The London Bus on-line

INTRODUCTION and EDITORIAL

GENERAL and INDUSTRY NEWS

GREATER LONDON AREA Route Developments

COUNTRY AREAS Route Developments

VEHICLE NEWS

PUBLICITY, FARES & TICKETING

RAIL REPLACEMENT SERVICES

12

WELCOME!

This is a special on-line edition of “The London Bus” - the magazine of the London Omnibus Traction Society. It is published to show prospective new members the quantity and quality of the information available, and hopefully to allay any doubts that membership of our society really does offer excellent value for money!

The London Bus is published 12 times each year and dispatched to members by First Class post. It is an A5 sized magazine with a glossy full-colour cover, typically containing 40 pages of up to date news, including service changes, vehicle allocations and much more, and 8 full colour photographs.

All other pages on this electronic magazine are taken directly from the September 2009 edition of The London Bus, although some personal details have been removed.

Please use the index on the left to navigate around, and don't forget, if you like what you see, please join us by simply completing the application form and sending it to us.

For further information, please see our main site at www.lots.org.uk.


LOTS

From £22

The London Bus - TLB541 - September 2009

LOTS
THE LONDON BUS
The monthly newsletter of the
London Omnibus Traction Society
website at www.lots.org.uk

------------------------ISSN 0263-3329 --------------------------
LOTS

Managing Editor:  David Stewart.   I finalise the newsletter, deal with the photographs and any general  items  for TLB such as Society Matters, Members’ Appeals & Adverts and promotion of events.

 

Reports from Members can  be made to individual section sub-editors (each section  is  headed  by  their contact  details).  Otherwise, use the general e-mail address  on  <lotsed@tesco.net>  or  an answerphone  on 020-7582-9777. Use these services for TLB reports or messages for Society officers. Please  note  the  closing dates at the foot of page 1, though we can usually include late  items  in  the following two days if layouts allow it. Production will NOT be delayed for items received too late.

The  Editors reserve the right to defer items to achieve page layouts or target dates, or to allow  time for confirmation where appropriate. Every effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but the Editors and the Society cannot accept responsibility for errors of fact subsequently discovered.

TLB  is  compiled by the Editors and published by LOTS for the  information  and  personal use  of the members of LOTS, in return for payment of the membership subscription. It is copyright to  LOTS, and the current issue of TLB is for private circulation to LOTS members only. One mohth after publication, TLB may be sold to non-members at a premium price. Where relevant to their coverage, items may be repeated in fellow publications. Otherwise it is not permissible to copy information  from  TLB or any LOTS publications for any further use or sale, including  via the Internet, without having first received prior permission from the Society via the Managing Editor.

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Membership  and  Subscription  Information:  The LOTS MEM/TLB/LBM rates (now including 2nd class postage) include any twelve consecutive issues of TLB, and/or any four consecutive issues  of  LBM. Subscriptions may commence in any month of the year.  Commencing 1st July 2008 these are:   UK rate - £22 MEM+TLB;  £37 MEM+TLB + LBM;  £20 LBM only.

Overseas rates are £28, £43, £24 respectively, to allow for overseas postage.

Our principal services are centred on the LOTS general office at Unit N305 Westminster Business Square,  1-45 Durham Street,  Vauxhall, London SE11 5JH.  We don’t staff the office as such but we visit regularly to deal with Membership, Postal Sales, TLB/LBM Distribution, Admin., and stock control.  Your first point of contact for membership application, renewals or changes of address, should be sent by post to our Vauxhall address, marking the envelope "Membership". For publication orders or queries over orders, mark the envelope "Postal Sales".   If you encounter problems such as missing or blank pages, or non-arrival of TLB/LBM, mark envelope Distribution.     

We prefer you to access these services by post to Vauxhall, please, although the general e-mail address  at <lotsed@tesco.net> can be used for quick queries or follow-up, and information will be passed on as soon as practicable. However, the tight deadlines for TLB mean that TLB Editors should be addressed direct by post or e-mail (see head of each section) – Do NOT use Vauxhall for TLB items!

 

 

 

Other specialist services:   LBM (London Bus Magazine), TLB Backnumbers,  LOTS  Members  Information Service (your requests for historical info. on London  bus  matters),  LOTS Ombudsman.

 

 

Printed by Ludo Press. This issue was finalised on Monday 7th September and was due for posting on Tuesday 15th Sept.

Closing date for TLB542 is  Friday 2nd October, and due for posting on Tuesday 13th October. 

Later closing dates:  Fridays  06Nov, 04Dec, 08Jan, 05Feb, 05March.

 

Index

Pages 4-5                                   General & Industry News

Pages 6-10               Greater London Area - Route Developments

Pages 11-18            Country Area – Route Developments 

Pages 19-35            Current vehicle news – all operators

Pages 36-37            The ‘Where are they now?’ column - subsequent London vehicle disposals

Pages 38-39            Service Vehicle news   

Page   40                                     London Tramlink news (including vehicles, services and publicity).

Pages 41-47            Publicity News

Pages 47-48            Rail replacements;  Adverts & Appeals.

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LOTS Meetings

Society  Meetings:   At Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1.   Doors  open  from 6pm. sales stand from 6.30pm,  event begins at 7.30 and is finished by 10pm. There is no charge.  Visitors are welcome, especially if you buy something or join us as a new member!

Mondays 21 Sept,  19Oct, 23Nov, 21Dec.  All of these are due to be photographic and narrative presentations.

Next year’s Meetings:  25Jan, 22Feb, 22Mar, 26Apr, 24May, 28June, 20Sep, 18Oct, 22Nov, 20Dec 2010. Note slightly later dates in Jan/April/June.  19July is earmarked as the Summer Bus Rides day.

 

LOTS Autumn Transport Spectacular

at the Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone on

Saturday 21st November 2009, open 10.30am to 3.30pm, entry just £2 for everyone.

Thus  far, over fifty hirers have booked, several with more than one pitch. We do have space for about a dozen more, whether one, two or three tables. If anyone still wants to apply for a stall, the ATS organiser *************** would like to hear from you.  Apply via  e-mail or write to our office address at LOTS, Unit N305 Westminster Business Square, 1-45 Durham Street, Vauxhall, London SE11 5JH, clearly marking your envelope 'ATS Organiser'.  

We have a great range of exhibitors offering books, maps, models, photos and all transport related material.  As the main 'end of season' event in London, it is an excellent opportunity to catch up on all those books and models that you intended to buy this year, not to mention buying someone (or yourself) a Christmas present.  Indeed, often new publications and models are launched at the event.

The Centre is about five minutes walk or a couple of minutes drive eastwards along Masons Avenue from Harrow & Wealdstone main line station (in Zone 5). The station is served by fast London Midland trains between  London Euston, Watford Junction and Milton Keynes every 30mins (12  min  journey  time from  Euston), also by  Overground Euston- Watford local trains every 20mins, the  Bakerloo line  every 10mins and the hourly Southern  East  Croydon-  Clapham  Junction-  Watford- Milton Keynes service.  London Buses 140, 182, 186, 258 and 340 stop outside the Station and in Wealdstone High Street (where there are plenty of places to eat if you wish) plus buses on the Harrow circular H9/H10 routes stop at the Leisure Centre itself.  There is no ‘special event day’ bus service.

Our entrance is round at the back of the Leisure Centre, NOT at the front door but on the east side (i.e. adjacent to the NW corner of the car park). If coming by car, there is a large free car park at the Leisure Centre. It is a short distance east of Wealdstone Town Centre just off Christchurch Avenue, which is about three or four miles from the M1/A1/A41. Access to the Centre is at ground level with no steps, there are plenty of toilets and there is a limited cafeteria within the premises.

Please support this event if you can, to aid your Society. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Coming Events

Note that these events are publicised as a service to the readership, on behalf of organisers; LOTS has neither involvement nor responsibility for any event noted. We usually confine ourselves to events with an expected London bus interest or within easy access from the London area.

 

Saturday 19th September:  Metroline’s Cricklewood Bus Garage, Open Day, open 10am-4pm, admission by programme, proceeds from which will be donated to the British Heart Foundation charity.  Usual vehicle displays and enthusiast stalls – including the LOTS Sales Stand.  Subject to availability, heritage buses will run on four routes with former associations with the garage or the area:    2 to Golders Green Clock Tower,  59 to West Hampstead South End Green, 60 to Colindale Station, and a circular 666 to Willesden Garage.

Sunday 27th September:   EFE Showbus Rally at Duxford Airfield  (LOTS Sales Stand to attend).

Sunday 4th October:   Amersham,  bus running day based at the car park close to Amersham Station.

Sunday 11th October    Canvey Island, annual bus rally at Lapworth Recreation Ground, also Castlepoint Bus Museum open day.

Sunday 18th October:   Isle of Wight Running Day at Newport.   Oxford Bus Museum’s open day, rally and running day.     Ian Allan’s ‘Buses Magazine 60th Anniversary’ Rally at Wroughton Airfield near Swindon.   Some of the Science Museum reserve collection will be available for viewing.

 

Publications

                  Please address your orders to LOTS Postal Sales, Unit N305 Westminster Business  Square, 1-45  Durham Street, Vauxhall, London SE11 5JH.  Make sure that the 'Postal Sales' name  is  included prominently, so we can give the order the best attention.  Please try to enclose proof of membership  (e.g. a  recent  TLB address label) to claim your members post-free prices,  and  do  not  staple cheques! Our sales officers normally despatch orders at least once per week (usually on Fridays), but on some occasions it may take a little longer.  All current titles are on a new Sales List, included with TLB539.  Use this if you wish, or a letter is perfectly acceptable.  Just make sure the ‘Postal Sales’ name is on the envelope.

 


[PHOTOS ARE REPRODUCED IN FULL COLOUR, IN HIGH RESOLUTION ON THE GLOSSY COVER PAGES OF THE ORIGINAL MAGAZINE]

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