Here are some pictures that I took at Swanley Garage on Feb 2 1980. Just four weeks later RMC 1512 became the last of the class to operate in service for London Country.



How different it looks compared to pre-NBC days as a Green Line vehicle subjected to a probably much more thorough LT maintenance system. No doubt the certainty of its imminent demise ensured that only a basic form of care kept it going for a little longer........

Surprising that it has the original nearside mirror. I wonder what would be thought now of a Routemaster being used in service with a `loose` fire extinguisher against the windscreen. The top rad cover is hanging open, the `triangle badge` holder is hanging off, the rear most lower deck drop light has dropped and I doubt that the condition of the front registration plate would be deemed acceptable. I suppose the roof dome is pretty much standard for a country area Routemaster of that era.



Just after I took the front nearside view, the bus set off towards the main part of Swanley and thus a look at the rear and offside reveals lots of dents and small areas of damage.

RMC 1512 spent many years at Hatfield Garage - and as such was often my bus to school - so it seems strange that it still has an advert for a traditional Hertfordshire brewery McMullins (that I don`t think had a presence south of the Thames) long after being allocated to Swanley. Maybe the advertising contract was still current if a little pointless so far from the catchment area or is it another example of the sloppy standards whereby nobody could be bothered to remove it?

All in all, a far cry from when Green Line RMC`s really looked superb but I guess that if it was still capable of doing a day`s work in 1980 at a time of dire vehicle shortage, the cosmetic appearance probably wasn`t a consideration.

A quick google search reveals a McMullens pub at The Bullfinch, London Road, Riverhead, so fairly near Swanley. :)

My bus number (if any): RML2532

And that same search also reveals that the pub in question only became a McMullen`s site nearly thirty years after the picture of RMC 1512 was taken and my text was relevant to the bus at that time..........

That brings back memories! RMC 1512 was the very first Routemaster I drove. At the Chiswick Works Open day. It was Red by then, I had been waiting for a Green One to roll up!

What a great event that was. Being able to drive a bus, quite a few under driving licence age having a go and all under the very professional capabilities of the instructors.

The next time was in the RM that was the Westlink Trainer.

I think their instructor was called Vic. Took me from Hounslow to Chiswick via the Works and the skid pan - which was just about still open. I did fairly well and only happened to be driving the bus because my colleague (who had only recently passed his driving test) lost his bottle in the London Road outside what was the Trolleybus depot. We had only gone a half mile!
So Vic tested me a bit more and took me left into Turnham Green Terrace. Terrifying! A Metrobus on the E3 came the other way and I ran on too far. Not by much, but enough to create a problem. Big lesson No 1. Read the road well ahead. In came the mirror and the indicator ear and it took a few mins of inching past.
Vic was not too happy with the E3 driver as he could clearly see it was a trainer on a well used circuit and also ran on.

That done, Up to Acton, Round Shepherds Bush and back was interesting but great. About 2 hours with a superb instructor and learned an awful lot. Even though I've only driven an RM on occasion ever since, I can hear his calm coaching every time.