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RT 1329 1950 AEC London Transport Double Decker Bus serial # RT 1329
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CONVERSION PICS |
follow along as Westwerkes converts ol' RT 1329 into a restaurant for use in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico. |
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week 2 |
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After a couple of small setbacks and a sketchy border crossing, the bus has finally made it to Mexico. Special thanks to Dennis Griggs of Griggs Products, Inc. for the fabrication of the stealth bus dolly and for his time and effort getting the bus across the border! |
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London Transport RT 1329 HISTORY |
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This is how Westwerkes recieved the bus in July of 2005. Previously converted into a snack bar, the bus was completely gutted and trasformed into a fully functional restaurant. Now in Mexico soon to open!
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We have begun to piece together the history of RT 1329 and would appreciate any other information about this unique bus. Please email us if you have any leads. |
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RT 1329 was first put into service in March of 1950 serving London ’s route 8, the bus is serial # RT 1329 and was used on other routes in London through 1973 when it was sold to Wombwell Diesels. This is a picture of the actual bus in use on Route 207 in London. The bus later resurfaced in the United States. |
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| Sometime before 1982 it was employed my McCulloch realty as a mobile billboard and client bus. Robert McCulloch of the chainsaw fame, and later purchaser and importer of the famous “ London Bridge" at Lake Havasu , Arizona used double deckers in his real estate business.
Here is a picture of the sister McCulloch realty bus sitting unused somewhere near Lake Havasu . Another RT bus that is just one serial number and 10 license plates away from RT 1329 is now “Piccadilly Café” in Tuttletown , California. Could RT 1329 and possibly this bus have been purchased/imported at the same time as the Piccadilly Café Bus? - another ex-McCulloch realty bus? |
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From www.roadtripamerica.com -
“ In 1962, London Bridge was falling down. Built in 1831, the bridge couldn't handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River . The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale, and Robert McCulloch, Founder of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, submitted the winning bid of $2,460,000. The bridge was dismantled, and each stone was carefully marked. Everything was shipped 10,000 miles to Long Beach , California , and then trucked to Lake Havasu City . Reconstruction began on September 23, 1968 , with a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of London , who laid the cornerstone. On October 10, 1971 , the bridge was dedicated.” |
| RT 1329’s history is unknown after its Lake Havasu Days until it resurfaced again in Tucson, AZ with an open roof and canopy instead of the original, closed roof. It was remodeled as a snack bar and registered for use on the Road in AZ until 1995. Westwerkes received the bus in July of 2005 and completely remodeled it into a restaurant for a business owners in Puerto Penasco , Sonora, Mexico . The bus lost its engine and transmission somewhere along the line so it was towed to Mexico and is permanently installed as the centerpiece of a new restaurant/bar called “The Bus Stop at Sandy Beach”, an appropriate retirement for this well-traveled bus. |
Other RT Busses in action - |
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Much of this information was taken form the following sources, if we forgot your link or would like one removed please email webmaster
http://sftt.co.uk/busgarage/jotter/history/rt.shtml
http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/learning/online_resources/ecobus_omnibus/pg/1919b.htm
http://www.nationaltransportmuseum.org/b002.html
http://aec.middx.net/frames/inservice.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~Hadrecs/rego_database/Rego-KLB.htm
http://sftt.co.uk/busgarage/buses/index.html |
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