Any of you who have an early RML, RMLs 880 to 903 may be interested to know how these buses were adapted to the extra length. Rather than set up a new production line for just 25 vehicles these buses were actually built by Park Royal as standard RMs and then taken off the production line to be taken apart at the centre and the extra bay added accommodating just one seat frame on each side of each deck to give the additional 8 seats. No stanchions were added to these seats.

It is not recorded if these buses were finished as RMs, i.e. riveted/bolted/panelled etc, but judging by the time it took for the modification to be completed, it can be assumed to be the case. The first RML was started in July 1961 and the 25th finished in January 1962, during which period over 200 standard RMs were completed and handed over to LT for service. This information can be found in the excellent London Buses in the 1960s by the now late Ken Glazier.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 and an RMC

Didn't know that! Seems an odd way to do things. They presumably did the modification before the final paint job. I wonder what they did about the wiring and brake lines. Good to see you have confirmed ownership of an RMC. Congratulations on the acquisition. Hope to hear more about it as progress continues.

My bus number (if any): RM471 & RM2213

Well not only the wiring and brake lines, the carden shafts and exhaust pipe as well. I guess, though I am not certain that they would have done temporary installations and fixings, but the description I read suggested that the buses were finished as normal, but not painted before being taken apart for the extra bay to bne installed. It is possible that for the first batch only they had 2ft 6" extensions of everything which is in effect what happened to all the body parts. I don't know if the RMs were built in the same way as the RT, I never went there whilst the RMs were being built but if they did that meant the top deck and lower deck were assembled separately and then joined, so the RMs would have been properly finished before being taken apart, the second batch was built with the small bay included on the production line.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 and an RMC