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The bus was an RLH type, which was a lowbridge bus with the upstairs gangway sunken on the offside. There were several other routes, in both Central and Country area, that were operated by this type. (notably 178, 230, 336, 410, 436, and several others)
Route 248 ran from Hall Lane Estate to Cranham via Upminster Station. It was converted (and re-routed) to single-deck OMO on 19h September 1970.
STLs were the forerunner 'standard' London double decker to the RT, and last worked on 31 August 1954.
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Many provincial companies had this design for many or all of their double deckers, including the Isle of Wight (Southern Vectis). Invariably they were not actually RLHs, but of a different chassis manufacturer/bodybuilder combination.
In the mid 50s the sunken back axle design was introduced, typified by the Bristol 'Lodekka'; this enabled lowbridge buses to be built with the conventional centre gangway both upstairs and downstairs.
Sunken gangway vehicles were not pleasant for conductors (who had to lean over passengers to collect fares, plus move about when passengers sitting at the front wanted to alight whilst fares were being collected further down the ipper deck) or passengers (who had to clamber past their neighbours to get in and out, and bump their heads getting in and out of lower deck offside window seats). There were few remaining after the early 70s. RLHs last worked for London Transport on route 178 (Clapton Pond & Maryland Station), renumbered S3, rerouted and converted to single deck OMO from 17th April 1971.
The bus was an RLH type, which was a lowbridge bus with the upstairs gangway sunken on the offside. There were several other routes, in both Central and Country area, that were operated by this type. (notably 178, 230, 336, 410, 436, and several others)
Route 248 ran from Hall Lane Estate to Cranham via Upminster Station. It was converted (and re-routed) to single-deck OMO on 19h September 1970.
STLs were the forerunner 'standard' London double decker to the RT, and last worked on 31 August 1954.
Yes i remember the gangway on the offside. I think they were using simuler on the Isle of Wight as well. I remember them because we used to hold our summer camp there in the Boys brigade there in the 50s.
I only travelled on the route on the last day of the RLHs, and then only from the station to Upminster Park Estate and back, towards the end of the evening peak. So-called 'enthusiasts' were busy stripping the bus of anything that could be carried away, while the poor elderly conductor cowered on the lower deck. It determined me to avoid 'last day' occasions from then on, which I only broke on the day that Routemasters departed the 159 route, and London. when the sensible decision was made to phase them out from late morning and complete the process by mid afternoon.
Re STLs - My lifelong obsession with London buses started soon after my birth in 1948, but I don't recollect ever seeing an STL in service: mind you, the corner of SE London I lived in saw the first widespread adoption of both the AEC Regent RT and its Leyland equivalent, the RTL.
I only travelled on the route on the last day of the RLHs, and then only from the station to Upminster Park Estate and back, towards the end of the evening peak. So-called 'enthusiasts' were busy stripping the bus of anything that could be carried away, while the poor elderly conductor cowered on the lower deck. It determined me to avoid 'last day' occasions from then on, which I only broke on the day that Routemasters departed the 159 route, and London. when the sensible decision was made to phase them out from late morning and complete the process by mid afternoon.
Re STLs - My lifelong obsession with London buses started soon after my birth in 1948, but I don't recollect ever seeing an STL in service: mind you, the corner of SE London I lived in saw the first widespread adoption of both the AEC Regent RT and its Leyland equivalent, the RTL.
I didn't start bus spotting until the STLs had gone but, remembering the proportion of our local buses that had roof boxes for the route numbers, I must have seen a few when I was younger.
Re STLs - My lifelong obsession with London buses started soon after my birth in 1948, but I don't recollect ever seeing an STL in service: mind you, the corner of SE London I lived in saw the first widespread adoption of both the AEC Regent RT and its Leyland equivalent, the RTL.
Some STLs (and 'pre war' RTs) ran for a few years after 1952 from New Cross garage following the last phase of tram replacement, as there weren't quite enough RTs to go round at the time, and also the peak demand for driver training buses was over once the tram drivers had all been re-trained, so some returned to passenger service.
The last central area STLs were on route 101 in 1954 - the route had also previously been home to the last utility Guy Arabs in the fleet a few years earlier, and the last Leyland TDs in 1939.
I didn't start bus spotting until the STLs had gone but, remembering the proportion of our local buses that had roof boxes for the route numbers, I must have seen a few when I was younger.
there is a website dedicated to all things RLH, which has (among others) a page on route 248
Some STLs (and 'pre war' RTs) ran for a few years after 1952 from New Cross garage following the last phase of tram replacement, as there weren't quite enough RTs to go round at the time, and also the peak demand for driver training buses was over once the tram drivers had all been re-trained, so some returned to passenger service.
The last central area STLs were on route 101 in 1954 - the route had also previously been home to the last utility Guy Arabs in the fleet a few years earlier, and the last Leyland TDs in 1939.
Depends where / when. If I'm not stating the obvious, it's worth bearing in mind that roofbox RTs were in service until about 1969/70.
I remember very well the pre-war RTs which ran on the 182, whose route passed my grandmother's flat in Well Hall Road almost opposite Sltham Church. Ensign owned RT 8 was one of the buses I would have seen on the route, and possibly even travelled on, but DON'T. remember STLs. Mind you, the 21 bus route was still operated by P (Old Kent Road) at that time rather than NX. Actually, I probably did see the STLs standing at the North Woolwich terminal of the 101, because I travelled on the Woolwich Ferry without getting off on the north side in those days.
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