Routemaster
Maintenance
and other
Bus
Stuff
Here you can browse and buy
specialist items essential for everyone who runs, maintains or repairs
London's most famous Red Double-Decker - and for everyone who is simply
fascinated with what goes on under the bonnet!
The New Routemaster Maintenance Manual
THE PAPER MANUAL IS NOW OUT OF PRINT, but the electronic version is available on CD-ROM or by email.
Over 250 pages with over 90
illustrations and diagrams covering the mechanical, body and electrical
servicing of this world-famous London Bus. Covers AEC, Leyland and Iveco
engined versions. Endorsed by London Transport and drawn from original
materials, compiled by London Transport's Mechanical Engineer -
Development.
PDF format, file size 6.6Mb.
ISBN-10: 0-95261-780-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-95261-780-8
A Cream Band publication by C & G Walker
Price £48.00
The mechanical and
body cutaway artworks on the Routemaster Artwork
page would make a wonderful addition to this manual!
To order this or any other item on this page, please
print and complete the
Order
Form, or send an email to TheRMmanual[at]yahoo.com
Using original London Transport information, the Wiring Diagram has been completely
re-drawn and validated. Compiled by
London Transport's Mechanical Engineer - Development and produced using
CAD technology for clarity and accuracy, it represents the entire
electrical system on AEC and Leyland-engined Routemasters, as they were in
the 1970's and '80's when early charging equipment had been replaced by
alternators with built-in rectifiers. The diagram shows all cable sizes
and colours, and sleeve codes.
Full A0-plus size (840mm x 1270mm).
Price £15.00.
Similar to the above diagram, the Cummins and the IVECO diagrams show the bus after installation of the new engine and after refurbishment in the 1990s, including fluorescent lighting.
Full A0 size (840mm x 1180mm).
Price £15.00 each.
To order this or any other item on this page, please print and complete the
Order Form, or send an email to TheRMmanual[at]yahoo.com
NOW AVAILABLE - THE RT MANUAL
A PDF replica of the original AEC Instruction Book and Maintenance Manual, as issued with every Regent III chassis leaving AEC Southall. Contains 110 pages fully illustrated, with lubrication chart and wiring diagram.
PDF format, file size 15Mb.
Price £39.95
Fitter's
Pocket Cards
Really
handy reference information on a card, encased in wipe-clean plastic for long life in the workshop.
The
Hydraulic card shows Brake System diagrams and test
pressures for both the Lockheed and the Clayton
systems, and on the other side a Brake Fault Diagnosis Chart.
The Electrical card features a diagram of the Flag Unit, Test Switch and Pressure Switch wiring (a frequent source of confusion and many test failures), while on the reverse are details of how to convert from Automatic to Semi-automatic gear control, by bridging out the Automatic Control Panel.
Size 150mm x 100mm approx.
Price £3.00 each.
To order this or any other item on this page, please print and complete the Order Form, or send an email to TheRMmanual[at]yahoo.com
Potted history:
The Routemaster double-deck bus was designed in the 1950s by London Transport, AEC (the engine and chassis maker) and PRV (Park Royal Vehicles, the body maker) to replace the AEC Regent RT type. Experimental vehicles took to the road in 1954, and full production began in 1959.
The bus used the AEC AV590 or Leyland O.600 diesel engine, an automatic gearbox by SCG (Self-Change Gears Ltd), power hydraulic brakes by Lockheed or Clayton Dewandre, and electrical equipment by CAV and Simms. A total of over 2700 were built in several variants, apart from the standard RM: the longer RML, coach versions RMC and RCL for the London Country operations, and the forward-entrance RMA for the London-to-Heathrow Airport shuttle service (a similar type being operated in Newcastle by Northern General Transport).
Heavy overhauls were carried out at Chiswick and Aldenham Works until these facilities closed. Surplus London Routemasters began to be sold in the 1980s, but in 1993 the remaining fleet was extensively refurbished, with new Cummins or IVECO engines, fluorescent lighting and other improvements. After the RM's 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2004 the number of Routemasters in service was reduced to just a handful, currently (2018) running on Route 15.
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Colin Curtis 1926 - 2012
I worked for Colin Curtis from 1973 until his retirement from London Buses in 1988 - from the trials and tribulations of the Daimler Fleetline, through the development of the Metrobus and Titan, to the refurbishment of his beloved Routemaster. For most of that time Colin managed the Development Office at Chiswick, instilling, by turns, enthusiasm and scepticism for his projects and experiments. But for all his single-minded, some would say 'workaholic', support for the RM, he was always a jovial and likeable man, full of boyish glee at every victory.
In the mid-1950s he had nursed the four prototype Routemasters into service, and helped turn the concept into a production-ready design. That experience convinced him of the superiority of light-weight, sub-frame based, simple vehicles, and of the benefits of hydraulic braking over the air brakes of the time. Observing the weaknesses of the Fleetline and others in London conditions he worked tirelessly with MCW and with Leyland to design the next generation of one-man double-deckers. The robustness and light weight particularly of the Leyland Titan were due as much to Colin's efforts as those of the manufacturer's engineers. Unfortunately the troublesome hydraulic braking systems on both buses were also at his insistence; but in fairness their serious leakage problems arose through manufacturing quality-versus-price arguments rather than failures of design principles.
Colin remained convinced of the advantages of hydraulic power, and experimented with hydraulic drives for alternators, doors, and even windscreen wipers. But it was the more mundane work of solving day-to-day maintenance and reliability problems that occupied most of Colin's time - gearbox piston seal materials, brake lining alternatives to asbestos, fire and accident investigations, amongst many others. He and his team (along with the highly-skilled Experiment Shop fitters, who were remarkably tolerant of some of our more outlandish schemes) struggled against old Spanish customs and accountants to raise the standards of design and maintenance across manufacturers, garages and in Chiswick Works, with at least a modicum of success: I doubt very much if the Routemaster would have survived as far as refurbishment without Colin Curtis' hand on the wheel.
Graham Walker, former Mechanical Engineer - Development, London Buses. © G. L. Walker 2012.
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Updated 18 November 2024
