Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

My only regret is that (through work commitments) I cannot participate in any
of the special runs taking place today to mark this sad day.

This is an incredibly sad "improvement", and I would like to record both my
dismay at the wanton vandalism that is being visited on London's bus routes by
T.F.L (or whatever quango-based morons now control these matters) and my
sincerest thanks to the Routemaster buses and their crews who have so
faithfully served London for the last few decades.

To paraphrase our moronic Prime Minister: Things can only get worse.

Only a handful of Routemaster-operated routes remain - they wil not do so for
much longer. For those that care - cherish the opportunity to travel on these
few routes (from memory) 12, 14, 19, 22, 36, 159 whilst you can!

Farewell friendly Routemasters - may you ever reign supreme in our affections.

Marc.

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

The *******s!!! How can they wreck the 73 like that?!?

My only regret is that (through work commitments) I cannot participate in any
of the special runs taking place today to mark this sad day.

Nor me, I'm about to go to Cardiff, of all god-forsaken places.

Only a handful of Routemaster-operated routes remain - they wil not do so for
much longer. For those that care - cherish the opportunity to travel on these
few routes (from memory) 12, 14, 19, 22, 36, 159 whilst you can!

None of which are a hell of a lot of use to me :-(

Farewell friendly Routemasters - may you ever reign supreme in our affections.

Maybe we should start a campaign to lobby parliament to legislate that
all buses from Victoria to Oxford St should be Routemasters ;-)

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

--- "Mait001" wrote...

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last
year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

That's a "sad day"? Why???: It sounds more like a cause for celebration.
Those crappy old buses will finally be gone, and we'll have ones that are
actually tall enough for people to stand up in!

This is an incredibly sad "improvement"

Why? We're going to get proper large buses fit for the tall 21st century
travellers, not those cramped dinosaurs the should've been scrapped years
ago. How is that not a great improvement?

, and I would like to record both my
dismay at the wanton vandalism that is being visited on London's bus
routes by
T.F.L (or whatever quango-based morons now control these matters)

Ahhh... You must be part of the evil conspiracy of skinny midgets that
thinks that everything *has* to be designed *only* for people under 6ft 3in.
(E.g. It's because of your lot that I can no longer go to the cinema
anymore, because I know I'm not going to fit in the seats.) Well, if TfL
are one of the few organisations finally willing to stand up against your
conspiracy, then they're not vandals or morons but *public* *heroes*. (If
only cinemas and airlines would follow their example!)

my sincerest thanks to the Routemaster buses and their crews who
have so faithfully served London for the last few decades.

And my sincerest contempt for the evil midgets who designed them in first
place.

Only a handful of Routemaster-operated routes remain

Why???? Why haven't TfL replaced them *all* with comfortable modern buses,
instead of continuing to inflict them on us?

Farewell friendly Routemasters

Friendly??? How is giving a painful crick in the neck everyone over 6ft 3in
friendly? That isn't friendly, it's evil! Buy a dictionary and learn the
difference between the two words.

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

On 03 Sep 2004 17:44:42 GMT, (Mait001) wrote:

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

My only regret is that (through work commitments) I cannot participate in any
of the special runs taking place today to mark this sad day.

I did manage some photos at lunchtime and I rode home on FRM1 - the rear
engined Routemaster - and that was great fun with many ordinary people
out and about taking pictures of their local buses complete with unusual
visitors.

This is an incredibly sad "improvement", and I would like to record both my
dismay at the wanton vandalism that is being visited on London's bus routes by
T.F.L (or whatever quango-based morons now control these matters) and my
sincerest thanks to the Routemaster buses and their crews who have so
faithfully served London for the last few decades.

Well the crews deserve the thank you. I have mixed feelings - I've
always enjoyed the 73 with Routemasters as a convenient way to get
about. However the RMLs are old and not in good condition. I don't think
artics will work on that route and would have much preferred
conventional low floor double decks to be provided as I think it is
wrong to expect 60-80 people to stand on a bus for many miles in order
to get to work.

Only a handful of Routemaster-operated routes remain - they wil not do so for
much longer. For those that care - cherish the opportunity to travel on these
few routes (from memory) 12, 14, 19, 22, 36, 159 whilst you can!

You missed route 13 from Golders Green to Aldwych which is rumoured to
be losing its recently modernised Routemasters very soon to former route
9 RMLs. Note this is a rumour that has just emerged and it may have no
foundation at all.

Farewell friendly Routemasters - may you ever reign supreme in our affections.

Yep - I cannot imagine what the events will be like when the very last
one leaves service if the experience of the last days of route 8 and now
9/73 and 390 are anything to go by.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

Farewell friendly Routemasters - may you ever reign supreme in our
affections.

Maybe we should start a campaign to lobby parliament to legislate that
all buses from Victoria to Oxford St should be Routemasters ;-)



Maybe we could, but Parliament has no powers over the issue: it's all now
devolved to Ken Livingstone.

Marc.

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

-- "Mait001" wrote...

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last
year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

That's a "sad day"? Why???: It sounds more like a cause for celebration.
Those crappy old buses will finally be gone, and we'll have ones that are
actually tall enough for people to stand up in!


If you cannot see that, for many, it is a sad day, then you are beyond
redemption.

As for standing, yes, I hope you will enjoy standing between, for example,
Tottenhama and Victoria, because the number of seats per passenger has been
drastically reduced with bendy buses. Personally, if I pay a fare for a
journey, I expect to be able to sit.



This is an incredibly sad "improvement"

Why? We're going to get proper large buses fit for the tall 21st century
travellers, not those cramped dinosaurs the should've been scrapped years
ago. How is that not a great improvement?

Because the number of seats is being reduced.

Yes, your "large" buses might be fit for modern cities with grid-patterm
streets and wide multi-lane highways, but this is so patently untrue of London
that I am amazed it needs explaining to you.

, and I would like to record both my
dismay at the wanton vandalism that is being visited on London's bus
routes by
T.F.L (or whatever quango-based morons now control these matters)

Ahhh... You must be part of the evil conspiracy of skinny midgets that
thinks that everything *has* to be designed *only* for people under 6ft 3in.
(E.g. It's because of your lot that I can no longer go to the cinema
anymore, because I know I'm not going to fit in the seats.)

It's nobody fault if you happen to be too large for ordinary bus seats.

Well, if TfL
are one of the few organisations finally willing to stand up against your
conspiracy, then they're not vandals or morons but *public* *heroes*. (If
only cinemas and airlines would follow their example!)

If you say so.

my sincerest thanks to the Routemaster buses and their crews who
have so faithfully served London for the last few decades.

And my sincerest contempt for the evil midgets who designed them in first
place.

If 99.9% of people manage to fit in ordinary bus seats, you can hardly accuse
them of being designed by midgets, unless that 99.9% also happen to be midgets
without realising it.

Only a handful of Routemaster-operated routes remain

Why???? Why haven't TfL replaced them *all* with comfortable modern buses,
instead of continuing to inflict them on us?

Be sensible. Do you think that bus operators are magicians? Do you realise just
how expensive these new buses are, how long crew-training takes and just how
few new buses are actually manufatcured each year?

Farewell friendly Routemasters

Friendly??? How is giving a painful crick in the neck everyone over 6ft 3in
friendly?

The vast majority of people are not over 6' 3" tall.

That isn't friendly, it's evil! Buy a dictionary and learn the
difference between the two words.

This is just a prejudiced rant. I happen to be very short and find stairs very
difficult to manage. That's just my bad luck. Why should the entire bus fleet
be designed on the assumption that either all of its passengers are very short
or very tall?

Marc.

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

You missed route 13 from Golders Green to Aldwych which is rumoured to
be losing its recently modernised Routemasters very soon to former route
9 RMLs. Note this is a rumour that has just emerged and it may have no
foundation at all.

Yes, I think I also missed the 38.

Farewell friendly Routemasters - may you ever reign supreme in our
affections.

Yep - I cannot imagine what the events will be like when the very last
one leaves service if the experience of the last days of route 8 and now
9/73 and 390 are anything to go by.
--
Paul C


Writing as someone who was at Barking on the last day of the RT in April 1979
(the Routemaster's predecessor) I would imagine it to be a very sad day indeed.
At least in 1979 we could still look forward to RMs and RMLs after the last RTs
had gone. What do we have to look forward to now? Self-combustible bendy-buses.
Greenhouse-like double deckers?

Marc.

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

Solar Penguin wrote to uk.transport.london on Sat, 4 Sep 2004:



--- "Mait001" wrote...

Today, for those of you that don't know it, sees the largest withdrawal of
Routemaster buses from London since the current withdrawals began last
year:
from tomorrow, Routemasters will be no more on routes 9, 73 and 390.

That's a "sad day"? Why???: It sounds more like a cause for celebration.
Those crappy old buses will finally be gone, and we'll have ones that are
actually tall enough for people to stand up in!

But we no longer have conductors to help disabled people get on and off,
to tell us when our stop is, and generally to keep the buses free of
unpleasantness. Granted, you have to fold your baby-buggy if you wish
to use them, but many conductors are very helpful about doing this for
you, and stowing it in the designated place. Granted, too, that some
conductors are less than helpful, but they are a minority.

As for cramped - you obviously don't have to travel on tiny buses like
the P5 or the 322....
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends
 

From: Paul Corfield
Date: 04/09/2004 10:34 GMT

I did manage some photos at lunchtime and I rode home on FRM1 - the rear
engined Routemaster - and that was great fun with many ordinary people
out and about taking pictures of their local buses complete with unusual
visitors.

Ah yes, dear old KGY4D! Consider a few "what ifs?" and imagine what London
might be like today if:

(a) Leyland hadn't taken over AEC and then deliberately scuppered the FRM
project (after only one had been built) so that it wouldn't compete with the
Atlantean and Fleetline (which were both sacks of ****e anyway in my opinion);

(b) the government hadn't dragged its feet for so long in the 1960s before
allowing driver only operation of deckers, which was the obvious USP (unique
selling point) for rear engined vehicles like FRM1.

With a fleet of a few thousand FRMs, built to the usual Park Royal standards of
Routemaster robustness (anyone remember seeing an exasperated employee at
Wombwell Diesels trying to break up a Routemaster using an orange peel grab
fitted to the jib of a crane? It was on a documentary about "Routies" fronted
by John Peel several years ago. The bloke couldn't pull the roof off so he
started picking the entire body up and slamming it back onto the ground. This
broke most of the windows, but it didn't significantly deform the body shell.
The poor lad had obviously got too used to smashing up MCW bodied Atlanteans or
similar flimsy rubbish and couldn't understand why this particular "Routie" was
being so stubborn about the whole business!) the basic body structure would
have been sound almost forever, it would just have been a question of upgrading
power packs to "greener" ones from time to time, and "frying tonight"
articulated vehicles would have been left where they belong; in the
unenlightened conurbations of mainland Europe.

If the FRM project hadn't been killed off by a combination of Leyland's desire
to fix the market in favour of obviously inferior products and a 1960s Labour
government's apparent fixation with maintaining full employment, even if it
meant giving people meaningless jobs to do, I think we'd have seen rear engined
Routemasters in service in London until perhaps the middle of this century.

Finally, a couple of interesting asides. I remember pretty clearly the demise
of the RT (because I'm an old fart), but I don't remember that being as much of
a cause celebre as the death throes of the RM seem to have become today. Has
anyone else formed the same impression? Also, the demise of trolleybuses, which
the RM was originally designed to replace, is just within the span of my memory
(because in fact I'm a very old fart!) and my dim recollections of that are
that they were here today and gone tomorrow without any farewell parties or
other razamatazz. Does anyone else think that was the case too, or has the
passage of time dulled my memory?

Sad day for London and farewell to faithful friends