Buses planned for operation include RT113, RT190, RT1702, RT2043, RT2794, RT3148, RT3491, RT3871

 

 

Designed before the second world war, the first RT was delivered in 1939, and another 150 followed before the war put a stop to production.  These war-time buses, often referred to as 'pre-war RTs' but properly 2RT2s, were initially allocated to Putney Bridge and Putney Garages, and became regular performers on the 93 alongside Merton and Sutton's STLs and Daimlers.  We are pleased to be able to operate one example on the 93 on 10 August 2008.

 

Deliveries of the RT family (which included the Leyland RTL and RTW classes) continued until 1954, when, numbering nearly 7,000, they comprised the largest standardised bus fleet in the world.  Like the single-deck RF, they were operated in red, green and Green Line liveries.  For a brief period before the appearance of the first Routemasters, the RT family provided the entire double-deck service fleet, although reducing demand after the orders were placed meant that the last members of the class did not enter service until the first had been withdrawn. 

 

When new, there were several cases when green buses were delivered to Central garages for a short period until their own buses arrived; one of the garages involved was Sutton.  We will recreate this early feature of RT life by running a green RT on some Sutton routes.

 

After trolleybus conversion was completed, and particularly after the introduction of double-deck one-man operation, RTs were withdrawn in droves, although their reliability meant that examples continued to appear in the most unlikely places almost to the end.  The last RT route was Barking's 62 and the last bus in service was RT624 on 7 April 1979.

 

Having served London for 40 years, for many, the RT represents the London bus.  Its successor, the Routemaster has beaten even this.