I went for a job interview there as a mechanical engineer in about 1980, sadly unsuccessful but it was great to get inside to see all the engineering that was going on. Snapped crankshafts, snow damaged tyres and bent gearboxes. Real oldy worldy and buses everywhere! A real adventure. Heaven!!
I have been in there when i started on the buses in 1983 and again in the mid 80s when i transfered to the Underground, the Clothing Store for the whole of LT was based there. Plus the open days in 1983 & 84 where you could ride on the skid-pan!
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus sounds a bit risky... I mean Blakey needed new pants after he went on that skid pan :-). Thanks for posting. I used to watch over the wall as a 7 year old - long long time ago!! Great memories.
My pleasure! They are plenty up to keep you going, plus there are plenty more classics to upload as well as more recently filmed vids, happy viewing.....
That Chiswick facility looked very substantial indeed. You can imagine all the engines, gearboxes and axles lying around behind closed doors. Wow!! Good to see the DMSs mixing it with the Ms, the former introducing the modern OMO decker layout.
Chiswick was a hugh place, and at the back behind the engineering workshops was a BR freight line (from Bollo Lane Jnc to Kew East Junc) beyond which was (and still is) Acton Works, the Underground's workshops. So LT covered a vast area in this part of London. Chiswicjk was more than just engineering though, the Bus driver Training School with its skid patch was here, the uniform stoes for the whole of LT (buses & underground) was here, a recruitment office, medical centre and experimental workshop. A fantastic place which even held two bus rallies there in 1983 and 1984 which i attended, happy days.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Sydney had a government bus overhauling facility in the suburb of Chullora that did it all until a conservative government shut it down in 1989. Buses were brush painted and came out as rockets again. The last buses to get the Chullora treatment were some of the late 70s Mercedes Benz 0305s (we had the world's largest fleet of them -1200). Drivers said these last overhauled Mercs were the pick among drivers as they flew!!
@@jamesfrench7299 Almost a mirror image of Chiswick and Aldenham Works. Chiswick over-hauled the mechanical units while Aldenham over-hauled the complete bus including lifting and swapping bus bodies, swapping bus identites, body, chassis (or sub frames on RMs) & fleet numbers all transfered around at will. LT kept meticulous records of where each part ened up so it knewthe part numbers which each vehicle had.
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I heard some LS nats were brush painted at Aldenham. A good brush painter can achieve very satisfactory results. You could say Chullora was our own Aldenham/Chiswick as it pretty much achieved the same objective but to a lesser scale and not as frequent and meticulous.
check out the ON THE BUSES FILM from the 70s. There is one famous scene where they are on the skid pan there putting a route master through its paces. CLASSIC 70S COMEDY.
Routemaster 70 took place on Both weekend on 20th July/21th July 2024 at Chiswick Business Park the Former Site of Chiswick Works to celebrate 70 years of the Prototype Routemaster RM1 since it was first launched at Earls Court Motor Show back in September 1954 & Entered Service in 1956 on Route 2 Between Golders Green & Crystal Palace from Cricklewood Bus Garage
hello, I noticed, a black rectangular panel, in the lower part of the bonnet of the dms buses filmed here, it was a mesh to increase air to the engine ?
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus i do lke so much, the dms,especially the first batch with the inner front lights, iam not from uk, but knew the dms in the early seventies from the matchbox range, and with the years now iam building an sacratchbuilt dms in styrene in 1.24 scale, like the gilbow but for me is very expensive, so i decided scrach it, iam in the process
I must say that I miss the old route master bus and as strange as it may sound, I would much rather travel on one than the modern ones that are sometimes cramped and often uncomfortable.
The Routemasters were designed by LT themselves so wanted to make life as comfortable as possible for both staff & passengers. Unlike today where it's as cheap as possible and everyone is crammed in!!!
Me too. The Routemasters as purpose designed vehicles suited London so well. Not too wide so could be manoeuvred around the streets with ease. The speed of loading and unloading. The great ventilation with those wind down windows . The conductor.
As sad end to a wonderful place, a major part of London Transport. All bus mechanical units were overhauled here, the Driver Training School with its skid pan was here, the experimental shop, the LT clothing store which issued clothing to both bus & Underground staff, a medical centre and general offices. It had open day weekends back in 1983 & 84 where we had the chance to ride a bus on the skid pan! In 1983 the Acton Underground Works was open as well and we used the bridge over BR's freight line from South Acton to Kew East Junction which connected Chiswick Works to Acton Works.....happy days!
Yes, it was closed progressively from 1986 onwards. In the end the overhaul part of LT became Bus Engineering Ltd (BEL). They clung on art Chiswick for as long as they could but once all the other parts of works had gone they were a small unit in a large empty place, so they moved to Park Royal (if i remember correctly) until they finally closed. The Chiswick site was cleared and became Chiswick Park, not a green space but a business park (bit like Aldenham Works at Elstree)....
Brilliant Soi! I worked at Chiswick Park 2008 to 2016. Now the 27 terminates in the park. I once took the 27 from Camden Town to Chiswick and that was nearly an hour, so I can imagine Archway to Richmond being an hour and a half at least! Was the 237 in s sections? As I know it went to Sunbury.
The 27 used to run to Teddington on Sundays back in the 1970s, that was a run! But of course Sundays then were a lot quieter on the roads. The 237 did indeed run to Sunbury Village, not every bus ran through (about half the service turned at Feltham) and i'm guessing some turned at Brentford or Hounslow from the Sunbury end. The route was one of the few that went from OPO back to crew working (routes 5 & 106 were two others) and was booked for RM's but Hounslow mixed its RM & RML's up between its two crew routes.
@@keithyrudeboy007 Sadly a lot of routes have been cut back to just a fraction of their former length. The 15 especially has been decimated from its heyday when it ran Richmond to East Ham!
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus the Sunday bus extension to Richmond were funny. I recall the 73 getting lost and following the 27 route towards Kew. Lots of dinging on bell by conductor - eventually driver got the message.
Happy Days Chiswick London W4 During The Middle 1980s. Sadly Today None Of Those Buildings Pictured Including The Petrol Stations, Chequered Flag Garage, Church, Offices Near the Bus Works Are There Only Ugly Eyesore Property Developments Greedy Capitalism At Its Worst.
Watching this brought back some happy memories 😊😊 loved my days with LT
I went for a job interview there as a mechanical engineer in about 1980, sadly unsuccessful but it was great to get inside to see all the engineering that was going on. Snapped crankshafts, snow damaged tyres and bent gearboxes. Real oldy worldy and buses everywhere! A real adventure. Heaven!!
I have been in there when i started on the buses in 1983 and again in the mid 80s when i transfered to the Underground, the Clothing Store for the whole of LT was based there. Plus the open days in 1983 & 84 where you could ride on the skid-pan!
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus sounds a bit risky... I mean Blakey needed new pants after he went on that skid pan :-). Thanks for posting. I used to watch over the wall as a 7 year old - long long time ago!! Great memories.
One month before I was born! What a great collection of videos you have, I am thoroughly enjoying watching them! Thankyou!
My pleasure! They are plenty up to keep you going, plus there are plenty more classics to upload as well as more recently filmed vids, happy viewing.....
Grateful to you for sharing these videos, thanks!
My pleasure, all history now.....
That Chiswick facility looked very substantial indeed. You can imagine all the engines, gearboxes and axles lying around behind closed doors. Wow!!
Good to see the DMSs mixing it with the Ms, the former introducing the modern OMO decker layout.
Chiswick was a hugh place, and at the back behind the engineering workshops was a BR freight line (from Bollo Lane Jnc to Kew East Junc) beyond which was (and still is) Acton Works, the Underground's workshops. So LT covered a vast area in this part of London. Chiswicjk was more than just engineering though, the Bus driver Training School with its skid patch was here, the uniform stoes for the whole of LT (buses & underground) was here, a recruitment office, medical centre and experimental workshop. A fantastic place which even held two bus rallies there in 1983 and 1984 which i attended, happy days.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus Sydney had a government bus overhauling facility in the suburb of Chullora that did it all until a conservative government shut it down in 1989.
Buses were brush painted and came out as rockets again.
The last buses to get the Chullora treatment were some of the late 70s Mercedes Benz 0305s (we had the world's largest fleet of them -1200). Drivers said these last overhauled Mercs were the pick among drivers as they flew!!
@@jamesfrench7299 Almost a mirror image of Chiswick and Aldenham Works. Chiswick over-hauled the mechanical units while Aldenham over-hauled the complete bus including lifting and swapping bus bodies, swapping bus identites, body, chassis (or sub frames on RMs) & fleet numbers all transfered around at will. LT kept meticulous records of where each part ened up so it knewthe part numbers which each vehicle had.
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I heard some LS nats were brush painted at Aldenham. A good brush painter can achieve very satisfactory results.
You could say Chullora was our own Aldenham/Chiswick as it pretty much achieved the same objective but to a lesser scale and not as frequent and meticulous.
check out the ON THE BUSES FILM from the 70s. There is one famous scene where they are on the skid pan there putting a route master through its paces. CLASSIC 70S COMEDY.
Routemaster 70 took place on Both weekend on 20th July/21th July 2024 at Chiswick Business Park the Former Site of Chiswick Works to celebrate 70 years of the Prototype Routemaster RM1 since it was first launched at Earls Court Motor Show back in September 1954 & Entered Service in 1956 on Route 2 Between Golders Green & Crystal Palace from Cricklewood Bus Garage
hello, I noticed, a black rectangular panel, in the lower part of the bonnet of the dms buses filmed here, it was a mesh to increase air to the engine ?
Quite possibly, they were well known for over-heating when in service...
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus i do lke so much, the dms,especially the first batch with the inner front lights, iam not from uk, but knew the dms in the early seventies from the matchbox range, and with the years now iam building an sacratchbuilt dms in styrene in 1.24 scale, like the gilbow but for me is very expensive, so i decided scrach it, iam in the process
I must say that I miss the old route master bus and as strange as it may sound, I would much rather travel on one than the modern ones that are sometimes cramped and often uncomfortable.
The Routemasters were designed by LT themselves so wanted to make life as comfortable as possible for both staff & passengers. Unlike today where it's as cheap as possible and everyone is crammed in!!!
THESE IS NO COMPARISON. route master every day of the week
Me too. The Routemasters as purpose designed vehicles suited London so well. Not too wide so could be manoeuvred around the streets with ease. The speed of loading and unloading. The great ventilation with those wind down windows . The conductor.
Just looked on Google Maps to see whats on the site of the works these days....wished I didn't now!!
As sad end to a wonderful place, a major part of London Transport. All bus mechanical units were overhauled here, the Driver Training School with its skid pan was here, the experimental shop, the LT clothing store which issued clothing to both bus & Underground staff, a medical centre and general offices. It had open day weekends back in 1983 & 84 where we had the chance to ride a bus on the skid pan! In 1983 the Acton Underground Works was open as well and we used the bridge over BR's freight line from South Acton to Kew East Junction which connected Chiswick Works to Acton Works.....happy days!
Didn’t Chiswick close in the late 80’s ?
Yes, it was closed progressively from 1986 onwards. In the end the overhaul part of LT became Bus Engineering Ltd (BEL). They clung on art Chiswick for as long as they could but once all the other parts of works had gone they were a small unit in a large empty place, so they moved to Park Royal (if i remember correctly) until they finally closed. The Chiswick site was cleared and became Chiswick Park, not a green space but a business park (bit like Aldenham Works at Elstree)....
Soi Buakhao Such a shame, As Garages now could do with a secondary unit hence why Metroline opened CELF, Metroline is still run by old LT managers
@@NextSound170 And Arriva/DB have the Repair Centre at Enfield by the side of the garage.
Brilliant Soi! I worked at Chiswick Park 2008 to 2016. Now the 27 terminates in the park. I once took the 27 from Camden Town to Chiswick and that was nearly an hour, so I can imagine Archway to Richmond being an hour and a half at least! Was the 237 in s sections? As I know it went to Sunbury.
The 27 used to run to Teddington on Sundays back in the 1970s, that was a run! But of course Sundays then were a lot quieter on the roads. The 237 did indeed run to Sunbury Village, not every bus ran through (about half the service turned at Feltham) and i'm guessing some turned at Brentford or Hounslow from the Sunbury end. The route was one of the few that went from OPO back to crew working (routes 5 & 106 were two others) and was booked for RM's but Hounslow mixed its RM & RML's up between its two crew routes.
The 27 now only runs between Chalk Farm and Hammersmith, so it doesn’t even comes this far now.
keith saunders oh wow! Just saw that the 10 was withdrawn which the 27 compensating for.
@@keithyrudeboy007 Sadly a lot of routes have been cut back to just a fraction of their former length. The 15 especially has been decimated from its heyday when it ran Richmond to East Ham!
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus the Sunday bus extension to Richmond were funny. I recall the 73 getting lost and following the 27 route towards Kew. Lots of dinging on bell by conductor - eventually driver got the message.
Happy Days Chiswick London W4 During The Middle 1980s. Sadly Today None Of Those Buildings Pictured Including The Petrol Stations, Chequered Flag Garage, Church, Offices Near the Bus Works Are There Only Ugly Eyesore Property Developments Greedy Capitalism At Its Worst.
Yes, sadly any signs of the old Works are long gone.....
very nostalgic
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