I have purchased a new bell cord from Squrill Preservation recently.

I have heard some discussion in the past about these being burgandy in colour rather then the supplied white colour. Simon has also heard something along these lines and has heard of people dying them.

No idea if this is a one off or an age or build date thing?

Is anyone able to shed any light?

My bus number (if any): RML2344

Tom - Routemaster: vol. 1: 1954-1969 by Ken Blacker has a few black & white pictures of early and newly built RM/RML's and the bell cord is always very dark (or black) against the ceiling shade, so it's fair to assume they are burgundy. I have fitted/removed/seen/thrown-away many original bell cords but ive only ever seen one non burgundy example and that was almost yellow in colour.

What you need is 1 pack of "Burlesque Red" fabric dye from "Dylon", it works perfectly, I found it in a branch of Dunelm Mill.

I coiled the cord into a standard size bucket and soaked it for about five hours. Follow the instructions and stir/agitate every 15-20 mins (with gloves on), suspend the cord to air dry (don't forget the salt - it makes the colour fast). You can dye two cords but leave the second one over night.

Bell cords were originally burgundy and the change to yellow was phased in from the mid 1970`s. At present I`ve only digitalised a few of my slides but having looked at - and zoomed in on - a couple that show interiors I have
found an RM (that was approaching its next overhaul) with a yellow cord taken in 1979 and an RML taken in 1980 with a burgundy cord. The RML was also several years out from an overhaul and approaching its next one.


In early 1981 at Mortlake when RM 1563 had some 1960`s features restored, we dyed the bell cord back to burgundy having obtained the dye from a shop in East Sheen. We immersed the cord in a bucket of dye and hoped for the best one Sunday when the bus wasn`t needed for service. But it turned out ok and it`s still ok all these years later.

That's excellent. Thank you both for those replies.

How easy is the bell cord to remove at the front of the bus? Is it accessed through the illuminated advert panel or from the canopy access panel?

My bus number (if any): RML2344

Hi Tom

Access is via the canopy panel. When you put the cord back don`t over-stretch it, leave just a little bit of slack in it otherwise the bell will sound when the bus is in motion with any bump in the road setting it off!

The bell cord on my GS has shrunk over the years, quite how a steel cord can shrink I can't answer, unless of course the bus has expanded over the years. It's shrunk to such an extent that even with the cord tight it isn't long enough to fit in the bus, and as others have said, with the cord tight the bell rings at every bump!

My bus number (if any): RML2532

It's not the steel that shrinks it's the thread. It's so strong that it has the capability of compressing the wire to effectively appear shrink it. I teems implausible but it is one of those strange parts of metallurgy that does not seem to make sense.

Don't forget that a bus body can expand and contract too in differing climatic scenarios.

So If you fit the cord in winter on a particularly cold or cold damp day, and tension it. By summer it could be over tensioned. And vice versa and in winter it could be too slack.

One old hand at Hanwell reckoned he knew which buses were overhauled in winter and summer by the sag in the bell cords and the gloss of the paintwork. He was tested once by the gaffer and he was right on most counts!

The cord on 1563 is barely long enough to feed into, and be gripped by, the clamp at the platform end. As if shrinkage has taken place. Which could be the explanation behind something I had happen as a conductor.

Collecting fares on a 76 as we travelled along Southgate Road between Hoxton and Dalston, my driver did what was tantamount to an emergency stop as a car pulled out in front of us. From the lower deck came a scream and a thud of the sort of proportions that triggers the thought `ambulance needed`. As I ran down the stairs to the lower deck a lot of hysterical laughing began from several people who were stood up blocking my view to the front and staring at something on the floor. Which turned out to be a little old lady. Dress up over her head, parachute material type knickers on display and unable to move for laughing. Wanting to get off at the next stop she had stood up and stretched to ring the bell just as my driver braked. I suppose instinct told her to hang on to the bell cord which came away from the clamp and the first two ringlets to be draped over the front seats - and her! It could have been so much worse. Lucky not to have split her head open on the flywheel hump. What a different world in the mid 1970`s. No camera phones for evidential pictures, no personal injury claims. Just a `dust down` and get on with the day. I didn`t even get the name and address of the lady which really I should have as she insisted she was ok and thought it was good for a laugh, We managed to put the cord back in the clamp using a pre-decimal old sixpenny bit which were still legal tender then and was old and worn enough to just turn the screws.

Some top replys and advice in this topic.

Thank you very much all.

I shall report back as I progress.

Kind regards,
Tom.

My bus number (if any): RML2344

Hi all,

I have had some good fun doing this. I haven't dyed anything before so this was an interesting learning curve. Removing the old cord was a simple task and the opportunity was taken to remove the ceiling fixings and give them a polish while I was at it.

Left the cord to dye for about 5 hours and this seemed to be about the right length of time.

I sleeved the cord through the celling fittings before fitting it with some 8mm brass tube which was crimped on.

An easy and enjoyable job to do if any one fancy doing it.

Next job is to sort out that front illuminated advert panel!

My bus number (if any): RML2344