Interior of RM 291 after reinstatment of the original style heater control panel.
05/03/00
RM 291. The interior illuminated advert panel was removed enabling an
original style heater control panel to be fitted. Today I also acquired an original LT bonnet badge which will be fitted in due course. RMC 1469 The luggage racks were retrieved and sorted out in order to determine exactly what is missing it turns out that I'm only short of two sections of netting plus a few odds and ends to complete both decks.
04/03/00
RM 291. Fixed a leak on the power steering system. RMC 1469 A pair of rear wheel disc brackets, supplied by the Routemaster Association were fitted enabling the discs themselves to be reinstated.
Work continues on preparing the lower deck ceiling for repainting and most of the loose paint has been removed.
5/2/00
RMC 1469
A trip to Cambridgeshire yielded a full set of upper deck luggage racks and enough bits and pieces to give me a good start on the lower deck ones. I'll return at a later date to collect them.
22-23/01/00
RMC 1469.
Most of the unwanted paint from the lower deck ceiling has been removed to reveal
the original Park Royal applied paint which is in very good condition.
However the ceiling will still be repainted to hide a few scuffs and chips. The remaining 240v flourescent tubes were removed from the lower deck and the wiring
isolated. RM 291 was put on the ramp to enable an assement to be
carried out as to how much work is neeeded to return the vehicle to full
Class 6 standard with a view to it being used on private hire work. The verdict
was favourable.
17/01/00
RMC 1469 with its new look front.
RMC 1469 now sports an RCL type front blind box thus returning it to something like its 1964 appearance. A start was also made on restoring the lower deck interior. The first job is to remove loose paint from the ceiling and old glue from the side panels.
The search is on for a supply of the material that protects the overhead luggage rack panels from scuffing.
7/11/99
RMC 1469's
radiator grill was finished off with new stainless steel trim and green LT triangle badge. Its a great improvement on its rather tatty predecessor. 6/11/99
A new hydraulic fan drive hose was fitted to SMS 369 in preparation for its forthcoming MOT test. Cobham's Dave Kriesler also fixed the centre doors which have been jammed in the open position for the past 6 months. A faulty door engine was causing the problem. The cooling system suddenly sprung a leak during the proceedings, caused by a corroded hose clip. It was probably excerbated by some hearty engine revving on Dave's part in order to build up air-pressure for the doors.
Dave also got the pressure sensitive edge working again. Its a safety device which causes the doors to open again should anyone become trapped in them. 16/10/99 Much the same as last weekend, RMC 1469's grill is now painted and ready for reassembly. and the blind box panel is ready to be fitted. All I need now are some RCL blinds, preferably for route 715.
9-10/10/99
Work recomenced on RMC 1469 after a long gap caused by work commitments. Work
began on restoring a later style radiator grill for RMC 1469. I temporarily fitted
the seat frames on the upper deck to assess what needs to be done in the way of
modifications to make them fit. Luckily only three frames will need to have the
their legs repositioned in order to fit correctly.
8/8/99
RM 291 appeared at the Bus of Yesterday rally at Staines. The journey was made in torrential rain and was further hampered by severe flooding along the way. The turnout wasn't too bad considering the foul weather. While there I acquired a few odds and ends for RMC 1469 including a RCL type front blindbox panel which I hope to fit soon.
1/8/99
RMC 1469 went to Lingfield Show to take part in a display of Routemasters organised by the Routemaster Assocoation to celebrate 45 years of the RM. Around 40 Routemasters were in attendance plus a wide selection of other vehicles. This was my first visit to Lingfield and there was lots to see and do, I'll definitely be going next year.
25/7/99
Both buses appeared at the Routemaster event at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum as
planned. There were about 20 buses on display altogether. The weather was superb but
a quarry is no place to be on a scorching hot summers day. It was like the bottom of
the Grand Canyon down there! It was my first trip on the road with RM 291 since the
new engine was fitted last October. A bad oil leak from the sump had developed
recently but this was fixed the day before and it seems ok now. A small group of
people came along for the ride and so RMC 1469 carried its first passengers perhaps since
the 1970s.
17/7/99 RMC 1469 Now has a full compliment of seats
on the lower deck again. Its defective cylinder head gaskets have been replaced so
its now fit to travel to the Routemaster rally at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum this
Sunday.
RMC 1469 with seats fitted temporarily
14/6/99
RM 291 passed its MOT last Tuesday, this was actually its first journey with the
new engine. No problems were encountered, just a few leaks here and there which were soon cured.
RMC 1469 Still removing glue from the upper deck floor.
The seat mounting points on the floor were found to be buried under car body filler,
presumably to provide a continuous smooth surface for the carpet that was previously
fitted. This has been chiselled out to reveal the original captive nuts for the seat
legs.
