Largest Ever Gathering of Routemasters to Take Place in Chiswick
Event will celebrate 70 years of the London icon
Over 130 routemasters were at the last anniversay event. Picture: Andrew Morgan
February 17, 2024
The Routemaster Association is to hold what is anticipated to be the largest ever gathering of the iconic bus in Chiswick later this year.
RM70 is taking place at Chiswick Business Park on the weekend of 20 and 21 July and will be free to enter with an opportunity to ride on the buses between Chiswick and the London Transport Museum.
The site has been chosen as, before it became an office development, the location was home to one of London Transport’s main bus overhaul works and was famous for being the place where trainee drivers were put through their paces on its impressive skid pan.
Now mostly in private hands, many surviving buses will be attending possibly including some driven to the event from Europe.
Ten years ago, The Routemaster Association held RM60 in Finsbury Park and the event attracted thousands of visitors to see over 130 Routemasters.
The first Routemasters entered service with London Transport in February 1956 and the last were withdrawn from regular service in December 2005, although two TfL heritage routes were subsequently operated by Routemasters in central London until 2019.
The Routemaster Association was formed in 1988 with the aim of supporting new owners who had started to acquire examples of this London icon following the commencement of large scale withdrawals from London service.
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