RML2610 is progressing well at the BusWorks and repanelling work on RML2505 is now in progress.

The cant-rail height panels have been left off whilst 2610 is required for a PA system and internal LED lighting.

Philip
www.thebusworks.co.uk

Interesting position of the rear lighting.. (yes i know why they are were they are.) Keep up the good work to everyone there in the sunny West coast, guess your not opening up a branch in the Rainy South East coast just yet! It's still amazes me the amount of RM's you seem to have pass though your doors!

Phil ,

A simple question, when repanelling do your chaps make the 'separate' cantrail panels OR do you make a ' full depth ' single panel as is often the case with some bodyshops - wrongly of course - or as original and make 2 panels as each section requires, then overlap and complete with sealant please ?? Just interest , nowt else..

..please Philip - what is the nice looking green and cream bus behind? - looks a bit like Southdown colours

A few points on postings...

To the point "when repanelling do your chaps make the 'separate' cantrail panels OR do you make a ' full depth ' single panel as is often the case with some bodyshops - wrongly of course - or as original and make 2 panels as each section requires" -

We replace the panels EXACTLY AS THEY COME TO US as a full depth single panel with a strapping on the rear to support the riveted on half-round moulding for the cream/white stripe. If this is 'wrong' then we have yet to come across a London Routemaster done any other way!!

The Southdown bus is Bristol VRT UUF110J

The rear lights have not be re-positioned. The offside panel is simply loose and dangling on its wires whilst repanelling is in progress.

Philip Higgs
www.thebusworks.co.uk
07880-507636

...very much for that Philip - a Southdown Bristol in Blackpool - wow! Almost as surreal as when I rode around Halifax in a Southdown PD3 Queen Mary....

Dear dear Alan, your hearing those little voices telling you all the wrong things again.

Perhaps you should start taking your little pink pills again before those nice men in white coats come to see you!


Regards

Claire

Claire ,

As far as I'm aware the 'advert' containing side upper deck below window body panels were originally a 2 piece panel , main upper and CANTRAIL lower , therefore making them 2 separate panels ...

As usual to reinforce my point the following info will help :-

referred to as 'Poster Panels'

RM 047 CU 1 ......... 4 ft-1&3/8 in X 2 ft-7&21/32in === 8 req'd

RM 002 P 1 ......... 4 ft-1&3/8 in X 1 ft-2& 1/8 in === 8 req'd

ER 506 P 1 ......... 2 ft-3&7/8 in X 1 ft-2& 1/8 in === 2 req'd

ER 504 CU 1 ......... 2 ft-3&7/8 in X 2 ft-7&21/32in === 2 req'd

RM 002 CU 2 ......... 4 ft-6&11/32in X 2 ft-7&21/32in === 1 req'd

RM 006 P 1 ......... 4 ft-6&11/32in X 1 ft-2&1/8 in === 1 req'd

That will correctly repanel an RML upper deck between decks and window levels including the cantrail section --ALL INFO FROM LT spec sheets .

Sorry Claire but thats how it is, so you see the panels carrying adverts and the CANTRAIL are 2 separate panels per section and the 2 more odd ones are for rear ends towards rear most repanel finish.

Hiya

Ive done this post in plain English so that we can all understand.

The places where the small size panels are used are the front around the cab and the back around the platform. Along both sides within the 4 or 41/2 bay structure the panels are the large ones.

The same system is used on the PR RT3 body as well and probably the other RT bodies too but Ive never had to work on those so I dont know for sure.

The term Poster panel refers to the front and back panels used to put the advert posters which have a double curve in them and because theyre more expensive to make the cant panel is a separate small one so that repairs are easier and cheaper to do.

The modernised RF used a similar system in the 60s when LT put the wide decorative band along the sides of the coaches and the replacement of a small section of one of these large panels would involve having a joggled panel cut but this was not an LT thing they always replaced the whole panel.

I have never come across an overlapped panel in LT days, they were always butted in my experience.

Regards

Claire

Hmmmmm. When I personally repannelled RM531, I found the following.
1. The between decks panels were exactly as per Phillips photo, except for the rearmost offside, behind the staircase. This comprised a panel at window level, with a large panel above which covered between decks, cant rail and below to join up with the top of the window height panel. The other panels containing the cream band was one section from the top of the cream band to the top of the window pan, ie, it contained the section where First and East London have their fleetnames today on the heritage buses.
2. The upper panels overlapped the lower panels, to encourage water run off.
3. Sealant was used on the back of each panel to the frame.
4. Sealant was used on the strapping and beading to the panels.
5. The lower deck below window panels butted to the window pans and overlapped the lower panels and tops of the skirt panels.

My bus was rebuilt by Arriva at Enfield, who know a thing or two about RM bodies, I replaced exactly as I found.

I would hazard a guess it would be unlikely to have a seperate panel for the cant rail (cream band) and for the panel below it, to top of window pan, as there is no horizontal framework behind it to rivet it to at the join. It would seem pointless to have a thin panel for the cream band and cause an extra joint in the body.

Hi Philip,



How are things going with MD 60 please?

I have seen instances in use of one very large single panel being cut and used to replace the 2 panels by combining the larger upper panel ++ the cantrail panel in one go, that was the intended nature of my origianl question to Phil, nothing more. His photo shows they do not do that.

Claire , if you look carefully at the lower deck panels sizes you'll see clearly there is a 3/8th inch difference in the panel depth so the overlap is obvious, this is simply to keep potential water ingress to an absolute minimum, it should of course be zero when correctly sealed, this also applies to the skirt panels, which as you know are the most heavily damaged along with the rear offside corner area on the bus.