Monday 4th September 1982 saw the introduction of new schedules right across the entire bus operating realm of LT. There wasn`t a garage unaffected. Hundreds of vehicles changed location and around two hundred RM`s were removed from weekday schedules - the first mass withdrawals of the type. Many were in service one day and withdrawn the next. Fully intact vehicles deemed surplus to requirements. The original criteria was to remove `minority` types picking out Leyland engines and Simms electrical equipment as a starting point. Annoying to see good vehicles going for scrap. Many RM`s were gathered at various places for initial storage before around one hundred were moved to Aldenham Works to be cut up on site by a private contractor as a task ongoing well into the Spring of 1983. The work was carried out at the far western end of the site with buses having been gathered over some distance such was the quantity involved.

All of the following pictures were taken by me on 7 February 1983.

RM 1578 heads a long line - which had been even longer prior to this picture being taken.





Bite size pieces?










RM 1416 is really up against the wall




RM 1034




There was a consistent removal of parts to put back into the overhaul system as just about every bus had been similarly treated.

From left to right: RM`s 1408, 1179 and 1374.




So many parts not `required` were dumped. Stuff that thirty six years later would be so useful.......

Hung drawn an Quartered springs to mind seeing some of them photos. As you mentioned plenty of parts on some of them, however there were many still on the road.

My bus number (if any): RM158, RML2460

Talk about facing a firing squad. Can't believe i was 2 back then

Did only Leyland RMs have Simms Electrical equipment? I have heard that there was more problems with electrical equipment on the Leyland RMs.

Not only Leyland engines had Simms electrical equipment, some AEC engined buses also had it.
There were not " problems" with Simms, it just became obsolete.
There was a programme of conversion of some RMs to CAV equipment on overhaul, I'm sure Neil G has mentioned it before.

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

Less than half of the Leyland RM`s had Simms equipment so those that did have it were in a minority.

Or, to put it another way there were many Leylands that didn`t have it and there were far more AEC engine Routemasters than Leylands that had Simms equipment including all of the RMC`s and the majority of the RML`s.

The first big batch of Leyland RM`s which ran up to the start of the RMC class had CAV electrics. The RMC`s and the next big batch of Leyland RM`s that followed on from the RMC`s both had the same type of Simms equipment. The final big Leyland batch were CAV.

The Simms equipment fitted to RML`s was of a different type to the RM`s.

As Brian said, there were some conversions of both RM`s and RML`s from Simms to CAV and these buses had their classification amended to a new sub-class.

Having worked at Mortlake Garage that had many Leyland RM`s with Simms electrics, I was never aware of particular problems and non-availability of buses for service wasn`t a Mortlake trait.