Red RF routes

Crew routes commencing 1953

 
The balance of the 225 red RFs were delivered in early 1953, enabling the replacement of the last pre-war single-deckers in London (with the exception of the 10T10 class, which had to await the double-decking of the 205 at Edgware in May 1953).  The new buses were faster than the buses they replaced, enabling enough buses to be squeezed out from the schedule later in the year to convert the 254 at Loughton.
 
1953 routes, in order of introduction:
 
234A    12 Jan 53     3 new buses allocated   Purley - Hackbridge   
228  14 Jan 53          11  Chislehurst - Well Hall Station 
233  1 Feb 53          21 Finsbury Park - Northumberland Park 
212  10 Feb 53          27 Finsbury Park - Muswell Hill Broadway 
241  1 Mar 53          27 Welling Station - Sidcup Garage 
254  7 Oct 53          n/a Loughton Station - Buckhurst Hill

 

By 25 March, when the last of 225 red RFs was licensed, the fleet had been delivered and placed in service in a little over 6 months, and all remaining Central Area pre-war single-deckers had finally been withdrawn from public service.  LT Scooters were replaced by RFs on the 234A and (working as spares only) on the 208, the 5Q5s, the last of the Q-class, on the 241 and the 1T1s and ex-Country 4Q4s at Kingston indirectly by post-war Ts and TDs released by the RFs.  This period was celebrated at the Worcester Park running day in 2008; for more detail, see The RF Story.