London Transport Buses 1986-Stanmore Stn & Aldenham Works Staff Buses Routemasters, Metrobuses & BLs

It's February 1986 and i'm in North West London. We start at Stanmore Station and see Bristol LH BL's on route 251 along with a Metrobus on route 142. Next we move along to Elstree Hill South by Aldenham Bus Overhaul Works. Here we see 2 ex London Country SM vehicles on school bus workings, a couple of Metro's on route 107 and then the evening parade of RMA's on the Aldenham Staff Bus run to all parts of London. If you liked the video please subscribe to my channel, there are lots more transport & quirky vids to upload!

[@bhaveshpatel-kp6fr]

Your videos are brilliant. They are the closest to time travelling I can experience.

[@jamesfrench7299]

They make life worth living.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Thank you.......

[@ccjelley2390]

Can you imagine staff buses anywhere in this present age of individuality and private spaces? Amazing footage.

[@TransportGeekery]

Amazon run loads of works buses around the country

[@zebedep]

Superb footage! Thank you.

[@paulaylesbury]

Just brilliant

[@nwlondontimemachine9484]

Terrific video. Thank you for sharing.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

my pleasure....

[@Andrewjg_89]

I do remember going to Stanmore once on the Jubilee Line.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

I went there many times, both on 72 & 83 stock..... but then again, i was a guard on the line!.... As a child i also rode 38 stock there when it was the Bakerloo.....

[@algiles881]

I remember for a time the Bristol LHs worked on the 46 route (I worked in Grays Inn Road at the time). I always fancied going on one but never did,. They seemed to disappear from that route overnight. Always regret not experiencing it. They looked cute

[@razorheadinjapan73]

Brilliant! thought that RMA driver at the end was trying to run you over at one stage!

[@jamesfrench7299]

I rewound that a few times. I was laughing my head off just about.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Yes, he was being a smartarse! Years later he worked at Kodak in Harrow and got to know Jon Harry (whos vids i upload on here)..... Jon mention he'd seen my vids of the staff buses, and the driver remembered me! How quirky's that?.....

[@jamesfrench7299]

Pffft the BLs had nothing on Sydney's Leopards prowling around at the time with the straight though exhausts setting off car alarms and vibrating floors from their lumpy 0680s!
Those RMAs at the end did sound very nice though with more class than a Leyland!

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

The BL's were always a small class on LT, for lightly used routes or narrow roads.....

[@jamesfrench7299]

So were more comparible to Sydney's 31 seaters which were shorter fully enclosed front engine buses built on Leyland, AEC and Daimler chassis - all with same body! They were nicknamed frogs.
All gone 1979.
Sydney ordered is next shorter buses in the 2010s on Scania chassis as the 11m buses that could cope with tight runs were all phased out. Only problem is they often found their way on busy trunk routes and filled up.

[@ClydebridgeStation]

Aldenham closed that year, I'm sure, so this was the last knockings for those staff buses. What was with the grey one, with the fleetname BEL, all about?

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

As London Transport was split up, Bus Engineering Ltd was set up, taking over Chiswick and Aldenham Works. One or two RMA's got the new livery.... As we now know, it didin't last long and a few years later (after closing Aldenham & Chiswick, BEL moved to a unit on an industrial estate) they ceased trading......

[@jamesfrench7299]

Was this by Thatcher's dictatorship? How dare she takes over just to do this.

[@DaveInBridport]

BLs had all EW routes on their blinds. I wonder if they ever strayed onto 186, 140, say.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

The 140 never ran from Edgware, it was Harrow Weald in those days..... When EW used SMS's on routes like the 186, 286 & 288, i think a BL made it onto the 288 route once or twice.....

[@DaveInBridport]

@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus EW did have an allocation between 1985 and 1987. Metrobus and there were 140 panels on BL blinds... I have one in my collection.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

@@DaveInBridport I doubt a BL would work the 140, too busy a route. If they were very desperate and the only spare bus was a BL i would imagine they would grab a Metro off another route for the 140 and put the BL on a less busier, local route.....

[@DaveInBridport]

@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus more than likely. Just on there for absolute last resort. Blind only had CANONS PARK, STANMORE BDY, HD GARAGE, WEALDSTONE, HARROW BUS STN and EDGWARE STN.

[@markknight1011]

Did LT use fleetlines ?

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Yes, nearly 2700 of them!

[@Keithbarber]

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