle, which may now be in use with Arriva, while Peugeot Expert van F4MLA was likely to be a private vehicle, given that it had a roof-box and a personalised registration. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,869 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Until recently, most Abellio service vehicles had been obtained second-hand. A couple of Ford Transits were bought new in 2016 but from 2019 onwards a number of new (or nearly new) Citroen and Peugeot vans have been added, starting a new fleetnumber series in the 69xx range. The Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert are essentially the same design, with detail differences around the front end. The models come in three lengths, of which Abellio now has examples of each. The first long van to be seen (with the same wheelbase as the standard van but an extended rear overhang) was Peugeot Expert MC19XNE, fleetnumber 6907. Based at Fulwell/Twickenham, the van was photographed passing through Richmond on 28th August 2020. All of the vans are white but they have either a green or an orange waist stripe, and there is also some variety in the size and detail of the lettering. Note that this van has yellow applied around the front end. This could be a safety feature, or it could perhaps be related to the COVID situation. A number of trains and aircraft were given yellow 'masks' around their front ends, to promote the fact that passengers had to wear face masks while travelling. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,870 |  |
By Neal Marshall It looks as though a few vehicles were delivered in July and August 2020, after the lockdown restrictions were eased but before our regular visits to Acton Works were allowed to resume. Neal sent in a couple of photos of a Ford Ranger pick-up in Trams white/blue/green livery, seen near Reeves Corner in Croydon on 23rd August 2020. It had been licensed in mid-July and it probably carries a fleetnumber but this was neatly obscured by the wing mirrors in both photos. Neal did well to catch these views though, as they seem to be taken from the top-deck of a pursuing bus. There are a couple of notable points about this vehicle. One, it is not the first Ranger for Trams. They had silver EY57OXH for use as an Incident Response Vehicle from before the TfL buy-out of the network in 2008. This seems to have been replaced by an unmarked white Ford Transit van in 2017. Two, the new Ranger has an open back and is fitted with chrome bars (referred to as a 'Sports Bar' as part of the Ranger Limited specification) which seem to serve no purpose (please correct me if you know better). Three, it has no fewer than seven labels/sets of lettering on the rear! |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,871 |  |
By Ray Monk Go-Ahead London's Plough Lane garage is typical of many 'modern' bus operating bases in that it is somewhat off the beaten track. Located at the end of Waterside Way (this being the name that Go-Ahead use for the base), it is in an industrial area squeezed between a cemetery and a railway line. It is also quite small, with an allocation of about 40 buses (all single-deck) and a couple of crew ferry vehicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is not visited very often by LTSV contributors! Ray called in on 22nd August 2020 and found three SVs present. Ford Transit Connect crew van EU16KXR has been here for a few years, but had never been photographed before. The white Mercedes Vito minibus beyond is RJ62ZHB, but we are not sure if this vehicle is still current. Last reported working from Orpington in August 2019, it received a new logbook in February 2020, suggesting that it had been sold. However, I have just noticed that it has since been seen at Go-Ahead's Croydon garage, so perhaps I should un-withdraw it! The third vehicle present was newer Vito minibus RK68GVR in plain red. Latterly at Croydon, it was parked up, out of use and with signs of frontal damage. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,872 |  |
By Ray Monk The new Renault Master vans delivered to RATP-Dev's Hounslow Heath Garage on the last day of July 2020 were still present over three weeks later on 22nd August. Interestingly they had now gained fleetnumbers, although only those parked at the front of each line could be seen. Based on these, it looks as though the batch has been numbered as R70030 to R70041 in registration number order. Just visible on the right is Volkswagen Crafter van EK19SVZ in plain white. This was also here three weeks earlier and hence could probably be added as an RATP vehicle. Given that it might be a hire and due for replacement by the new Renaults, I will hold fire unless any further sightings are reported. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,873 |  |
By Ray Monk The nineteen Incident Response Units that had spent several months parked up at the Volkswagen dealership in Bedfont were said to be due for delivery in August 2020, though in the event it seems that only three actually made it that month. 9088/89/90VW were absent when Bedfont was visited on 18th August, and 9089VW was photographed at Acton Works four days later on the 22nd (9088VW was seen in the same place a week later). Alongside is similar 9081VW, from the batch delivered in February, while almost hidden behind that is Mercedes Sprinter 7867M, parked here in unmarked red since at least March. Although this part of the works is mainly used by LBSL vehicles, the new 'cleaning' van 9141F is also kept here, recognisable by its additional side lettering. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,874 |  |
By Ray Monk Following the departure of the cleaning van (6527F) and the last of the old facilities vans (6517F) in the first half of 2020, just one vehicle from the 6xxx fleetnumber range remained. Unfortunately it is one that does not actually carry its number! 6987F was an Ashwoods hybrid conversion of a Ford Transit crew van, delivered in overall white in July 2010 for the part of TfL that took over the role of the Public Carriage Office. In about 2016 the livery was changed to the new variant for this department, comprising a blue skirt topped with a lilac stripe. Being a little over ten years old, it was no doubt awaiting disposal when seen at Acton Works on 22nd August 2020, this view being the first photo to clearly show its 'new' livery. What replaced this van is not yet known, although Ford Transit crew van 8863F is reported to be in a similar TfL livery. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,875 |  |
By Ray Monk Seen at Acton Works on 22nd August 2020, just four days after it was first licensed, Ford Transit Custom van LL20UYA had already been given full Trams livery along with fleetnumber 9109F. The Trams service vehicle fleet seems to be growing at present, with about 20 vehicles current. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,876 |  |
By Ray Monk Three new Ford Transits were found in Acton Works on 22nd August 2020. Two were Custom vans numbered in the 9xxx series, while the third was a Mk8 with the surprisingly low fleetnumber of 8786F. Vehicles in the 87xx range started arriving in autumn 2018, with most numbers used by mid-2019. There were some stragglers in the form of six Transit dropsides in autumn 2019 and two Custom vans for Trams in February 2020. It is not clear why this seemingly-standard Transit van had such a long lead time, but it is neat to have another block of 100 numbers completed. In fact, all numbers between 8553 and 8844 have now been used, and there is still a chance that 8845 will appear. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,877 |  |
By Ray Monk The restrictions imposed to try and combat the COVID-19 pandemic affected not only the delivery of new vehicles but also the disposal of older ones. Seen at Acton Works on 22nd August 2020 were a couple of vehicles which are probably on the way out. 8101F is one of eight Ford Transit Courier Kombi crew vans leased in late 2015 and which were mainly based at Lillie Bridge. Their role seems to have changed at some point, with several becoming very elusive and others being moved to other locations. 8101F had not been reported since December 2017 and had perhaps spent the past couple of years at one of the more inaccessible SV locations. Parked in the background is Ford Transit van 8115F, one of seven which carried 'Pointcare' lettering and were based at Arnos Grove. Four of the batch were sold in March, just as lockdown was starting, and it is believed the other three were also taken out of use at the time but were 'trapped' at Acton. 8112F was also present. At least four replacement vans were licensed in March 2020 but their delivery was also delayed, the first being seen at Arnos Grove in July. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,878 |  |
By Ray Monk Another of the TfL Nissan Leaf electric cars in the car park at Acton Works on 22nd August 2020 was 9102N. The cars do not have light-bars but seem likely to be replacements for the four remaining LL14VK- registered Toyota Yaris cars (which do have light-bars). Parked alongside was LUL VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8909VW with 'Failure Response Unit' papers in the windscreen, while beyond that was rare Toyota Prius+ hybrid car 8692T, latterly based at Wembley Park Station. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,879 |  |
By Ray Monk It's been a couple of months since the last new photos from Acton Works. On a visit on 22nd August 2020, Ray found several recently-delivered vehicles, including three Nissan Leaf cars in the front car park. All were in TfL white/blue livery, and their numbering suggested that a fourth should also be expected. Nearest to the security hut was 9100N. The appearance of this fleetnumber does confirm that the batch of Incident Response Unit vans for LBSL will total just 45, numbered 9055VW to 9099VW. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,880 |  |
By Derek Everson Parked near to new AV20BZS at Metroline's Perivale CELF on 18th August 2020 were two similar but older vans. AY15LHK and AY15LHR were both new in spring 2015 and while LHK had been based at Willesden Junction garage, the allocation of LHR was uncertain due to a relative lack of sightings and/or photographs. Their presence at the CELF suggested that they had recently been replaced by newer vans, and indeed some more 20-reg Transit Connects were found a couple of weeks later (photos next time). |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,881 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek visited Metroline's CELF works in Perivale on 18th August 2020, and found this new Ford Transit Connect Mk2 van parked outside. AV20BZS has the facelifted front end design and had already gained a light-bar and full set of lettering. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,882 |  |
By Derek Everson Most of the nineteen VW Crafter vans gathered at the Cordwallis dealership in Bedfont remained there into September 2020. Seen on 18th August was the numerically last of the batch, 9099VW. When I saw that part of the registration number had been taped over I wondered if the original marks had been voided and were to be replaced by new '70 registration numbers. However, the vans had all actually been licensed as well as plated, ten in March and the last nine in June. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,883 |  |
By Derek Everson Of the three 20-reg Incident Response Units that managed to get delivered before the COVID lockdown came into effect, 9069VW was at Eltham Bus Station in early July but had moved on to Aldgate by August. It was photographed there on the 11th in the company of similar 9067VW and TfL Private Hire VW Transporter minibus 8598VW. It will be odd to not see any red service vehicles at locations such as this in the future. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,884 |  |
By Gareth Perkins This photo is not what it seems! Ford Transit van EA63VUE is in Go-Ahead red livery, with a Buses roundel and SW garage code. However, it was actually photographed in Clacton (on 27th July 2020), attending to a plain blue Dennis Dart SLF bus belonging to Hedingham. Hedingham was a long-standing independent operator running services in north Essex and Suffolk. It was eventually taken over by Go-Ahead in 2012. The Ford van had presumably been transferred here in 2019 following replacement by new EF19HFR and had yet to have its livery updated. I thought the bus had a London connection too, the SN03xxx registration and 285 fleetnumber both making me think of Metrobus. However, it had in fact been new to Solent Blue Line/Bluestar, or whatever the Hampshire operations were being called in 2003! |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,885 |  |
By Philip Hambling Two service vehicles were found at Dartford Garage in January 1988. The main subject is an AEC recovery truck fitted with an 'Ergomatic' cab, though the actual model has been quoted as both a Mercury and a Matador. Two such vehicles were bought by London Country Bus Services from International Wreckers in 1976 and given the fleetnumbers M1 and M2 and a yellow livery. The vehicle shown here was M2 and was new in either 1969 or 1971, depending on the source. Registration number WYC736H was also quoted (which would suggest the 1969 date was correct), though the vehicle was normally used on trade plates. When LCBS was split up in 1986, M2 passed to London Country South East, which was soon renamed Kentishbus. The traditional green livery was replaced by a modern cream and maroon scheme, and all the vehicles and routes were renumbered. M2 was repainted and became 932 (the number is just visible in black lettering on the maroon band on the driver's door). Changes in trade plate legislation saw the vehicle given a new 'dateless' registration Q894JKO. 932 lasted until at least 1993 but was presumably withdrawn not long after that. Lurking in the shadows is Ford Cargo dropside lorry FCD243X, still in LCBS green but with a Kentishbus cream panel applied to the front. This had been LCBS 46F (new in 1981), was renumbered 921 by Kentishbus and was also withdrawn by the mid-1990s. The fact that these two vehicles require five vehicle details links between them highlights something of a flaw in the design of this website. Each vehicle entry can only have one set of details (owner, reg, number, livery etc). So, when significant details change, an additional entry has to be made. Because of this, the AEC has an entry as LCBS M2, another as Kentishbus WYC736H and a third as Kentishbus Q894JKO. Similarly the Ford has an entry under both LCBS and Kentishbus. This is not really a problem with photographs but it does mean that sightings and notes (which only link to one vehicle ID) can be spread around rather than combined. This is something I will be looking into when designing the next version of this site. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,886 |  |
By Philip Hambling I do like photos which show a bit of context in addition to the vehicle itself, particularly for older views. Some things which seemed familiar at the time now look decidedly odd. Take this view of Bedford Astra van 3458B parked outside Manor House in November 1988. The first thing I noticed was the bright yellow British Telecomm Bedford HA van parked behind. I used to see these all the time but.... Anyway, then I looked at the bus, a Bristol VRT belonging to Eastern National and most likely being used on route 359. How strange it seems now to use green and yellow, single-doored buses in service in London. Route 359 had only been introduced in 1986, to replace the northern section of route 259, and it was to disappear again in 1994. I suppose I should say something about the service vehicle! 3458B was new in December 1986 and was one of several large batches of Bedford/Vauxhall Astras leased through the 1980s for use as inspector's cars. Most were fitted with illuminated roof-roundels, these being passed down from one generation to the next. This was one of several allocated to the big north London garages (Tottenham and Wood Green), which meant there was little chance of confusing it with consecutively numbered 3459B, which had a similar reg D991HNG but was based in the south west. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,887 |  |
By Philip Hambling While the Cleaning Services department liked the Leyland Sherpa, the Publicity section had a marked preference for the Bedford CF model. Other departments also used this type, but Publicity had three generations, with owned CF vans new in 1977/1978 being replaced by leased CF2s (with black grilles and Bristol MHY/Y registrations) in 1982/1983 and these replaced by more CF2s (with grey grilles and Newcastle D/YBB regs) in 1987. All of the vans were red, and the third generation was notable for not carrying their fleetnumbers. Stockwell Garage had a publicity office in its entrance roadway and several vans could usually be found parked outside. This photograph from February 1988 shows 3433B flanked by graffitied 3431B and a Ford Escort van. Withdrawn just over thirty years ago in August 1990, this particular van has recently been found to still exist. In fact it has been restored in London Transport Advertising livery (similar to that seen on 3434B but with some non-authentic alterations) and was rallied at Kames Car Show in Scotland in August 2020. A photo can be found at https://autoshite.com/topic/42098-kames-car-show-2020-spottages/ (scroll down to the 13th photo). Thanks to Adam for the heads-up. |
14/09/2020 |
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By Philip Hambling From 1977 until 1988, London Transport took several batches of Sherpa vans as alternates to the more numerous Ford Transit and Bedford CF types. The largest single batch was of 20 leased in late-1983/early-1984 and numbered as 3150L to 3169L. The L suffix betrays the fact that the design was from the Leyland stable, although by this time the vans were being badged as Freight Rovers. Most of this batch were grey (a couple were in red), and the majority were used by the Cleaning Services department, replacing similar vans from 1978. One of the exceptions was 3168L, allocated to LT Catering and photographed at Allsop Place (behind Baker Street Station) in May 1986. The location is disguised by the building work but note the distinctive manhole cover, this also being visible in more recent photos such as one from 2013. Most of the vans lasted for just under 4 years. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,889 |  |
By Philip Hambling Several of Phil Hambling's service vehicle photos from the 1980s have already appeared on LTSV, some of which came via Colin Lloyd. Phil has recently been supplying quite a lot of additional photos from this era and I will be adding these gradually over the next few months. First up is a view of one of the 27 Dodge Commando lorries bought by London Transport in the early 1980s. These were all in grey livery but there was quite a variety of body types, lengths and cab-front designs. 2306D was a box truck with tail-lift and crew cab, featuring the earlier design of front grille. Delivered in November 1981, by February 1987 (when it was photographed parked outside Golders Green Station) it had gained the twin pin-stripe livery enhancement, with blue roundels and Distribution Services lettering. The hatches in the front of the box body would allow the loading of some over-length items such as ladders. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,890 |  |
By Lloyd Penfold Visitors with long memories may recall that back in 2012 I pondered what had happened to AEC Mercury Tower wagon 89Q between its disposal by LT in 1962 and its later restoration as part of the LT Museum fleet. Well, I was recently contacted by Lloyd Penfold who told me he had discovered the former 89Q in a yard in Worcester and that he had bought it. He could not recall the date of this but I suspect it was in the 1970s or early 1980s. As his photo shows, the vehicle had been modified to serve as a recovery vehicle with A F Tansell of Worcester. The main bodywork appears unchanged but new valances had been fitted around the rear, and there was presumably some sort of crane where the tower was originally fitted. Lloyd later sold the vehicle on to another enthusiast, and it eventually wound up in the LT Museum collection. As the photo linked above shows, it was being restored to original condition by 1985. |
14/09/2020 |
| 1,891 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek paid a visit to Hounslow Heath garage on 4th August 2020 and found that there were no fewer than twelve new Renault Master vans present at the back of the yard. There have been no new Renault Master service vehicles for a few years, and the model has undergone another of its periodic revamps. The appearance is quite distinctive but the grille trim makes me think of a mad grin as on a clown or The Joker! The vans were all high-roof versions and, as on some other models, this results in a somewhat 'bolted-on' appearance of the roof. Although not clear in this view, the side lettering is currently limited to 'Engineering Support' with 'RATP Group' beneath and a Buses roundel towards the rear. There is no mention of the individual operators (e.g. London United, London Sovereign etc), and there are no fleetnumbers, though either or both may be added when the vans enter service. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,892 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Lee decided to call in to Hounslow Heath Garage on his way home on 31st July 2020, and I'm glad he did because look what he found! Parked at the back of the yard were at least eight newly-delivered Renault Master vans. All apart from one seemed to have light-bars and to be in livery of red with yellow chevrons on the rear and Buses roundels on the sides. There is also company lettering, which appears to be very similar to that on older FT70006. The exception is the van at the far left, which we now know to be MF20RZE. This was in plain red and had no light-bar. I suspect that these vans will be allocated to each of the group's garages, with MF20RZE perhaps being retained for head-office use or spare cover. Also visible in this view are an unmarked white Volkswagen Crafter van (EK19SVZ, user unknown) and a Cateano Levante coach in National Express livery (BX65WDF, operator also unknown). There are two ironies about the presence of this coach. First is that RATP-Dev ran similar vehicles on some National Express contracts until 2018 (when the United Motorcoaches operation was wound up). Second is that BX65WDF was new to Epsom Coaches (now part of RATP-Dev) as their EP02, passing later to Bournemouth as fleetnumber 350. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,893 |  |
By Lee Thatcher I did not publish any photos of Abellio Ford Fiesta cars last month, for which I apologise. To make amends, here is a fine view of their AO13KKB at Hatton Cross bus station on 31st July 2020. You can tell that this car is used as a crew ferry because it is missing some of the wheeltrims! It looks like the nearside passenger door has been a bit dented too. The fleetnumber (6807) is carried on the bonnet, while also on the bonnet (near the windscreen) is the remains of some other lettering, perhaps a route allocation like the ones on GN13MUO and GJ13SRX. Parked alongside is Ford Transit 'rest vehicle' YS55NHH. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,894 |  |
By Bob Milner Finchley Central station is a good location to find service vehicles. Not only does it have a reasonable allocation (about 12 vehicles) but most can normally be viewed quite easily. Indeed a couple of vehicles are normally parked outside the small compound, making photography straightforward. Bob found VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8969VW and Toyota Prius car 8972T outside on 26th July 2020, both having been new the previous autumn. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,895 |  |
By London Spotter The TfL Technology and Data van (Ford Transit Connect 8688F) has been noted at a handful of rather disparate locations this year. On 15th July 2020 it parked up for just a few minutes at Finsbury Park bus station and luckily one of our reporters was on hand to capture this excellent view. The exact role of this vehicle is still unclear, |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,896 |  |
By London Spotter Finsbury Park bus station has two IRU vans, both of which are now white-based Volkswagen Crafters. The two vans are very rarely seen together, the normal situation being for one to be parked on each side of the railway. Parked on the Station Place side on 15th July 2020 was 9077VW. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,897 |  |
By Derek Everson Parked at the south end of Turnpike Lane bus station on 14th July 2020 were two more of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter IRU vans. 7843M (nearest the camera and with some flaking chevrons) was resident here from new in May 2015, while 7875M in the background had been an Uxbridge vehicle, moving to Acton in March following receipt of new VW Crafters. It was presumably slated for disposal but had to be retained following the delay in delivery of further VWs. Along with several other Sprinters, it was re-taxed for one more six-month stint in April. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,898 |  |
By Derek Everson Though 23 of the new Volkswagen Incident Response units were delivered and put into service before the COVID-19 lockdown, they were not spread evenly around London. Of the main locations used, Eltham got five of the new vans and Morden four, each representing over half of the vans allocated. Turnpike Lane however only got one (9058VW), meaning that the allocation there is still dominated by the previous generation of Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Seven of the red vans (and the sole white one) were present when Derek visited on 14th July 2020, this view showing a neat line-up of (left to right) 7877M, 7868M, 7865M and 7850M. 7850M and 7877M had been based here for most of their 5-year lives, while 7868M seemed to float around all over the place, perhaps being a 'cover' vehicle. 7865M was a Stratford City resident until replaced by new Crafter vans in February. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,899 |  |
By Derek Everson An unexpected find was a pair of service vehicles parked at Bow Road Station on 14th July 2020. As far as I know, this location has not had an allocation of vehicles for many years, and it remains to be seen if these are based here or were just visiting. It is notable that neither vehicle has been seen elsewhere. In the case of VW Caddy Maxi crew van 9133VW in front, that is perhaps understandable, as this is another of the six vans that had only been delivered in June 2020. Ford Transit dropside truck 8847F however had been new in November 2019 and had not previously been seen by anyone. Bow Road Station has a single building and a small, triangular yard, reached by a long access road running from Wellington Way. The station platforms are at sub-surface level, and the tracks are parallel to the vehicles seen here, behind and below the wall. The light blue structure visible in the background is the bridge carrying Mornington Grove over the railway. The Works and Building department was the main user of this location, with cleaning services and vending services also operating from here at times. However, it has been suggested that the cleaning services actually used a different (but nearby) premises. |
05/08/2020 |
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By Ray Monk The Spanish company Seat has never been very well represented in the service vehicle fleets. Abellio and Arriva the Shires between them mustered six cars, though all were withdrawn by 2018. More recently Arriva London's Dartford garage has acquired a taste for the make. Four Leon hatchback cars were delivered around the end of 2019, three of which carried Arriva fleetnames (without the usual accompanying logo). This is seen on DA69OZF at Eltham Bus Station on 13th July 2020. Two very similar Seat Ibiza cars in gold livery had arrived earlier in 2019 but have not been noted recently and they may have migrated across the river to the Grays operation. |
05/08/2020 |
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