My interest in buses started in 1955 when I was eight years old - my stepfather who was an alcoholic thought a good day out for me was to leave me with a conductor on Route 15 at 1200 while he went to the pub. He would pay the conductor 10 shillings to chaperone me but always made sure that the bus only went to Aldgate so would be back at 2 o'clock which is when the pubs shut on a Sunday in those days. When I was a little older and Red Rovers were introduced and the need for a chaperone was not necessary I began to venture out to more exotic places such as Becontree Heath ( 23A ) - Borehamwood ( 52 ) - Belmont (88) Hampton Court (27) the opportunities from Notting Hill in those days were endless especially on a Sunda
My first visit to Aldgate I procured my first bus map which was my personal treasure - I used to pour over it. I must've kept that for two years before renewing it. it was stitched up with sellotape and I learned every route on the system and this fascination for London Buses has never left me - about 1985 it occurred to me that a comprehensive history of individual London Bus Routes had never been published and thus I started my research. Mid 1990's the internet came to life and no longer did a publisher have to be found to publish your work - and so I started the site in 1996 and looking back the design was awful but the basic structure has never changed. Over the years I have made a lot of friends and indeed have been able to obtain much information that was unavailable before.
Was security really that much safer back then ? I have a nine year old grandson now and just cannot imagine him carrying out these tasks. I would be interested to hear from readers with similar experiences - surely I am not alone.
I started my secondary education at Holland Park Comprehensive school September 1958 - the first comprehensive school in the country and also the biggest with over 1200 pupils. I was put in the academic stream even though I would have preferred the commercial option. It takes me a while to absorb information especially if I find a subject not very interesting and it wasn't long before I fell behind with my work. In March 1959 my stepfather applied for his dream job - pub landlord - a bit like an arsonist applying to be a fireman. My parents went on a training course with Whitbread somewhere in Catford I believe and at the end of the course were given the "Grafton Arms" in Grafton Way W1 which was a few steps away from the TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD trolleybus terminal. I have to say I didn't enjoy living in a pub which has a unique smell first thing in the morning - and in those days was combined with the after effects of the smokers. One of the regular customers was a driver from Holloway (J) and he and Mum had an arrangement where he would take me out on his day shifts at weekends in exchange for free pints. He used to pick me up at home and drive me to the garage where he was always on the 134 and I would happily sit on board until the last time the bus was due at Warren Street where I would jump off.
The pub job became too much for Mum who also had to organise lunches etc. She had the foresight not to give up the flat in Notting Hill and we moved back in the Autumn of 1959 although not long after we moved to East Twickenham. My school time was unhappy as I fell more and more behind with my school work and I decided the better option was to become a serial truant. I had a bicycle at this time and rather than attend school decided to trace every bus route on my bicycle. I would leave for school at 0800 - cycle to Willesden Garage and follow Route 1 to Catford and then come home - the following day cycle to Crystal Palace to begin Route 2 etc.. The school would send a letter which always would arrive on a Saturday morning - and I would intercept this and go to my grandmother who I adored - and she would write me an explanatory letter for the school,. luckily her handwriting was identical to Mums' Of course I was found out when the school phoned Mum and that was the end of my truanting. An arrangement was put in place where they would phone Mum if I was absent to confirm validity.
I enjoyed life in the army - but after six months became bored with the monotony of staying in Blackdown camp near Pirbright in Surrey. I went to the commanding officer and said I thought I would see a bit of the world and he replied what do you think? This is an effing travel agency. Mum bought me out of the army for £50. I had completed 336 days and my discharge paper read Pte Armstrong has not proved suitable to the army way of life.
I was now 17 and obtained a job in Euston Road as an export clerk which I hated - I couldn't wait for my 18th birthday …….. On Friday morning 16th July 1965 - my 18th birthday I went to Griffith House on Marylebone Road and signed up as a conductor. I completed the maths test and medical. All OK. I was given three choices where to be allocated and even though AB Twickenham was very close to my home I put Riverside R as my first choice because the routes seemed far more interesting - 11,27,72 - and 88 but they still put me into AB. I think AB suffered more than most from staff shortages.
I remember well after passing out - turning up at Twickenham garage and being introduced to my new driver. Normally a conductor would go on the spare list but this was overridden as the staff shortage was dire.
The first thing I noticed about my new job was new found wealth as the office job at Euston Road paid £7-10-0d (£7.50 now ) and because of rest day and overtime availability I was taking home in excess of £20 per week now - and of course I had no travelling expenses.
When living with my Mum we lived in a smart little block of flats called Queens Keep in Park Road in East Twickenham. My mother was horrified when I got the job on the buses and quickly arranged for me to live in a bed-sit on Richmond Hill to save the embarrassment of me walking into the flats in uniform. I was quite happy with this arrangement and the fellow residents were all young like myself and so apart from my new wealth my social life improved as well.
The other duties I hated were the late shifts on Route 71 which were so boring and a busy shift you would pay in £8 whereas on a busy 90 shift as much as £30 would be paid in. I was always happy to be busy although some drivers spent more energy avoiding work rather than getting on with it. One of their favourite tricks on the 90B would be to wait in Lansbury Drive for a 98B to go by and then follow it all the way to Feltham - letting him do all the work - then hopefully follow a 285 as well from Harlington Corner to Hanworth and then jump behind a plain 90 up to Kew Gardens Station.
I was looking for my driver Dukes at Westbourne Park Station but never saw him. The bus arrived and I changed over and my driver seemed to appear from nowhere and jumped in the cab of the Routemaster. This was also my first experience of working on a Routemaster. The plus was the extra room on the platform and the personal locker behind the fare chart - but the down side for me was the wider gangway as it was harder to keep balance. The first words spoken with him was when I waited for a pretty girl in Kensington Church Street opposite the old barracks. He climbed out the cab, came round to the back and told me in front of everyone that my job was to ring the bell as soon as the last passenger stepped onto the platform - I was not to wait for runners as there was a bus behind in 5 minutes. I had never experienced this before as Twickenham headways were generally longer. I had always waited for runners. That same journey when the last passenger stepped on at Kilburn park Station heading for Golders Green I pulled the cord to ring the bus off - nothing - the bell had stopped working. out he climbed to give me another telling off but when I told him the bell had broken he smiled for the first time and took it on himself to get everyone off and transferred them onto the unhappy Wandsworth crew that arrived 5 minutes later. He called the garage for a replacement bus and was from that moment on quite friendly. He always wore a bow tie to work and in fact his nickname was Dicky Bow Dukes. His sole ambition in life was to catch the bus in front and he never helped them out if they were being slaughtered. I asked him why as a senior driver he did not opt for the 7 road and he said it was more convenient for him as lived on the Harrow road near the Prince of Wales and he liked to go home for his meal break - a habit which I copied. I would say to my grandmother I am coming off at 1033 and given that it was a 5 minute walk to Colville Square where she lived - a fry up would be sitting on the table waiting at 1040. I don't know how he managed it but we were never late for a meal relief. He was also well in with the allocation staff and rarely worked a late turn so I did get a change of driver now and again. We did spreadovers on Route 187A. The M25 was not even thought of at that time - and the equivalent at that time was the North Circular Road which the 187A followed in peak times between Hanger Lane and Brent Station. I remember the Friday before Bank Holiday weekend in 1966 running 2 hours late because of the NCR and lost a complete rounder. While on the 187A coming from Hampstead Heath on a garage run my driver would take a short cut along Kilburn Lane rather than up to the cinema at Bannister Road and turn left. We had to show NORTH KENSINGTON Middle Row on garage journeys but all the time I was there I never took a fare paying passenger to the garage.
It is 1966 and I am a conductor at Middle Row Garage (X) on the 28/187 rota with occasional forays onto the 7 and 15.
Easter BH Monday I am given a stand-by duty and after about 20 minutes was given a duty on the 18 which I had never worked, Normally when you start at a garage a day or two is given for route learning duties but apparently if you request a transfer no such time is allowed. ( I am not sure if this arrangement applied to drivers under the same circumstances. Being an enthusiast albeit secret I knew the route anyway. The route then ran from Edgware to London Bridge but was split into two overlapping sections Edgware to Paddington Green and Sudbury to London Bridge and I was lucky to get a duty that covered both sections. This was a good day.
Back in 1966 there was no internet of course and information to enthusiasts was limited and thus most info was gleaned from LOTS which was in its infancy and what was seen on the road. One of the surprises whilst working the 28 one day was that we were given a turn at West Hampstead and I was contemplating sharing the stand with a 159 on West End Green and was surprised when I found out that a special stand was in place for these occasions on Hillfield Road going via Mill Lane and Aldred Road.
I had now been at Middle Row for 6 months and the attraction of working at a Central London garage had worn off. I missed my ex colleagues at AB and the more relaxed attitude towards the job, I moved back to Richmond and also gained a transfer back to AB at the same time.
I felt at home almost straight away , and without my grandmother to cook any more quite enjoyed the small canteen in the garage where the 2/- specials were available, and also the banter with crews arguing about who had scratched who. The girls in the canteen took a lot of stick but secretly I think they enjoyed the attention.
It wasn’t long before I found a girl friend, who was a secretary on the Lower Mortlake Road in Richmond and she would ask when I was passing , and when I did all the office girls would be hanging out the window waving. I felt like a celebrity but that wasn’t how my colleagues viewed it.
Jill and I got quite serious and decided to get married, In order to save up money she also joined the buses which she enjoyed until she was assaulted doing a late turn on the 71 and decided to return to office work. She was sharing a house with 2 other girls in North Road which runs parallel with the District Line in Kew. The landlord was a vicar and was not happy about one of his tenants “ living in sin “ but when we offered him more rent he reluctantly agreed and I moved in.
The job was changing and OMO was introduced to the garage in 1968 and the 290 rota was filled by all senior staff. I always thought it funny seeing them reversing as it was a struggle for them to turn around in the RF cab.
July 1968 I was 21 and applied to be a driver and was very happy when accepted. I felt quite confident as I has passed my car license first time after only 9 lessons, this confidence was to be my downfall.
If I remember correctly the course was 3 weeks and it was great fun. I shared an RTW with two other lads, one from Southall (HW) and I can’t remember the other. Our instructor was a rookie and we were his first pupils but we spent most of our time in South London as he was based at Thornton Heath. The day of the test I started at Bishops Bridge Road and followed Route 27 back to Chiswick Works. I thought I had given a good ride but apparently at the beginning in Pembridge Villas had overtaken a parked car and forced a an oncoming vehicle to stop. Failed ! The following week I had another test but my confidence had gone and I made a mess of it. They told me to apply in a years time but I never did as I actually enjoyed being a conductor. At least I can say I had driven the skid pan.
The staff shortage was quite chronic in 1969 and I remember coming out of the canteen one day and there was over 20 buses in the garage, Twickenham only had 33 buses in total. Heathrow Airport was not far away and the money there was a lot better plus the staff benefits ( cheaper air travel meant that ethnic groups could return home to see family for a fraction of the price.
In late 1969 I was doing a duty on the 27A and it turned out that I was the only bus on the route for a period and the moans and groans were just too much and hastily I handed in my notice. Unskilled jobs were easy to come by then and I joined the Express Dairy starting on the 1st January 1970 which was not a bank holiday in the days.
Fast forward to 1996, the internet had arrived and I decided to join the fun and add a route by route history of London Buses to the net. The first few years it was very basic but I had a lot of assistance from the various companies and was able to obtain a lot of background information.
www.londonbuses.co.uk is still going strong and is reaching the 6 million visitor mark.
Fast forward to 2012 and I was officially retired which I enjoyed at first as I had plenty of time to work on the web site and I took up lawn bowls which I still enjoy although only available in the Summer Months.
After a year of sitting around all day I began to get restless and saw an advert for Customer Assistants to help with Rail Replacement on the London Underground, I applied thinking my age would probably put off any prospective employer but I got the job and my first assignment as a “ pinky ‘ was outside Richmond Station on a District Line replacement which was perfect for me as I knew the area well. This company had a variety of work including surveys on the railway, promotional work for the Heathrow Express, helping at Gatwick Airport Station on the ticket machines, ticket checking on SW railway and a survey on the night train “ Caledonian Express “, travelling to Glasgow.
The variety was good and being a transport enthusiast interesting and they paid me.
In 2016 I met Dean Sullivan at Canning Town whilst doing a CIA shift and cheekily asked him if he needed navigators as this was a job that appealed although they are called pilots within the trade. To my surprise he took this old man on and I have been there ever since although I am now a supervisor although still “pilot” when needed.
I still love talking “bus” and meeting so many drivers talking about individual routes all over London is still a joy. The job has changed a lot since the sixties , some good some bad. One thing I have noticed is that working on the buses in the sixties ( RT and RM) rarely did a bus break down unlike today with the modern buses unreliability is a key issue.
Ian Armstrong