< View previous picture - View next picture > Photographer / Copyright Derek Everson Images should not be reused without permission. View vehicle details 2458F WWK613X 2459F A289SHV  C116UPK  C115UPK Location Link/s Chiswick Works Date added to site 01/11/2012 Printer-friendly version of this page

Details: Here's a very interesting photograph, taken in the staff bus yard at Chiswick Works on 19th May 1987. Visible are several RMA buses, seemingly out of use, along with some of the minibuses that replaced them. However, things get a bit complicated. According to the The London Bus Review 1987 (published by LOTS), Bus Engineering Ltd leased four Renault Trafic minibuses (C115/7/8/9UPK) in late 1986, these taking over certain staff bus duties from November (when Aldenham Works closed and Chiswick became the main centre of operations). Two second-hand Ford Transit minibuses were acquired in January 1987, followed by four new Freight-Rover Sherpa minibuses to replace the earlier Renaults. LOTS added that the Ford and Freight-Rover vehicles were allocated fleetnumbers 2458-2463 in November 1987, while the four Renaults (plus similar C116UPK) were temporarily re-hired to cover their 'absence' (unexplained). However, as this photo shows, C116UPK was on-site by May. Recently delivered 2460/1L were also present, though 2462/3L were yet to be delivered. Yellow Transit A289SHV (later 2459F) is carrying a destination board for Tring, one of the duties latterly performed by the Renaults. Finally, the identity of the Bristol/ECW single-decker on the left is not known, although the blind box layout suggests a bus of NBC origin rather than London Transport.

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