As a tribute to the late Big-Chief I-SPY, and in recognition
that Easter is a time for families, we offer a small selection of
vehicles and other things to look out for and earn an
I-SPY score.
LOW-HEIGHT DOUBLE-DECKER
London bought
special buses that
were a foot lower than ordinary double-deckers, so they would fit
under low bridges.
Where was the gangway upstairs on your low-height
double-decker?…………………….......…… Score
50
GREEN LINE
Green Line coaches ran from London to country areas served by
London Transport. I-SPY the Green Line name on the side,
yellow blinds and the pale green stripe.
Which route was your Green Line coach
operating?……………… Score 60
ROUTEMASTER
Routemasters came in two different
sizes, depending on whether they seated 64 or 72 passengers.
I-SPY the difference by the number of windows down the side.
How many windows did your Routemaster have along the
side?……………… Score 30
THE RT TYPE
London Transport had
RT-type buses
built by different companies, AEC and Leyland, but fitted them with
identical bodies.
How could you tell whether your bus was an AEC or a
Leyland?………………………………………………………………… Score
40
RED RF BUS
When they were built,
RF single-deck
buses were operated by a driver and a conductor. Later, they
were converted to be worked by the driver only.
How can you tell whether your RF was operated by one
person or two? …………………………………………… …………………………………………………………… Score
35
BUS STOPS
In London, places where buses stop are marked by signs, called
bus stop flags. These often show the route numbers that stop
at that stop.
What was the largest number of routes that stopped at a
stop you saw?……………Score 15
RED BUS, GREEN BUS
As well as the red buses in central London, London Transport
also ran green buses out in the Country Area. And sometimes
there was a shortage in London and a red bus garage would borrow
some green buses.
What type of green bus did you I-SPY?……………………………Score
50
BUS STATIONS
In town centres outside London and at some busy interchanges
in London, there are bus stations where lots of routes call.
Stratford Bus Station even has toilets.
How many buses were in the bus station you
saw?…………………………Score 25
LOW BRIDGES
Around the Hackney area, there are several low railway bridges
across the road that mean normal buses can't use those
roads..
How low was the lowest bridge you
I-SPYed?………………………………………Score 55
BUSINESSES
The bus routes pass many local businesses, some of which will
have to move out when the Olympic Stadium is built.
I-SPY the most interesting business along the
route …………………………………………… Score 40
A REALLY OLD BUS
Before the RF type, most single-deck buses had a ‘half cab’,
that is there was a bonnet beside the driver.
What was the bonnet number of the really old bus you
saw?…………………… Score 100
Scoring
When your score reaches 350 points, you may award yourself the
rank of Busman Second Class. When you reach 500, you become
Busman First Class. Well done!
Why not send in your answers to receive your
certificate? Just e-mail them with your name and address to
us
here.
