Лондонские двухэтажные автобусы RT массово экспортировались в Южную Африку и на Карибы

The RT was the great, red London double decker of the 1940s through to the 1960s, but during that period buses and bus usage changed dramatically. London Transport, nationalised in 1948, had nearly 7,000 RTs on its books, but as the motor car became popular, passenger numbers began falling. A bus strike in 1958 highlighted how London Transport (LT) had many more buses than it needed, and then in the early 1960s, the new, more efficient Routemaster bus was brought in to replace the capital’s trolleybuses. So from 1956, LT sold off its RTs (RT just seems to be LT’s classification for double deckers. There is a suggestion that the initials stand for “Regent Type” as from 1929, the Associated Equipment Company provided a “Regent” chassis for the double decker bodywork to be built on but, as far as Memories can see, there is no definitive explanation for the initials). “Many went to South Africa for the Cape Electric Tramways, and whole shiploads went to Ceylon, being exported via Middlesbrough docks,” says Richard Barber. “And if you are a fan of James Bond, Roger Moore manages to slice the top of one that had been exported to the Caribbean island where Live and Let Die was filmed.” He’s right, of course: it was a 1947 AEC Regent III RT that was painted blue and taken to Jamaica where, in late 1972, its upper deck was cut-off and placed on ball bearings so that when Bond goes under the low bridge, it peels dramatically off. As well as South Africa and Sri Lanka, surplus RTs ended up in south Durham, bought cheaply by the many independent operators. Recent Memories have told how the four companies – OK, Lockeys, Blue Belle and Stephensons – which operated the route between Bishop Auckland and Evenwood had 13 RTs between them. So many that, because of the buses, this corner of south Durham was known as “little London”. Richard has kindly sent in some pictures from his amazing collection of former London RTs operating on our local roads. “I had a ride on many of the RTs belonging to Great North of England buses, based at Haughton Road in Darlington, on school trips and outings in the 1960s and 1970s,” he says. READ MORE BUS ARTICLES: MEMORIES OF OK BUSES OF EVENWOOD BLUE BELLE AND LOCKEY'S BUSES OF SOUTH DURHAM THE EDEN BUS COMPANY AND SPENNYMOOR'S LOST BRIDGE DELVING into his picture collection for us, John Askwith notes that in the 1950s on the “little London” route, “OK ran on the hour from Bishop Auckland to Evenwood from the stand in Chester Street, Lockey's ran quarter past the hour, Anderson's (or Blue Belle) ran half past the hour and Stephenson's ran quarter to the hour”. LOCKEY’S: Founded in St Helen’s Auckland by former miner Fred Lockey in 1927. Buses ran in black and cream livery. Sold to OK in 1983, but two Lockey’s buses were seen running around Valetta in Malta as recently as 2002. The “St Helen’s Garage” written on the side of the Maltese buses had been changed to “St Helena’s Garage”. BLUE BELLE: Founded on December 24, 1926, by Thomas and Harry Anderson of Swan Street, Evenwood, Blue Belle buses ran in light blue and white and were garaged in Chester Street, Bishop Auckland. Taken over by OK in 1959 – on the last shift on New Year's Eve, conductress Madge Truman took a record £15, 10s and 10d. STEPHENSONS: Another from the 1920s, founded by the Stephenson brothers of High Etherley. They ran in a mid blue and white livery until they were taken over by OK in 1970. OK: Formed by Wade Emmerson in Evenwood in 1912 and they became the dominant force in south Durham, taking over many other independent companies until they, too, were gobbled up, by Go Ahead in 1995. MEMORIES 796 featured a picture belonging to Alan Orchard showing an Eden bus, YPT341, bound for West Auckland – but where was the picture taken? Loads of people knew – and there was just about unanimity among them about the location . Neil Davis, Christine Ludbrook and Sue Craddock were among those who got in touch and pointed us in the direction of Spennymoor Town Hall. “I think the location of the bus is James Street, beside the Town Hall,” agreed Ian Hall. “The bus would have been leaving the long gone bus station.” Chris Walton said: “Spennymoor bus station was located behind the Town Hall. The buses entered where Farmfoods now stands (on the east side of the Town Hall in Church Street) and exited at the other side of the town (into James Street on the west side). These roads are now blocked off. “Behind the bus is where Lidl is now, and the gas works used to be near there.” Spennymoor bus station opened in 1965 and was a response to changing transport patterns. The town’s railway station had effectively closed to passengers in 1939 although it didn’t shut completely until 1966 so increasingly mobile people had to use buses. Stops were sprinkled along the High Street until the bus station was created as part of the town centre redevelopment that also created the Parkwood shopping precinct. The bus era also passed. Since 1990, a car park has occupied where the bus stands once stood behind the Town Hall. “THE article about the buses brought back memories of going to visit family in Orton in Cumbria,” says Ann Lake in Ferryhill. “In the 1960s, before we had a car, we would go on the United, possibly service no 46 from Ferryhill to Darlington, the GNE from Darlington to Appleby, then the Ribble service from there to Orton. “The road to Orton was the first time I had been over a cattle grid and I thought the bottom of the bus was dropping off!” - Can you tell us any more? All bus malarkey welcome. Please email [email protected]