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| Count | Photo | Details | Added  |
| 5,001 |  |
By Ray Monk Parked on Museum Way, Acton (outside the Track and Signals Operations Centre) on 7th October 2010 was Tube Lines liveried Vauxhall Astra van 6865V. Once a common type in the leased fleet, only around half a dozen have been taken in the past three years. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,002 |  |
By Malcolm Conway 6839V is one of three silver Vauxhall Combo vans new in January 2008 and initially operated without fleetnumbers by TfL Highways. In mid-2009 they were transferred to Tube Lines and given contemporary fleetnumbers. They can often be seen buzzing around Acton Works, as here on 30th July 2010. Note the curious appearance of the Tube Lines logos on the silver bodywork. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,003 |  |
By Colin Lloyd London Buses Infrastructure took seven high-roof Volkswagen Transporter vans in late 2009. Two are based at Stratford Bus Station, including 6825VW photographed on Great Eastern Road (near the Bus Station) on 23rd October 2010. Others are based at Kingston, Orpington and Uxbridge, while one (6822VW) has not yet been tracked down. Shortly after delivery the fleetnames were changed from 'Infrastructure Development' to 'Bus Infrastructure'. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,004 |  |
By Malcolm Conway 6695M is unique in the central fleet as the only Mercedes-Benz Sprinter dropside truck, although some broadly similar vehicles were in the owned fleet until the late 1990s. It was caught entering Acton Works on 30th July 2010. Note the Anteo tail-lift, and the curious rear light clusters. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,005 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Today's update includes no fewer than 8 Vauxhall Combo vans. First up is London Underground liveried 6667V, photographed at Aldwych on 27th August 2010. This Hainault-based van is rarely seen in central London. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,006 |  |
By Thomas Young When new in September 2008, 6602VW was one of a pair of VW Transporter vans allocated to the TfL Highways operation based at Carlisle Lane, Waterloo, for which it was appropriately lettered. This base was vacated later in the year, and the unit itself appears to have closed down in 2009 or 2010. The two vans were seen occasionally afterwards although it was not until 16th October 2010 that we were able to find out what had happened to 6602VW. On that date there was an open day at the LT Museum Depot in Acton, and 6602VW was found parked in the rear yard with the two education department Iveco exhibition units. As can be seen, it had had its lettering removed (apart from the fleetnumber), and was coupled to the small trailer used for schools visits. Note that the parking bay is still marked with the registration number of earlier Ford Transit 5494F. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,007 |  |
By Thomas Young This photo highlights an error I made in the naming of the locations at Acton Town. Shown is the first building that you come to along Museum Way. In the past I had named this as Maxwell House and gave it the code ACM. However, the blue sign to the right (with the Metronet logo covered over) shows that Maxwell House, along with Hearne House, is in fact further along the road, behind the Museum Depot. The sign above names the location as the Track and Signals Operations Centre, with an address of Ealing Common Depot, Gunnersbury Lane. Ealing Common depot does adjoin this sight but there is no internal road connection. As such, I will retain this as a separate location with the code ACM now standing for Acton Museum Way. Lurking inside on 16th October 2010 was Vauxhall Combo van 6507V. There is also a large yard at the rear of the building, accessed through the blue gates just visible on the right, while vehicles also often park on the grass outside. Note the rather extreme security measures on the tall walls and gates. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,008 |  |
By Ray Monk A delivery of Toyota Priuses to London Buses in summer 2010 displaced at least two of the Honda Civic hybrid cars leased in 2007. This pair have had their light-bars and lettering removed, but appear to still be in use, operating now from Acton Works perhaps as staff cars. The vehicle formerly known as 6298H was found parked on Bollo Lane on 7th October 2010. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,009 |  |
By Kim Rennie 2007 saw 11 deliveries to the owned fleet, of which 10 were Mercedes-Benz Atego rescue tenders. The odd man out was Iveco EuroCargo dropside lorry 2602. Such vehicles are mainly used to carry tube train components and they can therefore be seen visiting various depots around the system. On 25th August 2009, 2602 was found at Upminster depot, with its side doors dropped. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,010 |  |
By Malcolm Conway The most distinctive vehicles in the central lorry fleet are the ten Mercedes-Benz Atego rescue tenders, which (livery aside) resemble fire engines. Two each are allocated to Battersea, Camden and Stratford, the remainder being based at Acton works (two 'live' and two spares). Short-cabbed 2601 was caught entering the works on 30th July 2010. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,011 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Crane-fitted Mercedes-Benz Actros artic 2591 was bought in 2006 for a specific role (transporting and unloading containers loaded with tunnel shoring equipment), but it does see more general use as well. The first photo to show this vehicle on the road is this one taken outside Acton Works on 30th July 2010. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,012 |  |
By Keith Grimes 738J is one of several AEC Regent breakdown tenders that survived into preservation. It was present at the Willesden Garage open day on 9th October 2010 but my photos were not very good. Luckily I also recently received this fine view taken at the Cobham Museum open day on 11th April 2010. |
24/11/2010 |
| 5,013 |  |
By Thomas Young On 24th September 2010 I paid a visit to the recently relocated Kings Cross garage operated by Metroline. The new base is sandwiched between the railway lines north of the station and is really small, with no covered accommodation and on-site parking for (I would estimate) no more than 25 buses. Presumably the remainder are parked on the approach road at night. Apart from a couple of plain crew ferry cars (which have already been illustrated here) the only vehicle present that was of relevance to LTSV was this small truck (a French-built Aixam Mega MultiTruck), operated by Tara Support Services. As has already been shown, this company does a fair bit of work for Metroline. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,014 |  |
By Ray Monk Sovereign Recovery has employed Ford Transits of various sizes over the past few years, all carrying a white livery with extensive red and/or green signwriting. EJ57DFY, seen at Aldgate Bus Station on 22nd September 2010, is a long-wheelbase high-roof example. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,015 |  |
By Richard Davis Sovereign Recovery is the primary bus recovery contractor in London, but they also perform other work. A recent addition to the non-bus fleet is a Mercedes-Benz Axor with the personalised registration BU51TOW. As can be seen this has a tilting flat-bed of the kind used to recover cars and light trucks. It was photographed at Edmonton on 5th September 2010 parked in front of DAF GN09ENF. A similar flatbed was photographed at Edmonton in 2006 (RN02FZF). |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,016 |  |
By John Hillman This vehicle has been illustrated before, but not in this form. Ford D0710 lorry BNJ92T was bought by London Country in 1979 as their fleetnumber 35F. It was given the body from one of the four Ford Thames Trader tree-loppers inherited from London Transport (1241F-1244F). Comparison with photographs of the latter vehicles (such as 1241F and similar 1245F) show that several changes were made. Most noticeable a cut-out was provided above the cab, due to the tilting cab fitted to the D series. The shape of the side valances supporting the overhang was changed from curved to angled, while the main body skirting seems to have been lowered considerably. 35F was photographed at Hemel Hempstead garage on 19th June 1982, with an unidentified D-series lorry behind. In December 1984 both 34F and 35F were given new tree-lopper bodies of a boxier design. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,017 |  |
By John Hillman Photographed in rail mode at Ealing Common depot on 25th September 1993, Unimog L84 (A456NWX) uses its road wheels to provide traction on the railheads. The tiny rail wheels are only for guidance. The large air cylinders behind the cab are thought to be to provide train braking when coupled to rail rolling stock. Both this vehicle and similar L85 (C622EWT) remain in stock in 2010 but seem to be out of use at Lillie Bridge. Which reminds me, I really must publish a photo of L85... |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,018 |  |
By John Hillman Unimog A456NWX was new in 1983 (although first licensed in 1984) and given the number L84 in the railway locomotive series. Fitted with road-rail equipment it was used as a depot shunter at Ealing Common and Lillie Bridge, being photographed at the former on 25th September 1993. The rail wheels are seen here in the raised position, and a coupling bar has been attached to the front. Note the high-level exhaust pipe (nearside middle) and air intake (offside front). |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,019 |  |
By Thomas Young The first '60 registered service vehicles were slow to appear (compared to the spate of '10s seen on 1st March 2010). Three were reported by London Spotter on 15th September but then nothing until 29th, when one of those three was found parked on Northumberland Avenue at the frankly unethical time of 3.42am! Now with the fleetnumber 6960F, and full London Underground livery, LT60YNY is a Ford Focus estate. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,020 |  |
By Thomas Young Another low-roof Transit crew van, oh how exciting! This one is at least well exposed and a decent composition. 6957F was new in June 2010, carries London Underground livery, and was photographed parked on Harcourt Street on the night of 29th September 2010. Just over 40 service vehicles were seen in this area in the hour up to midnight. Eleven of these were then seen again as we drove around central London, though 6957F was not one of them. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,021 |  |
By Thomas Young This was the first successful photograph I took on the night of 29th September 2010, the subject being London Underground liveried Ford Transit Connect van 6956F parked on York Street near Griffith House. I got the white balance right and gave it a 15 second exposure (luckily nothing drove in front during this) at f2.8. The results are quite pleasant, although could almost be mistaken for a daylight shot. Interestingly I also shot this at f8 over 50 seconds but the results were a lot darker. For convenience I reduced the exposure for later shots down to about 2 seconds, relying on post-editing to improve the balance. The larger aperture required did not result in any noticeable loss of depth of field. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,022 |  |
By Ray Monk Spot the difference 2. Mid-height Transit crew van on a residential street. 6930F was photographed on Little Heath Road in Bexleyheath on 20th August 2010. All the numbers reported between 6907 and 6939 have been on Transit crew vans similar to this one. The batch appears to be divided into two, the lower numbered examples having roof-racks. It is believed that these are replacing earlier Transit crew vans, while the higher numbered (rack-less) examples are to replace the batch of 20 Volkswagen Transporter vans leased in 2007 (6169VW to 6188VW). All of the new vans appear to work out of Acton Works. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,023 |  |
By Ray Monk Spot the difference 2. Mid-height Transit crew van on a residential street. Lots of service vehicles are only ever seen at night. So, where are they kept during the day? Many are presumably hidden away inside the large depots and works such as Ruislip, Acton, Stratford Market and Hainault. But others (including for example the majority of vehicles that work out of Griffith House) are simply parked outside their driver's homes, on residential streets across London and the home counties. Ray has found a few such instances, including this one on Longlands Road in Sidcup. 6912F, photographed on 19th September 2010, is a recently delivered long-wheelbase Ford Transit crew van, one of the large batch numbered between 6907F and 6939F. At night this van works out of Acton Works, and it was one of 65 service vehicles seen leaving the works after midnight on my recent overnight excursion. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,024 |  |
By Thomas Young Another slightly over-exposed (but quite stylish??) shot from the night of 29th September 2010, this time of 6894F parked on Seymour Place. This Ford Transit is a long-wheelbase, mid-height crew van, carrying the standard London Underground livery. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,025 |  |
By Thomas Young Spot the difference 1. Back of a low-roof Transit crew van. Although I noted over 150 different service vehicles over the night of 29th/30th September 2010, only a few were photographable. Many were on the move, or were parked inconveniently, or had too many people around. I managed about 24 usable photographs, of which I am publishing the majority, especially those showing vehicles not previously illustrated. So, that's my reason for including this one, despite the similarities to the previous. 6878F is another van that dropped in at Griffith House before heading to the worksite at Warren Street (where it was photographed). It is also another vehicle that is unlikely to be photographed during the day. And the difference? Well, in this shot, the van in front is still in Metronet livery (5978F). |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,026 |  |
By Thomas Young Spot the difference 1. Back of a low-roof Transit crew van. This type of vehicle seems to be the current standard for lifts and escalators teams. Most of the London Underground examples work from Griffith House and many have had full chevron markings applied to the rear. Less than a year old, 6876F was found parked on Warren Street on 29th September 2010. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,027 |  |
By Thomas Young The short-wheelbase, low-roof Transit crew van is almost a standard vehicle of late, seemingly having taken over from the long-wheelbase, mid-height variant. London Underground (and Metronet before them) operates many but Tube Lines also employ about a dozen, mostly in the lifts and escalators section. Their 6785F was found parked near the old Euston tube station building on the night of 29th September 2010. Shortly after taking this photo I was stopped by the police who understandably wanted to know why I was taking photographs at 3am in such a 'sensitive' area (ie near a major station). After some lengthy explanations and a radio check I was allowed on my way. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,028 |  |
By Thomas Young Another photo where the white balance is well off! Peugeot Partner 6749 is one of ten leased in March 2009. All are white and have varying degrees of markings, from anonymous (as on 6753) to a full set as seen here. On 29th September 2010 the van was found parked on Grafton Way near to Warren Street Station. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,029 |  |
By Ray Monk On 6th of September 2010 Ray found Ford Focus estate 6746F parked near the top of Bollo Lane at Acton Town. This car is normally based at Stratford Market depot. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,030 |  |
By Thomas Young As I have mentioned before, the seven Renault Trafic crew vans in the 6637 to 6643 range are completely anonymous, and (perhaps as a result) very rarely seen. On the night of 29th September 2010 I found 6639 parked near to Shepherds Bush Station. Equally anonymous Peugeot Partner 6633 was parked nearby but was boxed in by other vehicles. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,031 |  |
By Thomas Young The lighting around the Central Line Station at Shepherds Bush is very bright (needing just 0.5sec exposure) but more white than normal. I had set my white balance to compensate for normal street lighting and hence the first shot here was rather blueish. Compare the above with the subsequent shot of 6191F at the same location. Such imbalances are quite hard to rectify in later editing. The subject is high roof Ford Transit crew van 6600F, notable for carrying the incorrect fleetnumber 6660F on both sides. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,032 |  |
By Thomas Young I was going to say that Tube Lines liveried Vauxhall Combos were quite rare, but I've just checked and there are about 40 of them. Maybe it's just that I don't see them very often! On the night of 29th September 2010, 6585V was parked on Cardington Street, alongside Euston Station. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,033 |  |
By Thomas Young For night-time photography, under-exposure is a common problem. For my first few shots on the night of 29th September 2010 I went the other way and over exposed a few. This one is not too bad (15sec at f2.8), and shows logoless Ford Transit van 6580F parked on Seymour Place (not very near Griffith House) ahead of London Underground 6894F. A nice composition of another pair of Transits on the other side of the road was spoiled by passing cars leaving headlight trails. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,034 |  |
By Thomas Young Mid-height long-wheelbase Ford Transit van 6515F is one of many service vehicles that are only ever seen at night. Allocated to Tube Lines, it was found parked on Whitfield Street (near Warren Street Station) on the night of 29th September 2010. I didn't check but presumably the nearside is devoid of markings too. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,035 |  |
By Thomas Young Night photography is difficult to say the least. As well as the sheer hassle of having to lug about and set up a tripod you have to pay a lot more attention to other light sources and vehicles, exposure times, white balance, even ground vibration. In this day and age you also ideally want to avoid drawing attention to yourself! Even so, night is the only time to see many of the current SV fleet. I have quite a few rear-end shots today, just because parked cars and street furniture precluded front-end views. First up is low-roof Ford Transit crew van 6413F on Warren Street on the night of 29th September 2010. This van may have travelled from Griffith House earlier in the night, although it lacks the rear chevrons now carried by many of the vans there. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,036 |  |
By Thomas Young Ten service vehicles were parked around Warren Street station on the night of 29th September 2010, including many along the length of Warren Street itself. Among the latter was Volkswagen Transporter van 6392VW. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,037 |  |
By Thomas Young Griffith House is now only really worth visiting at night. The former yard has been excavated, and the shutters on the main building are nearly always down during the day. However, from about 11pm most nights the area becomes a hive of SV activity. Dozens of vehicles park up on surrounding residential streets while their drivers get their orders. Most then leave by 1am. Due to the number of vehicles they often have to park some distance away. On the night of 29th September 2010, 6329V was fairly lucky to find a slot on Harcourt Street. Treated to new Underground markings earlier in the year, this Vauxhall Astra van is now due for replacement. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,038 |  |
By Ray Monk A full house at Smallbills. This garage, conveniently positioned near to Acton Works on Bollo Lane, does seem to get a lot of work fixing up service vehicles. On the 20th September 2010, Ford Transit crew van 6314F was parked outside. Normally based at Leyton Westdown Road, it is one of only three crew vans to carry the silver livery. Inside are high-roof crew van 6583F and one other unidentified vehicle. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,039 |  |
By Thomas Young From the 24th to the 26th of September 2010, the London Transport Museum offered tours of the disused Aldwych Station. To mark the 70th anniversary of the blitz, the tours were themed around the use of tube stations as shelters. Recently restored bus RT8 was parked outside the side entrance to the station and was joined on the first morning (24th) by 6221F, the rarely seen Ford S-Max car used by the Duty Officer at Vandon Street. The slightly excessive use of traffic cones spoiled many photo opportunities! |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,040 |  |
By Thomas Young An unexpected find at the bottom of Harcourt Street (near Griffith House) on the night of 29th September 2010 was this Tube Lines Ford Transit van. 6219F is one of three operated by the Distribution Services Manager, and it was perhaps on loan to London Underground. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,041 |  |
By Thomas Young With not a huge number of photographs being submitted in September it was lucky that I had arranged to do a nocturnal trip with our regular night-owl correspondent. Parked outside Shepherds Bush (Central Line) Station was one of the few vehicles still to be seen carrying Metronet markings. 6191F was new in March 2007 so could go any time now. 29th September 2010 |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,042 |  |
By Ray Monk The Mercedes-Benz Vito van rarely features in the central fleet, just four having been operated in the last decade. Interestingly none were ever reported let alone photographed, suggesting that they may have been operated in anonymous white, perhaps for covert purposes. Whilst passing through Sidcup on a bus recently, I noticed a Vito van parked outside a house, with a registration number that seemed vaguely familiar. I looked it up when I got home and found that it was the erstwhile 5269M, now in private use. Ray then paid it a visit and took this photograph on the 19th of September 2010. |
04/10/2010 |
| 5,043 |  |
By Colin Lloyd The Transport for London Cycle Hire scheme started at the end of July 2010, and is supported by a fleet of vans and cars. Although not strictly service vehicles I felt it was worth illustrating some of them, while a list of the vehicles is also being compiled in the forum section. The vehicles wear joint Barclays/TfL branding and most have a white and two-tone blue livery somewhat similar to that of London Underground. They also carry fleetnumbers in a similar position to central fleet vehicles. First to be seen were some Nissan NV200 vans engaged in maintaining the roadside control points and bike stands. These were followed by a fleet of Ford Focus cars (mainly black or silver) that were used to tow bike-carrying trailers. After a few weeks, the latter were joined by several of these small electric trucks. Built in Italy by Alke (note the left-hand drive), they have a flatbed section and a cab that can (only just!) seat two. Fleetnumber AO1 was seen passing the Bank of England on 27th August 2010, towing trailer VT16. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,044 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Having used only Ford vans for several years, Sovereign Recovery took delivery of a couple of Volkswagen Transporters in 2010. One of these was LL10CVR, seen attending to a First London Routemaster at Aldwych on 19th August 2010. As with the recent recovery trucks, this van has the slogan 'Working in partnership with Transport for London CentreComm'. It also has a Cummins badge towards the rear. In fact there is very little of the body that is not covered with either stripes or lettering! |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,045 |  |
By Glyn Matthews Photographed through a rain-splattered windscreen, Sovereign Recovery Volvo FH480 GF10XSB was passing through Purfleet on 13th August 2010 with an Arriva Grays DAF Cadet on tow. Although not badged as such, the bodywork is presumably by Boniface. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,046 |  |
By Glyn Matthews Although taken somewhat outside London (at Brentwood Station on 27th August 2010) this photograph has several London connections. Firstly the main subject is Sovereign Recovery DAF XF105 460 EU10DHL with Boniface bodywork. This is probably the same vehicle that was photographed prior to registration and liverying at Edmonton back in April. Note the new additional branding mentioning TfL CentreComm. The bus in front is First Essex Marshall-bodied Dennis Dart 41235, once DML235 in the First London fleet. The bus behind, in the modestly named Regal Busways fleet, is a Plaxton-bodied Dennis Dart, many of which started life in London. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,047 |  |
By Ray Monk The second new make covered by today's photo update is Hyundai. OE10NTU is a Hyundai I30 hatchback used as a crew ferry by Metroline. It operates from the recently relocated Kings Cross depot and was photographed on nearby York Road (the changeover point for route 274) on 16th August 2010. As with most Metroline crew ferry cars, fleetnames are carried only on labels in the windows. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,048 |  |
By Ray Monk Today's photo updates includes vehicles from three manufacturers that have not been represented before. The first is Suzuki, Transdev LL59DDN being an Alto 5-door hatchback car lettered for the CCTV support role (in which it might have replaced Fiesta VE04ECX). It was seen parked in its dedicated slot inside Fulwell Garage on 1st August 2010. Beyond the sweeper is Fiesta van P822HJW, while beyond that is an unidentified MCW Metrobus in an unusual livery lettered as the Youth Cafe Project bus. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,049 |  |
By London Spotter Another Metrobus Renault Trafic at Lewisham, this time 8033 (LX58DFU) on 1st August 2010. There are plans to redevelop (again) the area in front of the railway station. This would involve moving the bus station (which is really just a bus stand, lacking passenger facilities) to the south-west side of the railway lines. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,050 |  |
By London Spotter Metrobus now have 17 Renault Trafic minibuses for use as crew ferries, 12 based at Orpington, 4 at Crawley and 1 at Croydon. I have photographs on file of all but two of these (Crawley-based LX58DGO and LX59BCO) so I suppose I should get on with publishing them! Fleetnumber 8029 is LX58DDZ, based at Orpington and photographed at Lewisham Bus Station on 3rd August 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,051 |  |
By Malcolm Conway The Go-Ahead London fleet (London Central and London General) has about 10 Ford Transit vans for use as engineering support vehicles. All are red and most have some lettering or logos. However, ET05GXG is completely anonymous, only the light-bar giving a clue to its role. On 30th August 2010 it was caught passing around Marble Arch. The van is based at Peckham Garage but none of their routes reaches this far. It could perhaps have been helping out with the extra work in connection with the Notting Hill Carnival. Transit experts (am I alone?!) will recognise this as a short-wheelbase, mid-height Mk6. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,052 |  |
By Ray Monk The Abellio fleet includes a number of LDV Convoy minibuses acquired from the Royal Mail. Most now operate in anonymous red livery. BU53WOJ is typical of these and was photographed at Fulwell Garage on 1st August 2010 with another behind. Apart from the frontal styling, this design of vehicle has not changed much since it was launched as the Leyland Sherpa in the 1970s. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,053 |  |
By Ray Monk With very prominent role lettering, but no fleetnames, this Ford Transit van is part of the Abellio fleet, having been acquired by Travel London. It is based at their Fulwell Garage, where it was photographed on 1st August 2010. Transit Connect BN54FPY was parked alongside, while Ray didn't mention the red van on the right, which was presumably a contractor's. The building in the background is the exercise tower of the adjoining fire station. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,054 |  |
By Ray Monk Ford Transit van HN03VAV is one of few Travel London service vehicles to have been given new Abellio fleetnames. It latterly had Travel Surrey lettering and the unusual fleetnumber of FT42. Photographed parked opposite Byfleet Garage on 21st August 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,055 |  |
By Ray Monk Although registered in the same BK03xxx series as several other Travel London/Abellio (ex Royal Mail) service vehicles, this is a more recent addition. It is also a crew van rather than a minibus, utilising the high-roof version of the LDV Convoy design. Assigned to engineering support duties, it was photographed without lettering at Fulwell Garage on 1st August 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,056 |  |
By Ray Monk The garage at Byfleet has been operated under the names of Tellings Golden-Miller, Travel London and Abellio in recent years. There is a small engineering base nearby and on 21st August 2010 two service vehicles were found there, seemingly dumped. On the left is Ford Courier Kombi Y373SBP. This had a local fleetnumber of SV4 but seems to have been missed out of the fleetwide numbering exercise undertaken in late 2007. On the right is LDV Convoy minibus BK03YPZ, allocated 8979 but known locally as RV6. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,057 |  |
By Ray Monk Travel London bought quite a few former Royal Mail vehicles for use as service vehicles. These included Peugeot Partner cars and LDV minibuses. Typifying the latter is LDV Convoy BK03YGE, numbered 8978 by Travel London but known locally as RV5 (as shown in the top right corner of the windscreen). Now in use as a crew ferry vehicle, it has also served as a driver's rest vehicle at Cobham. On 21st August 2010 it was found at Brooklands Tesco undertaking a crew change on a route 451 bus. This route number disappeared in the restructuring that took place at the end of that month. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,058 |  |
By Ray Monk Travel London assigned fleetnumbers to its service vehicle fleet in late 2007, but the physical application to vehicles was very rare. Taken to the other extreme was Ford Escort van Y637WGO, with at least two sets. The large Travel London fleetnames originally worn have now been removed. On 1st August 2010 it was parked alongside Mercedes minibus T573FFC at Fulwell garage. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,059 |  |
By Ray Monk The next eight photographs cover the Abellio operations in south west London and Surrey, Ray having made visits to both Fulwell and Byfleet in the past month. The photographs concentrate on the former Travel London vehicles, with a lack of fleetnames being a common theme. Such vehicles are gradually being replaced by newer ones with Abellio names on a plain white livery. First up is Y392SBP, one of four Ford Courier Kombi vans acquired in 2008. This one was assigned fleetnumber 8946 by Travel London but carried SV3 on a paper in the windscreen. As the name suggests, the Kombi vans were a combination of passenger and goods vehicles. An additional pair of seats was fitted (although removed by Travel London) with a goods compartment behind. Side windows were provided for the extra seats but no doors. In plain silver, Y392SBP was photographed on Wintersells Road (near Byfleet Garage) on 21st August 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,060 |  |
By Glyn Matthews In a rare of example of service vehicles being sold on to become service vehicles, Ensignbus acquired two former East Thames Buses Mercedes Sprinter minibuses in August 2010. Both were photographed at Purfleet garage on 12th August, the day after they arrived. P851OLL has had its lettering stripped off (although remenants are visible, including a Dial-a-Ride roundel on the roof dome) while P185OLC retained a full set of East Thames lettering. Alongside is Scania tow truck UJF182 while just visible at the far left (beyond the Mk6 Ford Transit) is Ford Transit Mk5 minibus M84TAK. This had been bought from Herberts Travel of Shefford a few weeks earlier for possible use as a crew ferry vehicle. Following the arrival of the Mercedes, it was put up for sale. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,061 |  |
By Glyn Matthews There is a certain irony in this photograph, but first the facts. Ensignbus bought two second-hand Mercedes-Benz minibuses for use as crew ferry vehicles in August 2010. Both had latterly served the same function in the East Thames Buses fleet and had originated as London Dial-a-Ride vehicles. P185OLC was photographed at Lakeside Bus Station on 26th August 2010, in company with Ford Transit S549XNP. At this stage the Mercedes still retained a full set of East Thames Buses lettering. Now the funny thing is that East Thames Buses was formed to take over the operations of Harris Bus. Although latterly concentrated south of the river, the operation had originally been based at Grays in Essex (near Lakeside), with LBSL routes won in the Romford and Ilford areas and commercial services to Lakeside both within Essex and from North Kent. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,062 |  |
By Malcolm Conway The four Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars that joined the TfL Streets fleet in June 2010 have proved elusive and we still only have identities for three of them. Perhaps they are having teething troubles, which could explain the visit of WX10JSY to Acton Works on 30th July 2010. What isn't really apparent in these photographs is the diminutive size of the cars. They are quite a bit narrower than usual, with the other dimensions seemingly scaled down in proportion. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,063 |  |
By Malcolm Conway The three Toyota Prius cars delivered for LBSL Operations in July 2010 were thought to be the first of a batch to replace the 16 Honda Civics new in 2007. All three have settled at Isleworth, resulting in several Civics being reallocated and at least two withdrawn. However, as of mid-September, no further Priuses have been reported. GY10VGK was caught leaving Acton Works on 30th July 2010. Almost all liveried vehicles for London Buses (including cars) have been given fleetnumbers in the past. On the other hand, liveried cars for TfL Streets (including all the earlier Priuses) were not. Perhaps, like the Civics before them, these new cars will have numbers applied after entering service. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,064 |  |
By Colin Lloyd A group of five plain white Ford Transit Connects was seen in the staff car park at Acton Works in late July 2010. The first one to be seen on the road was CP10JXZ, photographed at Terminus Place (Victoria) on 19th August 2010. As can be seen it retains white livery but has gained small Tube Lines labels. The registration series suggests these were not acquired through the normal lessors, and they may be short-term hires. Their arrival could have been a factor in the withdrawal at about the same time of several Transit Connect mail vans in the 58xxF series. I was going to suggest that these were the first Welsh-registered vehicles in the central fleet (Cx memory tags are for Cymru, Wx ones are for West of England) but then I found the Cardiff marks on 3329B, 3624F-3626F, 3644F (xKG), 3645F and 4761F (xTG), 3646F (xNY) and 5108F (xAX). Are there any others? |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,065 |  |
By Malcolm Conway What several people I know would call a 'proper' service vehicle, WX08KUW is a Mercedes Axor dropside lorry new in April 2008. Had the fleetnumbering system continued in use for such vehicles, this may well have become 2607M. Acton Works, 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,066 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Mercedes-Benz Axor dropside lorry WX08KUV makes a wide turn coming out of Acton Works on 30th July 2010. This truck looks very similar to that in the previous photograph, with a three-door dropside body. However, the body on the Mercedes is fixed and the wheelbase is longer with a shorter rear overhang. The latter is either the cause or the effect of not having an underslung tail-lift. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,067 |  |
By Malcolm Conway During a stint on Bollo Lane on 30th July 2010, Malcolm photographed loads of service vehicles. His photographs are of excellent quality so I am taking the opportunity to show second views of some of the larger vehicles. First up is Iveco Stralis demountable LK08LDY. The dropside body is DB22, built by Feltham Coachworks and one of three longer bodies that can only be mounted on this lorry and sister LK08LDV. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,068 |  |
By Ray Monk The intake of vehicles into the leased fleet has slowed over the past year or so. We initially predicted that the first vehicle numbered over 7000 would appear in early 2010. But it's now September and none have been seen yet. Getting us closer is this view of 6980P on Blackfriars Road on 4th August 2010. This is a Peugeot Bipper van for the TfL Streets operation, and had already been photographed by Ray on delivery the month before. The van was evidently coming from the Chancel Street base (which is in the railway arches visible in the background) but it's not yet clear if this (and the three or four similar vans) is based there. It is slightly curious that while cars allocated to the TfL fleet are not given fleetnumbers, vans are. This policy may be spreading as the recent Toyota Priuses for London Buses have yet to be numbered. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,069 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Although the large batch of Volkswagen Transporter vans delivered in spring 2007 (6169-6188VW) are currently being replaced by Ford Transits, the German marque does appear to be gaining in popularity with the central fleet. A recent addition is short-wheelbase, low-roof Transporter 6945VW, photographed outside Victoria Coach Station on 27th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,070 |  |
By Ray Monk Large batches of vehicles have never been common in the leased fleet but one appears to be in the process of delivery at present. All the numbers reported between 6907 and 6939 have been on long-wheelbase Ford Transit crew vans for London Underground. Delivery is in no particular order and the batch may go as high as 6944. On the other hand, one of the vacant numbers may yet turn up on something completely different. 6923F was photographed in Welling on 15th August, where it appears to have replaced Volkswagen 6170VW. (This is of course not an allocation! It's just where its regular driver lives) |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,071 |  |
By Malcolm Conway A fine view of Ford Transit dropside truck 6905F arriving at Acton Works on 30th July 2010. The vehicle wears London Underground livery and has a crew-cab and a tail-lift. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,072 |  |
By Ian Jordan Fleetnumbers 6897 to 6904 are assigned to a batch of Volkswagen Transporter vans delivered in early summer 2010 for London Buses Infrastructure use (6899VW has yet to be reported but it believed to be RO10ZHB). 6901VW is based at Stratford Bus Station but was caught passing through Edmonton on July 2nd. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,073 |  |
By London Spotter As mentioned in the location notes, another view into the yard at Westdown Road, Leyton can sometimes be had from the adjoining playing field. London Spotter made the trek on 28th August 2010 and was rewarded with this excellent line-up of service vehicles. Nearest the camera is VW Transporter van 6866VW. Beyond are unmarked Vauxhall Astra LM57AVT and Ford Transits 6819F, 6773F, 6314F, 6125F and 6818F. Note the alternating liveries on the five Transits. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,074 |  |
By Ray Monk The London Underground livery looks very smart on Ford Focus cars, and the front roundels make them easier to see coming! 6803F was caught coming down Bollo Lane on 7th June 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,075 |  |
By Kim Rennie Two Ford Transit minibuses were delivered in spring 2009 and allocated to Northumberland Park depot. They were notable in being all white, initially with Metronet logos but now with London Underground ones. On 29th July 2010 Kim found 6779F parked in the same location that I had earlier photographed 6801F, although he had the privilege of being on the right side of the fence. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,076 |  |
By Ray Monk Another anonymous vehicle, this is 6753, one of ten Peugeot Partner vans leased in March 2009. About half of the batch have Tube Lines logos, while the rest are divided between several operators and run without logos. 6753 was used by the SSL operation of LUL (latterly Metronet) and has a fleetnumber on the offside only. On the 8th of August 2010 it was found parked on a residential street in Falconwood, perhaps having had the same driver as 6642. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,077 |  |
By Ray Monk As well as the depot at the back of the car park, Rickmansworth also often has a service vehicle parked at the front of the station. On 19th April 2010 it was regular resident Vauxhall Combo van 6732V. New in July 2009 after the decision was made to drop the Metronet name, this van operated without logos until the following year. Note the fitting of roof bars. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,078 |  |
By Colin Lloyd An evidently rushed but nevertheless good shot of a Vauxhall Combo van passing Euston on 27th August 2010 allows me to show one of the 'special' fleet numbers. 6666V is (unsurprisingly) the sixth service vehicle to have a fleetnumber made up of four of the same digit, but only the second of which I have a photograph (5555F was photographed in 2005). Unlike similar vehicles, this one lacks the Underground logo on the bonnet. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,079 |  |
By Malcolm Conway I commented on the rarity of this vehicle when a photo was published earlier this year. Although seen again at Acton Works on 30th July 2010, it is not believed to be based there. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,080 |  |
By Malcolm Conway It would be easy to miss this van if it passed you on the street, but when staking out Acton Works, every vehicle that comes and goes needs a second look! This is in fact 6627, a Renault Kangoo van leased in October 2008 as part of a batch of 20 unmarked vehicles assigned fleetnumbers in the 6627 to 6646 range. Perhaps as a result of its appearance, it has only rarely been reported! 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,081 |  |
By Malcolm Conway It only recently dawned on me that the Volkswagen Crafter van is in fact closely based on the Mercedes Sprinter design, differing only in engine, frontal styling and small details. This view of unique (in the leased fleet) 6558VW arriving at Acton Works on 30th July 2010 allows a clear comparison with Mercedes van 6057M, although the latter is longer. 6558VW was originally based at Stanmore during the rebuilding work there but has now been transferred to Acton. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,082 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Although it would have given an interesting appearance, plain silver vehicles in the former Metronet fleet did not have the red stripe applied when they were given London Underground markings. Having said before that the reliverying process often included applying fleetnumbers to vehicles that didn't already have them, this example is the reverse. When operated by Metronet, Ford Transit Connect van 6501F had an offside fleetnumber. But when photographed leaving Acton Works on 30th July 2010, it did not. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,083 |  |
By Malcolm Conway This Ford Transit minibus seen leaving Acton Works on 30th July 2010 is 6499F in the Tube Lines fleet, based at Finchley Central. Note that the glass in the middle of the offside door window appears to be missing. I had understood that the middle section was an emergency exit, it being standard on all Transit minibuses since the introduction of the Mk6 in 2000. It is however a bit small for this purpose! Any suggestions? |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,084 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Another former Metronet vehicle, this view of Vauxhall Combo van 6454V leaving Acton Works on 30th July 2010 shows the rear treatment of the new London Underground livery. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,085 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Ford Transit Connect van 6431F was new in Metronet livery in February 2008. It was given the new London Underground treatment in early 2010 and was photographed passing Victoria Coach Station on 27th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,086 |  |
By Malcolm Conway 6316F is a fairly standard long-wheelbase Ford Transit crew van in the Tube Lines fleet, currently based at Northfields and seen at Acton Works on 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,087 |  |
By Malcolm Conway This Honda Civic hybrid power saloon car caught swinging into Acton Works on 30th July 2010 had latterly been 6301H in the London Buses fleet. Having been based at Wembley and Isleworth it is thought to have been replaced by the recent delivery of Toyota Prius cars. The light-bar, lettering and orange square livery have been removed and the vehicle is presumably about to be returned to the lessor. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,088 |  |
By Malcolm Conway 6262V is a Vauxhall Combo van new to Metronet in July 2007. In 2010 it was one of the oldest service vehicles to be given the new London Underground livery. Note that the bodyside logo is on the door rather than the rear panel. Acton Works 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,089 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Fleetnumbers in the 6214 to 6220 block are all carried by Ford vans used by the Distribution Services Manager. As such, they can regularly be seen around Acton Works. However, the three larger Transit vans (6218F to 6220F) seem to have been very rarely photographed. Malcolm found 6218F returning home on 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,090 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Although you probably wouldn't notice it, this Ford Transit van is part of the central service vehicle fleet. New in November 2006 it was assigned to the Jubilee Line track team working from Lillie Bridge, and carried its fleetnumber (6027F) and Tube Lines logos. In early 2009 it was reassigned to the Distribution Services Manager and transferred to Acton. At the same time the logos and lettering were removed, for reasons unknown. Over a year later the van was still operating in an anonymous state and was caught entering Acton Works on 30th July 2010. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,091 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Several of the Tube Lines Ford Transit Connect vans in the 5839F to 5849F batch had slightly extended lives, although most seem to have been withdrawn in summer 2010. 5841F was seen about to arrive back at Acton Works on 30th July 2010. This example only had the logo on the doors (ie no larger logo on the bodyside). |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,092 |  |
By Malcolm Conway With a typical lease period of three years, the survival into 2010 of a vehicle leased in 2003 is rather unusual. 5474F is one of very few Mk6 Ford Transits remaining in service, and it is in use by the waste collection team based at Acton Works. On 30th July 2010 it was photographed arriving back home, showing the rubbish cage fitted to its dropside tipper bodywork. The cage has hinged rear doors and appears to have a net roof. It seems probable that 5474F has in fact been bought. |
09/09/2010 |
| 5,093 |  |
By Damon Cross Sovereign Recovery Volvo N9SOV has featured on this site before but this photograph taken at Dorking on 17th July 2010 shows some recent changes. The curious front bumper extension has been removed, and red/white striping has been applied to the headlight panel. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,094 |  |
By Ray Monk The small Metroline Garage at Kings Cross was moved to a new location in July 2010, involving a change of code from KX to KC and the reallocation of double-deck routes to other garages. At the same time, the fleet of unmarked crew ferry cars there was renewed, with two Vauxhall Zafiras and a Peugeot replacing older Zafiras. Blue KM10MLU was seen coming off new road Freight Lane on 17th July. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,095 |  |
By Ray Monk Crew ferry runs between Arriva the Shires' Garston Garage and Edgware Bus Station are performed by a mix of cars and small vans. Present at the latter location on 17th July 2010 were three unmarked Vauxhall Combo vans, including NX55TUW in its unique light blue colour scheme nearest the camera. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,096 |  |
By Michael Mair Seen at Arriva Guildford and West Surrey's Guildford Garage on 17th July 2010 are two (quite possibly all) of the fleet's service vehicles. Nearest is unmarked Vauxhall Astra van FD53LRA, latterly based at Cranleigh and assigned the fleetnumber V024. Beyond is already-illustrated Ford Transit van LJ52FYZ. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,097 |  |
By Damon Cross Under Arriva ownership the once huge London Country South West fleet has contracted to a smallish operation with garages at Guildford and Cranleigh. They use very few service vehicles, and have not featured much on this website. Addressing that are two photographs, both taken at Guildford Garage on 17th July 2010 (the day of the Green Line 80th anniversary event). First up is Ford Transit Mk6 van LJ52FYZ, carrying Arriva lettering and a fleetnumber of V048. This van joined the fleet in June 2008. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,098 |  |
By Ray Monk Ford Transit Mk6 minibus BV52OUW joined the Transdev fleet in early 2010 for use as a crew rest room at Mill Hill Broadway station. As this photograph taken there on 17th July 2010 shows, there are some odd features to this unmarked vehicle. Firstly, the vehicle is very unusual for a Transit minibus in having a high-roof (rather than a mid-height one). It also has a beacon light and a ventilator on the roof. Although seemingly fully-glazed, there is a further ventilator (or something) towards the rear, suggesting it may actually be a crew van. Finally, note the rear-facing seat alongside the driver's. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,099 |  |
By Glyn Matthews Another view of Ensignbus' monster Scania recovery truck UJF182 at their Purfleet base, this time taken on the 22nd of July 2010 with a distinctly non-London bus hooked up. The bus is a Bus Eireann Wright-bodied single decker, presumably being handled by Ensign as a dealer. They have previously bought and re-sold a number of Olympian double-deckers from the associated Dublin Bus fleet. |
01/08/2010 |
| 5,100 |  |
By Ray Monk Ray saw two of these small unlettered Peugeot Bipper vans being delivered to Acton Works on 19th July 2010, and shortly afterwards being taken for test drives. He managed to capture this view of LL10FZJ about to pass Acton Town station. This type has not previously been used as service vehicles, and the fitting of light-bars suggested that they could perhaps be destined for the British Transport Police fleet. However, a third van (LL10FZM) was seen later in the month in TfL Streets markings. |
01/08/2010 |
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