Reading Mainline Routemasters

English: Reading Mainline was a public transport bus operator based in Reading, Berkshire. It operated for 6 years from 1994 to 2000 using a fleet of vintage Routemaster buses, the open platform conductor operated bus originally built for London Transport in the 1950s and 1960s.

History

English: Using a red & cream livery, the company intended to use the Routemaster to compete with the more modern one-man-operated buses of the incumbent council-owned operator, Reading Transport. Set up on 23 July 1994 with one route, Route A, it soon expanded to introduce (in chronological order) Routes B, E, H, F, X, C and J. All routes except C were cross town routes. It sourced its buses from several places, both from London Buses as well as several other post-deregulation operators who had built up second hand Routemaster fleets much earlier, with 12 coming from the Blackpool Transport Routemaster fleet in 1997. At its peak, based from a depot in Cardiff Road, Mainline had 44 numbered Routemasters in its fleet, plus 1 without a number, and 1 loaned Leyland National (DNW840T) used for driver training. After competitive counter-measures from Reading Transport, as well as driver shortages, began to take their toll, the company eventually agreed to a sale to the incumbent in 1998. As part of the takeover, Reading Transport promised to continue to operate the business as a separate operation for 2 years, although some route renumbering and rationalisation followed. By 1999, when the company's depot lease ended, just 24 operational Routemasters were left, and they were moved to Reading Transport's depot in Great Knollys Street. On 22 July 2000, with the operation having reduced to a peak weekday service requirement of 10 buses, the Mainline services were finally withdrawn. Many of Mainline's disposed buses entered preservation or private hire use with other operators. At least two buses have retained their Reading Mainline identity and livery, Past Time Bus's RM1859 (ex-No. 17) and Reading Heritage Travel's RM999 (ex-No. 15). All the buses remaining at final close of operations were bought by Transport for London, the successor to London Transport, forming the biggest single source for their new policy of buying back old RM class buses, refurbishing and re-engining them, and then putting them back into use in London. When those operations ended, many were selected for the further use on the London Buses Routemaster Heritage Routes, route 9 and route 15. [1][2][3]

Fleet

The full Reading Mainline RM fleet was as follows:

RM	No.	Reg.	Original reg.	New	Bought	From	Into service	Out of service	Service notes	Subsequent fate
RM0023 RM23	23	JFO 256*	VLT 23*	1959/06	1995/02	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	1995/09	2000/07	* bought as LGH 31T, last bus on Line D	refurbished for further London service; private sale; exported to Russia
RM0026 RM26	28	XSL 220A	VLT 26	1959/06	1994/06	Strathtay Scottish (621)	Never	n/a	cannibalised, hulk 1998	scrapped 1998/4
RM0044 RM44	07	VLT 44	VLT 44	1959/08	1994/02	Southend Transport (via Clydeside 2000)	1994/07	?	delicensed 1998/10	preserved 2000
RM0045 RM45	12	AST 415A	VLT 45	1959/08	1994/06	Strathtay Scottish (SR23)	1998/09	2000/07	missed last day due to mechanical failure	refurbished for further London service; preserved 2006
RM0104 RM104	32	LDS 280A	VLT 104	1959/10	1996	BTS	1996/12	1998/08	entered service still in BTS livery	exported to Argentina
RM0172 RM172	10	WYJ 857	VLT 172	1959/12	1994	dealer (Brakell), ex-Southend Transport	1994/08	1998/06	accident damaged, repaired by Leaside Buses in 1996/05	exported to Argentina
RM0180 RM180	20	XVS 830	VLT 180	1959/12	1995/02	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	1996/05	2000/07	last day bus	refurbished for further London service; preserved 2006
RM0191 RM191	11	AST 416A	VLT 191	1960/01	1994/06	Strathtay Scottish	1995/03	2000/07		refurbished for further London service; private sale; cafe bus (regained VLT 191)
RM0244 RM244	19	XVS 839	VLT 244	1960/02	1995/02	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	1995/05	2000/07		dealer sale (Hawkins); re-registered VLT 250 2003/04
RM0316 RM316	14	WLT 316*	WLT 316*	1960/04	1994/07	Strathtay Scottish (SR25)	1995/05	2000/07	* bought as WTS 33A and returned to original registration soon after entering service	dealer sale (Hawkins)
RM0577 RM577	06	WLT 577	WLT 577	1961/02	1994/02	Southend Transport (via Clydeside 2000)	1994/08	1999/01		preserved 1999
RM0621 RM621	16	WLT 621	WLT 621	1961/04	1994/10	Routemaster Bournemouth (on loan from Shaftesbury and District)	1994/10	1998/08		exported to Argentina
RM0790 RM790	09	WLT 790	WLT 790	1961/07	?	Blue Triangle	1994/12	1998/10		exported to Argentina
RM0838 RM838	22	XYJ 440	WLT 838	1961/07	1995/03	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	1995/12	2000/04		refurbished for further London service; preserved 2006
RM0848 RM848	40	WLT 848	WLT 848	1961/07	1997	Blackpool Transport (522)	Never	n/a	repainted but unused	refurbished for further London service; re-registered 448 UXS; private sale; preserved 2007
RM0871 RM871	26	NRH 803A*	WLT 871*	1962/01	1995/03	East Yorkshire (803)	1997/04	2000/07	* regained WLT 871 in 1999	refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 15
RM0879 RM879	41	WLT 879	WLT 879	1962/01	1997	Blackpool Transport (527)	1998/05	?		exported to Poland
RM0917 RM917	27	WTS 102A	WLT 917	1961/11	1994/06	Strathtay Scottish (620)	?	?	in store 1995, cannibalised, hulk 1998/04	?
RM0931 RM931	24	MFF 580	WLT 931	1961/11	1995/03	London Buses	1996/10	2000/07	last day bus	refurbished for further London service; Henry Cooper Coaches (Cramlington)
RM0937 RM937	05	WLT 937	WLT 937	1961/11	1994/02	Southend Transport (via Clydeside 2000)	1994/07	1999/03		exported to Canada
RM0938 RM938	31	WLT 938	WLT 938	1961/11	1996	preservation	1996/09	1999/07	provided on long term loan basis, used on private hire work only, rallied in Czech Republic as #100	preserved 2000 (in Reading Mainline livery)
RM0949 RM949	03	XVS 319	WLT 949	1961/11	1994/02	Southend Transport (via Clydeside 2000)	1994/07	1999/03		exported to Poland
RM0993 RM993	02	WLT 993	WLT 993	1962/05	1994/02	Southend Transport (107)	1994/08	1999/03		dealer sale (PVS Carlton)
RM0999 RM999	15	WVS 423	WLT 999	1962/01	1995	preservation	1995/01	?	operated until at least 1999/10, sold to RHT 2000/05	Reading Heritage Travel (in Reading Mainline livery)
RM1017 RM1017	08	YTS 973A	17 CLT	1962/01	1994/07	Blue Triangle	1994/07	1998/12		exported to Argentina
RM1018 RM1018	18	PVS 828	18 CLT	1962/01	?	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	1996/05	2000/07	last day bus	refurbished for further London service; private sale; Carters Coaches; Travel with Hunny
RM1143 RM1143	13	WTS 186A	143 CLT	1962/05	1994/07	Strathtay Scottish (SR24)	Never	n/a	cannibalised, hulk 1999/04	?
RM1357 RM1357	34	357 CLT	357 CLT	1962/12	1996	Blackpool Transport (528)	1997/03	2000		Sea Scout bus; preserved 2009
RM1583 RM1583	39	583 CLT	583 CLT	1963/05	1997	Blackpool Transport (521)	1997/09	2000/07		Fleetmaster; Walkabout Inns promo bus; preserved 2003
RM1627 RM1627	38	627 DYE	627 DYE	1963/06	1997	Blackpool Transport (523)	1997/05	?	sold 2000	refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 9
RM1640 RM1640	35	640 DYE	640 DYE	1963/06	1996	Blackpool Transport (524)	1997/04	2000/07	last day bus	refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 9
RM1650 RM1650	37	650 DYE	650 DYE	1963/07	1997	Blackpool Transport (525)	1997/10	2000/03		refurbished for further London service; retained by First London as a showbus (as Silver Jubliee bus SRM3)
RM1653 RM1653	none	NILE 1	653 DYE	1963/07	1995/05	Egypt tour bus	Never	n/a	bought for spares	?
RM1735 RM1735	36	735 DYE	735 DYE	1963/10	1996	Blackpool Transport (526)	1997/04	2000/07	Christmas Bus 1999, last bus of last day	refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 9
RM1859 RM1859	17	859 DYE	859 DYE	1964/02	1994/11	St. John Ambulance	1995/09	1999/05		Past Time Bus (in Reading Mainline livery)
RM1948 RM1948	29	ALD 948B	ALD 948B	1964/06	1995/11	Centrewest	1996/06	1999/03		exported to Poland
RM1966 RM1966	44	ALD 966B	ALD 966B	1964/07	1997	Blackpool Transport (529)	?	1999	in store 1997/10	McKindless; preserved 2004; The London Bus Company 2008
RM1989 RM1989	33	ALD 989B	ALD 989B	1964/08	1997	Blackpool Transport (530)	1997/03	2000/03		preserved 2000; London Heritage Travel 2007
RM1990 RM1990	25	ALD 990B	ALD 990B	1964/08	1995/03	East Yorkshire (811)	1995/04	2000/07		preserved
RM2011 RM2011	04	ALM 11B	ALM 11B	1964/09	1994/02	Southend Transport (118 )	1994/07	1999		dealer sale (Lister)
RM2034 RM2034	01	ALM 34B	ALM 34B	1964/09	1994/02	Southend Transport (110) (via Clydeside 2000)	1994/07	1999/04		dealer sale (PVS Carlton)
RM2037 RM2037	30	ALM 37B	ALM 37B	1964/10	1997	preservation	1996/11	2000/05		preserved 2000
RM2071 RM2071	42	ALM 71B	ALM 71B	1964/11	1997	Blackpool Transport (531)	1998/01	2000/07	last day bus	refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 15
RM2089 RM2089	43	ALM 89B	ALM 89B	1964/11	1997	Blackpool Transport (533)	1997/11	2000/07		refurbished for further London service; retained for London heritage route 15
RM2201 RM2201	21	CUV 201C	CUV 201C	1965/04	1995/02	dealer (PVS Carlton), ex-London	Never	n/a	was prepared for service but then put up for sale, stored and finally cannibalised	dealer sale (PVS Barnsley)

Images

Reading Mainline

• 
  No. 38 / RM1627 (627 DYE) on route F in Woodley, 1998

Reading Transport

• 
  No. 33, RM1989
  (reg. ALD 989B)
  Route F
  1999

In preservation

• 
  No. 17, RM1859
  (reg. 859 DYE)
  Past Time Bus
  13 July 2008
• 
  No. 15, RM999
  (reg. WVS 423)
  Reading Heritage Travel
  13 July 2008