JEWISH EAST END OF LONDON PHOTO GALLERY & COMMENTARY

London's East End Synagogues, cemeteries and more......

My personal journey through the Jewish East End of London

 e.mail thoughts & memories to: Phil

Phil's Trolleybus and Routemaster page...the beginning and the end...click on photos to enlarge (except the two photos below and the very exciting one in Oporto at the bottom of the page)

Whitechapel Road trolleybus stop, 1945: all aboard for Ilford Broadway

Whitechapel Road trolleybus stop,1945: all aboard for Ilford Broadway

Routemaster in Ushuaia, Argentina...don't cry for me Argentina...

.Routemaster in Ushuaia, Argentina...all aboard for the city tour...well more the shanty town tour actually!

 ......and talking about the end, I recently spotted the most unlikely Routemaster above at the end of the World in Ushuaia, Argentina, and you can't go further South than that unless you are in Antarctica.  All aboard for the Falkland Islands!

December 2005, Routemaster at Tower Hill - Heritage Route 15December 2005, Routemaster at Tower Hill - Heritage Route 15The December 2005 demise of the London Routemaster bus inspired me to dig up bus photos taken in the early 1960's when I used to spend my Sundays roaming London's bus routes spotting bus numbers and taking grainy photographs with my state of the art Kodak 44b camera.  A particular pleasure on those occasions was dodging the eagle eyes of London Transport's bus inspectors to get inside their wonderful bus garages.  Some were harder nuts to 'Just Married' Routemaster at Aldgate - July 2007crack than others.  I remember that Colindale was a particular challenge, whilst others were relatively easy.  a rare site in 2007 - 3 routemasters in a row at Aldgate. The one at the back is being used for a wedding partyAnyway, once inside, out would come the Ian Allan bus spotters' book and off you drifted into bus spotters' heaven!  In 1962 , when I was 12,  the last of London's Transport's Trolleybuses went the way of all flesh and the all conquering Routemaster took over.  It was a good job my friends and I were there to record the scene.......!

Routemasters under construction at the Park Royal factory circa 1961 - the view through the fence!

Shiny new Routemaster at Fulwell Depot 1961

Restored London Transport Trolleybus no 1201 in full working order at the East Anglia Transport Museum, June 2006

THE BEGINNING - New Routemasters awaiting completion at the Park Royal factory as London Transport's Trolleybus withdrawal programme gathers speed

The last London Trolleybus decked out with Union Jack bunting awaits its final run from Isleworth depot

The last London Trolleybus decked out with Union Jack bunting in Isleworth depot awaits its final run - the view from the other side

Trolleybus route 657 at Isleworth

Trolleybus route 657 stops for passengers outside Isleworth depot

Trolleybus route 657 at rest in Isleworth depot

Trolleybus on the road - I blinked and it was gone

Trolleybus turning into Isleworth depot - double exposed...must have a word with the photographer!

Trolleybuses over the inspection pits at Isleworth depot

Routemaster 267 at Fulwell depot

New Routemasters at Fulwell depot

Trolleybus route 601 in the Fulwell depot's yard

Trolleybus route 605 in Fulwell depot

Trolleybuses on parade at Fulwell depot

Trolleybus on manouveres at Fulwell depot

Trolleybus and Routmasters at Fulwell depot

Trolleybuses awaiting disposal at Hanwell Trolleybus depot

Trolleybuses awaiting disposal at Colindale depot

Trolleybuses being broken up at the Colindale Depot scrapyard

Trolleybuses being broken up at Colindale Depot

Sad Trolleybus in George Cohen's scrapyard just North of Colindale on the Edgware Road

Routemaster awaiting its fate at Tolworth Bus Garage December 2005

Routemasters awaiting their fate at Tolworth Bus Garage December 2005

THE END - Routemasters awaiting their fate at Tolworth Bus Garage December 2005

RF 486, Route 80 to Walton on the Hill outside Sutton station in SurreyMost of the set of London Transport bus photos below were sent in by Geoff Rich.  Geoff took them in the late 1950s and they are wonderfully evocative of that bygone era.  Meanwhile, enjoy the photo left of RF486, route 80 on its way to Walton on the Hill at the bus stop outside Sutton station in Surrey.

 

 

Aldgate bus station late 1950s - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

Aldgate Bus Station late 1950s - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

They were shopping at Harrods as early as the 1950s! - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

A London Transport RTL bus - note the shiny new Austin Cambridge doing the overtake! - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

An RT bus on the road (remember them?) - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

Wonderful trolleybus, late 1950s - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

The way we were -Routemaster no 45 on the road - photo courtesy of Geoff Rich

The way we are - Routemaster and its successor at The Aldwych, London, 2007

The last word - Routemaster in Oporto, Portugal. I wonder what the fare is from Green Park to Oporto?

The last word - Routemaster in Oporto, Portugal.  I wonder what the fare is from Oporto to Green Park?

And now for a joke: Morris -The finest cars ever built...!!!!!!!!!!!

And now for a joke: Morris -The finest cars ever built...!!!!!!!!!!!

As spotted in Aldgate - Summer 2004

Some obsessions are timeless.......website copyright Phil W,