Colour transparency; Routemaster buses undergoing overhaul at Aldenham Works, 1978

By the late 1970s, London Transport's Routemaster buses were due to be replaced. The RM design was popular, particularly the open rear platform that allowed passengers to get on and off freely. However there was no government funding for LT to buy new front-engine buses like this. At the time, the government was offering subsidies to companies buying standard rear-engine buses. The decision was made to keep the old Routemasters and completely overhaul the fleet. This stretched facilities at Aldenham Works to their limit. This photo from 1978 shows the High Bay works area filled with Routemasters.