GREEN LTs? The vast majority of the LTs were red Central buses, whether double or single deckers. But there were a handful of green LTs:
The 1931 Chiswick body design was based on the Scooter design,
with an open front entrance, but with a top deck.
The roof had a distinctly humped shape, with an slide-opening section.
The staircase was at the rear, over the offside pair of wheels. It seated 54.
A single line destination display was mounted over the cab,
while a display up on the front of the roof displayed the Green Line legend.
Early modifications included the fitting of an external sliding door,
which meant moving the fuel-tank filler backwards.
But it seems not to have worked as a GreenLine coach,
and was already on bus duties by the time that LPTB took over.
London Transport were apparently not happy with the body,
for it was drastically modified in 1935:
the sliding roof was replaced by a fixed panel; the staircase was moved to the front;
the roof-front display was removed and a taller bus-type display box replaced
the single line display. It lost its sliding door.
Oddly, the fuel filler was moved forwards again.
It remained on bus duties during the remainder of the thirties, and through the war, mainly on the 330 route from Hatfield and St Albans.
After the war it was reportedly used as a test bed for a General Motors 2-stroke engine, before being scrapped in 1946.
LT1137 history
When the London General Omnibus Company separated off its Country subsidiaries
as London General Country Services (LGCS) in 1932, they gave it a dowry of some new buses.
As well as the Bluebird STs, there were two Country Scooters,
to the same design as the 199 built for the Central Area.
They were built in 1932, and went in July to Reigate, where they started their Country service, in General red livery. However, they were moved to Windsor (WR) to take over the Uxbridge service for a while, before settling at Dorking (DS) to share the Dorking - Guildford route 425 with AEC Q-types. Livery became London Transport Country greens with black trimmings, plus silver roof.
They were moved to the Central Area in 1944 to join the bulk of the scooters, and received Central Area red, white, black and brown livery. LT 1427 seems to have settled on the 227 route, at Elmers End (ED) and then Bromley (TB), while LT 1428 made its home at Sutton on the 213. Both received second-hand diesel engines in 1950. Although not rebuilt, LT 1428 was painted in overall red, with a cream gutter line before its demise in February 1953.
LT 1429 was not built for the LGOC, but for Edward Hillman's Saloon Coaches of Romford.
It was taken into the LPTB fleet on the takeover of Hillman by LT in January 1934.
It was a Harrington bodied 30ft long luxury coach, seating a modest 32.
It was clearly unsuitable for stage carriage services,
and spent its time in the private hire fleet,
showing the rest of that fleet what a coach really looked like.
Why LT built the LTCs rather than more of these is not obvious. Perhaps the Traffic Commissioner objected to more 30 ft long vehicles in London streets. In 1939 it was displaced by the new TF private hire coaches, and was placed in store. Along with most of the private hire TFs it was destroyed when Bull Yard was bombed in October 1940.
LT 1137 history
LT1427-8 histories
LT1429 history
photo refs
Bus Stop
LT index.
Part 5: Scooters
Part 7: LTCs.
