New RFs delivered Jan 53: 408, 410, 412 + 299, 300 ex-trainers (total 5, no spares)

PVR 1970 (Oct): Mon-Fri 6, Sat 4, Sun 2

Doug Ely has now retired from London bus work, but recalls his time working from Croydon in the 1970s:

'I transferred mid-1972 to South Croydon garage (TC) thus being trained for RMLs and learning 59, 68, 130^A/^B, 190 and 197, quickly getting a place on the 130/59 rota.  Early in 1973, I trained as an OMO driver and type-trained on the RF, finding a spot on the 'C' group rota and learning 166, 233, 234/^A/^B (see map here).  Now, much to the annoyance of the senior drivers on the 'C' group who with their fareboxes did not have to handle money, TC's small allocation of six duties on the 154 was placed on the same rota, this time I was happy to allow my seniors to do my late shifts on the 'Cs' in exchange for their early shifts on the 154.

I always found the RF comfortable to drive as long as one remembered to duck getting in and out of the cab; many a driver off the DMS routes regretted working a rest day on the 'scooters' when he cracked his skull the first time!  One thing that stood out was that the RF's performance did not seem to be affected by a heavy load, but the steering was another matter. We had Dunlop cross ply tyres at TC, which seemed out of all the major tyre manufacturers to have the largest tread area on the road, thus making the steering as heavy as could be. Towards the class’s withdrawal we had a few temporary transfers in from either K or NB which were fitted with radial tyres (Michelin I think) and were very much easier to manoeuvre.

I started on 234 group in the summer months, quickly finding that the RF could suffer from overheating (boiling) on hot days and when caught in heavy traffic in the Purley area, probably due to the underfloor engine and various water leaks. You could always tell when the bus approached, by the position of the filler half roundel flap, if it was down you were going to be broiled in the cab. One bus, RF380, was particularly bad for this and was often driven with the actual filler cap loosened, resulting in a very steamy time at bus stops.

Of course the opposite was true in the winter months; saloon heaters were often poor and the cab heater design meant that, at the very time you needed the heat when stationary with the doors open at a bus stop, the blower stopped as the engine was not revving. Couple that with the thick rimmed steering wheel and collection of coins for fares, which meant it was impossible to keep your hands warm in gloves and you can see that we had quite a tough time compared to DMS or RT/RM drivers.

Generally the 234 group was pleasant to work on without the hassles of Central Croydon traffic and the various rough estates, one thing however was a drag. Meal reliefs were, unless scheduled to run a bus in or out of TC, allocated at Purley Crossroads itself for about 45 minutes. Not enough time to get a bus to TC, have a meal and get back to take on your next bus. With no cafes in the local area to get a cuppa we had to sit on a bench at the bus stops or wander the local shops and bring sarnies to eat during turn around times at Old Lodge Lane or elsewhere. Needless to say the Trade Union at TC was not a very strong one!

A few of the regular drivers lived on the Wallington end of the route and, when schedules worked out, would nip home for their break and return on the bus they were due to take on at Purley. As a "new boy" I left one such driver behind because he had neglected to warn me to look out for him and was not at the stop so did not make the bus. Fortunately their were no passengers on board at Purley, and he came back on the next bus and spent some time chasing the clock to get back on time! One other character we had used to clean windows in his spare time and utilised the RFs to get his ladders to and from his house (back door open, slide in, place bucket and tools in and mount up at front).

Prior to the 166 going over to DMS, its SMSs were used on Sundays for rail replacement work needing single deck buses; subsequently we occasionally got allocated such jobs for the RFs, believe me working round narrow, unfamiliar and congested streets without power steering and poor demisters at night was not something you volunteered for twice unless desperate for a crust or two.

I can recall a couple of incidents that occurred; one was RF380 shooting out it's engine dipstick and oil over a car whilst the bus was stationary at Old Lodge Lane traffic lights, presumably the engine had pressurised up as it was well worn. Another concerned RF529 which, whilst in Wallington in June 1975, suffered a loss of power, then started to pop and bang loudly. I was instructed to take it to Sutton garage (A) for them to look at (pointless really as driving to TC would have taken much the same time and put the bus in its own shed if serious work was need). One listen from the engineers’ foreman at A resulted in an instruction to take it back carefully to TC as they could not do anything for me. On the journey back the bangs developed sparks and smoke, probably the timing had slipped, and the bus was left in the dead vehicle area and it was a few months before it re-entered service. I guess the work was undertaken in the old 'top dock' at the back of TC.  [Editor's note: RF529 survived to be exported to Mauritius, but RF380 did not last the course and was scrapped in 1976.]

RFs were replaced by BLs on 234^A in January 1977, but the BL being used for type-training was also used each evening (provided the driver was trained of course) for the second half of the last duty. The driver using the normal Ultimate ticket machine for his first spell of duty and a spare Almex for his second spell. Doing this meant two waybills at the end of the day but had the plus of not having to catch a service bus to Purley as you took the BL, with the other driver bringing the RF back as he was finished anyway. So you see, partial conversion could be said to have happened before the last day!'

Peter Taylor (like so many others) used RFs to get to school.  He remembers: 'I used the 234 (and more usually the 234^A) to travel to school from Wallington to Purley, between 1966 and 1971.  I have a lasting memory of us prim grammar school boys in our bright blue blazers and caps waiting politely to board the RF in Belmont Road while the scumbags from the secondary modern helped themselves to a free ride by clambering in through the emergency exit!  The poor old drivers never seemed to understand how the bus filled up so quick!'  [Ed note: as a 'senior road', maybe some of the drivers weren't as alert as they might have been while concentrating on the new task of collecting fares.  Where was the Inspector?]

RF406 is passed in Old Lodge Lane by the modern equivalent of the 234^A.  The 12^A was replaced by the 412, then by route 455 which runs from Wallington via Croydon and is operated by Arriva from Beddington Lane with Wright-bodied Cadets.  This is DWL60.

Photo © Steve Whitelegg