Photographs taken by me of the magazine pages are purely to illustrate the build stages, so that the entire project can be followed from the start to the completed model in issue order. The copyright of Hachette Partworks is acknowledged.

MAGAZINE ISSUE 31 - FITTING THE REAR WHEEL ARCHES
A very easy build fitting both rear wheel arches which took me under 10 minutes. Next weeks build looks more complex and will see me fitting the left front wheel arch and fog lamp to the sub frame. It comes complete with a number of strands of wiring which will need fitting within the bodywork. The two magazine articles in this issues magazine cover Route 73 as it passes Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations and London Bus Garages and Depots 1900-1935. I did not know that the name Angel in Angel Islington comes from the name of a 16th century coaching Inn that stood on the corner of Islington High St and Pentonville Road, and which was demolished in the 19th century. Also Euston station was built on land belonging to the Dukes of Grafton whose ancestral home was Euston Hall in Suffolk, located near the village of Euston, Suffolk. The second article is about London Bus Garages and Depots 1900-1935. I did not know that when Chiswick Works opened in 1921, it reduced the time it took to overhaul a bus from 16 days to 4, and centralised the work of 30 or so bus garages!

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INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 31 - FITTING THE REAR WHEEL ARCHES

BUILD ISSUE31 - FITTING THE REAR WHEEL ARCHES

MAGAZINE ISSUE 32 - FITTING THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL ARCH AND FOG LAMP
This build was reasonably straight forward. I probably took longer sorting out the wiring and which wire went where, than I did on the rest of the build. I did find on a couple of occasions that I had very little space to operate, particularly on the forward most wire clip near to the fuel can. Looking back I would probably have loosely fitted the first wire clip prior to attaching the wheel arch to the body. This would also have been the appropriate build (If not fitted in week 29 see my notes for that week) to fit the Power Steering Fluid Pipe. There would have still been plenty of space to connect it to the side of the engine, even when the wheel arch had been fitted if you had left it to this week. I previously reported that I accidentally snapped the Power Steering Fluid pipe off, I was able to apply a repair at the end of this build again using GS-Hypo Cement. The main magazine article is "on the museum trail" still following route 73 which passes a number of museums, including the museum of "Zoology and comparative anatomy" and more interestingly for me, Pollocks Toy Museum at the junction of Whitfield St and Scala St. The route continues into the West End where it terminates in Holles St outside John Lewis. I spent a few enjoyable hours during January 2019 photographing NRM's in Holles St and across Oxford St  in Harewood Place where the route 55 terminates. Part of the route 73 article reflects on buses that have run on the 73 over the years including STL, LT (original LT not the NRM), RT, RM, Mercedes Benz Citaro bendy buses, Wright Eclipse Gemini and now New Routemasters. The second article gives a technical view of the steering and gears on the RM.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 32 - FITTING THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL ARCH AND FOG LAMP

BUILD ISSUE 32 - FITTING THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL ARCH AND FOG LAMP

MAGAZINE ISSUE 33 - FITTING THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL ARCH
A very simple build which only took me about 5 minutes. This is now the final wheel arch to be fitted. This weeks first magazine article features route 24 starting in Pimlico through to Victoria. I did not know that route 24 is the oldest bus route in London. The route  started in 1912 running from Hampstead Heath to Victoria. In 1912 an extension was added from Victoria to Pimlico and it has stayed the same since. The second article features the NS type bus. The NS type was introduced in 1923 and was quite revolutionary in design having an enclosed drivers cab, pneumatic tyres and a roof! Next week I will be fitting the fuel tank and the side safety bars.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 33 - FITTING THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL ARCH

BUILD ISSUE 33 - FITTING THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL ARCH

MAGAZINE ISSUE 34 - PETROL TANK, FUEL FILTER AND SAFETY BARS
This was a relatively simple build once I had worked out which bracket was which to fit the side safety bars. It is important to stress that when turning the bus upside down to fit the bars, you need to be very careful not to damage the engine (which you will have probably realised by now is extremely fragile). I found a small cardboard box that I had was an ideal size. On turning the bus over, I rested the chassis on the box, leaving the engine protruding over the edge of box and safely clear of your table top. This allowed me to work on the chassis without any risk of harm to the engine. This weeks magazine features route 24 and covers the Cathedrals of Westminster. I did not know that although Westminster Abbey was given Cathedral status by King Henry VIII, today it is neither a church or cathedral, with no bishop but is subject only to the ruling Monarch. The second magazine article gives a technical view of the platform and exterior of the Routemaster. I was interested to learn that the white tape that covers the platform pole is called "Doverite".

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 34 -  PETROL TANK, FUEL FILTER AND SAFETY BARS

BUILD ISSUE 34 - PETROL TANK, FUEL FILTER AND SAFETY BARS

MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 1
This build started the construction of the drivers cab floor. I found the build to be relatively straight forward with no issues. It took me approximately 20 minutes to complete. The second article covers route 24 to Hampstead Heath as it continues along Charing Cross Road and close to Leicester Square. I learned that Leicester Square is named after "Leicester House" built in the 1630's by Robert  Sidney, the 2nd Earl of Leicester. The house stood on the north side of the square until it was demolished in 1791. The second article is about the LGOC (London General Omnibus Company) and the "Pirates". It discusses the so called pirate bus operators who made an unscrupulous living by exploiting passengers. To try and combat the pirates activities, LGOC painted all their buses bright red ( the start of the red London bus). The next issue continues work on the drivers cab.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 35 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 1

BUILD ISSUE 35 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 1

MAGAZINE ISSUE 36 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 2
This build continued with the drivers cab from Issue 35. Again relatively straightforward with no issues. The magazine articles continues route 24 along Tottenham Court Road towards Camden Town. The interesting fact from this issue, is that Tottenham Court Road is an ancient road and is mentioned the the Doomsday Book of 1086. The street is named after a manor house that was built on the corner of what is now Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road, during the reign of Henry III in the 13th century. The original house was owned by William de Tottenhall, and was latter known as Tottenham Court. The second article is the technical View Electrics and discusses the electrical system, including lighting. batteries, the horn and alarm and finally the alternator. An interesting fact regarding the electrical system is that some Routemasters were originally constructed with DC Generators and control panels. This equipment was replaced during their operational lives with London Transport by AC equipment.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 36 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 2

BUILD ISSUE 36 - THE FLOOR OF THE DRIVERS CAB AND HANDBRAKE - PART 2

MAGAZINE ISSUE 37 - BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR
This build on face value appeared simple, however part of it was extremely fiddly. Everything went well until I came to fit then small spring to the brake pedal, this took me over one hour to fit it! When fitting the spring, I found the pair of tweezers supplied in one of the early issues were too fat nosed, a pair of fine nosed tweezers would be better. I would also recommend a good light source, luckily we had a small desk lamp in the house which I was able to use. To fit the spring, I found it was necessary to remove the  cable assembly fitted in step 2. You will also find that in a later issue it is necessary to remove the switch mount 37G to fix a very small piece of insulating tape over the two pieces of plastic it rests on. I wished they had including the insulating tape when putting it together in step 2 of this build. Once the spring was fitted, the rest of the build went well with no further issues. The first magazine article in this issue covers route 24 to its finish at Hampstead Heath. A couple of interesting facts regarding the area: Firstly, In Chalk Farm Road, the word Chalk derives from the original settlement of Chaldecote or Chalcot. Apparently the soil in the area is not chalk but clay. The second interesting fact is the earliest mention of Hampstead Heath was in 986 when King Ethlred the Unready granted one of his servants a parcel of land at "Hemstede". The second article was a very interesting read about London and the Suburban Trams, a brief history is given. The second half of the article is about the Kingsway Tunnel.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 37 - BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR

BUILD ISSUE 37  - BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR

MAGAZINE ISSUE 38 - FITTING THE DASHBOARD AND ACCESSORIES IN THE CAB
I found this build to be quite straightforward in comparison to issue 37.  The first magazine article covers route E3 around the west of London. The second article is entitled "Where are they now? On the Heritage Route" and is a guide to 5 of the 10 RM's used on Route 15H. This history is given of RM's 324, 652, 871, 1933 and 1941.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 38 - FITTING THE DASHBOARD AND ACCESSORIES IN THE CAB

BUILD ISSUE 38 - FITTING THE DASHBOARD AND ACCESSORIES IN THE CAB

MAGAZINE ISSUE 39 - ASSEMBLING AND FITTING THE DRIVERS SEAT
A very straightforward build. When fitting the seat, take care not to dislodge or damage the handbrake and engine stop fitted in a previous issue. I managed to knock off the engine stop switch, so when I refitted it with tweezers, I used a  small amount of glue to secure it. The first article in the magazine continues on route E3 and visits Acton and the LT Museum Depot. An interesting fact about Acton is that the first branch of Waitrose, then known as Waite, Rose and Taylor opened in Acton in 1904. The name Waitrose was adopted four years later. The second article gives a brief history of early bus stops and shelters.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 39 - ASSEMBLING AND FITTING THE DRIVERS SEAT

BUILD ISSUE 39 - ASSEMBLING AND FITTING THE DRIVERS SEAT

MAGAZINE ISSUE 40 - FITTING ACCESSORIES IN THE DRIVERS CAB
This build was very straight forward, with no issues. A couple of tips: I would not fit the Heating Line to the cab (I would build it, but put it on one side). Likewise, I would also put together the water pipes but again put them safely on one side. I found that in Issue 41 you have to be careful not to damage them when attaching the cab to the front grill and nearside wing. And again when fitting the cab, radiator and wing to the chassis in issue 42. The first article in the magazine, the E3 continues from Acton and passes Gunnersbury Park on its way to Hanwell and Greenford and discusses the architecture of Acton Town Underground Station and the Art Deco Hoover building near to the terminus of the E3 at Greenford. The second article lists the history of the other 5 RM's on the 15H. History is given for RM1968, 2050, 2060, 2071 and 2089.

INSTRUCTIONS ISSUE 40 - FITTING ACCESSORIES IN THE DRIVERS CAB

BUILD ISSUE 40 - FITTING ACCESSORIES IN THE DRIVERS CAB

BUILD YOU OWN ROUTEMASTER

ISSUES THIRTY ONE TO FORTY

This page last updated Friday, 24 April 2020