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Antenna domes

Colleagues,

Something that puzzled me from the start was that RM1825 had three antenna domes.
One is located in the front, the other two in rear section of the roof.
c.f. pic link:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNzoZQq0UAaPFaTrDuis8uuEyUvVDZEn0zFrSyhC3sMJ0msL2rU6CFHllmJmybuxA?key=RzBxZjRTS3VVS2h1bkhXWTlGUmNSOGNWNXNaaWRR

The middle dome is made out of steel an looks quite shabby. I plan to remove it and will only keep the front and rear one, both are made out of plastic.

Can anyone advise what the middle dome was used for and why it’s not made out of aluminium or plastic ? I have never seen an RM with three antenna domes.

I would also be interested to learn more about the radio equipment that was used on RM’s.
RM1825 has the “two way radio sticker” fitted, but have not yet found the transceiver equipment… Was the radio operated by the driver or the conductor, where was it located ?

Cheers

Marc

My bus number (if any): 1825

Re: Antenna domes

Hello Marc

It`s possible to understand some of the history of an RM body by the number of radio domes it has.

When radio was first fitted to RM`s on a limited basis in the 1960`s, it was done for a selected number of busy central London routes and involved two `domes` - one at the front and one at the rear of the roof.

In the 1970`s the first trials of CARLA (computerised and radio location aid) control took place on route 11 which was worked from Dalston and Riverside garages. The buses fitted with this had a third dome. There must be a reason why the extra dome was made of a different material for this advanced system. Therefore your bus once worked from either of these garages although it would have had a different fleet number such is the complexity of the overhaul system that permitted this.

Prior to around 1976, there were several different types of radio in use - and all were still relevant to central London routes. When a standardised system was eventually ready that gave coverage for the entire operating area that extended to the suburbs, it was rolled out garage by garage over several years. Some garages were still not on radio into the early 1980`s. This fleetwide system replaced all those that existed previously and involved just one dome at the front.

So, a bus with two domes was at the forefront of radio implementation, a bus with three domes likewise - but used on Route 11 - and a bus with one dome represents the later era of radio standardisation.




In the middle of the picture is an RM with three domes. All of the other buses have one dome - except that in the bottom right corner, part of an RM rear roof is just visible with a dome. It could be a two or three dome example.




The RM to the right of the picture has two domes and all the other buses just have one.

The radio was located in the cab for the driver to use, never available to the conductor.

Have a look behind the offside wheel arch seat. It probably won`t be as clean as the example here but you may find evidence of wiring and/or a frame where radio equipment once was. In this two dome bus, notice also the cable conduit running along the side wall to arrive in the cab.



All radio equipment was removed from a bus on withdrawal to be installed in another bus.

Hope this helps!

Re: Antenna domes

Thank you, Neil, for your detailed reply and for the pictures. I have removed the middle dome which, on my bus, is not original. Maybe the original got damaged at some point and somebody decided to replace it. The bus with three domes in your picture has a middle dome that looks much different than mine. It's unfortunate that the radio equipment has been removed from the bus, I would have been interested to preserve it as well.

Cheers

Marc

My bus number (if any): 1825

Re: Antenna domes

Hi Marc I’m sure that you know that none of them were original - all addictions - I’ve removed mine (and for other people’s) and plated over the holes - lowers the height and one less thing to get caught on the trees !

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Re: Antenna domes

Marc

If you want to share progress pictures of 1825`s restoration, I will gladly put them on here if you email some to me. Many people will find the detail of some of the tasks that you are undertaking to be interesting and a useful record of what`s involved. In seeking advice on how LT did things, a picture to comment on could be invaluable as some of the people who run this forum have much experience in RM mechanical and body issues and other contributors have LT operating experience with RM`s or of post LT days as RM owners.

Re: Antenna domes

Colleagues,

As Neil had suggested that some of the radio equipment was located behind the rear benches, I did have a look.
I found an electronic control box that must have been part of the radio equipment, it’s not the transceiver itself though.
Seems that the radio equipment was made by a company called Storno.
After some investigation I found the following interesting link about Storno.

http://www.storno.co.uk/legacy.htm

On this page, TFL is mentioned and there is a picture of a “late” Routemaster where you can see the radio equipment in the cab.

Cheers

Marc

My bus number (if any): 1825

Re: Antenna domes

Here is a picture that Marc has sent to me having found radio equipment still in RM 1825 after all these years. I didn`t expect that! My guess is that if this is the original equipment that was unique to a radio experiment on route 11, it probably had no value when a later fleet wide standardised system was adopted so was just left in situ.



Maybe there is another RM still around that was allocated to either Dalston or Riverside garages in the mid 1970`s and still has the evidence of the CARLA system.........

Re: Antenna domes

It was certainly a Dalston bus as RM 1808 from 1976 onwards (B1745) then as RM 1825 it was at Dalston/Ash Grove. Assuming radio equipment was a garage responsibility, quite a few garages it passed through after last overhaul 1n 1984 left it in situ.

There was a strange occurrence concerning this bus in early 1984.
It was sent to Croydon 17 January 1984 from overhaul then returned to Aldenham 15 February and delicensed.
It was transferred from Aldenham to Elmers End and relicensed 29/2/84 which was recorded on an RSE variation sheet dated 30/2/84 !!

I am assuming this was a non dismount overhaul and Croydon obviously found something they didn't like when operating it and sent it back to Aldenham for rectification.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RM 1585, RML 2667 and several RTs

Re: Antenna domes

i think you'll find all the radio installations were the responsibility of whichever contractor had the contract to supply the radios rather than LT staff.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Re: Antenna domes

Garage electricians did the installation and removals of the cab equipment Roy. They were not on the buses when they went for overhaul.

Radio Technicians may have set them up in the first place, but when they were band 4 as they called it garages did them. The old Storno equipment on this bus was very old and part of the original trials.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RM 1585, RML 2667 and several RTs

Re: Antenna domes

Thanks for the correction there. These days they're all done by contractors!

My bus number (if any): RML2532