LTSV Latest Data - Detail View

This page shows the most recently added or edited database records.

Photos Added

Count	Photo	Details	Added
2,701		By Derek Everson The next four photos all show pairs of (almost) identical bus company vehicles. First up are two of London United's fleet of Ford Fiesta vans with FF14 (EO12UDT) to the fore and FF17 (EO12UGY) beyond, photographed on 2nd December 2017. These vans were officially renumbered to FF75014 and FF75017 in 2016 but only a couple of the London United service vehicle fleet have been physically renumbered so far. The location provides some interest as well, being Atlas Road garage in Harlesden. This location was opened by First London in 2011 to act as an overflow for Westbourne Park garage while the yard at the latter location was in use for Crossrail construction work. Given the garage code of AS, it was a stone's throw from PK, the small base inherited by London United from NCP Challenger and given the name of Park Royal. The actual location is something of a hinterland, Old Oak Common, North Acton and Willesden Junction being other potential names, although the latter two had already been used for other bus garages. Anyway, Atlas Road (AS) passed to Tower Transit when First London sold out, and was closed in June 2017 when the yard at Westbourne Park was re-opened. This could have been the end of the story but for London United being awarded the tender to operate trunk bus route 18 from November 2017. PK was too small for the quantity of buses needed, so they instead took over AS, moving the existing PK allocation across the road and adding a fleet of new Volvo B5LH buses for the 18 (a couple of which can be seen in the background). Just to make things confusing (!), London United assigned a new garage code of RP.	30/12/2017
2,702		By Derek Everson A peek inside the canteen trailer at Brooklands on 22nd October 2017 shows that interior restoration is quite well advanced. Taken from the front (emergency) door, this shows the seating provided in the raised front area. There appear to be a couple of tables at the lower level beyond, while the entrance is behind the bulkhead on the right. The kitchen area is out of sight at the far left, and a fold-down flap across the middle would have made the serving counter. The menu shows a fairly limited selection!	30/12/2017
2,703		By Derek Everson The mobile canteen at the London Bus Museum is currently undergoing restoration, following the completion of work on its tractor unit 702B. During the open day held on 22nd October 2017, the trailer was tucked away in the workshop while 702B took part in the line-up outside. Most of the bodywork was still in undercoat, though the roof looked finished in the darker of the two shades of green these vehicles carried. The normal entrance is half-way along the nearside, and the smaller door in the front is believed to have been for emergency use only. The description of these trailers as being Scammell-Spurlings is slightly misleading. Scammell built the chassis and Spurlings the bodywork. Similarly the tractor units are usually referred to as Bedford-Scammells, even though the latter company's contribution was just the coupling.	30/12/2017
2,704		By Derek Everson One more visit to Wimbledon. By the way, I arrange pictures within each batch in order of fleetnumber and/or registration, but perhaps it would make more sense to group them by when/where they were taken. Anyway, attending the derailment of a Desiro train on 6th November 2017 (but seen the following day) was the Emergency Response Unit manager's car. The current vehicle is un-numbered Volvo XC70 estate car LM66UNH.	30/12/2017
2,705		By Derek Everson This photo is almost a clone of one taken over five years ago, with a couple of notable differences. Mercedes-Benz Actros artic tractor unit WP61ZXE has recently been given TfL/LUL lettering and a red stripe, in place of the Tube Lines markings it carried from new. Similar 2603/WX57NPV has also been so treated, but the newest of the trio (WN12NDV) retains Tube Lines livery for now. Further changes are the addition of two orange roof beacons and flourescent wheelnut tell-tales. The trailer is vintage (33 years old!) Crane Fruehauf single-axle CT36, new as a dropside but currently operating as a flatbed. Seen entering Acton Works on 12th December 2017.	30/12/2017
2,706		By Derek Everson Back to Wimbledon again, and here we see the Transplant mobile office, built on Mercedes-Benz Axor WX08KUY. This started out as a dropside lorry in 2008 but was rebodied as shown in 2014. It was attending the derailment of a South Western Railway 'Desiro' on LUL tracks outside Wimbledon Station. The most interesting aspect of this photo is that the nearside wheels are not touching the ground! I presume it had been jacked up to make it level, which I suppose would help with the kitchen inside. However, in the photos that Derek provided, I could see no sign of how or where it was jacked. Also just visible in this view (taken on 7th November 2017) are Toyota Prius car 8587T and facilities van 7678F.	30/12/2017
2,707		By Ray Monk Apart from a batch of ten for Lillie Bridge, only a handful of Peugeot Partner Tepee cars have been added over the past couple of years. The most recent is 8565P, seen leaving Acton Works on 19th December 2017.	30/12/2017
2,708		By Ray Monk Ford Transit Custom van 8505F was caught on Bollo Lane in Acton on 24th August 2017. It is fairly clear that this is a low-roof example, but the length is harder to determine visually, especially from the offside. It is actually a short-wheelbase variant (2933mm) and it has had an uncredited appearance on LTSV before.	30/12/2017
2,709		By Derek Everson Comings and goings outside Acton Works on 12th December 2017. On the way in is recently delivered 8482F, a medium-wheelbase low-roof Ford Transit Custom van. Behind is Ford Transit Mk8 crew van (medium-wheelbase, mid-height) 8285F, which has been fairly elusive since delivery in February. I may have mentioned this before but the size designations of these two new Transit models are actually shared. Medium wheelbase vans feature a 3300mm wheelbase on both. But the MWB Transit Custom is the longest Transit Custom, while the MWB Transit Mk8 is the shortest Mk8. Or put another way, there is no LWB Transit Custom, and no SWB Transit Mk8!	30/12/2017
2,710		By Derek Everson Indespension mini-tanker trailer T70 can often be seen in the lorry yard at Acton Works. I had assumed it was no-longer roadworthy, since the last few times it has been seen on the move it has been on the back of a lorry. However, Derek saw it entering the works on 12th December 2017 being towed by Volkswagen Transporter minibus 8430VW. I have never really looked at which service vehicles are fitted with towing bars but the addition of one on a minibus seems slightly odd.	30/12/2017
2,711		By Ray Monk With the exception of minibuses, the Ford Transit Mk8 has now settled as the standard model for mid-sized vehicles in the LUL fleet. One of a batch of long-wheelbase high-roof vans delivered in 2017 was 8405F. It was noted several times at the Baker Street offices (not a location associated with larger vans) but was caught by Ray leaving Acton Works on 12th October 2017.	30/12/2017
2,712		By Ray Monk After a bit of a lull, deliveries of Renault Kangoo vans have picked up again over the past year. Some recent additions will be shown on LTSV soon but here is one from a couple of years ago. 7950R to 7952R were a trio of Kangoo ML19 vans delivered in November 2014 for LUL. The allocations for these three vans are still not known and they are mainly nocturnal. Ray found 7951R parked on Colville Road in Acton, close to the works, on 12th October 2017. Vans and cars often visit the workshops here for servicing. The basic Kangoo van is relatively rare in the central fleet, being significantly out-numbered by the longer Kangoo Maxi.	30/12/2017
2,713		By Derek Everson Numbers 7448 to 7455 are carried by a batch of Peugeot Partner Tepee cars new in May/June 2012, of which four went to Barking Station and four to Earls Court. The Barking quartet are easy to see and have all featured on LTSV before. Conversely the Earls Court group are usually hidden away in their tiny base and only come out at night. A daytime visit by 7448P to Acton Works on 12th December 2017 was caught on camera by Derek.	30/12/2017
2,714		By Derek Everson Given the relatively minor nature of the derailment at Wimbledon on 6th November 2017 I was rather surprised that at least 11 service vehicles attended. Four (and a bit) are seen here the next day, making use of the Waitrose car park. Nearest the camera are a pair of Ford Transit dropside trucks from Lillie Bridge. 7242F has LUL lettering, while newer 7821F has TfL (plus a large poppy on the bonnet). Beyond them are Emergency Response Unit tenders 2603 and 2608, both carrying TfL/ERU markings. Just visible on the right is 7673F, one of three 'facilities' vans present.	30/12/2017
2,715		By Derek Everson Former service vehicles can often be recognised by retaining their blue skirts. This example goes one better by also still having fleetnumbers (as the photos taken at BCA show, all lettering is normally removed when vehicles are withdrawn). 6059F was one of a pair of 'jumbo' Ford Transit crew vans (the other being 6060F) taken into stock on the same day in September 2006. Both were allocated to Stratford Market Depot, and though both were reported quite a few times, neither was ever photographed. Interestingly they were both returned off lease on the same day in July 2011 and were sold through BCA the following month. Derek found the former 6059F in Eastleigh, Hampshire, carrying lettering for railway contractor S&T Cover.	30/12/2017
2,716		By Derek Everson Very early on 6th November 2017 a South Western Railway Class 450 'Desiro' train derailed outside Wimbledon station. This was a low-speed incident and only one bogie came off the rails. The train was working one of the few SWR services to be routed via East Putney and was on LUL-owned track at the time. Because of this, the rerailing exercise was led by LUL, with quite a few service vehicles in attendance. Seen in the Waitrose car park the following morning was Emergency Response Unit tender 2609. The additional fleetnumber (B881) towards the rear of the cab shows that this is one of the five tenders delivered in British Transport Police livery. Since the livery-specific elements are on removable panels they can be switched as required. When seen, 2609 was in TfL/ERU livery, apart from the front offside cab door, which was still in BTP yellow/blue. Comparison with this photo shows how it should appear. The train (450 025) is visible in the background.	30/12/2017
2,717		By Derek Everson As already mentioned, the two service vehicles from the LT Museum were taken to Brooklands on a low-loader for the event on 22nd October 2017. This view was taken shortly after their arrival. The truck is Stathams' Volvo FH N7RMP, which regular visitors to this site may recall was also used to take an LT bus to the Bromley Garage open day last August. The trailer was a different one though.	20/12/2017
2,718		By Derek Everson Among several new Ford vans for the Go-Ahead London fleet in autumn 2017 was a high-roof Transit Custom with registration number EY67FTA. It was allocated to Putney Garage, where it was photographed on 3rd October 2017, at which point it was still in unmarked red with a yellow safety stripe.	20/12/2017
2,719		By Derek Everson This van was found in Slough Bus Station on 10th October 2017 and seems likely to be in use with First Berkshire. As with other recent vans here, it has unmarked red livery apart from a reflective safety stripe. VO64WCK is a short-wheelbase, low-roof Volkswagen Transporter.	20/12/2017
2,720		By Ray Monk A very seasonal photo from Ray here. London had a couple of inches of snowfall during Sunday 10th December 2017, although it very kindly all disappeared before the Monday rush-hour. This photo is also topical because it shows some recent re-allocations. Go-Ahead London's Belvedere garage (which was really just a yard and an office) was closed operationally at the beginning of December 2017. Bus route 180 transferred to the new Morden Wharf base, while the 244 went to Bexleyheath. EK64CFY, the Ford Transit Connect crew van that used to serve route 244, went as well, and can be seen in the background here. It remained unlettered but now has an FB1 sign in the windows. The number FB2 was carried by Vauxhall Combo van HN13YMV, a vehicle which has had quite a complicated history. New to Northumerland Park Garage in unmarked red in 2013, it originally had no windows in the cargo doors. Windows were added by early 2014, then later that year the van was moved to the former Metrobus garage at Croydon. Here it gained Go-Ahead logos and the fleetnumber 9034, which is still carried but hidden by the snow in this view. It moved again to Bexleyheath in December 2017, although I am not sure why they need two vehicles. In contrast to the Ford, the Vauxhall had gained a depot code and a variety of labels, most of which seem to have come from buses. These include 'Mind your head when standing', 'Emergency Door Control', 'Stand clear of doors' plus what appears to be an Oyster notice and an OAP priority label!	20/12/2017
2,721		By Derek Everson This photo illustrates two problems I have in maintaining the database on LTSV. The first is a design 'feature', whereby vehicles can only have a status of Active or Withdrawn, where withdrawn means 'no longer current'. A lot of our information comes from vehicle licensing checks (Ray has done thousands of these, for which I am very grateful). If a vehicle is shown as being delicensed or SORN (declared as being off the road), then it is marked on LTSV as being withdrawn. However, it might still be owned/held by the company but just not in use. A future upgrade to the site will include an intermediate status to remedy this. The other problem is that most companies do not provide fleet information but, when they do, the information is often inaccurate or out of date. Shown here is Volkswagen Transporter minibus RY05AEZ at Guildford Garage on 11th October 2017. This was one of several minibuses from the Tellings Golden-Miller airport fleet which were transferred to Arriva bus operations in 2014. This one gained 'paper' fleetnumber VF139 with Arriva Southern Counties. A licensing check in spring 2017 showed that it was SORN and had an expired MOT. It was duly marked as being withdrawn, but that autumn we received a list from the company which showed it as still being in stock. So I de-withdrew it! It was parked with some clearly out-of-use buses when Derek found it. Ironically the other service vehicle visible in this photo also suffered from premature withdrawal! Beyond the buses is the back end of a Ford Transit minibus, believed to be LS06YCR. This was another former TGM vehicle, but it went to Dartford. It was then stolen in 2015 and reportedly written off. Naturally I marked the database entry as being withdrawn! It was evidently recovered though, as Arriva were listing it again by summer 2016, albeit showing the allocation as Harlow. A later list did have it as being at Guildford so perhaps it did work from both. Anyway, with two minibuses off the road, can anyone say what the current crew ferry vehicle at Guildford is? It might be HT05YDB (another ex TGM), but that has not been reported for over 4 years....	20/12/2017
2,722		By Derek Everson There's something different about you....This is one of the most frequently featured vehicles on LTSV, although you wouldn't know it by clicking on the 'Subject link/s' below. It is of course the former VLT46, a Volvo FM recovery truck bought by Go-Ahead in 2004 and which carried a former Routemaster registration from new. In autumn 2017 Go-Ahead was persuaded to part with the valuable number plate, which is now on a van belonging to the person who also owns a car plated VLT47! The Volvo was given new (but age-appropriate) mark LN04CHL and was seen at its home base of Putney Garage on 3rd October 2017. As for the link, the database behind LTSV has difficulty handling vehicles that change registration. For example, if I changed the registration of the original record to LN04CHL, you would not find it by searching for VLT46. The workaround has been to add a new vehicle record for such instances, which is why there are two Volvo FM trucks listed when there has only of course been one. A better solution is planned for LTSV v3 but that is a long way off.	20/12/2017
2,723		By Ray Monk The two MAN tractor units delivered in September are now in service in full LUL livery and with dayglo wheelnut covers. The red band has been added between the blue skirt and the silver 'safety' stripe, but does not extend around the front. However, the main reason for including this photo is the trailer. Ray reported that this carried the number T78, thus confirming that this is the number allocated to one of the two new Dennison flatbed trailers. This is clearly the one with the lower headboard (see this photo for a comparison), which means that the only unknown now is whether this one is extendable or not. Oh, and it would be good to have confirmation that the other one (the extendable one with the taller headboard) is in fact T77! Seen leaving Acton Works on 4th December 2017. It would be interesting to know what the low-loader visible in the background was going to collect. It does not look like the type used to carry tube carriages.	20/12/2017
2,724		By Ray Monk Fleetnumbers are now into the 86xx series, the first being a batch of six Renault Kangoo electric+hydrogen vans, as shown last month. Ray caught 8612R leaving Acton Works on 26th October 2017, by now in full LUL livery. Clues to the unique propulsion system are in the small green diamond labels (showing H₂ GAS), the 'cleaner air' branding on the sides and also by the front grille design. On the standard Kangoo (such as 8309R) the chrome strip is at the bottom of the grille, whereas the ZE model has it across the middle.	20/12/2017
2,725		By Derek Everson A rather empty car park at Acton Works on 9th December 2017 allowed Derek to capture this view of newly delivered Volkswagen Transporter minibus 8599VW. It carries the white/blue/lilac livery of TfL Private Hire, and is lettered for Compliance Enforcement. This suggests it will be a replacement for Ford/Ashwood Transit 6987F, latterly kept at Mandela Way. Note that this new minibus appears to be to a slightly different specification to others delivered to the central fleet recently (such as 8258VW), featuring body coloured bumper and mirrors (instead of black) and three chrome strips across the grille (instead of just one). Perhaps unsurprisingly, a couple of LUL Toyota Prius cars were also present, including 8489T peeking in on the left.	20/12/2017
2,726		By Kevin Bullions Back to Cockfosters Depot again, doubling the number of published photos from this location. Toyota Yaris car 8589T was present on 28th November 2017. This car had only been delivered the previous month and it is probably too soon to say whether it is allocated here or was just visiting.	20/12/2017
2,727		By Derek Everson Lots of smart new Toyota Prius cars have been delivered for LUL in recent months, although some seem to have lingered in the Acton car park for ages. One that is in use is 8587T, seen at Waitrose in Wimbledon on 7th November 2017. Supermarket car parks have featured on LTSV several times over the years, but in this case the car was one of several vehicles attending to a derailment on the LUL tracks alongside. The train that came off was actually a Desiro EMU belonging to South Western Railway, formerly known as, er..., South West Trains. Fantastically imaginative re-branding there! And before I get a flood of one e-mail, I know the train actually belongs to leasing company Angel Trains. Anyway, getting back on topic, this car also sports the CCTV camera and notice.	20/12/2017
2,728		By Derek Everson A new van for the Emergency Response Unit was delivered in October 2017, this being a short-wheelbase Volkswagen Transporter crew van. It replaced smaller Renault Kangoo Maxi 7727R and carries the same livery of white/blue with a blue/yellow/blue stripe and red bonnet. Derek found it parked at Morrisons in Acton on 5th November 2017. A couple of observations. There is what appears to be a camera in the windscreen, alongside the rear-view mirror. The blue notice nearby does state that CCTV recording is in operation and has also been seen on various recent deliveries (including the London Buses Toyota Yaris cars) although I was not sure what, where or when they would be recording. The second point is the rectangular aperture just above the number plate. This is not a VW item (compare with similar 8199VW) and I have noticed a similar object on several new National Express coaches. I presume it is either a camera or a sensor of some sort but please send your answers on a postcard to the usual address!	20/12/2017
2,729		By Ray Monk New Addington is probably as far as you can get from the LUL network without leaving London. However, an LUL van is often to be found there, usually one 'based' at Hainault. Previous examples have included 6972VW, 7216VW and 8280VW. The latest to be seen is VW Caddy Maxi crew van 8270VW, photographed on 13th November 2017. You need to be careful if reporting this vehicle since identical 8240VW (RF66DPV) carries the number 8270VW on at least one side!	20/12/2017
2,730		By Kevin Bullions Having just shown the 'only' service vehicle allocated to Cockfosters, coming up are two more photos taken within the depot. Ford Transit Connect van 8260F is almost certainly just a visitor, having been seen at Stratford Market depot several times (along with similar 8259/61/62F). 2nd December 2017.	20/12/2017
2,731		By Kevin Bullions More Pointcare Ford Transits, again at Arnos Grove on 2nd December 2017. This line-up features 8114F, 8112F and 8115F. I was going to comment that 8114F was the only one not to have hazard plates, but it did have them earlier on! So, instead, I will mention that this batch of seven vans is numbered 8110F to 8112F and 8114F to 8117F. The number 8113 has not been used, although it is not known if this was due to a cancellation or superstition! By the way, 8116F was parked just out of shot on the right but I think we've had enough of these for now...	20/12/2017
2,732		By Kevin Bullions Another Pointcare Ford Transit at Arnos Grove on 2nd December 2017, this one being 8111F. The hazard plate on the front has been folded open but has nothing on it. Parked alongside is LP15VJA, a Land Rover Defender Station Wagon that has been here for a while. Two such cars were added to the unmarked car fleet in 2015, the other being LP15VHN. They came near the end of production of this classic design, although were followed by one special for the LT Museum.	20/12/2017
2,733		By Kevin Bullions Back to Arnos Grove now. This location has had a small allocation of service vehicles in recent years but it came as something of a surprise when it received 7 new Ford Transit vans in summer 2016. All were high-roof examples with Pointcare lettering, previously only seen on a handful of vehicles (including 7474R, 7475F and 7478F). All 7 vans were present on 2nd December 2017 and we start with a look at the back of 8117F and 8110F.	20/12/2017
2,734		By Ivor Norman Volkswagen Caddy Maxi van 7901VW can usually be found parked at Finsbury Park Bus Station, and it has been photographed there a couple of times. Here is a slightly more interesting view though, taken on 2nd November 2017 when the van was at work in Oxford Street. The long-held ambition of pedestrianising this street now seems to be edging closer to fruition (can an ambition fruit?). Various bus routes have already been (or will soon be) altered, either by cutting back the terminal point or re-routing.	20/12/2017
2,735		By Derek Everson London Buses took a baker's dozen of VW Caddy Maxi vans over the winter of 2014/2015 for use on infrastructure duties. One has since been withdrawn following an accident (7891VW, which has recently been seen back on the road with a private user). Two of the batch had not yet been illustrated on LTSV but that is being remedied today. 7893VW was sent initially to Stratford Bus Station but was soon moved on to Turnpike Lane, where it was photographed on 19th July 2017. Three of the batch are still listed as being at Stratford Bus Station but it has been noted that they are no longer kept there and their parking space has been given over to bus stands. It is not yet clear where they have been moved to.	20/12/2017
2,736		By Derek Everson Most of the LBSL Incident Response Unit vans are now coming up to being three years old but there are still several that have not yet been shown on LTSV. Starting the mop-up, here is a view of 7886M, the highest-numbered of the main batch, taken at Stratford City Bus Station 10th October 2017. This van has been here since new and has also been noted at work in east London, notably in Romford. Not much else I can say....	20/12/2017
2,737		By Kevin Bullions It is very useful to have a couple of 'inside' contributors, enabling us to show vehicles that have otherwise avoided being photographed. This view, taken on 2nd December 2017, shows Volkswagen Golf estate car 7798VW at Arnos Grove depot. New in spring 2014, this is (as far as we know) the only Golf in Incident Response Vehicle livery, and it replaced un-numbered Vauxhall Zafira LT58CNY. Note that the lettering, as seems normal on such vehicles, suggests that the Incident Officer is kept in the back! Also, unlike most incident cars, this one has no light-bar. Arnos Grove is a slightly frustrating location. The response car parks in front of the office block and can be seen from passing trains. I have photographed it but the results were not very good. The other vehicles here are normally kept in a yard at the end of the building, and can be seen from a public road that runs past. However, double fences make photography almost impossible. Luckily Kevin photographed all the SVs present and there are more photos coming up soon...	20/12/2017
2,738		By Kevin Bullions This is the third photo of this supposedly rare van to be published on LTSV. New in July 2012, Renault Kangoo Maxi van 7427R was allocated to Cockfosters Depot and was very seldom seen out and about. Over winter 2014/2015 it spent a couple of weeks at Bollo House in Acton, enabling Ray and Steve to finally mark it off! However, it looks like it has since returned to its reclusive ways. Kevin found it parked at Cockfosters Depot on 2nd December 2017 and was able to confirm that it appears to be the only service vehicle based there. 7427R had a twin (7428R) that was allocated to Northfields Depot (also on the Piccadilly Line) but this was replaced by a new van (8432R) in June 2017.	20/12/2017
2,739		By Derek Everson Keeping LTSV up to date is a lot easier now that we have access to various on-line sources of information, plus fleetlists that sometimes come our way. However, a bit of assumption and guesswork is still involved, and this sometimes leads to mistakes. For example, when the new batch of Volvo Emergency Response Unit tenders was delivered in spring 2017, it was assumed that all ten of the previous Mercedes vehicles would be replaced. The eight that carried LUL livery were in fact traced through to Mannheim Auctions in Coventry. The two in police livery were not listed but a lack of reports suggested they had also gone. But then Derek found 2593 at the Mercedes dealership in Bedfont on 24th October 2017, still in full livery (shown here somewhat dwarfed by the Actros on the left). 2593 was seen again in December, entering Acton Works, so one or both are perhaps still in stock. Come to think of it, the ERU fleet did comprise ten Mercedes tenders and the two former BTP Ivecos (which were also sold by Mannheim in April). It could be that the current fleet is ten Volvos and the two remaining Mercedes. Observations or information would be welcomed.	20/12/2017
2,740		By Derek Everson Fordson tractor 351X from the LT Museum collection is seen arriving at Brooklands on 22nd October 2017. While 89Q could possibly have made the trip from Acton under its own steam, the journey would have been rather epic for this solid-tyred tractor. Both vehicles were actually moved on a low-loader. This will be shown at the end of today's batch but it can be seen here in the background, with 89Q still on-board.	20/12/2017
2,741		By Derek Everson Two well-known preserved service vehicles start today's batch but for the first time they are being shown on the move. AEC tower wagon 89Q and Fordson tractor 351X from the LT Museum collection attended the event at Brooklands on 22nd October 2017, and 89Q is seen here arriving at the site. I left this shot uncropped as it also provides a new angle on two other vehicles previously seen on LTSV. On the left is LTM003, the LT Museum's Land Rover exhibition unit, while on the right is the back of former London Fire Brigade wrecker 314FLM.	20/12/2017
2,742		By Derek Everson Another whopper for Sovereign. R999SOV is a 4-axle Volvo FH built in 2015 and first reported in October 2017. The fact that it is left-hand drive (as highlighted by one of the two Caution notices) suggests it was not bought new. On 14th November 2017 Derek caught it tugging an Arriva London HV bus past Kennington park, probably back to Brixton garage. This is the third reported 4-axle truck for Sovereign, following on from SN08KWG and RO14TOR. The new fleetnumbering scheme remains a bit of an unknown. RO14TOR has been reported as H123, while R999SOV is H101. Could it be that the H1xx are for heavy recovery vehicles, ?2xx for mid-sized vehicles (perhaps the flatbeds) and SV3xx for the vans?	26/11/2017
2,743		By Ray Monk Go-Ahead London has taken a variety of Ford vans recently, mostly with EY67xxx registrations. The smallest reported so far are a pair of Transit Connect crew vans based at Morden Wharf. As with most Go-Ahead crew ferry vehicles, they are in anonymous red livery, as seen on EY67WUB on Tunnel Avenue on 17th November 2017. Morden Wharf garage, which is about a quarter mile up the road from here, had taken over bus route 188 from Abellio the previous weekend. Although the 188 terminates at North Greenwich, not too far from the garage, route working documents show that crew changes are actually undertaken at Canada Water.	26/11/2017
2,744		By Ray Monk The recent visitors to Luton have shown that the majority of Arriva the Shires service vehicles based there now carry a full complement of lettering. Typifying this is CF130, a Vauxhall Zafira estate new in 2009 and acquired in 2016. It was one of several bought around that time, mainly to replace former London taxis. On 11th November 2017 it was seen leaving the bus garage, with some training and Green Line vehicles parked-up in the background. Note the application of the fleetnumber in an unusual position towards the rear.	26/11/2017
2,745		By Simon Dixon This van has been a service vehicle with Arriva the Shires for at least 9 years. Until about 2013 it was based at Garston and supported the TfL bus services worked from there. As such, it could be seen at locations such as Edgware and Golders Green, although its unmarked white livery made it rather inconspicuous. It was then moved up to Luton, and at some point has gained neat company lettering. The fleetnumber of 1159 does not appear to be carried, unless that is it at the top right on the rear. Seen outside Luton Station on 13th November 2017.	26/11/2017
2,746		By Derek Everson Abellio's Byfleet operation was closed down on 1st September 2017 following bus route tendering changes, the remaining services being operated from Fulwell garage. Derek visited the erstwhile garage on 22nd October 2017 and found a handful of buses and service vehicles present, seemingly all dumped awaiting disposal. To the fore in this photograph of the engineering annexe is Ford Focus estate car EF56KBJ, which operated from Beddington Cross garage between 2011 and 2015 at least. It would appear it also later worked at Hayes, since it has traces of 'E-ROUTES' lettering across its bonnet. I don't think I have seen this lettering before, although some newer cars at Hayes do have similar markings for route 427. On the right is silver Ford Fiesta NL57ZHV which started its Abellio life at Byfleet before moving to Beddington Cross. This also had evidence of the E-routes lettering, suggesting another transfer that we missed. Tucked in the corner is Ford Fiesta van NG07HRX. Would you be surprised if I said this one was also rather nomadic? It was reported working from Hayes, then Fulwell, then Byfleet, then Hayes again...!	26/11/2017
2,747		By Simon Dixon I don't get a lot of photos of the 'country' area operators but two contributors visited Luton recently. Simon photographed some Arriva the Shires crew ferry vehicles outside Luton Station on 13th November 2017, including LTI TX1 taxi CF108 (the fleetnumber is displayed in the rear window). Apart from the Crew Shuttle lettering, the two-tone green livery promotes Green Line and is almost certainly a Best Impressions design. Former taxis have seen a lot of use as crew ferry vehicles since the late 1980s but this is one of the last examples. A couple more are at Ware (a former Shires garage now in the Arriva Southern Counties operation) while Sullivan Buses retains one as backup to their electric cars.	26/11/2017
2,748		By Derek Everson Two new MAN demountable lorries were seen at the dealership in Bedfont in mid-October 2017. They were registered towards the end of that month and at least one had made it to Acton Works a week later. Since at Bedfont on Halloween was WU67AJY, still in unmarked white/blue. This view shows the runners for the demountable body, and also the fold-away tail-lift. This pair would logically be intended to replace 2006-vintage MAN lorries 2587 and 2590, although 2587 is now dedicated to use with the Emergency Control Unit, a low-mileage role for which a tail-lift would not be required. The only other demountables in the fleet are two longer Iveco Stralis lorries new in 2008 and a MAN that arrived at the end of 2016.	26/11/2017
2,749		By Ray Monk More new Fords seen at Hartwells in Dunstable on 11th November 2017, this time a group of Transit dropside trucks. LN67KHJ is certain to be a service vehicle, given its blue skirt and bodywork. LN67KJX behind is interesting since the DVLA show this vehicle having been first licensed in mid-October. It is possible there has been an administrative error, as another Transit dropside seen in service earlier in November (8459F LN67KJU) appeared not to have been licensed yet. The other Transits visible had white bodywork and may be awaiting painting, or could be for other customers.	26/11/2017
2,750		By Ray Monk Ray and Steve visited the Hartwell Ford dealership in Dunstable on 11th November 2017 and found a number of vehicles awaiting delivery. Here we see short-wheelbase Ford Transit Custom van LN67KHF, with a similar van beyond and some Transit dropsides on the left. The thin gap between the black bodyside moulding and the blue skirt will be taken up by the red stripe after delivery.	26/11/2017
2,751		By Ray Monk Here is a surprise! Mercedes-Benz Actros artic WX57NPV was seen leaving Acton Works on 6th November 2017 with Cartwright trailer T74 loaded with train bogies. The lorry had recently had its livery updated from Tube Lines to TfL/LUL, complete with a red stripe. Although the Tube Lines livery was discontinued on new deliveries from early 2013 there have been virtually no instances of existing vehicles being re-liveried. The lorry fleet would have seemed to be prime candidates due to their generally longer service lives. However, two new MAN artic lorries had been delivered in autumn 2017 and it was thought these would replace the oldest of the earlier artics, including WX57NPV. Curiously this lorry still carries the fleetnumber 2603. It is believed that it was order under this number, but delivered at the time the use of fleetnumbers for lorries was dropped. The number has since re-appeared on the first of the new Emergency Response Unit tenders.	26/11/2017
2,752		By Kevin Bullions Here is a better view of unique Toyota Prius+ estate car 8567T, taken at its home base of Hearne House in Acton Town on 13th November 2017. Kevin confirms that the car does have three rows of seats but that the back ones are somewhat cramped!	26/11/2017
2,753		By Ray Monk Toyota has been the main supplier of cars to the central fleet over the past year or so, with over 20 of the Prius model being taken. There have also been a few of the smaller Yaris, including this pair seen in the car park at Acton Works on 28th October 2017. Although both were new that month, their fleetnumbers are 101 apart. In the foreground is Ford Focus estate 7683F, disposed of to British Car Auctions a few days later.	26/11/2017
2,754		By Ray Monk We got hold of an updated list of central fleet vehicles in May 2017 and I was rather surprised to see two Peugeot Bippers included. TfL and Tube Lines had used this diminutive type before, the last being withdrawn in 2015. Of the two new vans, 8180P was soon tracked down to Lillie Bridge, but the details of 8186P remained unknown until Ray found it on 1st November 2017. It was parked at Therapia Lane tram depot and carried the white/blue/green livery of that operation. As an aside, Tramlink also has at least one new Ford Transit dropside truck, but details have not yet been obtained.	26/11/2017
2,755		By Paul Nicholls The Volkswagen Caddy van was first used as a service vehicle by the central fleet in 2006, hence they missed out on having any of the earlier, stepped-roof variety. Several more followed over the next few years but it was 2010 before any sizeable batches were taken. The first were six for Tube Lines in February 2010, which took fleetnumbers 6882VW-6887VW. They lasted a bit over three years but were mainly nocturnal and none were ever photographed while in service. 6882VW was withdrawn in July 2013 and was not seen again until Paul found it in a car park in Grays on 15th November 2017.	26/11/2017
2,756		By Andy Lambert Six well-known service vehicles are visible in this photograph, as are three well-known bald patches (sorry guys!). The location is Brooklands Museum, home to an array of aviation and motor racing exhibits and also now the London Bus Museum collection. Their open day on 22nd October 2017 had service vehicles as a theme, and the resident vehicles were joined by a few other preserved examples. Parked outside the club house were AEC Regent breakdown tender 832J (recently repainted and not yet lettered, it has worn red/cream livery for many years), AEC Militant recovery truck 1456MR (in National Rescue Group brown livery and owned by Andy Lambert, who sent in this photo), and 738J, another AEC Regent tender but this time in all red. Beyond that were the trio of smaller vehicles based here, namely Bedford OSS artic tractor 702B, Ford 100E van 1096F and Bedford CALV ambulance 1492B. All have been featured on LTSV before. The canteen trailer that goes with 702B was undergoing restoration inside the museum and photos of this will be added soon.	26/11/2017
2,757		By Derek Everson Given the previous picture, the appearance of a fire engine is quite appropriate, except that this isn't actually a fire engine! A 'Transportfest' event was held at the London Bus Museum at Brooklands on 22nd October 2017 and the theme was service vehicles. Many of the preserved service vehicles were present and photos of several will be added shortly. Some other vehicles with peripheral connections were also present (such as a British Aerospace Land Rover ambulance) and among these was London Fire Brigade BL14 (314FLM). This vehicle was new in 1964 and was based on a Dennis F107 chassis cab, resembling a typical London fire engine of the time. 314FLM was in fact a recovery truck and the Herbert Morris bodywork has the swept-down sides typical of this type of vehicle (as seen on LT 746P for example). Presumably intended to recover broken-down fire appliances, it is possible that it sometimes saw use dealing with buses, although the authenticity of the 'London Transport Urgent' board above the windscreen is not known. I have had a passing interest in the London Fire Brigade fleet for many years, partly because of their long-standing and logical fleetnumbering scheme (prefixed by type codes, for example BL=Breakdown Lorry), and partly because, as a child, I lived just round the corner from Clapham Fire Station. This was a divisional headquarters and often had unusual vehicles inside. The vehicle shown here actually carries the B21 plates that indicated allocation to Clapham. It is now H21 and demoted in status. A few years ago there were several websites detailing the LFB fleet, usually with lots of photos. It seems that there was some concern about the sensitivity of making such information publically available, and very little now remains.	14/11/2017
2,758		By Derek Everson While on holiday in Nice (France) in September 2017, Derek witnessed a Heuliez bus catch fire and burn out (see inset). The remains were later taken away by Renault Magnum tow truck 531.AMR.06 of Millo Depannage (meaning repair or troubleshooting). The Renault Magnum was a distinctive design built between 1990 and 2013 and also available in Australia badged as a Mack. It was never a common sight in the UK.	14/11/2017
2,759		By Derek Everson As shown on LTSV at the time, the London Cycle Hire system gained a fleet of new Ford Transits in spring 2012. Fitted with custom-built bodies with open backs, their role was to move bikes around the network to match demand. Five years on and the vans, now in the white/black/red livery of sponsor Santander, are being replaced by newer vans. Derek found BN12AEA at BCA Blackbushe on 5th October 2017. Rather strangely it had had the box body removed, a new flatbed fitted and then the old body strapped on top.	14/11/2017
2,760		By slr From a van leaving the fleet to one just joining. Several of these Renault Kangoo Maxis were found in Acton Works on 24th October 2017. There are two unusual aspects to them. Firstly, vehicles usually arrive with the main blue skirt already applied, and have the red (or otherwise) stripe and lettering added at Acton. This one appears to have a fairly complete set of lettering (including a fleetnumber that is not quite legible), and skirt/stripe on the rear, but not yet on the side. The second aspect is shown by the markings on the fuel filler cap and on the rear. The van is an electrically powered ZE model, a type which is now not unusual on the streets of London but which has only been used as a service vehicle once. But it has also been fitted with a Hydrogen fuel cell power pack to extend its range. These are produced by French company Symbio, whose logo features on the back, along with those of the FCH (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) and the EU.	14/11/2017
2,761		By Derek Everson A very useful system has developed between a couple of LTSV contributors. Ray frequently trawls through the vehicle listings on the BCA (British Car Auctions) website, looking for former service vehicles. If he finds one he puts a note against the vehicle record. The main aim of this was to enable me to then mark the vehicle as withdrawn. However, it is also used by Derek who takes his camera down to Blackbushe (almost) every time any SVs come up for auction. On 19th October 2017, Derek visited to photograph several vans that Ray had flagged. However, he also found this Ford Transit Custom van. I was quite surprised that any of these had gone off lease already, although it is in fact over three years since the first entered service. 7829F was the second of the type for LUL, new in July 2014 and based at Stratford Market Depot. As is often the case with their vans, it was mainly seen out at night.	14/11/2017
2,762		By Ray Monk River Road Garage near Barking is one of the newest bus garages in London, having been opened in May 2016. It has recently become the largest, following several bus route tendering gains and an extension. According to information from LOTS, 285 buses are now based there, just edging out Lea Interchange with its 284. By the way, Camberwell has 295 buses 'on paper', but 42 of these are trainers which are often based elsewhere. Anyway, back to the plot. Ray visited on 16th October 2017 and photographed three newly delivered service vehicles. RX67OLM/N/O were all Merecedes-Benz Vito minibuses in unmarked red livery, as shown by RX67OLO departing. Several of the earlier Vito minibuses, most of which were transferred from former Metrobus garages, were also still working. I have kept this photo wide as it shows two interesting buses. On the left is DMN8, still also carrying its First London fleetnumber of DMS41476. This has Marshall Capital bodywork which was once common in London but now down to just a handful. Among the buses on the right is one of the 'New Routemasters' recently given East London Transit livery.	18/10/2017
2,763		By Ray Monk Seen leaving Arriva's Barking (Dagenham) Garage on 16th October 2017, EO67RRV is a compact Hyundai i10 car with four bus drivers crammed inside. I would probably have dismissed this as a private vehicle but for the paper in the windscreen. Arriva London had a batch of Vauxhall Corsa cars new in 2014 which started a new number series at 201. The highest we know of was 217, which makes the 218 on this car seem too much of a coincidence. On the other hand, the more recent deliveries (including some working from Barking) have managed without any numbers, so....	18/10/2017
2,764		By Ray Monk Ray pays regular visits to the Arriva offices behind Wood Green Garage, and usually finds at least a few service vehicles present. Unfortunately these are usually unmarked these days, and can be hard to tell apart from the private vehicles that are also parked there. On 4th October 2017 previously unreported Vauxhall Corsa van WM16CJX was found, with similar WO16PUA visible in the background.	18/10/2017
2,765		By Ray Monk Arriva London seems to have given up on applying any markings to their service vehicles, most recent deliveries being completely anonymous. FJ64WZD, seen at Croydon Garage on 6th October 2017, is typical in that respect, but is somewhat unusual for being a Vauxhall Combo van. Arriva London has taken six of these over the past few years, compared to dozens of the smaller Vauxhall Corsa.	18/10/2017
2,766		By Ray Monk One of the locations Ray and I visited on 9th October 2017 was Edgware Bus Station, to see if the recent route changes had resulted in any new crew ferry vehicles. As usual a gaggle of Arriva vehicles were parked at the end of the central island. From the right they were Vauxhall Astra FL13AOT (inherited from Arriva the Shires), Vauxhall Corsa HK63YYG (transferred from Edmonton in 2016) and an un-marked Ford Focus estate WR17WRF. I was going to ignore the latter, especially as it had a quite sporty specification, suggesting it was unlikely to be a company vehicle. However, another Focus came in later, in unmarked blue and to the same spec although as a hatchback. This was registered WR17EPA, which made me think these are in fact Arriva vehicles. They may just be hires pending the possible closure of Garston garage in the next few months. Further reports would be welcomed.	18/10/2017
2,767		By Ray Monk Another car park shot, and another triple, from Ray. Seen at Acton Works on 14th October 2017 were Toyota Yaris LK67YDC (fleetnumber not yet known), unmarked Ford Fiesta hatchback LS62FDM and Toyota Prius 8550T. The two Toyota cars had only recently been delivered while the Ford was no doubt on the way out.	18/10/2017
2,768		By Thomas Young There is a bit of irony to this photo. Towards the end of September 2017 I was putting the finishing touches to a new SUP24 booklet for LOTS, listing the current service vehicle fleets. On the 28th I decided it was as complete as I could make it, and I sent off the 'final' draft. I decided I needed a bit of a break from service vehicles so, the next morning, I headed out for a day of doing something else. However, almost the first thing I saw was this Renault Kangoo Maxi van parked on Faraday Avenue in Sidcup. Numbered 8576R, it had been in service for a couple of weeks but had not been seen, and hence was not included in SUP24H. So, the book was out of date even before it had been published. Ho hum....	18/10/2017
2,769		By Ray Monk Deliveries of Ford Fiesta vans and cars continue, with the majority of them proving hard to track down. 8539F was new in July 2017 and carried incorrect registration number LK17TRV for a few days before entering service. On 6th October 2017 the van was found parked in Hayes (Kent).	18/10/2017
2,770		By Ray Monk I don't know how Ray manages to get such clear shots of vehicles in the front car park at Acton, given the double fences and the amount of vegetation growing on them. Plus there are usually lines of cars parked in front. Anyway, on 7th October 2017 Ray found newly delivered Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Crew van 8518VW present, along with an unidentified VW Transporter crew van at the back.	18/10/2017
2,771		By Ray Monk Ray and I had a day out on 9th October 2017, covering some of the locations in North West London. Passing through Ruislip on a 114 bus, I saw an LUL van out of the corner of my eye and we jumped off to investigate. Well, I jumped, Ray limped! The van turned out to be 8474VW, one of the six Volkswagen Caddy Maxi vans new in June 2017. We had thought these were going to be mail vans, replacing the Fiat Doblo vans which went off lease shortly after their arrival. A couple do seem to be used in this role but observations of the others have been scarce.	18/10/2017
2,772		By Ray Monk LUL-liveried minibuses can often be found attending engineering works, perhaps to transport track staff to work locations. On 5th August 2017 there was work on the Piccadilly line at Alperton (note the battery loco on the viaduct in the background) and Ray found three minibuses parked on Atlip Road. From the left they were Volkswagen Transporter 8258VW, similar 8256VW and Ford Transit 7572F. The two VWs were new in December 2016 and are identical apart from the positioning of the logos and labels on the sides and rear. 7572F was new in December 2012 and spent a while at Northumberland Park Depot before moving to Acton Works in 2014. Apart from one Tourneo Custom (7887F), the minibus variants of the new Ford Transit range have not yet appeared in the central fleet.	18/10/2017
2,773		By Ray Monk Ford Transit dropside truck 8073F was new in autumn 2016 but has not been seen very much. It is probably based at Acton Works, which it was leaving when photographed on 2nd October 2017. Note that the crew-cab windows are covered over. The lettering on them is not clear but the lower line appears to read 'Tool storage not permitted'.	18/10/2017
2,774		By Ray Monk The first of several 'triples' from Ray is this one taken at North Greenwich Station on 9th May 2017 featuring three LBSL Volkswagen Caddy Maxi vans. To the fore is 7748VW, one of the first pair acquired in autumn 2013. This pair can be recognised by having roof-racks as well as light-bars, and sister van 7747VW is at the rear here. In between is 7890VW, one of 13 added over the turn of 2014/2015. While most of this batch are based at one of the known bus infrastructure locations, the home of 7890VW is not known.	18/10/2017
2,775		By Ray Monk Regular visitors to this site will know that I often comment on the rarity or elusiveness of particular vehicles, but this one scores highly on both counts. Ford Kuga car 7739F was new in October 2013 and was seen passing through Neasden later that year. There was nothing more until one un-logged sighting at Broadway in late 2015 and it was then seen at Acton Works a year later. We finally managed to get a picture of it when it again came to Acton on 12th October 2017, and indeed it was left in the corner of the car park for the next few days. The car, the only one of its type in the fleet, has Incident Response markings on a white base (the black skirt is not part of the livery). It may have been allocated to the underground car park at the Palestra in Southwark but was never noted there. Following it out of the works was one of the unmarked white Peugeot Partner Tepee cars.	18/10/2017
2,776		By Derek Everson It doesn't seem long since I was reporting the arrival of vehicles numbered in the 7000-7200 range, but most have now served their time and been disposed of, with fewer than a dozen remaining. Two recent departures are Ford Transit vans 7093F and 7192F, seen at British Car Auctions in Blackbushe on 16th August 2017. 7093F on the left is low-roof (similar 7094F was parked nearby) while 7192F on the right is a mid-height crew van. Observations suggest that both had been allocated to Acton Works.	18/10/2017
2,777		By Ray Monk Sovereign Recovery seems to remain the primary contractor for bus repair and recovery in London but I have found it hard to keep up with their ever-changing fleet, especially the vans. What might help is a new fleetnumbering scheme which appears to have started earlier in 2017. Several vans have been noted with numbers in the SV3xx range in a circle near the front wheel, while tow-truck RO14TOR is now H123. Previously unseen Mercedes-Benz Vito van GN66OVY was at Waterloo Bus Stand on 1st September 2017 showing SV328. The numbers seem quite high but I will await further reports before trying to deduce any significance to this.	28/09/2017
2,778		By Derek Everson Metrobus recently took delivery of three new service vehicles, starting a new numbering series at 8101. One was present at Crawley Garage on 29th August 2017 when Derek visited (with permission). EF17YOV is numbered 8103 and is a Ford Transit Custom van with a short-wheelbase and high-roof. It has a basic but neat livery of white with a yellow reflective safety stripe and large company and department lettering. Actually, the fleetnames almost rival those on HV63MDK! Well-trained SV-neds will also have noticed the red Renault Kangoo peeping in on the right. LV61EYF was with Go-Ahead London at Plough Lane until autumn 2016 and may now be with co-owned Metrobus. However, I don't recall seeing it included on the latter company's excellent fleetlists.	28/09/2017
2,779		By Ray Monk Watford Junction is one of those places I sometimes pass through but never really 'visit'. Luckily we have contributors dotted all over and Bob mentioned seeing two new Ford Fiesta cars there in September 2017. Ray was dispatched to investigate and photographed GM66EYF at the station on 7th September 2017. It had an Arriva fleetname in the back window (barely visible in this view) and the number 134 on the fuel filler cap. I wasn't sure at first whether these were Arriva London or Arriva Southern Counties vehicles, but Ray was able to confirm that they are operated from the Hemel Hempstead garage of the latter. Indeed I later saw a fleetlist that showed that the cars are officially numbered CF133 and CF134. A recap of recent changes is probably needed here! Until 2016, Garston garage (near Watford) was operated by Arriva the Shires and ran a mix of red (London) and blue (country) buses. Then the red fleet was transferred to Arriva London control, and Arriva Southern Counties took over the country operation, resulting in the garage technically having two users. This lasted until mid-2017 when the blue buses moved out of Garston and now run from Hemel Hempstead (another former Shires garage now in the Southern Counties empire). The future of Garston garage is looking rather precarious since several of the TfL routes it operates have been re-awarded to other companies.	28/09/2017
2,780		By Derek Everson Derek visited the Crawley garage of Metrobus on 29th August 2017 and found a couple of Brighton & Hove service vehicles among the normal residents. Ford Fiesta van EX15KXZ did however start out with Metrobus, being new in summer 2015 but transferred to Brighton eleven months later. Ford Transit van FY63TBU was parked alongside.	28/09/2017
2,781		By Thomas Young A news item on the Go-Ahead London website recently mentioned that a BYD electric car had been obtained. BYD (which rather unbelievably stands for Build Your Dreams) is a Chinese automotive manufacturer which has developed a specialisation in electrically powered vehicles. Two BYD K9E single-deck electric buses were operated on trial by Go-Ahead London from 2013 onwards and were evidently successful since an order for 51 more was placed. These were delivered in 2016 and took over operation of routes 507 and 521 (previously branded as the Red Arrow routes). The buses were based at the Waterloo garage so I thought that might be a good place to find the car. In July 2017 I noted unmarked silver BYD E6 car FJ64OWO there, but I assumed this was a loan since the website had stated the car was new rather than nearly three years old. However, this car has been seen on several occasions since so must be the one. On 22nd August 2017 it was parked, as usual, just inside the gates. Behind are the electric charging stations, and a line of BYD buses (class code SEe) being topped up. A couple of Commercial Services double-deckers were also present. The only markings on the car are a pair of small, outward pointing chevrons on the rear.	28/09/2017
2,782		By James Mair With quite possibly the largest lettering yet seen on a service vehicle, Vauxhall Vivaro van HV63MDK was seen at Harrow Bus Station in April 2017. This van originally wore a much plainer white livery and was used by Arriva's PSM (Premises Services Maintenance) division. It was transferred to Garston as an engineering support van in about 2016.	28/09/2017
2,783		By Derek Everson Sullivan Buses has a varied portfolio of work, including regular railway replacements, several school bus routes (both of which employ the eclectic fleet of mainly second-hand double-deckers), local routes in Hertfordshire, special services (such as the Staines to Thorpe Park shuttles) and three (soon to be four) all-day TfL bus routes. Engineering support is provided by this Ford Transit van, seen at the South Mimms base on 19th July 2017, which either replaced or supplemented similar BT06JVG recently. The previous owner of this van is not known but it is notable that similarly registered EY12JGV is with Go-Ahead London.	28/09/2017
2,784		By Thomas Young My 'fly-pasts' of Acton's lorry yard on 1st September 2017 were to try and obtain the fleetnumbers on the two recently-delivered Dennison flatbed trailers. I was not particularly successful in this (one was still un-numbered and the other 'may' be T78!) but I did capture these interesting views of one of them. Extendable trailers have been used since the arrival of T52 in 1992, followed by T60, T68 and T74 over the next decade. However, I don't think I have ever seen any of them in extended mode. When I passed Acton in the morning, one of the new Dennison trailers was being checked over and was extended. When I passed the other way about an hour later it was still there but had been retracted. These photos, although of poor quality, do show the significant difference in length. Assuming that this is in fact one of the two Dennison trailers photographed in July, this is the one with the taller headboard. The one with the lower headboard appeared to be numbered T78, so I am going to risk assuming that this one will eventually become T77.	28/09/2017
2,785		By Ray Monk Three minutes after photographing the first 67-reg service vehicle, Ray also bagged the second! WU67AKG is another MAN TGS 26.420 3-axle artic tractor, seen approaching Acton Works on delivery on 4th September 2017. This pair look set to replace some or all of the Mercedes-Benz Actros artics. Also visible in this photo is one of the new Enviro 200 MMC buses now being used by London United on route 70.	28/09/2017
2,786		By Ray Monk With his usual combination of luck, patience and intuition, Ray was able to capture this excellent photo of the first 67-reg service vehicle on 4th September 2017. WU67AKF is a MAN TGS 26.420 artic tractor unit, seen about to enter Acton Works for the first time. It was in unmarked white/blue livery but is almost certain to now be in LUL white/blue/red. As can be seen, the middle axle is of the lifting type, deployed only when needed. This is only the third 3-axle artic tractor, after 2551M and specialist 2591.	28/09/2017
2,787		By Damon Cross This newly-acquired vehicle was visible during the recent Acton Museum Depot open day but it was parked at the inaccessible top end of the yard. Fortunately Damon was there the day before (22nd September 2017) and sent in this excellent photo. GX52ZGR is a Fiat Ducato with a curious configuration of bodywork. At first I thought it was a catering truck but it is in fact a motorcycle transporter, the unique feature of which is that the floor in the rear section can be lowered almost to ground level to ease loading and unloading. The LT Museum will not be moving motorbikes around but it was chosen to transport items such as the kid's inflatables, which are rather bulky and heavy when deflated and folded up. Two other notable features are the twin light-bars and the fleetnumber LTM008. We knew about LTM001-003 and LTM004 has now been applied to the Optare Excel exhibition bus R197DDX. I assume that LTM005/6/7 are on the two Citroen Relay exhibition units and Fiat Ducato van LC61FMU, none of which were present that weekend. Also notably absent were the two learning buses, neither of which has been seen for a couple of years. I have since been advised that these are still owned but kept in a yard in Kent, along with at least one of the exhibition units.	28/09/2017
2,788		By Ray Monk Another batch of new Toyota Prius cars for LUL was visible in the Acton Works car park on 23rd September 2017, including LT67LUJ with the highest fleetnumber reported to date (8583T). Also visible are 8551T (on the far left) and Ford Mondeo estate LT63WXS. At least 16 Prius cars have been added in recent months, the first for LUL having been 8433T in March 2017. It is slightly ironic that LUL has now turned to the Prius given that LBSL and TfL Streets have recently replaced virtually all of theirs with smaller Toyota Yaris hybrids.	28/09/2017
2,789		By Damon Cross An open day was held at the Acton Museum Depot recently and, as usual, vintage bus rides were offered, this time using RM1 and newly-restored RML3. Because the rear yard of the depot was given over to entertainment and catering facilities, the buses entered adjoining Hearne House to turn around, albeit not whilst carrying passengers. Contributor Damon Cross was acting as a conductor for the weekend and was able to grab this interesting view on the Saturday (23rd September 2017). Visible are two of the Ford Transit Connect Mk2 vans which this location seems to have a fondness for (8429F on the left and 7931F peeking in from the right). Note the offside cargo door on 8429F. Of more interest is the newly-delivered Toyota Prius car in the centre. Numbered 8567T, this carries LUL livery of white with a blue skirt and red stripe but lacks the normal roundel on the bonnet, and the side lettering is on a removable label. Furthermore the frontal design is markedly different from other recent Prius deliveries, while the rear end has a slightly flatter roofline and a kick-up on the windowline. This reveals that this is in fact a Prius+, the station-wagon variant. All Prius cars are technically hatchbacks but the Prius+ has three rows of seats and is in essence an estate. The original Prius has two rows of seats and looks like a saloon car. It seems likely that 8567T had just replaced un-numbered Ford Mondeo estate LT63WXS, which also carried labels (though on a plain white livery), and which was in the works car park that day.	28/09/2017
2,790		By Ray Monk Ten new Peugeot Partner Tepee cars were allocated to Lillie Bridge Depot in late 2016, 8289P to 8298P replacing similar 7221P to 7230P. The batch is mostly active at night, but Ray found 8298P parked at Rayners Lane Station during an engineering closure on 23rd September 2017. Note the revised frontal design of the Partner model.	28/09/2017
2,791		By Derek Everson Volkswagen Transporter crew van 8280VW was photographed at Acton Works when brand new in January 2017. At the time it was in unmarked white/blue, and it was to be several months before we could confirm that it was given standard LUL livery. On 12th July 2017 Derek found 8280VW parked near to New Addington tram stop. Based on sightings of earlier vehicles here, this van is most likely 'allocated' to distant Hainault Depot.	28/09/2017
2,792		By Thomas Young The south end of the lorry yard at Acton Works is home to most of the Staff Welfare Facility vans, all of which are based on high-roof Ford Transit vans. On 1st September 2017 a line-up of nine vans was parked facing the fence. Nearest the camera are two elderly examples in Tube Lines livery (6519F on the left and 6517F on the right) both of which lack the additional side windows. To their left are five of the six added in 2013, all of which are crew vans (with the extra window) and carry LUL livery, while beyond that were another pair in Tube Lines markings. There are sometimes a couple more vans parked at the back (in front of the trees), but these are usually impossible to identify from passing trains. Stranger in the camp is the mid-height Ford Transit van at the far right. This is 7209F, one of two leased in 2012 and carrying Transport for London markings. These were based at the uniform store in North Acton. Sister 7210F was sold in the summer and it seems likely that 7209F was about to follow suit. What has replaced them is not yet known.	28/09/2017
2,793		By Derek Everson The Emergency Response Unit depot at Camden has two of the new Volvo rescue tenders allocated, including 2612 seen there on 19th July 2017. This is one of five to also have British Transport Police numbers (in this case B884) and it was carrying BTP markings when seen. The front and side panels can be switched to change the livery if needed, since police-liveried vehicles can only be driven by police personnel. Standard ERU liveried tender 2605 is just visible on the left.	28/09/2017
2,794		By Derek Everson The 'new' Emergency Response Unit fleet has been in use for nine months now, although I have somehow managed to avoid seeing any of them. Fortunately many others have, and Derek caught this fine view of 2606 leaving Acton Works on 8th July 2017. No allocation plate is carried but this one is believed to be based here, and it was in standard ERU livery when seen.	28/09/2017
2,795		By Thomas Young A large number of service vehicles can be seen in the lorry yard at Acton Works from trains passing on the District and Piccadilly lines. I have found that the best way to identify them all is to use a camera, setting it to burst mode and with a fast shutter priority. The results are not usually good enough for publication (especially given the fence in the way) but I have included a few today for various reasons. First up is this view featuring Mercedes-Benz Actros 3-axle artic tractor unit 2591. New in 2006 this lorry features a large folding crane behind the cab, specified to enable the unloading of containers of emergency equipment from trailers. Of perhaps more interest is the white lorry alongside. The cab design is that of the Mercedes-Benz Econic, common as a dustcart and sometimes now also as a tipper. However, this appears to be an artic tractor (going by the apparent length and the shadow), which is not a standard option on the Econic range. Registered YN17CXV, the lorry was presumably hired, perhaps for evaluation. Also visible are (from left to right) mini tanker trailer T70, vehicle-carrying trailer T61 and Ford Transit box truck 7749F. 1st September 2017.	28/09/2017
2,796		By Ray Monk Since Dartford garage transferred from Arriva Southern Counties to Arriva London in 2016, its motley fleet of crew ferry vehicles has been slightly updated with a few new Vauxhall Corsa cars. None of the additions have fleetnumbers, and at least one has no company markings at all. FL16SKF, with Arriva logos, was seen at Bexleyheath bus stand on 5th May 2017. Arriva has just won three more bus routes in this area (99, 269 and 401) so they will presumably need more crew ferries when these are taken up in January 2018.	02/08/2017
2,797		By Derek Everson Hounslow Heath bus garage is rather remote and uses a large number of crew ferry vehicles, running most notably to Hatton Cross. I last visited in 2012 and managed to get seven ferries plus the engineering van in one photo. Derek now beats that with this view taken on 21st May 2017 featuring no fewer than nine Ford Fiesta ferries plus the Transit van. A slight problem is that I only have eight Fiestas listed as being allocated here! The nearest example is FF15 (EO12UEN), which was previously at Twickenham. Fourth from the left is FF2 (EO12UEP), transferred to the main Hounslow garage in 2013. More noticeable is the fourth from the right, with a different grille design. This is FF25 (LS15CZZ) which is/was a London Sovereign vehicle based at Edgware. I will await further reports before updating the allocations of these vehicles.	02/08/2017
2,798		By Ray Monk An unusual angle on an unusual livery. Seen at Abellio's Hayes garage on 15th April 2017 was Ford Transit crew van HV07KMY. One of quite a few second-hand, high-roof Transits bought by Abellio in the early 2010s, this one initially worked as a crew ferry vehicle from Twickenham (Fulwell) garage in unmarked white, gaining a fleetnumber (6739) on the nearside by 2014. It moved to Hayes in about 2016 where it was used as an engineering support van and given appropriate lettering, a red/yellow stripe on the sides and rear chevrons. Ironically it also lost its fleetnumber. The van may see other uses too since, when photographed, it had rail replacement bus posters in the side windows.	02/08/2017
2,799		By Ray Monk Six recently delivered Toyota Prius cars in LUL livery were in the car park at Acton Works on 27th July 2017, including 8512T seen here. It remains to be seen where these cars are going to be allocated. This view also provides an interesting comparison of 'smoothness' between the Prius design, the Peugeot Partner (with wrongly numbered 7833R at the rear) and the Renault Kangoo (unmarked 7343R in the middle).	02/08/2017
2,800		By Ray Monk Although a large quantity of Volkswagen Caddy Maxi crew vans have been leased in recent months, the fleetnumbers are spread widely over the 82xx and 83xx ranges. We don't know of any in the 84xxs yet but 8504VW was found at Acton Works on 27th July 2017. It was parked next to consecutively numbered 8505F, a Ford Transit Custom van. The red van partially visible in the background is one of 6985F or 6986F, the two Ford Transits with Ashwoods hybrid conversions that were used by LBSL.	02/08/2017

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