Well deserved Hubfam, for all the hard work. But please do tell... what's the deal with the music at the end? I don't get the joke and that annoys me 😉
Living, and working, in London from 1988 to 1993, this wonderful machine was my every day transport. The wind down windows on the top deck, the conductors, the hop on hop off! What a bus, and what a great way to celebrate 100k subscribers!
@@robertp.wainman4094 The memory they had to have... i know they said 'tickets please' ... but most of em had a mental note of what passengers got on, and who left, and who had paid... and what stop, absolutely incredible mental gymnastics. I am a 73 child so i remember the tail end of conductors... but WOW, yes they were a race apart
As an ex London Transport bus mechanic, these were also very nice to work on too. As an engineering garage trainee, I worked with ex trolleybus men who saw the Routemaster bus into service in November 1959. Great times at Poplar garage Leven Road, sadly closed in 1985. Many thanks for your interesting film, it brings back happy memories. Jonnie.👍
I was born in London and emigrated in 2006 so Routemasters were a constant of my life in London. When I go back to London I always feel a bit sad not to see them one the roads anymore. They seemed like a part of the furniture in the city when I was growing up. One of the things that made London, London.
In 1983 I passed my pcv test (then PSV) in a AEC Routemaster. My test was conducted at Chiswick, The skidpan was soo tight. Lovely busses to menouver, stops on a sixpence. Quite often we were still picking up passengers on 30 and 40 year old routemasters on a daily basis. Tough as old boots. Many drivers carried pillows to place on the seats,,,,, no air suspension back in the day. Great to see them being kept alive. too many was scrapped for the alloy value.
Mention should be made of how they were designed to be maintained indefinitely. It wasn't just the buses but the whole maintenance infrastructure behind them. Turn it upside down and clean the bottom? No problem.
Man from the West Midlands drives a Number 38 (Clapton, East London Bus); keeping an East London Man (now living in the West Midlands) totally enthralled! Ian - you clearly enjoyed that. The Routemaster truly is such an iconic British vehicle. There's a clip on RUclips (produced by London Transport) from the late 1960's outlining the intensive level of servicing that these beasts were subject to - its well worth a watch! Once again, congratulations upon your achievement of 100,000 Subs. "Hold tight......any more fares please".
Blimey now I feel old! memories of jumping on the back of a moving 38 along Essex Rd North London most mornings! Having driven a newer single decker round a test track as part of work training (im not a bus driver but had the best time ever) I don't envy you driving on the roads!
As someone who secretly loves buses... this is an absolute peach of a 100k sub celebration! The king of buses (seconded by the MCW Metrobus!), in terms of big boys toys if I had a big barn - its a nail on certainty! Built to last and they did, unbelievable machines :)
True, you did'nt have to take your foot off the gas but as an instructor we always encouraged trainees to do so between gears. At London Country all the Routemasters were semi automatic.
These engines are up there w/ some of the best sounding ever, this is what pure grunt sounds like and it's utterly brilliant, congratulations on 100k! 🥳
What a great video. Those Routemasters certainly are legendary. There's one near where we live here in Australia. I couldn't believe the British fuel prices on display as you drove past a service station at 14:27. We're paying £0.63/litre for petrol and £1.01 for diesel here. Cheers from Tamborine, Queensland.
The sound of that engine takes me back! These were lovely things. The conductor system and open rear end are much more efficient. The usual strategy was to jump on and immediately run up the stairs in the hope he wouldn't notice you. My favourite seat of course was on the top at the front.
I was lucky enough to drive an original Routemaster every day for a few years when I worked for Mac Tours in Edinburgh. After driving Leyland PDs (and the wonderful, but very different Bristol Lodekkas that were also on the fleet) for many years, the arrival of the Routemasters was a real eye-opener. No more double-declutching and a much more civilised cab area. The Rolls-Royce of half-cabs for sure! I was a bit confused by the engine sound of this bus, until Ian mentioned that it had a replacement Cummins diesel. The original Routemaster had a very distinctive sound. The Cummins sounded more like a truck, but still quite pleasant. Anyway, well done, Ian for a great choice of subject for your 100k subscriber celebration.
I can't think of a better way of celebrating your 100k. HUGE congratulations. What a joyous video too. I spent many happy years being ferried about on Routemasters, such a wonderful bus - iconic, but really just very good at what it was supposed to do.
In the late '70's and '80's I was involved with RMC 4, the Leyland 600 Power Plus version of one of the 6 original prototypes from Southall works. It was used by LCBS at the country bus garages.
Congratulations Ian! What a lovely beast with which to celebrate. My Grandad was a bus driver for Eastern Counties and my Nan was a clippy with the same so I too have a love of old buses. I have a photo of me aged approx 12 months sat on Grandad's lap in the drivers seat of one of his steeds, taken around 1973. I also have all his old bus drivers service and safety medals too.
Well done, reaching 100k subs. It’s good to see people like Pete, preserving Route master buses for future generations to see, and appreciate. I’m 51 now, but when I was a teenager Route master buses were everywhere, from central London to the outskirts, like Epping etc. And I remember fondly, how cheap a 123456 All Zone TravelCard was, back in the day, when it was pennies, compared to todays prices by TFL. Also, I agree with you HubNut, having a driver and a separate conductor is much better, allowing each person to focus on their job better, but I believe TFL, Public transport wanted to cut back on costs, and that’s why we have drivers on buses, who are expected to deal with the pressures of driving, as well as, potentially, rowdy passengers.
Another gem from Ian. Rochdale Corporation Transport had some AEC Routemasters (or similar) cream with a dark blue band. Some of the later models had rear entrances fitted with doors, other Routemasters form other various areas had the entrance at the front, again fitted with doors.
Nearly died on my 12th birthday hanging off the back of one of these (the 237 route from Isleworth to Hounslow). Thanks for a nostalgic trip on the ol' Routemaster.
Found memories of travelling on the 124 red Routemaster route with my Grandmother in the early 1960s when I was 5. From Grove Park to Lewisham I think. I remember my Grandma describing this as a 'new' bus, which it was in 1963. Great video.
8:40 "This massive indicator knob down here": I was waiting for the cutaway to a Miss Hubnut reaction shot. The RMs are a bit after my childhood, so I had missed out on the RML being "Long"--I was expecting a little-known "Low" variant, and wondering how it had ever got on route 38. There's an RLH in Auckland that wears a 38 sign, and it causes me to twitch every time I see it. Great to see you enjoying yourself.
Wow Wow wow wow just amazing! That Cummins Lump sounds just glorious!.... I think driving one of these routemasters in the day must have been a dream job.. Who needs a radio when you can listen to that powerhouse Cummins working hard.. Thanks 👍
'Doddle' is a term from the Great War when an extra conductress was put on the LCC trams to assist with the crowds-perhaps the upper deck. The extra ease that was afforded the regular clippie was called a 'doddle'.
Lovely video, thank you. Brought back some memories for me. Almost exactly 50 years ago, as a 21 year old, after university, I did an 18 month stint driving buses in Glasgow. I first learned on Leyland Titans, a rear platform bus like the Routemaster. Once I'd passed my test, daily work driving was on the Titans, Daimler CVG6's, and Leyland Atlanteans. The Daimlers had Wilson pre-selector gearboxes which were a delight to use. It was hard work driving in Glasgow, the timetables were tight, and the buses mostly driven into the ground. I recall being utterly exhausted at the end of each shift. Thanks again for putting up this video.
I used the Routemaster when Stagecoach transferred some to Perth in the early to late 1990s & i absolutely 💯 loved it as I use to go to Tesco on Crieff Road. It was always so enjoyable using a iconic machine the good old AEC Routemaster. Brilliant buses. 👍👍
Its On The Buses ( and yes I know they didn't drive Routemasters ) - we had half cab rear platform buses in Manchester when I was a lad - the sound was blooming awesome. As a kid I wanted to be a bus driver - one man operation took away the romance for me
Remember them Country Area green RML’s at Brentwood in 1967 on the 339’s, replaced the green RT’s, we had RMC Green Line coaches on the 721 to London (Aldgate) in 1962 under London Transport, Central Area red RT’s on the 247 and 287, along with lots of services by Eastern National Bristol ECW Lodekkas and single deck MW’s + a few others, such wonderful times.
Each time I see one of these beautiful monstrosisities, it takes me back to boyhood days in the 1960's, and my magnificent collection of Lesney Matchbox Miniature's. I actually did get to drive a CIE Kassbohrer touring motorcoach around a roundabout near Kilkenny, in 1985 (slipped the driver a £20.00 note in thanks), knowing that it would likely be my only chance at a "double-decker" in my life, and it likely will be! Money damn well spent, I'd say... I've been a subscriber for a few years now, just because of Hub Nut's "what the heck, I'm going to go for it" attitude in life. All the best from Pennsylvania!
Wonderful. I remember jumping onto these buses with my nan who lived in Dalston when I was a kid around the late 60s and early 70s and they always felt friendly and safe. We have built some fantastic vehicles in this country over the years and the Routemaster was one of the best.
We have one these at South Yorkshire transport musem ,Im a volunteer there , went on a trip to Sandtoft on 1963 model 115 , Hyde park and Victoria . It was so enjoyable so comfy , bags of charcter , ( orginal with all seats , signage intact )unlike the new London buses or any new bus .
That was an interesting test drive for sure. I think two or three retired London Routemasters made their way to Moscow back in the 90's but the only one double-decker in action I remember was German MAN bus. That Cummins engine sounds strangely familiar - just like old KAMAZ (soviet truck) engines. The USSR had its "Routemaster" too - Liaz 677 bus called "Lunokhod" (Moonracer). Produced from 1968 to 1994, this bus became a living legend. Not very advanced (although w/automatic gearbox), but durable enough and charismatic.
In Sydney we used double deckers up to and including the Leyland Atlantean. The earlier buses were on many different chassis but Leyland, AEC and Albion were the common three. All were bodied locally. Double duckers went out of favour, in Sydney, in the late 1970’s but are now in service again. The Sydney Bus Museum has many buses, single and double deckers, which regularly run taking people on rides. I used to drive the museum deckers, when I still lived in Sydney. The museum has an RT and RM as well as Hong Kong deckers.
Throughout the 1960s I lived in East London including Walthamstow and Chingford. Often travelled by Routemaster on Route #38 showing on that Bus which if memory serves, operated between Victoria Bus Station and Chingford Mount. Back in those fabulous London 1960s I was fit enough to run and catch the Routemasters doing about 20mph by grabbing the pole on the Open Platform and swinging on board. Many fit people including members of the fairer sex grabbed the pole and alighted on the open platform of the moving bus. Elf and safety. Wotz Dat Den ? Great days gorn forever but not forgotten. That distinctive engine sound .. still so familiar.
Congratulations Ian and Carly on the 100k subs - much deserved success. Great to see good people getting rewarded for their efforts, long may it continue. Cheers!
The best bus ever. They still use them on a few routes up in the middle of London. I've been a subscriber to the channel for years, but I think it's one of the first times where I knew the roads you where driving on.
Really enjoyed that video and I have always wanted to drive an older bus. Back in the late 60s early 70s I used to get the bus to school we didn’t have routemasters but Bristol Lodekkas which also had the driver in a separate cab. There was a mix of front and rear door models on the fleet, the good old days of Western SMT.
Awesome bus and video keep them coming...As a bus driver (passed test in late 80s in a PD2) and that was early morning in the middle of liverpool, that was fun and still have my issued psv driver badge....I would love an opportunity to drive old school again lol.
That was Pukka. Routemasters were just THE bus when I was a teenager and visiting friends at Uni in London. I bet there were people waiting at Bus Stops who thought their ride had arrived.
It Brings back Very happy memories as a driver on LT out of Upton park in the mid 60's. I worked the 15 which was mainly the RML East Ham white horse to Ladbrook Grove. On the odd occasion, I had to peddle an RT or an RTW, you noticed the difference in the speed and in the "armstrong" steering when you had a full load. Although the RML made the job a breeze, I later fell in love with the Leyland National a few years later, it can be argued, that there has never been anything built that comes close to the RM/RML. Thanks for the video and also to Pete and his Bus. Pity about the 4th gear not having the auto function enabled, you would have loved that as wall......Cheers.
The trouble is that when the RMLs were re furbed with Cummins C series, Iveco, and Scania engines, they upped the change up speed for 4th gear from 20 mph to 25 so if you worked the gear lever in semi mode, you could change into top, only to be confronted to a change back into third, because the SSG would not let you do it. The Cummins C Series was the the best though, nice torquey motor, bit loud, but did the job. Iveco, well de rated to stop smoke, but needed first gear starts, Scania, should have been good, but hunted on idling. There was one Caterpillar engined RML at AF,(Putney), anyone out there drove this?
What a fabulous treat to celebrate 100,000 subs. I bet it felt like it was your birthday and Christmas day all in one Ian. A dream come true for sure. shes and absolute beauty and a British Icon!! as always a great video
I’m a bit late to the party on this one. Used to get the 38 from Victoria Station to Islington back in the 80’s and 90’s and occasionally the 73. There was a conductor on the 38 went by the name of Count Basie, I think that spelling is correct, who would serenade passengers. I se that the filming was done in Felbridge/East Grinstead where I moved to after leaving London, traffic on the A22 always fun! After 40 odd years in Banking I now drive buses, Wright Gemini’s and Streetdecks down on the Sarf coast, mostly fun, just watch out for the wind!
I fell off the back of one of these and ruined a suit en route to work..made a dash to get on it as it pulled away and missed...first week in london 30 years ago. learnt to not jump on when moving!
Two of my favourite UK toobers! A glorious collaboration. And a BIG congratulations on 100K. Sydney had half-cab double deckers when I was a kid in the 60's.
This is bizarre seeing you drive around East Grinstead as I know all those roads so well. You seemed perfectly confident and aware of the size of the bus. Sounded great too!
Brilliant Ian. I’ve just relived my childhood dream of wanting to be a bus driver. It’s all I ever wanted to be. I us to kneel on the bench seat behind the driver and watch what he was doing. But due to circumstances I ended up in printing admin.
Absolutely brilliant, a fantastic drive, well done, I feel sooo, soooo envious of you, I’d just love to experience that for myself 😊 I’m an HGV driver but driving an RM bus would be the bees knees for me ❤️ I used to work for London Transport and so did my dad ❤️ thankyou for a great video and thankyou to Pete and his fantastic buses ❤️❤️
I drove bus for the Toronto Transit Commission for 20+ years. The bus of choice for many years was the GM New Look bus and was in a way similar to the AEC in its advanced design. I started with TTC just as the buses were being rebuilt with power steering. Eventually they were taken out of service because the 2 stroke diesel did not and could meet pollution standards and the TTC was switching to low floor accessible buses. The GM, like the AEC was a pleasure to operate except for dealing with the public. I was assaulted 3 times cause people would rather beat the driver than pay the fare. Retirement is great.
My father in law drove these for ni on 40 years. He was absolutely knackered after work. He ended up being a black cabbie in central London and had a tale or two to tell. Even in Melbourne, I have a little routemaster on the shelf in the front room. Great 👍
Wonderful choice to be part of your well deserved 100k. These were the truly great machines of my childhood and gained my 10 year old interest. What a sound! Thank you so much. Well done and onward and upward with those subscribers.
38 route was out of Clapton garage, one of the garages I've worked covering as an engineer from 2000 to 2009 my base garage was AR but did others such as DX, CT, WN, AD, E, EC, LV, SF also the only person to fit a bendybus over the pit in reverse at SF.
Corr mate! Nice vid, thanks. I learned to drive a Bristol FLF/Lodekka in the late 1970s, and worked for Bristol Omnibus for a while. No luxuries like auto/semi-auto gearbox there though, just lots of double-de-clutching. They had a flywheel brake caliper to slow the engine rapido, which was activated when you put yer hoof ON the clutch pedal, so you could get from first to second when taking off uphill (Bristol has a lot of hills). When the 'brake pads' wore out, they were never replaced. Certain country routes had notorious long hills, with lots of stops along the way. You had to pull away in first (essentially a crawler gear, but necessary with a full load), and you were stuck in first because you'd be going backwards if you tried to change up, really. Kids would run alongside the bus, rather faster in fact! It was even more terrifying going down the same hill (the 358 would go 'clockwise' around this part of Portishead, the 359 clounter-clockwise), as when your foot was on the floor, there was nothing else to call on! So again, we used the crawler gear as insurance... If the passengers ever knew how scary it was to drive the damn thing, I never knew, cut off as we were in the half-cab.
Yes, the clutch stop , good idea but as you say, they were not maintained. You can resort to the "snatch change", start in first, build up a bit of movement, pull on the gear lever, it won't come out of first until you whack the clutch down, then it SHOULD just fall down into second without any crunch, then release clutch Keep the accelerator constant while doing this and it is smooth as silk. Get this right and you are a hero, get it wrong and you will never hear the end of it. Old hands (with ancient PSV badge numbers), told me not to use the clutch at all, but I never got to that stage. You tube if full of American videos of "floating gears" as they call it, that is, not using the clutch. Reg Varney did training on Bristol Ks and FLFs so he really could drive the road shots on On the Buses Tv and Film. The thing is, you did it for real, day in, day out, me, mostly semis, autos and pre selectors ,respect to you.
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Well deserved Hubfam, for all the hard work. But please do tell... what's the deal with the music at the end? I don't get the joke and that annoys me 😉
Didn't realise you had a bus licence hub nut 🤣🤣
Being a bus driver, without having to talk to the public, that is a good job.
That would be ace, I drive buses I just call it stupid question time 😂
Hilarious 😂😂😂
I'm a bus driver too and I fully agree. Nasty people don't get to hassle you
@@colrhodes377 and these old route masters are still better built and more reliable then modern buses lol
@@samharvey6194 Any bus is a pain in the shitter in Manchester
Living, and working, in London from 1988 to 1993, this wonderful machine was my every day transport. The wind down windows on the top deck, the conductors, the hop on hop off! What a bus, and what a great way to celebrate 100k subscribers!
those ticket machines the conductors had... so fascinating to me as a kid
There were some wonderfully humorous conductors - a real art involved in looking after their passengers!
@@robertp.wainman4094 The memory they had to have... i know they said 'tickets please' ... but most of em had a mental note of what passengers got on, and who left, and who had paid... and what stop, absolutely incredible mental gymnastics. I am a 73 child so i remember the tail end of conductors... but WOW, yes they were a race apart
The lung cancer must be wonderful. Taxis trucks and buses .
As an ex London Transport bus mechanic, these were also very nice to work on too.
As an engineering garage trainee, I worked with ex trolleybus men who saw the Routemaster bus into service in November 1959.
Great times at Poplar garage Leven Road, sadly closed in 1985.
Many thanks for your interesting film, it brings back happy memories. Jonnie.👍
Yes, I still remember the RM as taking over 'my' trolleybus depots. I grew up with my first 20 years in company with a sea of RTs.
I was born in London and emigrated in 2006 so Routemasters were a constant of my life in London. When I go back to London I always feel a bit sad not to see them one the roads anymore. They seemed like a part of the furniture in the city when I was growing up. One of the things that made London, London.
You see them in Glasgow and Edinburgh
In 1983 I passed my pcv test (then PSV) in a AEC Routemaster.
My test was conducted at Chiswick, The skidpan was soo tight.
Lovely busses to menouver, stops on a sixpence.
Quite often we were still picking up passengers on 30 and 40 year old routemasters on a daily basis.
Tough as old boots.
Many drivers carried pillows to place on the seats,,,,, no air suspension back in the day.
Great to see them being kept alive. too many was scrapped for the alloy value.
I used to get paid to drive one of them, Route 38 London. 🙂
I do not envy you 😂
Same here but had to go out to break downs
@@ianthomas8743 got a mechanical…. Lead seal on the gearbox blown…
I do envy you very much so,a missed chapter in my life as a Chelsea born lifelong bus fan.
I used to travel on the 38 on a daily basis , I would catch if from Leyton high Road
Mention should be made of how they were designed to be maintained indefinitely. It wasn't just the buses but the whole maintenance infrastructure behind them. Turn it upside down and clean the bottom? No problem.
After an 8 (?) hour shift driving that beast in heavy traffic, a bus driver must have been _knackered_ . Makes you appreciate them all the more
We need Jack and Stan back for this one. 😁
That is the Birches Industrial Estate at Felbridge East Grinstead you were driving around! That is Where I Work! 👍🏻
Man from the West Midlands drives a Number 38 (Clapton, East London Bus); keeping an East London Man (now living in the West Midlands) totally enthralled! Ian - you clearly enjoyed that. The Routemaster truly is such an iconic British vehicle. There's a clip on RUclips (produced by London Transport) from the late 1960's outlining the intensive level of servicing that these beasts were subject to - its well worth a watch! Once again, congratulations upon your achievement of 100,000 Subs. "Hold tight......any more fares please".
If tickets cost a pound a piece, why should you make a fuss?
Still one of the best buses ever made
That's bucket list material right there, you know how lucky you are. Huge congrats on the 100k Ian, you've worked hard for it and rightly deserve it.
Blimey now I feel old! memories of jumping on the back of a moving 38 along Essex Rd North London most mornings!
Having driven a newer single decker round a test track as part of work training (im not a bus driver but had the best time ever) I don't envy you driving on the roads!
Well done Mr hubnut and a massive well deserved for the videos you've made and all the hard work you've put in to your channel 👍
As someone who secretly loves buses... this is an absolute peach of a 100k sub celebration! The king of buses (seconded by the MCW Metrobus!), in terms of big boys toys if I had a big barn - its a nail on certainty! Built to last and they did, unbelievable machines :)
True, you did'nt have to take your foot off the gas but as an instructor we always encouraged trainees to do so between gears. At London Country all the Routemasters were semi automatic.
These engines are up there w/ some of the best sounding ever, this is what pure grunt sounds like and it's utterly brilliant, congratulations on 100k! 🥳
It was the 93 Routemaster to school most days for me! Kids jumping on & off before it came to a stop Lol
Brilliant, I remember the 207 route (Uxbridge Rd), in the early to late 80's. Great engine noise.
Richly deserved success...Congrats on the 100K!🥳
What a great video. Those Routemasters certainly are legendary. There's one near where we live here in Australia. I couldn't believe the British fuel prices on display as you drove past a service station at 14:27. We're paying £0.63/litre for petrol and £1.01 for diesel here. Cheers from Tamborine, Queensland.
The sound of that engine takes me back! These were lovely things. The conductor system and open rear end are much more efficient. The usual strategy was to jump on and immediately run up the stairs in the hope he wouldn't notice you. My favourite seat of course was on the top at the front.
I was lucky enough to drive an original Routemaster every day for a few years when I worked for Mac Tours in Edinburgh. After driving Leyland PDs (and the wonderful, but very different Bristol Lodekkas that were also on the fleet) for many years, the arrival of the Routemasters was a real eye-opener. No more double-declutching and a much more civilised cab area. The Rolls-Royce of half-cabs for sure! I was a bit confused by the engine sound of this bus, until Ian mentioned that it had a replacement Cummins diesel. The original Routemaster had a very distinctive sound. The Cummins sounded more like a truck, but still quite pleasant. Anyway, well done, Ian for a great choice of subject for your 100k subscriber celebration.
Thank you so much for driving properly and "feeding" the steering wheel as you turned!
Two of my favourite automotive channels in a great collaboration. A well-deserved channel milestone, Ian, congratulations!
I can't think of a better way of celebrating your 100k. HUGE congratulations. What a joyous video too. I spent many happy years being ferried about on Routemasters, such a wonderful bus - iconic, but really just very good at what it was supposed to do.
In the late '70's and '80's I was involved with RMC 4, the Leyland 600 Power Plus version of one of the 6 original prototypes from Southall works.
It was used by LCBS at the country bus garages.
My childhood.... On the buses .. great to see Ian 👍
Congratulations Ian! What a lovely beast with which to celebrate. My Grandad was a bus driver for Eastern Counties and my Nan was a clippy with the same so I too have a love of old buses. I have a photo of me aged approx 12 months sat on Grandad's lap in the drivers seat of one of his steeds, taken around 1973. I also have all his old bus drivers service and safety medals too.
We're all going on a summer holiday! 😁👍
Well done, reaching 100k subs. It’s good to see people like Pete, preserving Route master buses for future generations to see, and appreciate. I’m 51 now, but when I was a teenager Route master buses were everywhere, from central London to the outskirts, like Epping etc. And I remember fondly, how cheap a 123456 All Zone TravelCard was, back in the day, when it was pennies, compared to todays prices by TFL. Also, I agree with you HubNut, having a driver and a separate conductor is much better, allowing each person to focus on their job better, but I believe TFL, Public transport wanted to cut back on costs, and that’s why we have drivers on buses, who are expected to deal with the pressures of driving, as well as, potentially, rowdy passengers.
This is a RML --- i.e. it is the long wheelbase version. You can tell by the extra small window in the middle.
Another gem from Ian. Rochdale Corporation Transport had some AEC Routemasters (or similar) cream with a dark blue band. Some of the later models had rear entrances fitted with doors, other Routemasters form other various areas had the entrance at the front, again fitted with doors.
Nearly died on my 12th birthday hanging off the back of one of these (the 237 route from Isleworth to Hounslow). Thanks for a nostalgic trip on the ol' Routemaster.
I was lucky enough to drive a Routemaster many years ago at a bus rally at North Weald airfield .. great experience
Found memories of travelling on the 124 red Routemaster route with my Grandmother in the early 1960s when I was 5. From Grove Park to Lewisham I think. I remember my Grandma describing this as a 'new' bus, which it was in 1963. Great video.
I used to drive one of these around South-East London in the early 80s.
Took my psv test in one too.
Beautiful bus.
8:40 "This massive indicator knob down here": I was waiting for the cutaway to a Miss Hubnut reaction shot.
The RMs are a bit after my childhood, so I had missed out on the RML being "Long"--I was expecting a little-known "Low" variant, and wondering how it had ever got on route 38. There's an RLH in Auckland that wears a 38 sign, and it causes me to twitch every time I see it.
Great to see you enjoying yourself.
Those sounds bring back memories ... these were the buses I used to ride on to school in Oxford in the 60s. Congrats on your achievement!
@Paul Fellows I've no idea I'm afraid. My experience was almost 60 years ago!
Damn it. I missed the Live Chat..! The Trouble with living on the otherside of the Planet..!
Cheers All. 😎
I think you can still watch it.
Wow and a Number 38 caught them a few times to Hackney 😊
I've been following Pete for a year or so, love the RMs, lucky you getting to drive one.
Loved driving those on some busy routes in London. 5, 25, 8, 69, 86.
Wow Wow wow wow just amazing! That Cummins Lump sounds just glorious!.... I think driving one of these routemasters in the day must have been a dream job.. Who needs a radio when you can listen to that powerhouse Cummins working hard.. Thanks 👍
'Doddle' is a term from the Great War when an extra conductress was put on the LCC trams to assist with the crowds-perhaps the upper deck. The extra ease that was afforded the regular clippie was called a 'doddle'.
Lovely video, thank you. Brought back some memories for me. Almost exactly 50 years ago, as a 21 year old, after university, I did an 18 month stint driving buses in Glasgow. I first learned on Leyland Titans, a rear platform bus like the Routemaster. Once I'd passed my test, daily work driving was on the Titans, Daimler CVG6's, and Leyland Atlanteans. The Daimlers had Wilson pre-selector gearboxes which were a delight to use. It was hard work driving in Glasgow, the timetables were tight, and the buses mostly driven into the ground. I recall being utterly exhausted at the end of each shift.
Thanks again for putting up this video.
There are still a few running tourist trips round London on a circular route from Waterloo.
I used the Routemaster when Stagecoach transferred some to Perth in the early to late 1990s & i absolutely 💯 loved it as I use to go to Tesco on Crieff Road. It was always so enjoyable using a iconic machine the good old AEC Routemaster. Brilliant buses. 👍👍
in Naples there is one for events.
I saw one in 1986 near Avellino. After the 1980 earthquake, some were sent as mobile offices. Very nice!!
Congratulations on reaching 100,000 to one of my fave RUclipsrs! Well deserved. Here's to the next 100,000 and more HubNut adventures!
Its On The Buses ( and yes I know they didn't drive Routemasters ) - we had half cab rear platform buses in Manchester when I was a lad - the sound was blooming awesome. As a kid I wanted to be a bus driver - one man operation took away the romance for me
Remember them Country Area green RML’s at Brentwood in 1967 on the 339’s, replaced the green RT’s, we had RMC Green Line coaches on the 721 to London (Aldgate) in 1962 under London Transport, Central Area red RT’s on the 247 and 287, along with lots of services by Eastern National Bristol ECW Lodekkas and single deck MW’s + a few others, such wonderful times.
Each time I see one of these beautiful monstrosisities, it takes me back to boyhood days in the 1960's, and my magnificent collection of Lesney Matchbox Miniature's. I actually did get to drive a CIE Kassbohrer touring motorcoach around a roundabout near Kilkenny, in 1985 (slipped the driver a £20.00 note in thanks), knowing that it would likely be my only chance at a "double-decker" in my life, and it likely will be! Money damn well spent, I'd say... I've been a subscriber for a few years now, just because of Hub Nut's "what the heck, I'm going to go for it" attitude in life. All the best from Pennsylvania!
Wonderful. I remember jumping onto these buses with my nan who lived in Dalston when I was a kid around the late 60s and early 70s and they always felt friendly and safe. We have built some fantastic vehicles in this country over the years and the Routemaster was one of the best.
We have one these at South Yorkshire transport musem ,Im a volunteer there , went on a trip to Sandtoft on 1963 model 115 , Hyde park and Victoria . It was so enjoyable so comfy , bags of charcter , ( orginal with all seats , signage intact )unlike the new London buses or any new bus .
That engine note, love it
Congratulations on achieving both the 100k subs and driving an iconic Routemaster London Bus - fantastic effort and well deserved!
That was an interesting test drive for sure. I think two or three retired London Routemasters made their way to Moscow back in the 90's but the only one double-decker in action I remember was German MAN bus.
That Cummins engine sounds strangely familiar - just like old KAMAZ (soviet truck) engines.
The USSR had its "Routemaster" too - Liaz 677 bus called "Lunokhod" (Moonracer). Produced from 1968 to 1994, this bus became a living legend. Not very advanced (although w/automatic gearbox), but durable enough and charismatic.
As a Routemaster driver, working out of Putney garage on the 14, 30 and 74 routes I approve of this video.
Fantastic! There were many in Lisbon, 1 and 2 stores. A childhood memory...
In Sydney we used double deckers up to and including the Leyland Atlantean. The earlier buses were on many different chassis but Leyland, AEC and Albion were the common three. All were bodied locally. Double duckers went out of favour, in Sydney, in the late 1970’s but are now in service again. The Sydney Bus Museum has many buses, single and double deckers, which regularly run taking people on rides. I used to drive the museum deckers, when I still lived in Sydney. The museum has an RT and RM as well as Hong Kong deckers.
Throughout the 1960s I lived in East London including Walthamstow and Chingford.
Often travelled by Routemaster on Route #38 showing on that Bus which if memory serves, operated between Victoria Bus Station and Chingford Mount.
Back in those fabulous London 1960s I was fit enough to run and catch the Routemasters doing about 20mph by grabbing the pole on the Open Platform and swinging on board. Many fit people including members of the fairer sex grabbed the pole and alighted on the open platform of the moving bus.
Elf and safety. Wotz Dat Den ?
Great days gorn forever but not forgotten. That distinctive engine sound .. still so familiar.
Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤️ 👍 fantastic bus it's beautiful wish they were still like that brilliant
I have travelled many times on the route 38 bus. That's a bus of my childhood
Congratulations Ian and Carly on the 100k subs - much deserved success. Great to see good people getting rewarded for their efforts, long may it continue. Cheers!
(hello from 🇨🇵) Thank you Ian for all you've done for us ☺️
I've driven that bus when it operated from Clapton on the 38. Would love to have another go at driving them again.
The best bus ever. They still use them on a few routes up in the middle of London.
I've been a subscriber to the channel for years, but I think it's one of the first times where I knew the roads you where driving on.
The noise can almost smell the bus smell 😊,top deck bus of my childhood 😊jumping on and off between stops ooh the nostalgia
Really enjoyed that video and I have always wanted to drive an older bus. Back in the late 60s early 70s I used to get the bus to school we didn’t have routemasters but Bristol Lodekkas which also had the driver in a separate cab. There was a mix of front and rear door models on the fleet, the good old days of Western SMT.
One of my greatest memories of visiting my uncle in back in the 80s was taking the 14, 18 or 22 Routemaster bus back to Fulham.
Awesome bus and video keep them coming...As a bus driver (passed test in late 80s in a PD2) and that was early morning in the middle of liverpool, that was fun and still have my issued psv driver badge....I would love an opportunity to drive old school again lol.
That was Pukka. Routemasters were just THE bus when I was a teenager and visiting friends at Uni in London. I bet there were people waiting at Bus Stops who thought their ride had arrived.
It Brings back Very happy memories as a driver on LT out of Upton park in the mid 60's. I worked the 15 which was mainly the RML East Ham white horse to Ladbrook Grove. On the odd occasion, I had to peddle an RT or an RTW, you noticed the difference in the speed and in the "armstrong" steering when you had a full load. Although the RML made the job a breeze, I later fell in love with the Leyland National a few years later, it can be argued, that there has never been anything built that comes close to the RM/RML. Thanks for the video and also to Pete and his Bus. Pity about the 4th gear not having the auto function enabled, you would have loved that as wall......Cheers.
The trouble is that when the RMLs were re furbed with Cummins C series, Iveco, and Scania engines, they upped the change up speed for 4th gear from 20 mph to 25 so if you worked the gear lever in semi mode, you could change into top, only to be confronted to a change back into third, because the SSG would not let you do it.
The Cummins C Series was the the best though, nice torquey motor, bit loud, but did the job.
Iveco, well de rated to stop smoke, but needed first gear starts, Scania, should have been good, but hunted on idling. There was one Caterpillar engined RML at AF,(Putney), anyone out there drove this?
What a fabulous treat to celebrate 100,000 subs. I bet it felt like it was your birthday and Christmas day all in one Ian. A dream come true for sure. shes and absolute beauty and a British Icon!! as always a great video
I’m a bit late to the party on this one. Used to get the 38 from Victoria Station to Islington back in the 80’s and 90’s and occasionally the 73. There was a conductor on the 38 went by the name of Count Basie, I think that spelling is correct, who would serenade passengers. I se that the filming was done in Felbridge/East Grinstead where I moved to after leaving London, traffic on the A22 always fun! After 40 odd years in Banking I now drive buses, Wright Gemini’s and Streetdecks down on the Sarf coast, mostly fun, just watch out for the wind!
They would still be perfect now!
I fell off the back of one of these and ruined a suit en route to work..made a dash to get on it as it pulled away and missed...first week in london 30 years ago. learnt to not jump on when moving!
Two of my favourite UK toobers! A glorious collaboration. And a BIG congratulations on 100K. Sydney had half-cab double deckers when I was a kid in the 60's.
How brilliant of Pete to give you the opportunity. His channel is wonderful, I love his wit and humour.
This is bizarre seeing you drive around East Grinstead as I know all those roads so well. You seemed perfectly confident and aware of the size of the bus. Sounded great too!
Such a terrific looking bus - Douglas Scott really knew what he was doing!
Brilliant Ian. I’ve just relived my childhood dream of wanting to be a bus driver. It’s all I ever wanted to be. I us to kneel on the bench seat behind the driver and watch what he was doing. But due to circumstances I ended up in printing admin.
Absolutely brilliant, a fantastic drive, well done, I feel sooo, soooo envious of you, I’d just love to experience that for myself 😊 I’m an HGV driver but driving an RM bus would be the bees knees for me ❤️ I used to work for London Transport and so did my dad ❤️ thankyou for a great video and thankyou to Pete and his fantastic buses ❤️❤️
I drove bus for the Toronto Transit Commission for 20+ years. The bus of choice for many years was the GM New Look bus and was in a way similar to the AEC in its advanced design.
I started with TTC just as the buses were being rebuilt with power steering.
Eventually they were taken out of service because the 2 stroke diesel did not and could meet pollution standards and the TTC was switching to low floor accessible buses.
The GM, like the AEC was a pleasure to operate except for dealing with the public. I was assaulted 3 times cause people would rather beat the driver than pay the fare.
Retirement is great.
Rightfully giddy - That noise … every stroke of the injector pump … rev range of sub 1000 … wonderful 😊
Love it! I haven’t heard that sound since I was a kid in the ‘80s. I forgot how distinctive all the little noises as they cycle in and out
Like a duck to water...and a nice bit of one of Bach's Brandenburg concertos at the end too!
Fantastic! Stunning soundtrack, what a great way to celebrate!
Congratulations Ian. What a milestone. Here's to the next 100,000!
My father in law drove these for ni on 40 years. He was absolutely knackered after work. He ended up being a black cabbie in central London and had a tale or two to tell. Even in Melbourne, I have a little routemaster on the shelf in the front room. Great 👍
Used to travel on this route regularly, I do miss the routemasters
Well done Ian, fantastic, well deserved achievement.
Wonderful choice to be part of your well deserved 100k. These were the truly great machines of my childhood and gained my 10 year old interest. What a sound! Thank you so much. Well done and onward and upward with those subscribers.
Great video, was aware of golden circle and rule of thirds but didn't realise other ones too for getting a composition. Thanks
Congratulations on reaching this milestone Ian. Thanks for all the videos. Keep them coming.
38 route was out of Clapton garage, one of the garages I've worked covering as an engineer from 2000 to 2009 my base garage was AR but did others such as DX, CT, WN, AD, E, EC, LV, SF also the only person to fit a bendybus over the pit in reverse at SF.
Corr mate! Nice vid, thanks. I learned to drive a Bristol FLF/Lodekka in the late 1970s, and worked for Bristol Omnibus for a while. No luxuries like auto/semi-auto gearbox there though, just lots of double-de-clutching. They had a flywheel brake caliper to slow the engine rapido, which was activated when you put yer hoof ON the clutch pedal, so you could get from first to second when taking off uphill (Bristol has a lot of hills). When the 'brake pads' wore out, they were never replaced. Certain country routes had notorious long hills, with lots of stops along the way. You had to pull away in first (essentially a crawler gear, but necessary with a full load), and you were stuck in first because you'd be going backwards if you tried to change up, really. Kids would run alongside the bus, rather faster in fact! It was even more terrifying going down the same hill (the 358 would go 'clockwise' around this part of Portishead, the 359 clounter-clockwise), as when your foot was on the floor, there was nothing else to call on! So again, we used the crawler gear as insurance... If the passengers ever knew how scary it was to drive the damn thing, I never knew, cut off as we were in the half-cab.
Yes, the clutch stop , good idea but as you say, they were not maintained. You can resort to the "snatch change", start in first, build up a bit of movement, pull on the gear lever, it won't come out of first until you whack the clutch down, then it SHOULD just fall down into second without any crunch, then release clutch Keep the accelerator constant while doing this and it is smooth as silk.
Get this right and you are a hero, get it wrong and you will never hear the end of it. Old hands (with ancient PSV badge numbers), told me not to use the clutch at all, but I never got to that stage.
You tube if full of American videos of "floating gears" as they call it, that is, not using the clutch.
Reg Varney did training on Bristol Ks and FLFs so he really could drive the road shots on On the Buses Tv and Film.
The thing is, you did it for real, day in, day out, me, mostly semis, autos and pre selectors ,respect to you.