Does anyone know where i can get a Triangle Grill badge?

The Routemaster Association shop has the red and green bonnet badges but not the triangle ones, i have seen pictures of them saying either Routemaster and AEC i don't mind which but would prefer metal/enamel over vinyl ones but as a short term fix i will settle for a vinyl one.

Also i'm about 150miles from my bus at the moment. I need to get new front and rear plates, as i can't measure them to confirm sizes can someone tell if i'm right or not. I
have looked on the internet, the walkers manual even the haynes one but no where says how big they are. Am i right in thinking they are the standard (front) 20.5inch x 4.5inch and (rear) 11.6inch x 8.3inch

I look forward to any help/advice

Matt
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My bus number (if any): RMF2771 (also known as RCN701)

The RM number plates are to standard UK dimensions,
However, the rear one is applied by transfers direct to the rear plate recess panel. The whole of the recess panel is painted black so is a little larger the the BS/MoT spec.
The characters though always fit into the specified parameters.

The front plate is a simple rectangle of aluminium with drilled mounting holes and fits into the moulding on the grille or onto a rubber lipped angle plate attached to the radiator for the non enclosed grilles.

Early RMs up to 1963 had larger characters and they then reduced in size to accomodate the introduction of 7 digit registrations ie ALD 964 B

The font is a standard font used widely on Government and state owned fleet vehicles so was found on GPO, Electricity and Gas vehicles as well as army vehicles and fire service vehicles.
The font is NOT Johnston. In fact, to date, neither the MoT or DVLA have a name for this font which has made identifying it rather tricky. There are 3 differing but similar fonts used from the 1950's to 2000.
The main element for example is the 3 and 6 are curled with no straight edges. Unlike the fleet number font which has a flat topped 3 etc being the LT johnston font.

F. Tearn and son were the original supplier to LT of all it's registration plates.

There is, on the other channel a photograph montage of all the right and wrong number plate fonts on various buses and a close look will reveal the differences.
In LT days there was never any variation in fonts on all it's bus registration numbers. Even C registered Metrobuses had black and white number plates with this font used from new

The current heritage fleet operated by Stagecoach all carry the correct font and size digits. But the First heritage vehicles carry pressed aluminium plates and for no apparent reason the silver RM carries modern reflective plates.

I have a set of original transfers ( the modern vinyl ones are much better to use) and will fish them out and remeasure them when I am home next.

My bus number (if any): RMF2771 (also known as RCN701)

I just noticed your bus is a Northern General Routemaster. If this is the one you were referring to then it's different again.

The Northern General vehicles did have pressed alloy number plates on the front and all the vehicles had the plate enclosed in the front grille. They also carried the grille triangle badge from new with the legend 'Routemaster' instead of London Transport.
This badge was also used on the BEA fleet.

I can't say I've seen the rear of an original Northern G RM but am guessing it is the same as the BEA or Standard Routemasters and is the Square plate in which case the Square alloy plate with the earlier larger digits will be the correct one to have.

The font used on the original Northern plate is the squared off font and is quite often available from several classic car number plate specialists. For the RCN series the original larger digits are used, reducing in size for the DUP***B and FPT***C series

This font was used on Riversides RM89 when it was their showbus. And is very similar (if not the same) to the font used on LT trolleybuses

A good B/W picture of this can be found in Ken Blacker's Routemaster Volume 1

Hi Matt ,I have just emailed you over a couple of pics of your bus taken in Aug 2011 ,I hope you like them!

My bus number (if any): none yet!

My bus number (if any): RMF2771 (also known as RCN701)

hi matt i will email you i have the correct stock sizes for all transfers for london transport buses in original varnish fix and in vinyl ,we also keep the vinyl triangle stickers and the plastic triangles to replicate a grille badge if you would like any reassurances we supplied ensignbus for their RT3232 back into greenline livery vinyl transfers and some varnish fix for their cub C4 as well as there other Routemasters

My bus number (if any): rcl2238

hi thanks hopefully you go my reply to your email, if not let me know i'll sent again!

hope everyone had a good christmas

My bus number (if any): RMF2771 (also known as RCN701)

Unfortunately NGT RM's never had pressed aluminium numberplates in service because where all numberplates were made at Bensham we did not have tools to make them.All NGT numberplates were aluminium plates with raised plastic numbers/letters attached.

My bus number (if any): RML2551

Nothing like a conundrum to solve over Christmas!!

I do believe Steve, you may well be right and stand corrected.

Certainly later pictures of NG and NBC Northern show reflective plates and with the plastic 3D letters which were also in aluminium silver finish on B&W plates.

There were for a while alloy plates with smooth metal or plastic characters which had a flat profile and a very slight rounded edge to the character castings.

Looking again at the pictures which hopefully are viewable below, I think these may be the type you refer too although the pictures certainly look like pressed alloy as there are no 3d shadows.

Anyone else got close up images ?

Hello Mark,

Long time no hear or see, Nice to see you contribute to the site.

The Northern General Routemasters are before my time when new and I can't recall seeing on in original condition.

Looking at the pictures they do have a tiny difference in the typeface/font to the LT standard which was identical to the GPO.

Notable is the triangle grille which pre dates the LT version and looks to be thicker. or is that just the image?

But some early non pressed alloy number plates did indeed have flat letters rather than the raised type that became very popular and the pressed alloy which nowadays adorn classic cars.

So over to the North east experts

Happy New year

Jack

Certainly the years I worked for the Northern both at central works and at the depots all of the numberplates were made in house in the fibreglass shop at Bensham and were of the plastic variety.In the late sixties it became policy to fit reflective numberplates to all buses which came in for intermediate repaints and COF dock so by the early seventies white on black numberplates were quite rare.There were,however, a variety of styles of plastic numbers used,the reason for which I could never fathom.On rare occasions two different styles were used on the same no. plate!I know that ex Northern buses have been retrofitted with pressed aluminium plates and have probably carried them for longer than they were ever in service for Northern.
Happy New Year to all

My bus number (if any): RML2551