With the shadow from BL 24 falling across RM 1715, it`s not a great picture and was probably a case of `take it now regardless as it may not be there for long`. Which was often the case with a bus with no future prospects and thus no reason to hang around at the Sales Department.

But this RM did hang around for a long time after I took the picture on Jan 25th 1984 - the day after it arrived on site. Unusually it stayed until taken for scrap some six months later on July 21st but it appears that I never bothered to take another (better) shot of it.

Its downfall was a close encounter with a house in West Norwood whilst working the 172 route out of Camberwell Garage. Something that the Evening Standard awarded front page coverage of with picture!

Another great photo Neil,
What sort of money would RM1715 have been sold for in 1984, I guess that PVS would have collected it?

Rob

My bus number (if any): RM7

I don`t recall what the going rate was for a scrap RM but I know it wasn`t much - just a few hundred pounds. The price to scrap dealers almost certainly fluctuated with changes in scrap value but at times, when the yard was stuffed full of RM`s, the need for a big clear out probably made the price so minimal as to be a big incentive to the scrap dealers in terms of what they could make for salvaged items. By 1984 there was no requirement to bring parts back to London and certainly not Leyland engines.

In looking back through notes I made then, to confirm that PVS took RM 1715, I found something of interest. Prior to 1984, Norths and Booths (who took the MD`s) were the main takers of scrap RM`s. PVS were not active in doing this until July 1984. And that appears to have come about as a result of a tendering exercise in June 1984 when around a dozen of the South Yorkshire yards took a bus each. Some well known names such as Wombwell Diesels and others not so well known. But from July 1984 onwards, PVS took all RM`s. In reality, buses were `shared around` the adjacent scrapyards so irrespective of which firm appeared as the purchaser the bus concerned could end its days in a different yard.

Once PVS got the contract there could be gaps of several weeks between clear outs from the Sales Department and then perhaps they would come in every night (rarely by day) for a week or two taking usually one or two buses at a time on tow. Some big clear outs actually resulted in buses being driven to scrap.

One of the Booths drivers made us laugh with a story that was so improbable.
With a heavily cannibalized MD on suspended tow, he came to a halt by a bus stop in stop start traffic on Hangar Hill. It was late at night and not only did the MD have no lights on, it didn`t have much in the way of glass, doors and seats. But it didn`t stop a confused elderly gent stepping out into the road and boarding by the centre exit. Having found a seat frame that actually had cushions in it, he sat down and couldn`t understand why he was asked to leave! Lucky the tow truck driver saw this event unfold. Where might the chap have finished up? He wouldn`t have much luck in trying to ring the bell when he reached his stop!

The contracts for scrap buses were at a fixed price.
I don't know the RM contract price, only had dealings with the RT and DMS contracts.Scrap RTs were £200 to Wombwell, tyres to be returned to London Transport.
The arrangement prior to 1984 was for dismantling RMs not scrapping and these were separate contracts with Norths and others.

LT was bound by its Standing Order 4 to seek competitive tenders for all significant contracts and that included sales and that is why in 1984 a number of buses were sent to scrappers for their evaluation as had been done with other types like the MBs contract (won by Wombwell Diesels).

PVS won the contract for scrap RMs and the sales condition runner or scrap was determined by Rolling Stock Inspector's inspections, after a major clear out of the Bus Sales team around 1984 this process was monitored a lot better than it had been for the RTs.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458, RM 1585 and loads of RTs