Whilst on holiday in Brazil recently I found, quite by chance, RM 1571.
It`s in the southernmost state of this vast country near the town of Gramado - a place not at all typical of Brazil. Surrounded by Alp like scenery, the area attracted many German and Italian settlers whose influence still dominates in the style of buildings plus restaurants and many other things for tourists. And tourists go to Gramado in such vast numbers for the annual Christmas Festival held from early November to mid January that the resident population of 32,000 is exceeded most weekends for the amazing light shows and decorations around the town. It takes four weeks just to dismantle it all!

Having found 1571, we started asking around (my wife is Brazillian) as to its recent use. Taxi drivers, bus and coach drivers plus tour guides who would all be likely people to have seen it around said it hadn`t been in town and most knew nothing of it although it can be readily seen in a yard alongside a main road. Eventually a taxi ride got us a driver who was a retired policeman. He knew nothing of the bus but said he knew who he could phone to find out. The answer came back that although the bus had been used a few times for sightseeing, the police had an absolute phobia about a right hand drive vehicle with an open platform `on the wrong side` taking to the massively crowded roads and wouldn`t allow it during the Christmas Festival.

So, unless anyone else knows different, it seems that one of the most iconic vehicles for tourist potential is grounded during the optimum time for its use! It looks like somebody really cares about the bus judging by the exterior presentation and the well made and secured cover over the top deck.
It is certainly true that neither trade or tourism arrives in Brazil in right hand drive form. Having traveled around a lot of Brazil I`ve never seen a RHD vehicle. One thing that can be found in the southern state in great numbers is the original style VW beetle. Must be thousands of them!

Hi Neil , thanks for this info, I have a very big place in my heart for this bus ,as it was the first bus I ever conducted in 1994 when my friend Colin owned it , I also conducted it when Timebus used it on the 73/74 routes in Watford C1995/96, It would be wonderfull if this bus came back to the UK,let's hope it does in the near future.

My bus number (if any): none yet!

Hi Jim

You would no doubt recall the bus being repainted around the time you knew it well. It was me that repainted it! So for me it was an even bigger surprise to go 6000 miles and find it by chance!

Hi Neil , I remember painting the relief band of RM1571,2156,2180 & 2198 in timebus's grey , it must of been a big suprise to find RM1571 in Brazil , I would love it if this bus came back to the uk ,if I had the where with all to do so this would be the first bus I would try and get , I'll have to start buying lottery tickets I think!! , just a quick question for you Neil do you plan to rally RM1563 anytime this year ,it would be good to see it again ,the last time I saw it was way back in 1993 when it was kept at Twickenham garage ,it's allways good to catch up with buses I havn't seen in a long time, if you could could get back to me on this one Neil I would be very gratefull

Kind Regards

Jim Gilroy

My bus number (if any): none yet!

I owned 1571 when I was MD running Nostalgiabus. It lost its roof in Southend Lane Catford when being driven by a young driver who had received his H&S training the previous day!! Prior to that, it had the offside partially burnt in 2000 when vandals set fire to RM1183 and KYE905 in our depot.

The offside was repaired and it re-entered service, only to lose the roof later that year.

with the closure of Nostalgiabus in December 2003, it was driven to premises on Romney Marsh, being the last bus to be driven out of our old depot in January 2004. It was reclaimed by the person who re-financed the company and then disappeared on 4th February 2004.

Hi Jim

No plans to rally 1563 in at least the first half of this year. Externally it`s in good condition with a nice shine having been undercover and not used since repaint in November 2002. Internally it`s tired having not been repainted since I did it in early 1985. I`m slowly trying to clean and prepare it for an internal repaint in the Summer (if we get one) and only when it`s done would I feel happy with it being seen. Mechanically it`s in good order - Neil T made sure of that - and it drives as well as it always did. I drove it this afternoon and I try to ensure that it has a run around every three weeks at least.

Hi Jim , if I had the money I would do it in a heart beat and bring back RM1959 from Spain aswell,maybe if I win the lottery!!

My bus number (if any): none yet!

Jim, do you know if that is the same RM1959 (ALD 959B) now in Spain that I worked as a conductor on between October 1986 & July 1987 in the Kelvin Scottish fleet? Reason I'm asking is that there seemed to be TWO RM1959s on the scene as there are currently two RM875s, one with The Red Bus, previously Clydeside Scottish RM666 and the other the bus that previously had the WLT 875 registration.

My bus number (if any): RM967 (Driver & Restoration Consultant), bus is owned by Tom Alan

Hi Graham , like you say Graham there were two 1959's ,the first 1959 was RM984 it gor re-registered in May 1988 and the real 1959 was reregistred to WLT984 ,don't know why , then the real RM1959 was scrapped by PVS in March 1989. the fake RM1959 went to variuos owner's ,I conducted "RM1959" when my friend Colin owned it,it was in a green & cream livery back then.hope this clear's things up,If anyone knows why the two buses swopped registration's could they put a post about it please

Having started this thread with a recent picture of RM 1571, here`s one I took of it on Waterloo Bridge on Dec 8 1982.

Hi Neil , what a wonderfull shot of RM1571 ,keep em coming,I love pics taken of RM's in the 80's remind's me of my childhood ,going to visit me gran in London and going here there and everywhere on Routemasters to Hamley's,Trafalger Square and Crystal palace,happy days indeed