Old the Routemaster may well be and indeed solid too,but the this solidity
is belied by an Unladen Weight of 7tons 14Cwt for a 72 Seat RML type.
This makes the Routemaster a featherweight compared with modern Volvo or
Dennis chassied vehicles which come in at around 11 Tonnes ULW.
Much of the Routemaster Design philosophy was a direct spin-off from the 2nd
world War aeronautical industry and this led to its design having immense
strength whilst remaining relatively light.
There was a degree of scepticism within the Bus Industry regarding the
Marshall Refurb programme as it was felt that once the vehicles were
stripped down all sorts of hidden structural defects would manifest
themselves.
Engineers were somewhat surprised to find that most of the candidates for
refurbishment were in amazingly good structural condition requiring little
if any major structural work.
The other interesting aspect of the Marshall programme was the ability of
the Routemaster to accept a Bang-Up-to-Date Cummins Isbe Engine which fully
complied with the stringent Euro 2 emissions regulations.
This engine when coupled to the electronically controlled Allison gearbox
and retarder allows for a smooth and extremely economical vehicle capable of
returning Fuel Consumption figures which tend to make modern Bus Designers
somewhat queasy.
Part of TfL`s original spin focused on the down-at-heel appearance of many
of the Routemaster fleet,convienently ignoring that this was a direct result
of a downgrading of maintenance programmes within several operating
companies.
The standard of the Refurbished Routemaster vehicles bears comparison with
any modern vehicle in London service and indeed some operators are quite
well known for their LACK of maintenance resulting in even the second-hand
dealers refusing to handle vehicles coming from their fleets.
The issue of Disability Access remains one of the oddest to quantify and
even now the debate over just how "Accessible" a SuperLowFloor design
really is continues each day out on the streets.
On a recent trip to London I listened to a conversation between two
"Grannies" who bemoaned to each other the loss of the "Old" Bus on their
route.
They each agreed upon the preference for the "Long Seats" at the back of the
Routemaster and most interestingly they each remarked upon how difficult it
was FOR THEM to get to a seat on a new SLF bus because "They`re always
crowded full with Push-Chairs and Prams"
Listening to the two I wondered if anybody from TfL had ever asked them for
their opinion but sadly I didnt interrupt their conversation.
To me it still appears that the Issue of disability remains one where much
lip-service is paid yet little real understanding of what the term really
means exists.