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Conductor's area Rexine

Someone mentioned that the rexine used to be applied around the Conductor's area on the platform but was discontinued as the constant soaking by the bus wash rendered it tatty after a while. I have found remnants of rexine behind the advertisement plate above the conductors cubby hole and also behind the triangular bracket with the dome nuts fixing the stair rail to the stairs. The body is a very late 2726 so this practise of fixing rexine to this area was maybe carried out to end of the build, or the staircase could from an earlier body. As a matter of interest would anyone remember how much of the conductor's area was originally fitted with rexine and if it was discontinued at some point before production ended - thanks (Neil G perhaps?)

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Rexine was applied to the conductors area and part of the stair area but was indeed found to wear and get soaked.
The rear inner panel was the first to be painted instead from new. This then followed up to the rear window area.

The conductors area was then painted.

Late RMLs (E and F reg) did not have the rexine at all in this area from new but as staircases panels and fittings are all interchangeable there is a fair chance that this is not the original on in such a late RML.
It could have been replaced from accident repair, probably later at a garage where a staircase would have come from a scrapper. An Aldenham replacement would probably have been a new stock replacement, a swap or a complete repair.

Late RMLs also had off white rather than sung yellow lower deck ceilings and a very few even had trial blue seat moquette which later appeared on Piccadilly line tube trains followed by SM and DMS types in 1969/70/71

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Thanks for that Jack - have just found a second hand replacement conductor's locker door also very neatly rexined. I always understood that all the main production RML's had off white lower ceilings - only the first 24 and the country ones were sung yellow ?

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

All the C reg RMLs were sung yellow on both decks
The first with a white ( actually magnolia) ceiling was RML 2561. August 1966

Most visual changes were mainly during the last batches of RMs The Alloy cant strip with the burgundy herzim strip is only found in the pre production batch of RMLs. The rest including the last batches of RMs have painted flat beading.

All production RML models had the full depth front wings with a full depth front grille creating a full curve at the bottom and the spotlight was lower with no recess. All these RMLs had front number plates mounted to a plate affixed to the radiator , not the grille and a small rubber blade to protect from scalping engineers in the pit. The C registered RCLs were the first to appear with this external mod.

From RML 2356 the exterior band changed from Pastel Grey to Mist Grey ( Slightly Darker) All production RMLs had grey bands when new, only the pre production batch and the Green Country area RMLs had Chiswick Cream Bands.
The change to Grey commenced with RM2210 with RM2128 being the prototype.

RML 2674, 2675 & 2676 had a grey and white interior with Blue moquette and remained like that past their first overhauls.

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Thanks Mark I always thought the different coloured ceilings looked a bit strange, though I can see the obvious reasoning behind it. To me the sung yellow ceiling and chiswick cream band is far more welcoming and pleasing to the eye, even if historically incorrect.

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Jack Norie

It could have been replaced from accident repair, probably later at a garage where a staircase would have come from a scrapper. An Aldenham replacement would probably have been a new stock replacement, a swap or a complete repair.

I used to do staircases lower and upper as an apprentice, they went out to the garages without any rexine. However, lower saloon rear frames which I also did with dear old Jack Jones did have rexine on the finishing shrouds on all backs sent to garages. When this stopped I don't know, but we were stripping rexine off the rear frame and staircase panels in the early 70s.
on the upper staircase assembly, the advert panel would not necessarily have been removed on a repair, and could have had rexine behind it from new, that doesn't explain handrail fixing bracket though. Perhaps it was as Jack says a late post Aldenham replacement from a scrap bus.

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

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

On closer inspection the conductor's locker door on the bus also has remnants of rexine under the paint, but I suppose this could have come from anywhere as a replacement in the past. Thanks

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Quite a coincidence that this subject should arise on a day when I`ve been working on the areas under discussion on RM 1563. The following pictures were taken this afternoon.

As someone who used to be a conductor on RML`s in original condition pre first overhaul, I wish I could remember more in detail. I can`t honestly say what the situation was regarding rexine around the conductors area and the rear frame was but I assume that rexine was there as it was on RM`s. It would have been early to mid 1970`s when rexine began to be removed if the condition of it justified this on overhaul. But it was a random process and many RM`s simply had it over-painted right through to the 1980`s. RM 1563 being such an example.









So, rexine is under the advert panel and all the way down the inner part of the upper staircase which is why Graham has found traces of it under the triangular bracket.




On the rear wall, rexine was on the inside of the curved panel but it often seemed to be the case that the adhesive failed causing the rexine to lift into a big blister but secure because of the strapping around the edges. It was this area that was always removed on overhaul from the mid 1970`s. I don`t recall ever seeing an RM with this curved panel still covered in rexine into the 1980`s. The surrounds to the back window were variable. On some buses it was removed and gloss paint applied and on other buses if it wasn`t damaged it stayed but was over-painted in gloss rather than leathercloth paint. The outer (road) edge fared worse for water damage - either rain or bus wash and was often removed. But not always. In some ways I wish it had been on 1563 given the state of it.



I think that the general policy on overhaul was often to assess any given situation and act on the findings. There isn`t a clear pattern of `remove it or paint it` as too many buses made it into the 1980`s with either scenario. I can clearly remember the total removal of rexine in the two examples mentioned, but on other parts of the bus it was quite random.


The used ticket box obviously wasn`t rexine covered and neither was the area of the fleet number but the section to the staircase side of the ticket box was the other example of rexine removal as it frequently came away at the lower edge and looked like a concertina effect.



The three RML`s with the blue/grey interior were 2674/5/6 from new. On their first overhaul they kept this style - and even had similar bonnet numbers after body swap: 2676, 2678 and 2679. RML 2678 came to Tottenham. I worked on it often and it certainly looked very different. But what happened to these three RML`s on next overhaul? Did they keep blue and grey?

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Interesting to see these pics. when I done RMC1462 back in the early 1990's this had rexine all round the staircase area, but not the condutor's area.

Your staircase also answers another question that was asked on here a while ago, that of stair noseings. Metal edges just as a lot of people said.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Re: Conductor's area Rexine

Yes very interesting pics Neil - thanks - removing the Park Royal badge to sort out some corrosion didn't reveal any rexine, but creates the problem of finding some very shallow pop rivets to replace the original solid ones so that they don't protrude through the panel into the stairs and catch on passengers ankles !
I may cut down some brass set screws and burr the cut ends over to try and retain the badge, which would be much neater if successful.

My bus number (if any): RML2747