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| Count | Photo | Details | Added  |
| 1,901 |  |
By Lee Thatcher London United received nine high-roof Ford Transit vans for garage engineer's use in May 2012. Three have been withdrawn over the past couple of years, perhaps as a result of accident damage, and it now looks like the remainder will be replaced very soon (q.v.). This photo shows FT70006 departing from Hammersmith Bus Station on 11th July 2020 and shows a previously unreported change. EK12OLB was unique among the batch in being in plain red, with just small FT6 fleetnumbers for identification. As such it was believed to be for head office use rather than any particular garage. Following the withdrawal of similar FT70005 (originally FT5) in 2019, FT6 appears to have been transferred to Stamford Brook for engineering use. In connection with this, it gained company lettering, new fleetnumber FT70006 and also a light-bar on the roof and small lights on the front grille. It can be recognised from the other vans in the batch by having Buses roundels, smaller company lettering, larger fleetnumbers and a low-profile, LED light-bar. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,902 |  |
By Ray Monk The small Ford Transit Courier model was introduced in 2014, since when a total of 33 have featured in the main service vehicle fleet. They were not all in stock at the same time though. For example, the first 10 (7964F to 7973F) were for use by the Lifts and Escalators section and were replaced in 2019 by nine similar vans numbered 8764F to 8772F. I have allocated all of these to Acton, Frank Pick House, though in reality only a couple have actually been seen there. 8765F was new in July 2019 but was not seen again until Ray found it parked outside a house in Eltham on 10th July 2020. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,903 |  |
By Colin Smith The second of six new Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans delivered in June 2020 was 9129VW, and on 9th July this was found parked at Lillie Bridge Depot. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,904 |  |
By Derek Everson The quantity of new LBSL Incident Response Unit parked up at the Bedfont dealership grew from seven in May 2020 to nineteen by early July. The most recent arrivals (9093/94/95/98VW) gave a complete batch number range of 9055-9099VW (45 vehicles). It seems likely that this will be the final total, although fleetnumbers 9100 to 9103 remain unclaimed at present, so there could potentially be another four IRUs on the way. Derek paid another visit to Bedfont on 7th July 2020 and photographed 9095VW in the yard. Similar 9083VW on the left had been here since mid-March. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,905 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek is obviously a morning person, and several of these photos were taken soon after sunrise, when most of us were still tucked up in bed. An interesting find at Allsop Place (Baker Street) on 7th July 2020 was Volkswagen Transporter 8517VW. New in October 2017, this long-wheelbase crew van was based at Stratford Market Depot and was consequently seen mostly at night. I don't recall seeing Stratford vehicles at Baker Street before so perhaps it had recently changed users. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,906 |  |
By Derek Everson The six new Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans which were dispatched from the Bedfont dealership in late June 2020 seem to have been spread far and wide, with three appearing in today's photos, each at a different location. First up is 9128VW (numerically the first of the batch), found parked at Edgware Road Station on 7th July 2020. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,907 |  |
By Derek Everson 8738F is numerically the first of a large batch of 22 Ford Transit Custom crew vans delivered in spring 2019 for use by LUL's Lifts and Escalators department. I have given it the nominal allocation of Frank Pick House in Acton, but vehicles from this section can also be found at Griffith House and the neighbouring Edgware Road Station. 8738F was seen at the latter location very early on 7th July 2020. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,908 |  |
By Peter Hulse An incident on the Victoria line on the morning of 6th July 2020 resulted in the attendance to Finsbury Park of two Emergency Response Unit tenders. This fine view of TfL-liveried 2606 shows the extra brandings applied to the roller shutter doors, believed to be in connection with its participation in the Lord Mayor's Show in November 2019. The other tender present was BTP-liveried 2612. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,909 |  |
By Ray Monk Twenty-three of LBSL's new Volkswagen Crafter Incident Response Unit vans were delivered in February 2020 and thus had '69 registration numbers. Delivery of the remainder was expected to take place in March and April, with these getting '20 registrations. In the event, only three '20-reg vans were received before the imposition of the lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Of these three, 9069VW was sent to Eltham Bus Station, where it was photographed on 3rd July 2020. The IRUs were not delivered in strictly numerical order, hence the van behind arrived earlier but has a higher fleetnumber (9076VW). |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,910 |  |
By Derek Everson RATP-Dev has two Ford Transit Connect Mk2 vans, new in 2015 and allocated fleetnumbers FC1 and FC2 (changed to FC70021 and FC70022 in 2016). However, both vans have remained in unmarked red livery, which possibly accounts for the very few sightings that have been reported. One or both of the vans can often be found parked at the former NSL garage in Twickenham, as seen by this view of FC70021 there on 11th June 2020. |
05/08/2020 |
| 1,911 |  |
By Google This image is similar to the previous one, in that it covers more than one LTSV 'location' and also the site of a long-closed railway station. This is Tufnell Park, looking almost due west. The large building at the centre is Bush Industrial Estate, part of which is now used by LUL's power supply section (marked A), with around a dozen service vehicles normally to be found parked outside (it is not believed any vehicles are kept inside the building). The estate is located on Station Road, which runs from Junction Road (near the overbridge at the top left corner of this image). Station Road continues round the end of the industrial estate (where the numerous red Post Office vans are parked) then finishes at a dead-end beside the railway line. Talking of the railway line, this is the 'South Tottenham' line, now used by Overground trains between Gospel Oak and Barking, and also by many freight trains. There was a station here (named Junction Road) until 1943, while there was also a freight yard (Tufnell Park Goods) until 1968, more or less where the industrial estate is now. As for the other locations visible, the large building marked B is Holloway bus garage. The Pemberton Terrace entrance is upper centre, alongside which is the ramp down to the outside yard (marked C). The large blue door in the garage wall is at the inside floor level. The yard at track-level is mainly used for staff car parking, but it is not unusual to find a number of buses parked here. This location was also used by LUL's cleaning services department from about 1992, as seen here. This followed the closure of Junction Road (q.v.) but only seems to have lasted a few years. Finally, marked D on this image is the location of Junction Road depot, a small location used by LT/LUL up to about 1992. The building on which the letter D has been placed was only built in about 2008, replacing an earlier commercial building. The LT location was in any case below this, nearer to track level and accessed by a ramp down from Junction Road itself. The lower buildings remain and are now used as a Shaolin Temple! |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,912 |  |
By Google You can now explore locations without leaving home, thanks to the amazing tools provided by Google. Using a combination of Streetview and Maps (including the brilliant 3D function, which was used to capture the image shown here), along with the 'Roll-back' feature in Google Earth (to view comparable historical images), you can see almost as much of a place as you could by actually going there. The image shown here includes both Camberwell and Walworth bus garages and, since there were quite a lot of points I wanted to cover, I have added lettered circles for certain aspects. I grew up a few miles from this location, and I was familiar with the two garages. At the time, it never occurred to me that it was rather odd for London Transport to have two bus garages almost across the road from each other. Camberwell is one of the biggest garages in London, with a current allocation of about 250 buses. You would not realise this from passing it though, as the garage has only a small frontage on Camberwell New Road (point A), and just a small part of the interior can be seen from there. There are two slightly larger entrances at the bottom of Warner Road, but these have been out of use for many years, with the doors closed and cars parked in front of them. Further up Warner Road are the garage offices (head office of the London Central bus company until it was merged with London General), then a section of the garage that has large windows (point B). These are rather high up, and I have a recollection of standing on the crossbar of my dad's bicycle to try and see newly delivered Titan buses inside in about 1982. The area below the windows is now fenced off. Continuing up Warner Road, you come to a large open yard (point C), although this is a relatively new feature. The garage had been extended in 1951 with the opening of a new 'dock unit' for bus maintenance, separated from the main garage by a wide roadway running between Warner Road and Camberwell Station Road. The dock unit was demolished in about 2009, having been replaced by a new engineering section (q.v.), and the space was given over to bus parking. Point D has been added to highlight a very small rectangular extension to the yard. Nestling in the corner of the adjoining new-build flats is a parking space too small for a bus. This seems to be home to one of the driver assessment minibuses. The road from this point back down to Camberwell New Road is called Camberwell Station Road, which begs the question as to where Camberwell Station actually is! The railway lines visible are the ones between Loughborough Junction and Elephant and Castle, now busy with the intensive Thameslink service. A station here was built when the line opened in 1862, but it was closed as early as 1916. Its location can be discerned by the widened gap between the two pairs of tracks, this being where the island platform was. The station building is in fact still present, between the two trees just above point C, though it has been considerably adapted for subsequent uses. There have been calls in recent years for a new station to be provided to serve Camberwell, but nothing has come of this as yet. The building marked F is not in fact part of the garage. This is a Royal Mail delivery office, with a vehicle yard on one side and a small car park on the other. Continuing back down Camberwell Station Road, you will come to Station Terrace, a stubby little road just 20 or so metres long. In the view above it is hidden by the tree in the gap in the houses opposite the diagonal railway overbridge. Station Terrace used to lead to a large triangular yard (at the location of point E), which was used for staff car parking and also sometimes for buses. When the dock unit was demolished in about 2009, it was replaced by a new extension to the main garage, this being the large building at point E. A small yard has been retained, which includes a narrow extension around the side of the new building. Three bus-sized doorways give access to the new engineering building (as seen in the background of this 2018 photo), although it is presumed there is also vehicle access from within the original garage building. By the way, there was an open day at Camberwell garage in 2015 but I seem to recall that much of the garage interior was out of bounds to visitors. Finally we come back to Camberwell New Road at point I, although that is an item on the next part of this itinerary! The garage currently known as Walworth started out as Camberwell Tram Depot, and was of a curious layout, with two sheds (each with a traverser) set at about 30 degrees angle to each other, and with access to Camberwell New Road and Camberwell Road respectively, although a curiously snaking connecting track was built at some point, while a substation was situated between the two sheds. With the run-down of trams in London, a replacement bus garage was planned. The trams finished in October 1951, though construction of the new bus garage was not completed until 1954, buses having been parked on nearby spare land for a while. The new garage featured a single main shed, retaining access from both sides. That from Camberwell Road was treated as the entrance, and still featured the dog-leg turn of the tram depot (point G). A small pits area was included (point H), most heavy maintenance being undertaken over the road at Camberwell Garage. The road on this side of the garage is Medlar Street, and there is in fact an access point into the garage just above point H. This appears to have originally had a bus-sized doorway, though it has more recently been reduced to just a pedestrian doorway. There is a tiny yard between the two angled buildings, and some vans have been seen parked here on Google Streetview. Signs on the fence of this yard suggest it is part of the garage property, but it is not known if the vans were service vehicles. Vehicles leave Walworth garage by the roadway onto Camberwell New Road (point I), this originally having been flanked by two garage office blocks. The building adjacent to the railway viaduct was demolished some years ago and the space given over to bus parking (including use of the viaduct arches). Walworth garage was closed by London Transport in 1985, although it was soon returned to use by various other operators. This caption is getting too long to cover this aspect in detail so I will conclude by saying that Walworth is currently operated by Abellio and is now home to a batch of Caetano e.City Gold electric single-deck buses for use on routes C10 and P5. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,913 |  |
By Google This is a view of the Elizabeth Line depot in Plumstead looking north, which I reckon dates from the first half of 2019. There is a quite a lot to mention here so I have annotated the photo. The entire site here was first developed during the construction of the Crossrail lines and tunnels for the Abbey Wood branch. Before that it appears to have just been open ground, although it is notable that the diagonal border of the east edge of the site follows the alignment of a long-since removed railway track into the military facilities at Thamesmead marshes. Marked A on the photo is the 'Ridgeway', a public foot-/cycle-path that makes use of the raised earthworks covering the Southern Outfall sewer. The path runs from near Plumstead station all the way to Crossness sewage works near the river. It was from this path that I first saw an Elizabeth Line service vehicle in the yard marked B (photo here). This yard was created in about 2018 for use by the numerous construction contractor's vehicles, although it was also used to store Elizabeth Line vehicles for a while. In the photo shown here, about a dozen of the vehicles at the top and right edges are actual service vehicles. Marked C is another interesting sight, this being a couple of isolated stretches of railway track. These have been used to store rolling stock that was used in construction trains, pending its removal. At the time of this photo, a blue diesel shunter was parked here. The location marked D appears to be the 'permanent' place for service vehicles to be kept. This yard adjoins White Hart Avenue (the road that runs diagonally across the centre) but, as has been shown, there is a substantial fence hiding it. The road entrance to the depot is at the opposite end of the dark grey building. Location E is the main car park, and often has one or two service vehicles parked in it, although on one occasion I found almost the whole fleet there. This yard has a less obstructive fence and can be easily viewed from the road, the photo linked having been taken at point F. The main Elizabeth Line depot is at Old Oak Common, with stabling sidings also at Shenfield. As can be seen, a number of sidings are being laid at Plumstead, so some trains may be kept here. However, the main use seems to be for the maintenance trains. Several of these yellow machines can be seen at point G, and these can also be viewed from the road. The fleet comprises four Robel multi-purpose vehicles (each with a cab), which are used in conjunction with three adapted container wagons, and a 2-unit Linsinger rail milling machine. Moving to the bottom of the photo, point H is where the new tracks enter the tunnel, while point I shows the pre-existing North Kent line, served by Southeastern and Thameslink trains between Plumstead and Abbey Wood. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,914 |  |
By Thomas Young I thought it might be worthwhile to show the 'permanent' service vehicle parking area at Plumstead Elizabeth Line depot, since the move of the vehicles to the main car park seems to have been very temporary. This photo was taken from White Hart Avenue on 22nd June 2020 and shows the small yard where most of the vehicles are normally to be found. The location is about 50 yards north-east of the main vehicle entrance, as will be shown on the next image. There is a fence here, which makes photographing the vehicles almost impossible. The fence is actually two layers of mesh, which you can only see through from certain angles, and getting up close does not make things any clearer. Present at the time of the photo were three of the Ford Transit crew vans and two Transit dropside trucks (8654F and 8667F, the latter still in LUL white/blue/red). The opposite parking spaces (at the right of this view) and those backing on to the fence usually contain several of the nine Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans allocated to the Elizabeth Line, but none were present on this occasion. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,915 |  |
By Malcolm Conway 8409F was one of two Hainault-based Ford Transit vans found parked at nearby Grange Hill station on 28th June 2020. The original station here was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1903, but it was totally rebuilt when the line was transferred to London Transport control in 1948. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,916 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Now to a location not featured on LTSV before, Grange Hill station. Situated right on the Essex/London boundary, the station is the next stop north of Hainault on the Central Line, and the headshunt of Hainault Depot is actually alongside the platforms here. Parked outside the station on 28th June 202 were two Ford Transit vans that had come from the nearby depot. Both are long-wheelbase, high-roof vans, the one nearest the camera being 8406F. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,917 |  |
By Derek Everson The latest additions to the fleet of Incident Response Unit vans for LBSL have taken the fleetnumbers up to 9099VW, although a couple of 909x numbers have not yet been seen. Given that the batch started at 9055VW, this would give a total of 45, which is roughly the same as the quantity of Mercedes Sprinter IRUs in use until recently. It is possible that fleetnumbers 9100 to 9103 may also be used, to make the batch up to 49. As already mentioned, most of the vans delivered since mid-March 2020 have remained stranded at the Cordwallis dealership in Bedfont. Seen there on 23rd June were 9084VW (with partially taped-over registration number), 9087VW and 9086VW. This trio is quite probably the same three that are visible in the background of the photo of 9131VW taken earlier the same month. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,918 |  |
By Derek Everson Although the LBSL Crafter vans are accumulating at Bedfont, some other vans have actually been delivered from this dearlership recently. A batch of six Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans was noted in unmarked white/blue in March 2020. During June, they were given LUL livery and lettering, becoming 9128VW to 9133VW. As far as I know, these are the first vehicles (apart from the LBSL Incident vans) to have been given livery other than at Acton Works, although as has been seen in the past, the lettering work is undertaken by a contractor anyway. The six Caddy vans were licensed on 22nd June and they seem to have departed over the next few days, whether to Acton or directly to their intended allocations is not yet known. When Derek visited on 23rd June, two of the six were still present, including 9133VW shown here. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,919 |  |
By Derek Everson The number of LBSL Incident Response Unit vans at the Volkswagen dealership in Bedfont has gradually been increasing, with more examples having lettering applied but none seemingly being delivered. As of late June 2020, there were sixteen completed vans on site, including 9083VW photographed on the 23rd. Another IRU is visible on the right, while several Transporter and Caddy vans can also be seen. Transporter minibus RK69TWM is potentially of interest. First noted here in plain white in November 2019, it was thought to be a possible service vehicle, given that similar RK69TWL became 9106VW. However, it has remained on site and in unmarked white ever since, suggesting that perhaps it was ordered then cancelled. Even if it does eventually become a service vehicle, it will presumably be re-registered with a '20 numberplate, or perhaps even a '70! |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,920 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek found this previously unreported van parked at Abellio's Battersea garage on 23rd June 2020. MJ17LKK is a Citroen Dispatch van with full lettering and fleetnumber 6906. It was presumably acquired second-hand, though it is very similar to three vans bought new in 2019 and numbered 6901 to 6903 - reports of anything carrying numbers 6904 or 6905 would be welcomed! Two differences are that the new vans had a green stripe and 'Engineering Support' lettering, while 6906 has an orange stripe and 'Technical Engineering Support' lettering. I have also just noticed that 6906 appears to be slightly longer than the other vans. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,921 |  |
By Derek Everson A fine view of London Sovereign Ford Fiesta van LS15CZY, seen in storage at Twickenham Garage on 23rd June 2020. Latterly based at Harrow Garage, it had no doubt been replaced by the large delivery of new Dacia Sandero cars at the turn of the year. Officially renumbered from FF24 to FF75024 in 2016, it evidently retained its original fleetnumber throughout. Note the missing wheeltrim, a seemingly standard feature of many crew ferry service vehicles! |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,922 |  |
By Steve Warman About half of the expected 46 VW Crafter Incident Response Unit vans for LBSL had entered service before the Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020. One of these was 9073VW, seen parked at Uxbridge Bus Station on 16th June. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,923 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Malcolm saw several Ford Transit vans passing through Gants Hill on 13th June 2020, and managed to photograph three of them. Best of the bunch was this view of high-roof Mk8 8412F. Although the vehicle allocation information on this website is rather approximate (being based solely on reported sightings), it is interesting to note that this van is nominally based at Acton Works while the other two seen came from Hainault and Stratford Market. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,924 |  |
By Malcolm Conway Here's another photo taken before the Coronavirus lockdown. National Express coach services were reduced from late March 2020 then completely suspended in early April. This led to the closure of Victoria Coach Station, though a reduced service was reinstated from 1st July. Seen at Victoria on 1st March 2020 was a DAF XF recovery truck that was latterly used by Sovereign Recovery. As can be seen, all company-specific lettering (company name, telephone number, web address and fleetnumber) had been removed, though the livery was otherwise unaltered. I was going to say that the new operator of this vehicle is not known, but I have just noticed that the driver (crouching beside the front of the Caetano Levante coach) has a jacket bearing the logo of J&A recovery, as seen on their CS02REC. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,925 |  |
By Malcolm Conway MAN TGM demountable lorry WU67AJY was caught on New North in Hainault back on 2nd January 2020. It was carrying a curtain-sided body, most likely DB15. Since last being shown (in October 2018) this body has lost the Tube Lines logos on the sides but has gained some metal chequer plating on the front end. It has also evidently had a bump, with slight damage to the top nearside corner evident. |
05/07/2020 |
| 1,926 |  |
By James Mair Information on bus company service vehicles through the 1990s and 2000s is a bit sketchy. The privatised companies were not inclined to make lists publicly available, and few people seem to have been interested anyway. There was also the issue that many of the vehicles were operated anonymously. A list from Metroline was eventually obtained and this showed that they had operated a couple of batches of Peugeot 106 cars in the late 1990s, at least some of which had Metroline logos on their red livery. James Mair was one of a small number of people who made a point of photographing any service vehicles they came across, and his photo of P972HEW (new in November 1996) was taken at Northolt bus stand. In the background is one of the pioneering LLW class (the first low-floor bus to be used in London) and a Carlyle-bodied Dennis Dart in Metroline red/blue livery. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,927 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Mercedes-Benz 814 truck L866LOO had started life in 1993 as a curtain-sided box with County Bus and Coach in a white livery with dark green curtains. Seven years later it looked rather different when Colin encountered it again, this time passing Tottenham Garage on 20th March 2000. The curtain-sided body had been modified with fixed sides, and the whole vehicle had been repainted red with no lettering. Behind the truck is the extension to Tottenham Garage, built a few years previously. The date of L866LOO's eventual withdrawal is not known, but was probably in about 2005. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,928 |  |
By Colin Lloyd This is a vehicle that I do know was still in use in the year 2000, but I have included this earlier photo to show how it changed before then. L866LOO was a Mercedes-Benz 814 truck delivered new to County Bus and Coach in autumn 1993. It was photographed at Harlow Garage on 9th October 1993, showing its neat lettering and curtain-sided bodywork. County Bus and Coach had been formed in 1989 when the relatively young London Country North East company was further divided into two sections. It passed through a variety of ownerships before ending up as a part of Arriva the Shires. Parked to the right is an elderly Duple Dominant coach in the company's cream and green livery, probably having come from one of the smaller operators that had been acquired. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,929 |  |
By Damon Cross Pick-up trucks have never been common as service vehicles (My definition of a pick-up truck is a car-sized vehicle with an open or covered load space at the rear - Ford Transit trucks are thus not included). Still rarer are pick-up trucks fitted with tail-lifts, these normally being found only on larger vehicles. The only known examples were a batch of 5 Peugeot 504s for the East London bus unit in late 1992, these being among the last vehicles supplied by CDS to one of the bus operators. Numbered 4205P to 4209P, they were used as garage engineering vehicles and most passed to Stagecoach when that company bought East London in 1994. 4205P was allocated to North Street garage in Romford and lasted for about thirteen years. Damon photographed it at North Street on 17th September 2005, showing the Stagecoach logos applied to the doors and the tail-lift. Note also the neat rack of chains hanging nearby. The vehicle had been allocated Stagecoach national fleetnumber 95027 but it is not known if this was actually carried, and it was to be withdrawn a few weeks later, following the arrival of Ford Transit Connect van HK05PZC. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,930 |  |
By James Mair Having implied that CDS was no longer involved in supplying service vehicles to the bus companies by 1993, this photo has forced me to rethink. K853MGT was one of three Ford Transit vans (K851-853MGT) used by the London Northern bus unit from early 1993. However, K857-859MGT were three similar vans which went to the Selkent unit. This could just be a coincidence, or perhaps CDS still had some involvement. K853MGT was seen leaving Finchley Garage on 1st December 1993, a couple of days before this garage was closed as a result of route tendering losses. London Northern was taken over by Metroline, and K853MGT survived until about 2007, being based at Willesden Garage. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,931 |  |
By J G S Smith (via Malcolm Conway) London General started procuring its own service vehicles in late 1992, with the arrival of a batch of six Ford vans. These had consecutive K78xMGK registration numbers, 781 being an Escort and 782-786 Transits. The vans were also given fleetnumbers in a new series starting at LGF1. The next vehicles to be obtained were two Bedford Astramax vans in Spring 1993 and these were numbered LGV7/8 (the V standing for Vauxhall). Somewhat confusingly, fleetnumbers LGV1 and LGV2 were used a few years later for a pair of Ford Transit vans, the meaning of V presumably having been changed from the make to the type (i.e. van). Anyway, this photo shows Transit van LGF5 parked outside the little-used 'back doors' of Stockwell Garage on 22nd February 1995. These doors were at the west end of the main building and were sometimes partially opened for light/ventilation but I don't recall ever seeing them properly in use. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,932 |  |
By James Mair London Buses had been split up into 12 operational units in 1989 as a precursor to privatisation. It would seem that, for the first few years at least, these units had the choice of continuing to be supplied with service vehicles by Central Distribution Services, or arranging their own supply of vehicles. Metroline was one of the companies that chose the latter option and in April 1991 they received four Ford vans with consecutive H74xGLW registrations. The first three were Escort vans, including H742GLW seen here. Although lettered for Cricklewood Engineering, it was photographed at Edgware Bus Station, probably not long after it was delivered. The bus in the background is a Leyland Olympian in the distinctive grey and green livery of London Country North West, and it has 'Watfordwide' fleetnames. H742GLW lasted quite a long time, and was apparently given the later Metroline livery of red with a blue skirt. It was still in stock in late 2005 but had been withdrawn by mid-2007. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,933 |  |
By Derek Everson Another operator to use minibuses as ferry vehicles for bus drivers was Armchair, a well-established coach company that won tenders for several routes in west London. One of these was the trunk route 65 between Ealing Broadway and Kingston. This passed fairly close to Armchair's Brentford base but it would appear that changeovers actually took place at the Ealing terminus. Photographed at Haven Green on 24th June 1999, a Leyland-DAF minibus with 'CREW BUS' branding is seen parked in front of one of the company's Alexander-bodied Leyland Olympian buses. The design of the minibus is clearly descended from the Sherpa model introduced by Leyland in 1974 (although the Sherpa name was first applied in 1975). The model went through various changes of badging including Morris, Freight Rover, Leyland-DAF and finally LDV. H489BND was new to P&S Travel of Hillingdon in August 1990. In 1995 it was sold to Redwoods of Devon but it returned to London in 1999 when it was bought by Armchair. It only seems to have lasted a couple of years though. The Manchester registration is evidence that the coach conversion was undertaken by 'Made to Measure', while the lowest skirting panels are purely cosmetic, as can be seen when you compare this with a similar but 'un-pimped' minibus like 2461L. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,934 |  |
By James Mair London Sovereign used two of these red Ford Transit minibuses as crew ferry vehicles from the late-1990s, with a third (in pale blue) being with the 'country' part of Sovereign. The curious aspect about these vehicles is that, although they had G-prefix registrations, they were first licensed as such in 1996/1997. A clue was found in looking at some other PSVs with G/FTW registrations, and it was seen that these had previously belonged to the UK armed forces. Vehicles operated by the Army, Royal Air Force or Royal Navy were given registrations in a separate series (normally either 'AB 12 CD' or '12 AB 34') and were not licensed as such. When subsequently sold to civilian operators, the vehicles would be given date-appropriate registrations. The two London Sovereign minibuses are believed to have been withdrawn by 2004, although it is notable that both were last licensed on the same date (11th December 2006). G496FTW shows its fleetnumber 896 as it leaves Edgware Bus Station. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,935 |  |
By Richard Eversden Grey-Green was a long-established coach operator with several bases in London and East Anglia. Bought by the Sunderland-based T Cowie group in 1980, seven years later it started operating bus services under tender to London Regional Transport. Route 298 between Turnpike Lane and South Mimms was taken over in February 1988, which probably accounts for the presence of Grey-Green Ford Escort van E53CVK at Turnpike Lane in 1989. The van was first licensed in November 1987 so was probably operated from new. Many of the early service vehicles were registered in Newcastle, due to the T Cowie connection. E53CVK (with the distinctive fleetnumber 01) was last licensed until August 2002 but, with no more photographs or sightings to refer to, it may well have been withdrawn some time before then. An interesting aside to this photo is the 'Dix Travel' sign on the shop in the background. Dix Coaches was taken over by Grey-Green in 1976 but was retained as a company and trading name for some time, including appearance on at least a couple of tendered bus routes. The Barking/Dagenham garage currently operated by Arriva London was opened in 1992 to replace the Manchester Way premises of Dix Travel, and this connection is preserved in the location's code of DX. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,936 |  |
By Malcolm Conway The next eleven photos are the tail-end of a feature looking at the service vehicle fleets as they were twenty years ago in 2000, this part looking at the bus company fleets. Having said that, I now realise that a couple of the vehicles may not have actually been in use in 2000. Take this Ford Transit dropside truck of Luton and District seen at Luton Garage. It had been first licensed in August 1986, and although the date of the photograph is unknown, various clues make me think it was probably taken in about 1988. But, with no sightings recorded, and not much in the way of official fleet information, the date it was disposed of is hard to pin down. It was last licensed until January 2008, but I have recorded an 'out' date of 'by2005', perhaps because I obtained a fleetlist in 2005 on which it did not appear. Even so, it could have been sold anytime between 1990 and 2005. Luton and District was formed in 1986 from part of United Counties Omnibus. It was thus outside the traditional (pre-1970) London Transport area, though it later bought one of the parts of London Country and ... let's just say things became complicated. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,937 |  |
By Lee Thatcher The only vehicles that have been reported as being added to service vehicle stock over the past couple of months have been a quartet of Ford Tourneo Custom minibuses in use as crew ferry vehicles from Abellio's newish Southall garage. The vehicles themselves were also 'newish', having been first licensed in 2018, and all are in unmarked silver. This suggests that they may just be on hire during the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps because they enable a little more 'social distancing' than was possible in the cars normally used for this role. HY68AZC was seen near the Iron Bridge in Southall on 11th June 2020. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,938 |  |
By Derek Everson Another view of Volvo FL emergency tender 2604 parked outside Battersea ERU depot on 11th June 2020, and I draw your attention to the fact that the adjoining unit in this small industrial estate is used by 'Trams'. Sadly this is just the name of a 'Trusted IT Solutions Provider' (to quote their own website). Turning back to the main subject, I noticed there was a small grey object in the middle of the sunvisor (above the windscreen) that appears to be pointing downwards. Further inspection showed that there were similar devices at the mid-points of each side and the rear. I suspect that these are small video cameras. There was a trial a few years ago with similar cameras on some London buses. The camera feeds were composited into a single image, effectively giving the driver a bird's-eye view of whatever was close to their vehicle. Useful when manoeuvring in confined spaces. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,939 |  |
By Derek Everson On 11th June 2020, Derek paid a visit to the Emergency Response Unit depot in Battersea and found Volvo tender 2604 parked outside. I am adding photos of both sides of this vehicle, as there is something of interest in each view. Well, I think they are interesting... Perhaps the most significant point to note is the 'To Let' sign in the background. This is clearly related to Unit 6, which is where the ERU base is. Presumably there are plans to move the vehicles elsewhere in the near future. As for the vehicle, this nearside view shows the arrangement of the crew cab. As seems to be normal with modern lorries, the crew cab is designed to make use of the same basic door parts for both the front and rear sections. This explains the raked-back leading edge to the second door (and the resultant odd shape of the infill window), the black moulding panel below the window (where the mirrors would be attached) and the cut-out at the rear of the lower edge (to clear the wheelarch). I feel that the appearance could be greatly improved if the rear compartment could use a different door design. Having said all that, the two doors on this side are obviously different, the forward one having an additional 'kerb' window. Something I had not noticed before was that the Volvo FL model features these windows on the nearside but not on the offside. Another item that I have only just noticed is the way the space within the main bodywork is used to the fullest. As well as the three main compartments (each with a roller shutter door), there are smaller cubbyholes around the wheelarch and up the front end. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,940 |  |
By London Spotter Go-Ahead London RX18LLC was photographed at the Hainault Street bus stand in Ilford on 9th June 2020, this being one of about nine Mercedes-Benz Vito minibuses based at the large garage at River Road in Barking. Like all the others, RX18LLC is in unmarked red, although it is interesting to note that some cameras seem to capture a slightly different hue to others. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,941 |  |
By Dave Warby Ford Transit Custom van 8413F was found parked in Little Chalfont on 21st February 2020. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,942 |  |
By Dave Warby This Ford Transit Custom crew van from the Lifts and Escalators section was photographed on 31st January 2020. It was parked on Euston Street (the sign for Euston Station can just be made out in the left background), with the former Coburg Street control room being behind the photographer. As can be seen, this area is undergoing much change in preparation for the eventual building of a new station for the HS2 railway line. An earlier photograph, taken in 2013 at almost the same angle, shows some of the buildings that have since been demolished. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,943 |  |
By Dave Warby Another photo taken by Dave Warby after midnight on 25th September 2019 shows two Renault Kangoo Maxi vans parked on Melton Street at Euston. The sharpness is excellent considering that this was taken using a hand-held phone at a quarter of a second exposure, although Dave does admit to a little bit of post-processing. I am almost tempted to get an iPhone and leave my big camera and tripod at home next time I do a night trip! The main subject here is Griffith House's 8813R, new in June 2019. Many Renault Kangoo vans have been 'allocated' to Griffith House in recent years, although they are not kept there during the day. Large numbers will arrive there from about 11pm onwards and park up for half an hour before heading to various worksites. Talking of night-trips, we invariably start these at Griffith House, as the parked vehicles are relatively easy to photograph. It can be a bit frustrating to then move on to other locations only to find that the same vehicles follow us! |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,944 |  |
By Dave Warby Dave Warby recently sent some night-time photos, a couple of which were taken last year. The quality of these photos was excellent and I was rather surprised to see that they had been taken on a mobile phone (an iPhone 7 to be precise). The photo shown here used a 1/6 of a second exposure yet was remarkably sharp and clear. The subject is Renault Kangoo Maxi van 8496R, found on Melton Street (close to Euston Station) in the witching hour on 25th September 2019. 8496R had been delivered in January 2018, entering service from Griffith House after a couple of weeks spent in the car park at Acton Works. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,945 |  |
By Lee Thatcher You are kidding me! Another black Abellio Ford Fiesta? Really? Actually, there is a reason. First though, CA12MVC has been with Abellio since at least late 2015, and is at probably its fourth garage, having previously worked from Byfleet, Southall (Bridge Road) and Southall (Great Western Way). It was photographed at Ivybridge Tesco on 8th June 2020, this being one of the two terminals of short bus route H20. The H20 has been operated by Twickenham (Fulwell) for many years, so the Fiesta is most likely based there now. The interesting aspect of this photo is that it was taken in the car park of Tescos yet there is a bus parked alongside. There was in fact another bus on the right hand side, and Lee suggested that spare buses are used as ferry vehicles in the evening. There are many instances of crew ferry vehicles using supermarket car parks around London, but in most of these cases the buses keep themselves to the adjoining roads. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,946 |  |
By Derek Everson First Berkshire has been using unmarked vans for the past few years, making them a bit hard to keep track of. For example, this Ford Transit van SR19EZF was seen at Slough Garage in February 2020 and was assumed to be based there, though it could just as easily have been a hire or even a visiting contractor. Complicating matters was that a new Nissan electric van had been seen here a few months earlier and was presumed to be the new engineer's van. The Ford was noted again on 5th June 2020 (as shown here), so is likely to be the current allocation. An interesting aspect of this photo is the various coaches in the background. The COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in many bus and coach services being reduced or suspended, and many operators temporarily mothballed a portion of their fleets by applying for SORNs (Statutory Off Road Notifications). The coaches seen here have had part of their registration numbers taped over, most likely so that staff are aware that they are not to be used. It is curious that they didn't bother to turn off the electronic destination screen on the Plaxton coach on the left though! |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,947 |  |
By Derek Everson Blimey, another Abellio Ford Fiesta, and a black one to boot! GJ13SRX (with fleetnumber 6811 and the 'officially correct' garage code for Hayes of WS) was seen at Hatton Cross Bus Station on 5th June 2020. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,948 |  |
By Derek Everson Quite a few service vehicles have been stranded at the Cordwallis VW dealership in Bedfont due to the COVID-19 restrictions. These include some Crafter vans for LBSL, which have been gaining full livery before delivery. Three of these are visible in the background of this photo taken on 6th June 2020, the one in the middle being 9087VW. There are also at least six Caddy Maxi crew vans with registrations RK20UYA-UYF. First noted on 3rd March (when they were in plain white), by mid-March some had gained blue skirts, but they remained unlicensed. By the time of Derek's June visit, the vans were all still present, and all had been given blue skirts. A surprise was that the vans were then given fleetnumbers and lettering on-site, a visitor on 18th June finding the batch had become 9128-9133VW. Although the LBSL IRUs were marked up here, all other vehicles in the past have been delivered to Acton in a plain state. RK20UYB (seen here) is now 9131VW. When these vehicles actually get licensed, delivered and put into service remains to be seen. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,949 |  |
By Peter Terry A curious find at West Croydon Bus Station on 2nd June 2020 was LBSL Vauxhall Movano minibus 8302V. These vehicles are normally used by the Passenger Data division team to transport staff undertaking bus passenger surveys. It is highly unlikely that any surveys were being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they would be difficult to do while maintaining 2 metres separation. There had been some changes to bus boarding arrangements in May and June, with the front doors kept closed and passengers using only the centre/rear doors. As this meant that passengers were not able to 'touch-in', it further reduced TfL's income, and front-door boarding was gradually re-introduced during June. Perhaps the minibus was here with staff to assist passengers with these changes. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,950 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Abellio has close to 40 Ford Fiesta cars, and the most common colour scheme is black, which features on 15 of them. YH60VMZ was seen at Fulwell (Sixth Cross Road) on 30th May 2020, no doubt heading for the nearby garage at the back of the old Fulwell Trolleybus depot. Note that the driver is wearing a face mask, due to the COVID-19 situation. Another 'sign of the times' is the 'Thank You NHS' banner draped over the carpenter's shop in the background. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,951 |  |
By Lee Thatcher I was somewhat surprised to see that this venerable van was still in use. First licensed in late 2003, Ford Transit Mk6 BT53RVV has been with Abellio since at least mid-2008. On 30th May 2020 it was caught passing Sixth Cross Road at Fulwell, close to its home garage. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,952 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Hatton Cross bus station again, still on the 28th May 2020 and still with Abellio Ford Fiesta cars. 6809 (ML13FNK) and 6811 (GJ13SRX) are of very similar age and specification, the only noticeable difference being the wheeltrims. Both cars have a full set of lettering, including route and garage allocations plus fleetnumbers on the bonnets. The garage allocations are curious though. HA is Abellio's own code for Hayes Garage, while WS is the TfL code for the same base. The WS code seems to have derived from the first operator to use the location (Wings Buses). |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,953 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Hatton Cross bus station at tea-time on 28th May 2020 was a bit quieter than usual, but not nearly as deserted as some locations have been during the COVID-19 pandemic. A closer look at this photo will also show that a handful of the people in the background are wearing face-masks, something which you would not have seen in London a couple of months ago. Abellio is evidently still using cars as crew ferry vehicles, presumably on the basis that they only have one occupant at a time. Ford Fiesta hatchback MF13PGO is one of many similar cars bought second-hand a few years ago, and it was assigned fleetnumber 6804. The fleetnumbers are sometimes carried on the fuel filler cap, but the cap is missing in this view. This car was noted once at Twickenham (Fulwell) garage but has otherwise been based at Hayes. The car alongside has a 'Tracker' warning label in the nearside window and is probably ML13FNK, as seen in the next photo. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,954 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Even when RATP Dacias have been reported in use, the allocations are still sometimes unclear. D75111 (MJ69ZDP) had been seen at Fulwell Garage in February, but was then photographed passing Hounslow Bus Garage (note the distinctive Buses Only sign above the car) on 21st May 2020. All will no doubt become clear in due course... Regarding my comments against the previous photo, I've just noticed that the bus stop in the background here does refer to the location as Hounslow Bus Station, so I will probably stick with that in the future. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,955 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Acton-based Incident Response Unit 9061VW was seen paying a visit to Hounslow on 21st May 2020. The subtle distinction between the yellow/orange stripes on the sides and the yellow/red stripes on the rear is apparent. I was about to call this Hounslow Bus Station, but it no longer really qualifies for this descriptor. Buses still stand here but they do not pick up passengers, and the former 'islands' have been removed. It is thus rather like the bus stands at locations such as Hackney Wick and Ilford (Hainault Street). |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,956 |  |
By Lee Thatcher Allocations are still not known for almost half of the Dacia Sandero cars delivered to RATP-Dev over the turn of 2019/2020, the COVID-19 situation causing a dramatic drop in the sightings that would normally be used to determine where the cars are based. D75110 has been noted at Hounslow Garage a couple of times (as here on 14th May 2020), so is likely to be based here along with similar D75126. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,957 |  |
By London Spotter Found at Ardleigh Green (beyond Romford) on 9th May 2020 was 8433T, the first Toyota Prius to carry LUL livery. New in March 2017, at least 46 similar examples have followed in the three years since. As with quite a few of the LUL Priuses, the allocation of 8433T is not clear. In fact it had only been reported twice since it entered service, both sightings being in 2018 and at night. This photo confirms that the car carries a suffix-less fleetnumber (8433), while later deliveries all had T suffixes. It also made me notice that there is a glazed section at the top of the vertical section of the hatchback. From some angles, this makes the white strip above look like a spoiler. |
21/06/2020 |
| 1,958 |  |
By Colin Lloyd As at April 2000, the Vauxhall Astra was the most numerous car model in the central fleet, a position usually held by Ford. The numbered fleet included 22 estates (plus a single hatchback), most of which were in LUL white/blue livery. Exceptions were four used by London Transport Buses, of which three were in all white (like 4689B). The newest of the LTB Astras was 5041B, delivered in January 2000 in red livery, though it never received the orange squares carried by other LTB vehicles. Strangely, three further red Astras were delivered later in 2000 and did get the squares, as seen on 5059B. 5041B was often to be found at Finsbury Park Bus Station, but was also a common sight around central London. On 3rd April 2000 Colin caught it on the one-way system around Victoria Station. I have left this photo cropped wide as the bus on the left is of some interest. This is one of the 69 Leyland National IIs built for use on the Red Arrow network in 1981. 42 of these buses were rebuilt by East Lancashire Coachbuilders in 1993/1994 to their 'National Greenway' specification. This included the fitting of new exterior panels and windscreens which changed the buses' appearance considerably. They were eventually replaced by new Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated buses in 2002. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,959 |  |
By James Mair Vehicles with fleetnumbers in the 5xxx range had first appeared in spring 1999 and, by April 2000 there were 44 in stock. This total includes the two 49xx vehicles that were reallocated 50xx numbers to eliminate duplicates (as also illustrated in today's batch). Delivered in October 1999 were a batch of four Vauxhall Astra estate cars for use by LUL. These were numbered 5001-5003B and 5007B, and 5003B is shown here. It actually carried suffix-less fleetnumbers (i.e. just 5003) on both sides and it is possible that the others were the same. There was some confusion at the time over whether Vauxhall vehicles should continue with the B suffix (for Bedford), or switch to V (which had already been used for Volkswagen, though they later used VW) and leaving the suffix off was one way to get around it! The side lettering on this car reads 'Signal, electrical & communication services', again minimising the use of the more expensive capital letters! |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,960 |  |
By James Mair A small number of four-wheel-drive vehicles have been used as service vehicles over the years, perhaps for roles where some off-roading might be required to access work sites. Such vehicles were Land Rovers for many years, but a couple of other makes have also been tried. The Ford Ranger has been a small but fairly continuous part of the central fleet since the arrival of the first two in September 1999. This pair was numbered 4986F and 4987F, the latter having a hard-top cover to the rear. Almost five months later they were joined by a third, numbered 4985F and registered in the same series. The reason for the delay to this vehicle is not known, but all three were allocated to the Lifts, Escalators and Pumps section based at Edgware Road Station (for some reason this department was permitted capitalisation in the cab-side lettering!). 4985F was seen parked outside Stanmore Station on the 1st of December 2000. Stanmore has neither lifts nor escalators so the vehicle must presumably have been attending to pumps! By the way, this generation of Ford Ranger was actually based on the Mazda B-series truck and differed from the Ranger models sold in America. Later generations were internationally standardised. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,961 |  |
By Derek Everson I'm not sure of the location of this photo, taken on 19th November 1999! The subject is Volkswagen Transporter van 4971VW in a plain red livery with just fleetnumbers (and tyre pressure markings) for identification. It was similar to the London Buses short-wheelbase Transporter vans but had side-hinged rear doors instead of the tail-gate type, and it was used by the London Transport Museum to take shop stock to events. 4971VW had replaced virtually identical 4498V in August 1999, and was itself replaced by larger Vauxhall Movano 5481V in February 2003. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,962 |  |
By James Mair Another 'standard' LUL long-wheelbase Ford Transit van seen somewhere in Metroland. 4962F was new in December 1999 and lasted almost exactly 3 years. As can be seen, it had a roof-rack, these being attached to the curb-rail. Racks on mid-height Transits required lengthy support arms to clear the roof panels. The cab-side lettering again has the curious use of sentence case, reading 'Metropolitan & circle line'. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,963 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Six more Volkswagen Transporters were delivered for LBSL in spring 1999, five arriving in late March and one a month later. These were long-wheelbase, low-roof vans in the standard red with orange squares livery. A rather grimy 4944VW was seen on 20th January 2001 near West Croydon (turning from Wellesley Road into Station Road). 4942VW from this batch was based in central London and seems to have been photographed a lot. Coverage of the others is a lot lower, and I have no photos at all of the last two (4946VW and 4947VW). |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,964 |  |
By James Mair A look into the yard at Edgware Road Station in about 2000 shows a number of service vehicles present. Facing the camera on the left is Ford Escort van 4929F new in March 1999. Behind that are a pair of Transit dropside trucks, a mid-height Transit Mk5 van and a Cobul trailer. The trailer is most likely CBT55, which appears in the background of several photos taken at this location, but which appears to have never been photographed itself. Also on the left is a red Ford car (possibly a rare Focus saloon) registered T260RUY, which was almost certainly a DSM-supplied vehicle and part of the 'pool/private/unmarked' car fleet. On the right are two more Mk5 Transit vans, though the mid-height example appears to belong to a contractor. Flanking these are two of the three Ford Ranger pick-ups that were allocated here at the time. Neither has a hard-top so they were probably 4985F and 4986F. The other cars parked on the right seem to be privately-owned ones. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,965 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Having taken several batches of Ford Transit and Volkswagen Transporter vans during the 1990s, London Transport Buses was not entirely satisfied with either type. There were concerns about the after-sales service and there was also a desire to use more of a 'walk-in' type, with more headroom inside and through the doorway. This led to the arrival in spring 1999 of two Renault Master vans. These were the first Renaults for the central fleet, and saw the re-introduction of the R suffix letter, previously used for various cranes and road-rollers. The Renault vans had tall cargo doors, the sill being close to the roofline, and also had a lower floor level than comparable designs. Both vans were added to stock in late February but had different licensing dates. 4920R had been pre-registered (with an S-prefix) in January 1999, while 4919R was licensed a few days after delivery and hence got a T-prefix registration. 4919R was based at Stratford and was photographed passing through South Woodford on 5th May 2000, while 4920R was allocated to Aldgate. Both vans served for a little over 3 years but LBSL had no more Renaults, due to the lack of a fully automatic transmission option. More VW Transporters were added later in 1999 but in 2000/2011 there were 2 batches of Vauxhall Movanos, this design being essentially identical to the Renault Master. Renault of course went on to become a major supplier of service vehicles following the arrival of the first Kangoo in 2001. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,966 |  |
By Colin Lloyd The second of two vehicles to have been reallocated new fleetnumbers after delivery is shown here. Volkswagen Transporter S487YAN was a one-off, short-wheelbase van for LBSL, new in January 1999. It was given fleetnumber 4918VW and carried this throughout its almost four year career, much of which was spent in North West London at locations such as Harrow and Edgware. However, this van was officially renumbered as 5022VW, presumably to avoid duplication with Ford Transit van S391YWP, which was allocated number 4918F. There are two oddities about this. First is that the Ford was delivered a month after the Volkswagen, which makes me think it should have been the one renumbered. Secondly, and mirroring the case with the two 4910Fs, the Ford van was never seen, and it is thus unknown whether it actually carried the disputed number. Colin caught 4918VW/5022VW approaching Victoria on 5th July 1999. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,967 |  |
By James Mair Another Ford Transit dropside in Metroland, this time at Ruislip Station. 4917F had the same 'Metropolitan line' lettering as caged 4916F, but differed in also having a crew-cab. Most LUL crew-cabbed dropsides were long-wheelbase examples, but this one appears to be a medium-wheelbase, resulting in a very short-looking body. Note also that 4917F had a registration number (S885WNM) adjacent to that on 4916F (S886WNM). According to our information, both trucks were new in late January 1999 and both left the fleet on the same day in April 2003. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,968 |  |
By James Mair A handful of the numerous Ford Transit dropside trucks used by LUL have been fitted with what I call 'rubbish cages', these being intended to allow the carriage of bulky and loose but light cargoes. One such vehicle was Mk5 4916F, seen in the car park at Rayners Lane Station during an engineering possession. The cab carries lettering for the 'Metropolitan line', while the cage has been lined with sheets. This vehicle may have been used for collection of rubbish bags from stations, or perhaps it was used to move tree cuttings and other vegetation. The latter would explain its allocation to the most rural part of the LUL network. Just visible parked behind is anagrammatic 4961F, another Transit dropside but with a crew-cab and with normal, open bodywork. One curiosity is that 4961F had lettering for the 'Metropolitan & circle line'. Surely Circle should have had a capital C.... |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,969 |  |
By Colin Lloyd The Ford Mondeo design was introduced in 1993, replacing the Sierra and remaining in production in 2020, albeit having undergone several major revamps. Since 1994, a small quantity of Mondeos have been used as service vehicles, alongside larger numbers of the slightly smaller Escort and Focus models. As at April 2000 there were 5 in the central fleet, all being estates in LUL white/blue livery. Newest of the 5 was 4913F, a 2.0LX model allocated to the Emergency Response Unit. The lettering on the door had this titling but with a lower-case u for unit, and it is notable that - apart from this lettering - there is no other indication of its high priority use. Later cars for the ERU had battenburg or other high-visibility markings. Colin photographed 4913F at Ludgate Circus on 15th June 2000. The Mondeo remained in use until 2003, when it was replaced by un-numbered Vauxhall Astra estate LN03WZG. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,970 |  |
By Colin Lloyd I had this photo filed under fleetnumber 4910F, but this Ford Fiesta car is one of two vehicles new around the turn of 1998/1999 that were officially reassigned with new numbers a couple of months later, seemingly to remove duplications. The Fiesta was one of three delivered in red in December 1998 and numbered 4910F to 4912F. The number 4910F had already been assigned to a Ford Escort van new in October 1998, though that van was never seen so it is not known if it actually carried the number, or even what livery it was in. The Fiesta was allocated replacement number 5023F on paper but continued to carry 4910F. It was allocated to Stratford Bus Station but could also be found at other bus stations in the area such as Walthamstow, Turnpike Lane and (as seen here on 23rd July 1999) Ilford. Ilford bus station was actually just a bus standing area, with no passenger stops. The identity of the red and yellow bus just visible on the right is not known but it is thought to be one of the minibuses used on Mobility Bus services. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,971 |  |
By Colin Lloyd 4909F was a rather basic Ford Transit dropside truck, lacking a crew-cab and tail-lift. On 16th August 2000 it was seen passing through Vauxhall, this section of road now being part of the bus station. The allocation history of this vehicle is not known, and the cab-side lettering is not legible in this view. A later photo showed it lettered for 'Track workshops', not a department I can recall seeing on any other service vehicles. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,972 |  |
By James Mair The difference in height and width between the Corsa-based front end and the cargo-carrying rear end of the Vauxhall Combo B model is well illustrated by this view of 4905B. Also visible is the 'Combo D' badging, the D here referring to a Diesel engine (as confirmed by the fuel filler cap). Rather confusingly, 'Combo D' also refers to the fourth incarnation of the Combo, launched in 2011. Also confusing is the LS badging on the driver's door. This was also carried on petrol-engined 4849B, so presumably just indicates the trim level rather than the engine details. 4905B had lettering for 'Track Force' and was probably based at Lillie Bridge. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,973 |  |
By James Mair 4901F was a fairly standard, long-wheelbase, mid-height Ford Transit van, with 'Engineering services' logos and 'Northern line' branding. New in February 1999, it was seen at Finchley Central Station some time later, as evidenced by the presence of Mk6 Transit minibus 5241F (new in July 2001) in the background. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,974 |  |
By James Mair Short-wheelbase, mid-height Ford Transit minibuses were less unusual than vans of that size. Indeed almost all Transit minibuses operated during the Mk3/4/5 era were mid-height, regardless of length. 4900F was a short-wheelbase Mk5 used by London Buses for passenger surveys. It carried an all white livery, although similar 5017F, delivered a few months later for the same department, was in red/orange. The headlight washers, more prominent on the Mk5 Transit, were specified on most minibuses but very rarely on vans, perhaps due to regulatory requirements. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,975 |  |
By James Mair With 121 vans and 19 crew vans in the numbered fleet, the Ford Transit van was by far the most common type in spring 2000, as it had been for quite a few years. However, the majority of the vans were either short-wheelbase, low-roof examples, or long-wheelbase, mid-height ones. There were no long-wheelbase, low-roof vans (I don't think this was ever an option on the Mk3/4/5 Transit), but there were a handful of short-wheelbase, mid-height vans. One of these was 4898F, photographed parked outside Harrow-on-the-Hill Station. It carries LUL white/blue livery but is unmarked apart from fleetnumbers (and tyre pressure markings). Flanking numbers 4897F and 4899F were on vans to the same configuration and also lacking lettering. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,976 |  |
By James Mair Having just mentioned 4890VW, here it is. It may seem overkill to use three photographs to illustrate a batch of five vans, but this view has been included to show the rear chevrons. As the photograph of this van newly-delivered to Acton Works shows, the rear door was actually yellow, and had red chevrons applied, rather than vice-versa. London Buses had a preference for 'tail-gate' type (top-hinged) rear doors at the time and this may be why the Transporter was selected. These doors were available on the Ford Transit but not as a standard option. 4890VW was based at Edgware Bus Station, where it was photographed, and lasted for a shade over five years. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,977 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Another of the first batch of five red Volkswagen Transporter vans for London Transport Buses was 4889VW, seen at a rather non-descript location (the signpost behind the van had been taped over for some reason) on 23rd January 1999. According to Colin's notes, the photo was taken in Stratford. Although two months old, the van was still in plain red livery with just fleetnumbers for identification. I assume this van was eventually given the red squares and lettering, though another photo by Colin taken at the end of May 1999 shows it still in plain red. At least one other van from the batch (4890VW) was used in plain red but gained livery later on, while all except 4889VW were photographed in full livery. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,978 |  |
By Dave Heath London Transport Buses (later just London Buses) had first appeared as a service vehicle branding in about 1989, when the bus operating divisions were restructured into new units as a prelude to privatisation in the 1990s. The residual, London-wide role of 'bus station control' was supported by an initial fleet of Ford Escort vans, followed by the first larger vans in 1993. These were short-wheelbase Volkswagen Transporters in white livery (such as 4311V and 4385V). A couple of longer Transporters were added in 1995 but deliveries in 1996 and 1997 switched to the Ford Transit. The Transporter was to return in late 1998, by which time the livery had changed to red with orange squares. 4887VW was the first of a batch of five short-wheelbase vans, and was based at Cromwell Road bus station in Kingston. Rather surprisingly, I only have one photo of this van, Dave having caught it in central Kingston on 18th August 2000. Other differences from the earlier vans were that the light-bar was moved from the back to just behind the cab, the roof-mounted spot-lights were dispensed with, and the fleetnumber suffix was changed from V to VW. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,979 |  |
By Derek Everson Some of the Ford Fiesta cars for London Buses entered service before the full application of livery, which means I can continue the occasional series of 'Same vehicle, same location, different livery'. 4879F was photographed at Hammersmith (upper) bus station on 16th April 2000, while the undated but earlier photo by Kim Rennie of this car in the exact same place shows it in plain red. I could actually have made this a series of three photos, since Derek also photographed 4879F here in July 2001 (parked, once again, in the exact same place) but with the labelling changed to 'London Buses' by the simple expedient of cutting off the section containing the word 'Transport'. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,980 |  |
By Colin Lloyd The Ford Fiesta has gone through several phases of being popular as a service vehicle. 52 vans and one hatchback had been leased between 1985 and 1995, all being withdrawn by mid-1998. However, a few months later a new phase started with the arrival of nine further cars for use by London Buses, followed by a similar trio at the start of 2000. All carried the recently-introduced livery of red with a stripe made up of orange squares, and 'London Transport Buses' labels. These can be seen on 4878F caught coming off the end of Oxford Street on 1st May 2000. The limited photos and sightings available suggest that this car was based at Stratford Bus Station. The buses are both Olympians, on the left is a Metroline Volvo with Alexander bodywork, while behind the car is an ECW-bodied Leyland of Cowie South London in the short-lived yellow stripe livery. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,981 |  |
By James Mair Another Ford Escort van from the large batch 4854F to 4874F is 4873F, seen passing the car park at the entrance to Acton Works. It looks as though the shrubs in the gap between the two fences had only recently been planted. Twenty years later these have grown to form a thick barrier, making it much harder to see into the car park. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,982 |  |
By James Mair The 42 Ford Escort vans in the leased fleet as of April 2000 included a large batch of 21 new in late-1998/early-1999 that had consecutive fleetnumbers 4854F to 4874F. The numbers were also applied in order of registration number, a traditional practice that was no longer commonly followed. The bulk of the batch was S982TMY to S998TMY inclusive, the final four being S32/34/35/36UMY. This was the time when an ever-increasing amount of numbers were being held back as 'select marks', hence the omission of S999TMY and S33UMY. The batch featured a mixture of 'Engineering services' and 'Support services' main lettering, though all seem to have only had 'London Underground Limited' on the doors (i.e. no department details). 4855F was hitched up to a Lords tow-truck when seen near Smallbills Garage on Bollo Lane in Acton. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,983 |  |
By Colin Lloyd Colin caught a pair of Mk5 Ford Transit vans rounding the corner of Buckingham Palace Road and Grosvenor Gardens at Victoria on 17th May 1999. Although both are in LUL white/blue livery, there are differences that suggest they may not have been working together. 4853F in front has a roof-rack and 'Engineering services' lettering (unfortunately the three lines of cabside lettering cannot be read), while older 4435F had 'Support services' and was believed to be one of the mail vans. 4435F was withdrawn in January 2000, while the disposal date of 4853F is not known. I did photograph it in plain white at Waterloo station in 2004, and there is a possibility it had been retained for use by Transport Police as a covert surveillance vehicle. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,984 |  |
By James Mair The Vauxhall Combo was first introduced in late 1993 and was based on the front half of the Vauxhall Corsa car married to an enlarged rear half. The new design was officially the 'Combo B', the 'Combo A' designation having been used for an earlier model that was sold in the UK as the Astramax. The Combo B featured a stepped roof line, as also seen on the contemporary Ford Courier, Ford Escort and Volkswagen Caddy vans. Eighteen examples of the design were added to the leased fleet between 1996 and early 2000. There was then a gap until the first example of the new 'Combo C' (with a smoothed-out roofline) was added in late 2001. The latter design proved to be very popular, with a total of 170 being leased in the years 2001 to 2011. One of the Combo B vans is shown here parked close to Sudbury Hill Station. Despite the Bedford name having been dropped (in favour of Vauxhall) for light commercial vehicles in 1990, most of the Combo Bs were given B suffixes to their fleetnumbers, as seen on 4849B here. The cabside lettering is notable in having three lines. The second is 'Engineering Services', while the third is 'Civil & track consultancy'. 4849B had roof bars and was petrol-engined (some others were diesel). It was listed as a '2+2' van (with an additional pair of seats) but, as usual, it is impossible to see if these were indeed fitted. I had to use Google Streetview to confirm the location of this photo and, because of this, I can tell you that Iceland, W Sherry Funeral Directors, the Launderette and Phillips and Co Estate Agents are all still trading twenty years later, indeed the latter three are still using the same signs. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,985 |  |
By Colin Lloyd From its introduction in 1968 the Ford Escort was the standard car for use by London Transport, with numerous additions to the numbered fleet (mainly estates) and the 'private car' fleet. However, other makes were also used, especially from the end of the 1970s onwards when there was a move towards dual-sourcing. By April 2000 the Ford Escort had been all but replaced by the new Focus model, and production was to cease a couple of months later. Of 56 cars in the numbered fleet at the time, just 8 were Escorts (all estates) and only one more was to be delivered, towards the end of the year (5109F). The 8 included a batch of 5 S-prefix registered estates new in September 1998 and numbered 4828F to 4832F. The only one of this batch that I have a photo of is 4832F, seen passing through Ealing Broadway on the 27th March 2000. It was in standard LUL white/blue livery, with (as usual) the blue only being applied to the sides and not around the front or rear, while the lettering shows that it was allocated to the Central Line. |
11/05/2020 |
| 1,986 |  |
By Derek Everson Parked on Carlingford Road (near the entrance to Turnpike Lane Bus Station) on 10th March 2020 was Mercedes-Benz Vito RJ19HSV from Go-Ahead London's Northumberland Park garage. Go-Ahead London received 21 new Vitos in 2019, beating the previous record of 19 in 2018. Almost all are in unmarked red. The artwork alongside is one of several along the wall of a disused electrical substation. Other characters featured include Felix the cat, Charlie Chaplin, Popeye and Olive Oyl. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,987 |  |
By Derek Everson The Volkswagen Caddy established itself as a key part of the central fleet during 2019, with no fewer than 68 examples being delivered (a quarter of all additions). Lowest numbered among these was Caddy Maxi crew van 8762VW, new in April and allocated to Northumberland Park Depot, where it was photographed on 10th March 2020. This van is normally parked at Osborne House within the depot complex, and it appears to have replaced Toyota Yaris car 7761T. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,988 |  |
By Derek Everson When LUL brought the maintenance of the power supply network back 'in-house' in 2013, the department was equipped with a fleet of new vehicles. These included vans and trucks in LUL livery, but for cars a batch of Skodas in unmarked silver was employed. The fleet was renewed in 2019 and the Skodas were replaced by new Toyota Prius cars in full LUL livery. Three were parked outside the Tufnell Park base on 3rd March 2020, along with two of the Renault Kangoo Maxi vans. From left to right the vehicles are 8886T, 8854R, 8890T, 8892(T) and 8857R. The cladding of the building has been repainted from green to grey, and LUL signs are now fitted. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,989 |  |
By Derek Everson Seen parked at Tufnell Park on 3rd March 2020 were two Ford Transit Mk8s used by the Power Supply section of LUL. 8861F and 8860F (on the right) are both medium-wheelbase, mid-height vans, and they are both to the '2020 Facelift' design. The most noticeable feature of this relatively minor revamp is the lack of any body colour between the bottom of the front grille and the bumper. Comparison with the original Mk8 Ford Transit dropside truck behind (which was believed to be on hire) shows that the contouring of the panel below the headlamps has also been revised. Both 8861F and 8860F have the black aerial on the front offside of the roof, the purpose of which is not known. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,990 |  |
By Derek Everson Updating the fleet used by the Power Supply department has taken about eight months, with vehicles numbered in the 88xx range replacing the original 77xx vans. The most recent arrivals have been a number of Ford Transit Custom vans delivered in January and February 2020. Among these was 8851F, seen at Tufnell Park on 3rd March 2020. Just visible on the offside of the roof is the small black aerial (or whatever it is), which appears to be a slightly different design to that on the larger Transit vans such as 8859F and 8861F. Parked alongside was a Ford Transit dropside truck in unmarked white. This was presumably on hire pending the delivery of further vehicles. Fleetnumber 8845 would appear to be a potential candidate and is the only number in the 88xx series not yet reported. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,991 |  |
By Derek Everson A photo taken of this van at this location (by this photographer!) was published a couple of months ago, but bear with me. 8859F is a '2020 Facelift' Mk8 Ford Transit van new in December 2019 and allocated to the Power Supply section base at Tufnell Park. At first it appeared to be a normal van, albeit the only new high-roof example assigned to this department. However, visible in this photo are a couple of non-standard features. On the nearside there are two spot-lights near the top, while a pair of beacon lights have been mounted on the roof (these were not present in January). There may be something else on the roof near the rear-most beacon light, while a small black protuberance is visible near the front beacon. This is perhaps an aerial or receiver of some kind, and it has also been noted on some of the other vans allocated here. I suspect that this van might have been specially modified to replace the unique 7755F (the only second-hand vehicle in the main fleet), as the latter also had spotlights and roof beacons. However, the role and interior fittings of 7755F (and now 8859F) remain unknown... Photographed on 3rd March 2020. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,992 |  |
By Derek Everson This vehicle started life as London Transport RLH44, one of the famous/infamous 'low-bridge' buses, with a sunken gangway on the offside upstairs. In 1971 it was rebuilt by London Country (LCBS) to serve as a uniform issue vehicle, being given fleetnumber 581J, in the odd number series used for large vehicles which started when three lorries intended to be London Transport 1578F to 1580F were delivered to the newly formed LCBS as 578F to 580F. Most of the windows and blind boxes were plated over, as was the open rear platform, access being via a new, hinged door in mid-wheelbase. Withdrawn in 1983 it was preserved and, unlike some similar conversions, was kept largely in its modified condition rather than being restored to original. The exceptions were that the front windows and blind-box were uncovered, along with one of the lower deck nearside windows. On 23rd February 2020 the vehicle was attending an event at the North Weald station of the Epping-Ongar heritage railway, once part of the London Underground network. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,993 |  |
By Derek Everson Both of these cars have featured on LTSV before, but this photo has been included to show the new 'local' fleetnumbers applied to crew ferry vehicles based at Abellio's Fulwell/Twickenham Garage. This garage was formerly part of London Transport's Fulwell trolleybus depot and when it was reactivated by TGM in 2000 it was given the official allocation code of TF. However, Abellio refer to it as TW, and this code prefixes the new fleetnumbers. Second-hand Ford Fiestas are Abellio's first choice for crew ferry uses, although it is interesting to note that (as far as we know) no more have been added since 2017. Photographed at Hatton Cross bus station on 18th February 2020. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,994 |  |
By Derek Everson As regular visitors to this site will know, I am a bit cautious about publishing photographs of vehicles where the driver is clearly visible, since some people might be unhappy about their face appearing on-line. In some cases I have edited the photograph to blur the details. I'm not sure whether the wave given by the driver shown here was a friendly one or a 'don't take my picture' one, although it looks like the former. Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van 8909VW was one of eleven new in mid-2019, numbered 8900VW to 8910VW and based mainly at Acton Works. It was seen arriving at the Works on 18th February 2020. All of the photographs in this set were taken around midday and it is interesting to note that most of the vehicles had their headlights on. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,995 |  |
By Derek Everson The newest Mercedes-Benz Sprinters in the central fleet as of spring 2020 are a pair of dropside trucks delivered in April 2017. Apart from one flatbed with hoist (8232), all other Sprinters are vans or crew vans. The dropsides are notable for having white bodywork, compared to the blue usually featured on LUL-livery trucks. 8219 (the M-suffix is not carried) is allocated to Bollo House in Acton, and was photographed approaching the nearby works on 18th February 2020. Ford Transit Custom van 8481F was in pursuit. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,996 |  |
By Derek Everson The Volkswagen Caddy van is now one of the most common types in the central fleet, with about 160 examples at present. However, the majority are of the longer Caddy Maxi model, and there are just a dozen of the shorter variant. Six were delivered in April 2019, five of which got consecutive fleetnumbers 8864VW to 8868VW. That is not to say that they are allocated to the same user though. 8864/6/7/8VW seem to be night-time vehicles whose base is not known. 8865VW on the other hand has been seen in daylight at various locations around Acton, including the works, Frank Pick House and the small car park beside Acton Town station. On 18th February 2020 it was seen leaving the works. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,997 |  |
By Derek Everson Fleetnumbers 8945VW to 8948VW are on a batch of four long-wheelbase Volkswagen Transporter minibuses new in September 2019. Observations suggest that they are based at Lillie Bridge Depot but, on 18th February 2020, Derek found 8948VW leaving Acton Works. Note that the passenger compartment has access doors on both sides. Interestingly, sister 8947VW had left a couple of minutes earlier. |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,998 |  |
By Derek Everson Not reported since it was new in November 2019, 9034VW is a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew van in LUL livery, caught leaving Acton Works on 18th February 2020. The allocation of this van is not known, though it could be at Edgware Track Depot with similar 9033VW (and perhaps also 9035VW). |
27/04/2020 |
| 1,999 |  |
By Derek Everson Just behind 8511T on 18th February 2020 was VW Transporter 8694VW. Six of these long-wheelbase crew vans had been delivered in September 2018. 8695VW and 8696VW are based at Bollo House, just up the road from here, but 8694VW was initially based at Finchley Central Station. It has not been noted there since March 2019 though, so it has perhaps moved on. The van entered the works, then left ten minutes later. Ten minutes later it did the same thing again! |
27/04/2020 |
| 2,000 |  |
By Derek Everson Derek had quite a productive hour outside Acton Works on 18th February 2020, catching several previously un-photographed vehicles along with quite a few of the more familiar ones. One of the first was Toyota Prius car 8511T. This LUL-liveried car is quite a common sight on Bollo Lane, but this was the first time it had been photographed. |
27/04/2020 |
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