On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 19:47:28 +0100, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message .com,
" writes
Just a quick word of thanks to all those who made the last day of
Routemasters on the route 38 on Friday such a memorable occasion.

I'll second that. I wasn't working on Friday and wasn't even due to be
in London but I travelled down for the day. The 38 has been a "friend"
of mine for as long as I've worked regularly in London (along with the
9, 11 and 15), although I've never gone out as far as Clapton Pond on it
before.

And thirded. The 38 has also been a friend to me from when I first moved
to London and when it still ran to Leyton as I lived 5 minutes from Lea
Bridge Road. Even when curtailed to Clapton I've used it many a time in
preference to the Tube as I also used to do with the 73.

My abiding memory, apart from a lovely journey on RMF1254 (the first
time I had travelled on this fine bus - complete with Sung yellow
ceilings and red moquette seats!) -
Yes, that was my high point, too. I travelled on it on the 1141 (?)
from Victoria to Hackney Bus Garage and wonderful it was, too.

I managed to grab a ride from Piccadilly to Clapton on RT3062 which was
bursting at the seams for almost the whole trip with enthusiasts, normal
commuters and people out to sample a taste of history [1].

will the the utter astonishment and
disappointment expressed by every single "non enthusiast" to whom I
spoke, that they are losing their Routemasters.
Disappointment yes but astonishment no. I've been surprised by how
"Interested" and "up to date" people are with the RM withdrawal. As
Marc says ordinary people were snapping pictures on their mobiles and
calling friends to tell them. I've never seen anything bus related so
"grab" the attention of ordinary people (or should that be "the man on
the Clapham Omnibus"?!) before. I think it must be similar to the
attention which accompanied the passing of the trams.

I think some people were a bit surprised - certainly one lady who sat
beside me on the RT was initially bemused at it all but I think the
significance sank in when I explained it was a moment in history and
she'd never get a conductor bus back home to Hackney again.

It felt very like the last day of the 73 to me. Plenty of locals took
the opportunity then for a last ride and a photograph and this was
repeated for the 38. A fair proportion of the locals in Hackney wondered
what was going on and asked about it - all of them were not necessarily
surprised but all of them wanted the Routemasters to stay or had fond
memories of them.

The Arriva staff at Clapton were wonderfully patient when I was there in
the morning and they'd taken the very sensible step of establishing a
small cordon which allowed people into the edge of the depot to take
pictures. A nice and sensible touch.

I wonder if we'll get "Last Routemaster Week: on 9 December we say
goodbye to London" posters?

And the best of luck to all the staff (still so freindly and helpful to
the last) from Clapton Garage who will lose their jobs as a result of
this "progress".
There was a very pleasant chap (who normally works at Tottenham)
conducting on a journey I took southbound along Rosebery Avenue.

I took a ride on the 38 to work earlier the week to "sample" it on a
normal day. I've done this for the 19 and 73 as well because they're all
"on the line of route" for my journey to work. The conductor who worked
that journey was around on Friday. As his bus was about to pull off from
Clapton garage one of his colleagues wished him a happy retirement and
gave him a big hug. As the bus left the colleague nearly had tears in
his eyes as he went back to wait for his bus. I found that very touching
and it seemed to bring home the human element of what these changes mean
- a way of working and a set of relationships will never be the same
again.

But staff at Victoria Bus Station were becoming *very* exasperated with
the number of photographers in the morning. Not many seemed to be
doing anything wrong like spilling into the roadway (not that I saw
anyway). Another chap and I took a couple of photographs from one of the
raised islands facing the entrance to the bus station. As I left,
three TfL (?) staff asked him to move and - when he questioned why -
gave him a bit of verbal about health & safety. I wouldn't say he was
doing anything wrong but just the sheer numbers of photographers around
seemed to be worrying them.

This is a difficult issue really. Some enthusiasts forget themselves
completely and act in a silly manner. While I understand how their
interest or desire to get a picture can "take over" it won't be much use
if they are dead or on the way to hospital. The transport system isn't a
museum or an entertainment show - it still has to get people from a to b
even on a day like Friday. Therefore someone has to try to ensure safety
and to keep the buses on the move. On the other hand some TfL inspectors
are appalling and heavy handed. I "did" Victoria very briefly on
Thursday and stayed away on Friday as I'd seen what happened on the last
days of the 36 when things started to get a bit silly.

I also saw a police car turn up at Clapton garage late afternoon as I
went past in the RT. I hope that was not a result of anything to do with
the "event".

I did contemplate going to Clapton to see the very last bus arrive but
decided against it simply because of the unpredictability of the
situation. Some of the previous last days have been marred by negativity
from a small number of enthusiasts who seem to view the end of the
Routemasters as the end of civilisation. I don't wish to be associated
with that sort of reaction as it can simply put at risk any future
events.

I can certainly see why they're looking at ending the 159 in the middle
of the day, though.

The 159 is going to be very difficult. Just taking into account the poor
photographic conditions with diminishing light and long shadows will be
hard enough. I dread to think what it will be like if it rains or is
very dull. While the 159 will be "last" it doesn't feel as special for
me as the 38. The only real bits of the 159 that are worth capturing are
views on Westminster Bridge with Big Ben and the river in shot as they
are a truly iconic London combination. While I may well be out on the
day for the specials on the Thursday I doubt very much that the Friday
will be even worth contemplating given the progressive switch over and
the likely enormous demand for last rides. If the last bus is at
lunchtime then I may try to get a last look - we shall see.

Anyway, the TfL, company and special vehicle staff laid on a great show
and did us proud. I'd like to say here how grateful I for one was to
all of them.

It was certainly a good day and we were thankfully spared the weather
horrors that were forecast which was a distinct bonus.

[1] a mum with her two young daughters. She wasn't looking forward to
bendy buses.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!