LTSV Latest Data - Detail View

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

Photos Added

Count	Photo	Details	Added
2,101		By Ray Monk Normal but rare. Is that an oxymoron? Volkswagen Caddy van 8543VW joined the LUL fleet in 2017 but managed to avoid being seen for over 2 years. As such we have no idea where it is allocated. On 18th January 2020 it was found paying a return visit to the Cordwallis dealership in Bedfont, presumably for repairs.	02/02/2020
2,102		By Ray Monk The Ford Transit van comes in a variety of permutations of length, height and configuration. 8507F is a long-wheelbase, high-roof crew van, photographed at Acton Works on 30th November 2019. LUL have just three examples of this particular combination, out-numbered by the seven allocated to the Elizabeth Line.	02/02/2020
2,103		By Ray Monk There have been one or two 'cherry pickers' (vehicles with a hydraulic hoist) in the central fleet in recent years, although we have never been too sure of their role. This photo perhaps provides at least part of the answer. Ford Transit van 8470F was seen in the front car park at Acton Works on 25th January 2020 with its hoist raised, and a member of staff attending to one of the lamps. Note that the stabilisers have been deployed and have lifted the van's wheels off the ground. New in 2017, this van was initially based at Stratford Market Depot before moving to Acton in 2019. Also involved in the work was Ford Transit Custom van 8413F.	02/02/2020
2,104		By Ray Monk I have allocated this Renault Kangoo Maxi van to Northfields Depot, based on a photo taken there when it was new in summer 2017. That photo was not usable, being more fence than van(!), and the van remained surprisingly elusive. All vehicles return to Acton Works eventually, and 8432R did so in late 2019. Ray photographed it in the front car park on 30th November 2019, with VW Golf estate 8196VW alongside and new Ford Transit Custom van 8876F in the distance.	02/02/2020
2,105		By Ray Monk The allocations of vehicles shown on this website are derived almost completely from reported observations. There are therefore lots of instances of vehicles having unknown allocations, simply because we don't have sufficient sightings. A good example is this Ford Transit van numbered 8424F. New in 2017 it was not seen by anyone until the end of 2019, when it appeared at Acton Works. It was photographed in the works car park on 18th January 2020, alongside some new Renault Kangoo vans for TfL.	02/02/2020
2,106		By Ray Monk The Ford Fiesta, in both car and van formats, was a common feature of the leased fleet in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The type became popular again from 2015 onwards, with just over thirty being in use at present. As far as I know, van 8351F is unique in having LUL white/blue/red livery with yellow/red chevrons on the rear. It has been seen parked up at Griffith House and Edgware Road Station but seems to appear at Acton Works with similar frequency. It was photographed there on 18th January 2020, this smallest van being parked next to one of the largest (a high-roof Ford Transit).	02/02/2020
2,107		By Ray Monk The allocation of this Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van is not currently known. It has been seen around central London, usually late at night, and has also been reported in the basement of Victoria Coach Station, a location that was mainly used by LBSL but which has had the odd LUL vehicle. On 11th January 2020, 8323VW was photographed paying a visit to Acton Works. The building in the background was originally the works canteen but has more recently been offices, including those of Distribution Services. The 'Celebrating 70 Years' sign in the window refers to the formation of the Central Distribution Services department in November 1949.	02/02/2020
2,108		By Derek Everson As well as several Ford Transits, Derek found some Volkswagen Caddy Maxi vans (and Renault Master minibus 7945R) for sale at Wheels Van Centre in Stanwell on 12th November 2019. The former 8181VW (on the left) and 8182VW had lost their company lettering and red stripes but still retained the blue skirts and tyre pressure markings. As with the Transits, these had been sold at BCA Wolverhampton a couple of months earlier.	02/02/2020
2,109		By Ray Monk The last pair of former LBSL Infrastructure vans were withdrawn at the beginning of 2020, the reason why they outlived their cousins by almost a year not being known. The vans were VW Caddy Maxi 7900VW (from a batch of thirteen new in 2014) and unique VW Transporter 8149VW. The latter was seen on the stub road in Acton Works on 5th January 2020. With these departures, the once-common livery of red with orange squares is becoming quite rare, carried by just Technical Services van 8159F and Operations Nissan KE14FJO, although it has to be said that the latter vehicle is more maroon than red. There is one other Infrastructure van that may still be around. VW Transporter van 8267VW arrived in TfL white/blue livery and was initially based at Orpington. Its current whereabouts are not known, only one sighting having been reported during 2019.	02/02/2020
2,110		By Ray Monk The jumbo version of the Ford Transit has not been very common in the central fleet since the introduction of the Mk8. The Emergency Response Unit has one crew van, and there are three at Stratford Market Depot. The oldest of these is 8120F, seen at Acton Works on 18th January 2020. As slightly newer 8164F and 8165F were withdrawn during 2019 (apparently being belatedly replaced by 9023F and 9024F) it may be that 8120F is due to leave the fleet soon.	02/02/2020
2,111		By Derek Everson A large proportion of vehicles leaving the central fleet in recent years have been sold on by BCA (British Car Auctions) at various sites around the country (primarily Blackbushe (Hampshire) and Wolverhampton). Some of the vehicles are then bought by other dealers, which can result in them coming back to London. Fleetnumbers 8024F to 8037F were on a batch of 14 Ford Transit crew vans new in late 2015. They were all withdrawn during 2019, and most went to BCA in Wolverhampton. Seven were bought by Wheels Van Centre in Stanwell, and two were photographed in their yard on 12th November 2019. The former 8033F on the left was going for £17,495, while 8027F on the right was a little cheaper at £17,250. Similar 8030F was parked nearby and was a bargain at £16,250.	02/02/2020
2,112		By Dave Warby Seen on the parcel deck at Euston Station on the night of 29th November 2019, this Ford Transit minibus is clearly a former LUL vehicle, still retaining the blue skirt and red stripe. New as fleetnumber 6473F in 2008, it was based at Lillie Bridge and initially carried Metronet markings on a white/blue livery. This was changed to the new LUL scheme (with the red stripe) in late 2009, and the minibus remained in use until spring 2013. It was noted later in 2013 in the livery shown here, having gained lettering for its new owner, Danny Sullivan (a staff and labour contractor).	02/02/2020
2,113		By Derek Everson I haven't shown any service vehicles from outside London for a while. So, here is a view taken at Reading's bus garage on 30th June 2019. Two vans were present, the VW Caddy on the left wearing a curious white and black livery. This may be explained by the signwriting on the side, which reads (with my capitals!) 'Reading Buses. Keeping our buses on the mooove'! Reading Buses is known for using lots of different colour schemes on its buses, groups of routes being linked to the colour of the buses used on them. The strips of coloured blocks below the fleetnames on these two vans appear to contain most of the colours used.	29/01/2020
2,114		By Derek Everson Statham's Recovery SR66TOW has the same size engine as SR61TOW but appears to have a lower profile cab, possibly in the FM series rather than the FH range. The livery is also slightly different, including the fleetnames not being in all capitals (and the hook apostrophe re-appearing). It was photographed near the various commercial motor dealerships in Bedfont on a murky 10th December 2019, with Europcar Heathrow's Optare Solo bus YJ68FVK on tow. Not much else I can say about this, but take a look at the truck in the yard on the right. This looks like a Unimog but is massively tall, with huge wheels and a lot of clearance.	29/01/2020
2,115		By Derek Everson Two more recovery trucks coming up, and they are both Volvo units in the distinctive yellow and red livery of Statham's. Curiously, both were photographed towing buses used at Heathrow Airport. Having shown their SR16TOW last year, I can now show the anagrammatic SR61TOW. This was seen near Ealing Broadway on 10th September 2019 towing British Airways Mercedes-Benz Citaro bus BK10EHZ. SR61TOW carries the name 'Big Ben' on the front corner panels, although it lacks the hook apostrophes seen in the fleetnames on SR16TOW.	29/01/2020
2,116		By Derek Everson Because most recovery vehicles are not listed in the database, it is quite easy to miss the fact that a vehicle has already been shown. This Scania lorry has in fact already made three appearances on LTSV, although it has to be said that on one occasion there was some doubt as to its identity. Also, this new photo shows a considerable change. Photographed coming along Chiswick High Road on 13th August 2019, CS02REC is a four-axle Scania 164G 580 belonging to J and A Recovery. It had previously been shown in 2009 (quite near the above location), when it was white with C Spearing recovery. By 2011 it was with J and A Recovery, though still in the same livery, which it still carried in 2014. In 2019 it was still with J and A, now with additional front lights and repainted red with 'modern' lettering and a large griffin motif. The silver on black registration plates are anachronistic but fitting. It is interesting that in three of the four photos published, the vehicle was towing a London United bus.	29/01/2020
2,117		By Derek Everson Another 'maybe' service vehicle, and with a registration number (and livery) very like that in the previous photo. Seen at First Berkshire's Slough garage on 14th January 2020, WV69HZS is a Nissan e-NV200 electric van in unmarked white. It is clearly plugged in (for charging), although it is parked in front of a notice that says 'Stores Only, Do Not Park'! This may not be a permanent addition to the First Berkshire fleet, but there is evidence to suggest it is their current engineers van. The previous incumbent was Volkswagen Transporter van VO64WCK, which was delicensed on 9th September 2019. The Nissan van shown here was first licensed three days before that.	29/01/2020
2,118		By Ray Monk Two new Skoda Octavia saloon cars were reported in use from Arriva London's Dartford garage in November 2019. Although both were in unmarked white, they displayed Arriva signs in the windscreen. I was hesitant to add them to the database but they were both still in use a couple of months later. WV69FZS was seen at Eltham Bus Station on 13th January 2020.	29/01/2020
2,119		By Ray Monk Two red Seat Leon hatchback cars were added to the Dartford allocation around the turn of 2019/2020 and thankfully both were given Arriva fleetnames. The Leon model is similar to (but slightly larger than) the Seat Ibiza, two of which (in an unusual gold livery) were also delivered to Dartford earlier in 2019. DG69AYN was seen at the bus stand on Arnsberg Way in Bexleyheath on the first day of 2020.	29/01/2020
2,120		By Derek Everson Derek was actually the first person to send me a photo of the new RATP Dacias, after he visited Twickenham on the 8th of January 2020. However, he also returned there on the 22nd and captured this excellent overview. A couple of the initial ten cars had already departed (believed to have gone to Hounslow Heath garage), but a further fourteen of the same type had been delivered. Four had been here for a few days and had already gained fleetnames and numbers D75111/2/3/5. The other ten had only just arrived and were still in unmarked white. Eleven cars in total are visible in this photo, with more out of view. Also present were two Trident/Alexander trainer buses, an Optare Versa single-decker, and one of the MAN TGE minibuses used on the Slide Ealing service. The MAN TGE is a variant of the VW Crafter model. I was interested to note that these buses have minibus-style sliding doors. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinters used on the slightly earlier demand-responsive network based in Sutton had full-sized, bus-style folding doors.	29/01/2020
2,121		By John Woolf John visited Twickenham on 18th January 2020 and photographed more of the new Dacia Sandero cars. Dacia (pronounced Datcha) is a Romanian company but has been owned by Renault since 1999. As can be seen, the livery is rather minimal, with small RATP Group branding on the sides and rear. The yellow notice on the fuel filler cap says 'Unleaded Fuel Only'. By the way, these cars are currently listed on the LTSV database with an operator name of London United, although it is likely that some will go to London Sovereign garages. I should probably amend these to RATP but changes of operator name are a bit of a pain when it comes to recording the history of vehicles. I recall changing a lot of 'London United' records to 'Transdev' a few years ago, only to have to change them back later when the Transdev name was dropped.	29/01/2020
2,122		By Ray Monk As was mentioned last month, the Twickenham garage of RATP no longer operates any TfL bus routes but it does now host the ten MAN minibuses used on the 'Slide Ealing' demand-responsive network, as well as undertaking some engineering work on buses from other garages. Reported at the garage on Christmas day 2019 were five new Dacia Sandero cars in white livery with RATP branding and fleetnumbers in the range D75101 to D75105. It was presumed that these were being stored pending allocation, rather than for use there. Another five were delivered a week later, taking the fleetnumbers to D75110. Ray visited on the 11th January 2020 and photographed D75104 surrounded by several others. One of the minibuses is also just visible. The choice of fleetnumbers is interesting. When RATP undertook its renumbering exercise in 2016, medium-sized vehicles (vans and minibuses) got numbers in the 700xx range, while the smallest cars and vans went into a 750xx series. The 700xx series seems to have been dropped soon afterwards, with all new support vehicles getting 750xx numbers. Numbers up to 75074 are known about, many being allocated to anonymous cars and vans. When the Slide Ealing minibuses appeared they were given the numbers M75091 to M75100, which seemed odd. Apart from the fact that earlier minibuses were in the 700xx series, what about the numbers between 75075 and 75090? It is possible that these were allocated to other vehicles which we do not know about. Anyway, the numbers on the new Dacia cars have followed on from the minibuses. Who would have thought we would see Ds and Ms on the streets of London in the 2020s!	29/01/2020
2,123		By Ray Monk Silvertown is one of the smallest bus garages in London, with a peak run-out of 66 buses. However, the garage is remote from the 5 routes operated and hence requires the use of crew ferries. We currently have six such vehicles listed as being allocated here, all Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses in unmarked red, and all but one new during 2019. On 31st August 2019, Ray caught RJ19HSX coming out of Factory Road and turning on to Store Road. The road layout around here has always been a bit odd, with a road running each side of the railway that once went to North Woolwich. There used to be numerous level crossings to provide road access to the mainly industrial premises between here and the river. Although the line closed in 2006, much of its formation is now used for the Abbey Wood branch of the Elizabeth Line. Since level crossings are no longer suitable, access to the riverside premises is now only from either end of Factory Road. The building visible above the minibus is the location at which the Elizabeth Line resurfaces after crossing under the Thames.	29/01/2020
2,124		By Ray Monk The Croydon (Beddington Lane) bus garage of Go-Ahead London was inherited from Metrobus, whose name is still prominently displayed. Being rather remote from public transport in general, let alone the bus routes which it operates, the garage makes much use of crew ferries, with about a dozen Mercedes-Benz Vitos allocated. Five of these were visible parked in front of the garage on 24th August 2019, including RK68GVU and RF19UZU.	29/01/2020
2,125		By Ray Monk Go-Ahead London's newest garage is at Morden Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula. Seen at the garage on 31st August 2019 was Mercedes-Benz Vito minibus RF19UZT in the normal unmarked (unless you count the bird droppings!) red livery. Crew ferries from here run to various locations, including Vanbrugh Hill and Greenwich (Cutty Sark).	29/01/2020
2,126		By Derek Everson The next four pictures are all of identical vehicles, and indeed the first three have consecutive registration numbers. The subjects are Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses used as crew ferry vehicles by Go-Ahead London. Twenty of this type were delivered in 2019 (with the possibility of at least one more not having been seen yet), joining 19 new in 2018. Not all of Go-Ahead London's garages need crew ferry vehicles, and the Vitos are generally to be found at the bases in outer London. RF19UZS is one five 2019 Vitos based at Northumberland Park Garage. Minibuses at this base often show duty numbers in the windows, this one showing 7 as it arrived at Turnpike Lane Bus Station on 17th September 2019.	29/01/2020
2,127		By Ray Monk Arriva London's Dartford Garage seems to have had a lot of new crew ferry cars over the past year. A few have had company markings but most have been in anonymous liveries, and they have included some unfamiliar models. It is presumed that at least some of these were only on short-term hire, and it is unlikely that all 19 cars currently listed as being at Dartford are still in use. One of the most recent additions is this Hyundai Kona seen departing from Bexleyheath bus stand on 15th January 2020.	29/01/2020
2,128		By Ray Monk Most of the Ford Transit Custom vans used by Go-Ahead London engineers are in unmarked red, usually relieved by a reflective yellow 'safety' stripe. EF67UCZ is a typical example, being a short-wheelbase, high-roof van. It is allocated to Morden Wharf garage and was found at the nearby North Greenwich Bus Station on 12th July 2019.	29/01/2020
2,129		By Ray Monk Go-Ahead London operates a number of Ford Fiesta vans for admin and/or light engineering duties, most of which are in unmarked red. EU16KVV was reported several times at Camberwell garage but has also been seen at Merton, which is the location of the company's head office. On 16th September 2019 Ray caught it leaving Merton and passing the Kiss Me Hardy pub in Colliers Wood.	29/01/2020
2,130		By Ray Monk Most Go-Ahead London bus garages now have a Ford Transit Custom van for use by the engineers, although as will be seen, there is some variety as to whether they are lettered or not. EO16PVL was one of the first pair, arriving in spring 2016, and is medium wheelbase while most others are short. It was initially based at Peckham garage but normally to be found in central London. Newer van EF19HHG took over this duty in 2019 and it looks like EO16PVL may have moved to Orpington to replace older Transit FY63TAV. It was photographed at Eltham Bus Station on 13th January 2020.	29/01/2020
2,131		By Bob Milner The new crew ferry parking area at Potters Bar Garage has been resurfaced with tarmac since we first showed it last autumn. This new photo, taken on 26th January 2020, also shows how close the compound is to the High Street, the pavement of which is just visible in the bottom left corner. Metroline crew ferries are usually unmarked and the allocation here is no exception. Most duties are covered by two pairs of Ford vehicles, comprising two Grand C-Max cars (like AX19NAO on the left) and two Tourneo Custom minibuses. Of the latter, AV16CNY was absent for a couple of months at the end of 2019, presumably for repairs. In its place a black Peugeot minibus (GK19XNF) was hired. Judging by its relatively clean state, AV16CNY may have only recently returned when this photo was taken.	29/01/2020
2,132		By Paul Nicholls Received from a correspondent in late 2019 was a list of Ensignbus support vehicles, this including several we did not previously know about. Unfortunately the list did not include livery details, so it was not known whether the additions had been treated to the normal Ensignbus blue and silver livery. The first of the 'new' vehicles to be seen was Renault Trafic minibus LX63WFU, found at Lakeside Bus Station on 7th December 2019 (the date of the annual Ensignbus Running Day). As can be seen, this minibus was in unmarked silver.	29/01/2020
2,133		By Derek Everson Despite the addition of numerous new Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses to the Go-Ahead London fleet over the past couple of years, some of the older examples have remained in use. RJ62ZHA was part of a batch of 15 Vitos acquired in early 2013 for use by Metrobus, with whom it was fleetnumber 8056. Reshuffling of the combined Go-Ahead fleet saw it moved first to Silvertown (in 2016) and then to Northumberland Park (in 2019), despite which it retained the Metrobus logo and fleetnumber on its white livery. Northumberland Park crew ferries run to various locations, the most frequent being Tottenham Hale Station. Turnpike Lane was added in 2019, following the winning of bus route 232 from Metroline. RJ62ZHA was seen turning around at the south end of the bus station on 20th August 2019, showing a local duty number 5 in the side windows.	29/01/2020
2,134		By Ray Monk The aircraft tails in the background give this location away as being Hatton Cross Bus Station, at the south east corner of Heathrow Airport. The subjects are two Ford Fiesta cars used as crew ferry vehicles by Abellio. This type has been the most numerous in the Abellio fleet in recent years, with over 50 having been operated. This pair both have the large TWx bonnet numbers applied, denoting allocation to Twickenham (Fulwell) Garage. The TW numbers are in addition to the company-wide 6xxx fleetnumbers, the latter normally being applied (if at all) in small lettering close to the fuel filler cap. Closer inspection of this photo will show that WG12CFP on the left is very dark blue, while SH12XBU on the right is black. 12th November 2019.	29/01/2020
2,135		By Google This is Stratford Market Depot, one of the 'big three' in terms of service vehicle allocations (along with Acton Works and Lillie Bridge). It is hard to be certain due to the 'ghosting' of this composited image, but I reckon that about 90 service vehicles are visible in this view. The only identifiable types are the pair of ERU Volvo tenders at middle-left, while just nearer is what looks like a Ford Transit van with a cherry-picker lift (most likely 8470F). The largest building, right in the middle, is the LUL Engineering and Skills Academy. The main depot building is larger but is mainly out of frame to the right. Running across the top right corner are the DLR and Jubilee Line tracks. From trains you can see the main depot but you will hardly see any service vehicles. The road entrance to the depot is at the top middle, most departing vehicles will follow Cam Road (just visible in the top left corner) through the new flats to the High Street. Running between the trees down the west side of the depot is Channelsea footpath. This is at a lower level and, even with a leg-up to see over the wall, you will still only see a couple of vehicles. So the best option seems to be to buy one of the flats in the newish white/brown block at the north edge of the yard. I would recommend one on the top floor as these seem to have balconies! A few years ago there were tours of the depot offered as part of the 'Open House' programme. Several of us took part but there were two disappointments. Firstly, we weren't taken/allowed anywhere on the 'interesting' side of the training building. Secondly, although I did photograph a couple of vehicles in the centre yard, we were under strict instructions not to publish or share any photos taken.	10/12/2019
2,136		By Google This is a view of what I have called Bow Substation, looking south with the Anglia and DLR railway lines across the bottom (Pudding Mill Lane and Stratford are to the left, Bow Church and Liverpool Street to the right), the River Lea flowing up the right hand side and the A102M East Cross Route road beyond that. This location is close to where the Crossrail tunnels come to the surface and it is presumed that the substation provides power to the underground section. The reason that it is included on LTSV is that it is believed to be home to some of the 24-odd Elizabeth Line service vehicles. Several vehicles are visible in this view but it looks like these belong to contractors working on the site's construction. Recent trips past on the DLR have shown that a couple of vans and trucks are still parked in the area at the far right, backing on to the river. Unfortunately, they are too far away to be sure that they are Elizabeth Line vehicles, let alone see their identities. There is a single Ford Transit dropside truck (8654F) in the block of numbers assigned to the Elizabeth Line, but it has yet to be seen properly. I have an inkling that it might be kept here. So, how can you see what is here? Well, the west-bound DLR is on the nearest track and offers probably the best view. There is a footpath on the east side of the river but it looks to be at a lower level with a tall wall. In the top left of this view is the nearest road, Cook's Road, which becomes Barbers Road as it curves round towards Pudding Mill Station. Ray has investigated this approach but the access gate is too far away from the parking spaces to be of any use. So, there you have it. By the way, you may have noticed the red double-deck bus in the yard on the other side of Cook's Road. This is former Abellio 9006, sold in 2017. The only reason I know this is because it still has its 'Travel London V6' lettering on the roof. What the bus was doing here is another matter.	10/12/2019
2,137		By Ray Monk Arriva service vehicles used to be a regular sight at Eltham Bus Station until bus tendering changes saw the routes pass to other operators. We were somewhat surprised to see Arriva crew ferry cars present there from early November 2109. Ray soon found out that this was in connection with the operation of new bus route 335, which had started running between Kidbrooke and North Greenwich on 26th October. This was operated by Arriva London's Dartford garage and, because there was no convenient parking at Kidbrooke Station, drivers changing over there would take the train one stop to Eltham then take the crew ferry back to Dartford. Present at Eltham on 10th November were previously unreported Peugeot 2008 hatchback KT19UDN (in unmarked black) with silver Vauxhall Corsa HK63YYB (which had previously served at Edmonton and Barking-Dagenham) behind. At the back was unmarked black Vauxhall Astra hatchback SG19NBJ.	10/12/2019
2,138		By Derek Everson Additions to the London United and London Sovereign service vehicle fleets over the past couple of years have tended to be unmarked, in contrast to the earlier practice of giving vans and cars red livery, lettering and fleetnumbers. Among the newer vehicles were three white Citroen Berlingo vans. LC18GHF (along with LC18HFL) was initially used as a crew ferry vehicle from Edgware garage. By late 2019 it was being used by engineers at the former NCP garage in Twickenham, as seen there on 5th November. According to a company list, this van is allocated fleetnumber ST75069, but it is completely anonymous. Twickenham Garage (code NC, and not to be confused with Abellio's Twickenham Garage in Fulwell) has not operated any TfL bus routes for the past few years, but it has remained in use for bus storage and engineering. Then, from 13th November, it started running ten MAN minibuses on a demand-responsive service around Ealing	10/12/2019
2,139		By Ray Monk The trailers are getting smaller, indeed it would be hard to make one smaller than this. Seen in the lorry yard at Acton Works on 21st November 2019, this is a Turbocast 1000 (!), towable salt/grit spreader made by Glasdon. The main part of the trailer is a 500kg capacity hopper made of plastic (Durapol), while a pair of chain-driven, spreading wheels are at the bottom. One notable aspect of this trailer is that it was carrying the registration plate N435CMF. This belonged to the ex-Police Land Rover, which is believed to have been disposed of in 2016. So, presumably the trailer has been in use for a few years, but has not been out on the public highway. Also visible in this photo is the smallest numbered trailer, mini-tanker T70. This was replaced by a new trailer in early 2018, but it has evidently been retained. Visible on the left is the tow-bar of box trailer CBT57. This part of the lorry yard was normally full of facilities vans until the fleet was cut back at the start of 2018. The three remaining facilities vans can be seen in the top right, these being 7675F, 7674F and 6517F. 6517F is now eleven years old, and is one of very few service vehicles to still have Tube Lines branding.	10/12/2019
2,140		By Ray Monk Found in the lorry yard at Acton Works on 23rd November 2019 was this small 2-axle trailer. It was parked next to the box trailer which we now know is CBT57, but its own identity is not known. This type of trailer is mainly used for small plant such as tracked diggers, although this one is usually used to move a mobile hydraulic man-hoist (cherry picker), at least three different examples of which have been found in photos (one with blue booms was used at least from 2007 to 2015, with one with yellow booms before that, and one with green booms from 2016 onwards). The trailer has a red plate (visible here) which states that it was supplied by T N White. However, out of view under the front side of the trailer is another plate which shows the builder to be Ifor Williams. I don't think this trailer is part of the numbered fleet, although it has been around since at least 2011.	10/12/2019
2,141		By Ray Monk Now onto trailers, specifically small trailers, a subject that I like because it often seems to involve mysteries and unknowns. Seen at the bottom end of the lorry yard at Acton Works on 21st November 2019 was a two-axle box trailer in white with LUL 'Engineering services' lettering and the fleetnumber CBT57. This was one of three small trailers that were latterly based at Lillie Bridge for use by the Ventilation section. They were normally used with the mobile generators mounted on Mercedes or Ford chassis, all being replaced by a pair of new Peugeot vans in about 2015. It was thought that the trailers would be disposed of, but in early 2017 one was seen in the lorry yard at Acton Works. We got a close-up look at this in April 2018, but it was reported that it did not carry any identity. Close examination of the details (including the dirt streaks!) seems to confirm that the trailer shown here is the same one, in which case either the number was somehow missed by our correspondent, or it has only recently been re-applied. The trailer is unlikely to have been used since arriving here, and it still has the registration plate KJ03DXA on the back. That mark belonged to Ford Transit 5474F which has not been licensed since early 2016. CBT57 is a Cobul/Indespension 480D trailer that was new in November 1993 (followed a couple of weeks later by similar CBT58) and initially based at Junction Road, Holloway. It still carries its original lettering, this style pre-dating the creation of Tube Lines and Metronet in 2003. It would appear from this photograph that the front bull-bars wrap around the offside but not the nearside. If so, that would make it the trailer on left in Kim's 2008 photograph at Lillie Bridge. Update: I have been looking through photos taken from trains passing Acton Works. In February 2015, three box trailers were here, including two Cobul 480Ds, which I reckon were CBT57 and CBT58. The third was not CBT46 from Lillie Bridge though. It looked rather like CBT64, but it was clearly not that either. By August 2016, that and CBT58 had gone, leaving CBT57 to remain there until now.	10/12/2019
2,142		By Ray Monk Although it may turn out that the Volkswagen Crafter vans accumulating at the Bedfont dealership are not in fact for use as service vehicles, I am including one more photo of them, again taken on 7th December 2019. RE69NCD shows the hazard lights (on each side just below the upper door hinges), the LED light-bar, and the 'Safe-T-bar' rear bumper. The protrusion at the top centre of the rear is believed to house a camera for use when reversing/parking. Three or four similar vans can also be seen here, including RE69NBY on the right.	10/12/2019
2,143		By Ray Monk Another VW Caddy Maxi crew van in unmarked white/blue at the Bedfont dealership on 7th December 2019 was RV69KSE, expected to be licensed on Tuesday the 10th. Another of the large contingent of VW Crafter vans is also present in the form of RE69NBO. Although still in unmarked white, there are a couple of clues that these could indeed be future LBSL IRU vans. They are being fitted with low-profile light-bars (just visible at the rear), and they are having small hazard lights fitted on the front (just above the bumper) and rear.	10/12/2019
2,144		By Ray Monk The Cordwallis Volkswagen dealership in Bedfont is now often on the itinerary of SV-hunters exploring west London, since the yard there often contains vans awaiting delivery to Acton. In recent months a steady stream of Caddy Maxi crew vans has come from here, with more arriving all the time. On 7th December 2019 Ray found lots of vans present, some of which (including RO69VTL shown here) had already had their blue skirts applied. This van was due to be licensed the following Monday. Also visible is a VW Crafter van registered RE69NFC, which we believe may also be destined to be a service vehicle. The large fleet of London Buses Incident Response Unit vans is just about due for replacement. We had heard from an inside source earlier this year that the replacements had been postponed but that they would most likely be VW Crafters and would carry the white-based livery as seen on other recent LBSL service vehicles (such as Toyota Yaris car 8418T).	10/12/2019
2,145		By Malcolm Conway Here is a fine view of LUL Mercedes Econic dustcart WO66HHS, taken in Tottenham Hale Bus Station just after midnight on 4th December 2019. The current fleet of Econic dustcarts comes in 2- or 3-axle versions, with bodywork by two different companies. WO66HHS is a 3-axle Econic with a compactor made by NTM.	10/12/2019
2,146		By Ray Monk 9036F was one of two Ford Mondeo estate cars delivered at the end of November 2019. On the 30th it was in the Acton Works car park, presumably awaiting collection by its user.	10/12/2019
2,147		By Ray Monk Among the '2020 Facelift' Ford Transit vans delivered in November/December 2019 was 9012F, a long-wheelbase, mid-height crew van given LUL livery. It was seen on the stub road at Acton Works on 7th December 2019.	10/12/2019
2,148		By Ray Monk Unexpected arrivals at the end of November were two Ford Mondeo estate cars. 9011F was seen outside the vehicle preparation shed at Acton Works on 28th November 2019, having just been given LUL livery. Similar 9036F was still inside being worked on. The Ford Mondeo has been a constant, but by no means common, part of the central fleet since 1994. By early 2019 there was only one left in the fleet (8283F), so these new arrivals have tripled the amount. Note that the 'new' Mondeo now has a grille shape similar to that on other Ford models.	10/12/2019
2,149		By Ray Monk Another Toyota Prius car arrived in the first week of December 2019 and, like most of the others, was given LUL livery, though it was the first of its type to get a number in the 9000s. 9004T was found in the corner of the car park at Acton Works on 7th December 2019.	10/12/2019
2,150		By Ray Monk Yet more VW Caddy Maxi crew vans were delivered in November 2019, including this pair seen on the stub road in Acton Works on the 21st. Although still in un-lettered white/blue, RK69TWX was reported in service four days later, in LUL livery and with the 'special' fleetnumber of 9000VW. RK69TWZ parked behind has yet to be seen with a number.	10/12/2019
2,151		By Colin Smith The new Ford Transit dropside trucks delivered in November 2019 were all to the pre-2020 facelift design, and they are likely to all be for use by LUL. 8987F was found near the Gunnersbury Lane entrance to Acton Works on 19th November, when it was just over a week old. Bollo House can be seen in the left background, on the other side of the tube tracks. There are plans to redevelop the TfL-owned land on which this sits, and also the rest of the land along Bollo Lane as far as the level crossings. If this goes ahead, the main road entrance to Acton Works will have to be moved. The roadway seen here comes out beside Acton Town station and could perhaps be used, though it is rather narrow. The only other possibility would be the creation of a new access road across the old sports ground in the south-west corner of the works and coming out on Gunnersbury Avenue.	10/12/2019
2,152		By Ray Monk As already mentioned, at least a dozen new Ford Transit dropside trucks were delivered in November 2019. All seem to be to the same configuration (long-wheelbase with a single cab and tail-lift) and all have registration numbers in the LR69C-- series. The fleetnumbers are however somewhat spread out, suggesting that these were ordered in ones and twos, some quite a while ago. Seen in Acton Works on 16th November 2019 were 8989F (on the left) and 8938F.	10/12/2019
2,153		By Ray Monk From the rear, the only change with the '2020 Facelift' of the Mk8 Ford Transit van appears to be the stop light at the top. Previously flush with the bodywork (as seen on 8843F), it is now fitted in a prominent black housing. This view also usefully shows the differences between the medium-wheelbase (on the left) and long-wheelbase (right) variants, most noticeably that the door runner extends to the rear on the former. 8916F (on the left) and 9053F (on the right) are both mid-height crew vans and were photographed in the DSM yard at Acton Works on 7th December 2019.	10/12/2019
2,154		By Ray Monk At the end of November 2019 deliveries of Ford Transit Mk8 vans resumed after a break of several months. The new vans were the first to the '2020 Facelift' design, with a slightly revised shape to the front grille. The change to the shape is quite hard to describe in simple terms, and it would be easier to just compare this view with earlier photos such as this one of 8648F. The new shape seem to be a 'motif' that is also seen on the latest version of several other Ford models. Perhaps an easier means of recognising the new Transit is the fact that there is now no body colour between the grille and the bumper. 8844F is a medium-wheelbase, mid-height van, first licensed on 2nd December 2019 and seen 5 days later at Acton Works in full LUL livery.	10/12/2019
2,155		By Malcolm Conway Ford Transit Custom crew van 8747F, one of the batch assigned to the Lifts and Escalators section nominally at Frank Pick House, was found parked near Victoria Station on the night of 3rd December 2019. It was keeping company with VW Caddy vans 8866VW and 8867VW, both of which are often to be found in the Victoria area at night.	10/12/2019
2,156		By Ray Monk Renault Kangoo van 8727R was seen in the car park at Acton Works on 8th December 2018 when just a couple of days old. The Tramlink operation received nine new service vehicles in autumn 2018, and it appears that their fleet must have grown as fewer vehicles than that appeared to have been replaced. 8727R spent a couple of weeks here before being delivered, but it was back at the works barely a year later, being parked in the lorry yard with accident damage in November 2019.	10/12/2019
2,157		By Paul Nicholls On a murky 28th November 2019, Ford Transit dropside truck 8592F was found at Upminster Depot. This photo was taken from the public car park on Front Lane, although I don't recall SVs being parked in this area in the past. 8592F is a long-wheelbase Transit with a single-cab and tail-lift and it was new in May 2018. The few sightings reported suggest that Upminster is its home base.	10/12/2019
2,158		By Ray Monk Another mystery at Acton Works, this time on 16th November 2019. 8381VW is a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van based at Edgware Track Depot and is one of a batch of five numbered 8380VW to 8384VW. There may actually be six there but 8385VW has never been reported since delivery. Anyway, when seen at Acton, 8381VW had livery on the rear but the side was in unmarked white/blue and there was no LUL roundel on the bonnet. The van had been noted a week or so earlier, leaving the works on a low-loader. It is presumed that it had had an accident and was being taken away for repairs. It is further assumed that all the offside panels (and bonnet) required replacement, hence the loss of the livery. It is still further assumed (!) that the red stripe and lettering were re-applied at Acton before the van was dispatched back to Edgware. Interestingly, sister van 8380VW was also seen at Acton a couple of weeks later, but with no signs of damage.	10/12/2019
2,159		By Ray Monk Ray has had some interesting finds on his recent visits to Acton Works, perhaps none more so than this photo taken on 30th November 2019. The subject is a Smart Fortwo car registered WU17JSV. This was noted at Acton (albeit not clearly) when new in 2017 and it was the 17th (and now sole) Smart car in the numbered fleet. But the number is a problem. Official lists show the car as being numbered 8349SM, which fits in with its age. However, as this photo shows, it actually carries number 8176SM. Things are actually even muddier than that, as we have attributed the number 8176 to Mercedes Sprinter van WX65VRV. Although the van does carry this number (8176M), it appears on official lists as being a second to be allocated the number 8140M, which means that the number 8176 was 'officially' available. And there's more! Van WX65VRV was originally allocated number 8147M, which did remain unused once the new number (or one of them at least) was assigned. So, um... Another confusion with this car is the livery. The black parts are panels rather than painted, so the livery has been listed as white. The rear tailgate and bumper are mainly white. Earlier Smarts had a combination of silver and black panels around the rear corners, as seen on 7625SM. The final mystery is where this car is allocated, though I suspect it may be based out at Rickmansworth, a small car being visible there in Google aerial photos.	10/12/2019
2,160		By Ray Monk Cowering in the far corner of the Acton Works car park on 5th November 2019, this never-before-seen Renault Kangoo van had tried to hide itself under some leaves. Very little is known about the allocation, habits and mating rituals of this 3-year old van.	10/12/2019
2,161		By Ray Monk While the Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van is becoming ubiquitous, here is a VW type that remains rare. The Golf car has seen limited used in estate form since 2004, with 29 examples in the liveried fleet at different times. However, there have been just four of the hatchback variant, one pair arriving in September 2016 and another in April 2017. 8340VW is from the former and was photographed in Acton Works on 28th November 2019. Sightings of this car (and the other three hatchbacks) have been infrequent and the allocations are not known.	10/12/2019
2,162		By Malcolm Conway Seen on Fencepiece Road in Hainault on 16th October 2019 was Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8198VW, allocated to the nearby LUL depot. This model is becoming a 'standard' feature of the central fleet, with over a hundred in current stock. The bus in the background still has the colour-coded route branding, applied as a trial in 2017 to all the routes serving Barkingside. Many of the buses have since lost the branding or been replaced, although a second trial was launched in Hayes (west London) in 2018.	10/12/2019
2,163		By Ray Monk Withdrawal of the fourteen Mercedes Sprinter crew vans new to LUL in autumn 2015 may be expected soon and Stratford Market Depot's 8143M was seen at Acton Works on 30th November 2019. Having said that, it may not have been here for decommissioning, since it was parked close to the Electrical Engineering section rather than in the DSM Van Yard.	10/12/2019
2,164		By Ray Monk Ford Transit dropside truck 7992F from the Lillie Bridge allocation was seen in Acton Works on 16th November 2019. Quite a few Mk8 dropside trucks have been disposed of already, including some newer than this one, so withdrawal may be the reason for the truck's presence. It does seem that the crew cab Mk8 Transit dropside has not been found satisfactory by LUL, with all but one of the additions in the past three years having single cabs only (even those which are known to have replaced older crew-cab trucks).	10/12/2019
2,165		By Stuart Hicks I haven't published any photos of LBSL IRU vans recently, mainly because all the current fleet has already been shown. However, time may be running out for these vans, most of which are over four-and-a-half years old. Some photos later in today's set will explain more about this. For now though, here is a fine view of 7884M at Finsbury Park Bus Station on 3rd December 2019.	10/12/2019
2,166		By Ray Monk Edgware Track Depot has an allocation of about twenty service vehicles. It is hard to be exact since the depot is impossible to see into, as mentioned here recently. Other than night-time visits to Camden Town, the best way to see their vans might be to wait until they turn up at Acton Works. One of the allocation is VW Caddy Maxi crew van 7803VW, one of three new in April 2014. Sister 7804VW had an early demise in January 2016, perhaps as a result of an accident, while 7805VW is a rarity for having been photographed outside in daylight! On 23rd November 2019, 7803VW was parked next to Transit 8530F in Acton Works, perhaps indicating that it had just been replaced by one of the similar VWs delivered earlier in the month. The 'No Tools...' notices are not standard but have been seen on a couple of Edgware vans. Note also the one-piece rear tailgate.	10/12/2019
2,167		By Ray Monk Another recently replaced Transit dropside truck seen at Acton Works was 7699F on 23rd November 2019. This example was not as elusive as some of the others, having been based at Lillie Bridge. A couple of the new (Mk8) Transit dropsides are also visible in this view, including 8988F on the right with its fuel filler flap open.	10/12/2019
2,168		By Ray Monk After a gap of a couple of months, deliveries of new Ford Transits resumed in November 2019, first up being about a dozen dropside trucks. Photos of some will appear later in this set but first we can take a look at some of the replaced vehicles. As normal, these returned to Acton for decommissioning and disposal, as with 7471F seen in the works on November 9th. Although very nearly seven years old, this truck has only been reported a couple of times and is believed to have been based at Ruislip. Noting which vehicles are withdrawn can help determine where the new vehicles are likely to have been allocated. It does seem that several of the dropside trucks on the way out were from outer 'Metroland' (primarily Ruislip and Rickmansworth).	10/12/2019
2,169		By Stuart Hicks Ray noticed a couple of the ERU's Volvo rescue tenders having 'adverts' applied at Acton Works in early November, and this photo seems to provide an explanation. Taking part in the Lord Mayor's Show on the 9th was tender 2606, decorated with posters on the roller shutters and a huge poppy on the front grille.	10/12/2019
2,170		By Ray Monk As well as a sizeable fleet of vans in white/green/yellow, the Docklands Light Railway service vehicle fleet includes at least two of these Kia Niro hybrid-electric cars in black with white lettering. Fleetnumber 031 is carried by FP68GCY, seen at the far north-east end of the Poplar Depot (off Harrow Lane) on 28th September 2019. The parking marker on the fence behind shows that this space is reserved for the Signal Installation Team, although the DLR does not use conventional railway signals. Having said, a fairly normal signal is visible in the background, these presumably being needed within the depot confines, where trains would be driven manually.	30/10/2019
2,171		By Ray Monk For several years Metroline has used former buses as crew rest rooms at bus termini which lack suitable facilities, such as East Acton and Greenford. Step-entrance Dennis Darts DP274 and DP275 were used from about 2010 but when Ray visited East Acton on 19th October 2019 he found ADL Enviro 200 bus DES799 (LK07BEU) in use. As with the previous Darts, at least one table has been fitted and some of the seats turned around. The vehicle most likely works from West Perivale garage, despite carrying the PB code of Potters Bar. According to LOTS, DES799 was converted for this purpose in mid-2018. It is not yet known if there is a second example.	30/10/2019
2,172		By Ray Monk Quite a few new cars have been seen doing crew ferry work from Dartford garage recently. Annoyingly, many have been unmarked, meaning we have to be careful about publishing information in case it turns out that they belong to members of staff. Ray visited on 22nd October 2019 and photographed several, including white Vauxhall Astra SRI Turbo hatchback SG19MYB. Although the somewhat sporty specification would be unusual for a company vehicle, similar SG19NBJ (in unmarked black) was also noted. They could still just be short-term hires of course...	30/10/2019
2,173		By Ray Monk Arriva London's Dartford garage seems to have been going through a lot of crew ferry cars recently. One that was transferred in was Vauxhall Corsa 3-door hatchback HK63YYB, new in 2014 to Edmonton garage but used from Barking/Dagenham for the past few years. As with some of the other Barking cars, it carries its fleetnumber on a paper in the windscreen. It was seen near Dartford garage on 22nd October 2019.	30/10/2019
2,174		By Ray Monk Recently added to the Arriva Southern Counties operation at Northfleet were three Peugeot vehicles given paper fleetnumbers TV01 to TV03. They are used for crew ferry work so perhaps the prefix TV stands for Transfer Vehicle? TV01 (seen here, although the number does not appear to be carried) and TV02 are Peugeot Expert Tepees, which fall into the hinterland between large estate cars and small minibuses. Note the Arriva Transport Solutions markings, indicating that the vehicles were transferred from one of the group's PTS (Patient Transfer Services) operations. Ray visited Northfleet on 23rd September 2019 and waited an hour for this vehicle to emerge.	30/10/2019
2,175		By Ray Monk Although deliveries have slowed down of late, there is evidence that a large number of vehicles are still on order. These two Volkswagens seen on the stub road at Acton Works on 10th October 2019 were both in service in LUL livery within a week. The Caddy Maxi van in front (RK69TXJ) was given the fleetnumber 9001VW, but the Transporter minibus behind (RK69TXN) got the surprisingly high number 9105VW.	30/10/2019
2,176		By Ray Monk After a bit of a flurry in the autumn, deliveries of new vehicles for the central fleet seemed to slow down again in October, with just a handful of Volkswagens being noted. Delivered earlier that week, two Caddy Maxi crew vans were found on the stub road at Acton Works on 26th October 2019, already treated to LUL markings. To the fore is 8978VW with 8983VW behind. I was going to comment that these lacked the EU blue stripe on the registration plates but then I noticed that quite a variety of vehicles new over the past few years have been the same.	30/10/2019
2,177		By Ray Monk Several of the nine-plus Toyota Prius cars delivered in mid-September 2019 were still at Acton Works towards the end of the month. Seen in the car park on the 26th were 8892T, 8889T and 8886T.	30/10/2019
2,178		By Ray Monk In the Acton Works car park on a damp 24th October 2019 was Ford Transit Courier van 8766F, one of nine new for the Lifts and Escalators fleet in July 2019. The Courier is the smallest model in the Transit range, though Ford do also offer a van version of the Fiesta car, as shown by 8317F parked alongside (similar 8352F being in the left background).	30/10/2019
2,179		By Malcolm Conway It doesn't look like I am going to manage a night-trip this year (and it is getting too cold for my old bones now), but luckily I do still get some nocturnal photos to show. Parked near Victoria station on 15th September 2019 was Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8737R, one of a trio all based at Stratford Market Depot.	30/10/2019
2,180		By Ray Monk Volkswagen Transporter crew van 8707VW has already been shown on LTSV, parked at the dealership before delivery. Ray found it in the car park at Acton Works on 15th October 2019. Obviously it now carries full livery, but it has also lost the roof rack it had in the earlier photo. The one report of this vehicle in service was at Earl's Court, and I did wonder if it was allocated to Earl's Court Gardens. Vehicles numbered 8700VW to 8708VW seem to have mainly replaced Peugeot Partner Tepee estates 7448P to 7455P, which had been divided between Earl's Court and Barking (Wakering Road). If 8707VW is at Earl's Court, it would be a tight squeeze into the tiny yard, and perhaps the limited headroom required the removal of the roof-rack...	30/10/2019
2,181		By Ray Monk The 'jumbo' version of the Mk8 Ford Transit has not been very common in the central fleet, just 6 having been delivered so far, of which 4 have already been withdrawn. As such, the largest common Ford Transit is the long-wheelbase high-roof variant, as typified by crew van 8673F at Acton Works on 19th October 2019.	30/10/2019
2,182		By Keith Grimes LUL took 26 Toyota Prius hybrid cars during 2017, some of which have proved elusive. 8585T was not reported at all until Keith found it parked on Crestfield Street (opposite King's Cross Station) on 28th September 2019.	30/10/2019
2,183		By Ray Monk 8487F is a fairly standard-looking Ford Transit Custom van in LUL livery, seen parked outside building AC-26 at Acton Works (with the van yard in the background) on 19th October 2019.	30/10/2019
2,184		By Ray Monk Perhaps the single most common type of vehicle to be seen at Acton Works these days is the Ford Transit Mk8 van, although there is a little variety in their configuration, length and height. 8286F (seen at Acton on 26th October 2019) is a medium-wheelbase, mid-height crew van while 8406F parked behind is a long-wheelbase, high-roof van with roof-rack, more normally to be found at Hainault.	30/10/2019
2,185		By Ray Monk The Volkswagen Caddy Maxi van (and crew van) is now a very common type in the central fleet, although the vast majority are diesel-powered. 8265VW, seen at Acton Works on 26th October 2019, is one of three petrol-engined vans new in winter 2016/2017. It has been noted at various locations (including Templar House in Holborn), usually at night. Parked on the right is another Caddy Maxi van, diesel 8686VW being newer but not reported since it entered service in September 2018. On the left is the area used to park the LBSL vans allocated here.	30/10/2019
2,186		By Ray Monk New in October 2016, Volkswagen Golf estate car 8253VW was only reported once during the next three years, meaning we have no idea where it is allocated. As often happens, it was eventually photographed when it made a visit to Acton Works, as seen outside the 'CDS' offices on 5th October 2019.	30/10/2019
2,187		By Malcolm Conway The two Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Incident Response Vehicles based at the Palestra in Southwark are only very rarely seen out and about, although fortunately visits to Acton Works have enabled us to show both on LTSV. Malcolm found 8205VW at Notting Hill Gate Station on 11th August 2019.	30/10/2019
2,188		By Ray Monk I think I may have slipped up with this vehicle. Two Skoda Octavia estates were delivered in October 2016 and were noted in the Acton Works car park with LUL roundels on their bonnets. They were later transferred to Westdown Road (Leyton), where they were eventually photographed. Co-incidentally, the sides of the cars were not visible at either location, and I seem to have made the assumption that they carried normal white/blue/red livery. However, Ray found 8184S in the car park of Acton Works on 5th October 2019 and it was clearly in plain white. Looking back at the Leyton photo, it is notable that the two Skodas lack the blue/red striping on the rear, as carried by the two VW Golf estates also allocated here. It seems likely that the other Skoda (8218S) was/is also plain white.	30/10/2019
2,189		By Ray Monk LUL took delivery of fourteen Mercedes Sprinter crew vans in 2015, numbered from 8134M upwards, with three being reallocated higher numbers 8176M to 8178M before entering service. Most of the batch were based at Stratford Market Depot and were night-time vehicles, meaning that several have never been photographed. Ray found 8145M at Acton Works on 26th October 2019, perhaps as a prelude to withdrawal.	30/10/2019
2,190		By Derek Everson 8076 was one of a trio (8075 to 8077) of Ford Transit Custom vans new in September 2015 that operated with suffix-less fleetnumbers. It is believed that they were based at Pelham Street (South Kensington), although they were generally only ever seen on the road at night. Replaced by newer 8876F to 8878F in September 2019, 8076 was seen awaiting sale at BCA Blackbushe on 3rd October.	30/10/2019
2,191		By Malcolm Conway At nearly four years, 7988F is now the oldest Mk8 Transit dropside in the leased fleet, although it does pretend to be somewhat younger by carrying the incorrect fleetnumber 8172F on both sides. Based at Lillie Bridge and fitted with a tail-lift (but no crew-cab), it was photographed at Tottenham Hale Station just after midnight on 9th October 2019.	30/10/2019
2,192		By Bob Milner Like the example at Merton, Stockwell Garage's new engineering van (Ford Transit Custom van EF19HFR) does not have company lettering, though it has gained large Buses roundels. It was seen at home on 31st August 2019.	25/09/2019
2,193		By Ray Monk As well as taking loads of Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses, Go-Ahead London has also renewed much of its engineering van fleet in recent months. The Ford Transit Custom is the standard choice, most being short-wheelbase, high-roof examples. All are in red with a yellow 'safety' stripe at waist height. EF19HFP is based at Merton Garage and is one of several which have not yet gained any lettering. On 16th September 2019 Ray caught the van entering its home garage. Note that the SE class bus behind is parked rather precariously against the traffic flow.	25/09/2019
2,194		By Ray Monk Information on bus company service vehicles comes from a variety of sources. The most common (and generally the most reliable) is sightings and photographs submitted by contributors, to whom I am grateful. Some companies provide fleetlist information to LOTS and, where this contains information on service vehicles, it is normally passed on to me. It has to be said though that these lists are often somewhat inaccurate and/or out of date. A third source is the internet, though finding relevant information and photos is often a case of luck more than anything else. While looking through Flickr for something completely unrelated earlier this year, I came across some photos of Ensignbus service vehicles that had not previously been reported. There were three of them, all in plain white as opposed to the normal fleet livery of blue and silver. Two were Renault Kangoo vans, the third a Peugeot Partner car, and all were numbered in the recently introduced 8xx series. 804 was Kangoo van LC66FKJ, possibly operated since it was new in October 2016. Ray found the van at Lakeside Bus Station in Essex on 10th September 2019. Vehicles with fleetnumbers 802, 806 and 809 onwards have not yet been reported.	25/09/2019
2,195		By John Schofield Sullivan Buses is one of several small operators around the country that have adopted practices traditional to London Transport, such as the use of prefixed-fleetnumbers. Taking things a step further, they recently introduced a Lincoln Green livery for the buses on one of their commercial services (the 306 from Watford to Borehamwood). This shade was used by London Transport for all of its 'country' area vehicles until the operations were hived-off to form London Country Bus Services in 1970. To support their commercial routes, Sullivan Buses obtained a fifth Renault Zoe electric car in autumn 2019, and this was given the fleetnumber EC5 (for Electric Car). While earlier EC1 to EC4 carry a red livery with details of the operator's TfL routes on the sides, EC5 was painted (or more accurately 'wrapped') in Lincoln Green, and has branding for routes 306, 398 and B3. The leaf logos (for 'green' vehicles) are also carried, though changed from green to an autumnal orange/yellow to sit better on the base colour. The new addition was photographed at the South Mimms operating base on 21st September 2019. It has to be said that this shade of green, which is fine on something like an RMC bus, looks a bit odd on a modern car.	25/09/2019
2,196		By London Spotter Go-Ahead London currently has over 50 Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses and crew vans for use as crew ferry vehicles, about half of which have been new in the past year. The oldest remaining examples date from 2013 and had been new to Metrobus in white livery. Although many of these have subsequently been transferred elsewhere within the operation, several have continued to carry their Metrobus names and fleetnumbers. This can be seen on 8059 (RJ62ZHD), parked at Northumberland Park Garage on 18th September 2019. 8059 had spent about three years working from Orpington, then a further three years at Silvertown. Parked alongside was RF19UZO, one of the numerous new examples, all of which are in unmarked red.	25/09/2019
2,197		By Google Depots for tube trains need a lot of space and hence are generally in the outer parts of London, where land could be purchased more economically. There are a couple of small depots in inner London, two being within a mile of each other. The Waterloo and City line does not really have the option of a suburban base, so makes do with a cramped location underground at Waterloo. Half a mile south of this is the London Road depot of the Bakerloo line, whose main operating centre is out at Stonebridge Park. The inner London depot is presumably still useful to enable trains to start from (near) either end of the line first thing in the morning. Tracks diverge from the running lines just north of Lambeth North Station, rising to 'sub-surface' level before emerging into daylight at the depot. As can be seen, the depot comprises two fans of sidings, set at an angle, the northern-most sidings being covered by a shed. In the space between the sidings is a split-level yard, with a roadway ramp connecting the two levels. There are archways into the space underneath where the vehicles park but it doesn't look as though that area is used for anything. Road access to the depot is by a narrow alleyway between the houses and the old depot building, top centre in this view. The interesting thing about this photo is the service vehicles. The vehicle yard can be seen in the distance from passing buses and I had once counted ten vehicles parked there, thinking that this must be about the maximum. This photo shows that up to 17 vehicles could actually be accommodated, with 15 being present at the time of the photo. Two or three of these are unmarked cars but the remainder appear to be LUL vehicles. The image resolution is not good enough to be certain of the types but I reckon there are two Mk8 Transits, one Transit Custom, 6 small crew vans (probably VW Caddy Maxis), one other small van (possibly a Kangoo), one Peugeot Partner Tepee estate and one white car which could be an LUL Fiesta or Yaris. Finally, the chunky vehicle near the top of the ramp looks like a Ford Ranger with a hard-top, possibly 8078F.	25/09/2019
2,198		By Ray Monk Oh crumbs! It's another 'grey-area' service vehicle. Let me explain... In 1996, a 99-year contract to build, operate and maintain a tram network centred on Croydon was awarded to Tramtrack Croydon, a consortium of companies which included FirstGroup-owned London bus operator Centrewest. There were very few reports of service vehicles used during this early period, just a couple of white vans, and a silver Ford Ranger acquired in 2007. In 2008 TfL bought out the consortium, becoming the owner of the network while granting FirstGroup a franchise to continue to operate the tram services until the year 2030. Central fleet service vehicles started to be allocated to support the network, initially in plain white but later in Tramlink-branded white/blue/green. The Ranger was retained as well but was eventually replaced in 2017 by the Ford Transit van shown here. BN67FBG is a Mk8 crew van, unmarked but with 'Tramlink Incident Vehicle' on a notice on the dashboard. I added it to the LTSV database as a central fleet vehicle, though I now believe it is a 'grey', perhaps being operated by FirstGroup. It could be that work on the infrastructure is handled by the TfL vehicles, while this van deals with operational matters.	25/09/2019
2,199		By Google Various locations had allocations of Bus Infrastructure vans until about 2018, notably Orpington, Stratford and Uxbridge. However, the vehicles then 'disappeared' to locations unknown, following the transfer of the operation from London Buses to TfL Asset Management. Ray made enquiries and was told that the Stratford vans had moved north to Pickett's Lock, but searches of aerial photographs did not yield the actual location. I tried again more recently and found the location shown here, very close to the actual Pickett's Lock (a lock on the 'canal' known as River Lee Navigation). Two of the LBSL red VW Caddy Maxi vans are clearly visible, along with a number of white cars and vans. This image was presumably captured during 2018, since most of the Caddy vans were disposed of in January 2019. I don't yet know what vehicles have replaced them. It could be vans in London Highways Alliance livery, or some with TfL lettering like the one at Morden. Or it could even be some of the 14 TfL Toyota Yaris cars delivered in spring 2019 (8836T to 8842T and 8893T to 8899T), which have been notably absent from reports since. As the location certainly has had an allocation of 'real' SVs - even though we don't know which actual ones they were - I have added it to the database as Picketts Lock Highways Alliance, with a code of PLA. A similar yard in Harlesden, which also had a pair of ex-LBSL Caddy vans, has been added as HNA (Harlesden Highways Alliance).	25/09/2019
2,200		By London Spotter The third livery seen on cars at North Greenwich Highways Alliance depot was TfL silver, as seen on Hyundai Ioniq hybrid car MK19FLC and similar MA68WHV. As mentioned when I published a photo of this car a few months ago, I am not certain that these are suitable for inclusion in the LTSV database, although the distinction is more administrative than visual. In terms of LTSV, the 'central fleet' is defined as the vehicles procured and managed by CDS/Distribution Services for use by the various departments of LT/TfL. Vehicles operated by contractors are grouped as 'other company', even if they carry 'proper' liveries (as was the case with L100JMH, GM03TOW and GN58KTX, the three recovery trucks that carried LBSL red). Having said that, some were added to the database as central fleet vehicles because their status was not known at the time. Among these were four silver Ford Mondeos new in 2007 (some of which later gained Enterprise Mouchel labels), and several Toyota Prius hybrids (such as white MA07GPU and silver MV58YTH). There are more anomalies. The London Safety Camera Partnership initially used central fleet vehicles (such as van 6120F). Their latest vans (one of which is GK65RZC) were added to the database as central fleet vehicles, although it is now believed that they are managed and operated directly by the Metropolitan Police. So, um, let me think about it....	25/09/2019

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