London Transport's mechanical rota inspections for their buses were approximately every 28 days. As an engineering garage trainee i was taught how to inspect a bus, and what type of basic work was required depending on the rota number. When the bus had reached an 8 or 16 Rota, there would be more tasks set out that you had to complete. We would put the hydraulic gauges on a Routemaster, and you would give it a full and complete timed clock test. We would use our clock to find out when the flag went up, white light out and then listen for the hydraulic system to cut out. We would test both hydraulic accumulators, and fit the gauges to the front and rear brake test points. Remembering that the RM brake valve had two stages to it. One for normal braking, that would show up on the hydraulic gauge, and then the other stage for emergency braking. 1200 PSI. We would then test the brake micro switches. The switch for testing these were in the drivers cab, and we would move the switch over from N to 2, and then 1. You had to make sure that you'd reset the switch to its normal position (N) , otherwise one of the two test points would be permanently isolated. The vehicles batteries were also removed at major rota, and the battery crate was cleaned and repainted. Other major rota tasks were fuel pump and injectors to change. All fuel filters, plus cab filters, engine oil ,diff oil to change. Plus full grease up, and oiling with high pressure oil gun plus brake pedal pad to change . And you probably hadn't started your mechanical inspection yet. The general hands, were also hard at work, giving the bus a full all day clean, plus exterior soap wash. The list was endless. When all the work was completed the engineering day foreman would take the bus out for a test run. If he came back happy, you'd done your job and he was satisfied. If he came back with a long face, god help you. Many thanks lads.👍

Great memories for me seeing all the old place names. As a kid growing up in the seventies I lived next to Thornton Heath bus garage in Whitehall Road.. Can see all the Routemaster's pulling into the entrance at the end of the day very vividly.

Great little video showing how you check over your Routemasters every 8 weeks. It’s a lot of work per bus; but safety is paramount and I love your outtakes!! 🤣

Really interesting to see what goes into keeping a bus safe and in service. Always nice to have Alan getting some screen time 👍

Hello guys cheers for the video really enjoyable as always. It is really interesting to see the work that you all do in keeping these RMs well maintained and on the road. Thank you for the outtakes at the end all of you keep up the good work guys that you are doing.

Absolutely brilliant video guys and absolutely excellent you do all the safety checks on the buses. I used to do the interior when I was a conductor in 2001 and 2003-05 and even on new bus for London before we went out and the indicators as well

Usual high quality video...well done all !

Great as always but WAYYYYYY too short.

Another in joyable film gents. Keep up the good work and looking forward to your next. 👍

I really miss those RM buses on the 9 service between Mortlake and Liverpool Street back in the early 80’s, would often fall a sleep listening to the engine ticking over while stuck in the traffic, they were great times when the buses were in original condition in Kensington.

Lol Love how you all get on with each other guys

Great to see an actual safety inspection carried out and explained, I have always wondered what's involved was told "its in for a safety" but never got to see whats involved so thanks for that 👍. Do you lads do panel damage onsite? Have you a video on panel repair

Always look forward to your new video' s !! Keep up the great work & thanks for the laughs 😃.

Enjoyed the video and the outakes!!! Thanks.

9:03 OOOOO🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋LADIES

another great vid lads 👍

Good to see RM471 with a clean bill of health. These very regular inspections give an incentive to keep on top of things. I hope it doesn't have a 470 engine!

Very interesting content, look forward to your next video. 👍

It’s the 2nd time I’ve seen this Bus, It is a shame you still haven’t managed to get the original registration and I noticed there is no near side Fog Light , I always enjoy your videos. Paul Davis Isle of Man. Thanks.

You would have to go a long way to find a route bus type that betters the Routemaster- superb solid, enduring pieces of British engineering

Nice,👍👍

I love all your videos 😊 Tickets please

Good stuff. Love to see a video of you guys refurbishing window winders, or did I miss that?

Your country has the best buses then we do in USA!

Drew the short straw?, I don't know about you but there's absolutely no bloody way I'd be under an seven tonne bus with someone sawing the wheel back and forth, I'm sitting here pinching round holes in the seat cushion every time I see the lift columns move🤯

Does the bus have windscreen wipers, if so you missed checking them!!!!! Love the videos cheers

RM471 looks to be in excellent condition to my untrained eye, and you have an excellent workshop in which to keep on top of things. However, I wonder how the owners of Routemasters who don't have fully-equipped workshops manage? Presumably they have to get a company like yours to do the work for them, but I've never heard you mention that you work on 'third-party' Routemasters. Do you only work on your own fleet? A great video as usual. I've watched your channel since day 1 and although I'll never own an RM, I love 'em to bits. Thank you.

Thought you would have removed that stone from the tread of the nearside rear inner tyre.

What’s happened to the picture quality guys? Movement is very blurred. Audio is OK.

If a bus is out of service, engine or stripped down, do you still have to fill the forms, or do you file for an exemption

what's with the camera quality on this vlog it's not as clear as normal.

Much as I am not comfortable asking the depot why they stopped running the London Suburban Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW’s on routes N26, 30, 121, 230, 271, 349, N279 And 158 why can’t we make the same make of the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Buses but Modernise the insides of these Buses. Also, make it low floor up and down and extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more so there will be more space for the wheelchair users. By the way, if you could remake and Modernise these vehicles could they also make them into a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Version’s that if it will be possible and to Modernise the insides of these Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW’s make it low floor up and down and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more so there will be more space and even a London Suburban Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more. Why couldn’t we have those London Suburban Buse's Pale red on the top roof Pale red again on the top middle Milk Chocolate brown on the middle Creamy white on the Bottom Middle and Milk Chocolate Brown on the Bottom on most of that kind of those Particular Double Decker Vehicles? Could you put the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox in the Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and also put the Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox in the Volvo TD102KF Engine East Lancs Olympus and also extend the middle body part of these vehicles a little bit more and also turn most of them to a London Suburban Buses. By the way, could you also make the routes N26, 349, 121, N279 and 271 into London Suburban Buses and have a mixture of a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC and Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Versions. Could they also transfer the Arriva Bus Depots from Hackney to Stagecoach company so they can replace all the Arriva buses so that all of them can go to Birmingham and Leeds? They can be replaced by Stagecoach Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox Volvo TD102KF Engine East Lancs Olympus and also Extend the Middle body part of these Vehicles and that includes A Mixture of a Stagecoach Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearbox Volvo TD102KF, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LXCT Engine Northern Counties Palatine One and that Includes a Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles A Little Bit More. Can Arriva London Bus Company’s Replace Most of their Wight Buses so they can also transfer them to Birmingham and Also Manchester so they can be replaced by Loud 3-Speed ZF Ecomat Gearboxes Volvo D10A Engine East Lancs Olympus and also Extend the Middle body part of these Vehicles A Little Bit More Thank You Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Much. Oh buy the way could the bus Factory Companies also Make More of Those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel engine Olympian ECW Vehicles And that also includes Those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC And also Extend the Middle Body part of those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel Engine Olympian ECW Vehicles and the Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and that also includes The Loud 3-Speed ZF Ecomat Gearboxes Volvo D10A Engine East Lancs Olympus A Little Bit More And Paint Those 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and also those Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Gardner 6LX and Gardner 6LXC Diesel engine Olympian ECW Vehicles and that also includes The Northern Counties Palatine One with a Volvo TD102KF, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 6LXCT Diesel engines with a Loud 3-Speed Voith Diwa Gearboxes and The Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Scania N230UD Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles and also The Loud 4-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Automatic Gearbox Cummins L10 Enviro 400 MMC Vehicles to the Grey Green Colours Just Like The Other Original Scania Grey Green on the Bus Route 313, 167, and the 103, If all The Leyland Titan B15’s are Fully Red and even Mostly Red, could they also Repaint All of The Leyland Titan B15’s into Grey Green Colours Just Like The Other Original Scania Grey Green on the Bus Route 313 so they can Reuse them for Only Every Six and a Half Months and also Reuse them on those Rail Replacement London Bus Routes if that will Be Alright for Only Just Every 6 and a Half Months starting from the beginning of October and also Reuse Those Buses Only on the London Bus Routes witch are The 341, N41, 34, 123, N29, 149, 221, N73, 121, 86, 30, 262, 147, 396, 41 and N26 so Please make sure that the builders can do as they are told!!!! And please do something about these Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Important Professional Ideas Please Please Prime Minister and also Includes the Mayor of London.😉😉😅😅😅😅😀😃😀😅😀😃😅😀😃😀😀😃👏👏👏👏👍👏👏👏👏👍👏👏

Do your vintage buses also have to comply with tyre age as well as depth etc?

Tickets please hope Charlie is okay

pain in the butt ,safety is paramount though

Isn’t KVS a Scottish registration?

Could you not extend the inspections to 12 week intervals. 8 weeks seems a very short time frame

Spot on from the professionals but if you want to simplify those requirements, declare the bus as historical and then claim MOT exemption, PCV driving licence exemption, road tax exemption, O licence exemption and any other exemption you can possibly think of. Then convert the bus to whatever money making business you choose from a mobile bar, mobile fish & chip shop, mobile cafe and anything in between. After all of that, you can then sit back and laugh at all of those businesses who still operate their old RMs in accordance with the law. Unfortunately, if I'm not mistaken the caveat to all of the above historical exemptions is that the bus ''Must Not Be Used For Business Purposes Of Any Kind''.

First

Has this bus been sold?