Looking back:

RTL 1427 Leyland PD2 / Park Royal

Bus RT

The busses of the "Routemaster" type were developed by and for  LondonTransport, mainly to remplace the RT type, dating partly from the years before World War II. Nevertheless the Routemaster replaced first trolleybuses on some lines. Compared to its predecessor, the RT (see picture on the left), the Routemaster had a body made of easily exchangeable aluminium parts. Technically speaking, the Routemaster was one the most advanced vehicles. Its automatic gearbox (4-speed Wilson) and its assisted steering were revolutionary at its time. The fact that LondonTransport launched a renewing programme for 500 Routemaster in 1991, in order to extend their life expectation for another 10 years, showed the over 20-year-old busses are in excellent condition and still up-to-date.
The Routemaster RM 1180 was acquired by Routemaster asbl in 1992. The vehicle was on a promotion tour in Luxembourg, for the event of "Britain In Luxembourg".
The fees that Routemaster asbl realizes by hiring out the vehicle are used to finance actions to promote and conservate the history of public transportation. In this contect, we reminder the international seminar "History of the public transportation - reflecting the culture of a city" organized in 1995, when Luxembourg was the cultural capital of Europe. Another event was the "Oldtimer Bus-Rally" on May 23/24, 1998, at the occasion of "90 years of bus service in Luxembourg".