So what is significant about the last few calendar dates in LT history?

If you mean 1st January anniversaries, they are, I believe;

1/1/48 LTPB Became LTE
1/1/63 LTE Became LTB
1/1/70 London Country became part of NBC and I believe LTB became LTE again.

Or are you thinking of different events?

My bus number (if any): M1001 RML2276 T806

More to do with operations rather than establishment.

46 years ago yesterday that the first DMS`s went into service?

Oh well. Establishment always more my thing than operations.

My bus number (if any): M1001 RML2276 T806

Was it really that long ago? I went on the first one on the 220 at about 0150, boarding at Putney Bridge with the Shepherds Bush driver who had already driven it in service from S to College Park to Tooting and back, so was already in service the previous day! Just remembered, Ernie Page was the driver... I stayed with Ernie at S during his break and went to Tooting with him on the "first" journey. We got there before the scheduled "first" DMS on the 95 from BN, much to the surprise of the spotters at Tooting Broadway!

Somewhere I've got a couple of grainy photos taken at S of Ernie standing at the front of the garage with a row of now redundant RMs and a few of the new DMSs behind him.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Try 2633

Can't quite remember the RMs on the 220 although did see new EGP reg DMS at Hammersmith Broadway.
But can remember the RMs being replaced on the 267 by DMS. DMS132, 133 & 134 were regularly travelled on. Such were the eternal waits for a 267 that I wondered if it was operated by just these three! A bit of a gaffe for a busy route that descended into a wholly unreliable route causing many of my school pals to be regularly over an hour late for school.
Quite what happened to the FW conductors when the 267 and other FW routes went driver only but it sure didn't transfer into more frequent buses. Quite the opposite.
But that was a time when LT did not really give a hoot about passengers.

As an oddity some of the 267 drivers actually quite liked the look of the DMS as it reminded them of their trolleybuses which had only been removed a decade previously.. The similarity stopped there. They did not like dealing with fare collection or not having a conductor.

I always wondered why these were replacing more modern Routemasters whilst RTs still ran in abundance on the 65,71,72,105,120,140,187 and 232/A,274 locally. And the RTs hung on for quite a while before the DMS started to dominate.

Being late for school was not helped in Ealing which was plagued by over length MBS buses with an exact fare perspex box and the most miserable and rude drivers imaginable. Going home was even worse!
When DMS finally arrived on the E1 and 2 it was huge improvement. A seat at last & for the first year, the heaters worked really well on them. But that was it. They never worked properly after two winters. Just 5 years and Metrobuses took over.

It's got nothing to do with the DMS either. So we've had 2633 now let's try 2633 and 1376.

RM 1376 at AK gained gold transfers in an attempt to make it into a garage `showbus`. Is this heading in the right direction? The 2633 clue hasn`t triggered any thoughts.......

Hello Neil,

I had noticed that Streatham garage, which was a good stonethrow from where I had lived, put RM 1376 on the road at the beginning of 1982 as a showbus, but that is not the significance of the number. I have to start with very vague clues; they will relate to one another and get more pertinent.

RML2633 was painted in Arriva corporate livery in preservation, and very smart it looks too by the picture I've seen.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Think I might need a third clue (and maybe many more!) as the first two didn`t help! I wonder how many other people are trying to work this one out?

13

First underground line opened today in 1863

My bus number (if any): M1001 RML2276 T806

H2O, as in aitch two OH.

Aldenham Works closed in November 1986?

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

Brian, no sorry.

David, no sorry.

More tomorrow.

Lost me. about 2 entries in!!

David,

You are closer than you realise when you post.

To recap with reference to the original phrasing of the question,we have had 2633 and 1376 13 and H2O

so to finish it up today by 4pm we have what I have said today and

55 and WESCEFGY

following up later today with the giveaways.

1962 and what is different about today?

No trolleybuses since 1962?

My bus number (if any): RM597

Anything to do with 55 Broadway and legal titles?

Sorry No

Look Outside!

One answer is near.

Look outside?

From my office window in the centre of Bournemouth the only unusual thing I can see is a large Herring Gull trying to eat what looks like a discarded sausage roll and I can`t somehow see that being of much relevance to London Transport!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rtw501/23905362021

A read of the comments to the above is worthwhile.

What is significant IN THE LAST FEW CALENDAR DATES? Written on January 3rd

Reference was made to both David Bradley's Trolleybus site for information, and to Mike’s Bus Pages as well which has some excellent photographs of the penultimate Trolleybus withdrawal programme. This programme resulted in the introduction of Routemasters on January 3rd 1962 Both of these sites deserving a good read.

The clues:

2633 and 1376 referred to the route numbers in the following way:

The Trolley bus routes withdrawn were: 648+660+662+666= 2633

The motorbus routes covering those routes on January 3rd were :2+18+245+260+266+292+293=1376

This was stage 13 of the trolleybus withdrawal programme.

The original post was on January 3rd, the 55th anniversary of RMs replacing Trolleybuses on those routes

H2O is water

WESCEFGY is an anagram referring to the codes of the trolleybus depots affected
WG West Green, CE Colindale, FY Finchley, SE Stonebridge

One of the depots produces COLINDAvidaLE (with apologies)

1962 was the year in question

What is different about today? It has been snowing. Snow is H2O as is Fog

On December 31st 1961 there was a severe snowstorm which continued more or less for the next two days, January 1st New Years Day 1962 and January 2nd, The addition of thick fog on the 2nd causing even more severe disruption to the final days of Trolleybus operation which resulted in many services being curtailed. In addition on January 3rd 1962 the day Routemasters were due to take over the service it was found many were unfit because the cooling systems froze up.

http://www.trolleybus.net/

http://www.mikesbuspages.com/londontransport.htm

edit: correct typo

I reckon I would have more chance of winning the lottery than guessing all of that! And I`m not old enough to really remember early 1962!

Think your bit about January 31st might be a typo...

And we don`t do snow in Bournemouth, thanks!

I got Trolleybuses! The rest of it would have outwitted Bletchley Park in its finest hour!

My bus number (if any): RM597

So Neil G would have been remarkably close looking out of his window in Bournemouth about 30-odd years ago.:)

My bus number (if any): RML2532

I need a lie down !

Roy, you need to get out more !! How long did that take to think up?

My bus number (if any): MRMLT 4083

I spelt my own name with 2 L's!

My bus number (if any): MRMLT 4083

I'm still having that lie down...with a cold compress !

Now I know why I didn't get it !!

"WESCEFGY is an anagram referring to the codes of the trolleybus depots affected WG West Green, CE Colindale, FY Finchley, SE Stonebridge"

West Green was a bus garage!! Wood Green was the trolley depot!! If you'd put WESCEFNY we'd have all got it!! :)

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