Thanks for uploading this. Very nostalgic and enjoyable to watch, especially because I used to live around the area and I was born on that year. Much as I remember and loved the PVL’s I wish I got to experience those Leyland Titans because they seem very nice buses!
Fantastic footage thanks for uploading. As a kid growing up in the 90s I loved getting on these buses and only paying 40p. I was still in primary school when this was filmed (born 1990). I used to regularly catch the 229 from Abbey Wood to Erith each day, back when your parents would send you to school on a bus on your own at primary school age! I was with the titans through the late 90s through to the early 2000s when the titans were literally run into the ground, caked in graffiti and vandalism, seats kicked in and seats burnt. There wasn't a single pain of glass that wasn't etched with graffiti on with some of the fleet! I remember the day the first volvo plaxton bus pulled up in the early 2000s and everyone being amazed at how spacious and nice they were compared to the old crap we were used to! Sadly it didn't take long for the vandal scum to start their antics again after about a month or so of them being in service!
I'm pleased you like the vid, it's nice when something from your childhood is uploaded, a chance to relive happier times. Yes, i drove the 185s with Titan's for a while in 2002/03 and all south London buses had their windows etched. Ex London Titan's that went to Liverpool had the glass replaced and they ran around there unmarked! They put a film on the glass now that makes etching harder to do. I have another film from Bexleyheath already uploaded here th-cam.com/video/4C_9DJeco3o/w-d-xo.html
Wish I knew these Titan hotspots at the time. Central London around the tourist traps saw only a smattering when I was there. I assumed there were only a few stragglers. I was wrong. Awesome footage though mate!
Marshall Capitals in the background painted Grey underneath the red before some of them were painted Black underneath and stayed at Bexleyheath mainly working the B12 with a spare often on the 244 and some went up north to Go North East and got replaced by Dennis Darts Plaxton Pointer with 2 doors from London General with London Central branding on the 469 and the B16 and Dennis Darts with 1 door from London General and London Central from New Cross bus Garage introduced for the B11
Thank you....Yes, the Central London routes hadn't much Titan action by now although the 172s were prettty solid performers as was the 63s. Odd ones would get out on the 3s or crew worked on the 12s & 36s.....a bit of luck was needed for these odd workings though....
As a north Londoner, I never really got to go on one of these. We were all about MCW metrobuses around my way. Similar in look, I would’ve loved to have gone on one
A few Titans worked into North London, Walthamstow used them oin the 34s to barnet Church and on their half of the 144s to Turnpike Lane. As bus operating districts were amalgamated Titans ened up working off Chalk Farm & Holloway garage's for a while, and under route tendering i think MTL used ex LT Titans on routes 4 & 52, so some did indeed work in North London.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus oh my goodness, my memory is awful. Yes, I remember bus 52 having them now. I didn’t use that bus often, as the family had a car, and when we wanted to go anywhere along that route, we used the tube. Thanks for reminding me
Probably drove most of those Titans when they were a Camberwell. They were dispatched to other London Central garages when Camberwell acquired the NV Fleet
I thought the route 89 don't normally go into the bus garage and it says Bexleyheath garage on the blind but really the blind was spoused to say Not In Service and it only goes into the bus garage when it's not in service
Can someone update me here, I'm thinking back to Bexleybus, which too my knowledge was this area, had they gone at the time of this vid or were they still about, remember bexleybus dms's going back from my old employer in scotland, being repainted & fitted out before going south too, a full circle move, dates wear as we get older soi
Bexleybus was a brand name of one of the LT operating companies. I'm not sure when it finished but after the BOC's were sold off in 1995 they all took the identites of their new owning groups. Go-Ahead won London Central (this area) and London General companies in the sell off.
I thought the Leyland Titans didn't get turned into training buses until 2001 and 2002 when the Plaxton Presidents entered service and already I'm service alongside the Volvo Olympians
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I think the Titans in which some of them were used as training buses got replaced by Volvo Olympians in 1995, 1996 and 1997 from New Cross, Camberwell and Peckham Bus Garages
Some of them were used as training buses after being replaced by Volvo Olympians from New Cross Bus Garage and Bexleyheath Bus Garage on the 492 when the route was extended from Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre in March 1999
The buses on the 492 are normally Volvo Olympians and I thought the Titans on the 492 got replaced by Volvo Olympians when Bluewater opened and when it got extender to Bluewater
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 No idea....the 51s were NVs but you still got a few Titan's out on it. I had been out a few weeks earlier doing moves with the buses and decided to go back and film, plus whip in any Titan's i had missed for a ride previously......Anything that was a Titan got rode on and/or videod.....
The Titans were withdrawn and converted into training buses after they got replaced by the newer Volvo Olympians from New Cross bus garage on routes 171, 172 and the 21 and Bexleyheath bus garage for the 51 back in 1995 and the 492 back in March 1999 when the route was extended from Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 engines with renowned reliability and fuel efficiant better than the engines that went into the mk 1 national. Fairground operators loved them. They plodded along quite happily for hours on end. Look up Gardner 6lxb.
They were booked for that route but used to get mixed up a bit....or else new low floor may have been introduced to the 53s. Later this day i saw an LT L Olympian out on the 96s....
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 I assume garages just mixed up vehicles as they saw fit, the 51 was NV but still had Titan's appear on it, Stagecoach probably did the same.....
@Soi Buakhao The Stagecoach Leyland Titans came out of Catford and Bromley Bus Garages alongside the Volvo Olympians until the arrival of the Dennis Tridents ALX400s and Plumstead Bus Garage mainly uses the Volvo Olympians and the Leyland Olympians as spare buses until the arrival of the Dennis Tridents ALX400s
Thanks for uploading this. Very nostalgic and enjoyable to watch, especially because I used to live around the area and I was born on that year. Much as I remember and loved the PVL’s I wish I got to experience those Leyland Titans because they seem very nice buses!
The Titans were nice to ride on, and drive as well!...... Still a few around with preservationists....
Drove these out of bexleyheath from 89-95 good times at that garage.
It's great to see some footage of Bexleyheath, I lived about 5 minutes down the road in Northumberland county from 2008-2013, I miss London 😭
My pleasure.....Have you seen my other Bexleyheath upload? See it here th-cam.com/video/4C_9DJeco3o/w-d-xo.html
Fantastic footage thanks for uploading. As a kid growing up in the 90s I loved getting on these buses and only paying 40p. I was still in primary school when this was filmed (born 1990). I used to regularly catch the 229 from Abbey Wood to Erith each day, back when your parents would send you to school on a bus on your own at primary school age! I was with the titans through the late 90s through to the early 2000s when the titans were literally run into the ground, caked in graffiti and vandalism, seats kicked in and seats burnt. There wasn't a single pain of glass that wasn't etched with graffiti on with some of the fleet! I remember the day the first volvo plaxton bus pulled up in the early 2000s and everyone being amazed at how spacious and nice they were compared to the old crap we were used to! Sadly it didn't take long for the vandal scum to start their antics again after about a month or so of them being in service!
I'm pleased you like the vid, it's nice when something from your childhood is uploaded, a chance to relive happier times. Yes, i drove the 185s with Titan's for a while in 2002/03 and all south London buses had their windows etched. Ex London Titan's that went to Liverpool had the glass replaced and they ran around there unmarked! They put a film on the glass now that makes etching harder to do. I have another film from Bexleyheath already uploaded here th-cam.com/video/4C_9DJeco3o/w-d-xo.html
Love the Titans.
Yes, they were well built and good to drive.....
Wish I knew these Titan hotspots at the time. Central London around the tourist traps saw only a smattering when I was there. I assumed there were only a few stragglers. I was wrong.
Awesome footage though mate!
Marshall Capitals in the background painted Grey underneath the red before some of them were painted Black underneath and stayed at Bexleyheath mainly working the B12 with a spare often on the 244 and some went up north to Go North East and got replaced by Dennis Darts Plaxton Pointer with 2 doors from London General with London Central branding on the 469 and the B16 and Dennis Darts with 1 door from London General and London Central from New Cross bus Garage introduced for the B11
Thank you....Yes, the Central London routes hadn't much Titan action by now although the 172s were prettty solid performers as was the 63s. Odd ones would get out on the 3s or crew worked on the 12s & 36s.....a bit of luck was needed for these odd workings though....
As a north Londoner, I never really got to go on one of these. We were all about MCW metrobuses around my way. Similar in look, I would’ve loved to have gone on one
A few Titans worked into North London, Walthamstow used them oin the 34s to barnet Church and on their half of the 144s to Turnpike Lane. As bus operating districts were amalgamated Titans ened up working off Chalk Farm & Holloway garage's for a while, and under route tendering i think MTL used ex LT Titans on routes 4 & 52, so some did indeed work in North London.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus oh my goodness, my memory is awful. Yes, I remember bus 52 having them now. I didn’t use that bus often, as the family had a car, and when we wanted to go anywhere along that route, we used the tube. Thanks for reminding me
@@PaddyMac No worries, i lost touch with the buses quite a bit in the 90s, too busy working on the railways or chasing trains when off!
The Selkent Leyland Olympians were withdrawn in 2000 because of their age and were replaced by the newer ALX400 Dennis Tridents
Probably drove most of those Titans when they were a Camberwell. They were dispatched to other London Central garages when Camberwell acquired the NV Fleet
I wonder what they replaced in this area? was it Olympians?....
I believe it was yes
Gardner engines awesome
I thought the route 89 don't normally go into the bus garage and it says Bexleyheath garage on the blind but really the blind was spoused to say Not In Service and it only goes into the bus garage when it's not in service
The route may have still been worked on LT rules where all garage runs were carried out in service.
Can someone update me here, I'm thinking back to Bexleybus, which too my knowledge was this area, had they gone at the time of this vid or were they still about, remember bexleybus dms's going back from my old employer in scotland, being repainted & fitted out before going south too, a full circle move, dates wear as we get older soi
6 Months later the Titans got replaced by Brand New Low Floor Plaxton Presidents
Bexleybus was a brand name of one of the LT operating companies. I'm not sure when it finished but after the BOC's were sold off in 1995 they all took the identites of their new owning groups. Go-Ahead won London Central (this area) and London General companies in the sell off.
Bexleybus finished in 1990
I thought the Leyland Titans didn't get turned into training buses until 2001 and 2002 when the Plaxton Presidents entered service and already I'm service alongside the Volvo Olympians
By now about half the London Titan fleet had been withdrawn so there were plenty spare for training buses.....
In 2007 Bexleyheath Bus Garage introduced its first Enviro 400s for the 486
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I think the Titans in which some of them were used as training buses got replaced by Volvo Olympians in 1995, 1996 and 1997 from New Cross, Camberwell and Peckham Bus Garages
Some of them were used as training buses after being replaced by Volvo Olympians from New Cross Bus Garage and Bexleyheath Bus Garage on the 492 when the route was extended from Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre in March 1999
The buses on the 492 are normally Volvo Olympians and I thought the Titans on the 492 got replaced by Volvo Olympians when Bluewater opened and when it got extender to Bluewater
Well, this was August 1999 and there were still plenty out on the route....
I thought the Titans got replaced by Volvo Olympians on the 492 in March
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 No idea....the 51s were NVs but you still got a few Titan's out on it. I had been out a few weeks earlier doing moves with the buses and decided to go back and film, plus whip in any Titan's i had missed for a ride previously......Anything that was a Titan got rode on and/or videod.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus 6 Months later in February 2000 the Brand New Low Floor Plaxton Presidents began to enter service
The Titans were withdrawn and converted into training buses after they got replaced by the newer Volvo Olympians from New Cross bus garage on routes 171, 172 and the 21 and Bexleyheath bus garage for the 51 back in 1995 and the 492 back in March 1999 when the route was extended from Dartford to Bluewater Shopping Centre
Nowadays it's Enviro 400s and Wright Eclipse Geminis
Wasn't there some PVLs and low floor Darts in between?.....I seem to recall PVLs were due to replace the Titan's....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus That was a year later in 2000
They were flyers with the Gardner engines in!!!
@@cidertom5140 What do you mean?
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 engines with renowned reliability and fuel efficiant better than the engines that went into the mk 1 national. Fairground operators loved them. They plodded along quite happily for hours on end. Look up Gardner 6lxb.
I thought the Stagecoach London Volvo Olympians are normally used on the 53
They were booked for that route but used to get mixed up a bit....or else new low floor may have been introduced to the 53s. Later this day i saw an LT L Olympian out on the 96s....
I thought the Dennis Tridents ALX400s didn't enter service until December 1999, January 2000 and 2003
@@lewisculverwellvlogs9789 I assume garages just mixed up vehicles as they saw fit, the 51 was NV but still had Titan's appear on it, Stagecoach probably did the same.....
@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I thought the Titans normally appear on the 89, 229, 401 and the 422
@Soi Buakhao The Stagecoach Leyland Titans came out of Catford and Bromley Bus Garages alongside the Volvo Olympians until the arrival of the Dennis Tridents ALX400s and Plumstead Bus Garage mainly uses the Volvo Olympians and the Leyland Olympians as spare buses until the arrival of the Dennis Tridents ALX400s
I thought the route 96 normally go past the Cinema to Crayford in 1999
No idea, i'm wasn't local to this area.....
It Does
You only realise how dirty and nasty diesel is when you look back at old videos and see how blackened vehicles were
These were also older, a the time of recording, than the average London bus is today.