Routemaster bus RM652

English: Routemaster bus RM652 Rodney the Routemaster (reg. WLT 652, ex LDS 161A) was delivered to London Transport in April 1961, registered WLT 652. It was used in London service until withdrawn in January 1985, upon which it moved to Scotland. It was to be used in strategic trials by the newly created company Clydeside Scottish, who wanted to assess the Routemaster for use in the newly deregulated competitive envoronment in Glasgow. The trial was a success, and Clydeside took more Routemasters, painting them and RM652 in their red & yellow livery. When Clydeside (re)-merged with Western Scottish it was re-registered LDS 161A, before being sold shortly after in 1989. By 2000 it had returned to London, but in the intervening time it saw use in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and Scotland again, and was also repainted into Clydeside colours as 'Rodney'. At some point it also regained its original WLT 652 registration. In November 2000 it was bought by Transport for London (London Bus Services Ltd) and refurbished/re-engined in the early 2000s, for further use in London, being allocated to Arriva London North and working route 38. After final withdrawal from the 38 and return to Tfl, it was selected as one of the few buses to continue in service on the Routemaster Heritage Routes, going into service on the 15 in March 2006. In July 2008 it was repainted in the white roundel version of London Buses livery. In March 2010 it visited the National Tramway Museum in Crich. For this occasion a 'Rodney' sticker was placed on the side of the bus, which persisted into use on it's return to London (image).