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Re: Destined to be the last London Country RMC

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

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Re: Destined to be the last London Country RMC

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..........

Re: Destined to be the last London Country RMC

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.