Worcester Park Running Day 2008

The 1948 show

As is well shown by Alan Cross's photos, 1948 was a year of amazing diversity in the buses working in London. Pre-war buses, many now in poor condition, carried on beside the few built in war-time and the first of the post-war fleet that was to sweep them away in a few years. We were privileged to be able to show so many buses from this period.

Side-engined Q83, dating from 1935, ran on route 200, which was Q-operated from 1936 to 1952.

Photo © Dave Heath

Cobham's 1934 STL441 passes through Malden on the 32.

Photo © Bob Lear

The utility Daimler as one of the special batch of low-bridge buses delivered to Merton for the 127 in 1944-5.

Photo © Derek Jones

Some of the oldest buses in the fleet in 1948 were the 1929 early T-types, kept in operation because of weight restrictions elsewhere on the network. T31 worked the 213 after the war (see photo), and was back 59 years later.

STL2377 recreated circular route 156, and here heads out of North Cheam towards The Woodstock.

Along with a number of buses on the 93, RT113 ran out from Epsom Coaches in Ewell.

RT190 makes it into the 1948 show as one of the first batch of post-war RTs, delivered in 1948 to work in north-east London. The type did not work in our area until a year or so later.